In an interview on CNN Philippines, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
– pork in the 2019 budget
– Chinese presence in the West Philippine Sea
– reported plan to publicly name cops involved in the drug trade
Quotes from the interview…
On the 2019 budget:
“Ang pinadalang enrolled bill sa amin, enrolled bill na transmit ng HOR. Ang napansin namin doon, may pagkakaiba doon sa na-ratify namin na bicam report. So yan ang kinwestyon namin. Initially nagkaroon kami ng duda because normally, after we ratify the bicam report, give or take 1 week, na-transmit na ang enrolled bill, from the HOR. This time around, 1 buwan na, wala pa. So in-alert namin, heads up namin ang aming LBRMO. Bantayan ninyo ang ipapadalang enrolled bill kasi nakakaduda ang katagal-tagal. So true enough when the enrolled bill was transmitted to us, they reviewed and evaluated, nakita nila may net increase of P95.1 billion. And included in the net increase na P95B, may 75B na hindi napag-usapan sa BCC, ang joint conference committee na nag-usap para pag-reconcile ng disagreeing provisions. So Alarm bells yan sa amin dahil nakakuha pa kami ng information from the HOR members themselves, some of them anyway, nagsumbong sila, na talagang ginalaw nila even after the BCC report na ratified.”
On HOR claim they itemized the budget:
“Ang original enrolled bill na pinadala sa amin, yan ang pinirmahan ni SP but may addendum. Mr. President, ang ina-attest ko lamang sa pinirmahan kong enrolled bill, hindi kasama rito ang 75B. Ito ang listahan at pwede nyo i-review, pinapaubaya namin sa inyo na i-exercise ang inyong line item veto powers under the Constitution.”
“Ang napagusapan namin, hino-hostage namin ang P3.757-T budget. Ang contentious lang, ang butal na 75B. So that’s around 19% of the entire national budget. And ang negative impact sa economy, medyo madugo. Pagka sa August ipasa, ang sabi ng economic managers, at least 1.8% ang slide sa GDP. Pag umabot pa ito ng yearend, aabot ng 2.8%, so kami and it was Sen FMD, the top notch lawyer that he is, siya ang nag-suggest pwede pirmahan ang enrolled bill but with reservations kasi ginagawa natin yan. Kung pumirma tayo sa committee report nag-e-express tayo ng reservations. But this time pag nag-express ka ng reservations idetalye mo. And so the SP attached a 157-page document, detailing the items that the HOR realigned or revised, post-bicam.
“Nag-deadlock kami. We formed a 3-man panel from each side. Nagkasundo kami initially dahil may minention ang HOR si Rep Andaya, may precedent na, na ang Pamana kasi mga P750M yan. Cite niya as a precedent, na pwedeng pirmahan natin ito pero mag-pass tayo ng joint concurrent resolution para ma-cure ang sinasabing post-bicam amendments. So sabi namin sige clear muna namin sa leadership. I was there, Sen Legarda, Sen Honasan. Mabuti na lang ganoon because we had time to research and review ano ba ang Pamana. Sen FMD took the initiative of researching on Pamana because I mentioned it to him because he asked me ano nangyari sa usapan ninyo? I mentioned may precedent na nangyari sa legislative process natin and they cited Pamana. He made a research. Nalaman niya ang Pamana is the reverse. Kasi ang Pamana, ang enrolled bill hindi reflective sa nangyari sa bicam pero kinorrect, mali inadvertently o sinadya, na kung ano napagusapan sa bicam hindi na-reflect sa enrolled bill. It’s the other way around. Either sadya or di sinasadya. So ibalik lang natin sa napagusapan sa BCC. In this case ito ang pinagusapan sa bicam, iniba. So magkaiba talaga. Entirely different. So they cannot use it as a precedent.”
On whether to question the budget before the SC if PRRD does not veto it:
“I’m not decided. It’s a tedious process. I asked some friends, not necessarily justices, ang nakakaalam sa mga jurisprudence. Nag-rule noong 2013 ang SC. Kung may budget ang 2019 at kinwestyon mo because nag-transgress sa ruling ng 2013, hindi pupuwede kasi nag-a-apply lang ang 2013 doon sa usapin ng 2013. So sabi ko papaano yan? It’s going to be a vicious cycle, na violate natin kasi hindi tayo ma-sanction, hindi tayo ma-contempt. Or di tayo magva-violate because it’s already 2019. And they promised, sige i-review natin kung anong magagawa ng SC. Kasi there must be some sort of sanctions. Kung hindi, mamimihasa, i-violate natin, wala silang magagawa.”
“I might. But we’re confident the President will veto the items. Kasi pinakuha ni ES Medialdea ang detalye ng mga sinasabi naming ni-realign. Pinakuha rin ni SOF Dominguez and pinakuha rin ng SBM, what would that indicate?”
“Napaka-tedious ng process, maghanap ng lawyer. Sabi ko nga I might just question it. Pero I’ll just cross the bridge when I get there. Kasi malaki naman ang indication na ive-veto.”
Pork in the 2019 budget:
“Initially ang nakita roon kasi may park silang 70B sa DPWH central office, they pulled it out from the DEOs. NIlagay doon para maitago. May 79B na ni-rearrange among themselves, na nilipat from some districts to other districts.”
“Ang base figure is 95 net increase. Tapos may 75, tapos doon sa 75, ang 72B doon, yan ang organizational output, ang MFO. Ito ang pinag-aralan ng DPWH kung saan naka-ready silang i-implement. 72B ang ginalaw nila tinanggal at nilipat sa local infra projects, meaning sa kanila, sa mga districts. Ang 70, ang parked, at 79B ang ginalaw nila.”
“Hard to tell kasi ang iba nakatago. At least I can say ang 75B. Kasi yan ang nilagay sa distrito nila.”
“Mahirap sabihin kung sino because ang tracker lang diyan, anong legislative district? Baka sabihin na namang pine-personal. Pero initially ginalaw ang 2nd reading from Speaker Alvarez to Speaker Arroyo. Meron doon P51B lahat-lahat yan. Ang 2nd legislative district of Pampanga, track namin from the NEP meron nang 767M. Noong nagalaw ang 2nd reading bago mag-3rd reading, nag-balloon ito ng 2.4B. And then nang makita namin ang enrolled bill post-bicam nadagdagan uli ng 2.1B, so that’s 4.5. Ang ibang districts ganoon din. Basta 2nd legislative district of Pampanga, di rin natin alam sino naglagay noon. Ang ibang districts from a low of 300+ million, naging 2.1B, mga ganoon. But the Senate is not also exempted doon sa ginawa. Because noon, they are accusing us of slashing, yes, that’s true. I’m not denying that because I was principally responsible for the major cuts. First, when I was interpellating on the budget of DPWH, I asked the SPWH through the chairperson Sen Legarda. Ang controversial 75B that was added by then SBM Diokno, questioned by Rep Andaya, and admitted by Sec Diokno. So I asked, alam nyo ba itong 75B na dinagdag ni Sec Diokno sa budget nyo sa DPWH? The response was, hindi namin alam. So kung di nyo alam, di nyo kaya i-implement? Hindi namin kaya implement, di namin alam. Exact words, we’re still in the process of validating the added budget. Is it ok with you if we delete this? Yes. So galing sa kanila mismo.”
“Tinanong ko kaya nyo implement? Hindi. Di nyo alam? Hindi. So tatanggalin namin ito? Opo tanggalin ninyo. So walang problema kasi sa kanya nanggaling. Another cut, 20B. I was questioning the RROW. Meron kayong 29B ngayong 2019, meron kayong more than 20B noong 2018, and yet ang daming nagrereklamong di nyo nababayaran and di nyo nase-settle ang ROW. What do we do with the 29B under the 2019 proposed budget? Sila mismo nag-volunteer, Mr. Senator, bawasan nyo na ang 20B because we cannot utilize the 20B. Natira na lang 9B.”
On reports that China has 275 fishing vessels, Chinese militia, near Pagasa Island:
“Definitely (it is a cause for concern). Whether it’s 600, 275, 200, 100, the fact that there are Chinese vessels na mga militia, not even fishermen, ano ini-indicate noon? Tapos sabihin nating hindi tayo pwede makipag giyera sa China, isang missile lang tapos na tayo. Kung ganoon din lang, pasakop na tayo, di ba? Those are information that are better kept to ourselves. Huwag mo na i-advertise na di namin kayo kaya labanan. If there’s a bully in the neighborhood tapos ipo-project mo weakness mo lalo ka ibu-bully noon. But if you project yourself na tahimik ka na lang and let him guess ano ang capability mo, at least may laban ka.”
“Under the circumstances, first the Senate is a collegial body. Ang ano namin is from time to time we call out to the President or the executive branch. Kung may nakikita kaming parang lapses or omissions yan lang kaya naming gawin. Pero anong gagawin namin, anong law ipa-pass namin o anong treaty ira-ratify? In the first place when we ratify a treaty, it always emanates from the executive branch di ba? Yan lang pagdedebatehan namin kung ano ang laman ng proposed treaty.”
“The Sense of the Senate. We can do that.”
“Kung ganito ka-alarming ang situation, we might get on with it and proceed with filing that resolution.”
“It is alarming. It is alarming kasi militia nga.”
“Hindi rin naman ganoon ang situation. Let’s not blame the Senate, let’s not blame the senators kung may ganitong incidents na nangyayari sa WPS. We’re too friendly but we’re too accommodating. And we’re expressing pa na we’re helpless. For me, alam mo nang mahina ka, huwag mo sigawang mahina kasi lalo kang ibu-bully.”
On diplomatic protests or note verbale:
“Yan na lang pwedeng gawin mag-note verbale, mag-file ka ng protest, anong magagawa nga naman? For now, yes.”
On Chinese workers making their way to PH:
“May nakakuha ng temporary permit. Yan ang problema. So again babalik tayo sa government, babalik tayo sa executive branch. Why are we accommodating Chinese workers to the detriment of our own construction workers? Tayo nga nagpapadala pa ng construction workers abroad. Tapos may requirements tayo rito, hire natin Chinese workers? It’s not only in NCR. You go to Clark you go to the provinces, marami riyan, ang contractor Chinese. Of course, ang dala-dala nila mga Chinese workers.”
“When we say construction workers, they are construction workers. Iba ang technical people na nagpo-provide ng technical expertise sila sa paggawa ng technical, mga architect.”
“That’s where Congress can exercise our oversight function, or even call DOLE tulad ng ginagawa ni Sen Joel and call their attention.”
“That we have to see kung may mangyayari. But we just keep harping on these issues baka sakali magkaroon ng resulta.”
On PRRD’s reported plan to release to the public a list of police officers involved in the drug trade:
“In the same manner they should not release the names of judges and other personalities without filing charges. No, I’m not in favor.”
“It says a lot about our law enforcement. Siyempre function ng law enforcement eh. Maybe PDEA and even the PNP mag-isip ng ibang strategy, mag-shift ng strategy. Sobrang focus nila sa market kasi supply reduction, market reduction, parang merkado ang laging tinitingnan. Mabuti PDEA of late meron silang supply constriction efforts, ang P1.8B tapos nakarating na sa Ayala Alabang sa market na yan practically. Sana, bago pa lang umabot sa distribution point, ma-interdict na nila. There should be a shift in strategy, PDEA must just focus on super big time na drug lords. Like I remember panahon ni J Edgar Hoover, when they were chasing sina Baby Face Nelson and so forth, talagang ang task group na formed, diyan lang kayo sa malalaki. Ang maliliit gamitin nyo lang to (bait) the big targets. Ang PDEA sometimes we hear maski ang ilang gramo ilang kilo na hinuhuli nila. That’s a waste of resources. I think they should delineate those responsibilities.”
“We may or we may not be winning it at this point. I’d like to see some empirical data. That’s the reason why I recommended that DDB should be given P70M to conduct some analytical and methodical survey o analysis, nasaan na tayo as far as the drug situation is concerned?”
“Ang PNP rin baka they are more efficient now. Kasi lumalabas ang dami pa ring drugs nahuhuli kasi nila. So hindi … sinabi ni Presidente na it’s worsening.”
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