Ambush Interview with Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte:

On Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ statement on the new Monetary Board Members, the statement on the reopening of the Fertilizer Fund scam, the investigation in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the President’s SALN, and other topics 

Press Working Room, 1/F New Executive Building, Malacañang, Manila

July 5, 2011

UNDERSECRETARY ABIGAIL VALTE:  So, allow me first before we take your questions to
read today’s statement from the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson on the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] on the new Monetary Board Member. [reads the statement on BSP on the new Monetary Board Members]

On the reopening of the fertilizer fund scam
case: [reads the statement on the reopening of the Fertilizer Fund scam]

Q: Ma’am, my question in on another topic. Senator Ralph Recto, the Senate Chair of Ways and Means Committees is urging Malacañang to use the Malampaya natural gas proceeds as part of the general  fund to be included in the budget. He says po that this would  promote transparency. He also said that Heidi Mendoza of COA [Commission on Audit] would want such treatment of the fund to be stopped. Would the President heed the call?
VALTE:  I will have to discuss first with Secretary [Rene] Almendras. We have not discussed this particular matter with the President yet. And I would like to get first Secretary Almendras’s comment before we can make our own.
Q: Ma’am, will you give the same answer on amending as proposed by Senate President [Juan] Enrile that  PD 910 be amended. This is the law that created  the Energy Development Board, which allows amendment of such would allow the channeling of the fund  to the general fund.
VALTE:  That is correct. I would like to seek first the guidance of Secretary Almendras on that matter.
Q: Ma’am, can you just confirm reports that the President has already sold his Porsche?
VALTE:  I believe that information came from one of the columnists today. And I will have to check first. Prior to this particular column, we have not heard anything about that. So, we are also trying to verify that report. Wala po kasi kaming naririnig na ganiyan o wala naman pong napag-usapan in recent weeks kung mayroon pong plano ang Pangulo na gawin po iyon. But again, we are in the process of verifying. Perhaps, you can ask him later, when you see him.
Q: Ma’am, just a follow up on the cases being built up against the former president, how confident is the Palace   that these [sic] evidences are strong and so as to allay  fears that  this is just part of the witch-hunting by the administration?
VALTE:  Certainly, hindi po tayo magfa-file ng kaso nang hindi po  matibay iyong basehan. There are some quarters who have been asking  na isang taon na daw po at wala pan naifa-file. Sinagot na po ng Pangulo iyan na during his term, there will be one and ayaw po kasi nating mag-file ng kaso just for the sake of doing so. It would be doing  our people the  service—if we file  a case—for “PR” and not  for justice.
Q: Ma’am, kasi sinasabi ng mga critics from the Arroyo camp na  nagpapasiklab   lang daw si Acting Ombudsman [Orlando] Casimiro at gusto niyang maitalaga in a permanent capacity  sa Office of the Ombudsman?
VALTE:   Siguro po, masasagot po iyon ng tanong kung sino po iyong nasa shortlist ng JBC. Ayaw po nating bigyan ng kulay, kung may motibo man o wala, si Acting Ombudsman Casimiro. You also have quarter saying that, hindi daw po nangyari dahil daw po noon nandoon pa si dating Ombudsman [Merciditas] Gutierrez. Ayaw po nating bigyan ng kulay.
Q:  Ma’am, previously, iyong  mga sinasabi ninyo, iyong kay Joc-Joc Bolante, iyong kaso kay Cito Lorenzo ay parang long overdue, dahil 2004 pa nangyari. Do you express the same reaction doon sa pagsama na kay former President Arroyo na parang sobrang tagal na rin?
VALTE: Hindi po natin masasagot nang diretso iyong tanong dahil depende po sa naging basehan doon sa pag-reopen po nila ng kaso, kung ano iyong ebidensiyang  nasa kanila po. Kaya if you remember, pinag-uusapan po natin noong huli, kung ano po iyong naging basehan pa nila dahil kung naaalala ninyo, mayroon po kasing naging recommendation iyong Senate Committee. Mayroon din pong naging recommendation iyong Commission on Audit. So, gusto lang po nating makita kung kinuha ba nila doon sa dalawang report na iyon.
Q: While Acting Ombudsman Casimiro is not included in the shortlist, how does Malacañang assess his performance so far?
VALTE: I don’t think that we will be in the proper place to assess dahil independent body po ang  Office of the Ombudsman. Siguro po, again, katulad po, in management, iyong client po dapat ang tanungin kung ano na po. In this case, ang client po ni Acting Ombudsman Casimiro is iyong taumbayan. So sila po ang makakpagbigay ng  assessment ng performance niya in the past—two months po ba?
Q:  Ma’am, but does Malacanang welcome  these developments?
VALTE:   Ang  sinabi naman natin  ay 2004 pa po pumutok iyong Fertilizer Fund scam. Marami na  pong tanong; marami ng agam-agam kung bakit earlier this year, 2011  na, ay hindi pa po naipa-file. Ulitin lang po natin iyong sinabi namin, it’s about time na nai-file na po iyong kasong  ito.
Q:  Ma’am, there is this PCIJ [Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism] report that says President Aquino’s assets, based on his SALN [Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth], grew nearly three times with interest a year. So from December 2009, when he declared about 15 million worth of assets, it grew to about 55 million a year later.
VALTE:  Sorry, what’s the earlier figure that you cited?
Q:   … Fifteen million and it grew to 54 million within just a year. So, would you know the reason fro the   increase?
VALTE: Yes, the reason for that is—first, I would like to correct, I don’t think it grew as much by figures as you cited. But again, the SALN of the President is a public document; you can all access the SALN and the reason for that is because mayroon po kasing isang property,  na reflected in the previous SALN of the President, that was sold. So, iyong minana po niyang property, naibenta po iyon. That is why nag-register po siya ng increase sa kanyang latest SALN. It is all properly explained. Makikita po natin doon that iyong property, iyong share niya po sa property niya na sinasabi po natin, had been reflected in all of his SALN’s, and in the latest, nawala po siya. Kaya mayroon pong nakalagay doon sa column ng receivables—mayroon po ang Pangulo. I don’t have the figure with me. But iyon po kasi iyong proceeds from the sale on his share in that property.
Q:  Iyong property na iyon, ma’am, magta-tally iyong amount, iyong the sale of the property doon sa increase?
VALTE: No. You have to remember that, ang nakalagay sa SALN kasi is cost of acquisition. So, kapag  binenta mo na siya further down, iyong market price—depende po kung magkano ibinenta. And normally, it’s for the fair market price po kasi. So, hindi po siya talaga magta-tally doon sa nawala  doon  sa previous SALN dahil ang cost of acquisition po iyong required na ilagay po doon and not the current valuation.
Q: In other words, reasonable ang increase?
VALTE: Well, ‘pag nagbenta naman po ng property, your end goal is always to make  a profit. But allow me to say also that the President was not involved in the transaction. Iyong property po kasi  na nabenta na iyon was an inherited property. If I am correct, from side of former President Cory Aquino. I will confirm; napag-usapan na rin namin ito at marami po kasi silang naghati-hati sa property na iyon; maraming heirs iyong nag share po doon.

Q: Ma’am on another issue, there’s this Malacañang photo daw of the President that goes viral on the web gathering a lot of negative comments. Kasi daw iyong photo is an official photo daw po, Malacañang photo, showed parang lack of dignity ng opisina dahil may nakalagay pang ashtray and cigarettes on the desk and the desk was malinis. Ibig sabihin daw hindi nagtatrabaho. Ganoon po, ma’am, ano po ang masasabi niyo doon?
VALTE: I think people are reading too much into that one singular photo. It’s a snapshot, again, of how long the President has been in office. It’s no secret that the President smokes. So, kung nandoon po ‘yun sa lamesa niya, that is it. In the same way that smokers keep their cigarettes in their bags or on their table. It shouldn’t be—you shouldn’t be reading too much into the photo.
And the other thing po diyan is I believe the person who took that photos submitted a number of photos for an essay that he had done. And out of the entire—the body of work that he submitted—that was the only photo that drew attention. It’s actually unfortunate because there are a lot of beautiful photos taken of the President doon po. And siguro po sa dami naman po ng—one, on the matter of clear po iyong desk niya, lagi hong clear ang desk ng Pangulo at the end of the day dahil talagang inaayos po niya lahat ‘yun. Iyong hindi po niya nababasa while he is in office, inuuwi po niya sa Bahay Pangarap. So, yes, there are times that usually at the end of the day clear po ang desk ng Pangulo kasi talagang he makes it a point to “bust out” everything as soon as he can. So, it’s not a sign that the President is not working or something like that. I think people are just reading too much into that one singular photo.
Q: Pero ma’am, iyong picture na kasama iyong cigarette and the ashtray na malaki, hindi raw po ba ‘yun depicting iyong notion na isa siya sa mga nagvi-violate ng bagong No Smoking Law?
VALTE: We can’t even say that in particular dahil alam ko po early days pa po nakuha iyong photo. And you can’t infer directly because he was not smoking in the photo. If you look at the photo itself the ashtray was empty. So, you can’t automatically infer that he had been smoking the time that the photo was taken. When I looked at it, wala nga pong lighter na nandoon. I think people are just reading too much into that singular photo.
Q:  Ma’am, going back sa Ombudsman. When will you implement iyong dismissal order ng Ombudsman against LWUA [Local Water Utilities Administration] Administrator Prospero Pichay? And follow up, lang bakit parang ang tagal naman ng resolusyon ng Office of the President doon sa pending administrative case ni Pichay sa OP?
VALTE: Ano po kasi ‘yan, depende, okey, two things. We will have to coordinate with the Office of the Executive Secretary kung nai-transmit na po ba ng Office of the Ombudsman iyong order. Because apart from the resolution, there has to be a transmittal of a document saying that the Office of the Ombudsman has decided this and kung hiningi na po ba nila na i-implement iyong dismissal. Pangalawa po, doon naman po sa case na finile [filed] po against Mr. Pichay and others na part po ng LWUA board, iyong process po kasi diyan depende po kung ano iyong hiningi. They can ask for the proceedings to be deferred sa Office of the President dahil may finile [file] po silang kaso sa higher courts. So, that can also be the reason why medyo ganoon po iyong pagtakbo ng kaso.
Q: Ma’am, doon sa latest interview kay Administrator Pichay, lalabanan daw niya sa korte iyong desisyon ng Ombudsman.
VALTE: Mr. Pichay is entitled to avail of the legal remedies that are available to him.
Q:    But we expect as soon as possible the order would be implemented by the OP.
VALTE: Ano na po ‘yun, depende po sa magiging coordination ng Office of the Ombudsman at ng Office of the President. Reymund, hindi klaro sa akin kung puwede pa siyang mag-file ng motion for reconsideration sa Office of the Ombudsman.
Q:   Ma’am, on another issue—how does the Palace view iyong list po na sinubmit [submit] ng JBC for the Ombudsman’s nominations?
VALTE: Well, we are bound by the list. So, ayoko naman pong i-preempt ang Pangulo at kung ma-transmit na po ‘yun, then the President will give it a careful and thorough study of the recommendations of the JBC as well as the individual accomplishments and qualifications of the four on the shortlist.
Q: Secretary [Leila] De Lima is saying that Justice Carpio-Morales is the best among the nominees. Would that reflect the position of the Palace?
VALTE: I think it reflects the position of Secretary De Lima. Dahil kung iyon po iyong— obviously, iyon po iyong binoto niya doon sa naging botohan nila kahapon. Hintayin na lang po natin si Pangulong Aquino.
Q:  Ma’am, the MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] cautioned the government against implementing onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration projects especially [in] Mindanao area claimed by rebel groups as part of the ancestral domain to avoid
problem[s] that may lead [to the] collapse [of] the peace talks—as they should stop or else may cause grave problems according to MILF [Mahagher] Iqbal. Palace reaction po?

VALTE: Ms. Vans, I am not quite sure if that position has been conveyed to the panel. So, I would assume na kung naibigay na po nila ‘yan ay mapag-uusapan na po doon sa panel. Sila na po iyong makakapagbigay ng komento.
Q: Ma’am, can you give us an update sa landslide po sa Bukidnon?
VALTE: Si Executive Director Benito Ramos will be able to give you a more real time update doon po sa nangyayari but we are closely monitoring po iyong naging aftermath po ng landslide and we are ready to extend the assistance na kailangan po doon sa lugar.
Q: Ma’am, is Malacañang aware that DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government] might look into charges being made against the Governor of the province in his own hometown sa Camarines Sur? His fellow Bicolanos are starting to wonder what happened to the plunder, graft and malversation charges that had been filed against Villafuerte.
VALTE: Ms. Vans, I will have to verify po with the DILG kung mayroon na pong nag-complain po sa kanila on this particular matter.
Q:   Ma’am, follow up on the Ombudsman. Now, that the names are out with a shortlist po, is the President taking consultations with some advisers to which [whom] he choose[s] po?
VALTE:  Kasama po iyan doon sa pagdedesisyon po ni Pangulong Aquino. So, titignan po muna iyong mga qualifications as well as the accomplishments po ng apat pong nandoon. Remember, ang lagi pong sinasabi ng Pangulo diyan is iyong capability to discharge the duties of the office. Iyong integrity po, kailangan po intact, and thirdly, iyong honesty and iyong drive po ng magiging—it’s a big job. Certainly, there are huge tasks ahead for the new Ombudsman.
Q: Ma’am, can you identify po iyong groups na kino-consult ni Presidente regarding sa selection po ng Ombudsman?
VALTE: I’m not aware if he intends to consult with particular groups pagdating po doon sa magiging pagpili po sa susunod na Ombudsman.
Q: Ma’am, can we get Malacañang’s statement on the Philippines Stock Exchange? It performed at a record high yesterday.
VALTE:  That was yesterday. Well, nagiging indicator lang po iyan ng isang healthy na—well nagiging indicator po siya ng magagandang bagay na nagagawa po natin. Of course, normally kapag sa stock market po kasi, nagre-reflect that the political climate has a lot to do with how the market moves. So at least, nakikita naman po na nagkakaroon na po tayo ng progress and nare-reflect po in the way that the market behaves.
Q:  Ma’am, do you have any information regarding that reported unidentified warplane that intimidated daw po this boat load of fishermen somewhere of the Western Palawan na shore, I think yesterday?
VALTE:  No, I don’t have any information on that but I will try to check if there have been reports on that particular—has it been reported? Not yet?
I will have to check.
Q: Ma’am, iyong controversy about the same sex marriage has been generating buzz lately. Mayroon na po bang position ang Malacañang sa issue
na ito, ma’am?
VALTE: It has not been discussed. Sorry, I know that you guys are interested for whatever reasons that you have, but no, it has not been discussed.
Q: Ma’am, dito sa fast awarding of the PCSO [Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office] ambulances saka iyong Pajero na distributed daw to the Bishops, since apparently parang medyo illegal yata, according to PCSO, iyong distribution, hindi niyo ba plano na bawiin iyong mga Pajero and iyong mga ambulances that were distributed?
VALTE: Iyong sa vehicles po kasi, iyong PCSO po has its own board, and as such, sila po iyong magdedesisyon kung ano po iyong aksiyon na gagawin nila doon with the matter of the vehicles. Iyong sa ambulances po kasi, in my understanding, hindi naman po illegal iyong sinabi nila. What I believed that COA pointed out in its annual report ng 2009 is mayroon pong mga—there was an amount disbursed to five churches for motor vehicles. Iyong sa ambulansiya parang wala naman pong naging problema; wala naman pong illegal because ganoon naman po talaga ang PCSO. Nagbibigay po iyan; may sharing po with the Local Government Units: 60-40 po ang sharing kasi usually noon.
Q: What about the SUVs [sports-utility vehicles]?
VALTE: It will be up to the PCSO board po dahil the PCSO, as being the collegial body that it is, decides base on the decisions acts by—through its board. Iyong board po ang magdedesisyon niyan.
Q: What about iyong—kasi there are lingering complaints now that iyong mga hospitals daw humahaba iyong pila, kasi apparently, kulang na iyong binibigay na medical assistance ng PCSO. Would the President advise the PCSO to at least i-extend ulit iyong binibigay na mga tulong sa mga pasyente?
VALTE: Hindi po natigil iyong pagbibigay po ng tulong ng PCSO doon po sa mga humihingi nito. Iyong policy po kasi nila na kapag walk-in applicant, binibigyan po ng twenty thousand—that has been—inabutan na po ng PCSO Board natin iyon. So, that was not a decision that was made by the current PCSO Board. Sinusunod lang din po nila iyong mga naging policy po na inabutan nila, and again, tuloy po iyong pagtulong po sa kanila. Iyong naging problema po kasi doon is from the past administration, and this is also an observation that is found in the COA report, nagbigay po sila ng mga guarantee letters when unfunded—wala na po silang pondo. So baka iyon po iyong tinitigil ng mga ospital. At iyong iba po kasi may mga government hospitals din po kasi na mayroon pang utang ang PCSO dahil po doon sa mga guarantee letters na iyon. But again, gusto ko lang
klaruhin, tuloy po iyong pagbibigay po ng tulong ng PCSO. Iyon po iyong kanilang mandato; tinutuloy po nila iyon.
Q: Ma’am, has the President expressed concern over this development? Kasi, ma’am, hindi ba nga po, ang priority ni Presidente poor and iyong mga humihingi ng guarantee letter from PCSO ay iyong mahihirap po. Tapos, hindi po sila ma-grant-an even by government hospitals kasi nga po wala na nga pong parang credibility iyong mga letters na iyon?
VALTE: Hindi naman po. Ang concern po kasi natin is kung maitutuloy at naitutuloy naman po natin iyong pagbibigay po ng assistance.
Q: So, hindi po tayo naalarma sa isyu na ito Ma’am? Ano po ang as…
VALTE:  Naaalarma po tayo dahil malaki po iyong utang na naiwan. Doon po tayo naaalarma at iyon po iyong concern natin ngayon kung ano po iyong nangyari. Dahil under the PCSO charter, 55 percent po kasi ng nakukuha nilang revenue, dapat po napupunta iyan sa prizes. Iyong 15 percent, for operations and the rest are for charity work po nila. Ang naging observation po ng COA in the 2008 and 2009 report, na-comingle po. Hindi po na-separate nang maayos iyong revenues nila. So, ang nangyayari  po, it was just put in one fund; nae-exceed po iyong mandated limitations na 15 percent and the rest. Kaya po nagkaroon ng mga expenses na chinarge [charge] po sa charity fund na hindi po dapat. Nagkaroon ng mga endowments na na-charge na pala sa prize fund. So, iyon po iyong malaking concern talaga.
Q: Ma’am, may marching orders po ba si Presidente on this issue, ma’am?
VALTE: Well, inaayos na po ang PCSO kaya po makikita niyo na part of the “house cleaning”—that si Chairman [Margie] Juico is doing—is again reporting to the people kung ano po iyong mga na-uncover po nila doon sa kanilang ahensiya.
Q: May charges of nepotism kay Margie Juico. Now, apparently, iyong chief of staff niya, anak niya. Iyong nagha-handle ng kaniyang public relations is the husband. So, what does the President think about this?
VALTE:  I will have to confirm kasi po may mga position naman po kasi—lalo iyong confidential position—that ang kailangan po doon really is the trust and confidence of the appointing authority. Hindi ko po alam kung—we will have to verify. But off the top of my head, I would think that Chairman Juico po, aware po si Chairman Juico doon sa mga ganitong bagay.
Q: Ma’am, going back kay Pichay, paki-clarify lang. Kasi ang desisyon ng Ombudsman is executory, so pending iyong whatever na legal moves of LwUA Administrator Pichay. Hindi ba dapat i-implement na, tapos saka na lang pag-usapan kung ano man iyong aksiyon ng korte?
VALTE: There has to be a communication between the Office of the Ombudsman because you cannot take—may hihintayin po tayong formal transmittal niyan from the Office of the Ombudsman to the Office of the President because OP cannot act unilaterally in the sense na dahil po nai-report na, gagalaw na po agad. There has to be a formal transmittal of that. I will have to seek guidance from Executive Secretary Ochoa kung nagkaroon na po sila ng communication ni Acting Ombudsman.

Q: Ma’am, pinagtatanggol po ni Edsel Lagman ang mga “Pajero-Bishops” na sinasabi na “they are just committing a sin, not a crime—it’s morally offensive.” Reaction po dito?

VALTE: Parang hindi po yata pagtatanggol iyong ginawa niya. [laughs]

Tinitignan lang po natin ang observations doon sa COA report.

Q: … nabigay na iyong Pajero just in case bawiin ninyo ang mga Pajero ng mga Bishops …

VALTE: We would leave that up to the PCSO board. Kung babawiin nila at kung ano po ang gagawin nila should they decide to take those back.

Q: Sa report ng PCIJ, mayroon daw 37 million na excess sa campaign si Presidente. Saan napunta ito?

VALTE: Iyong excess na po, una, si Pangulong Aquino lang po ang nag-iisang presidential candidate na nag-declare ng excess campaign donations. Dineclare [declared] po natin ang mga expenditures natin to the best of our abilities dahil mayroon pong mga expenses na ang hirap naman pong hanapan ng resibo, iyong mga pamasahe ng mga messengers and as such. Alam n’yo naman ‘pag kampanya, mayroon po tayong ganiyan. Iyong mga kinainan nilang karinderya hindi naman po mahingan ng resibo and the expenditures that the teams submitted were done to the best of their abilities na hanggang mabibigyan ng resibo, nire-report din po natin kahit wala pong resibo iyan.

The other thing is that, in the process po—some have already been returned. Kasi mayroon po. The 37, nagbayad po iyan ng taxes, and for other expenses, and binalik  na po doon sa ibang donor. So, hindi po iyan napunta kay Pangulong Aquino. The President undrestands perfectly well that those donations were made for the campaign and not to him personally… Some, I believe, have already been returned. Some—they’re already in the process of being returned.

ENDS