PART 4 - PRESS BRIEFING OF PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON EDWIN

LACIERDA
JULY 28, 2010

UNEDITED
Q: Sir, reaction lang po from Ms. Regina Bengco of Malay, saan department o sector
daw po ba pinaka-nag-overspend ang Arroyo administration and it is justified?

RELAMPAGOS: At the moment I don’t have the statistics on which department because
right now there is no department that has exceeded its budget approved by Congress. That I
cannot cite you the exact amount but what I know is there is no department or agency that has
exceeded its budget in terms of program expenditures.

Q: Pero, sir, accounted for daw po ba iyong spending na yun?

RELAMPAGOS: Of course. These are properly recorded. We have the ABM and the SARO
to account for the releases that we made.

Q: For Secretary Lacierda, text in question po from Ms. Bella Cariaso of Bandera.
Lumalabas po daw talaga na wala daw pong pinahayag na road map si President Aquino which
could be considered as his legacy and instead focused on his predecessor former President
Arroyo in his SONA?

LACIERDA: That is incorrect. If you measure the speech the anomalies mentioned was only a
third of the speech. He spoke about the solutions, he spoke about his plans for public-private
partnerships, he spoke about his programs of government, he spoke about the zero based of
budgeting. So, it’s not true with that panay anomalya lang ang birada nung SONA. Kung susuriin
niyo it’s really just one third.

Q: Pero sir, ano po ba dun iyong mga konkretong solusyon na in-offer ni Pangulong
Aquino?

LACIERDA: Nasabi po niya dun sa SONA. Zero-based budgeting number one. the speech is …
under – it was formatted under the two pillars of his governance, campaign promise. Kung
walang corrupt, walang mahirap. So, those areas dealing with eradication of corruption and
poverty alleviation programs. So, from that two approach you will see the programs that he
proposed. So, nandun na ho yun.

Q: Sir, still on the SONA issue. Kasi iyong mga critics po ngayon iyong napansin
nila iyong SONA daw po ni President instead of inspiring parang dini-divide pa niya iyong
political atmosphere dito. Coming iyong first part puro anomalies against the President. Ano po
ang masasabi niyo dun?

LACIERDA: I think standard yun kung saan kami nanggagaling, minana namin ang problema
ng bayan so dapat malaman muna ng bayan na bagamat mataas po ang trust rating o approval
rating ni Pangulong Aquino ito lamang po ang aming pondo. Gayunpaman, ito po ang aming
mga solusyon. Hindi po natin maialis na sabihin sa taong bayan ang tunay na kalagayan ng ating
bayan baka kasi isipin ng tao na porke na si Pangulong Aquino ay naluklok na ay
masosolusyunan niya kaagad iyong mga problema ng bayan, hindi po. Dapat po tayong maging
realistic sinasabi po natin sa ating mga taong bayan, ito po ang problema, ito po ang pondo pero
ito po ang solution na gagawin sa abot ng aming makakaya.

Q: Good afternoon, sir. I believe you’re also handling the Official Development
Assistance Projects, right? The President mentioned in his SONA some of the projects na
negotiated contracts daw and he ordered the DBM or the DPWH to stop the implementations.
Specifically, those post-Ondoy and Pepeng rehabilitation infra-projects. So, are there any
projects na you think na nagkaroon ng negotiated bidding before during the past administration
na apparently medyo anomalous?

RELAMPAGOS: That kind of decisions is at the agency level. When they do procurement
they have to follow laws on procurement. Of course, there are instances that even the law allows
negotiated biddings in very rare instances. So, again, it is the decision of the head of the agency
to decide what mode of procurement you have to go. Now, in this case that you have cited there
was a project to be implemented through mode of procurement was negotiated bid then if the
head of the agency looks at it as something that appropriate mode of procurement then he has the
right to stop that kind of procurement mode.

Q: Pero sir, iyong nangyari during the previous administration regarding this 19
contracts, it doesn’t follow na nagkaroon ng anomalies na nag-go sila?

RELAMPAGOS: I think he was able to stop it before it can be consummated. I mean the
contracts can be fully …. Otherwise, if the contracts were made then the worst thing to happen is
we have to rescind the contract if it did not follow procurement law. Because it won’t pass in
audit also later on. So, we have to stop it.

Q: Sir, on the latest development on the AFP. Is it the order of the President to or did
he signed the release order of the detained Col. Ariel Querubin?

LACIERDA: I spoke to the AFP spokesperson General Mabanta and he informed me that the
decision was made by the Chief of Staff. As we all know, the Chief of Staff has the discretion to
grant provisional liberty to any detained prisoner. If you remember General Bangit also granted
provisional liberty to General Danny Lim. Now, in the case of Col. Querubin, I understand that
the Chief of Staff consulted the Judge Advocate general lawyer and from that consultation with
the government military lawyers he decided to grant provisional liberty to Col. Ariel Querubin,
who by the way will be under the care, responsibility and custody of General Reynaldo Ordoñez.
He is also the same General whose custody over General Danny Lim.

Q: So, Chief of Staff David is acting on his whole authority and judgment and not on
the pressure by the (interrupted)

LACIERDA: That is what I understand from General Mabanta. Because he has the discretion to
do so.
Q: Sir, can you just update us dun sa transfer ni P-Noy sa Bahay Pangarap. Kasi
before we were informed na July 28 iyong scheduled na paglipat.

LACIERDA: You know, I’m sorry. So, many events have overtaken that I failed to ask Col.
Chito Dizon. He is the person more knowledgeable about that matter. He is not moving yet.
Renovations are still on-going. I think the transfer will be forth coming except for that I don’t
know the exact date. I will let you know if its right to state for the record when he will transfer to
Bahay Pangarap.

Q: Good afternoon, sir.

LACIERDA: Are you asking Undersecretary Relampagos?

Q: Both of you sir.

LACIERDA: By the way, Undersecretary Relampagos and I would come from the same town
in Bohol .

Q: Sir, kung ano po iyong magiging komento niyo regarding po dun sa sinabi nung
tagapagsalita ni dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na si Ms. Bautista-Horn, na
nagkamali daw po ang datos ni Pangulong Aquino sa pagsasalita niya sa SONA. And then
ngayon po sinasabi ninyo na walang anomalya. During the transition team po palagi pong
sinasabi na makipagkita sa kanila. Ngayon, ito po sinisisi po ang dating Pangulong Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo. Sir, dati na po kayo diyan sa DBM, alam po ninyo ang kalakaran diyan.

RELAMPAGOS: Sa umpisa, ipinakita na po natin kanina (interrupted)

Q: This is with the follow up of question po ni Bombo Radyo, nasa baba lang
po ako sir. Kasi sinasabi niya heinous crime po ito. Kaya nga po sa sarili niyong bibig po
kailangan po natin malaman.

RELAMPAGOS: Tama po iyong data na ginamit ni P-Noy. Naipakita po natin kanina how
the figures came about and how we arrived at the P100 billion compared to the data used by
Honorable Congressman Lagman. So, nandito po naka-flash iyong difference, isa sa mga
differences that we notice when they compared the data that we used for the SONA and what the
Honorable Congressman said nandito po yun naipakita po natin yun.

Q: Sir, may balak po daw pala ang administrasyong Aquino na humiram ng P766.4
billion or $17 billion para sa mga imprastrakturang proyekto. Saan po tayo hihiram ngayon, sa
World Bank o kanino po?

RELAMPAGOS: I don’t know the specific decision if there was made. But normally, we get
our …loans from multi-lateral because these are cheaper loans. Their interest rates are below
commercial rates with grace periods that are very graceful; I mean talagang maganda, mahaba
iyong grace period, flexibility. And besides, these donor lending institutions have seen how we
use their foreign assisted projects. How they implemented them. And become …to offer us the
loans. Now, with that new administration showing how to spend prudently the budget of the
country. And I think these lending institutions will be more and willing to offer their resources
for the use of our – to fund our programs.

Q: Sir, according to the Bangko Sentral Governor Tetangco, magkakaroon po tayo

ng inflation rate na 4.4%. Ano po ang magagawa ng administrasyong Aquino po dito?

RELAMPAGOS: Ang inflation po is the function of the market. As long as it is within our
projected targets and …that careful because at 4% still low, low inflation rate. So, we will just
have to manage it with the confidence that is given by the people of the President. I don’t think
there will be a run away inflation coming.

Q: Sir, may natira po ba sa contingent fund ni dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-

Arroyo?

RELAMPAGOS: May natira pa pero maliit lang yun. I mean anyway, given the priorities of
the administration we do not need anymore that contingent fund. But if he needs …flexibility
within the rest of the year.