Transcript of interview: Senator Risa Hontiveros with Karen Davila on ANC Headstart
July 2, 2024
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW: SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS WITH KAREN DAVILA IN ANC HEADSTART
July 02, 2024
Q: Let's talk about two issues here. One, the not-so-curious case of Alice Guo today that has been solved. Number two is the issue of POGO itself. So let's start with Alice Guo. What can be done with Alice Guo given that the fingerprints, as revealed by the NBI, have shown that she is the same person as Guo Hyun Ping? Am I right?
SRH: Guo Hua Ping, yes.
Q: Goh Hua Ping. Yes, one and the same person affixed both sets of fingerprints.
SRH: The fingerprints of Guo Hua Ping in her passport. And as proven by the special investment resident visa filed by her mother, her seems-to-be-known mother, years ago, and her fingerprints in her NBI clearance. So in addition to the what can be done that government is already doing, for example, the case for qualified trafficking in persons, a non-bailable offense, if it is accepted by all of government that... she filed her certificate of candidacy under false pretenses, then either one of the two processes outlined by Comelec Chair Garcia in a previous hearing yet could get underway, and she can be removed as mayor.
And depending on which process is used, either the vice mayor will replace her or the one who came in second in the mayoral race. Dagdag pa doon, kapag umandar itong lahat na mga kaso laban kay Mayor Alice Guo o itong si Guo Hua Ping, pwede siyang madeport.
But even before she may be deported, to whichever country she will be deported to, kailangan iseserve muna niya ang sentence niya dito sa Pilipinas, kung maconvict man siya o masentensyahan sa alinman sa mga kasong nakahain na o ihahain pa sa kanya. Oh, and there's also a quo warranto case... a case that the Office of the Solicitor General said they would soonest file against her.
Q: Okay. What about her lying under oath? It's so interesting that it was actually the fingerprints that revealed her identity. So in the Senate, hindi daw nya maalala sa Senate kung sino ang nanay niya. Nung nainterview ko siya, kasambahay daw ang nanay niya. So it was a series of lies. Non-stop. Will she be penalized for lying under oath in the Senate?
SRH: Papunta na siya dyan. For a different offense, which is not attending the hearings. Kasi hindi niya pinaunlakan yung imbitasyon namin in the last hearing. So the committee subpoenaed her, as well as the, uh, seem to be other members of her family. Her known father, her known mother, her three known siblings, and actually a quite long list of other personalities na inimbita namin at hindi sumipot kaugnay man noong Pogo Hub sa Bamban o kahit sa Porac, Pampanga. Pag hindi pa rin niya sinunod ang subpoena, then, as I warned her, I will cite her in contempt.
At dapat alam nya kapag nacite sya in contempt ay posible siyang amdetain sa Senado. Ubod na lang ng kortesiya on our part previously dahil ang unang pagkakilala namin sa kaniya ay kapwa manggagawa sa gobyerno na hindi pa siya earlier pa si-nite in contempt talagang binigyan lahat ng palugit to tell the truth but now, in the face of this incontrovertible evidence para siya'y tanggalin yung galing sa NBI fingerprint matching, kailangan na talaga niyang sumipot at sumagot ng ayos.
Q: But clearly, she is a foreign national. She lied about her nationality, her ethnicity, and she ran against the law.
SRH: Yes. She, apparently, she or her father initially committed identity theft. Hindi lang doon sa mga kaso ng Pinay na nilista nang walang kamalay-malay bilang as co-incorporators doon sa Pogo Hub in Bamban , pero Guo Huaping has been shown by the NBI to be not a Filipino national, sa pagkapaniwala namin isang Tsinong national, anak ng dalawang Tsinong magulang nagkunwaring Pilipino para isulong at proteksyunan ang POGO at yung iba't ibang krimen na ginawa under cover of the Pogo.
Q: Because actually, deporting her would be favorable to her.
SRH: Right. Right. That's why, tinanong ko sa DOJ, kay Usec Ty, ng Interagency Council Against Trafficking, hindi siya makakakuha lang ng free pass through a deportation to whichever country she'll be deported back to. Pag naconvict siya dito at nasenstensyahn, she will have to serve her time here in the Philippines first.
Q: Okay. Now, do you have information on where she is, Senator? Because this might end up to be another Apolo Quibuloy. Somebody's been hiding.
SRH: Huwag dapat ha. So, as far as we know, also from the Bureau of Immigration, indi siya umaalis sa bansa mula noong inilabas nila yung Immigration Lookout bulletin order.
unfortunately, it seems na yung dalawang magulang niya ay una nang umalis bago i-issue yung ILBO. Pero far as we know, Mayor Alice Guo, or Guo Hua Ping, and her siblings as well, are still in the country. Kaya walang dahilan na hindi siya makasipot sa susunod na pagdinig.
Q: So the other issue now is Pogo in general. The issues of Pogo. So it's been revealed that clearly, if there was narco politics, there is Pogo politics Right?
SRH: Right. Yeah.
Q: Alice Guo running to make sure she protects the interests of Pogo in Bamban. And now Pagcor revealing a former cabinet secretary lobbying for a Pogo license. Other politicians asking, please grant this license. Please grant this license.
SRH: So mukhang yung web ng Pogo, uh, the web it has cast over what you very correctly call Pogo politics, hindi lang malalim, halimbawa dito sa kaso ng Bamban, seeming, seeming to have been laid, its plans been laid over many years, hindi lang biglaan, pero malawak din, uh, itong web na ito. Aside from what I expect, Pagcor Chair Tengco to reveal in the next hearing, dahil inimbitahan na namin sila, as well as former Pagcor officials, inimbitahan na namin si Chair Tengco, and I fully expect him to reveal. Sino yung sinasabi niyang dating cabinet official, o iba pa, na nag, kumbaga, nagpapadrino para dito sa mga Pogo na ito.
This Pogo and Pogo politics web is also wide in the sense that lumalabas na sa mga hearing namin, hindi standalone Pogo operation yung sa Bamban. Apparently, it also has links with the Pogo hub, uh, also raided by PAOCC in Porac, Pampanga, at yung interlocking directorate doon, yung unang lumalabas na facilitator noon, si Dennis Cunanan, na dating TLRC official, at may conviction para sa corruption. And, yung pinaka-recent na raid ng PAOCC sa Pogo hub, doon naman sa Sun Valley Clark. Grabe, mukhang may interlocking directorate din doon. So, diba, how, how deep and how far does this web of Pogo's and Pogo politics go? Chair Tengco has to, uh, reveal that, uh, important piece of information.
Q: Okay. But, Senator, don't you think that number one, the real reason why government officials are lobbying for the granting of the license of certain Pogo operators is, let's be honest, Pogo is legal in the Philippines. A government agency granting the license. So, therefore, these government officials feel, eh, hindi naman iligal to eh. Legal naman to sa gobyerno eh. Diba?
SRH: And it was Duterte who set the first bad example about that. Dahil panahon ng administrasyon niya, practically open door policy sa Pogo at sa kanyang mga kasosyo noon sa Pogo. And yes, nabigyan ng mandato ang PAGCOR mag-issue ng mga licenses para sa Pogo na iyan. Ngayon, they are changing the instrument. May IGL na daw silang i-issue, internet gaming license. Pero teka muna, pumreno muna sila at lahat din ng mga nagpa-facilitate ng Pogo. Dahil pinakita ng several Senate investigations by several Senate committees, pati ng Senate Committee on Women itong nakaraang apat na taon, na lahat ng rosy promises ng Pogo sa simula, napako. Ang laki ng pagkakautang pa nila sa buwis sa gobyerno. And it has spawned, talagang spawned, a host of evils against our citizens and our society. So, kaya tigilan na rin yung pag-distinguish, di umano sa mga legal Pogo daw at sa mga illegal, right? Kasi, dahit yung mga so-called legal Pogo, eh, nanganak ng napakaraming illegal, no? So, that takes away the reason or the excuse for anyone, past or present in government to sponsor this vile industry na mukha talagang sobrang interconnected sa mga criminal syndicates pa.
Q: Oo. So, let's talk about Pogo itself. Bamban.
SRH: Yes.
Q: The Zun Yuan Technologies, technically, there were two Pogo hubs there, am I right? Or only one?
SRH: Just one. Pero dati ang pangalan niya ay Hongsheng. Yung unang na-raid last year, they apparently changed their names and continued operating in defiance of the suspension by Pagcor of the license of Hongsheng. So, parang same dog, new collar. Naging Zun yuan lang siya. Oo.
Q: So, for example, that Pogo in Bamban, it was granted a license. That Pogo in Porac, Lucky South 99, it was granted a license. Simply because, one, in Porac, you have 46 structures. Alam nga naman gumastos sila. Magtayo ng napakaraming buildings na walang lisensya ng Pagcor. Ang tanong ko, what about Pagcor's responsibility? Is it just about granting a license? Is Pagcor tasked to monitor, to visit, to check the operations?
SRH: Definitely. Kaya tama si --- sang-ayon ako kay Sen Sherwin. Hindi pa off the hook ang Pagcor dito. Hindi niya pwedeng sabihin, titignan lang niya yung four corners of the documents. No. Halimbawa sa kaso ng Bamban, even Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping as mayor, may in-issue siyang mayor's permit, sabi niya, para sa tatlong floors ng Pogo operations. Second, third, and fourth floors daw ng isang building. Don't tell me during her watch, don't tell me under the eyes of Pagcor na nag-issue ng original na license, hindi nila pareho napansin na it was all floors of many buildings at hindi lamang three floors of one na nag-ooperate ng Pogo.
In the case of Pagcor, dun mismo sa Bamban, meron silang mga apat na on-site representatives na dapat nag-i-inspect. Anong ginagawa nila all that time? Supposedly, if I remember, dun sa imbestigasyon namin sa Pogo Hub sa Pasay, supposedly, twice a month, nag-i-inspect sila. So, ano nangyari? Don't tell me hindi nila nakita lahat ng Pogo at lahat ng mga krimen laban mismo sa mga nagtatrabaho dun all the time the Pogo Hub was operating in Bamban.
And kahit yung ano, pinoint out ito ni Sen Sherwin, kahit yung bona fides ng mga inilistang co-incorporators, si kawawang Merlie Joy Castro, and yung tatlo pang Pilipinang, apparently without their knowledge, inilista bilang Filipino incorporators nung Hongsheng Gaming Technology.
Eh sabi ni Ms. Merlie, siya'y dating, nagbebenta ng pagkain sa palengke ng Concepcion Tarlac. Naging BPO worker siya at ngayon naglalako ulit. At yung tatlong babaeng yun na nakalista rin, mga nakikita lang niya sa palengke din, nagbebenta ng gulay, or agahan, o inihaw na manok. So, hindi ba chinek ng pagcor yan?
Pinapuntahan pa nga ni Sen Sherwin yung staff niya sa mga addresses nung mga taong iyon. Wow, yung mga bahay nila sobrang payak, simple, hindi talaga bahay ng mga pogo operator. So, Pagcor has a lot to ask for, in addition to yung identity ng dating cabinet official na binanggit ni Chair Tengco.
Q: So, it appears that in a way, PAGCOR is negligent, remiss, and really just giving off licenses to Chinese nationals that they probably know, but not checking the incorporators. There was no physical or face-to-face meet-up with any of them.
SRH: Possibly no real, you know, what you call that, due diligence on the identities and bona fides, not only of the co-incorporators, but the main, like the members of the board and the officials. Dapat nakita nila itong si Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping. At yung mga ibang kasosyo niya, two who are now the main suspects in the biggest money laundering case in Singapore, and another one, Huang Zhiyang, the only one Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping admitted knowing personally and dealing with. Ano pala? Pugante sa Tsina. He's wanted for cases there. Nakatakas lang siya sa pag-aresto ng PAOCC nung huling raid sa Zun Yuan. So, who are these people she's dealing with? Who are these people PAGCOR was dealing with?
Q: Yeah. Another issue, for example, no? Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga, a 10-hectare Pogo compound. PAGCOR claims that their license was, I think, revoked. Was it 2023, Senator?
SRH: That's the case for Bamban, so possibly also for Porac.
Q: Pero ang tanong, itong Porac, they kept operating. So, doesn't PAGCOR send people there to check if they're operating? Nung tinanggalan ng lisensya, didn't PAGCOR contact the PNP? I-ano na yan? I-kandado na yan? I mean, is PAGCOR just issuing, for example, a document, revoked ka na pero hayaan? Wala na?
SRH: Kaya nga. In fact, PAGCOR told us in a previous hearing na in total, they had issued 200-plus pogo licenses before. They had suspended a 190-plus. Pero hindi nila masabi ilan doon ay sumunod talaga. At ilan ay dinedma lang yung suspension, nagpatuloy. Tulad niyang Hongsheng, nag-rename na lang na Zun Yuan, tumuloy. Walang pake sa suspension ng PAGCOR.
And speaking of the PNP, in fact, it was the PNP, Municipal Police Chief first, and then the Provincial PNP, who twice, last year and this year, requested that there be an inspection by the LGU of the Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga. So kung bakit hindi yan nagawa o hindi yan ginawa, well, we've started asking questions about that in the hearing at itutuloy namin sa susunod.
Q: And I don't know, I hope we can show some of the videos, but our reporter, Zy-ann Ambrosio, was able to get torture videos of different employees, Chinese nationals. You know, considering the xenophobia to some degree that's going on, you realize that the Chinese nationals themselves are victims too, right?
SRH: Exactly
Q: So there's a video, I don't know if we can show them, but I know they're blurred, of a woman who was naked, nakatali, tapos kinotorture. Another man with a bag. Baseball bat. Paulit-ulit. Binubugbog.
SRH: Grabe. Sabi nga ng PAOCC, horrific. Yung mga testimony ng mga Chino din na biktima ng torture and probably of human trafficking as well doon sa Porac. Horrific yung mga videos kasi yung mga torturers daw, in whose quarters were found many torture instruments, may videos sila ng mga biktima nila sa mga cellphone nila na parang pinagyayabang nila itong pag-torture. And indeed, this is not at all about xenophobia or racism kasi nga daan-daang mga Tsino din ang binibiktima sa mga pogo hubs nito. Nire-rescue din ng PAOCC. Tinutulungan din naming lahat na makaalis sa ganyang horrific nga na sitwasyon.
And I recall dyan sa Porac, sa Pampanga, may misteryoso pa rin, and this was pointed out by the previous chief of police. Apparently may tinapon doon na siyam na tao, patay na sila, mga dayuhan, in Porac. Supposedly, hindi daw taga ron. Supposedly, hindi daw galing doon sa Lucky Star 99. Pero naitatanong talaga, saan sila galing? At galing ba sila doon sa pogo hub? Because if you put two and two together, itong mga horrific na torture, oh and the naked woman, there was also a naked woman na inupload ang video at photos niya. Binibenta siya in prostitution. So alam mo, yung these crimes and suspected crimes, hindi unreasonable isipin. Lahat ba yan tahit sa Pogo hub at sa Pogo in general? So it's pogo politics and it's pogo crime probably.
Q: And the irony is the very thing that we don't want our OFWs to suffer. Right? We are upset as a country when an OFW is tortured. Right? Beaten to death. The passport is withheld. As a country, we're against it. And it's being tolerated and happening in our own country to other nationals.
SRH: Oo. Kasi nga mukhang ang pogos are so intricately tied in with human trafficking. And both ways. Noon ang iniimbestiga namin human trafficking na mga Pinay at Pinoy palabas kung saan nilalabag yung mga karapatan nila. And here we see, there is also inbound human trafficking. Ilang iba't ibang dayuhang nasyonal ay narescue na sa mga pogo hub. Mga Tsino, Vietnamese, Malaysian, may nakakilala akong isang Middle Eastern na babae, may Eastern European na mga babae. Bad news talaga for those trying to diminish and eliminate human trafficking. Dahil ang Pogo hub, nagiging hub ng iba't ibang krimen, pati nito human trafficking.
Q: Oo. And actually, the pogo hub is using its legal cover.
SRH: Yes.
Q: It's licensed to do illegal things. Exactly. Ang tatlo, Senator, no? So, for example, you have Bamban at seven and a half hectares. Yes. You have Porac at ten hectares. Island Cove is at thirteen hectares. So, that is the largest pogo compound in the Philippines. And the PAOCC has said they've never entered Island Cove. Apparently, a lot of these Pogo hubs and Pogo offices or businesses, they are unable to enter. They were only able to enter these two hubs because of a search warrant. Granted by the court. Pero on a regular day, they cannot just come in, monitor, check, etc.
SRH: And that's why, yung parang exemption ng mga Pogo hubs, pati tulad sa Porac, yung pinag-usapan natin kanina, sa entry and inspection of duly constituted authorities, isa pa sa maraming dahilan na overall, even beyond this particular investigation, nanawagan na ang Senado through a committee report of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs under its previous chair, Sen. Sherwin, and I signed that committee report. Palayasin na ang pogos within three months. That was the recommendation of that committee report.
And I assure you, pag natapos na namin itong imbestigasyon na isulat ang committee report ng Committee on Women against Pogos, number one recommendation din, palayasin na ang pogo.
Even before that, I've called on the president a few times. And the National Security Council, pag-usapan na ninyo yung tanong, are pogos a threat to national security? And if so, the executive and the chief executive is the quickest office which can act on kicking out the Pogos. Yung isang mabuting balita ay yung PAOCC will be giving a briefing to the NSC. So sana na tulad sa amin sa Senado, makumbinsi din ang NSC at ang presidente mismo, palayasin na ang Pogo. If and when, when that happens, kahit saang bahagi ng Pilipinas, kahit sa sinu-sino pa ang sinasabing konektado dyan, mapapaalis ang Pogo at dapat lang.
Q: Oo. So two questions on this before we go to a commercial break. Why do you think is the president silent on Pogo? Really?
SRH: Yeah. I don't know.
Q: Considering Pagcor Chair Al Tengco reported, I believe it was in the Senate, that pogo revenues at 2023 only amounted to 5 billion. It's not so dramatic, right?
SRH: No, not at all.
Q: We're not talking about 100 billion pesos here of revenues where you could lose sleep. This is 5 billion pesos collected from Pogo last year. Yun lang nakolekta. Why do you think, what do you think is the factor? Considering you have the president who's a staunch advocate of the West Philippine Sea. He stands against China's bullying on the West Philippine Sea, right? He stands against China's bullying on the West Philippine Sea. But with Pogo, why isn't the president speaking?
SRH: I really don't know what he's waiting for, Karen. Yun na nga, pagcor na mismo nagsabi, 5 billion piso lamang sa napakaraming rosy promises nila noon. Ang laki ng utang nila sa buwis. And then when you put into the balance all the social, and now political, political costs of pogo, eh sobrang halos wala ng benefit panay cost, cost, cost sa Pilipinas. So yeah, you're right eh. Kung unequivocally kaya niyang mag-pushback sa Tsina on the West Philippine Sea issues, bakit parang nagpo-foot dragging dito sa pogo?
Okay, kung merong timing siyang hinihintay or meron pa siyang tinitimbang, pero ilang Senate committee investigations na ang ginawa dati yung Committees on Labor at saka Economic Affairs, at ngayon patapos itong apat na taong investigation ng Committee on Women about pogo-related prostitution, illegal recruitment and detention, the Pastillas scam, at ngayon itong human trafficking, cyber scamming, money laundering, at yung posibleng espionage angle, tapos yung pagbebenta, pagkakomodify ng Filipino citizenship. So ano pang hinihintay ni Presidente? I really hope he will speak sooner than later decisively against Pogos. Kasi it's a clear and present danger na nahahayaang mag-persist dito sa ating kalagitnaan.
Q: You saw in that press conference, former President Duterte said he knew where Apollo Quibuloy was hiding. He said he knew. Does that break the law? Is that complicity? I mean, Apollo Quiboloy is a fugitive. Authorities are looking and hunting him down. And here's a former president to say, I know where he's hiding, but I won't cooperate.
SRH: A former president na abogado tapos tinatago mo. That's some kind of complicity, it seems.
Q: Now, I'm just curious because you do have colleagues as well, ironically tolerating Apollo Quiboloy hiding from the law, right?
SRH: Well I don't know if like Duterte they know where he is pero at least wala naman sa Colleagues ko ang nagsasabing, sinisikreto ko kahit alam ko. Iba talaga si Duterte. And sooner or later, one of the three warrants will catch up with Quiboloy. Sooner or later, yung umaandar na apat na kaso sa US will catch up with him. Pag nailagay pa siya sa red list ng Interpol, hindi lang iisa na law enforcement authority ang hahabol sa kanya.
Q: Okay. Now, let's move on to the announcement of former Vice President Sara Duterte saying essentially that three Dutertes will be running for the Senate. What was your initial reaction?
SRH: My initial reaction was, di ko na tiisin, nagpost tuloy ako ng, parang, ah, ganon, nagpost tuloy ako ng photo, ng selfie na ito ang tatlo ko.
Pero you know, ganyan sila eh. Pinaglalaruan talaga yung utak natin. So beyond what they say, and parang may sayaw diba, one will say something, the other one will say another thing. Beyond what they say, ang obserbahin natin at intindihin what they do.
Q: But then technically speaking, I mean, we've discussed this, I think, many, many years ago. Aren't they able to do this because there are really family members sitting in the Senate? I mean, I actually raised the alarm during the very, very first time, which was former First Lady Loi Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada sitting together. That was all because there are only 24 senators. And there are so many Filipinos who can take that seat, right?
But you have right now two Villars, you have two Ejercitos or Estradas, and then at one point, there were going to be two Binays except Jejomar didn't make it, two Cayetanos. So if you're a Duterte, you're saying, well, hindi naman bago to. Tagda-dalawa na nga, nakaupo na dyan.
SRH: And well, ang mga Duterte naman, matagal nang nagtayo ng sariling dynasty sa Davao City hanggang sa bansa, hanggang sa House, hanggang sa Office of the Vice President ngayon. At talagang, and I do remember, we talked about this years ago even. Almost 40 years, yung utos ng Constitution sa atin to pass an anti-dynasty law. Unfortunately, human psychology, nobody legislates against interest. At sa ating kongreso, overrepresented talaga yung mga dynasties.
Hats off sa ating mga kabataan at estudyante because it's only they, through the SK Reform and Empowerment Law, who have a law na may anti-dynasty provision. Pero vicious cycle ito eh. Habang meron overrepresented ang mga dynasties sa ating gobyerno, when will government ever obey the Constitution and pass an anti-dynasty law?
So we have to approach and attack the problem from different vantage points at tingnan kung saan tayo nagkaroon ng crack sa wall na iyan.
Q: All right. Now, moving on to the change of leadership in the Senate. I mean, I know you are with a minority, but at one point you had some members of the majority, the leadership, who were thinking of joining the minority. What did you think of that?
SRH: Well, that happened, yung change sa Senate leadership just before we adjourned. And kami nung minority leader ko, si Sen Koko, we abstained kasi yun talaga yung unequivocal signal namin na gusto namin manatiling minority to fiscalize and to check and balance. And over this magiging two-month adjournment, ayun, nakarinig nga kami ng iba't-ibang pag-iisip or pag-consider ng plano ng iba't-ibang grupo sa loob ng majority, including that early possibility na yung bahagi ng dating leadership were considering joining us in the minority. Pero I think I read just very recently na mananatili sila sa majority. That won't be new for the Senate. Maaaring may supermajority pa rin pero within that iba't ibang bloke which are also checking and balancing each other. So excited akong mag-resume ng session sa 22 nitong buwan. And for sure, Sen Koko and I will continue our role as the minority.
Q: Okay. Is it, at one point, Atty. Harry Roque said, with Vice President Sara's resignation in the cabinet, she is the new opposition?
SRH: Oh, medyo, di ba may stunned silence? Hindi, biro lang. Ang opposition, ibig sabihin, tinututulan mo at gusto mong baguhin yung sistema. Hindi yung isang paksyon ka lang sa administrasyon.
Q: Or a power block?
SRH: Yeah, if you're just a different power block, but you just want to get back into the saddle, at gusto mong ikaw ang magkokontrol sa levers ng kasalukuyang sistema, hindi mo naman binago noon, sigurado hindi mo babaguhin sa future, hindi ka oposisyon. Hindi yan ang definition, hindi yan ang nature ng oposisyon.
Q: Okay, let's talk about the Liberal Party. I did ask Attorney Leila de Lima about this. Is the Liberal Party, has it passed its time? I wanted to ask that because you have Vice President Leni Robredo, the former Vice President, then she ran for President, she ran as an independent, right? And then I don't know if she runs for Naga as mayor, if she's running under LP. But Bam Aquino is an interesting case. He's running for the Senate but not under LP. Nakakatulong pa bang tumakbo under LP or dapat bagong partido na ng oposisyon?
SRH: Well, I can't speak for LP, kasi Akbayan ako. Bagamat coalition partners kami sa LP, 2009 pa. At sa ilan pang mga partido na ngayon ay nasa oposisyon or wala sa administrasyon. Leila, Sen Leila is the best to speak for LP because she is their party spokesperson.
But as I understand it, for example in the case of Sen Bam, he formed a new party and he told us, he told the public, I think also here on your show, in an interview with you, it's a new party of younger politicians so a very important demographic in our society and electorate. Sa akin kung ano man yung desisyon ng mambabatas or long-standing or mga bagong partido. Ang importante, and this is what I've been working on with them in the past two years, ang importante sana ay to come up with fresh and really alternative offers to our kababayan and to our voters sa midterms next year at sa general elections ulit in 2028.
So, syempre ako bilang partidista, bilang founding member ng Akbayan and Akbayan Forever, tingin ko laging may halaga, may ambag ang mga partido. It's a challenge, especially nga with that younger demographic, young people pati Gen Z na they're not as in love with parties as my generation is. So we have to find new forms of organization and education and mobilization, kahit sa eleksyon, na makaka-attract dyan sa malaki at influential na demographic na yan.
Q: My last question is because by 2028, the opposition has to field a presidential candidate, and most likely you're in coalition with the Liberal Party. You'll probably have other groups wanting to join the opposition coalition, but probably LP will take the lead, most likely. Well for now who knows if something bigger comes up in the next few years, but there are talks you have some sectors I've been hearing who want you to run for president in 2028, for the opposition have are you considering running?
SRH: I'm not considering running yet, but what I am 100% considering is that the opposition will run candidates for president, vice president, and across the line. Yun yung tinatrabaho ko the last two years and we will continue to work on it until next year sa midterms and the next four years until 2028.
Patuloy kaming magpapalakas para by 2027, pwede kaming mag-usap, okay, sino-sino ang itatakbo natin para sa aling-aling posisyon. And by then, we should be in that position of strength na seseryosohin, hindi lamang ng administrasyon, pero seseryosohin ng ating mga kababayan at ng ating mga botante, whether it be ng opposition or independent anumang pangalan ang gagamitin namin. But we will be something different and something better para sa ating mga kababayan. Yun yung ma-assure ko sa'yo 100%.
Q: Alright. So if you're gonna make the announcement, we have to hear that.
SRH: Yes, of course. Soon we will announce yung mga susuportahan naming kandidato para sa Senado next year.
Q: Pero wala na kayong field. I'm curious.
SRH: Well, I'm still hoping.
Q: Wala na. Wala na sa field. You'll just support?
SRH: Of course, field. Field and support. Ibig sabihin. So, we will announce this year yung mga kandidato namin for next year. And by 2027, I intend that we will make an important announcement for 2028.
Q: Okay. Do you have a few names, at least? I mean, of course, Chel Diokno, Bam Aquino, those are obvious. Leila De Lima isn't running, she said. But she might, for the Senate?
SRH: Well, alam mo si Leila, unique position niya ngayon whatever she decides, tuloy yung pursuit of justice para sa EJK victims at sarili din niya or takbo, winner si Leila.
Q: My last one. What about Leni Robredo? You know, some have said she should run for the Senate, but at one point she mentioned she might do mayor.
SRH: Well, again, just like Leila, ano man ang maging desisyon ni Leni, ni former VP Leni, winner siya. And she will remain an important part of our political scene next year and all the way up to 2028. So bahagi ng malawak na oposisyon.
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