Senate President Migz Zubiri Ambush Interview
May 31, 2023
Senate President Migz Zubiri
Ambush Interview
May 31, 2023
SP: I'm very proud and happy of what the Senate had achieved last night or this morning. Alas-3 na ng umaga kami nakauwi sa aming mga bahay. Natapos po kami ng 2:30 ng umaga sa pagdeliberate ng Maharlika bill. Inilagay po namin lahat ng safeguards na pwedeng pag-isipan na pwedeng mangyari dito sa bill na ito. We also explicitly stated twice in the bill that the funds such as Pag-ibig, GSIS, SSS, OWWA funds, the PVAO, the veterans fund will not be placed into the Maharlika Fund. Let me repeat that there's an explicit provision accepted by the House, hindi talaga malalagay, not voluntarily, not mandatory, they cannot place these funds. These are public funds put in trust for government. So hindi po natin magagamit yan. Hindi po talaga magagamit yan for Maharlika at any point in time. And we thank the government panel, the economic team for accepting that amendments. Kaya wala na po kayong kakabahan pa. Kasi ang haka-haka baka ipasok pa raw ang GSIS, SSS, wala na po yan. It is explicitly said twice in the bill and there's an explicit ban on the use of these funds for Maharlika. So we also put very strict compliance on the selection nitong mga member of the board, yung advisory council. Napakabigat parang Judicial Bar Council. Pipili yung advisory board, pipili ng iilan ng pwedeng maging president at CEO dyan at doon pipili si Presidente. Ibig sabihin dadaan sa proseso. Hindi lamang pwedeng sabihin ng Presidente ito ang kukunin ko, hindi po, may proseso po na magbibigay ng top 5 names or top three names ang advisory board of which the President can choose from. So there's a vetting process for the officers of the Maharlika Fund. And then ang penal provisions umabot yata ng two pages, 2-3 pages, yung penalties, yung mga parusa na kapag ito ang nangyari may embezzlement, ganito ang parusa, nilagay po namin ang provisions on the law, the plunder law. So kapag may nagnakaw ng over P50 million automatic yan plunder yan, nonbailable, makukulong ng 20 years hanggang habambuhay. So nailagay po natin lahat yan. So for me it is the triumph of the Senate because we improve the House version tremendously and we thank the House for accepting the Senate version with all the safeguards. Pwede nating ipaglaban ito sa Plaza Miranda kasi sa dami ng safeguards, pati Minority admitted it, of course they are against it and they voted against it but they were very happy that we accepted all the safeguards that possibly can be place in this measure.
Q: Bakit nag-bicam pa po kung adopted naman ng House?
SP: Automatic naman yun dahil tapos naman ang House of Representatives that when once we approve it last night, we were sure that there will be a bicam so we elected immediately members of bicam. We had a pre-bicam meeting this lunch time at pumayag po, andun po si House Speaker Romualdez at pumayag po siya na iadopt ang Senate version. Kaya napabilis ang adoption and this afternoon iraratify na po natin siya.
Q: May ratification pa rin?
SP: Yah, because we had a bicam. Bicam approval yun that means we have to ratify it this afternoon.
Q:
SP: I am very proud of the Senate version because of the safeguards that we put in place. Nananawagan ako sa ating mga kababayan, wag silang mag-alala, lahat na ng safeguards na pwede nating ilagay, inilagay natin. From the selection of the officers, talagang may vetting process, to the almost two to three pages of penal provisions and punishments if there is misuse of the funds to the reiteration of the different laws under the penal code and under the special laws creating the plunder law, the graft and corrupt practices act and several other law which sakop po ang public servants. Gusto po nating idagdag wala na pong kontribusyon, bawal na bawal na pong magcontribute ang GSIS, ang SSS, ang Philhealth, ang Pagibig, PVAO yun yung Veterans Fund at ang OWWA fund. So itong tinatawag nating mga private or trust funds in the hands of the government or under the protection of the government kasi ito po ay kaltas sa atin, hindi po magagamit ng Maharlika kahit anumang panahon, not mandatory, not voluntary. So we want to put that on record para sa pangamba ng ating mga kababayan hindi na po mangyayari.
Q: Sir, yung Landbank and DBP?
SP: It's only going to be their investible funds, yung iniinvest talaga nila. So it remains still Land Bank, DBP and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, investible funds nila. When you say investible funds ano na yan netong neto na yan. Yan ang pwede nilang gamitin for investment at saka may percentage ha, may porsyento, hindi lahat.
Q: Hindi apektado ang kanilang operations?
SP: Not at all.
Q: Hindi na makukuwestyon sa Supreme Court?
SP: Alam mo lahat naman ng batas namin may nagkukuwestyon sa Supreme Court. I'm sure people will raise it but I'm sure we can stand the test of judicial scrutiny of the Supreme Court.
Q: May penal provisions?
SP: It's part of the law. It's part of the last two pages of the law. As a matter of fact, Senator Risa wanted to add an amendment yesterday on the embezzlement but that's already under the penal code. We reiterated the penal code section this, that that, nakahighlight na yun. Kasama dyan ang syndicated estafa, syndicated estafa yun eh. Yung point ny, nagtatrabaho po kayo sa Maharlika Investment Fund nagnakaw kayo ng pera doon, you'll be under the several laws. You will be under the plunder law, graft and corrupt practices act and of course yung law governing syndicated estafa which also nonbailable. So napakatindi. As a matter of fact, kung ako yung private sector baka matakot akong pumasok at sumali. Baka kokonti ang mag-apply. Kasi yung gusto nating bantayan yung pera ng mga investors particularly government fund.
Q: Sir, yung absence ng test of economic viability?
SP: I think, many countries, there's about less than a 100, maybe 90 countries that have sovereign wealth fund and under these 90 countries, iisa lang naman ang nakita naming pumalpak which is the Malaysia kasi racketeer naman talaga ang nagtatag nun, hindi na mahanap ng Malaysian government. That's why we are learning from that mistake. But almost 99 percent of other sovereign wealth funds have been very successful, Temasek Foundation for one, and many others that have invested heavily in their countries and in other funds kung saan lumago ang pera nila. Let's give it a chance. I think some people are saying hindi natin kaya magmanage ng ganyan, hindi kaya ng Filipino yan. You know why do we put Filipino down? Di ba? Maraming Filipinos sa United Nations, sa World Bank, sa WHO, sa IMF, sa Asian Development Bank na magagaling and they are well respected and reputable people. These are the same people that we will use to run the Maharlika Investment Corporation, our sovereign wealth fund. Let's give the Filipino a chance to show that we are better than just being laborers, just better just being hired individuals. We are going to make this Maharlika Investment Fund work for the country. During our discussions they plan to invest it on tall bridges for example like the Bataan-Cavite bridge that will decongest the Metro Manila and it will be a tall bridge, magandang investment yan. It will be the 2nd longest bridge in the world. 2nd longest bridge, di ba ang ganda tignan nun. Ang ganda ng pride natin nun. Proud na proud na tayo. It's going to be 2nd longest compared to the Macau Hong Kong bridge, yun ang pinakamahaba. And it's going to bring so much economy for Region 3 and NCR kasi magkadugtong na yan. And madedecongest tayo sa traffic kasi lahat ng dumadaan sa Bataan, ports of Bataan, sa Subic, Clark, Zambales hindi na po daraan, hindi na po kailangang dumaan ng Metro Manila at Quezon City at EDSA, sila po ay dadaan na sa tulay na yun. That's only one ha. We are looking at Iloilo, Panay, Guimaras, Negros bridges. They are looking at more tollways. Investing in the Philippines in major infrastructures na hindi po natin magawa sa General Appropriations Act. We don't have enough funds to fund those projects.
Q: Yung concern na parang itatransfer sa kanila ang power ng Congress?
SP: No, we didn't give them any, we didn't transfer any power to the MIF. For example, their increase in the capitalization, they have to go back to Congress for approval.
Q: Even yung malalaking project?
SP: We have joint oversight committee that will review periodically every quarter, every three months, yung post projects po nila. And they are also under the scrutiny of government agencies like COA, andun si COA. They have to pay taxes para walang ika nga undue disadvantage ang mga private companies. Kasi sabi ng private companies how can we bid for this tall projects kung tax free sila, di mas maganda ang offer nila, we subject them to taxes like any other regular agencies. That's way it's not a monopoly, may competition pa sa iba't ibang mga projects na pwede nilang pasukan. With this version ha, nung pag-umpisa, pagtingin namin medyo marami pang nagdududa na mga miyembro. Pero after the amendments given by Senator Loren Legarda, Sen. Chiz Escudero, the minority, Senator Risa, Senator Koko, our members sina Senator Sonny Angara, Tol Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, Pia Cayetano, ang dami pong magagandang amendments ni Senator Pia, Senator Tulfo magaganda rin ang amendments nya. Siya isa sa tumulak na walang GSIS, SSS and all these funds. So magandang synergy kagabi at ang kalalabasan nito very nice bill that was adopted by the House of Representatives.
Q: Magkakaroon ba ng Tagalog version?
SP: Why not? That is our national language kaya kanina during the bicam there was a plan to remove those provisions, sabi ko no, sariling wika natin ito, that's our national language. That's supposed to be our primary language so we insisted in keeping a provision that will be available both in Filipino and English. Itranslate lang yan.
Q: Pinapatanggal?
SP: Yung mga lawyers kasi sabi nila there might be some legal lingo or legal language na mahirap itranslate into Tagalog, sabi ko Taglish na lang, kung walang Tagalog gamitin na lang ang English and I continue.
Q: Sa pre-bicam may discussion pa?
SP: Secretary Meena texted me. Basahin ko. Good morning 10:52 am, House of Representatives accept all. Congratulations and thanks for the trust. Wonderful news. Secretary Pangandaman of DBM. Photoops na lang po sila later.
Q: Nag-effort pa to convince them?
SP: No, not at all, because they were convinced before we get there.
Q; Inadopt din ang extension ng estate tax amnesty?
SP: Yes. Adopted na. Tapos na yun. The House adopted yan.
Q: Iraratify pa?
SP: Hindi na. Kapag naadopt na hindi na.
Q: Yun na ang enrolled bill?
SP:Just later we will have a paper bicam for MIF and that's it. We will ratify it today. Andito ang ibang SEA games teams we are going to give them honors..
Q: May session pa tom?
SP: No need.
