Q: Hello sir, good afternoon po.
PRESIDENT FERDINAND ROMUALDEZ MARCOS JR.: Good afternoon.
Q: Yes sir, kumusta po ang pakiramdam niyo after getting…
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Sorry.
Q: Kumusta po kayo Mr. President after getting…
PRESIDENT MARCOS: ‘Yung?
Q: Pakiramdam po, sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Wala naman. So far… So far wala naman. Kaya naiwan kami 15 minutes para tingnan kung magkaroon ng side effect. Wala naman so far. Hindi naman sumakit ‘yung braso ko. So I feel fine. Thank you.
Q: Sir, second question lang po. Are you inclined to extend po ‘yung public health — State of Public Health Emergency that will expire daw po sir sa September 12?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yes, we were just discussing it with Usec. Vergeire because maraming mga binibigay sa international medical community kapag state of emergency. WHO is one of them. At kung itigil natin ‘yung state of emergency, matitigil ‘yun. But if we can change — we are looking at amending the law in terms of procurement and all of that in the middle of an emergency.
But that will take time. So malamang we will extend it until the end of the year.
Q: For how long daw po, sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: I’m sorry.
Q: For how long sir ‘yung extension.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Until the end of the year.
That’s it? I’m sorry.
Q: Would you take another question, sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: I’m sorry.
Q: Will you take other questions, sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yeah, yeah, sure, sure.
Q: Sir, yung sa sugar po. Kumusta po ang investigation ngayon? At mayroon po ba kayong mga appointment?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Actually, ipinaubaya namin ang imbestigasyon sa House, sa legislature and even the Senate. Dahil ang iniintindi ko lang talaga is that hindi tayo tumagal na mayroon tayong shortage ng sugar, lalong-lalo na para sa mga industrial consumer. ‘Yung mga gumagawa ng soda, ng mga drinks, pati na ‘yung mga sa pagkain, all of the outlets na ganoon. Ayaw natin maipit ‘yun.
Because right now, they are starting to cut down the days of the week na nagtatrabaho and we are very worried of course about jobs. So ‘yun ang iniintindi ko talaga right now.
So what we are going to do is that we are going to reorganize the SRA and as soon as that’s done — that should be done this week, before the end of this week.
We’ll reorganize the SRA and then we will come to an arrangement with the industrial consumers, with the planters, the millers, suppliers of the sugar to coordinate para talaga kung ano ‘yung mayroon, kung ano ‘yung available, mailabas na sa merkado. And ‘yung kulang, eh kunin na natin, kunin na natin. Mag-import na tayo. Mapipilitan talaga tayo.
Unfortunately, it’s the same situation in all the agricultural commodities in the Philippines. Kailangan natin. Ayaw na ayaw natin mag-import hangga’t maaari. Ngunit ang problema, hindi sapat ‘yung production natin. At kung minsan ‘yung presyo pati ay napakataas. Kaya’t kailangan natin…
Kung hindi natin tutugunan ang mangyayari pupunta sa merkado, mataas masyado ang naging production cost. That’s why mayroong subsidy, mayroong ayuda sa fertilizer. Sa sugar, hindi naman siguro kailangan because I think we are going to come to a good agreement with the consumers, with the traders, and with the planters and the millers.
Q: Sir, Mr. President, on a related point. Ang presyo po ng asukal ngayon, especially sa household consumption nasa P100 per kilo.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Mataas ‘yun.
Q: Kailan po kaya maaasahan na magka-relief ang ating mga consumers sa presyong ganito?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: That’s exactly what we’re negotiating now with the traders. Ang tinitingnan natin ay kung ano ‘yung mga in-country na, nandito na na hindi na kailangan mag-import.
Pero hindi talaga – magkakakulang ‘yan so later on this year… That’s what we are negotiating with the traders now. Hihingin natin… They were – they first offered at 80 pesos so sabi ko, “Hingiin ko na ‘yung 70 pesos, tulungan niyo na lang kasi kawawa naman ang tao.” And we’re getting there.
Thank you. Maraming salamat.
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