MELANIE: Usec., Magandang umaga po.

MARIE: Good morning, sir.

USEC. ABELLA: Good morning po sa inyo.

MELANIE: Good morning, sir.

USEC. ABELLA: Yes, Ma’am, good morning, Ma’am.

MELANIE: Sir, iyong una po nating tanong ay iyong nangyari pong lindol diyan sa may Surigao, na niyanig po ang Surigao ng 6.7 magnitude na lindol. Mayroon po bang additional directive po ang Pangulong Duterte sa mga government agencies para umagapay sa ating mga kababayan po sa Surigao?

USEC. ABELLA: Actually po, ang lead agency sina Sec. Judy po sa DSWD at mayroon na po silang information.. at me relief na po sila ng pa-food packs, mayroon silang funds, already ready for that ‘no, iyong may mga specific… may nilabas na yata si Sec. Judy ng detalye patungkol diyan. Ang ano lang po natin is patuloy po nating antabayanan. Let’s be careful. Let’s be cooperative with one another and let us avoid iyong mga areas po na… where the structures are unsteady and unsure ‘no. Let us—lalo na po ngayon, let us continue to—in the spirit of bayanihan. At patuloy po tayo na… to be looking out for one another. These are trying times and our hearts go out to, sa mga Surigao noon. Ang among mga pagbati ay naga, diha kaninyo,  og among mga pag-ampo usab nga kamo ilayo gyud sa dautan. Atong  ipag-ampo gyud nga ang Ginoo maga padayon sa iyang pagbubo sa iyang grasya og  kaluoy kanato (Our hearts go out to you, and our prayers also that you shall be safe from danger. We pray also that God will keep on showering his blessings and mercy upon us). Iyon po.

MELANIE: Opo.

MARIE: Ano pong sinabi ninyo para sa mga hindi po nakakaintindi noong salita po?

USEC. ABELLA: Eh, ano po, iyong salita pong iyon. It was a prayer for Surigaonon’s na sinasabi po natin na unang una na, let’s continue in the spirit of bayanihan and let’s continue to look out for one another. Ang pangalawa po eh, it was a prayer na ilayo po ng Panginoong Diyos ang mga—ilayo po ng Diyos, ang Panginoong Diyos, ang mga tao sa sakuna, sa more danger, iyon po.

MARIE:  At saka ang mabuti na lang po hindi nagkaroon ng tsunami?

USEC. ABELLA: Opo, opo.

MELANIE: At Sir, siyempre iyong panic ‘no, na hindi naman panic iyong ating mga kababayan sa kabila ng mayroong 89 aftershock na naitala. Pinakamalakas doon, sir, 3.7, eh muntik ng mag-panic iyong ating mga kababayan kasi hindi siya makakatulong at baka lalo silang masaktan o pag sila po ay nagpa-panic.

USEC. ABELLA: Opo, opo. Yeah, thank you very much for having that. Opo sige po.

MELANIE: What about po iyong sa DPWH, sir, kasi maraming kalsada na rin ang hindi nadadaanan, iyong runway po ng Airport ay sira—

USEC. ABELLA: Opo, opo.

MELANIE: So hindi rin po magagamit.

USEC. ABELLA:  Hello, hell0.

MELANIE: Sir—

USEC. ABELLA:  Yes, Ma’am.

MELANIE: May karagdagang atas po ba ang Malacañang sa DPWH?

USEC. ABELLA: Ah ano po, do very quickly the ano—the President, I’m sure wants na, it will work as quickly as possible in the response ‘no, to make sure na maagapan at maano  na that he can actually create. Anong tawag dito? Structures and clear the debris para makadaan kaagad ang mga—makadaan as soon as possible iyong mga relief operations ng gobyerno.

MELANIE: Opo at siyempre, sir, iyong mga malalapit na local government—local government unit na puwede na silang umagapay agad at hindi na—

USEC. ABELLA:  Opo.

MELANIE:  At iyon iyong mga nanggaling pa ng Maynila—

USEC. ABELLA: Tama, tama po iyan.

MELANIE: ‘Di ba sir para mas mabilis at agaran ang pagtulong?

USEC. ABELLA: Tama po iyan. Tama po, opo. Yes, yes.

MARIE: Sir, another topic po. Si Joma Sison . He had a call to President Duterte na sana mag-resume po iyong peace talks. Mayroon ba tayong tugon dito at ano po iyong parang puwede na kondisyon para makabalik sa usapang pangkapayapaan po?

USEC. ABELLA:  Wala pa po tayong formal na statement nanggagaling kay PRRD mismo, pero ang ano po natin diyan, ang masasabi ko lang po is I’m sure the President yet, he is a listening President and he will continue to consider the advice of his Secretary, iyong parte ng mga advisers, mga peace advisers, at tignan po natin ang mga sumusunod na araw kung ano po ang mga development.

MARIE: Mayroon din naging pahayag kasi ang AFP na kung babalik sa peace talks ay kailangan talagang ipakita ng New People’s Army iyong kanilang sinseridad at saka dapat magkaroon ng connect iyong armed wing at saka iyong mga leaders ng NDF po?

USEC. ABELLA: Tama po, katulad po ng sinabi natin sa statement ng ni-release natin last time. We said that there’s seem to be a disconnect between the leadership above and those who are in from the ground below and dapat—but that should be ano po, internal po sa kanila iyan na dapat sila mismo ang umayos niyan. On the other hand po, iyong—the other conditionality na kailangan po ng confidence building measures na, ang mga NPA para po naman makita na talagang sinsero din sila kung talagang interesado sila na magpatuloy po ito. Iyong peace talks, I mean.

MELANIE: Opo, sir, at sir, sa iba pang topic. Mayroon pong pahayag si dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos. Tinawag po niyang insecure si Pangulong Duterte at marami daw po siyang mga one-way decisions. Ano po naman ang sagot ng Malacañang dito, sir?

USEC. ABELLA:  Iba lang po siguro talaga ang working style ni PRRD at saka ni FVR ano. Si FVR kasi medyo ang approach niya is more managerial and more managerial and more corporate. When the President himself, the PRRD is more visionary. Hind po ibig sabihin na insecure iyong kaniya. Ang kaniya po talaga—ang malinaw po sa akin that he was a leader who listen. Well at the end of the day, kaniya pong—siya mismo iyong ano, siya mismo iyong kumikilos ‘no. But doesn’t mean to say that he is not listening. But siya mismo ang gumagawa ng desisyon. Ito po magkaiba kasi iyong si—magkaiba po iyong managerial styles noong dalawa. Si FVR po kasi which is like to enter this more managerial, more corporate, more managerial siya. Pero si PRRD po is what you would call a transformational leader. Ano po siya, alchemical, iyon bang out of nothing may nagagawa siya. Magkaibang-magkaiba po talaga ang style nila but we appreciate both pero at this stage po, nakikita natin na sobrang ano po, sobrang ang lalaki po ng lundag na ginawa ni PRRD simply because ano po siya, he has not to follow the rules but he has been acting out of the bounds, but he is truly a visionary leader. He is really what you would call him – a transformational leader, iyon po.            

MELANIE: Sir, mayroon pang sinabi si dating Pangulong Ramos, na hindi daw po kumukonsulta si Pangulong Duterte sa kaniyang mga Cabinet Secretaries, every time na siya ay policy … o desisyon?

USEC. ABELLA:  Like I said, kanina, like I said. Like I said earlier nakikinig po siya. Kaya, nakikinig po siya kaya lang po ang proseso niya is slightly different. But that doesn’t mean hindi siya kumukonsulta, nakikinig po talaga siya. That I can say.                      

MARIE: Sir, we have a—

USEC. ABELLA: But (overlapping voices) strong opinion, opo. (laughs)

MARIE: Sir, another topic po. We have a text question from Leila Salaverria of the Philippine Daily Inquirer: “May we get Malacañang’s comment on the statement of the UN Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, that there is mounting opposition to the President’s war on drugs. How they see this affecting the government’s strategy versus the narcotics trade?”

USEC. ABELLA:  Ano po, basically po siguro iyong ano—if there’s—iyong sinasabi na there’s a mounting opposition, I think this a minority voice that favors liberal politics. On the other hand po, we’re not saying they’re wrong – we’re saying that yes, we think that yes we understand where they’re coming from. However on the ground po, ibang-iba po talaga ang situation sa Pilipinas, and kung ibabase po natin kasi, based on public opinion, ang laki na po talaga ng stripe natin. So in terms of support, where do you expect support? Do you expect support to come from outside? Would you expect support from inside?

Kasi po, mainly what we hear from outside are many criticisms ‘no, and I supposed that is also the role. But maybe, they also have to understand that… we also have to understand that iyong mga critiques pong iyan, are also voices of other forces that are trying to… ah, mayroon din silang sariling agenda. On the other hand, the President has been consistently very strong in protecting the interest of the nation, and maybe that is what some people don’t appreciate too much ‘no. Pero ano po, the President has been very, very strong about protecting the interest of the nation, protecting the people, protecting the next generation, and, in the sense of how will it affect this war on drugs, ano po..

If we will continue to work together and listen—kung titignan lang po talaga natin ‘no iyong responses ng… the Filipino public, we will see that the war on drugs—his efforts against drugs are well-appreciated and we’ll continue as, according to him. Although, he continues to reconfigure and rebalance, and katulad po noong ano… everything is being rebalance. Hindi naman po siya matigas ang ulo, but he is very persistent in pursuing and making sure that the—sabi nga niya, the apparatus of drugs is destroyed.

MARIE: Yes, tama iyon. Iyong sa binanggit ninyong reconfigure, rebalance tama iyon sir. Kasi remember na, nalaman lang niya na may mga umaabuso, ginagamit ng pulis iyong Oplan Tokhang para sa kanilang criminal activities ay agad… wala na. Inalis na niya iyong pulis doon sa kampanyang iyan.

USEC. ABELLA: Tama po, tama. So he responds, hindi naman siya bulag (laughs). Hindi siya bulag o bingi. I think the people, iyong ordinaryong tao na they understand that. Ang mga ordinaryong Pilipino, hindi po naiiwan sa teyorya ‘no, nakikita nila iyong praktikal na mga galaw ng Presidente at they appreciate that.

MARIE:  Sir, may isa pang tanong si Leila: “Is the President willing to listen to concerns about how the anti-drug campaign is being waged?

USEC. ABELLA:  You know, he has been listening and he will weigh it himself. May mga bagay that, as you very well know he has reacted quite strongly to some comments simply because he—ang perception po niya is that all these comments, many of these comments are not really founded on Philippine reality. There is a different reality sa Philippines, and that is what he insist.

MELANIE:  Sir question po natin, iyong inilabas po na EO ni Pangulong Duterte kahapon, iyong anti-gambling. Itinalaga niya po ang PNP at NBI na tumulong po para mawakasan itong illegal gambling sa bansa. Babala po sa mga pulis, dahil katatapos lang nitong Tokhang-for-ransom na baka naman gawin na naman nila itong negosyo, iyong ilang pulis po, tiwaling pulis at NBI itong pagsugpo ng illegal gambling.

USEC. ABELLA: We continue to remind those who are in the police, in the PNP and all those related law enforcement agencies that please be careful. Kumbaga, huwag po nating kalimutan that our main purpose is really, to build the nation and not to build our own pockets and own wealth, at huwag po tayong—again and again the President says, understand po niya ko kung saan kayo nanggagaling – na you know, the moment they taste a little bit of money na sinasabi ng Presidente, then they become bit  involve. Sabi niya, do not try to aspire for things that you cannot afford. So ganoon po, so we continue to—ganoon lang din po iyan. The President will continue in his war against crime, criminality and illegal drugs.

MELANIE: Magtanda sila Usec., dahil noong nakaraang Wednesday ay talagang nagalit itong si Pangulo sa mga police scalawags.

MARIE:  Dapat mag-serve na iyon as lesson to them.

USEC. ABELLA: Opo, opo. Ma’am I have to… I hope you don’t mind. Magsisimula na po iyong workshop ko.

MARIE: Yes sir, saka wala na rin po kaming tanong. Maraming salamat, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella. Thank you sir for your time.

USEC. ABELLA:  Thank you.

MARIE:  Mabuhay po kayo. Happy weekend.

USEC. ABELLA: Thank you rin. Thank you rin po.