Q: ASEAN Summit also sir.
PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. MARCOS JR: What’s there — what’s Cambodian food?
Q: Cambodian food, sir, ano — street food sir marami.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ah good, maha-happy na ako.
Q: Sir, will you try street food po sa Cambodia?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: I’m sure I’ll try everything that I can kasi nga first time ko. I’ve never been to Phnom Penh. So yeah, I’m looking forward to that. I like to travel anyway. So I always end up trying everything.
It should be ano — actually because it’s — we’ve been away for what — three years na hindi nagka-ASEAN? I think talaga statement lang of ano — most of the…
Tinitingnan ko ‘yung schedule, most of it will be a statement of position of certain things because meron tayong joint sa US, meron tayong joint sa France. France is trying to put together a coalition on climate change under the auspices of the UN.
The US, obviously, is going to be there also. So we’re hoping that… Ang talagang magiging… I think the more productive sessions — they will all be productive because we will hear from the other leaders but also I’m looking forward to the bilaterals because I think that we can — again, iba ‘yung usapan eh kapag face-to-face.
Q: Mr. President, will you be pushing or at least stating our position in the West Philippine Sea?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Oh yes, of course, of course. Yeah. We will have to find a — area of consensus. ‘Yun ang aking mga iniisip eh. Kasi kung hindi pa tayo makahanap ng area of consensus when it comes to that…
Well, I think the code of conduct is — medyo natutulog eh. It’s not really moving forward. Maybe we can do it using that, the code of conduct that is being proposed already.
We already have actually, previous declaration which we can based that on. So that is — that is one of the many suggestions that I’m hoping to bring. Then there’s the issue of course of Myanmar. There’s the issue of China, Taiwan. There’s also the issue of the North Korea.
So all these security issues have to be — we have to discuss. And the only way that ASEAN Member Countries can actually deal with those challenges are as one, as a group.
Q: Sir, isa na lang. Sir, pang-masa lang. Ano exactly sa West Philippine Sea ‘yung ipu-push ninyo, at least kalayaan bang mangisda doon sa mga pinag-aagawang teritoryo? May ganun ba kayong ipu-push Mr. President?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Hindi, kailangan natin makahanap ng paraan para i-resolve itong issue na ito. But to do that, we have to first status quo everything and that’s what the code of conduct will do, to leave things as status quo.
The first declaration that we had also said that, that no changes. Pero marami ng nagbago, that’s why we need this new code of conduct.
But those kinds of discussions especially with the West Philippine Sea, I’m hoping to do that with the Chinese President. Yeah, so hopefully ‘yun ang ano — ‘yung ang magiging isang subject matter na pag-usapan namin. You cannot — I cannot… It’s impossible for me to talk to China without mentioning that.
Q: Sir, sa bilateral meetings, Cambodia and Korea lang po ba makakausap niyo Mr. President or US?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: I just made a schedule with Trudeau. Pero ano lang ‘yun — because I’ve never met with him, so I supposed it’s just going to be a introductory one. Macron of France, I’ve spoken to him twice already. So siguro… ‘Yun we can move forward on the details of the things that he’s thinking about.
Kasi you — remember also we’ve been talking about nuclear power. Ang France is 67 percent is nuclear power ang kanilang supply. So they’re very well-practiced when it comes to that. So ‘yun pinag-usapan na namin ulit in our regional call.
But he’s very keen on this coalition that they’re trying to put together. So I don’t see anything wrong with that…
Q: Sir, may meeting kayo kanina with some DOE officials? Can you give us more details?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: With?
Q: DOE. Energy officials, sir. Department of Energy officials.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ah, we were looking… I said, because, first of all, we have to look at the short-term, long-term, medium-term, and long-term power supply.
And I said since the lead time for a new powerplant, any kind of powerplant, is so long, we have to start doing something now. We have to start making those [bills?] now. Seven years eh. Hindi ko na maabutan. Pero we have to start already.
It just takes so long. So if we don’t start now, then it will just get delayed. Mas ma… But so far, if we can clear up some issues with the NGCP, I think we will be able to — we are all right for supply in the next few months until the summer.
Pagdating ng summer baka we will… Hopefully, we will have already some of the transmission lines that we need para magamit na ‘yung mga ibang power, ‘yung mga ibang power plant na hindi — ngayon are not connected or hindi masyadong magamit.
Then there was the issue, of course, of the fuel cost. How we’re going to run the gas plants, kung masyadong mataas ang gas. All of these things. How to find ways to ensure that we have a — we have power, we have enough power — at least in the short-term.In the long-term, talagang kulang talaga tayo. So we’ll have to do that.
Also, we went — we spent a long time talking about how to bring down the prices. And we went down to the distribution, to the mix that they are doing. So we found a way na turuan ‘yung — there’s a way to rationalize your supply of power, the mix of supply of power.
Kung maganda ‘yung pagkagawa mo, bababa ‘yung presyo eh. So we’re thinking of… No, in fact, we’ve started going to the local cooperatives to show them how to do that. So that they can get the cheapest — they can sell power at the cheapest price possible.
Q: Mr. President, sorry, you will have bilateral meeting with President — Chinese President po. And are you planning to have an amended code of conduct or just the same code of conduct, you will just work around it sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, wala pa tayong code of conduct. Because the code of conduct is between ASEAN and China. And as of now…
The problem is ASEAN has many different positions also. So that’s the first part. Before going to have a code of conduct, we have to come to a common position. And hopefully, we can get started on that. That’s what I’m hoping for.
Q: Sir, sa filing ng cases against — ‘yung mga sinasabing alleged suspects sa Percy Lapid case, are you satisfied kung sino po ‘yung mga nasampahan na po ng kaso?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, the investigation hasn’t stopped. Put it that way. We’re trying to make sure that we know exactly what this is all about. The more we look, the worse it gets. This fellow is — mga masyadong ano eh, masyadong deadly eh.
But we’ll see where — who the orders come from? Pero sabi ni — I was talking about this to DOJ Secretary Remulla and DILG Abalos and ano naman, sabi nila — baka talaga itong ‘yung ano eh — he’s the one who ordered the killing, he’s the one who — and he’s been doing it in prison. Para siyang diyos daw sa loob ng preso eh. So we’ll have to look into it further. There might be more cases.
Q: Sir, does it bother you that the BuCor Chief himself is linked to the crime?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Of course, that’s terrible. I guess he established his own fiefdom there in the prison. So kaya ‘yun ang… He moved with… ‘Yung galaw niya is with no fear of being punished. So again…
I think we’ve — in the specific case of the Percy Lapid, I think we’ve gotten most of those who are involved. ‘Yung iba nagtago na eh. ‘Yung ibang potential na witness, nagtago na eh. Hindi na… Dalawa, tatlo na ‘yung hinahanap ng DOJ, hindi na makita. Hindi na…
So… But we’ll just keep going. Until we’re satisfied. Right now — because we haven’t spoken to all of the named suspects, middlemen, masterminds — the investigation hasn’t been closed.
Q: You ordered Bantag suspension so malamang, sir, hindi niyo na pababalikin, sir, after he’s linked. You ordered his suspension, Bantag suspension, malamang sir — ‘yung suspension po ni BuCor Chief Bantag, you ordered it, so malamang, sir, hindi na siya pababalikin after ‘yung sinasabi ng PNP that he’s clearly linked to the crime, sir?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, he is — cases have been filed already. I don’t see how that will be ano. Well, he’s on suspension, yeah. So that will have to apply until the — the suspension will have to apply until these cases are brought to court. So I think that’s the general procedure that we’re going to…
Q: Sir, do you have specific directives for the OIC of BuCor? Kay General Catapang.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Again, they know their jobs. They don’t need for me to tell — teach them their job. But I said, you look into this because how did — what I’m — I want to know is how did it come to this? Paano tayo nagkaganito? And that’s…
In terms of investigating, alam na nila ‘yung gagawin nila. But we have to look bakit and see what happened here? Bakit nagkaganito? What went on inside the prison that this is — that this happened?
Then we’re… Maraming complaint kontra sa kanya. Ano ba ‘yun? What were those about? And maybe they were part of this? We just have to find out more.
Q: Mr. President, sir ‘yung sinasabi po ng family ni Roy Mabasa na mayroong someone more powerful than Bantag.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Mayroon? Sabi ng?
Q: Someone more powerful than Bantag is behind this? Ano po kaya ang directive ninyo sir? Kasi parang may sinasabi po the buck stops at Bantag.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Again, as I said, the investigation is not yet over so we cannot say we know everything about the case yet.
So I don’t know if Mr. Mabasa has some information. But he has been very, very helpful with the authorities. Tumutulong talaga siya.
But again, I mean, I don’t want to make these declarations until we know for a fact. Because sasabihin ko, tapos — na hindi totoo o mali ‘yung pagkasabi ko. So let the investigation continue.
By the way, I’d like to remind everybody this case was almost — was practically solved in 17 days. Okay. So I think we can say that the investigating bodies have done a good job. They’ll keep doing a good job until we come to the actual final, conclusion of this investigation.
Q: Thank you sir.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Thank you. See you there.
— END —
SOURCE: OPS-PND (Presidential News Desk)
