Headstart: Rep.Edgar Erice on Zaldy Co arrest, Blue Ribbon probe, VP Duterte impeach hearings — ANC

[0:00] Let's get more reactions on the arrest of Zaldico and the impeachment hearing of Vice President [0:06] Sara Duterte. We're now joined by Caloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erise. [0:12] Representative Erise, welcome back to Head Start. Oh, you're on mute, sir. You're on mute. [0:28] Thank you, Ma'am Karen. Good morning. [0:30] All right. I want to ask you first, is it good for this administration and its allies [0:37] that Zaldico comes back and returns to the Philippines? Does it benefit them? [0:45] It's good for the country if he comes back. Pero I doubt it. [0:49] Syempre, si Zaldico would be afraid of his life kung babalik siya rito. [0:53] So he will take all legal actions to prevent his pagbabalik sa Pilipinas. [1:03] So tingin ko, may mga legal moves na gagawin si Congressman Zaldico. [1:10] Para hindi mapabalik sa Pilipinas. Kasi yung kanyang kaso doon, more of an immigration case. [1:16] Pero ito, tanong ko, interesting ko na ito. [1:18] So rather stay there. Yeah. [1:22] But what other options does Zaldico have? I just wanted to ask you. [1:27] Because if paso na ang kanyang Philippine passport, right? [1:33] Ang nangyari, kinansile. Yun ata, isa yun. [1:36] Nahuli daw siya. [1:38] Tama ito, no? I'm reading through notes here. [1:41] He was arrested driving through. Right? [1:45] Driving through Prague. [1:46] Yes. That was the reports. [1:48] Kaya lang may mga conflicting reports. [1:50] Anyway, we just hope na talagang nandoon na siya, naka-detain siya. [1:56] And of course, his lawyers will do anything to prevent his comeback to the Philippines. [2:06] Kasi alam niya, ang pinaka mahirap diyan, delikado talaga yung buhay niya. [2:11] Because he will be implicating a lot of powerful people. [2:16] Okay. So, number one, we don't have an extradition treaty. That is one. [2:22] Number two, on what grounds can he make himself stay? [2:26] I mean, what grounds would a country allow him to stay? [2:33] Well, this is really an immigration matter. [2:39] Harry Rock is saying that he might apply for an asylum. [2:43] So, maraming legal remedies. [2:46] Pero, ang sa tingin ko, kung naka-detain talaga doon si Congressman Saldico, [2:54] maganda siguro yung Blue Ribbon Committee can conduct an online investigation. [3:02] I see. [3:03] Together with the lawyer of St. Leo, naka-detain naman siya doon. [3:07] So, online investigation ng Blue Ribbon para malaman natin yung katotohanan. [3:11] Okay. So, what you are calling on is for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to take advantage of the situation. [3:20] Because Saldico is now detained, they can already start the hearing kahit online. [3:28] Yes. [3:29] Oo. Totoo yun. Kasi baka makawala pa uli. [3:34] Baka makawala pa uli. O kaya may mangyari sa kanya. [3:36] So, I think the Blue Ribbon can do something about it. [3:45] Okay. Now, do you believe that Saldico will tell all, as they say? [3:56] Well, he has no choice. [3:57] He has no choice. [3:58] Kasi hanggat hindi siya nagsasalita, ang mastermind siya si Saldico. [4:06] So, kailangan magsalita siya para papataya na hindi siya ang mastermind. [4:12] At yan naman ang sinasabi niya in his several video testimonies. [4:19] Okay. Now, Representative Adyong said that he would want more than just a testimony. [4:26] He would want corroboration, documentation. [4:28] Is that possible with cause accusations? [4:33] For example, one of his video accusations was former Budget Secretary Pangandaman allegedly was ordered by the President to insert 100 billion pesos for projects during the BICAM in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. [4:53] Ang ganitong akusasyon ba? Meron ba itong dokumento na inutusan ang Pangulo ang Budget Secretary? [5:02] Tapos kinonfirm daw ni Adrian Bersamin? [5:04] Well, Karen, yung 2024 and 2025, yung mga releases ng unprogrammed appropriations ay sinamon na ni Chuck Yonin. [5:20] During the oral arguments on my petition against the constitutionality of the unprogrammed funds. [5:29] So, there will be another... [5:30] Alam ko, they were given a deadline until April 14 to submit all the documents with the necessary corresponding release orders. [5:45] At yan ay... Actually, we will have another oral argument tomorrow. [5:51] So, diyan malalaman kung alam ng Pangulo na pinarelease niya yung budget for unprogrammed appropriations kahit na wala pang pondo. [6:03] At diyan malalaman kung yung mga flood control projects na ay pinarelease ng Pangulo. [6:10] So, naka-unprogrammed appropriation. [6:15] I think yung 2025 national budget is not the most corrupt budget. [6:23] It's 2024. [6:23] It's 2024. [6:25] Ay, okay. [6:26] Why 2024? [6:28] So, let's talk about that. [6:30] 2024 was the ballooning of the unprogrammed funds. [6:34] Why do you describe that as more corrupt than 2025? [6:38] For example, sa 2025 budget, 157 billion lang yung natanggal sa mga foreign assisted projects at nailagay sa unprogrammed appropriations. [6:52] Samantalang sa 2024 budget, 250 billion yung natanggal from the program appropriations na nalipat sa unprogrammed appropriations. [7:02] At marami pang iba na hindi lang ito nabusisi unlike the 2025 national budget. [7:12] So, maraming masasabi si Saldico, sino ba yung mga kasama niya. [7:20] For example, hindi naman po pwede kasi si Saldico lang ang involved dito. [7:26] There are a lot of people involved in the appropriations committee and the senate finance committee. [7:32] And lahat ng mga ito, inaaprobahan ng speaker at lahat ng mga ito, inaaprobahan ng senate president. [7:38] Kaya nga nakapirma doon si senate president Chis Escudero. [7:42] And ang dali-dali naman ang investigahan, nagtataka nga ako sa Blue Ribbon, bakit hindi pinapatawag si Yusek Bersamin, si ES Bersamin, si Secretary Pangandaman, and even the employees of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. [8:05] Alam nila lahat yan. [8:06] So, ang interesting nga dito, ang kinasuhan is Senator Bong Revilla, siya ngayon ang nakakulong, and the ICI, the ICC, na-confuse ako, ICC o ICI ngayon. [8:25] ICI, Wala namang nangyayari. [8:29] ICI, wala namang nangyayari. [8:31] So, naniniwala kayo, walang nangyayari sa ICI? [8:36] Wala namang nangyayari. [8:39] Wala namang nangyayari. [8:39] Why do you say that? [8:42] Yung dalawang commissioners ka nag-resign eh. [8:45] Kasi nga, parang there are some limitations in what they could do. [8:51] At hindi naman na-release yung budget nila. [8:53] At wala silang stopping component. [8:57] So, paano nila ma-investigahan yung napakaraming budget? [9:01] At ang pinakamahalaga dapat, nagkaroon ng recommendation ng ICI kung paano mapiprevent yung occurrence ng ganitong mga pangyayari sa mga susunod na budget. [9:13] Wala rin silang ganong nagawa. [9:15] So, ano, nagsayang lang ng panahon, nagsayang lang ng oras at lalo pang na-confuse ang mga mamamayan sa tunay na nangyayari sa flood control mess, sa infrastructure, sa national budget. [9:28] So, pati yung Independent People's Commission na pinagmamalaki ni Senator Soto, na pinagmamalaki ni Presidente na gagawin nilang priority legislation, wala rin nangyayari. [9:42] So, talagang, I think the administration is preventing the coming out of the truth regarding the national budget. [9:53] Okay. Now, Malacanang, of course, will not agree with you because you have Malacanang saying it's the President himself who exposed this. [10:01] It's the President himself who wanted to start this investigation. [10:06] What would make you think that Malacanang would prevent the coming out of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? [10:14] Because this thing cannot happen without the collaboration of the Senate, the House, and some members of the Cabinet. [10:27] At ang sa tingin ko, sa SONA, ano na sabi niya? Sabi niya, mahiya naman kayo. [10:37] So, ano nangyayari? Ano nangyayari dun sa sinasabi niya na mahiya naman kayo? [10:43] Ano nangyayari sa investigation? Wala naman. [10:45] Yung mga nakakulong, yung mga contractors, yung mga DPWH rock and file employees na hindi naman magagilap lahat nito [10:56] kung walang pondo na pinanggalingan yung mga ghost projects na ito, [11:01] normalist projects na ito. [11:03] Ang nag-provide ng pondo, gobyerno. [11:06] And the President signed the budget. [11:09] The President is the cousin of Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is the boss of Saldico. [11:22] Do you believe that some individuals, I mean, you do have Senator Bong Revilla in jail now, [11:28] but do you believe there are some individuals who are getting away with what they've really done [11:34] with the 2024 and 2025 budget? [11:42] These people are beneficiaries of the budget, of the mongled national budget. [11:49] Mayroong mastermind. May mastermind. [11:51] I don't believe, I don't believe that the President doesn't know it [11:56] unless, talagang may question of competency. [12:01] Kasi three years eh, 2023, 2024, 2025. [12:06] National budget, tinanggal yung mga pinakamahalagang project. [12:12] Bakit siya pumayag? [12:15] Dapat, command responsibility. [12:18] Okay, so I think to close this topic is if Saldico does come home, [12:23] Do you believe Saldico will tell all? [12:27] Based on his past testimonies, he implicated members of this administration. [12:34] Kung baga, hindi naman niya tinitira ang oposisyon dito, [12:37] or yung wala sa kapangyarihan. [12:39] Ang tinira po niya ay mula Malacanang hanggang maging sa kamag-anak. [12:46] Alam mo yun, it's cabinet members. [12:49] He gives names of relatives of the President. [12:52] Would he tell all kung napabalik siya? [13:00] Hopefully, gagawin niya. [13:02] Wala naman na siyang ibang option. [13:03] He cannot blame the opposition. [13:06] Inclusive naman na magkaroon ng kamay ang opposition [13:11] sa tatlong pinakamahalaking budget ng bansa, [13:14] 2023, 2024, and 2025. [13:16] It's the call of the Congress, the Senate, and the President. [13:20] Wala nang iba. [13:21] Alright, so let's move on to the impeachment of Vice President. [13:25] President, Sara Duterte right now. [13:29] What is your take on where this is headed? [13:36] Well, sa akin, I don't want to prejudge yung ibang grounds for impeachment. [13:42] Pero sa madriaga, I think, it's max of machination. [13:48] Incredible yung machinations. [13:50] At maka makasama pa ito, maka malunod pa yung ibang mga grounds na pwede yung pag-aralang mabuti. [13:57] What do you mean by that? [13:59] Yung madriaga, wait, Representative, you don't support his testimony? [14:05] Wala. Incredible yung mga testimonies. [14:10] Wala namang collaborating evidences. [14:13] At sa tingin ko, sabi ko pa parang... [14:15] But didn't he prove that he knows her? [14:19] I mean, he explained in the House why he is speaking against her. [14:24] Napakasuhan siya. [14:26] The Vice President didn't lift his finger daw. [14:28] Being in politics for something, I'm with President Noy Noy. [14:36] Hindi, hindi, binati ka lang ng birthday mo, eh, kakilala ka na. [14:43] No, walang ginawa para makulong. [14:46] Oh. Ah. [14:49] So you don't believe that they are close? [14:52] You don't believe? [14:53] I don't think that they are close. [14:57] At pa, tingin ko nga, yung pinakita yung painting, gusto nung establish ni Madriaga na close sila ni Vice President na nabibigyan niya ng painting. [15:08] Pero lumabas, hindi naman pala galing sa kanya. [15:11] So, kitang-kita mo na may machinations sa mga testimonies niya. [15:15] Moking. [15:19] Sa tingin ko, yun yung weakest link. [15:21] At sa tingin ko, yan yung magpapahina ng kredibilidad ng impeachment process. [15:26] Kasi tingin ko, hindi rigorously na-test ng House Committee on Justice yung credibility ni Madriaga. [15:36] Although the threshold for probable cause is quite low. [15:42] Yes, but I think it's the responsibility of the Committee on Justice and its members to really cross-examine and test the credibility of the statements of Madriaga. [15:55] For example, yun nga, sinabi niya. [15:57] Nagbibigyan niya sarampainting kay Vice President. [16:01] No, but all the House needs is proper. [16:06] No, I mean, Representative. [16:09] I think bago nila ay padala sa Senate. [16:14] Yes. [16:16] No, Representative Edi said. [16:19] Yeah, your signal is going on and off. [16:22] But the threshold for probable cause is quite low. [16:25] I mean, they don't have to determine his credibility. [16:29] That would already be in the trial proper, right? [16:34] Kasi ang dami namang ibang ebidensya. [16:37] Yeah, but it's the responsibility. [16:39] Okay. [16:39] It's the responsibility of the Justice Committee, because they will be asked as prosecutors in the Senate, to test the credibility of their witness. [16:51] Kasi kung hindi, mapapahiya sila. [16:53] Mapapahiya sila. [16:55] So, dapat may rigorous na testing doon sa mga sinasabi. [17:01] Kasi eventually, the testimony of Madriaga, they will own it and present it in the Senate. [17:10] That's yung credibility ng House Justice Committee mismo yung nakataya dito. [17:17] Okay. [17:17] Now, you stated initially that you would not sign a new impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte. [17:25] You said this in January. [17:26] I will not endorse. [17:28] You will not endorse. [17:29] So, what does that mean? [17:30] No, let's say this reaches the plenary. [17:35] Pag tumabot to sa plenary, will you sign or not sign? [17:40] I will, of course, I will study the committee report, then decide. [17:47] Are you against the impeachment of the Vice President? [17:54] No, the impeachment process is a process. [17:57] So, they will have to establish probable cause. [18:00] And yun yung gusto ko makita doon sa committee report. [18:04] But don't you believe yourself as a representative, as a servant of the people, that she has to account for the alleged funds in question? [18:16] The confidential funds, the confidential funds, and even now you have COA, the disallowance of COA, that's more than 300 million. [18:28] I mean, the camp refuses to detail and explain. [18:32] Alam mo, Karen, yung confidential funds, yung expenditures na yan, complicated yan, as it looks. [18:43] Kasi nga, never in the history sa Pilipinas na trillion na yung confidential funds. [18:54] Ngayon lang talaga, ngayon lang nagkaroon ng ganyang investigation sa confidential funds. [19:01] So, what are you saying? [19:02] What are you saying? [19:03] So, na-incentivize yung 19th Congress to prosecute the BP Sarah because she's the strongest candidate for President in 2028. [19:19] Pinaghandaan na talaga. [19:20] At the cost of the reputation of Congress, talagang ginamit ang Kongreso para sirain si BP Sarah, for example, yung... [19:36] So, you see this as all political in nature? [19:39] Impeachment is a political process, pero dapat naman konting, konting namang marangal naman ang kaunti yung paggamit ng provisionator ng Constitution. [19:54] Okay, my last question. [19:55] I am not saying, the Vice President, I'm not for the Vice President, I'm a Liberal Party. [20:02] I have some disagreements with the policies of the Dutertes, pero sa tingin ko, [20:10] kung sa tingin ng iba, si Duterte ay monster, yung ginagawa nating paraan para patayin yung monster, we're becoming a monster also. [20:23] Alright, my last question is, I don't know if you've seen it on social media, [20:28] that if the Vice President is impeached, the candidate, there's graphics going around that the other candidate might be Baste Duterte. [20:41] Have you seen this? [20:42] This was sent to me by some reporters, have you seen that? [20:45] Okay, I want to ask your initial reaction on that. [20:49] The possibility of, if Vice President Sarah Duterte is impeached, meaning convicted in the Senate, [20:58] they may field Baste Duterte. [21:02] Well, it's a fight for supremacy of the Marcos and the Duterte. [21:11] It's our country. [21:13] Dapat siguro matuto, yung mga Pilipino, nakupipili tayo ng presidente based on ano yung vision? [21:20] Ano yung vision nitong mga kandidato na ito? [21:22] At sabi ko nga, I would rather support somebody who is not popular but who has a vision for the country [21:33] and merong plano at merong track record. [21:39] Sa tingin ko, si Mayor Baste, wala pa namang track record in, especially for, to become a president of 100 million Filipinos. [21:51] So, sa tingin ko, I would rather, ano, sana makombinsi ko, tumakbuli si Marrojas para, para naman may chance sa Pilipinas. [21:59] But he already lost. I mean, I'm just, I mean, so Marrojas is your candidate? Is that what you're saying? [22:08] He lost, not because of his programs, not because of his track record. [22:13] He lost because of the Filipinos are not ready for him. [22:19] Hindi pa handa yung mga Pilipino para, anong nangyari kasi kampi-kampi yan eh, para basketball, Inebra, Toyota. [22:26] So are you convincing, is there a group in the Liberal Party convincing Marrojas to run for the presidency? [22:35] Is this, is this just you or is this talked about? [22:39] There are some people in the, in the party, some people are close to Marrojas, trying to, they're trying to convince him. [22:50] Maybe give it again for the, for the Filipino people. [22:55] So merong nagko-convince. What about Vice President Lenny Robredo? [23:00] She did lose, but then I saw a poll, I think by Okta survey that said her numbers are close to that of the Vice President. [23:11] Okta released a survey, right, that, um, kumbaga, it's, it's, she's gaining. [23:16] Yes, ah, ako nga ngayon na nagsabi that na ang pwede, pwede lang ilaban ang Liberal Party ay si Vice President Lenny. [23:28] Ah, pero sabi niya, hindi, hindi, hindi pang araw, hindi natin alam, pero at least may mga options. [23:37] Pero sa, sa akin naman kasi kung, kung ilalaban natin talaga yung qualifications, [23:42] dapat kung ang mga Pilipino ang magiging basis ng kanilang pagboto yung qualifications, [23:47] tingin ko yung pinaka-qualified si Marrojas. [23:51] Kasi nga, kung nagtuloy-tuloy lang yung panahon ng Pinoy, [23:54] we're already the economic tiger of Southeast Asia, of Asia, [24:00] nakita naman natin na yung credit rating natin tumahas, [24:05] yung zero backlog sa classroom, [24:08] nakita natin na paangat ang Pilipinas, eh, [24:11] hindi tayo naka-utang na malaki during the time of Pinoy, [24:15] and, ah, siguro kung siya ang nanalo, si Marrojas baka nagtuloy-tuloy na, [24:20] hindi na, hindi tayo nang-esper, katulad ngayon. [24:24] Alright, well, on that note, I'll leave you to your, um, um, [24:28] in other words, your wistfulness this morning on, ah, on what could have happened then. [24:34] And I think you've made, you've made some recommendations clear. [24:39] Yung paharap, eh, dapat din, yes. [24:43] Alright, okay, well, thank you so much. [24:46] Kaloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice. [24:49] Thank you, sir.