JV Ejercito reacts as brother accused of plunder makes Senate survey’s Top 12 — ANC

[0:00] The president is more pragmatic. [0:02] More pragmatic, I would say. [0:04] More pragmatic, but would that mean that resolution is filed to recall, right? [0:10] The Chinese ambassador will be withdrawn. [0:13] Well, we will discuss this further. [0:17] I think, again, in a very tense situation already, [0:22] I'm hoping that China would send somebody who will be there to repair the relationship, [0:30] the damage that has been done. [0:33] We have a long history. [0:35] A lot of Chinese are here. [0:40] I think even during the Spanish time, they're already here. [0:43] We have a very long history of friendship and relationship, [0:46] and I'm hoping that China would send somebody who will be able to try and repair this relationship, [0:53] this damage relationship already. [0:55] Okay. [0:55] Now, moving forward, I wanted to ask you if it's ready. [0:59] Before we talk about the budget, I think it's interesting to tie this in. [1:04] Okta released a survey just the other day. [1:07] They were on Head Start. [1:09] And can we show that survey? [1:11] In that survey, I want to say this, a lot of the top 15, [1:17] you have, of course, old names, but you also have, strikingly, [1:24] of course, you have Vico Soto there, good governance, popular mayor, standing up on his own. [1:29] Old names, you have colleagues, Grace Poe, incumbent Rafi Tulfo. [1:33] But, you know, some of them are Duterte-leaning individuals, right? [1:40] So, you have Duterte, Lauren Legarda now in the minority. [1:45] I missed somebody there. [1:47] But first, let's have even Sal Panelo is now at 11 to 27. [1:53] And your brother, who's now detained, is at number 10. [1:58] He's in the top 12, where right now, you are faring number 15 to 30. [2:05] Yeah. [2:05] Okay. [2:06] What was your reaction when you saw this survey? [2:10] It's early in the game, but I just wanted to ask you. [2:13] It's still early, and I think it depends on the mood or the situation, the political situation. [2:20] Probably, we are just being affected, I think, personally, by the political noise, the political bickerings. [2:28] Or by the impeachment. [2:30] Ongoing impeachment, probably to pressure us, or what, because the trolls are there, attacking us every day. [2:38] I'm still human, and I feel bad also, that all the efforts are unappreciated. [2:47] Because you work hard, you are the prime mover of the universal healthcare law, you are always present in the Senate, [2:55] wala ka namang skandalo, hindi ka namang kinasuwa ng korupsyon, and yet, ang kapatid mo, pasensya ka na, [3:03] ay kinasuwa ng plunder dalawang beses, at siya pa yung nasa top 12. [3:08] Well, Karen, from what I know, that we were elected as a senator to try to do and improve the quality of lives of our people, [3:18] to make a difference. [3:19] Given that opportunity, trying to work, I'm not, hindi ako grandstanding, alam mo, hindi mo na ako pasikat, [3:25] I'm not a celebrity, hindi ako papogi. [3:28] So I just work, no? [3:30] I try to push universal healthcare law. [3:32] We've been trying to talk about the master plan, the infrastructure, that has been my advocacy to... [3:37] Railway advocate ka pa. [3:38] Railway, kasi yun yung jobs and opportunities. [3:41] But unfortunately, Karen, I feel that, you know, people just don't appreciate, [3:47] I'm right these days that yung achievement, you know, whatever accomplishments are secondary. [3:54] You feel that the public, yung totoo pag sinesurvey or kahit sa eleksyon, they don't review track record? [4:03] Well, I am hoping that they would, no? [4:05] To be smart, because I say we deserve the government, we... [4:09] We get the government we deserve. [4:11] We deserve, di ba? [4:11] So I'm hoping that they will, ano, that people will learn, be educated, to look at the track record, the performance. [4:19] And I guess, Karen, I have, you know, I won as an independent, pinangalagaan ko yun because I do not owe it to any political figure. [4:30] I was voted by the Filipino people. [4:32] So sabi ko, I will just work to improve the quality of life, di ba? [4:36] That's why I concentrated on improving the universal healthcare law. [4:40] Now we have the zero balance billing, the YACAP, everything. [4:43] We'll talk about that later, kasi, that hangs in the balance with the 2027 budget. [4:49] So it's improving naman. [4:51] So it's improving the universal healthcare law slowly. [4:57] I'm working, I try to, as much as possible, the trust that they gave me, yun, binigyan ako ng tiwala, pinangalagaan ko yun, no? [5:07] Yun na, nagkaroon tayo ng PDAF scam. [5:10] I was already in the Senate, no? [5:11] Yun na polis. [5:12] Wala ka nun. [5:13] Yeah. [5:14] Nagkaroon tayo ng flood control, the biggest corruption issue, corruption scam ever. [5:19] I was not also implicated. [5:22] So I have a clean track record. [5:24] Hindi ako nasangkot sa anumang anomalya. [5:26] Kaya lang, well, it is how it is. [5:29] So I'm gonna show... [5:30] Probably, it's really popularity. [5:31] No, no. [5:32] We'll talk about that. [5:33] We're gonna show the Pulse Asia survey. [5:36] I hope it's alright with you, Senator. [5:38] So itong Pulse Asia, wait, my eyes are bad. [5:42] So right now, okay, in the Pulse Asia survey, you are here starting from number 10. [5:47] Can you see it? [5:48] Yes. [5:49] You're in 10 down, I think, to 22. [5:52] But your brother is also there at number, I think, 11 or 10. [6:01] Much higher, yeah. [6:03] Much higher. [6:03] But quite similar, no? [6:06] So number one, ito. [6:07] So I asked you already, Pulse Asia has already said and Okta is gonna release a survey. [6:15] Ayan, Jingo is 12 to 16, JD is 13 to 22. [6:19] So I read it now on the prompter. [6:22] Pulse Asia and Okta, Okta will be releasing a survey where the base of Sara Duterte is still [6:30] at 30% solid. [6:33] So that's a 30% solid base which some analysts have said, regardless of the results of the impeachment, [6:42] that base is solid. [6:44] Now, I want to ask you, hindi ba napipressure ang mga tulad mo at kasamahan mo, hindi lang ikaw, [6:52] natatakbo ulit sa 2028 elections kapag nag-convict kayo? [6:58] Don't tell me your decision, but I want to ask you on the reality of, you know, [7:04] a person facing the impeachment with this kind of base. [7:08] Because si Corona, hindi naman yun politiko, right? [7:12] And si, well, si ERAP nag-walk out ang prosecutors, nagka-EDSA 2. [7:18] At ang iba, Mercedes Coutieres, hindi rin yun politiko. [7:22] Well, as I mentioned, you know, Karen, as I mentioned before, before the impeachment happened, [7:27] I even said that, you know, I wasn't in favor of it, no? [7:32] O, totoo yan, sinabi mo. [7:33] Yeah, because, you know, it disrupts, you know, I feel, naingit ako eh, when you go to travel [7:39] to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, parang the development, no? [7:44] Hindi puro politics. [7:45] Hindi puro politics. [7:46] You know, they fight, but their development is continuous. [7:50] But here, we are so engrossed in politics, in political bickerings, in the political noise, [7:56] that, you know, parang our development is, ano na, has taken us nag, no? [8:02] Parang hindi na tayo umuusad. [8:04] So, but then again, it's our constitutional duty, whether I was in favor of it or not. [8:10] And now that it is here, it's our duty, no? [8:13] We will just follow where the evidence will take us. [8:16] So, sa akin, if I'm thinking of the political side of it, of course, I will go with the popular [8:23] decision, no? [8:24] But I think, from what I know, we were voted to do the right thing, to make a difference, [8:30] to try to improve the quality of lives of our people. [8:32] So, yun ang alam ko eh, hindi naman ako naging senador para maging sikat o popular eh. [8:38] So, hinalal tayo para gumawa ng tama. [8:42] Popular man ito o hindi. [8:44] What is right is not always popular. [8:46] But I would rather be right. [8:48] You're given the opportunity only once and, you know, we have to make a difference. [8:54] So, I'm hoping, sabi ng madetractors ko, eh, kiss na ako, last ko na daw to. [8:58] Okay, I'm just doing my best in the last two years of mine. [9:03] To make sure na I deliver universal healthcare, that everybody is, will benefit, no? [9:08] Kahit pa paano, nakabawi ako rin sa mga nagtiwala sa atin. [9:11] Okay, at tinanong ko na, tinanong na kita noon tungkol dito, tatanungin kita ulit. [9:18] Why don't you just use Estrada, frankly, in your name? [9:23] I mean, tatay mo naman si Erap Estrada. [9:26] Simple na lang tayo dito. [9:28] I know that you won by making a stand and using Ehersito. [9:33] It was difficult. [9:34] It was difficult. [9:35] So, you started what year? [9:37] Nanalo ka noon naman, eh? [9:38] 2013. [9:40] 2013, ehersito. [9:41] Tinanindigan mo yun. [9:42] And it wasn't easy then, ah. [9:44] Pero ginawa mo. [9:44] Yes, kasi yung recall talaga is the Estrada name. [9:47] Yeah, but it's like Atulfo, Apadilla. [9:49] Tanggapin na natin yun. [9:50] Malungkot, pero yun ang katotohanan for now sa Philippine politics. [9:54] Ang tanong ko nga, why give it all to your brother? [9:58] Na ang gamit niya, Estrada, why don't you just use it? [10:02] Ano eh, I think there's, ano eh, my real name that I'm using my real name. [10:07] Yes. [10:07] And also to have a distinction because, I know it's more difficult because I have to work doubly hard [10:15] because I don't have the luxury of the name recall of using the Estrada. [10:20] But I just, I feel that we have to, to, ano, no, to avoid yung confusion. [10:28] I don't think there's confusion. [10:30] The confusion could be in your mind. [10:34] Really? [10:35] Do you think, really, there's confusion at this point? [10:38] Sometimes people mix, often mix us up, no, together. [10:42] Okay. [10:42] Between me and my brother. [10:45] But won't that be advantages for you during election day? [10:49] I mean, I'm not saying to confuse you, but the family name. [10:52] I would think so because, again, as I recall, one big factor is recall, no? [10:58] Pag may name recall ka rito, probably 20-30% of the job is done. [11:03] So, it will definitely give me an advantage. [11:06] But it's worth looking at. [11:08] No, but did you ask your father? [11:10] I mean, let's put the former president in this situation. [11:14] You know, considering what Jingoy is facing now, then you have a risk of two Estradas [11:21] possibly not being in the Senate in 2028, huh? [11:25] Well, when... [11:26] Because if hypothetically he is convicted, it's hypothetical, then he can't run, right? [11:32] So, what happens now is the possibility that there will be no Estradas in the Senate. [11:38] Well, see, that's how it is. It's the choice of the people, no? [11:43] So, I have to work doubly hard for this. [11:45] But my father before told me already, sana gamitin mo na Estrada. [11:49] Sinasabi niya, kaya, sabi ko, pangalan natin talaga yung Ejercito, eh. [11:53] Nakilala na ako dito. [11:55] And I won already. [11:57] I had to work doubly hard for it. [11:59] But I still made it. [12:00] So, I'll just probably stick with it. [12:04] Unless your father appeals. [12:06] Actually, he told me before, I think it will be advantageous for you to use Estrada [12:12] because of the name recall. [12:14] But I still chose or opted to use Ejercito. [12:18] Alright. [12:19] We're going to take a quick break. [12:21] When we return, we are going to talk about the 2027 National Budget. [12:26] Head Start will be right back.