Transcript of President Aquino’s interview with three TV anchors

Gleaning from this interview, do you still believe heads will roll aside from probably Gen. Rodolfo Magtibay?

Click here for GMA-7’s video of the interview.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today marks one year since the President declared his candidacy. We have traveled far since then. This afternoon, for the first time, the President engages the three major networks on the August 23 tragedy, no holds barred. The order in which they will ask questions has been determined by the drawing of lots. There will be one question and one follow-up question for each panelist. Joining us are Ms. Mel Tiangco, anchor of GMA 7’s “24 ORAS”; Mr. Ted Failon, anchor of ABS-CBN’s “TV Patrol”, and Mr. Paolo Bediones, anchor of TV 5’s “Aksyon”. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the Philippines.

P-NOY: Mel, Ted, Paolo, good afternoon. I would like to thank TV 5, ABS-CBN and the GMA network, and all our friends in the media for agreeing to this one of a kind panel discussion. As you know, in the wake of the hostage crisis at the Quirino Grandstand, your government has launched an independent and transparent investigation into the events of August 23. I am confident that the results of the investigation will be fair, impartial and thorough. We have also begun efforts to improve the capability of our police forces to better handle situations like this should they arise again in the future. We are also examining our internal processes and crisis management protocols to see how they can be improved.

The results of all these efforts will be known by the public in the coming days. In the meantime, there has been much speculation and commentary on our response to the crisis. Some of the speculation and commentary comes from a lack of knowledge of what really happened during that day. I have asked for this opportunity to talk to you today so that any questions that persist in the public mind may be addressed. With that, let’s begin the questions.

TIANGCO: Ano iyong major, major na problema na kinahantungan ng hostage crisis na ito sa inyong administrasyon, sa ating gobyerno at sa inyo bilang pangulo?

P-NOY: Two months into office, in-assume ko na ang commander in chief, pag nag-utos, tinutupad ang kanyang utos, at pag binigyan ng reassurance, lalo na ng mga opisyal ng, sasabihin natin, may estrella, star rank, … ay talagang maaasahan na natin iyon. At lumabas, noong umalis ako ng Pangarap close to 8, about ten to 8, noong nangyari na iyong pagbaril doon sa gulong noong bus, iyong napakatagal na pagpasok ng SWAT, iyong hindi alam noong gagawin ng SWAT, doon talaga napuno na tayo. Iyong assurances na ibinigay sa atin ay hindi natupad. At tumungo tayo at hinanap na natin iyong mga opisyal na concerned. Part one po iyan.

Iyong pangalawa, may assumption rin ako na after iyong Peninsula siege ay mayroon nang mga guidelines na mag go-govern sa conduct ng ating mga kasamahan sa media sa ganitong mga krisis. At nakalimutan ko na mayroon ngang distortion sa perspective ng camera — iyong distance, di ba, parang napapalayo ang actual na distances?

Nakita naman natin iyong isang—sunod-sunod siguro iyong nagbigay ng alarma sa akin. Buong araw, mataas ang kumpiyansa na mare-resolba iyong isyung ito na walang pagdadanak ng dugo dahil kakaiba sa normal na—iyong hostage taking situation. Nagkaroon ng pagre-release ng mga hostages bago pa nag-umpisa iyong negotiation. Noong dumating iyong sulat at nagbago iyong mukha ni Col. Yerba, at saka pati noong kapatid, doon medyo na-alarma na ako, pero naghihintay pa ako ng balita kung anong nag-transpire, bakit nga ba nagbaguhan ng mga mukha? Sumunod nito, noong dumating ako sa Pangarap, doon ko nakita iyong pag-a-aresto doon sa kapatid, si SPO2 Mendoza. At napag-isipan ko sino kaya nag-utos nito? Bakit naman kailangan ipakita pa iyong pag-aresto ng ganoong stilo at ganoong sitwasyon, at ano kayang epektong mangyayari nito? Pagkatapos nga noon, sumunod na iyong pagputok sa mga gulong ng bus.

Sa akin pananaw, parang napakatagl na pagkilos noong assaulting team. At agad, bakit ang tagal? Sino nag-utos nitong pagputok na ito? Bakit kailangan putukan? At hindi kaya naiisip kung anong magiging reaction ni Capt. Mendoza?

So lahat pong iyan—ulitin ko lang, iyong buong akala ko— close to 25 years ago noong president ang aking ina, nag-demonatrate na ang kakayahan ng PSG, amongst other units, na mag-conduct ng rescue sa isang bus hostage taking situation. Twenty five years ago na iyon. Inaasahan natin na tuloy-tuloy iyong pagsasanay, mas na-improve iyong capability. At nang tinananong ko ang mga kaukulang opisyal, ay in-assure sa atin na iyong unit, specifically iyong SAF, ang gagamitin at may kakayahan, at handa mag-effect ng rescue kung kakailanganin. Inulit—ulit ko lang the whole day, primary interest natin siyempre iyong pagliligtas ng hostages. So iyong paggagamit ng tactical assault ay final option. At mangyayari lang kung talagang may immediate threat o actual harm na ginagawa doon sa mga na-hostage.

TIANGCO: Pero nabanggit ninyo nasundan ninyo pala, ano po?

P-NOY: Mula noong na-inform tayo ng mga 11 o’clock, natural lang mayroon pang mga ibang problema ang bansa natin. Dengue, naalala ko, … may deadline kami sa pagsu-submit noong budget sa Kongreso. So sinabay-sabay kong aksyunan niyan, pero mino-monitor ko the whole day. At tayo’y sumangayon doon sa pananaw na kung mayroong mataas na opisyal ng gobyerno na lilitaw, baka lalo mag-complicate ng negotiations dahil iyong mga imposibleng demand lalong dadagdagan pa pag nakitang mayroon mas [may] kakayahan iyong haharap dito sa ating hostage taker. So minabuti natin pakialamanan pero huwag i-micro manage. Ayaw naman natin mabawasan iyong kakayahan noong mga scene commanders na mag-desisyon kung parati nating panghihimasukan iyong kanilang mga desisyon na kailangan gawin. Tayo naniwala na noong ako’y natapos dito sa opisina, tumungo sa bahay, na malaki ang pagasa kung hindi halos sigurado noon na mare-resolba ito ng matahimik at mapayapa siguro mga medaling araw.

FAILON: Gusto ko lang i-follow up iyong tanong ni Bb. Tiangco. Sa dalawang puntong binanggit ninyo, kung ngayong siege doon sa Peninsula, at saka iyong binabanggit ninyo na panonood ng television sa Bahay Pangarap. Noon kasing year 2000, mayroon na talagan klaro na crisis manual on hostage taking. Detalyado lahat ito. Ang dating naka-pirma dito ay si dating Pangulong Estrada. Doon nakalagay din, kapag ang hostages ay mga dayuhan, kung anong dapat gawin ng pamahalaang Pilipinas. Pati control ng media. Nang doon lahat, detalyado. Hindi ba ito nalaman ng mga abogado ng Malacanang, ng mga malapit sa inyo na dapat sana noong panahon na iyon, ito ang ginamit at hindi nangyari iyong nangyari?

P-NOY: Kung babasahin natin iyong manual, nakalagay doon pag foreign nationals involved, lalo na kung embassy ang nalusob, ay nakikipag-ugnayan tayo doon sa foreign governments concerned. At iyan naman ginawa. Si Secretary Romulo at saka Undersecretary Conejos, yata, ang pangalan – I have to check the name – was in touch with the number two guy of the embassy from almost at the same time that I was made aware of it. Tayo rin nakipag-ugnayan sa kanila. I instructed Secretary Romulo to get all of the data that was available as far as the hostages were concerned as soon as it was determined that they were of Chinese nationality rather than Korean. Kasi noong umpisa, Korean nationality sinasabi. Ano iyong personal circumstances? Baka mayroon medical condition, blood types, etc, So I did instruct Secretary Romulo to get that necessary information to find also the necessary language translators. Kung sakaling mayroong kakailanganing assault, mayroon mga commands na sasabihin iyong assaulting team, na siyempre might not be able to respond kung English, or even Tagalog, for that matter, most especially, rather, for Tagalog. So I asked them specifically look for translators fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese just to make sure that if there is a need, magagawa iyan.

So siguro what I’m trying to say is, the manual also states that for a situation like that, it should be handled at the lowest possible. The Peace and Order Council of Manila would have Mayor Lim as the head of the Peace and Order Council. And as you know, he is both a bemedalled officer, competent and experienced as far as these matters are concerned. Iyong scene commander, Gen. Magtibay, was backed up by Gen. Santiago, who was the former commander of the SAF, and who is a person known to be very capable – iyong the person of Santiago. In hindsight, perhaps, I should have taken a more active role in the sense that iyong belief ko that Gen. Santiago would oversee Gen. Magtibay properly and completely did not happen.

FAILON: So noong panahon na iyon, inaamin ninyo na hindi iyon kalampan ng inyong team? Kasi doon din nakalagay, pati iyong media handling, maliwanag doon, iyong perimeter na kinakailangan …

P-NOY: Binasa ko ulit kasi kanina, at contrary to the belief na … complete, mukhang complete. Pero pag binasa ninyo thoroughly, marami na rin revisions na kailangan gawin. Iyong draft ng revisions, pagka-intindi ko matatapos by tomorrow, if I’m not mistaken. We convened last week – a lot of the members of the Cabinet, and headed by the National Security Adviser, precisely, to review all of the existing protocols.

You will also note that there are so many recommendations as you noted, di ba? President Estrada was also present at that time. This was circulated in 2000. Marami doon hindi ginawa, kulang. Iyong capabilities, iyong upgrades, iyong training by both the PNP and the AFP for these units na complete has not really been addressed.

That manual also talks of natural disasters. And when the NDCC convened when Basyang came about, I was very pleased already with the levels of performance and competency demonstrated by all the respective agencies. There is no concept of presumption of irregularity. Nagawa na noong NDCC, which is for natural disasters. I, perhaps, mistakenly assumed that those involved in man-made disasters were also attuned to their functions. Hindi naman natin pinalitan, for instance, a lot of the people who have, shall we say, direct responsibility in handling situations like this.

FAILON: Ito’y follow up din doon sa tanong kanila ni Bb. Tiangco. Nabanggit ninyo iyong naan doon kayo sa Bahay Pangarap nanonood ng telebisyon. Puwede ba natin maikuwento kung papaano kayo napunta ng Emerald Restaurant para maklaro din iyong mga marami kung anu-anong bali-balita na kesyo kayo daw ay tinanghali ng gising noong araw na iyon? Siguro mas maganda maipaliwanag kung from kailangan ninyo natanggap iyong report hanggang sa napunta kayo ng Emerald Restaurant?

P-NOY: Noong umaga, binabasa ko iyong draft message ng budget; it’s a 31-pge document outlining iyong priorities for the budget – malapit na iyong deadline ng submission noon to Congress. Number two, media did point out iyong issues sa dengue. I answered initially that Secretary Ona had not informed me of anything unusual, so I made it a point to look for him and ask him what the status was, only to find out na medyo talagang—parang ano ba ang pagka-describe niya sa akin? Sir, marami na kayong iniisip, naha-handle namin ito, hindi na namin bi-nring to your attention, which I corrected him for that wrong notion. And somewhere along that process, I was also reading two of the broadsheets, and after which was my normal practice, I opened my cellphone because parang I find it difficult to ignore all of these text messages. So newspapers first before the cellphone.

And one of the first two messages was about the hostage taking situation. So I managed to turn on the TV when they were just setting up iyong equipment by the negotiators. If you remember, they were bringing monobloc tables and chairs. So it was before that that I caught, parang, the coverage of this incident. Before that, before turning it on, after getting the text messages, I called up Director General Verzosa. I asked him if he was aware of it. I asked him who the ground commander was. That’s when I was informed that it was both Magtibay, the ground commander, and Gen. Santiago was present to back up Gen. Magtibay. So I guess that was a little before 11 or thereabouts when I turned on the TV set. And from there, I made numerous phone calls to so many parties concerned, lahat na maiisip natin na baka may kaugnayan dito.

At some point in the day, I talked to Sec. Soliman, vice chair of the NDCC, kasi I noticed there was only one ambulance. She said that there were several ambulances ready. I asked if doctors familiar with treating gunshot and blast wounds were also available; blood supplies, etc. She told me that it would be Sec. Ona who would be in a better position. She called him up, and they called me back afterwards na these had already been taken care of.

There was also an oath taking ceremony for quite a number of people, which was my first official function for that day, after which I had the liaison that I asked for from the PNP, and Undersecretary Puno with me to keep me abreast of the developments while performing the other functions of my job and monitoring what I could from the TV.

FAILON: So papaano kayo napunta ng Emerald Restaurant?

P-NOY: Iyong Emerald was when noong napikon na nga ako ng husto doon sa sino bang itong mga ito? Nasaan ba iyong SAF na—kasi iyong SAF, I was assured, number one, that they will be deployed. When I inquired, the SAF had already been deployed. They told me that they were ready and on call at Bicutan. So I pointed out to the liaison, to his superiors, how can they effect anything if they are in Bicutan, and to, therefore, send them to the Quirino Grandstand at the earliest possible time. They were deployed sa MPD headquarters about 3 o’clock. But I was told that they were already in position.

Iyong Emerald, basically, noong nakita iyong assault, the assault should take seconds. Perhaps I shouldn’t go into all of those details, but there will be demonstrations today and tomorrow of our capabilities. Bottom line, what I was taught when my mother was president, what I had witnessed as demonstrations was not what I saw in actuality in the Quirino Grandstand. Siguro iyong worst doon was iyong trying out all of the windows. Sa side muna tayo, sa harapan tayo, sa likod tayo as opposed to pinili iyong mga ingress/egress positions. At lahat may kanya-kanyang toka na kunag no ang gagawin. Dito para bang testingin natin ito. O mag-usap tayo ulit, testingin natin ito. Talagang maling-mali. Doon talagang naubos na iyong pasensiya ko. Hinanap ko si Usec Puno, si Gen. Santiago at si Gen. Magtibay, at itinuro ako sa Emerald. Pag dating doon, naabutan ko si Usec Puno, si Mayor Lim at saka si Gen. Santiago. Pinahanap ko pati si Magtibay, as soon as ma-stabilize at ma-secure iyong situation, i.e., na-recover na iyong mga hostages, nadala na sa pagamutan, sine-secure lahat, na-debrief na. Pag natapos na lahat na ito, gusto kong masagot iyong mga tanong ko sa nangyari na parang kakaiba doon sa mga ipinangako sa akin buong araw.

BEDIONES: …Hongkong Chief Executive Donald Chan. Tinatawagan daw po kayo pero diumano ang sabi ng inyong aide eh, ayaw ka daw magpa-istorbo noong panahon na iyon. Sa tingin ninyo ba ay may miscommunication doon sa mga aid ninyo kung kaya hindi na kaabot ang calls sa inyo. And pinare-route daw ito sa … DFA. And given that aspect na pinare-route siya at hindi nakaabot sa inyo. Mayroon po bang disconnect between ang Palasyo at ang DFA po?

PNOY: Well, Number 1 ho. Iyong normal process for any foreign government official is to talk to the foreign ministry and set the arrangement for the call. And ulitin ko lang ho, umagang-umaga pa lang ho. Iyong number 2 ng Chinese Embassy ay kasama na po ng mga opisyal ng gobyerno natin. So, sila po ang gobyerno na may … din po sa Hongkong. Iyong pagtawag po ni Chief Executive Donald Chan ay hindi po expected at hindi po sigurado ang aking aide kung legitimate call ito, nanigurado lang po na idaan po natin sa Protocol para sigurado. Ulitin ko lang ho, noh. Kung may obligasyon ho tayo na dapat kausapin, natural po iyong gobyerno nila. At mula noong umpisa kasama na nga po iyong number 2 noong Chinese Embassy. Bakit number 2 baka may magtatanong na rin, iyong Ambassador po naka-home leave at that time. So, he was the highest ranking official and that is the normal protocol that we deal with the Embassy when it concerns the nationals.

BEDIONES: So, iyong Protocol na ito led to, na frustrate si Chief Executive Donald Chan na hindi daw kayo maabot. So, sa tingin n’yo ba kailangan baguhin itong mga polisiya na ito, itong mga protocol na tinatawag?

PNOY: Hindi naman siguro puwede Paolo na sasagutin natin ang lahat ng tatawag na nagsasabi na sila ay ganitong tao.

BEDIONES: Sir, iyong aide po ninyo, I’m sure he could check kung totoo nga po?

PNOY: Napagsabihan po natin siya at tinatanong ko nga kung bakit hindi ako na-informed afterwards rin. Pero palagay ko, I liken natin kung mayroong tayong governor sa Pilipinas na biglang magde-demand na kausapin si President Obama o puwede na rin si Hu Jin Tao, hindi naman ho siguro papayagan ng either the US government or the Chinese government na ganoon – ganoon lang po iyon, noh. At marami na nga ho tayong hina-handle that day. Isama na rin po na iyong aking aide ay first time niya siguro na sama sa crisis. Baka dapat ang kakulangan doon ay ipinalu-ap (follow-up) sa DFA kung ano nga ang nangyari dito sa supposed call na ito. Minabuti naman natin kinabukasan, as soon as, probably, 10-15 minutes after I have been made aware that such a call has transpired. We made effort and we managed to talk to the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR.

BEDIONES: The next day po?

PNOY: The next day. Don’t forget that I finished interviewing Magtibay, Santiago, everybody else close to midnight.
BEDIONES: Oho.

PNOY: Kasi tinapos na nga muna iyon, di ba. Kailangan bang masagot iyong tanong ko o asikasuhin iyong mga na sugatan. Tanong ko muna bago iyong security noong mga hostages na na-rescue na nga. Maraming dapat gawin bago ko malaman kung ano talaga ang nag-transpire doon bago ko masabi sa taong bayan.

BEDIONES: So, accepting the call wouldn’t have changed anything, sa tingin po ninyo?

PNOY: Come again, sorry Paolo.

BEDIONES: Accepting the call po, wouldn’t have change anything?

PNOY: I don’t know. What can you imagined, are you saying that we didn’t do. Don’t forget that when he was calling at about four o’clock there was no change in the disposition of Captain Mendoza. Iyong what he would have asked us…

BEDIONES: Maybe assistance from the Hong kong government, military assistance or police assistance?

PNOY: Sige. Where will it come, Paolo. Maski na they’re ready to move 3 hours, 4 hours later. Don’t forget, again, the analysis was. There is a person who has released more than a third of the hostages that he has taken without actually getting substantial concessions. That is not the norm for hostage situation that lends to the belief that this can be settled peacefully.

BEDIONES: Ok po.

TIANGCO: Mr. President, mayroon pong side issue na lumabas diyan, eh. Iyong pong pagkakatalaga ninyo kay Secretary Robredo. Nabanggit na po ninyo kung ilang beses na, na he’s an acting capacity. Sapagkat napansin ninyo na nagkaroon na kayo ng kaalaman na iba iyong sabi ninyo eh working style or you said that, nagkakaiba iyong core principles. Gusto ninyong makita muna?

PNOY: No. Mali naman siguro iyong core principle. As far as core principles are concerned. Pareho, Pero ang, I’ll be very specific, noh. Noong kampanya, he was a ground campaign coordinator and manager. Ok. There were some instances na sobrang haba noong mga schedules na binibigay sa amin, 20 sorties in a, the worst was 20 sorties in 1 day. So, marami kaming discussions sa kanya maximize iyong exposure ko, because that was his responsibility. Sa akin naman, make sure that I am able to meet all of the obligations not just… (unclear). And, di ba, 4 hours na lang ang natira sama mo na doon iyong konting pagkain siguro, konting pagtulog. At pagparati ho mayroon tayong mga press conferences scheduled, twice or thrice a day. So, gaano katagal tayo tatagal kung hindi naman tayo na bibigyan ng konting pahinga. So, problema ho doon. Talaga kung minsan eh nagde-decide siya doon sa kailangan noong kanyang sector noong kampanya, contrary doon sa gusto ko. So, pinag-usapan po namin ito, bago ko siya hinirang. Sabi ko, magkaalamanan muna tayo hindi tayo puwedeng dalawa ang nagde-desisyon. So, that is the main reason bakit acting. And in fairness to Secretary Robredo, he has demonstrated that there is a clear cut and correct relationship between the two of us. So, will he be, will we change his appointment that will be subject to further discussions between the two of us. Now, why did they ask him, baka tinatanong mo na rin, I’ll answer it na rin. Bakit sa kanya everything except iyong pulis, iyong one of the major promises we made was to tackle the problem of the informal settlers. Iyong (unclear) was supposed to have settled it in 1994. And the very first thing that had to be done was inventory of all informal settlers, as well as the socialize lands that can be used to address their housing concerns; that has never been done. So, the problem from 1994 to 2010 has obviously in really greatly exacerbated, and we want to address the situation at the earliest possible time.

Iyong fight against dengue, LGU has a major concern. There are so many things under the ambit of the DILG especially as far as local governments are concerned that to address it at the soonest possible time. Kailangan talaga mag-fix ang attention and concentration doon. I have somewhat more experience in handling matters with the police, so I took it upon myself to continue that function until such time that we have addressed the other issues that have to be addressed concerning the promises we made during the campaign.

MEL TIANGCO: May I go to my question, sir.

PNOY: Yes.

TIANGCO: The question is that (unclear) is: kung nagkaroon na pala kayo ng problema noong una, then why did you appoint him to begin with? Though, I’m not demeaning the qualification of Secretary Robredo or questioning your prerogative to put him in that position. But the question is, nagkaroon na po pala ng hindi pagkakaunawaan, bakit pa siya tinalaga?

PNOY: Hindi naman pagkakaunawaan. Hindi ko naman masasabing may divergence doon sa core principles. Pareho ang pinaglalaban namin, number one. Number two, kayo na nga ang nagsabi iyong kakayahan ni Secretary Robredo. Iyong informal settler problem, for instance, in Naga has practically been solved under his watch. Iyong governance – iyong NGOs, civil society – is participating, is also at a highly advance stage in Naga. So, ang dami pong qualifications ni Secretary Robredo especially as far as local governance is concerned, that his talents are really iyong worthwhile to acquire and to be of service to the state as a whole. Ngayon, balik ko nga, bakit acting? Eh kung ginawa kong permanent tapos hindi pala kami magkakasundo sa particular nuances of style, then kawawa naman siya. Dadaan siya, hindi ba, iyong confirmation process, sa dulo ay papalitan lang pala sila.

So, this is just a feeling out period para matanggal ang agam-agam noong mga—

TIANGCO: Hindi pa po tapos iyong period, sir?

PNOY: Meron pa kaming mga ilang discussions na kailangan gawin.

TIANGCO: Salamat po.

FAILON: Ginoong Pangulo, noong hostage crisis night po, ang inyong point man doo ay si Usec. Puno for DILG?

PNOY: No, he was a–point man, actually we left it to the Ground Commander Magtibay. Early on, uulitin ko lang, I subscribed—well, the manual calls for it. Number one, handle it at the lowest level possible. Number two, iyong Magtibay backed up by Santiago was the Ground Commander. And I really had intense and immense, shall we say, believe in the capabilities of General Santiago who was immediately former Commander of SAF who would know their capabilities and who was, by his record, demonstrated so may competencies that if Magtibay would have any shortcomings, he has a superior who’d be able to correct and check. So, si Usec. Puno, from the afternoon, he brought the liaison officer who supposed to keep me apprised of all the developments (unclear) with me. And through him, I was calling up various other personalities that I had to talk to throughout the day. And also, I had another observer present to hopefully tell me in case there are lapses that I had missed while they’re happening.

Q: Sa inyo na po nanggaling kanina, Ginoong Pangulo, na you were watching television, kayo ay napikon na kaya kayo ay pumunta na ng Emerald at hinanap po ang mga taong ito. But during your first press conference noong midnight po noong August 23 – ito po ay napanuod ko – ang inyo pong binanggit is: the idea was to let the Ground Commanders who are the experts in this field – sabi po ninyo – to handle the situation. So, nangyari po ang pagkapikon ninyo, napanuod ninyo, obviously may dahilan kung bakit kayo napikon. Tapos si Puno po naman sa IRRC hearing, inaamin niya na wala pong kakayahan sa isang hostage negotiation. So, can you clarify, Mr. President, kanino po talaga responsibilidad iyong pong pagkakapikon ninyo? At pangalawa, bilang pagdiretso po sa pangalawa kong katanungan, iyonpong binanggit ninyo na I take full responsibility, eleven days after the incident, ito po ba ay nangangahulugan na sinasalag ninyo ang puna kay Magtibay, kay Santiago, maging kay Puno or Robredo?

PNOY: Hindi naman natin mapagkakaila na noong tinanong ko kung sino ang Ground Commander, sinabi sa akin si Magtibay, napag-isip ako nang kaunti. Pero noong sinabi na nandoon iyong NCRPO Director natin na galing sa SAF, medyo nagkaroon po tayo ng kumpiyansa. Parte po ng capabilities ng SAF talaga iyong pagreresolve niyan, so alam po ni General Santiago. Now, kapag iyong sinasabi experts, eh sila ang acknowledged experts as far as this field is concerned. The manual says that they are supposed to be conversant with all of the protocols listed in the manual already. Iyong mga recommendations by their higher ups as to positioning, I looked at and I agreed to at the end of the day. And therefore, kasama na rin ako doon sa bakit sila ang nandiyan noong panahon na iyon na hindi ginawa iyong dapat gawin.

Now, si Usec. Puno, (unclear), how should I put it? I had some trainings with regard to hostage situation, iyong setting up crisis committee during the time that my Mom was running for President. Well, I will not go into the details of it na lang. I’m sure everybody, I think, is aware that as the only son, I took it upon myself to have chief security officer even to a degree the informal one during her incumbency as President. Now, Puno gets into the picture primarily because he would know the people who I would need to put in the boxes that have to be filled. I may know their general abilities that are necessary there. Pero I have been in the opposition for a quite a long time, iyong personal interaction na talaga bang may kakayahan ito, puro bukadura lang ba itong tao na ito, puro maganda lang tingnan sa papel. Ang mas nakakaalam po sa atin na mas maraming interaction ay itong si Puno. That’s what he contributes to my government. Sinasalag ko ba sila? Hindi po. Pero I think, I cannot say that I had no responsibility whatsoever as far as this incident was concerned. I kept telling them na importante iyong hostages. Iyong paggamit ng assault ay talagang huling hakbang iyan dahil walang guarantee na kapag nag-assault ka ay magiging successful. Mamili na po kayo ng bansa, meron po talagang mga casualties. Even in Israel, in several instances where they employed the tactical assault, did not result in zero casualties. At iyong casualties ibig sabihin merong namatay po. So they are considered to be at the forefront and foremost at it. Talagang the dictum is you will only utilize it if there is no other option. So, I kept repeating to so many officers, manigurado tayo na bago ninyo gamitin iyan, talagang kailangan at wala nang natitirang option.

So, ang pinakamali ko nga po dito, talagang inuulit-ulit ko in several instances, ang capable unit that was tasked was supposed to have been SAF. Inulit sa akin na nandoon na kasi nahuli nga hong … wala pa pala doon. Noong nandoon na, tinanong ko rin at the course of the day, nag-practice na ba? Nag-practice na raw. Sila ang i-employ kung kakailanganin, sila. Lahat po nito ay nirelay ng liaison. Iyong liaison ay pinapakita po sa akin, kapag may tinanong ako, may tinatawagan siya at iyon po ang sinasagot. Doon po iyong ugat ng kapikunan. Pinangako nila, ginarantiya nila, pero hindi nangyari.

Ngayon, bakit hindi pa po natin sinisibak sa mga puwesto lahat nito? Meron pong proseso. Kapag ito po ay tinanggal natin ngayong panahon na ito, effectively sira na po ang career o baka naman open na rin po for criminal liability. So, iyong proseso lang naman eh sinisigurado ko na maidetalye. Sinu-sino ba ang may responsibilities sa anumang bagay, ginawa ba nila o hindi, bago naman natin patawan ng kaukulang kaparusahan dahil iyon po ang hinihingi ng isang sistema ng batas o isang sistema ng gobyerno na umaasa sa batas at hindi po sa kagustuhan lang ng isang tao o isang grupo.

TED: So, sa gitna naman po niyan, siyempre iba ho iyong criminal at saka iyong kasong administratibo at iba rin po iyong tiwala ni Presidente. Sabi po ni Mr. Rico Puno, iyong Usec po ng DILG, well, inamin niya lahat iyong pagkukulang niya, inamin niya na lahat na po sa IRC hearings and, again, sabi niya I am serving at the pleasure of the President. So, Ginoong Pangulo, kayo ho ba ay mayroon pang pleasure sa kanya?

P-NOY: Pangit naman hong pakinggan iyong may pleasure. Pero may tiwala pa ho ba sa kanya. Oo. Iyong mga accomplishments both by Secretary Robredo and Secretary Puno with other issues related to their department. And I think, I can confidently tell you at this point in time that have already been instrumental in saving a lot for the government and recovering that which was unwisely or wrongly spend by the previous administration. So, may mga pluses, fortunately , we intend to concentrate on the negatives.

PAOLO: Mr. President, pumasok po kayo sa Palasyo mataas po iyong trust rating sa inyo 80 plus percent, nangangamba ba kayo na dahil sa nangyari noong AUgust 23, maaaring bumaba ito iyong tiwala ng mga Filipino na bumoto sa inyo?

P-NOY: Hindi ko ho masyadong iniintindi iyong trust rating as suppose na kaya ko bang harapin ang sarili ko at ang taumbayan na tama iyong ginawa natin. So, iyong given the same situations na hindi ko makita maliban na lang iyong baka maling pagtitiwala dito sa ilang mga tao na kapag nagsalita silang ito ang gagawin iyon ang mangyayari, at saka siguro iyong dapat nga pinulong iyong aking Gabinete throughout the day parang napapag-isip ako , on the one hand, feeling ko ang kulit ko sa lahat. Isipin mo tatanim mo iyong pakihanap nga ninyo ng translator, pakihanap nga ninyo ng doctor, iyong PIO ng PNP iharap dito kaysa kung sino sino ang nagsasasalita. Parang ang dami ko talagang pinakialamang nonog araw na iyon, so sa feeling ko pakialamero, at the same time, parang ang ganda sana kung lahat sila nagsabing ito na po ang na-accomplish namin. Kasi rin ho ipinoint out (pinpoint) ko na sa kanila at palagay ko naman ay magkakaroon ng mga corrective actions on their parts.

PAOLO: So, definitely, kumbaga, Mr. President, heads will roll after this.

P-NOY: Definitely.

PAOLO: Follow up question po. Sa puntong ito marami ng puna sa inyong administrasyon siyempre, nakakita na opening iyong inyong mga kalaban sa oposisyon. Nalihis po ba ang mga direktiba ninyo tulad ng Truth Commission at iyong mga bagay bagay na ipinangako ninyo noong inaugurasyon na gagawin po ninyo?

P-NOY: Kakapirma ko lang ho if I am not mistaken the last member of the Truth Commission so that they will start operations already, took a while to find somebody competent and willing. Ang pinakaimportante ho iyong willing at willing na nga ho, so that that body already be completed. Hindi ho nade-derail, I am happy to report. Hindi nade-derail iyong very bright economic and business prospects. And when I come back from the States, I think we will give you concrete numbers of exactly what to expect. What was has transpired so far , for instances, we were in the inauguration of convergence last week. They have already added 5,000 to the 17,000 jobs that they are currently providing and they have already looking for more space of their new facility. Today, it was IBM that I talked to and, again, they have this facility in the UP complex that they’ve asked me to inaugurate and They are also talking of continued at talagang great group, and there are so many other firms, so many other institutions that have indicated the same. So, have we been derail? No. This is really something that has taken undue .. parang attention, but at the same time, we are look at it as an opportunity to start addressing certain things that were overlook in our quest to provide the jobs first to reform the education system and really the fight against graft and corruption. So, the other aspects, nobody can claim that they can handle every aspect of government within a week, two weeks or even a month or two months. This was considered not high on the priority because single individual taking hostage is not an unusual occurrence and it has been resolved successfully time and again.

MEL: Mr. President, napag-uusapan na rin lang po ang tiwala bagaman nariyan at nabanggit nga ninyo ang hakbang na ginagawa ng ating gobyerno para maayos , matukoy talaga sino ang may mga kasalanan. Pagkatapos po ng hearing na ipagsakdal ang mga natuklasan ang mga nagkasala, nabigyan ng kaparusahan and all of this things. Sa tantiya ho ba ninyo iyon lang ang dapat gawin ng gobyerno para mapanumbalik ang tiwala hindi lang ng Hongkong kundi China, maybe the other countries na na-shake hand because of this hostage crisis. Ano ang ginagawa ng gobyerno at ano ang plano ng gobyerno para talagang mabalik iyong tiwala at magandang pagsasama ng mga bansa?

P-NOY: Salamat po sa tanong ninyo. Kaya nga ho in-organize natin today and tomorrow, there will be three units of both the PNP and the AFP to demonstrate the abilities that they have. Ano ang ginagawa natin to further strengthen that. Iyong pagte-training ho at pagme-maintain ng mga ganitong kaliit na forces magastos po talaga iyan. Ang England po sa laki niyan, sa yaman po niya, ay mayroong dalawang katao doon sa SAS na trained to that level. We will copy to a degree the formation of that national unit, meaning, the PNP and the AFP are fully integrated they will be number between 200 to 400 if I am not mistaken, capable of responding anywhere in the country and given any threat in sea and land part 1. Part 2, I went to Bicutan sometime last week if I am not mistaken . It was reported that I looked at the bus that was incorrect. What I did was to enter the warehouses of the PNP. Because there are allegations, the defective equipment that they were issued. And we did noticed, there really has proof to question some of these items. But more importantly, it cause us to review what the usual bids and awards sa committees processes are concerned. Sino ang nagdo-draw up ng specifications, sino ang tumantanggap. In particular, and I shared this with you, although the investigation has been ongoing. May bullet proof vest, the specs state, it should conform to NIJ level 3, NIJ stands for the National Institute of Justice, which is an office under the Department of Justice in America. This is the body that test body armor. Its downloadable on the web. Its about an instinct na document and it stakes how you supposed to test, how many rounds your supposed to fire, where at, complete po iyan.

What is significant in the test conducted in the acceptance of this mess and we are talking up iyong inserts, iyong ceramic plates na purchase. It should be parang multiple bullets. Iyong multiple is anywhere from 6 to 12 to 24 rounds. Tapos, hindi dapat magpa-penetrate. Iyong ginawa po nating test that I managed to see, iyong documents that are made available to us already, dadalawang bagay po ang ginamit, one directly perpendicular, and one at an angle. And what is surprising is iyong direct, iyong wala pong parang perpendicular nga po had a penetration of .5 millimeters. Meaning, indentation pala, hindi rin penetrate. Okay, iyong at ang angle, iyong figures noon, and I hope they will not see its typographical, naging 10.5 millimeters. In an angle should have a swallower indentation, rather than the direct. Tapos iyong idea nga po na dadalawa, its several na perpendicular, in several at an angle. So, napapag-isip ka ngayon, bakit time 300 percent iyong indentation na nangyari doon sa at angle na dapat swallower. Medyo iyong quality po yata noong binili ay hindi po ayos. Tapos iyong personalities involved po dito ay na-involved na rin po sa ibang eskandalo. So, matanong lang, sino ba nag nag-draw noong specs, dito ba dapat iyong end user ay kasama na doon. Dito ba sa acceptance, kasama din iyong end user, bakit nakalusot iyong ganitong bagay. Kaya nga po, hindi ko po ugali nag-aakusa na wala pong tangan na pruweba, pinapatapos ko po iyong imbestigasyon para managot iyuong dapat managot na nabababoy pati itong mga kaligtasan ng ating mga kasundaluhan at pulis.

Q: Internal, Mr. President, iyong sagot po ninyo, siyempre, meron din ibang anggulo iyon, meaning to say, our country has been written in a Chinese newspaper as one of the most chaotic in South East Asia , tinanggihan iyong unang nais ninyong pagpunta doon ng high-level group from our country. May mga ganyang exact incidents although isolated sa mga OFWs natin sa Hongkong. Iyong mga ganoong problema, Mr. President, papaano po natin, napapag-isipan na po ba, ito po ba ay nabigyan na ng kasagutang, solusyon?

P-NOY: Well, number one po, napaka-conscious tayo to repair relations, siyempre kailangang unawain natin na kakaibang pangyayari ito lalo na sa mga mamamayan ng Hongkong. Kaya katakot-takot pong batikos, banat,. Insulto pong tinanggap natin, minabuti po nating hindi mag-respond. Iyong sulat na opisyal galinh sa official ng Hongkong, nasa ating tingin ay nakaka-insulto ay hindi rin po natin ni-respond at idinaan lang po natin sa kanilang People’s Republic of China’s Government na iparating na hindi po yata tama itong isulat n ipinadala o hindi natin nagustuhan iyong tono. Baka nagkamali pang sasabihin sa inyo iyan, pero talagang minabuti pa natin na habang may gustong umaway sa atin, huwag na muna nating awayin kaysa palakihin iyong hidwaan.

Ngayon, sa pagre-repair po nito, may mga gusto nating maitulong doon sa mga napinsala nitong insidenteng ito, naghihintay lang po tayo ng tamang timing para gawin po iyan. Iyong tayo po sa most chaotic emotional adverse po iyan. Dahil iyong sa mga karatig na bansa na lamang po natin, iyong suicide bombers ay nagiging pangkaraniwan na pong eksperyensa sa kanila. Sa atin naman po ay hindi, kanina nga po, itong insidenteng ito, tourism ang inaasahaan nating maging growth industry talaga, natuklasan po natin na wala pala tayong tourist police na dati ay meron. So, iyon po ay itinalaga na ulit. Iyong pagkakakita nga po nitong mga demonstration ngayon at saka bukas, ipakita iyong capabilities natin. ilalabas natin lahat ng corrective actions na ginawa natin para mapaganda iyong maganda na at maiwasto naman iyong mga maling dinatnan na natin. Para po maibalik iyong kumpiyansa ng lahat ng ibang bansa na dito po sa Pilipinas ay maayos magnesgosyo, maayos dumalaw, etc.

Q: Iyon po bang pagbibigay ng damages to the families of the victim.

P-NOY: We prepared the term assistance, rather.

MEL: Assistance, is that being considered?

P-NOY: That has been considered, If I am not mistaken at the latest, the day after the incident. But iyon na nga po may nuances po. Kapag nag-damages po kayo, meron po tayong ibang sinasabing inaamin na kasalan sa kanila, so. meron po bang compensation, ganundin po iyon. May isinadya ang estado, para mapnsala, hindi naman natin puwedeng matanggihan.

MEL: So, we will call it assistance?

P-NOY: That will have to be worked out, as you know, diplomatic language is an art in itself.

TED: Bilang follow up lang po doon sa tanong ni Miss Tiangco. May sumulat po sa inyo sa pamahalaan natin galing din po sa Chinese government, sino po ang nakapirma ka ninyo ng strongly worded at offensive letter?

P-NOY: Hindi naman po siguro very strongly worded, but we were being told in very…detail of what we were supposed to, address to me.

TED: Address po sa inyo.

P-NOY: Oo.

TED: Sino po ang nakapirma sa inyo, I hope you don’t mind.

P-NOY: Kung puwede ko na lang palakihin iyong insidente, dahil na-avoid na nga nating huwag palakihin.

TED: Doon po sa inyong kahapon sa Chinese Ambassador, wala po bang detalye doon, Mr. President?

P-NOY: Alam po ninyo iyong …sa paged-deal sa People’s Republic, mas maganda raw pong, for instance, kapag hina-handle natin iyong mga kababayan natin na nasasakdal sa kanilang mga korte, kapag tayo po ay maga-asta na magde-demand tayo sa kanila, lalo po silang tumitigas sa posisyon kung ano ang mga dapat gawin doon sa mga na-violate na mga batas. Mas maganda kung discrete at hindi naman backdoor, dahil pareho kaming official representative of our country. Pero iyong ..masyado lahat ito, nakakasigurado tayong hindi magkakamali na mapalayo doon sa gusto nating patunguhan pareho. First of all ,we are really fortunate that its Ambassador …who was assigned to our country. Yes, I think on record have been very, very helpful in resolving this crisis. So, He has continue to do so and he is continuing to do so.

TED: Going back to hostage crisis. Binanggit po ninyo again, kanina na napipikon na kayo, you were asking ano ba itong nangyayaring ito. Meron po ngayong IIRC hearing, na play back na po sa television, radio ang mga tape recording po ng mga coverages at siguro po naman, safe to say na maraming mga Pilipino ang naniniwala na ioyng pagdampot sa kapatid ang naging mitsa sa paglaganap ng karanasan. Do you agree, sir?

P-NOY: That will be commenting on what the investigation committee is doing, baka naman sabihin, I am interfering in their work. I have my personal opinion, but at this point in time, they have not finished, I would not want to sway them one way or the other.

TED: Opo, pero when you were watching po, sabi po ninyo, nagtanong po kayo, bakit ginagawa iyon sa tao, tama po ba iyon?

P-NOY: Bakit ginagawa iyon?

TED: Opo, you said kanina po.

P-NOY: Nagpunta sila, hinatid iyong sulat, iyong mukha ni Yebra nagbago noong isinauli sa kanya, ang dating nga sa akin, parang ininauli yata buong-buo, hindi iyon ang ivsula na I reject, bakit kaya ni-reject, hindi naman ako nagmo-monitor ng radio by that time. Si Yebra nakausap ko after na po noong buong incident, dito na po yata sa Malacañang kung hindi ako nagkakamali, bago ako lumabas sa taumbayan. Doon ko rin nalaman for instance na pinutukan pala sila papalayo noong nakausap ko na po, siguro mga 10:30 or 11 there about. Una muna iyong pagsauli, sumunod, iyong bakit inaaresto itong kapatid, ano kaya iyong isinisigaw niya noong palayo doon sa bus. Tapos meron na naman iyong presumption of irregularity, alam naman siguro nitong mga itinalaga diyan kung ano ang dapat nilang gawin. Hindi kaya pinag-isipan na katakot-takot na, hindi ba grandstanding na rin ang nangyari doon. Iyong pag-play sa emotions ang nangyari, ano kaya ang epekto nito, sino ang nag-isip nito. Pero, iyong initial, was sino ang nag-utos nito.

TED: So, ano po ang inyong reaksyon noong nalaman ninyong si Mayor Lim ang nag-utos?

P-NOY: Well, medyo confused na po yata iyan.

TED: Iyong posasan po.

P-NOY: Kasi noong una po ay nag-utos na arestuhin, hintayin na lang po natin iyong investigating committee.

PNOY: Huwag nating kalimutan nga ho nung isinoli iyong sulat may sinigaw diumano ay nagsalita itong si kapatid na hindi parang hindi natin masasabing pagtulong sa pagresolba ng sitwasyon.

BEDIONES: Mr. President, may mga opisyal na went on the record na sinasabi nila na nakakalimutan daw natin mas maraming nailigtas kaysa namatay, sang-ayon po ba kayo sa pahayag na iyon?

PNOY: Palagay ko po, iyon na nga ho e kaya ganon iyong kumpiyansa namin nung umaga e na hindi ito kakaiba, marami na pong solitary kadalasan derange nag-hostage. Siyempre naalala ko po iyong nangyari sa Pasay noong araw na hindi rin naresolba ng tama. Pero kadalasan po naliligtas ang mga hostage lalo na kapag ganyan ang naging sanhi. Emphasis doon sa iisa wala kang support mechanism e, walang secondary issues na mangyayari nag-hostage dito, nang-bomba sa ibang lugar, nag-hostage sa pangatlong lugar, wala naman pong ganun e so na-resolve na iyan lalo na po sa Maynila mismo andami nang na-resolve diyan. Ganoon na lang ang kumpiyansa ko na kayang ma-resolve iyan ng parehong paraan at parehong resulta.

BEDIONES: Pero sang-ayon po ba kayo na one life lost is one life too many?

PNOY: Kaya nga nung umpisa pa lang sinabi ko na siguraduhin nyo, huwag nyong isusugal iyong mga buhay ng hostages. Puwedeng gamitin iyong assault kung talagang wala na nang natitirang ibang option. Kaya nga naghihintay ho kami ng hanggang madaling-araw supposed to be para matapos at maresolba ito. Pag sinabi hong madaling-araw baka ho alas dos alas tres iyong analysis na by that time pagod na siya, bababa na iyong adrenaline, iyong emotion, puwede ng makausap ng mahinahon at maresolba ito ng tahimik. Hihintayin ho kung gaano katagal, wala hong tinask na gumamit ng dahas at the earliest possible time.

Q: Biinanggit nyo po kanina na pupunta kayo sa US for the UN Assembly po?

PNOY: Among other things.

Q: Meron po ba kayong pahayag, speech regarding the hostage incident? Magbibigay ba kayo ng apology sa Chinese Community po?

PNOY: I think I apologized already to the Chinese Community in behalf of the people and in behalf of this administration and I don’t think it does us any good to keep on apologizing at every turn.

Q: Even in World Forum like that?

PNOY: In the World Forum is addressing so many concerns so that speech I gotta tell you what the content will be, it’s still being drafted.

Q: Mr. President, meron pong nagsasabi na ang management style daw ninyo is not hands-on enough. Ito po bang crisis na ito ay nakapagbukas sa kaisipan ninyo para i-adjust, para iayos ang management style po ninyo?

PNOY: Iyong pag-define ho nila kasi ng management style na hands-on dapat nandun ka, nasa sentro ka ng aktibidades. Itanong ko lang ho sa iyo Tita Mel palagay ko naman mas sang-ayon ka sa akin. Dumating ako don, kinausap ko si Mendoza , maraming hihingin si Mendoza lampas-lampas sa original demand niya. Lalong makaka-kumplikado doon sa security forces natin. Pag nagpaplano sila napapag-isip na kunwari nandoon ako nakipag-usap, sasabihin nating hinostage niya ako, nasisira iyong diskarte nila. So, would that have helped the situation or di ba even in hindsight mas maganda na nga na hindi ka directly visible kay Mendoza as a ano parang in the middle of the whole thing na will inflame his illusions of self worth also and in the demands that he can expect to get from the government. So, here’s a hands-on, I really have been trained that it is best to delegate to people once clear-cut policies have already been defined. It goes without saying that I cannot be managing every department on a day to day basis all the time and that will not serve the interest of the people best.

Look at the energy situation nung Basyang, didn’t Secretary Almendras really succeed in restoring our power within 24 hours instead of the 4 days also that the power companies were telling us to take to restore it. So, that was successful. Iyong jobs that are forthcoming and actually that have already arrived. I think also points out to the fact that the style he’s succeeding. Meron hong savings na natatamasa ang Department of Agriculture and these are between 30-60 million because we put in the correct persons in both Department of Agriculture and DOST so natuklasan na iyong hinihinging equipment over-specified, taylor-made to a particular supplier. Ni-review ng both departments at na-save natin anywhere from again half for the total price of the item that was gonna be gotten. So, uulitin ko lang ho ano, hindi ho ako sasang-ayon at hindi ko naman ho talaga istilo na magpabida sa lahat ng sitwasyon. Importante ho sa akin dito at the end of the day, meron bang tamang nangyari diyan. Merong bahang nangyari, nailikas ba iyong tao, inaasikaso, nandiyan iyong gamot, nandiyan iyong pagkain pero hindi naman ho tayo araw-araw, pasensiya na po at wala akong iniinsulto dito na hindi naman po parang araw-araw ang dating sa akin parang nangangampanya ako. Importante ho sa akin maibigay iyong kredito doon sa mga talagang nagtrabaho pero mas pinaka-importante iyong obligasyon sa tao e nangyari. Hindi ho iyong sino ang bida.

Alam ho ni kasamang Ted iyan nung kami ay Congressman pareho meron tayong mga kasamahan pag hindi sila ang star billing hindi ho sasang-ayon sa batas na napakaganda. At kami naman ho kasama na si Ted pumapayag sige ikaw na ang mauna, maituloy lang itong batas na magandang ito.

Q: What I was referring to Sir in salitang tapatan ano po, in hindsight now wala po ba kayong episodes na sana ganito ang ginawa ko, sana ganito ang nangyari, sana inutos ko ito, sana nag-assign ako ng in-charge of media para walang sabog sa, wala po bang ganon, walang episodes na pumapasok sa inyo?

PNOY: Well, nandon na ho iyon, katulad ng sa media ho in particular. Sana nga I had time to sit down with them and tell them ganito dapat ang gagawin dito. But I think I have my plate really full on that particular day. Perhaps we have to institute iyong really refinement in the processes involved. Pero babalikan ko lang ho sa inyo, ano naman ang mali Ate Mel doon sa SAF Commander dati NCRPO ngayon, proven by so many reviews of competencies, tapos nandiyan siya in a position to intervene if necessary. Has a subordinate that is presumably trained in crisis management at least to degree that the manual calls for. Has undergone so many trainings also, was formerly MPD Head and has got back to the MPD Head at nag-assurances lahat pati na iyong Director General na ito ang mga mangyayari. Mali po ba ho dun na pinagtiwalaan tong mga taong ito na hindi naman ho birong ma-attain iyong star rank o iyong flag rank.

Q: Hindi po sinasabing hindi nyo dapat pinagkatiwalaan Sir, ang binabanggit lang iyong may mga iba na nag-iisip na kung kayo po ay lumabas na mas maaga…

PNOY: Nandoon po ako sa Command Center sabihin natin. Kada magdedesisyon sila titingin sa akin, gawin nyo ito, gawin nyo iyan, pag kinailangan ako sa ibang lugar nung araw na iyon tapos nasanay na sila buong araw na titingin muna sa akin magdesisyon. Pag biglang nagwala iyong si Mendoza sino ang maggo-go doon sa assault? Tatawagan lang muna ako, ayaw ko ho silang sanayin na kailangan ganoon ang magiging proseso dahil sila nga ang itinalaga na dapat may kakayahan at dapate kayang magresponde iyong pinakamabilis na panahon sa mga fast developing situations. So, it was a conscious choice, iyong I can stay there, have my picture taken by everybody, show to the public I’m so concerned about this but at the same time I will impede the abilities, the efficiencies that the people who are trained to handle these things can do and that was a conscious decision. Let them who have been trained to have almost… in all of these aspects to undertake the decisions. Don’t second guess them, don’t be at their backs, really trying to parang sa pagmamaneho iyong back seat driving. Palagay ko ho talaga lalong makakasira sa lahat ng gagawin kung masyadong visible na nakatingin sa kanilang mga, iyong over their shoulders. So, that was a conscious choice. Will I do it again? Most probably, though I will have a more rigorous selection of people that you place in very critical situations, more education and training for everybody concerned who can be in such a situation. Pero at the end of the day hindi puwedeng lahat po ng desisyon sasanayin ko sila na kailangan i-refer sa akin. Pag ginawa ko po iyan at nagkaroon po tayo ng sunod-sunod na sitwasyon, may hostage-taking dito, nagka-landslide sa isang lugar, merong health concerns and another ay wala na hong kikilos hanggang hindi nila ako nakakausap at nadadagdagan iyong pahirap sa taong-bayan at iyon po ang hindi natin gagawin.

Q: Noon pong panahon na iyong Sir meron ba kayong kinukunsulta, meron bang nag-a-advice sa inyo that time, whether people who are really there beside you to…

PNOY: Meron din ho on particular aspects, pero meron naman ho for instance, iuyong unang kailangang gawin ho ninyo ico-contain iyong situation. Pag pinapanood ko sa TV, iyong bus nag-iisa tapos pag tiningnan mo kaliwat-kanan doon sa harap ng Quirino Grandstand tila walang nakaharang. Hindi ho yata nako-contain, tinanong ko din ho sa liaison ito ba sigurado tayong hindi aalis pa dito? Kasi pag umalis ho dun iyong mga initial reports kung naalala ninyo may mga dalang Granada . Kung sumabog ang granada mas marami pang madadamay kung makakaalis ho. In-assure din ho tayo na meron silang pangharang at eventually nandun po iyong mga fire trucks kung sakaling mag-attempt na aalis. So, lahat ho ng nakita natin na tila pagkukulang pinoint-out natin sa kinauukulan, iyon na siguro ang pinaka hands-on ko.

Q: Ginoong Pangulo, going back po doon sa nangyari ho ano na ito ho ay nagbunga ngayon ng napakalaking problema, ilang linggo na ang nakakaraan ito pa rin po ang pinag-uusapan natin and thank you so much po for the time na lahat nga ng issues na gustong itanong po ay itanong na ngayon. So, nabanggit nyo po na lahat dapat dumaan sa proseso, huwag nating husgahan itong mga ito dahil po sa meron pang IIRC investigation pero inyo rin pong inamin na talaga pong napikon kayo at dismayado po kayo sa inyong napanuod at nakita at naging bunga po ng resulta ho ng mga taong tinatawag nyong experts. Three days after nag-offer mag-leave si Magtibay at pinagbigyan so wala pong nag-offer mag-resign, wala pong nagsabing na para hindi na umabot pa sa inyo ang init, walang hong Puno o Robredo o Santiago o Magtibay na nagkusa hong mag-resign. So, hindi ngayon naiaalis sa ilan po nating mga kababayan iyon pong pagkumpara kay Prisco Nilo ng PAGASA. Si Nilo po ay nagkamali sa forecast at meron pong sinasabing di pagkakaunawaan, wala naman hong gaano po doong napinsala pero agad pong ni-relieve. Just clarify lang po ano po, ni-relieve po kaagad si Prisco Nilo pero in this case po ang laki po ng pinsala nito wala pong ni-relieve ang inyong administrasyon Sir?

PNOY: Hindi ho tama iyong kakaunti ang napinsala nung panahon nung kay Nilo ano at hindi naman ho tamang ni-relieve siya kaagad. Dumaan po iyong DOST at saka siya iyong DOST Secretary natin at siya ang nag-usap ano at inalam kung ano talaga ang dahilan bakit napakamali nung kanilang prediction. Iyong ang galing ho noong propaganda arm niya o iyong sympathizers niya na sinasabi puro equipment. Pero amongst the things na nadiskubre e iyong mga alam moi ayaw ko na sana na pag-usapan iyan dahil pababayaan ko na siyang manahimik ano pero brining-up na nyo para alam na rin po ng taong-bayan. Hindi ka ba nagtataka Ted bakit nung World War II inilusob iyong Normandy Beach Head, iyong technology, ang importante dun iyong weather. Masama iyong weather at sinabi merong window ng dalawang araw. Iyong Incheon Landing sa South Korea ganon din ,may epekto iyong tide kung makaka-landing iyong mga landing barge sa paglusob ni Mc Arthur sa likod nung mga North Koreans di ba? 1944 iyong isa, 1950-51 iyong pangalawa, kaya nilang i-predict iyong accuracy nung weather. Ang lumalabas ngayon iyong isa sa ginagamit diyan weather balloons nagchi-check nung pressure di ba? High pressure and low pressure area at dun sa briefing doon ko na talaga naintindihan aaminin ko po itutulak iyong ating mga storm fronts sa low pressure. So importante malaman mo saan iyong low pressure, saan iyong high pressure lumalabas kulang iyong mga lobong pinalipad para ma-determine.

At ang kultura po don pag nagsalita na siya iyon iyon. Kasi tinanong ko may radar, iyong radar tina-track mo itong storm front na ito, hindi naman once a day, hindi naman half a day, hindi naman 4 times a day, tuloy-tuloy hong umiikot iyan di ba? Bakit hindi natin nakitang pumipihit na nang mula Aurora ay pumunta ng Maynila? Ang sagot ho sa atin nakita kaya lang nagdesisyon na po iyong hepe, kung sinabing doon, doon lahat. Tayo ho ba ay kasing palpak ng weather prediction ngayon? Kung nababasa ho nyo iyong mga kanilang warnings, iyong areas… hindi ba? Hindi ho paulit-ulit, kayo ho na madalas nakikinig ng weather gabi-gabi napapansin nyo nung araw siguro Xerox copy na lang parati iyong… ngayon ho yata hindi e ini-specify na. itong areas na ito tataas iyong waves unsafe for fishing, talagang pinipilit ho natin mabigyan ng tamang impormasyon iyong mga tao.

Now, resigning meron bang nag-offer? To be fair ano, Director Santiago when I first saw him doon sa Emerald said iyong sabi ko I want to know the truth, tomorrow I have to explain to the people. Sagot niya sa akin Sir I’m ready to explain. And in fairness to him, people are looking for heads to roll, I’m offering my head Sir I’m going to do it if it’s necessary and I believe it is necessary. In fairness to the guy inalok po niya iyan. Si Robredo as I already explain was not actually part of this whole decision making cycle. He was part of it more so in handling the aftermath. Si Puno was there doing the functions that I had ask of him to be para the conduit for information and I also had another officer familiar with hostage rescues who was also in the command post trying to monitor everything as far as possible. Parang now the IIRC has already solved, walang monitoring abilities iyong command post nila, napakakitid, labas-masok kung sinu-sino. Wala nang nag-asikaso ng pagtatanong nung may-ari ng bus paano ba ito bubuksan amongst other things na nadiskubre ho nito kaya again tapusin natin iyong proseso, huwag tayong padalosdalos. Makuha natin lahat iyong mali , maiwasto natin lahat nyan. Hindi iyong nakikita lang natin o naaaksiyunan. Lahat ho sana as far as possible i-thorough natin para hindi na maulit iyong sitwasyon na ito.

TED; …ang nag-offer pong mag-resign.

P-NOY: Kumpletuhin ko na po. Siya po ay nakiusap matagal na, kung puwede isyang payagang mag-optional retirement. Humingi na rin ng optional retirement si Magtibay.

TED: Sir, noong madlaing araw po na press conference ninyong iyon. Iyon po bang inyong communications group ay gumagana sa punto po ng crisis PR management, para po, kasi po, siyempre po, layo na po ang nagsabi Ginoong Pangulo na people are aksing the heads to roll, ang dugo po ay mainit, meron pong kaparaanan iyan para ito po ay humupa.

P-NOY: Iyong crisis management, siguro in fairness to communications group and that is why I am not asking for their heads. We subscribe to the believe na if I shown to have direct a involvement, the demand will increase. I am sure, you are all aware, kunwari, I wrote down a note, to be sent to Mendoza and it said, I am ordering the Ombudsman to re-seen that particular order. Kung nakakaintindi ioyngi sang tao na obsessed sa kanyang kaso and I assumed he was already obsessed, iyong hindi niya paniniwalaan iyon. Cause nobody can order the Ombudsman, part 1, nag-isip din kami bolahin natin ito. Ano ba iyong katanggap-tanggap na bola dito at ano ba ang epekto kapag binola natin ito kung saka-sakaling may sitwasyon later on, magko-complicate ba ng negotiations in the future, kapag pumasok tayo halimbawa. Because as you know, the first in task to be established is the credibility of the negotiators. And to be honest, hindi natin…so, here is comgroup,. They are being tasked, sige damage PR, PR notification to the people. Pero at the same time, dapat balansehin ninyo, dahil dapat hindi tayo involved. So, kung may pagkuklulang ako doon, nahirapan rin silang i-define, paano ba iyong makiki-alam tayo na hindi tayo nakiki-alam. Paano ba tayo magi-inform at the same time, palalabasin natin kay Mendoza na ito lang ang puwedeng asahan, may mangyayari sa iyo, si Magtibay. So, baka iyon iyong dapat refinements doon sa ating manual.

TED: Iyon bang pagsabi nniyo na I take full responsibility ay payo po ba ito ng comgroup ninyo, sir?

P-NOY: No, that was asked in an ambush interview and at the end nga sa comgroup palpak sila, etc, ganoon na nga, I have put myself in their situation. Ano ba ang dapat gawin, gawin nating grandstanding, iharap ka diyan kaliwa at kanan, pero kailangan hindi ka pa rin involved or pumapel tayo ng prang hindi ntin pinapansin para mag-isip itong si Mendoza. Oops, magign reasonable ka, wala kang mapapala kung hindi, so we adopted that second approach.

PAOLO: Mr. President, pinag-uusapan na rin natin iyong comgroup, mrmaing puna na merong miscommunications sa comgroup na ito na naman iyong salitang faction, na nangyayari doon sa gabinete, hnidi lalang sa comgroup. Pero sa buong gabinete ninyo ay may mga faction/. Pero po ba ninyong linawin once and for all kung meron nga po bang faction and do you recognixed this and ano po ba ang balak ninyong gawin para ma-unify po ang inyong gabinete at ang inyojng comgroup?

P-NOY: Kung may faction na ayun sa bumabatikos sa akin, may kanya-kanyang agenda, naghahatak ng kung anu-anong direction, hindi po totoo iyon. Hindi ba iyong ..majority nakuha natin noong eleksyon, iyong mga nangampanya para sa atin ay mamili ka na sa political spectrum nandoon na po lahat iyan. Kung may problema, bawat grupo siguro may kanya-kanyang solusyon, pero sa dulo po noon, nagbabangayan ba iyong ating mga kasamahan sa gabinete, palagay ko wala pa po tayong nakitang bangayan per se. Pero at the same time po conscious ako diyan, kina-klaro ko sa kanila, agree ba tayo na ito ang dapat puntahan, ito ang metodolihiya, tapos ipinapaliwanag ko, bakit ito ang pinili koing desisyon, bakit itong particular route na ito, para lahat, paniwala ko naman lahat reasonable sa aming samahan, naiintidihan kung bakit kailangang gawin iyan sa ganitong panahon.

PAOLO: Pero napansin po ninyo na minsan kaiba o magkasalungat ang sinasabi po ng iba’t ibang miyermbro ng comgroup ninyo?

P-NOY: Well, kapag nagbasa po tayo ng diyaryo, iyong isang interview ko po, makikita po ninyo salu-salungat din iyong sinasabi ng mga reporter. Ganoon lang po siguro talaga iyon eh. At kunwari, may gusto ba, kapag lumabas sa isang panig, iyong neutral wala raw gusot, iyong kalaban naman itinatago na may gusot, kahit sinabing walang gusot.

PAOLO: So ang naka-quote po ba sinasabi ninyo mula doon sa mga iba’t ibang spokespersons po ninyo ay mis-quoted sila?

P-NOY: Hindi naman, but on a case-to-case basis, they are trying to pin me down to have a generic answer to all of these instances. There are honest mistakes committed by people and there are those that are misquoted naman.

PAOLO: Ito po sensitive ang question regarding doon sa kabinete ninyo. May miymbero po ba sa kabinete gaya ng pinupuna na isang kabayaran o bayad-utang doon sa supportang ibinigay nila sa inyo noong nanggagampanya kayo bilang pangulo?

P-NOY: In all honesty and I will cite a case in point. Si Butch Abad has been a long-time colleaque of mine dating back to the anti-Marcos years. And he was my mentor when I started in the House of Representatives. He taught me a lot of the ropes there. He is the political ideologue of the party. But before I appointed him, we really had a leveling of and a serious heart-to-heart talk just to make sure that we are in jibe when we had to move in the direction that I want to go to. Kung mayroon mang emotional appeal, isa na iyon. Kung mayroong competency, iyong party pressure. Pero at the end of the day, it was not a given, until I was satisfied that we could work together, I did not appoint him. And I am glad I appointed him because he has really been so helpful in so many things.

PAOLO: But other people na you are not glad that you appointed them to certain positions in the Cabinet? Are there certain individuals na hindi kayo glad that you appointed them?

P-NOY: I would have fired them. I would not have submitted their names to the CA. There is no mandate on me that these people that I have appointed, I have to tolerate for the next six years. If they don’t perform for the benefit of the people, they can go.

PAOLO: So aasahan po namin na heads will roll within the next few months.

P-NOY: You are asking for the Cabinet or are you asking for the people involved in the grandstand incident?

PAOLO: Both po.

P-NOY: In the Cabinet, there is a measure of performance. Did they perform or did they not. If they did not, then I will ask them to leave. Or if they don’t leave, I’ll fire them. If on the other hand naman, clearly there are issues that have been raised, there are people who cannot satisfactorily answer their shortcomings, our people have really demonstrated their inability to handle the position… then certainly they will be fired now.

MEL: May I take the gudgels for your fans who are hopeless romantic like me. Kayo po ba ay may panahon pa para maki-pagdate?

P-NOY: Sa totoo lang ho, kung saka-sakaling magkaroon ako ng oras, e wala naman hong privacy maski anong puntahan natin, ke-supermarket, restaurant, sinehan. Marami hong nakikisama kung magkaka-date. Sasama ang picture-taking, kuwentuhan. Pati ho linggo ay kinukuha na rin sa atin. So medyo talagang manipis na manipis na po ang free time.

MEL: So ibig sabihin ay walang pagkakataong na mayroong kaming makitang First Lady dito sa Malacañang at maidaros ang isang magarbong kasalan?

P-NOY: Sabi ng mga Amerikano, hope springs eternal.

Q: Going back again doon sa hostage crisis. Sabi po ninyo, ayaw ninyong publicly makialam, dahil siyemre, lalaki ang ulo ng hostage-taker. So mayroong sinabi during the IRRC hearing si G. Puno na at one time, gusto ninyong kausapin ang hostage-taker sa telepono. Gusto ninyong ikla-clarify, Sir.

P-NOY: Personally, gusto kong puntahan. Baka naman galangin ang opisina ko, kung hindi man ang pagkatao ko, baka naman paniwalaan ako, baka naman pumayag sa akin. Pero at the same time, there are people who are trained as hostage negotiators. It is really a science. Hindi puwede wido-wido. So pupunta ako doon, baka. But the hostage negotiator is trained. So puwede ba akong i-brief ni hostage negotiator on each and every point that we will discuss. Wala ho sigurong real time coach na pupuwedeng doon. There is a chance that I might succeed, there is also the chance that I could make the situation worse. So there are people who are very, very close to me who pointed out, thank you, hindi ka nagpunta doon because they know that would be my first instinct.

Q: Sa ngayon pong nangyayaring imbestigasyon ng IRRC, ilalabas po by Wednesday ang result ang kanilang findings. Dito ho ba Sir, criminal at saka administratibo. So dito kahit na local official ang maaaring sabihang ng ano man pong kaparusahan, kayo na mismo ang magsasabi o ano ho ang usapan ninyo ni Gng. De Lima dito. How will you do it Sir sa punto po ng pagbibigay ng hustisya sa lahat?

P-NOY: Kaya nga ho siya andoon sa DOJ, para in effect preparatory step to the preliminary investigation if criminal charges are warranted, then it is their office that handles it. And in the case of government officials, kasama na rin ang Ombudsman.

Q: So paano na po sa punto ng early retirement nitong si G. Verzosa kung siya ay mag-reretire nang mas maaga, pero iho-hold muna ang lahat ng dapat niyang makuha pending the results.

P-NOY: That I think is part of the law of the land in the present time if you have a pending case, the operative portion is if you have a pending case. But I would just like to reiterate. Way before this incident happened, Gen. Verzosa did ask to be relieve of his post and to finish his tour of duty with the PNP. Tapos iyong date, nagkataon lang na September 14 or 15 that he will undertake that. And the way I look at Gen. Verzosa, he was chief PNP for a period but unfortunately, he was not given the …. as chief PNP for quite a long time. It is only been in this administration that he has demonstrated his abilities and the necessary reforms. Sasabihin ko na po, ang primary interest ko po ay sa bids and awards committees. Iyong drawing up iyong mga specifications and acceptance. Iyong pag-kukutchaba doon, hindi na niya ma-eefect ang changes up to his retirement come December. Therefore he asked that the replacement will have even more time to institute the reforms necessary para tuloy-tuloy na.

Q: Mayroon ho bang nag-aantay sa kanyang posisyon, Mr. President?

P-NOY: When I asked him if he was interested when he told me that he wanted to retire, I asked him what he was going to do, the first thing he said was, Sir, mag-babaskasyon muna ako. And specially during the election period, I think all of us were witnesses to the pressures that were on Gen. Verzosa at that point in time. So I understand the need. And this is again at that time way, way before this incident transpired.

Q: So kailan po ang appointment ng bagong chief PNP lalabas?

P-NOY: I think it’s September 14.

Q: Mr. President, bakit po kailangan pang mag-build ng ibang unit gayong may SAF. Bakit hindi na lang pag-igihan ang equipment nila at training nila. Bakit kailangan pa ng isa pang bagong unit?

P-NOY: Iyong mga units na capable ngayon, dadagdagan natin ng abilidad, sisiguraduhin natin tuloy-tuloy ang pagsasanay. Hindi naman puwede ti-trained mo minsan, tapos next year, training tayo ulit. Kailangan either monthly or b-monthly, mayroong exercises to keep them at that razor’s edge. Ano ang kailangan dapat gawin? As you know, ang PNP and AFP, unlike during the martial law years were one and the same,

AFP-PC-INP noon. Ngayon talagang distinct. One is civilian, one is military. There is a need kasi magastos ito. It takes something in the neighboring of, tinulungan tayo ng mga Amerikano doon sa light reaction companies. Each companies, by the reports that I got, takes $8 Billion dollars to set up. We will not do that again. But there is a need that we can integrate both of them when there is a situation lalo na when it is nationwide, e kaya nilang to operate with each other regardless of which particular unit are in the vicinity. Iyong mayroong … SAF na headquartered in Zamboanga… I am told also that since we are not really a rich country, we are the beneficiaries of training from several countries, not less than five, if I am not mistaken. Ibig sabihin po niyong, limang iba-ibang sistema o baka anim pa nga ang ine-integrate ng ating AFP at PNP. So pag nagsasama-sama iyan, kanino bang estilo ang masusunod. Mayroon tayong Phil. System- Cognizant, Conversant, and Ready to Employ. lahat ito security forces natin. Tapos may portion din doon na ang pagsasanay ng mga lokal na SWAT to handle lesser events also has to be taken into consideration. Pero balik tayo, pera, alam naman ninyo kung magkano ang natira sa budget. Tapos ang gastos po niyan ay hindi biro. Iyong training po, hindi lang role-playing lang, talagang may-actual na firing, mayroong breaching ng kung bus, kung eroplano, kung bapor. Kailangan ang lahat pong iyan ay may pagsasanay na gagawin at lahat pong iyon ay may gastos.

Q: … sa kanilang mga mamamayan dito, nag-issue sila ng travel ban dito at inasikaso ang kanilang mga nationals dito. Meron po bang kahalintulad na inisyatibo ang ating gobyerno sa mga nationals naman natin doon naman sa Hong Kong or even China?

PNOY: There is no incident that warrants that in either China or Hong Kong. Kung maalala po ninyo ano talagang minabuti po natin na hindi nga mag-respond doon sa sulat na natanggap po natin dahil ano ho baa ng pakinabang ng Pilipinas doon o ng mga Pilipino kung magbabangayan tayo ng magbabangayan at lalo natin palalakihin iyong hidwaan. Iyan ay para ako naman po e I always try to put the test on the reasonable man into practice. Talagang nagdadalamhati sila, talagang masakit sa kanila ang nangyari, sizable iyong number given their smaller population. Baka naman dapat ngayon tumanggap na lang muna at later on at mas mahinahon na lahat iharap sa kanila at ipakitang hindi naman yata tama ito. Hindi naman yata nyo kaming tinatrato parang co-equal na equally a sovereign republic.

Q: Ang tinutukoy ko po iyong merong hindi kanais-nais na mangyari sa mga kababayan natin na naroroon as a result of this problem.

PNOY: Kung may direct problem gagawin po natin iyon but the incident that comes to mind happened about five years ago and perhaps this is a compensation aspect that we have we are working on rather than issuing travel advisories. Travel advisories that are in effect and in labor employment ban for instance will be in places like Iraq and Afghanistan talagang may direct…

Q: No, not necessarily that Mr. President, maybe measures like notifying our residents to report to the consulate kung ano man ang ano natin, initiatives of the government to see to it that our people there do not experience anything untoward.

PNOY: Well, the consulate I assume has been giving me numbers of our residents in Hong Kong. I would presume again that generals principle of regularity in the conduct of that business that they are updating the same and that if there are any situations that we will be properly informed by the DFA and will take appropriate actions if that is the case.

Q: Ginoong Pangulo, nabanggit nyo po kanina na humihingi po ng paumanhin ang Chinese government at kayo po ay humingin na po ng dispensa hindi ho ba?

PNOY: Tayo ho nag-apologize na hindi natin napangalagaan iyong kanilang mga residente dito in the sense na sana nailigtas buhay lahay. Iyong as far as the apologies from the Chinese government are concerned I think we were informed through an official channels that they had taken corrective actions.

Q: Iyong Hong Kong parliament po the other day nag-issue po ng statement at nakaabot din po sa amin, sa amin pong news room na humihingi po ng formal na apology mula po sa ating gobyerno Sir.

PNOY: If I’m not mistaken I’ve already… I’ll have to check ano, I wanna be very precise but I think I did write letters already but let me get back to you on that and let me check.

Q: Iyon ho ba ay liham po addressed sa Hong Kong parliament, papano po iyon?

PNOY: Not as a parliament, as the Chief Executive of this country I will probably writing to my counterpart as far as the PROC is concerned. But again let me check, there are just too many things that crossed my desk. I wanna make sure that that is already… No, no I’m sorry I remember now. There is a delegation headed by Vice President Binay together with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs who we were trying to set an appointment with to deliver so I did, I read the letter I affixed my signature to it but it hasn’t been delivered because they have requested that the delivery be co-incident with the delivery of the investigation report. Anyway, I’ve acceded to the request that we will deliver this apology dated way ahead together with the report of the investigation…

Q: So itong high level na contingent na ito Ginoong Pangulo kalian po ito? Sa inyo pong tantiya po kalian po ito?

PNOY: I don’t have the exact date pero matagal na po ito bago lumabas kung hindi ako nagkakamali iyong sa request ng parliament nila pero ang sagot nga po natin hihintayhin na lamang nila kung pupuwede the investigation report kasama nitong mga liham na ito.

Q: Ginoong Pangulo, huwag naman po sanang ipagkakaloob ng Panginoon, kung bukas po magkakaroon ng hostage crisis ulit involving foreigners, sino na ho ang mangangasiwa sa, police, SAF ba o SWAT ba? Sino na po ang point man ninyo sa DILG, so who will be the guy?

PNOY: Iyong SAF is they have training in various aspects of hostage negotiations ano but they are not actually just a primary unit task meron talagang mga negotiators ang bawat district. As far as I know Crame should have also. In fact, I’m reviewing all of these assignments as to trainings that they have had. Now, sino ang mangangasiwa bukas? We as I told you at the beginning we have amendments to the manual taken up by all of the members of cluster E plus. Well, there’s National Security Cluster of the Cabinet plus some other members. So, that will be handed to me tomorrow and I will give you the more formal reply if possible in the subsequent date dahil iyon na nga ho iyong mas magfo-formalize, magpupuno nung mga kulang nung dating manual.

Q: Ginoong Pangulo, isa pa pong punto ano sa nangyaring krisis ito rin po iyong lumabas po sa ABS-CBN na aming mga balita, iyon pong faction ng Balay at Samar, itong dalawang grupong ito hindi ho ba ito nakapagbigay sa inyo ng problema sa kalakaran po ng mga panahon sa mga panahon na kyo po ay dumadaan sa judgment call at saka ilan pa hong, that very crucial moment ito hong faction na ito Ginoong Pnangulo?

PNOY: Iyong mga kalaban ho namin gustong isipin iyan pero aaminin ko po sa inyo nung panahon ng kampanya towards the latter part talagang merong halu-halon na ho siguro iyon. May tension, ano ho kaya ang magiging resulta nitong eleksyon na ito, matutuloy ho ba iyang election, tayo ba ay babalik sa kalye, tayo ba ay mamumundok ganon ho iyon nung time na iyon. So far, does not have been a hindrance and I make it a point that anytime I see a possibility that that is promoting a hindrance or promotes inefficiency in our administration I call the necessary peoples attention to it I’ll tell them I’ll not tolerate it. And I have taken corrective actions each time I call their attention to a particular matter.

Q: Ginoong Pangulo, meron na pong mga international articles, meron na pong kahit na po sa atin dito at damdamin din po ng iba hindi naman ho ng lahat na ito pong dumaan sa atin noong August 23 ay ang una ninyong test at sa wika po nila you failed. Ano po ang inyong reaction doon Ginoong Pangulo?

PNOY: Hindi naman natin masasabing talagang tama iyong ginawa natin buo, may namatay eh. Dito nga sa investigation makita natin iyong causation mula iyong umpisa hanggang dulo. Ano bang factors ang nagresulta kaya nag-fail ito? Nag-fail ito in the sense na hindi mo na-rescue 100%? Okay, hindi ko naman ho mapapangako at wala hong mas may experience pa dito sa poagha-handle sa mga ganitong sitwasyon, ang makakapangako na perfect each time out. Mamili na kayo ng bansa sasabihin ko ho sa inyo kung kailn pumalpak at what… date. Now, having said that ang mali ko ho siguro noon, uulitin ko ay hindi nga, nagtiwala ako na pag nag-commit sila um-oo sila sa Presidente ng Republika gagawin iyon sa kabuuan ng lahat ng detalyeng pinagkasunduan at pinag-usapan lalo nilang gagawin pag ipinoint-out na iyong una nilang pinangako e tila hindi nangyayari. Kumabaga, nabigyan na sila ng pansin, Uy ano ba ang ginagawa nyo at hindi kaalinsunod ng pinag-usapan natin
diyan. Ang problema nga ho doon baka nga in hindsight baka kailangan sa at least in the interim talagang may nakatingin sa likod nila na magbabastonerong gawin nga nyo ito pero hindi naman yata tama iyon. So, ire-review na nati ulit iyong personnel at doon sa mga komprehensiyang pagkatapos nung investigation committee e talagang ililiwanag natin ano ba ang inaasahan sa kanila at ano ba ang maaasahan nila pag di nila tinupad iyong dapat nilang gawin. Ngayon, kayo ho ano any reasonable person ibigay ko sa inyo iyong same set of facts and presumptions and assumptions, may babaguhin ho ba kayo sa pagdiskarte nyo sa pagkilos doon? Kayo ho ba mag-i-insist na noong magpapalaya siya ng negosyador hindi kailangan nandiyan ako. Kayo ho ba mag-i-insist na tutukan natin si SWAT at si SAF Commander or si SAF Commander na lang, pumwesto ka na dito, dito ka huminto. Meron ho ba akong pagkukulang in the sense na lahat ng nakita ko nga ho e talagang pinilit kong
punuin doon sa nakikita kong pagkukulang pero babalik nga ho tayo dito. Ang gulo ho nung sequence na puputukan iyon gulong tapos parang walang kumilos, kung may kumilos hindi alam kung saan tutungo, kung nandoon na parang pati ho iyong paano nagi-stage maling-mali ho iyon e. Pero iyon na nga ho ano baka may magalit na naman sa akin nangiti ako, nangingiti kung minsan naaabsurduhan na lang ako talagang hindi dapat umabot dito. Tapos may mga kakulangan umabot diyan lahat ho tayo testigo na ng successful nanegotiation. Kung minsan even on the precinct level na by a lone derange individual dito ho andami ng nakatutok na of flag rank, na hindi ho kaka-appoint, hindi na ho bata, bigla hong ganyan ang nangyari. Iyong hostage negotiator may aasa bang mahihirapan siya? Pagkaintindi ko nine times na ho siyang naka-resolve successfully, trained both if I’m not mistaken America and England if I’m not mistaken was doing things by the book. Siyempre
mapipikon ka na iyong equipment na ginagamit e may palpak rin hong some of its abilities that could have helped. Pero lahat nga ho tayo magaling pagkatapos e. Kung alam ko hong itong taong ito e bigla na lang magbabago 180 degrees e baka nag-order na tayo ng assault sa umpisang-umpisa pa lang. Pero saan ho kayo nakakita hindi pa kinakausap ng negosyador pinamigay na niya iyong bargaining chip niya. Tapos pagkatapos nun dinagdagan pa. Saan ho kayo nakakitang 1/3 pinakawalan, suwerte na ho kadalasan may isa, dalawa, tatlo pero dito ho ano parang inaasahan natin o sige bigyan mong dalawa, tatlong oras pa baka meron na naman siyana pakakawalan, huwag lang nating i-pressure, huwag lang nating ilagay na parang wala na siyang pupuntahan kaya kailangan may mag…

Q: Huwag lang pong posasan iyong kapatid.

PNOY: That could have been done differently. Don’t forget that, kayo ho ba kung kayo ang nandun kasamang Ted ano, dib a nagsabi na pati iyong so-called British expert in-interview ng BBC gumamit kang kamag-anak double-edged puwedeng kakampi, puwedeng biglang hindi kakampi. Hindi ho ba kayo nagtataka rin bakit ayaw kausapin iyong asawa at iyong anak pero puwedeng kausapin itong kapatid. Bakit si kapatid e biglang, una kong nakita e sino ba itong naka-short pants na ito na lumalapit sa bus hinarang ho tapos ay inilayo biglang may baril pala pero iyong… ho tumutulong ba iyong huwag bibigay hanggang hindi isoli iyong baril ko, tinetestify ni erpat tsaka nung isa pa. So, kung kayo ho ang andun may dala-dalang celphone busy iyong telepono nung driver na ginagamit ni Mendoza, hindi ka ba mapapag-isip sino kaya ang kausap nito at ano ang sinasabi nito? So, that I think was a necessary and a judgment call on the part of the ground commander and others
ano but iyong actual methodology of effecting removing that variable was not thoroughly thought at.

BEDIONES: … ng administrasyon. Kung maaari po iyong last question ko po ay medyo personal. Ano po iyong pinakamasakit o pinaka-malaking lesson na inyong natutunan dito. Hindi bilang isang Pangulo pero bilang Noynoy Aquino?

PNOY: Alam mo, Paolo. Dito siguro sa Malakanyang rin ako nag-umpisa. Noong 87, ako eh naramdaman ko kung gaano ka, iyong parang puwedeng mawala ang buhay ng isang tao. At mula noon talagang namatayan ako ng tatlo sa apat na kasama ko. At awang – awa ako doon sa kinabukasan nilang puwedeng nangyari sana. Hindi naman sila talagang pangunahin nandoon sa laban. So, mula doon talagang napaka-importante sa akin ng buhay ng tao. Hindi puwedeng kinikitil ito ng ganoon –ganoon na lang. So, dito ano ba talaga ang biggest lesson dito. Sa totoo lang, hinihintay kong matapos rin iyong imbestigation. Ina-analyse ko na rin iyong sarili ko, saan ba ako nagkukulang dito. Di ba ganoon; para bang; may namatay eh. Puwede bang; mayroon ba tayong puwedeng magawa para hindi namatay ito. At marami na nga ang nagmungkahi, dapat banaril na raw si Mendoza noong nandoon pa lang sa pintuan. Wala naman nagsasabi na hindi tiyak na madadali si Mendoza para hindi na siya makabaril pagnabaril man lamang siya. Kung ulo ang tinatarget; pumihit ng kapiraso, bigla na lang iyong hostage ang tinamaan. Lalo na sana siguro tayong binabatikos ngayon. Kung; ang daming kung eh. Pero babalikan ko pa din, ito iyong available data, ito iyong mga decision points na dapat ay gagawin. Magbabago ba iyong decision ko given the data that was available to me, even the resources that were available to me. Iyon na nga,iyong, siguro; baka mas dapat tayong; at hindi ko alam sa totoo lang kung paano gagawin na lalo mo bubusisiin lahat ng binubusisi ko na. Noong nasa lehislatura ako iyon ang reputasyon ko; talagang nakakahanap ako ng noon nun. Pero ito nga ho, isipin mo. Lahat ng … (unclear) ng lahat ng ating security forces imbentaryuhin ko ba. Tingnan ko iyong quality control n’ya. Iyon bang lahat ng armas nila up and running. Iyong; sila ba ay nasa maayos na kalusugan para magawa ang dapat gawin. Iyong; hindi naman siguro pu-puwedeng mangyari iyan. So, babalik pa rin ako doon. Ano pa ba ang puwedeng nating gawin dito. Dahil iyon ngang pati iyong pag titingin ka kung sino ang ilalagay mong tao. Dito kailangan matapang; buong buhay niya ang tapang niya. Tapos dumating iyong puntong nagka-asawa, nag-kaanak; medyo nabawasan iyong tapang niya. Doon mo biglang kinailangan. So, wala ring garantiya doon. Pero masasabi ko lang ho; hindi ako titigil hanapin lahat ng problemang ito. Kung nandoon sa training ang kulang; pupunuin natin. Sa equipment binaboy iyong proseso;gagawin natin iyong pagwa-wasto. Iyong sa proseso ho pala, para malaman ng taong-bayan. Isipin mu di ba, siyempre, sa firearms, may proficiency will build confidence. Sa PNP ho, hindi bababa sa anim ang klase ng pistols nila. So, kailangan ka ngayon; tapos i-issue sa ‘yo. Swerte- swerte na lang kung ang training mo, parang nag-umpisa kang trainee at nasubukan. Na pasok ka sa field iba na ang ibinigay sa iyo. Taon – taon iba na naman ang i-issue. So, iyon mali eh. At iwawasto rin natin iyon at winawasto. Ipinoint-out (point-out) ko na rin po pala iyon noong tayo ay miyembro ng lehislatura; pero noong panahon na iyon ay tatlo. Ngayon ho noong pinoint-out (point-out) ko ay naging anim o pito. Ngayon na Presidente ako, hindi na pu-puwede ho iyon. Salamat ho.

BEDIONES: Thank you sir.

PNOY: Thank you.

LACIERDA: This concludes our questions and answers portion for the program. I think the panellist, the networks, and the representatives here …(tape-cut)

PNOY: …to put to rest. Our government is now focused of taking necessary steps to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again. Let me just say that this incident will not define this administration. In the end, my administration will be judged on what we have accomplished; and what we will accomplish in the coming years. A reduction in poverty and the restoration of a government that is honest in its effort to build a better nation. Maraming Salamat sa inyong lahat.

LACIERDA: Thank you, Mr. President. Back to studio.