INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Loren Legarda, podcast interview transcript, part 1

INQUIRER.net

Editor's Note: What follows is the first part of a preliminary transcript of the Eleksyon2007 podcast interview withe senatorial candidate Loren Legarda.

JV Rufino: Our guest for this podcast is former senator and television journalist Loren Legarda. Legarda is running for senator under the Genuine Opposition slate. Welcome to the show, Loren.

Loren Legarda : Well, thank you JV and it’s a unique experience to be here today to do this program with you.

JV Rufino: Our first question is from Lynette Luna, our Breaking News editor.

Lynette Luna : Hi, Loren.

Loren Legarda : Hi, Lynette.

Lynette Luna : After the turmoil of the 2004 elections, what made you decide to get back into the political arena? Especially since your protest before your presidential electoral tribunal is still pending.

Loren Legarda : Well I must admit that it was traumatic -- 2004 I mean. Having been robbed of your victory after having campaign for 3-1/2 months and spending quite a sum. When we were campaigning, we’re almost sure we were going to win because of the overwhelming support shown by the people, in every part of the country, even in areas where we didn’t have political leaders.
But the rest is history, you know what happened. We did not have the machinery to protect our votes. We were not the proclaimed candidate, but on July 23, 2004, I filed my vice presidential electoral protest, and since then it has been moving but very slowly, and it has cost me, just for one province alone, in Lanao del Sur, P12 million.

After having “lost” in quotation marks, or not having been proclaimed, and spending a huge sum of money, shelling out 12 million is a very, very difficult thing to do. But I did so because my three year fight for truth, fairness and justice in the 2004 election for me is a principled fight.

It is a fight of conviction. From the beginning, my friends and supporters said, forget it. They will not let you sit as vice president. Forget your fight. I could not do it, Lynette, because I had to pursue it to see what really happened for me to be at peace with myself, and to know what transpired in 2004.

And true enough I saw it with my own eyes. And no less than Attorney [Romulo] Macalintal, the lawyers -- the opponent's lawyer, and Chairman [Benjamin] Abalos of the Comelec [Commission on Elections] and the printer of the Comelec had admitted, that the election return in Congress of certain municipalities in the province of Lanao del Sur, were actually substituted with fake or forged election returns.

So what have I proven after three years after, P12 million down the drain, after finishing just one province in my protest? I have proven just through my pilot province of Lanao Sur, that indeed, there was fraud in 2004 as proven in election returns that were substituted and faked and no less than the opponent has admitted that and it was admitted in open court. It is in the history of the Supreme Court in the vice presidential electoral protest.

With that alone, I believe I have won a moral victory. True, I may not sit as vice president; I never ever thought I would because my resources are limited, and time is also limited, and realpolitik. Impossible! Why would they make me sit? But it was important for me to be able to wage a principled battle, and to prove the fraud of 2004.

Now, am I scared now? Yes. I'm traumatized. I'm scared that it could happen. And scared all the more because we don't have the machinery, even the resources, the money, to protect 240,000 precincts over the country. You need to P2 billion.

Obviously, we don't have that. If we did not have it in the presidential campaign, how could we have it in a senatorial level? But then again, there's a Namfrel [National Citizen's Movement for Free Elections] , the PPCRV [Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting ], the media, the civic groups, our local leaders who hopefully, this time, will not allow it to happen. But [if] it happens, and we are cheated of victory in May of '07, that is a very scary scenario because it would mean the crumbling of our democratic processes. If again, the results in May are subverted, and the true votes and the true voice of the people are not adhered to, then I fear the future of this country.

I'm number one in all surveys, I say that not to be immodest, but as a matter of fact. Ibon, Pulse Asia, SWS [Social Weather Stations], they all say that I'm a runaway winner. But why am [I] working so hard? Why am I campaigning like it was my first time? Because it has to be so overwhelming that even if they cheat me, they can't rob me of victory. Why? Because I'm obsessed with victory? No. Because I just have to prove the point. But first to be able serve, you have to win. And that you can win without using guns, goons and gold, just by reaching out to your constituents--through media such as these, that we're doing now.

Lynette Luna: What can you say to criticisms that after fighting for the impeachment of deposed president Joseph Estrada, you are now running under the opposition ticket, which he has endorsed?

Loren Legarda : Very good question, Let me clarify. In 2001, I was a senator-judge. You will recall that I asked the very important questions which brought out the truth. I've always adhered to the truth. I did not fight for his impeachment, because the impeachment happens in the House of Representatives.

Impeachment emanates from the House, it was Senator [Manuel] Villar, it was, yes Senator Villar, then House Speaker who banged the gavel, and who impeached President Erap [Estrada's nickname-ed]. I did not impeach him. It was the congressmen in the Lower House. What we did in the Senate, was to hear the case of the impeached President, so that we would either vote for, or against his conviction.

As we all know, that prosecution walked out, there was EDSA Dos, and there was no conviction of the former president. I performed my role as a senator-judge. I studied well, being a non-lawyer. I believed that my role in the impeachment was crucial because I was able to bring out the truth, at least part of it in 2001. But then again, when we look back now--OK many of us were part of EDSA Dos, but where are [sic] everybody now?

Everybody have [sic] left the administration. And have gone to the opposition. Why? Because we're opposed to corruption. We're opposed to overspending in government, of government funds. We're opposed to things that are happening in government, which is not aligned with what we believed in 2001.

So I am definitely not uncomfortable that I am running with the party endorsed by former president Estrada because I have performed my role as a senator-judge impartial [sic] as I would want to call it in 2001; and when things didn't go right with the administration we helped install into office, and if they did not prove themselves worthy of the mandate of the people, then I believed, it was as right of us to move over and to fight against what they are doing.

Lynette Luna: As you said, you were number one in practically all the surveys, so if elected, or when elected, how will you define your term this time in the Senate?

Loren Legarda : OK, I wish I could enumerate all my bills and laws which I authored, hundreds of them and more the dozens of them enacted into law, but I will mention some.

Specifically for the women who are listening to us right now, I am the co-author and author and sponsor of the Anti-Domestic Violence Act. Very important for those who are listening to us abroad, because many of our innocent kababayans in the Visayas, in Mindanao are lured to go abroad, and they are trafficked, used as sex slaves, forced into bondage, into forced labor.

Because they don't know any better. Because the[y are] in dire need of financial upliftment. And the Anti-Trafficking In Person's Act, which I co-authored and pushed as majority leader had be enacted into law, it was in fact even lauded by the US government because trafficking is a syndicate even bigger than drug trafficking, and that's the trafficking in persons. A human trafficking. And that's very, very important that we have a law enacted.

Second, the anti-domestic violence act -- spousal abuse has been a problem in this country. Many of our women had suffered in silence, for decades. Either because of economic abuse, physical abuse, or even psychological or mental or emotional abuse.

Before when they were to complain to the police, or to the barangay captain, who could knock at their door, they will say "Ay, away mag-asawa lang 'yan." But now, the women have ammunition. And it had to take a woman majority leader, I would say so myself to be able to push this important measure. And when I see women crying on TV, case studies, or women will come to me and tell me, we're using your law, that you had authored to defend us against abusive live-in partners, boyfriends, or spouses, then I feel good that somehow I've helped uplift the state of our women in our country. That is just two of the pro-women bills that have become laws.

One other important law that I authored, which is very important in our Muslim population because we were the only country in Asia, with a Muslim population, that did not regard the end of Ramadan as a national holiday. And therefore, Eid-al-Fitr is now a holiday, and whenever it is Eid-Ul-Fitr, I get text from all over Mindanao that say, “In Shalamam, because of you, Eid-al-Fitr is now holiday.”

In fact my bill had twin holidays. It should have had Eid-al-Adha. It was blocked by the Senate then, but I intend to make it a national holiday, too. They may think, we Christians might think, what's that? It's just a holiday. But to them regarding it as a holy day, is so important to them and no less than the Saudi ambassador, the Brunei ambassador had congratulated me for what I did in 2001.

Another very important law which I principally authored and sponsored, was the Ecological Solid Waste Management law -- 'yung paghihiwa-hiwalay ng basura.

The segregation of garbage at source. Recycling and composting. That's very important for any industrializing third world nation, because there is money in garbage. If this policy is implemented in middle-class barangays like in Barangay Blue Ridge, and in areas in Navotas and Bulacan, and in Barangay Forbes Park which is upscale, why can't it be done around the country?

And therefore, six years ago, in 2001, the first law signed by then newly installed President GMA [Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] into office, was my law, the Solid Waste Management law, which as been again lauded by environmental groups and I did not do it alone. I did this with the support of people like Doctor Palaypay, of the University of the Philippines, of Odette Alcantara, Narda Camacho, Mother of Foundation of Hope, all helped me craft this law.

Another very important law that I authored which should be implemented, is a tropical fabric law. Again, it may not hit the headlines of the news in television and print, but it's a very important law, because it mandates that each government employees must wear natural or indigenous fiber, meaning piña, Philippine cotton, abaca, etc.

Why is it important? Because it does not only bring back pride in culture, in heritage, but it also gives livelihood, to people in the grass roots, dahil pag nagtanim ka ng abaca, ng piña, na banana, you know, immediately you would have a marketing outlet for all of these products, because there would be a demand, for these kinds of fibers, which comes from our native-grown products.

I can read a few other measures which I authored--the Clean Air Act of 1999, but why do we have still smoke belchers in our highways. Ibig sabihin nyan and LTO, calling on the LTO, help somebody does [sic] something about it. In our motorcades, I have a slight cough now, because I go out of my vehicle nilalalanghap ko -- I'm able to sniff all the dirty, polluted air of Metro Manila, because the law which I have authored with Senator Honasan in 1999 is not being effectively implemented and that's the Clean Air Act.

And it specifically mandates at the LTO, upon registration of all vehicles, muffler, checked, the emission testing of all these vehicles, and must not registered [sic] them, but why is it that they're many mobile sources of pollutions [sic]? Buses, jeeps which get registered but do not abide by the laws of the Clean Air Act.

Again very important law that I authored with the late Senator Blas Ople, was the PESO bill--Public Employment Service Office. Why is it important? The biggest problem of our country, millions of our countrymen are unemployed. This law mandates, that each mayor must appoint a PESO officer. A Public Employment Service Officer, to match the needs of the place, the town, or the city, with the talents of his constituents.

Now the Anti-Money Laundering Act, we were taken out of the blacklist from the international organizations because of our adherence to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which I helped push as a majority leader, and which I co-authored as well.

Again, we made a very stricter [sic], stringent measures in terms of drug abuse program -- through the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, which I helped author with the late senator Robert Barbers. Again, livelihood is so important. I saw to it that the barangay is empowered. The Barangay Business Enterprises Act looks at the needs of the barangays, and mandates again [that] the banks like Land Bank or the DBP, the Development Bank of the Philippines provides capital. Magpapautang sa Barangay so that they are given enough capital for their own livelihood. If you're not yet contented with all my bills, I can tell you more. OK.

The 70 percent of your listeners of the podcasting, I understand are overseas Filipinos. And our gift to them was a Dual Citizenship Act which of course was pushed by then Senator Franklin Drilon and the Overseas Absentee Voting Act. Unfortunately, in 2004, not many people yet knew about this or there was difficulty in its implementation, but hopefully now through mailing, voting by mail, through information dissemination of the consulates and the embassies, more people, overseas Filipinos can go to the respective embassies and vote. And I'd like to mention that I was part of the team that crafted as law, we even got to New York and did consultation with the overseas kababayans there.

Of course, I mentioned the citizenship retention and reacquisition act, and this allows all natural born Filipinos to reacquire their Philippine citizenship. You know, many of the Filipinos who go abroad, they maybe US citizens, yung iba naging British citizens na, etcetera, but their heart still belongs to the Philippines; they want to come back. They want to have a stake in the running of the affairs of state. They want to come back and retire here. And with this citizenship retention and reacquisition act, they're able to do this, and even able to own property. I can even tell you other measures which I did which are now Republic Acts.

For the people of Batanes, maybe those listening to us have relatives in Batanes, I made Batanes a protected area. The Ivatans are beautiful people. Batanes, I think were very proud of the culture of Ivatans and that must be protected.

The Early Childhood Care and Development Act was principally sponsored by Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta. You know I have to give credit where credit is due. But as Majority Leader, I pushed this and I also co-authored this measure with her.

People from Pangasinan, who are listening, I co-authored the city, that charter of the city of Alaminos, Pangasinan. I hope, I will be going there this week. I hope the people of Alaminos remember this. In fact they had made me an adopted daughter of the City of Pangasinan.

The people of Muntinlupa -- I was just there the other day. No wonder they received me so warmly. I'm also the author the Muntinlupa charter day.

And the Negros State College of Agriculture. The creation of this college is so important because we know, Panay in Region VI, specifically Negros is an agricultural area. And we know that the sugar planters need all the support. And therefore, we were part of the creation of this R.A. 9141.

The Leyte State University, we also had helped in R.A. 9158. The Film Development Council, the New Philippine Nursing Act which helped our nurses and give them more benefits. I also co-authored and co-sponsored that measure.

And we also had additional privileges for balikbayans who are coming home by allowing them a bigger allowance for purchases from the duty-free allocation to them. And in fact, the Cebu International School, giving them the authority to run as an international school--I also authored that, I think, yes. I principally authored that measure. And something very important, is the Magna Carta for the Working Child. There had been many child minors, child laborers in factories, who had been abused and deprived of their rights. But because of this Magna Carta for the Working Child, the rights are protected in line with the United Nations requirements offer the protection of the child.

You want some more?

Lynette Luna: Thank you very much.

Loren Legarda : Ok (laughs).

Lynette Luna: I think we are more than enlightened.

Loren Legarda : Yeah, and I will do more. You know, I only did this for only six years, and this is only legislation, Lynette. I did not limit myself to the four walls of the Senate. What I did was enact bills into laws, which are needed by various sectors.

As you can see, it's multi-sectoral, multi-dimensional. For the environment, for women, from Pangasinan to Cebu to Leyte. For the overseas Filipinos, for the Muslim Filipinos. Apart from that, what I did was also focus on projects because I'm very impatient person, I want results to be done yesterday. And I realized that sometimes, legislation take quite awhile. So what I did was I embarked on programs that did not require legislation.

That is the reason why I have a scholarship program under my Libro ni Loren Foundation, which started with the child miners, yung mga batang minero, from Paracale, Camarines, Norte. I've graduated 20 child minors, and it was expanded now to include Aetas of Zambales with the Rotary club of Makati as well as 24 children from Barangay Batulao with the Don Bosco brothers in Nasugbu, Batangas. So that under the Libro in Loren Foundation at sa awa naman na Diyos, nakaraos ako at even if for the past three years I was out of office and my resources were scrapping bottom with my electoral protest, I was able--though the help of friends, to be able to continue the scholarships of these children and they did not stop schooling.

Apart from that we have the Luntiang Pilipinas where we plant trees in every conceivable place. In a span of eight years we were able to plan eight million trees. And you can see some of that in the North and South Expressway, in every exit you see in the South. For example, Mamplasan across Brent school, the big acacia trees there were planted in 1998.

If you will recall, in '97, '98, these were all empty areas full of garbage. What we did with no government resources--underlined, no government resources-- through my initiative and the help of friends and sponsors and donors, we were able to plant trees and make them grow. Unfortunately, Milenyo had uprooted half at least the trees in the South Expressway, but we're continuing to replant now.

Lynette Luna: Thank you very much, Loren. Good luck in your campaign.

Loren Legarda : Thank you, Lynette.

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