Kapihan sa Senado Excerpts (first hour only)
May 17, 2007
Guest Speakers: Tonypet Albano, TU Deputy Spokesperson & Adel Tamano, GO Spokesperson


On the so-called unauthorized media quick count establishing a trend:

Tonypet: For us, we are not hitting the media per se, but we are finding the fault that if you can see the media surveys, the exit surveys that they were conducting, one they do not report where the election returns that they’ve gotten the numbers are from. Second, the distribution of percentage of electoral returns that they’ve gathered is not proportionate to the voting population of the whole Philippines. …what if now, it is coming now that there are more than 12-0, that are coming out, and that in major cities and major bailiwicks that we have, it’s a 10-2, 11-1, 8-4, and when the election results later on will not tally with the immediate quick count of the major networks, people will cry and say that the administration cheated, which is very much unfair for us.

Adel: …the track record of these polling companies, and track record of these quick counts, historically has been quite accurate, and you know just because it doesn’t favor one side, it seems unfair for that side to cry foul. When in 2004, that side was saying OK yung mga quick counts, cause it showed that they were winning. I think we just have to be consistent. For us in the Genuine Opposition, these media giants, they are doing their quick counts, we feel, as a service to the Filipino people. It is a public service, because the people want information…


On defending 12-0 /11-0 claim to victory of respective parties:

Tonypet: ..this will bear out later on, we are ready to defend, especially if we have the election returns. That’s why we cannot truly announce the numbers right now, and the actual number of voting, kasi wala pa ho sa amin yung election returns dito sa manila. And most of these areas are far-flung areas, sa Mindanao, sa Visayas. Salamat nga ko sa …, nakatawid yung mayor, kasi dun sila sa coastal areas. Masusuri naman po nyo, at malalaman nyo kung saka-sakaling me paltos yung aming election returns at meron silang kopya jan. kaya di kami nababahala. Defend kami dito kung saka-sakali, at kung makikita naman na di naman karapat-dapat yung 12-0, kung me pandaraya dun, we are willing to submit to the Comelec ruling…what I am saying is let us not cry foul when there is no evidence. Wag naman tayong bintang ng bintang, ah si ganun, si ganito nandaya, eh wala naman tayong ebidensyang ilalabas.

Adel: …yah they are defensible in specific areas. The opposition, they have bailiwicks. The administration, yes they do have bailiwicks. Pero hindi naman po ganun kasimple lang yun eh, just because it is your bailiwick, necessarily you will get a certain number. For me each case has to be specifically investigated. I feel that at the end of the day, although the administration will claim that if the result will not favor us, that we will cry foul, the opposition will cry foul. I think, that, that’s a presumption that has no basis yet. It’s premature. We feel that if ever we do cry foul, it is based on evidence . from the start, we have tried to do a credible campaign and for us we will maintain that type of campaigning and moreover, if we ever make allegations of cheating, we will have the evidence. And that’s why we are focused on the ER collection specifically.


On the rank of singson and Kiram in the Maguindanao sweep:

Adel: ...allow me first to say that I mean no disrespect to the leaders in maguindanao, because they are my relatives and I have personal relations with them, but I really was surprised that chavit singson was no. 1. I was expecting that a Christian and non-mindanaon would not fare that well in Mindanao. So I am quite surprise given na that the ARMM is an administration bailiwick, but I would have expected that Kiram would have been the no. 1. so that for me was surprising. We are not saying necessarily that there was cheating, but for me, it seems to be an indication that there’s cheating…


Tonypet: …in my own explanation with chavit singson, chavit singson has been battling for federalism. What does that mean, to empower the provinces to be more strong so that they can take advantage of the resources that are centered toward growth cities. This is what federalism all about, and the maguindanaoans, and even the provincemates in the muslim Mindanao are for federalistic type of government, where the government is decentralized and given power towards the provinces. This is the no. 1 slogan and platform of chavit singson which am sure that is the reason why he became no. 1 in maguindanao. Now to tell you frankly, I even have an explanation for Kiram being number 12 in maguindanao. He was the one, I was with him in so many places that he said, it is OK for me to be no. 12 , just as long as I am part of the no. 12. when you write me at no. 12 is OK.



On the status of congressional bets of administration (percentage-wise):

Tonypet: …we are happy…but i cannot give you exact figures because in some areas, they protested some election returns…most of our congressmen, we are happy that even, I think now less than 30 of the congressional candidates will win in this coming elections. What does that it say. Remember that the impeachment starts in the House of Representative. I think 200, at least 200 of the 230 congressional candidates are for the administration. What does this say? That means, impeachment, is in the House of Representative, and the House of Representative twice killed the impeachment. If there is a backlash against this administration, the very first ones that should had been lost in this election, yung natatalo sa election ang mga congressman ng administration. But, nadagdagan pa kami. What does that mean? We in the administration, especially the president, has the mandate of the people, with the vote of confidence of yes. Because later on, the senators will change parties as they change hat.


On the fate of the impeachment given the positive status of the administration’s congressional bets:

Adel: … hindi naman nasa priority yung impeachement. To be very fair, for us if we do decide to pursue an impeachment against the president, we will always be based on what is good for the country, and if we feel that it is not good for the country, at the certain point in time to do it, then we wont. We are not obsessed, with that. We are not a one-agenda party. We have other legislative agendas and other policy measures that we want to undertake. And the impeachment, if we really got to be frank, not necessarily the highest priority

-end -
(exceprts from first hour of the forum only)