"What this Country needs is not a change OF men but a change IN men" March 1980

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Energy Crisis, Garci Flight and FedEx Departure Interview Transcript -8/18/2005

ON ENERGY CRISIS/ GMA’S EMERGENCY POWER

GORDON: I am supportive of that. I have been suggesting this since last year. I have seen what other countries have done like in Thailand, to prepare for the energy crisis. And I think it is important that in this crisis we are quick-footed and quick-willed as well because kung babagal-bagal tayo dyan, mahihirapan ang tao. Kaya kailangan bigyan na natin ng takdang emergency power ang Presidente para kung kinakailangang magpaganap siya ng mga bagay na kailangang gawin ukol dito sa krisis sa koryente at gasoline ay magawan kaagad ng paraan.

INTERVIEWER: What are the parameters?

GORDON: Well, obviously there will be parameters. We will wait for the proposal from Malacanang. Halimbawa, kailangang mag-rationing, matagal ‘yan kung magbabatas ka. Kailangan magkaroon ka ng tinatawag na car-pooling. Kailangan natin ng mga bicycle lane sa mga certain areas. Kailangan natin na may oras ng pagpatay ng koryente. Yung mga ganyan bagay dapat pwede nang isagawa iyan pero kung sasabihin natin na aabot sa ibang lugar ay hindi naman seguro pu-pwede iyan. Maganda na rin na sabihin ng Malacanang kung ano ang mga proposal nila at palagay ko marami namang sasang-ayon dahil kailangan talaga ang pagkakataon iyan.

INTERVIEWER: Pero sir, kailangan pa ba ang emergency power considering the legislation that we have already? That they not already are within the scope of the executive…?

GORDON: There will always be certain instances seguro na kakailanganin iyan. Kung biglang tumaas yan, ako pini-predict ko nga na ‘yang langis baka umabot ng $100 kapag sumipa ang India. Ang China lalong lumakas and konsumo kaya tumataas ang halaga ng langis, wala na tayong kontrol sa paglilimit nang paggamit ng koryente at fuel. Sa mga opisina ng gobyerno ay dapat talagang malinaw iyan. Obviously, you can not cover all pero as much as possible we should a have the leeway anyway this is an emergency. Parang giyera iyan. Kailangang makagawa tayo ng mga dapat na ipaganap kaagad at kung may kailangan ay saka natin pag-usapan sa Kongreso kung kailangang i-limit natin. But in the meantime na nangyayari na iyan, bigyan mo na lang siya ng emergency powers. Ilabas niya ang emergency power at rebyuhin (review) natin at isasagawa ang mga limitations kung inaakala nating may limitations. So babagal na naman tayo kung magde-debate na naman d’yan.


ON GARCI ISSUE

INTERVIEWER: Confirmation is out already from the Singaporean government that Garcilliano was able to flee from the Philippines. Should agency official be held liable for…?

GORDON: Iyan ang problema natin, our borders are very porous. Kung sa Subic ay lumabas iyan dapat imbestigahan yung mga awtoridad sa Subic kung papaano nakalabas ang mga taong iyan. Bakit nakakalabas doon? Nangyari na rin yan di ba doon sa sinasabi nilang dalawang aide ni Senator Lacson. Yun dalawang police colonel ba yun na nakapunta sa Amerika? Kung ginagamit nila iyan dapat bantayan natin yung mga awtoridad sa Subic ng Immigration at ng Airport authority doon para sa ganoon ay maipaliwanag nila kung paano sila nakakalusot at nakakagawa ng ganyang bagay. Yun dapat ang imbestigahan ng Kongreso.

INTERVIEWER: Sir, ano po ang maihahabol natin sa kanila?

GORDON: Wala pa kasing naka-file na kaso laban kay Garcilliano kaya hindi mo pwedeng extradite iyan unless mag-file na kaso ang oposisyon o sinumang sangay ng gobyerno. Mangyayari iyan kung halimbawa’y kakanselahin ang passport niya. Pwedeng kanselahin o kaya i–extradite siya dahil may kaso na. Magagawa natin iyan pero syempre, right now, sa dami-dami ng security sa Europe ay madaling makuha iyan kung talagang kukunin dahil nag-iingat ang buong mundo sa terorista. Makukuha iyan kung kailangang kunin.

INTERVIEWER: May hold departure order sa House?

GORDON: Wala naman hold departure order sa Immigration. Maaaring huli na iyon dahil mukhang lumabas na ito (Garci) noon pa. Two months ago na diba? Wala pa yatang hold-departure order kay Garcilliano noong mga panahon iyon.

ON FEDEX ISSUE

INTERVIEWER: Doon sa FedEx bakit nakaalis?

GORDON: Well, we ought to know that something like a FedEx or UPS will always be wooed by other countries because we wooed them away from Macau, Taiwan, and Okinawa during the days of competition in the 1990s that we were trying to get it. So when you have a Fedex, you should really take good care of it not only by making sure that the rules stay in place that we agreed on, that the accommodation that were given to them are strictly followed but also to try and make sure that more investments should have come in to Subic and to Central Luzon so that they would have business to justify their existence in Subic. But obviously, I knew from the very beginning that we could lose them to China because I was asked by Chairman Smith when we were negotiating about China and its intentions. The other opportunity loss in the FedEx system, while FedEx was there, we got companies like Acers and other industries that deal heavily on Air-cargo. That should be have been done. Apparently it was not done so nawalan ng interes sila. Ganoon ang nangyari, nakulangan ang merkado at nakulangan din ang alaga. May balita pa nga ako na yung bahay ng isang FedEx manager ay kinuha ng chairman ng Subic noong paalis na siya. Nilabas ang gamit doon at siya ang pumasok doon sa bahay na nakataya sa FedEx. Parang napikon doon ang FedEx.

INTERVIEWER: Saka may problem sila sa inside job, may special report kami(ABS-CBN) doon tungkol sa mga packages na nababawasan.

GORDON: That is correct. In other words napabayaan talaga.



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