Transcript of Senator Pia S. Cayetano Media Interview

PHILIPPINES, July 17 - Press Release
July 17, 2024

Transcript of Senator Pia S. Cayetano Media Interview
Mabalacat, Pampanga
July 16, 2024

Q: Tell us about today's event

PSC: Actually, kapag naka-break kami sa session, yun talaga yung gawain namin, mag-ikot sa bansa and for me kasi, Pampanga is very close to my heart. Narinig niyo naman yung mga kwento ko na parang second home ko na ito. Yung mga triathletes, mga bikers dito, kilala ko. And of course, I have a very personal relationship with Mayor Cris kasi I love public officials who advocate health and sports. Hindi yan parang past time na nakakasayang ng oras, kundi nakakabuti. So I'm just really happy to be here.

Q: What are your priority measures when session resumes?

PSC: If you recall, just before kami nag-break, nagkaroon ng reorganization in the Senate. So I am the new Chairperson of the Committee on Energy. Actually, before pa lang mag-resume ng session, meron na akong hearing set on a very important issue surrounding energy, yung paggamit at pag-promote ng use of indigenous natural gas. Very important sa time natin ngayon kasi if you recall din, I was the Chairperson of the Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking and part of that is also yung may security tayo, energy security. I mean, sino ba naman ang happy kapag nagba-brownout? We have to explore ano ang solutions natin, long-term solutions. And one of them is yung sarili nating natural gas, yung available sa Pilipinas, among others. May mga nabasa din ako na investments sa geothermal. But these are long-term plans. Yung nararanasan natin na mga parang I would call it an energy crisis, because when people have regular brownouts, that's a crisis. It's really an effect of lack of long-term planning. So hopefully, in my term, makatulong tayo sa government agencies that are in charge of this.

Q: On PhilHealth's budget

PSC: Ako kasi ang Chairperson ng budget ng DOH and the education sector. Every year, inaaral natin ang budget ng PhilHealth. And very recently, nagkaroon ng statement ang DOF na kukunin nila ang pondong hindi nagamit ng PhilHealth. In fact, may nakuha na, may portion na binalik na sa Treasury para magamit sa ibang bagay. Umangal ngayon ang mga health advocates na, bakit mo kukunan ng pera, bakit mo tatanggalin ang pera ng PhilHealth eh kulang na kulang pa nga ang mga serbisyo ng PhilHealth para sa mga pangangailangang pangkalusugan ng mga tao? So, I will be studying this matter very carefully because nasa batas kasi natin, yung Universal Healthcare Law, sinabi doon na kapag may excess sa revenues ng PhilHealth, kailangan yun gamitin para dagdagan ang programa ng PhilHealth, at tsaka posibleng babaan ang contribution ng tao. Ang tanong ng health advocates, bakit tinanggal? Ang sabi naman ng DOF, hindi yan revenues ng PhilHealth, hindi yan revenues na galing sa mga contribution ng members, yan ay government subsidy. So familiar tayo diyan kasi nga Chairperson tayo ng budget for the past 4 years na. And inaaral ko ngayon ang figures na pine-present ngayon ng DOF at ang alam kong figures for all those years na naging Chairperson ako na, ano yung contribution ng government, ano yung galing sa tao? Kasi we need to just be transparent and responsible to the public na kung contribution nila yun, we follow the law that this is only for the use of PhilHealth sa pagdagdag ng programa, ng services.

Kapag government subsidy, then I think that's an interesting question. Medyo technical na tayo, but abogado po ako kaya pag-pasensyahan niyo na. The GAA, the law, the Appropriations Act every year states na may mga unprogrammed funds. So pwede bang kunin yung nilagay sa PhilHealth? Because hindi nga nagamit, PhilHealth being a GOCC, covered ba siya doon? Eh na-mingle na siya sa contributions din ng mga tao. So I don't have the answer but like the health advocates, I'm very concerned. Ayoko siyempre mabawasan yung pondo para sa healthcare.

Q: Yung implementing rules and regulations, medyo maraming technical na dapat repasuhin.

PSC: I would be very happy to meet with the representatives of the leagues to find out kung ano ang mga issues nila. Because author ako ng maraming batas on health, including, co-author ako diyan sa Universal Healthcare, tapos yung batas natin creating the Food and Drug Authority, lahat yan. Kung hindi naman nai-implement nang maayos, then hindi clear ang rules, then I would be very happy.

Just to bring up an old topic na familiar na kayo, ganoon din yung mga hospital owners, maliliit, nagreklamo sila na sila yung abonado, hindi nababayaran on time. Tuwing kausap ko naman yung PhilHealth lately, naayos na daw, nabayaran na daw, tapos babalikan ako, ay hindi pa daw bayad. Of course I hope, I wish na yung time ko as a senator, hindi ako ma-drag dyan dahil that's really implementing agency ang in charge. But I'm very happy to support in any way na magkaliwanagan kasi health is wealth, yun nga yung aking speech.

Q: Nominado po ang Angeles City World Culinary Awards 2024 as best emerging culinary destination. Why do you think Angeles should win this?

PSC: Well a little bit of history, particularly for the foreigners who don't know the Filipino history and culture, ever since I was a child, we would drive from, taga-Manila po ako, magda-drive kami papuntang Baguio, and talagang magsa-stopover ka talaga sa Pampanga kasi kilala talaga yan na masarap ang pagkain. I'll say it in English because I want the foreigners to know, Pampanga is really a destination for eating, to put it simply.

But what I want to add there is, it's not just the food, it's the people. It's like going home to your grandmother's house na you see loved ones, it's a very homey atmosphere. And I think it's lutong bahay na masarap. One of the blessings I had, because nga balik ako ng balik dito to bike, is that if you ask me ano yung pinakasikat? Eh kasi sinasama ako ng mga biker friends ko sa mga karinderya. So mga tabi-tabing pagkain na kahit saan ka pumunta, masarap. But just to mention a few favorites na hindi lutong bahay. Well I guess, ang pinanggalingan nun is siguro mga home recipes din, no? Pero bawal ho ito sa may mga diabetes, okay? Yung Susie's, at saka yung Razon's. Bawal sa may diabetes yan, pero masarap talaga.

Q: Ano po ang favorite niyo na Kapampangan food?

PSC: Well, it's so basic, okay? And I cannot say that it is only found in Pampanga, but it is known in Pampanga. Yung pritong hito, tapos may talong, tapos may burong hipon. Mamamatay ako ng masaya, tapos maraming kanin. Napakasimple lang, sabi ko nga simple lang. At saka diba may native kayo na hot chocolate, tsokolate? Batirol. Tapos diba mayroon din doon na parang malagkit na kanin. Yung style doon na nandun sa loob? Yun, favorite ko yun.

Q: Plans for SONA?

PSC: If you ask me this question now that I'm the Senate Committee Chairperson of Energy and then you compare it to the time that I was Senate Committee Chairperson of something else, syempre doon ako naka-focus doon sa trabaho ko, diba? Pero pwede ko kayo bigyan ng litanya ng lahat ng gusto ko. But as Chairperson of Energy, I really want to hear about energy security.

Because, in the late 1980s to 90s when we had the energy crisis, na yung mga nanay hindi na makatulog dahil papaypayan na lang yung anak mo, hindi man lang maka-electric fan, diba? Tapos, anglaki ng gastos. Yung mga may kaya naman, bibili pa ng diesel na generator. Nakakalungkot every time na mabasa ko na may brownout. So ako personally, I want that to be included in the SONA. Na talagang, because the energy crisis or the stability of our supply, honestly won't be resolved during the term of this presidency, this administration. But it can be solved today for the next 10, 20, and 30 years para sa mga anak natin, mga apo na natin. So that's what I want, na 20 years from now, hindi tayo tanungin na, bakit wala kang ginawa? Hindi kayo nagpundar? Because that involves so much investment. So we have to make it attractive for big companies to put up explorations of the indigenous sources, and then investments, and all of that. So, yeah, that's my hope.

Q: Mainit na usapin ang mataas nga na presyo ng kuryente. As Chairperson of the Energy Committee, paano nyo maa-address ito?

PSC: I think na-answer ko naman yun in so many words na the reliability of the energy supply. Kasi kaya tumataas yan, kasi nagkaka-shortage during peak hours. So ngayon magkakaroon yan ng parang bidding na bilihan sila sa parang stock market, parang ganun yun. So kapag may shortage ng gulay, tataas yung presyo ng gulay. Kapag may shortage ng isda, ganun lang din. But if we plan, supply and demand. if we plan it properly, then nababawasan yung time na ginigipit tayo. And if you ask me, doon tayo mag-invest, doon sa sariling atin. So if it's geothermal, indigenous natural gases, of course, renewable. I'm very much a renewable supporter. But yun nga, long-term planning. Sadly, binobola ko kayo pag may magsasabing bukas, next month maso-solve ito. Because that's short-term solutions. We need the long-term solutions.

Q: How about Bataan Nuclear Power Plant?

PSC: Well, from what I know, and I am just a student. I am a student of the energy policies right now. A lot of countries in the world are using nuclear. But the technology is changing every day. Kung tinayo yung Bataan Nuclear, what was that, 20 plus years ago, medyo ang layo na rin ng technology. So I'm not the expert. Nakikinig po tayo sa experts. If we will go nuclear, there are a list of requirements. And I pray to God na walang magbalak mag-shortcut noon. Because if we ever will go nuclear, we have to make sure na naset natin yung standards na yan so that we are prepared. Hindi pwede yung, kumbaga, o sige, swimmer ka, pak, bato ka sa tubig. Hindi pwedeng ganoon. Kailangan prepared ka, lahat. Meron kang mga experts who are knowledgeable. Meron kang standards that we can keep. And we're not even there yet. So it's not even a discussion we can have right now.