KARMINA CONSTANTINO (KC): Governor Escudero joins on the program. Governor, good afternoon to you welcome to the program. Thanks for joining us today.
GOVERNOR CHIZ ESCUDERO (CHIZ): Karmina, magandang hapon sa lahat ng televiewers natin. Magandang hapon at pagbati mula sa lalawigan ng Sorsogon.
KC: I just described you as one of the most sought-after senatorial candidate. What is your explanation for that? Why do you think they want you on their slate?
CHIZ: Sa henerasyon natin, Karmina, ang kilala nating personal na ka-trabaho, karamihan ng tumatakbo ngayon at personal kong kilala halos lahat ng tumatakbo at nakatrabaho na. Para sa akin, positibong aspeto ‘yun, looking at it afterwards. Dahil kung posibleng magkaisa ang mga kandidato sa isa, dalawa o tatlong mga kandidato sa iba’t ibang puwesto baka posible rin magkaisa sila pagkatapos ng eleksyon sinuman manalo dahil kakailanganin nila ang tulong ng bawat isa. Hindi kakayanin, Karmina, ng isa. Ang presidente lamang ng partido lang niya, ng grupo niya harapin laking problemang dinala sa atin ng COVID.
KC: But what is that tell you? What does that tell the public though, Governor, about your resolve, your principles, your agenda given that you appear in several slates. At this point, you appear officially in Lacson’s, Pacquiao’s and Robredo’s slates?
CHIZ: Pagpapatunay siguro, Karmina, na sa trabaho namin nakita nila makakatulong ako sinuman manalo sa kanila sa darating na halalan. Dagdag pa siguro doon sinuman nag-aalok ng tulong sa pamamagitan ng pag-ampon sa kandidatura wala sigurong kandidatong magsasabing ayoko hindi ko kailangan ng tulong ninyo. Ika nga, ‘pag sinabing ia-adopt ka, ang sagot palagi doon, Karmina, ay pasasalamat. At iyon ang ginawa ko sa lahat ng nag-ampon ng kandidatura ko so far – ang pinasalamatan ko, both privately and publicly.
KC: Pasasalamat pero nasaan po ang prinsipyo tanong ng ilan, Governor?
CHIZ: Karmina, wala pa namang pagpapasya at desisyon. Karamihan sa ating botante hindi pa rin naman nagpapasya kung sino ang iboboto nila. Sa totoo lang, lahat ng mga kandidato wala pa namang nilalahad na plataporma na siyang dapat basehan sa pagpili ng susunod nating magiging pangulo. Sa mga nagdaang panahon ako mismo nagpasya mga bandang Pebrero o Enero na ‘yung pinakahuli maliban sa kandidatura ni Senator Grace Poe dahil sabay kaming tumakbo. Noong nakaraan sa pagkapangulo ng dating Pangulong Noynoy Aquino. Mga January, February na ako nagpasya na siya ang susuportahan at dalhin bagaman kilala ko rin ang mga ibang tumatakbo. Sa ngayon Karmina, sagot lamang sa mga katanungan na binibigay ng mga presidential candidates mula sa media, mula sa publiko wala pa naman naglalahad ng kumpletong plataporma kung doon sana natin ibase susuportahan o iboboto sa darating na eleksyon.
KC: So nangangahulugan ba Governor, nangangahulugan ba as we see things progress, eventually, you will drop out of their slate given that you appear in several slates or this is it. That whether or not you agree with their platform, you still welcome being part of their slate.
CHIZ: Yes, Karmina and this is happened to me in the past. Kung maalala n’ong tumakbo ako n’ong 2013 nasa linyada ako ni dating Pangulong Aquino, nasa linyada din ako ni dating Pangulong Estrada kasama si Senator Grace. Sa kalagitnaan ng pagkampanya, nagpasya si dating Pangulong Estrada na ilaglag kami sa linyada nila. Ang kapasyahang ‘yon, Karmina, wala sa kamay ko, nasa kamay palagi nila.
KC: Alright. Let’s talk about your inclusion in the Rodredo-Panglinan slate, what made you say yes to be included?
CHIZ: Why not Karmina? Again, sinumang nag-aalok ng tulong sa pamamagitan ng pag-ampon ng kandidatura ko o sino mang tumatakbo, bakit mo hihindian. Ang dagdag pa n’on ang hindi makakaila, bagaman naglaban kami ni Vice President Robredo n’ong nagdaang eleksyon, taga-Bicol siya. ‘Yung kanyang last name na ‘Gerona’ ay taga-dito sa Sorsogon mismo, sa Bulan. Sa katunayan, Karmina, bibisita yata si Vice President Robredo any time this week sa aming lalawigan at malamang ay magkikita kami sa pagbisita n’ya dito bilang ama ng lalawigan.
KC: But then we have to talk about her running mate Senator Francis Pangilinan, we know the history there, we know what happened when he merely said noted to every single reservation after the elections. How were you able to go pass that?
CHIZ: I’m constrained, Karmina, to say that I am a member of the NPC. Although the NPC has not yet decided which candidate to support, Senate President Sotto is the chairman of the NPC although he has not yet convened the meeting to formally decide as a party, who the party will support. That’s what I told you initially when the interview began that NPC as a party has not yet decided. Usually, they decide late too. Sometime in March, sometime in April probably that when the NPC will decide. But the decision of the NPC, Karmina, can be either supporting a particular candidate or allowing the members to choose whom to support. Given that there is no NPC presidential candidate. Although there is an NPC vice presidential candidate.
KC: So is that how it goes, Governor, that you just have to learn how to compartmentalize things in your path to the Senate. If you so, when?
CHIZ: I don’t call it compartmentalizing, Karmina, I’d rather call it as a process that people have to go through because at the end of the day whom so ever will win, they will come from various and different parties and they have to be able to work together, work with each other. In fact, even with those even losses this coming – which will be losing this coming election. We need the help of everyone in order to put our country forward again given the pandemic and the crisis brought about by the pandemic. So, the process which encompasses only 90 days is actually short compared to the 6 years that officials will be seating in various positions or 3 years for local posts.
KC: Alright, now I just want to go back to an earlier question governor. You were spokesperson of the late Fernando Poe Jr when he ran for the presidency and we all know what happened there right. It’s still very vivid how Senator Francis Pangilinan there just took note of every single reservation. So again, my question, how were you able to go above that beyond that and find yourself included in the Robredo-Pangilinan slate?
CHIZ: Karmina, we don’t have to agree on everything. We don’t have to have a perfect relationship and agree in everything in order to be able to work together. It’s quite possible on you. It’s not only possible, it’s actually what’s happening. You can work with other people in terms of things that you get along with and can work together, and you can also agree to disagree that happens between husbands and wives and that happens within parents and their children, more so between public servants and politicians and public officials.
KC: So, let me go back to you inclusion on several slates now governor. Will you see, whoever wins right the fact that they included you in their slate, tatanawin niyo ho ba ‘yon na utang na loob and how will this translate if you so win in the agenda that you will pursue at the Senate?
CHIZ: Mula’t mula, Karmina, utang ko palagi anumang posisyon ko sa anumang puwesto sa bumoto sa akin at hindi bumoto sa akin. Tigi-tigisa lahat ng boto. Ikaw isang boto. Ako isang boto. Si Vice President Robredo, isang boto. Senator Pacquiao, isang boto. Mayor Isko, isang boto. That’s the most that come election day they can actually give me. Ang utang na loob dapat ng lahat ng manalo sa anumang eleksyon, sa botante nila, sa constituents nila na naglagay sa kanila sa puwesto hindi sa kahit na sino pa man o automatic na kahit mali na pikit-mata kang susunod, kahit mali na isasara mo ang bibig mo at bubusalan ka at hindi ka na magsasalita. I have never been like that in any of the positions I’ve held in government.
KC: I want to go back to when you ran for the vice presidency together with Senator Grace Poe at that time you included Neri Colmenares in your slate, correct?
CHIZ: That is correct, Karmina.
KC: And what do you make of what is happening now to Neri Colmenares and the block his non-inclusion in the slate of Robredo and Pangilinan?
CHIZ: I saw Neri’s statement. He said, he respects the decision of the vice president and that his group respects his non-inclusion in her slate. Kung sa kanya mismo ginagalang n’ya walang rason para hindi ko ‘rin galangin dahil hindi naman ako bahagi nung nagpasya sinong masasama at hindi masasama sa grupo. Pero sa paniniwala ko tuloy ang kandidatura ni Neri at hinidi s’ya magwi-withdraw sa kan’yang kandidatura sa pagka-senador. Hindi pa naman tapos na nabubuo lahat ng mga slate, Karmina, so hintaying natin etong mga susunod na araw. I think there are two more presidentiables or three more presidentiables that are yet to announce their senatorial slate.
KC: Why was it easy for you and for Senator Grace Poe to include Atty. Neri Colmenares in your slate then?
CHIZ: Because our policy that time was inclusion, to be able to include various persuasion so that we can come up with a platform and we can come up with a mode of governance that would encompass all the various sectors even sometimes competing sectors. And I think, Karmina, that’s what you’re seeing in some of the slate’s kaya ‘di ba nakikita mo nagsama ‘yung magkaaway dati, ‘yung ‘di magkasundo dati. And I won’t mention names anymore, simply because they wanted to include various persuasion and hope to bring to the table all of these different groups and persuasions to have a comprehensive, holistic approach to the problems being faced by our people and in our country.
KC: There were insinuations, Gov. Escudero, that you carried the block ben and yet they campaigned for president Duterte on the ground, can you confirm this?
CHIZ: I’m not aware, I heard those allegations, alam mo naman ‘pag ang pulitika, Karmina, masyadong manipis ang pasensya ng mga tao’t masyadong sensitive, but that is never affected me. For sure, it’s not 100%, for sure there are some who carried their own beliefs but I have no reason to doubt that they supported both of us or majority at least, and the leaders supported us at that time.
KC: There’s another presidential candidate that has yet to, as you said, announced their Senatorial slate, that’s Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Have you been in talks with him? Will you be included in his slate?
CHIZ: That’s his decision, Karmina, but, yes, I’ve talked to him, I saw him at an occasion in Manila, and we got, we had a good exchange with respect to what’s going on, what he’s doing, you have to understand, Karmina, we have a long relationship as well. Tumayo s’yang Ninong sa unang kasal ko ‘non. So, magkakilala kame medyo matagal tagal na.
KC: Yeah, and of course your father was also one of his former, one of President’s, the late dictator’s former ministers.
CHIZ: Yes, Karmina, and I also remember that I ran also against him in the last elections, because he ran for vice president as well.
KC: So, many are asking, what has he done for the country to even think of running for the presidency?
CHIZ: Karmina, ang requirement ng presidency ay napaka-basic. Nakita ko nga sa Tiktok na mas marami pang requirements ang security guard kaysa maging pangulo ng ating bansa. Maging ganunpaman hindi para sa akin Karmina na magsalita sa ngalan o sa pangalan nila basta’t nag-comply sila sa limang requirements na tinatalaga ng Saligang-Batas: natural born citizen, at least 40 years old, able to read and write, registered voter, resident of the Philippines. Iyun ang tinalaga ng Saligang-Batas at kung meron ka nung limang ‘yun may karapatan kang tumakbo.
Siguro Karmina masakit sa tainga ninuman sabihing, “ano ang karapatan mong tumakbo?” and that applies to all those who are running. Porke ba hindi nakapagtapos hindi pa naman karapatan makapagtapos sa kolehiyo sa ating bansa hindi ka na puwedeng tumakbo at ialay ang sarili mo presidente man o mayor o governor. Wala namang ganoon.
Sa dulo, kung ayaw mo talaga sa partikular na kandidato ‘wag mo iboto. At kung gusto man siya ng ibang tao ‘di hayaan mo iboto siya. Magbibilangan tayo pagdating ng araw ng eleksyon at malalaman natin kung sino ang sinoportahn ng mayorya ng mga Pilipino na siyang magsisilbi bilang pangulo n gating bansa.
When I first ran in Congress in 1998, I was asked the very same question Karmina. “Ano ang karapatan mo tumakbo porke’t anak ka lang ng tatay mo?” Lahat tayo naniniwala ako pwedeng ialok sa bayan nakapag-aral man o hindi, nakapagtapos man o hindi, may karanasan man o hindi, bata man o matanda basta’t qualified by age under the Constitution. And let the voters decide whom they will pick. ‘Yung nakapag-aral hindi naman mas magaling pumili ng susunod na presidente kumpara sa hindi nakapag-aral na botante.
KC: You know Governor, darating ang panahon na kailangan kang tumaya and with your appearance with several slates even if you haven’t appeared on Bongbong Marcos’ slate yet officially how can you assure the public that you will stand with the people? And that you will be true to your principals whatever those are. At hindi ‘yung marami kang amo at marami kang kailangan pagbigyan.
CHIZ: Marami talaga akong amo, Karmina, dahil sambayanang Pilipino ang amo ng sinumang halal na opisyal. Iyon lamang ang tinuturing kong amo at gagabayan ako palagi nun. I’ve been in politics and government service for the past 23 years, Karmina, and I don’t think I have been accused of not having a position or not taking a stand especially on important issues that face our people. In fact, in most of those issues I was at the forefront taking a particular side. I haven’t been known for that I am not like that and surely, I will not be like that still. Again, sa dulo ang utang ng loob ng sinumang mananalo sa eleksyon sa taumbayan na bumoto at naglagay sa kanila dahil mayaman man o mahirap; presidential candidate man o hindi; pangulo man o hindi tigi-tig-isang boto lang tayo pagdating ng eleksyon.
KC: Sorsogon Governor Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero thank you for joining us this afternoon. Appreciate you coming to the show, take care and you keep safe.
CHIZ: Thank you, Karmina, and keep safe as well!
KC: Thanks, appreciated.