(Transcript of media interview)

Q: What do you think of the situation of Sen. De Lima because nalabas iyong phone number niya, her address, and sabi nga hindi siya makapasok today because she’s looking for a house actually?

 Sen. Bam: Well, it’s very unfortunate na nailabas iyong kanyang telephone number at saka iyong address niya. We’d like to hope that in the halls of Congress and the Senate, mayroon pa ring parliamentary courtesy. Mayroon pa rin pagkiling towards someone’s right to privacy.

Now we understand na ongoing iyong mga hearings sa kongreso. I think a resolution has also been filed already here that we also tackle these cases so the Senators can have a chance to question these witnesses as well and to check the veracity of their stories. We’ll probably take it from there. Doon na namin sila haharapin mismo.

 But again, you’d like to see some type of parliamentary courtesy. Noong tinanggal si Sen. De Lima bilang Chairperson on Justice, biglaan iyon sa amin. As we said in our statement the other day, kasama kami sa majority and yet no dialogue transpired. Walang consultation na nangyari. So, we felt that, at the minimum, some level of consultation or dialogue should have happened. Kaya kung napansin niyo, at the start of the hearing, Sen. Drilon was calling for a caucus. The reason for that was mapag-usapan. And, I truly believe that the concerns of our fellow Senators, kung pumayag sila na magkadiyalogo, ma-re-resolve naman na hindi kailangan tanggalin [si Sen. De Lima] doon sa Committee on Justice.

 And to be very frank, we were talking to Sen. De Lima yesterday, sabi namin “Kung ni-request sa iyo na ipaubaya mo ang pagiging chairperson for these hearings on extrajudicial killings, papayag ka ba?” 

 Sabi naman niya “Kung ni-request iyon sa akin ng colleagues ko, ba’t naman ako hindi papayag?”

 So we really believe that it was unncessary. It was too much. And kung pinayagan kaming mag-usap muna at magdiyalogo, puwede naman ito ma-resolve.

Q: What was behind the decision for you to stay in the majority?

 Sen. Bam: Well, you know, in the beginning, the reason for this supermajority is because each of us in our block, mayroon kaming mga repormang gustong maitulak. I’m Chairman of Education, so our Trabaho Centers, the Free Tuition Fee for SUCs, iyong ating programs for out-of-school youth – marami iyan.

 We all agreed yesterday that the reason for us being in the majority is because of our ability to push for these reforms. Kung kaya naming itulak ang mga repormang mahalaga sa bayan, magtatrabaho kami dito sa aming mga kumite. Kung hindi na namin kayang gawin iyon, ibang usapan iyon. If we are not allowed to push for these reforms, that’s a different take altogether. 

 And I think all of the members currently in the majority will stay in the majority because of that. At the end of the day, more than na-slight ka, more than nabastos ka, iyong mga repormang gusto mong itulak – iyon iyong mas mahalaga. And that was our decision. 

Q: Hindi ba sabi independent block under majority? 

 Sen. Bam: Well, may majority at may “medyo-rity”. Kami iyong “medyo-rity” diba. 

We’d like to think that in this supermajority, iba-iba rin iyong mga grupo diyan. Iba-iba din iyong mga pananaw sa mga iba’t-ibang issues. There are issues where we will all agree and there are issues where we won’t. And you will see that in our vote, and in our interpellations.  Ganoon lang talaga iyon.

Q: More criticisms? You will be more critical?

 Sen Bam: I think we’ve always had an independent stance in the Senate and in fact, I think that’s the role of the Senate in our history. Hindi lang sa current administration. Even during PNoy’s administration, GMA’s administration, even during Tita Cory’s administration, the Senate has always been an independent body. And I think iyon iyong pinakamahalaga, na ma-maintain – iyong independence. If we can maintain that independence, even while being in the majority and still able to push the reforms, ba’t kami aalis sa mayoria?

 Palagay ko, iyong pagiging independent, hindi lang iyan trabaho ng minority, trabaho iyan ng buong Senado.