Ambush interview after speaking at the NUP convention






Q: Sir bakit po natatagalan kayo mag-desisyon?

A: Dahil hindi pa kami nakakapag-ayos nung lahat nung aming, the different arrangements with the different groups. Kaya’t para maging pulido and orderly tinatapos na muna namin.

Q: Sir how do you view so far the proposals ni (inaudible)…?

A: The proposals? I would say, as expected—alam naman natin na pagka usapan na ganyan, yung mga subject matter na pinag-uusapan namin, ay ganyan naman talaga. I wouldn’t call it even a negotiation, it’s just a continuing discussion. Of course kaya nga everyone has a slightly different ideal, slightly different approach, kaya’t we have to reconcile the different approaches. So we will see.

Q: Sir anong mga considerations ninyo in making your decision?

A: Madami. There’s no single – shall we say – variable that determines one way or the other, it’s really a combination of many many things. You know we talk about the actual conduct of the campaign, we talk about the platforms, we talk about the merging of groups, we talk about the relationships between different candidates. And then also we have to be realistic and look at these political situations in every part of the country. Hindi lang naman sasabihin, you do not make this decision yung sasabihin yung survey lang ng buong Pilipinas. Titingnan mo kung saan ka malakas, kung saan ka mahina, kung papano magtutulungan—all of those things.



Q: Hindi na kayo babalik sir sa Senado?

A: Well, it’s still an option; it can happen. But as I said sa ngayon, sa nakaraang ilang linggo hindi na napapag-usapan yun at tinitingnan ko kung ano ba talaga ang available options para akin in view of all of the other candidacies that have been declared already. And as I said malapit lapit na tayo sa, we’re already October–mag-o-October na by the end of the week. So, very soon.

Q: Anong hinihintay mo sir? Within the week?

A: Within the next week siguro we’ll be able to makapag-announce na.

Q: Sir aside kay Binay sino pa yung kinakausap ninyo?

A: Lahat. You name it, I’m talking to them.

Q: Duterte sir?

A: Yes, I’m talking to my friend, the Mayor, and we’re trying to determine kung ano bang gusto nyang plano, kung ano ba talaga ang gusto nyang gawin. Sa ngayon parang hindi pa sya nakakapag-decide. So that’s another undetermined variable.


A: That’s one of the things.

Q: Sir yung “soon” mo ba is by September 30 or (inaudible)…?


Q: (inaudible)

A: Well he has annouced it many times. Yes.

Q: Senator you talked about polarizing politics in your speech, we’re you referring to the Aquino administration?





A: I don’t know kung malaki o maliit but syempre mababago ang political landscape di ba pagka pumasok sya so of course it’s going to be part of the assessment.



Q: …You talk to Sen. Manny Villar, what’s his advice to you?





A: Wala.

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