Kapihan Sa Senado with Senator Joel Villanueva

PHILIPPINES, January 16 - Press Release
January 16, 2025

Kapihan Sa Senado with Senator Joel Villanueva
January 16, 2025

Senator Joel Villanueva (SJV): It's always a joy and a pleasure to be a part of Kapihan sa Senado. Hindi lang karangalan, kundi malaking responsibilidad ng umupo at umarap sa bawat isa po sa inyo. At tingin ko ito'y napakalaking bahagi ng aming trabaho bilang mga kinatawan ng taong bayan.

Dinner with PBBM

Q: Sir, ang una muna, last Monday, you had dinner in Malacanang hosted by PBBM and First Lady Lisa Araneta Marcos. How's the dinner?At ano po yung mga napag-usapan ninyo?

SJV: How's the dinner? Ano yung ulam? Ano yung... Masaya naman, okay naman kasi I think the last time that they hosted us was June of 2024 and I don't think I was able to attend that dinner. It was supposed to happen December of 2024, because of work and alam naman natin yung intricacies and budget, yung mga na-call it brouhaha, hindi talaga umabot. So, naging January. Chill lang. If there's one thing work-related on my end, kasi it's ano eh, kami pa, umiikot lang, kwentuhan. Kasi that's the first time also we see each other. Mga colleagues natin. The only thing that I can share na medyo work-related is when the President saw me, he said, 'O Joel, yung mga flood control, ah, vineto ko'. Kaya si President, I'm aware doon sa DPWH of the P26 billion na vetoed by the President, P17 billion, is part of the flood control. And he made mentioned, alam naman natin kung anong kahihinatnan. Kaya ako sabi ko, yes, thank you, Mr. President. Kasi ito nga yung maliliit, patsi patsi na alam naman, but overall, budget, overall, flood control. Kasi if you recall, and I think the President knows very well how I'm very interested and keen on monitoring flood control programs of the government. From P1.44 billion last year na ginagastos a day, it's down now to P1.37 billion a day. So, malaki pa rin. Hindi ho ba malaki pa rin. P17 billion yung nabawas sa DPWH. And, yun lang yung sasabihin ko. I will continue to look into it. Because, even the President somehow asked me na, oh, bantayan pa rin natin, tingnan pa rin natin. Hindi pa rin tapos yung trabaho natin para i-ensure na maayos yung programs natin sa flood control. Parang yun lang. That's the only thing that I can remember. Wala nang, everything is, kamusta yung bakasyon, saan nagpunta, anong ginawa nitong break. Parang more of that lang or the food that we are having. Because I'm seated on the other side of the table eh. So hindi ko alam kung ano yung napag-usapan sa kabilang table where the president is sitting.

Q: So kinamusta nga ang love life ni Sen. Win?

SJV: Ayoko na. I don't want to get in trouble. At may inamin noong gabi na yun. Hanggang doon na lang ako.

Q: So, sir, may mga narequests si PBBM sa Senate considering na meron na lang kayo about three weeks para magconduct ng session?

SJV: I have no idea kung meron man. Siguro kasi I'm talking from the standpoint of being the former majority leader, usually, doon, no? Sa leadership kinakausap. Tapos sa Ledac, so, yung during the time of that dinner with the President

On the MERALCO franchise renewal bill

Q: Doon sa Meralco franchise renewal deal, bakit ko nag-create pa ng subcommittee on public services para kayo mag-sponsor nun?

SJV: Well, a bunch of reasons were given to me. Isa is ayaw ni Sen Raffy na magkaroon ng bahid, conflict of interest. That's one and then two is that they wanted me to look into the possibility of pushing for job generation. Mag-focusan natin, I'm happy to be part of this journey of this representation sa Senate nasubukan kong mag-defend for the very first time ng franchise. Totally different from my forte which is labor, job generation and education. Natutuwa ako na ibalita kasi from the time na I took charge of the subcommittee binanggit natin, pinush natin yung Meralco na magpakitang gilas kayo and alam naman natin there's no such thing as a perfect organization or a perfect company but they were willing to walk the extra mile and yung isa sa gusto kong ibalita sa taumbayan because also of our efforts dito sa Senado and in pushing Meralco to do something about the rates and all the services. Isa sa mga good news ay itong buwan ng January, nagsimula na sila na yung plano ng rate reduction. Yung 0.2189 per kilowatt, medyo technical.

Mare-reduce po ito yung overall rate to 11.74 per kilowatt. Kaya ito ay isang welcome development, welcome use sa atin. So this is expected to result in approximately P44 savings doon sa mga residential consumers consuming 200 kilowatt per hour. So this decrease is driven by yung mga senators at this representation. Kasi in-scrutinize natin mabuti, paano ba ilo-lower yung cost? Number one, talaga yung pagkuha ng generation. Yan ang isa sa pinakamalaking component noong presyo ng ating kuryente. Isa pa siyempre, in an ideal setup, merong component yung subsidy from the government. You look at Thailand, you look at Malaysia, you look at Indonesia, meron, yung iba nga, halos buo subsidized by the government. Tayo naman hindi, kaya more challenging on our part.

Q: Ang isa sa mga nagulat kami sir during the interpellation of Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, mas mataas pala yung power rate sa mga households o para sa commercial customer, tama ba?

SJV: Yes, yes. It was explained kasi mas maraming, unlike yung sa commercial, maraming nagshe-share. Malapit lang, maliit yung mga kable. Hindi siya yung, for example, you go from a far-flung area, dadalhin yung kable doon, and mas mataas talaga yung cost. And even ERC, ang bottom line dito is talagang we have to empower and trust that ERC will do its job. At the end of the day, yung no pagsingil ng Meralco o ng anumang sinuman na distribution utility, ang papasa unless ito ay aprobahan ng energy regulatory commission.

Q: Ano yung difference ng services na binibigay ng Meralco kumpara sa mga electric cooperative? At totoo ba na may mga LGUs na mas gusto na masaklaw sila ng Meralco dahil parang hindi nila nagugustuhan ng serbisyo ng mga cooperative?

SJV: Opo, and I'm sorry if I'd be a little technical about this. One thing that we wanted to ensure is that they are reliable and isa sa magpapatunay yung System Average Interruption Frequency Index. This is parang yung metric na ginagamit sa pagsukat sa mga performance ng distribution utilities. Ang Meralco, na-achieve nila yung all-time best with regard to this system average interruption frequency index. Ito yung with a customer experiencing an average of only 1.19 times in a year. 1.19 times. If you look at other distribution utilities, for example, VECO, dun sa Visayan Electric Company, 2.53 yung kanilang SAFEI. Yung sa Dagupan Electric Corporation o D-Corp, 3.89. And then yung Davao Light and Power, ito mataas, 8.47. May mas mataas, pataas ng pataas ito, yung Panay Electric Company, 10.49. Yung Cepalco, Cagayan Electric Power and Light Corporation Incorporated, yung pinakamataas, 12.94. Ngayon, puntahan naman natin yung isang metric system na ginagamit for their performances, yung SAIDI, or System Average Interruption Duration Index. Ito naman yung mga customers experiencing a total of 123 minutes of interruption in a year. Yun lang yung pinaka-allowable. 123 minutes in a year of interruption. Meralco, yun lang ang performance nila. Other distribution utility, for example, yung VECO 306, yung Davao Light is 525. And then the Panay Electric Company is 1,978. Ganun ho kalaki. So, again, you compare the performance when it comes to reliability of electric supply. Meralco, by far, siguro, pinaka-efficient na. Siguro masasabi din natin dahil malaki po sila at malawak yung kanilang experience din and at the same time, sound yung kanilang financial stability.

Q: Sir may figure kayo? Ilan yung mga LGU na gusto na ma-cover na lang di sila nangyari?

SJV: Wala akong figure, but I have personally heard some LGU mayors I think from Panay and from Davao. I remember I was with Senator Nancy Binay and narinig ho namin yun sana nga, pwedeng sila. So, tinanong ko actually yan is there a possibility. They respect yung prangkisa nung distribution utility. Pero kung naghihingalo sila or humihingi ng tulong, ina-allow sila ng ERC, I think, to have a joint venture. So they can help and ensure your own reliability of supply.

Q: So joint venture between Meralco...

SJV: and the distribution utility

Q: Sir, hanggang February na lang yung session, yung franchise ba ng Meralco may timeline ba kung hanggang kailan matapos?

SJV: I've been defending for quite some time. I think for the past three weeks. Wala pa nung time na December. I think by Monday, matatapos yung interpellations, debates, and amendments, period of amendments. So yun yung tingin ko at nakikita ko sa mahirap mang aminin na veteran legislator here in the Senate. I think itong week na papasok would be the last week of interpellations, debates, and period of amendments. So hopefully, before the... I'm looking at before the break, mapasa namin ito at least on the second reading.

Q: Any other contentious issues, Sir, sa Meralco na sinabi sa inyo ng kapwa Senador na itatanong pa nila or hihingin pa nila for Meralco?

SJV: May ilan na hiningi na. Like Senator Gatchalian and Senator Jingoy. If they are already satisfied with the submission of these information, documents, etc., then according to them, they will no longer interpellate. Some members already indicated that they will no longer interpellate but more of they will introduce amendments. With regard to major issues na parang maghaharang, wala akong nakikita. Kasi alam din naman yung mga colleagues natin how important this measure will be if we pass it immediately. Meron security concerns din dito na kailangan natin maintindihan. At higit sa lahat, yung interruption, hindi natin pwede ma-interrupt yung serbisyo ng Meralco to 8 million consumers.

Q: So hanggang bago mag-break, hanggang second reading lang, Sir, yung kaya?

SJV: Well, the more, the farther we get, the better, no? As far as I'm concerned, being the sponsor of the measure. But conservatively speaking, matapos ang second reading, hopefully by next week.

Q: So if matapos ang second reading, yung balik nyo na sir sa May or June, yung third reading?

SJV: Pwede naman, botohan na lang.

Q: So yung pinakamalaking hiningi lang talaga sir ng senators is yung sa rate and nabigay na yun sir.

SJV: Rates, yung creeping, yung probable conflict of interest, sa generation. So yun, all of that. Yun yung mga tinackle. And I think ang pinaka naging core is yung complaints, refunds, papaano, kasi I myself was also concerned about it. Yung mataas na rate, paano mag-refund, yung Supreme Court made the decision, yung mga decisions din ng court, nag-comply ba sila? And they are. They are complying, they complied and they are complying. Yung they are complying, in a sense, kaya ako sinabing they are complying because hindi pa tapos dahil hindi pa nakikita rin yung ibang pag-re-refundan nila.

Q: Sir, last na lang po. So are we expecting refunds as customers in the months to come from Meralco?

SJV: Doon po sa mga na-decision na na-refunds. At ang sinabi sa atin ng Merato, they committed to us and assured us na lahat ng made decision na at hindi naman contested, nirefund na nila at yung mga kailangang nirefund, nire-refund nila.

Q: So, sir, are you convinced na effectively na-address nila immediately lahat ng complaints ng customer and the same time, compliant sila sa lahat na nagiging SC ruling?

SJV: Yes, I'm convinced and I myself had so many complaints even before I defended this measure on the floor. I talked to them, I see to it that there are mechanisms in place, yung papaano masisiguro na tama yung billing. Kasi may mga billing na ako mismo, naka-personal experience, maling billing. And mali pala yung binabayaran ng residential yung kanyang lugar na commercial at to make money. For example, ang application is a resort, it's a residential pala. So somehow nagkamali yung nag-apply pero pinayagan din naman nila na in-apply. So ngayon, they are putting up a mechanism to check on this and find out paano ba namin matutulungan pa yung mga consumers. And then they also launched yung binanggit ko kahapon, I forgot the exact words, yung lifeline rates. Yes, lifeline rates and marginalized sector of our society. So, they're pounding on it and sabi ko, the better inexpand nila, for example, this year alone, they'll be spending about P24 billion just for yung mga polls nila, no? And, you're looking at how many thousands? 40? 45,000 polls yung mapapalitan. So, P24 billion just for that, for this year, diba? So, ito yung, di ko alam kung may alternative tayo makikita na pwedeng gumawa din ito at papalitan muna natin.

So talagang dun tayo sa paano may improve yung standards of service ng Meralco. Binanggit ng International Energy Consultants na yung Meralco reflect the true cost of service because again, these rates are not subsidized by the government. So, katanggap-tanggap yung rates nila dahil nga hindi subsidized ng gobyerno ang yung ating kuryente.

Q: Sir, ilan yung naka-line up pa na mag-interpellate? Kasi according to Senator Risa, marami daw siyang concerns dito sa proposed sa renewal ng franchise ng Meralco. Siya na lang po ba?

SJV: Siya na lang ang nasa isip ko na mag iinterpellate. Because the others will fall doon sa sinabi ko na may hiningi na data, documents at breakdown, complaints mechanisms to address these complaints, etc.

And if they are already satisfied with it, and some of them, nakausap ko, they are satisfied with it, they will no longer interpret. But asked me for some time to submit their individual amendments.

Q: So sabi nyo nga, possible na after election na ninyo aprubahan dito sa 3rd reading, can you say na within this 19th Congress?

SJV: Oh, yes, yes, yes. I have no doubt about it. In fact, I will not even be surprised if we'll be able to finish this even before the break, before the election. So, everything is possible. Ang conservative estimate ko lang yung at least mapasa namin ito on second reading before we have this break before the elections.

Q: And sa franchise area ba ng Meralco, tama ba, Senator, wala namang iba na pwede pumalit sa Meralco sa franchise area?

SJV: Yung yung lagi kong sinasabi dun sa mga colleagues, kasi sino ang papalit natin na bago, na independent, na pagtitiwalaan ba natin na yan papasok first time and with this big, huge responsibility, and again, I'm not at liberty to discuss some security concerns na kailangan ng ating bayan. Meralco is playing a significant role, to be honest with you, yung contribution nila, not only in our economy, but also in ensuring the safety of our nation.

Q: Sir, how?

SJV: I'll talk to you about it siguro. Pag security, as a security natin, security natin meron, I mean, not just that, but more of cyber security. I mean, lahat tayo gumagamit ng kuryente. And kaya may provision dito sa bill na ito na pwede i-take over ng pamahalaan itong utility company na ito in times of war.

Q: Hindi ba pinush sa kanila na i-absorb na nila yung mga system loss?Kasi yung matagal ng issue dagdag din yun sa bayarin ng publiko yung system loss na parang failure naman nila to guard their mga kable pero bakit mga tao ang magshoshoulder nun?

SJV: We raised the particular issue wala pa na sa akin we raised the particular issue. It was raised during the interpellations. Yung system loss. Pati yung practice of passing on the system loss. Kasi may batas po tayo dyan. Una yung Republic Act No. 7832 or the Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines Materials Pilferage Act of 1994. Pangalawang batas yung EPIRA law. So these laws actually allowed our distribution utilities like Meralco to recover system loss, but only within the limits na sineset ng Energy Regulatory Commission. So, importanteng maintindihan natin na yung ERC talaga, as the name dictates, they are the regulatory body ensuring na tama yung sinisingil sa atin. Now, majority of the system losses occur naturally during electricity transmission. Now, as a result of the physical properties of how power flows dun sa malalayong distansya, yung losses are talagang unavoidable. Kasi malalayo nga eh. Pero ang point natin, and we raised this with our friends from Meralco, na dapat ma-minimize nila ito eh through a better infrastructure. And that's the main reason why yung binabanggit nyo nga. Better infrastructure. And that's the main reason why they need to infuse more funds. More funds to look into this.

Kasi yung reducing system loss would require costly upgrades. Hindi maikakaila yun. Over the years, sabi ng Meralco, they have consistently improved its efficiency. Meron daw silang mekanismo dito na in-evaluate yung efficiency nila at through the years nag-i-improve ito. Yun ang binanggit nila sa atin and I take their word for it.

Q: So ang pinanghahawakan ninyo ay yung commitment nila to minimize or reduce the system loss?

SJV: Yes, and for the ERC to do its job and ensure that they are within the parameters set forth by the laws that I have mentioned.

Q: And then may provisions sa franchise bill nila, alam ko parang proforma lang yung mga franchise bill. Pero meron ba doon at least provision or assurance na in case they fail to do that yung ensure na yung commitment na...

SJV: Definitely. Kasi yung franchise law cannot somehow balewalain yung existing laws. And everything that, every law that we have in this country, hindi po pwedeng sumalungat yun unless babanggitin mismo doon sa provision ng franquisa na exempted sila doon sa isang existing law.

Q: Although 2028 pa sir mag-expire lang, ano diba?

SJV: Nakikita ko si RG, importante na we learn from the past. Kasi yung mismo franchise din ng Meralco at this point in time, the current franchise states na yung 5 years window before it expires, you may file and renew your franchise.

Q: Lesson learned.

SJV: I know, sorry but why do I have to mention it? Because they keep on saying it. Lahat ah, lahat. Lahat nang nag-a-apply ng prangkisa ngayon. I mean lahat nang nag-re-renew ng prangkisa. Oo lahat. Lahat. Wala akong nakita na nag-re-renew ng prangkisa na hindi mo may mention yun. Na hindi mo may mention yun na, Oh, ayaw namin maabutan.

Q: Balikan ko lang yung issue kasi isa sa mga complaint laging every now and then nireklamo ito yung paglipat ng yung mga poste, nagkaroon na ba ng linaw yan, kasi alam naman natin na it's not only Meralco alone pero merong problema sila sa DPWH, yung paglipat ng ngayon sa road widening, yung road widening sa mga kalsada naiiwan yung poste sa gitna, hindi rin effective yung road widening dahil nandun pa yung mga poste

SJV: I'm not sure if I was able to encounter that in the hearing pero personally I encountered that problem which I forgot to mention with our friends from Meralo but siguro let me give, please give me some time to look into it because that's a valid concern. Ang importante sa akin talaga yung laging may mekanismo sila na handa na ito may mangyayari dyan. And ikaw na rin nagsabi na minsan hindi Meralco because DPWH, kahit gustong gawin ng Meralco, merong mga concerned agencies or sometimes the local government units kailangang may pagkilos. So, please allow me to please give me some time, more time to look into this and hindi lang yung to answer that question but perhaps yung mechanism in place to address that issue. Because I myself experienced that in Bulacan, sa Norzagaray, I remember, sa Norzagaray nangyari na yan.

Q: So, doon sa ano, nabanggit nyo naman na isa sa mga nasasabi ng mga nag-renew is because of the experience with ABS. Pero ito, yung bang pag-uusap sa renewal ng franchise ng Meralco, napag-usapan ba sa equation yung 2025 election na at least ma-assure yung reliability ng supply ng kuryente.

SJV: Yes, yes. Napag-usapan yun. Yung mga security concerns, napag-usapan and most definitely this coming elections. Yung paghahanda ng Meralco, binabanggit nila, meron silang mga pinipinpoint na mga areas of concern and yun yung pinaghahandaan.

Q: Lastly sir, on my part, yung talking of efficiency, kanino ba natin dapat i-compare yung, let's say, Meralco as a company na kanino ba natin siya i-kumpara para masabi natin na they are the most efficient electric utility dito sa ating bansa? Siyempre, kung para tignan natin is it local or supposed to be i-compare natin sa isang international sa international standard?

SJV: That's a good question. For me, it should be both. Local and international. Kasi pag yung local lang, sasabihin natin, local eh sobrang laki mo eh, higante ka eh. Compared dito sa CEPALCO for instance, ng Cagayan electric power and light company. Hindi mo rin po pwedeng just international because as I mentioned earlier, like in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, subsidized ng pamahalaan yung kuryente. So for me, dapat both ways tignan. Merong mga metric system that are in place as I mentioned earlier yung System Interruption Index pati itong System Average Interruption Duration Index. So these are some of the metric systems being used to assess the performance of Meralco and other distribution utilities and I think the ERC is also using this as a metric system to ensure that they are performing to that level na acceptable sa atin. And again binabanggit ko lagi ito sa ating mga kasamahan dito sa Senado, ang prangkisa is not a right thing.

It's a privilege. Anytime the Congress wants to look into it, exercise its oversight function, and say for instance, move to repeal or bawiin yung prangkisa, we can do so. Yan yung importante na ipaalam lagi sa mga kumukuha ng prangkisa na ito'y hindi karapatan, kung hindi isang pribileyo na binibigay ng pamahalaan at iniexpect ng pamahalaan na magpe-perform sila, magde-deliver sila to the best of their ability.

On the Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Q: What is your stand on the Senate Bill 1979 o yung Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act at dun po sa comprehensive sexuality Education Program ng DepEd. Do you support that bill and the DepEd Department Order on Comprehensive Sexual Education? Kasi yung group ni former Chief Justice Sereno ay nag-express ng concern and opposition doon sa SB1979 at ganun din po doon sa Department Order ng DepEd doon po nga sa comprehensive sexuality education.

SJV: Obviously, the past three days, four days dito sa Senado, makikita naman natin dito sa hallway, yung mga ibang grupo na talagang very passionate about their position on this particular measure. And for me, as a legislator, one, let the legislative mill take its course. Yung legislation is a democratic process wherein we need to ensure that all, all, when I say all, all talaga, all affected sectors are consulted before passing any measure. Parang sounds familiar, parang one year anniversary natin ngayon. Dati, yung SOGIE yung pinag-uusapan. At ako yung pinapako sa krus nun. At parang ako daw yung nagsiset ng priority measures. Nasa headline pa ng ilang media outlets, yung statement ng kasamahan natin dito, na sheer numbness. Hindi ko alam kung ako ba yung nagsiset ng priority. So ito ba, ako kinukwestyon ko lang, priority measure ba ito ba. At ito ba ay kasama sa priority measure ng Senado o ng pamahalaan o ng administration? I don't think so. Gaya ng SOGIE, hindi na naman priority measure, di ba? Pero, hindi ko alam bakit ngayon, parang tumahimik yung mga nagpupush. Ang point ko lang, nakakabudol kasi yung title. Nakakabudol yung title ng bill. Preventing Teenage Pregnancy. Meron pa bang grupo ng tao dito sa mundo na ayaw itong titulo na ito i-prevent natin yung Teenage Pregnancy. Pero pag binasa mo yung buong bill. And sabi nga nila the devil is in the detail. Importante yung konsultasyon eh. Yan yung part ng binabanggit natin na legislative mill. And nagugulat tayo doon sa magnitude of concerned citizens, concerned mothers, concerned schools, private schools, public schools, teachers. I can give you all the letters that I received from this measure. Nakakagimbal yung mga concerns, valid concerns ng iba't ibang grupo na ito, na ito ay radical, ito ay inappropriate, damaging to children yung mga provision. Kasi, nakakapangamba po, no? Gaya ng SOGIE, again, let me go back dun sa SOGIE issues before, no? Sige, anti-discrimination, pero parang prelude to same-sex marriage. Ito, parang prelude din to abortion. I heard this from CJ Sereno. I have never gotten a chance to sit down with her and talk to her about this. But I heard from her, yung mga sina-cite mismo ng DepEd dito sa mga guidelines na pinupush nila ay nanggagaling sa isang grupo na ang advocacy niya ay i-legalize ang abortion. So, tignan natin sino ba yung mga nagtutulak nito. Sinu-sino ba yung nagtutulak nito? Anong grupo ba yung nagtutulak nito? Ano bang organization yung nagtutulak nung pano ka lang ito? Let me give you an example. In section 6 of the bill, yung age and development appropriate comprehensive sexual education. Una, adolescent sexuality. Gusto mo bang ituro ito? Lahat tayo, I think, yes. Pero tatanungin ko ang bawat isa sa atin din. Dapat ba talaga integrated itong katuruan na ito in all levels? Pati sa kindergarten, pati sa grade 1, pati sa grade 2. Tapos, ano yung specific na gusto nilang ituro? Halimbawa, teen dating, issue ng pornography, paggamit ng contraceptives, etc. Ngayon, saan daw ipapatupad itong magtuturo ito? Public and private schools. Ano yung gagamitin guidelines, international standards. Eh ano ba yung sinasabi ng international standards? Puntahan natin yung WHO. WHO, 0 to 4 year olds are to be taught early childhood masturbation. Four to six years old are to be taught skills to talk about sexual matters. "What feels good". Zero to four to six years old. Six to nine years old are to be taught about acceptable sex, ejaculation, enjoyment, and pleasure when touching one's own body.

Six to nine years old. Sinong mga magulang ang hindi mag-aalala dito? 9 to 12 years old. Again, WHO po ito. Are to be taught the skills to make a conscious decision about whether to have sexual experiences or not. Along with information about masturbation and orgasm. 9 to 12 years old. Puntahan naman natin yung UNESCO. Kasama din yun eh, yung UNESCO. Sa UNESCO, sa 12 to 14 years old, they have the right to make their own decisions about sexuality. Walang pakialam kahit sino. Walang say ang mga guro. Walang say ang school administration dito sa CSE delivery. Wala po. Dapat daw integrated sa curriculum. Ngayon, kung isang Christian school, for instance, hindi magpapatupad nito, ayaw ipatupad nito, ano mangyayari? Matanggalan po sila ng accreditation? For example, ng Philippine Accreditation System for Basic Education. Dahil compulsory po eh. Dahil compulsory, tinatanggal na rin po yung parental authority. Eh, napakalinaw ng ating konstitusyon. Article 14, Section 2 of our Constitution.

Napakahalagang binabanggit po dyan na karapatan ng ating mga magulang to rear their children. Klaro po yun sa ating Constitution. So, puntahan naman natin. I'm just really, I just can't believe this. We're even entertaining this idea. May Constitution tayo, bakit international guidance? Bakit tayo susunod sa kanila? May sarili tayong kulture. Ito naman po, pag hindi sa eskwelahan, papaano naman, kasi ang masakit po dito, yung pagtuturo naman, dun sa alternative learning system. Paano yun? Paano yung alternative learning system? Nakalagay po doon sa CSE na yung pamamaraan para ikalat po, ipakalat itong tinatawag na sexual education, e peer-to-peer. Peer-to-peer education. Ano yung ibig sabihin nun? Kapwa-bata magtuturo ng sexual education. Paano naman po yun? Ina-activate din po dito ang lahat. Dito sa bill na to, pag binasa nyo po. Hindi lang DepEd. Kasama po yung mga parang life-health workers. SK, LGU, CSOs, NGOs, at yung mga line agencies, DILG, DSWD, MTRCB. Pambihira, ano ba yan? Meron ba tayong national emergency sa sexuality education? Ito yung priority. Ikaw ala ko ba, mababa yung rank natin sa PISA? Akala ko ba kailangan natin pagtutuloy yung pagtuturo ng math and sciences sa ating mga kabataan. Ngayon ito, dito tayong magpo-focus. Ako, hindi ko itatago yung aking saloobin dito. I will continue to say it. I am rejecting this bill.

Q: Pero sa sinabi ni Sen. Hontiveros sa press conference kahapon na walang anumang provision tungkol sa pagtuturo o panghihikayat ng masturbation sa mga batang edad 0 to 4 and then hindi, hindi daw ginagamit sa Pilipinas yung pinipilit na standard for sexuality education in Europe. So parang sinasabi niya, maraming fake news o parang fabricated yung mga sinasabi ng ilang grupo na nag-upload dito.

SJV: Ano po yung guidelines na susundin? Kasi nakalagay po doon international guidelines. Ako po, hindi ko nalang sasabihin dun sino. May nakausap po ako sa plenaryo at ito yung binanggit sa akin. Kasi UNESCO yan eh. Kasi yan yung sa WHO eh. Binanggit po sa akin. So sabi ko, well, let's debate on it. And if I'm the last one standing here in the Senate, so be it. I will oppose this measure eh. Kung ganitong pagkakasulat na, I'm sorry. May anak din po ako eh. May anak din po ako. Hindi po pwede na kukunin mo yung karapatan ko bilang magulang. At alam niyo, ano ba yung nangyayari sa ibang bansa? Hindi ba ito yung gustong mangyari ng mga nagtutulak nito? Kahit sasabihin nila na otherwise. My body, my right. Hindi ako naniniwala kasi ako may-ari ng buhay ko eh. Nilikha ko ng Diyos ko eh. So I will abide by what I believe in. And more than anything, I will abide by what my Constitution is saying about the right of parents to their children.

Q: Sir, ano yung sentiments ng other senators, the same ba ng sentiments mo?

SJV: Well, ako, ang narinig ko, maraming mag-wi-withdraw ng co-authorship nila. And let me talk about this, no? I have never spoken with Senator Angara about this. You know how close I am to Senator Angara. I don't think he is pushing for this measure. It just so happened that he is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance. Ganun din naman po eh, pagka-chairperson ka at kasama yung committee mo doon sa merong appropriation na po yan eh, component, then you become an author. Pero I don't think he's, in fact, I wanted to talk to him about it, I'm sure. I heard some of his pronouncements na walang ituturo, na taliwas sa ating kultura at anti-values education. Kaya nga may GMRC tayo, hindi pa ako na po fully implement itong GMRC values education natin. Sexual education yung gusto natin pag-focusan. I'm sorry talaga. I just don't feel na it is important. It should take a backseat. Ngayon kung majority ng ating mga kasamahan dito sa Senado mag-a-agree na importante po ito, then that's the time na tatayo po ako sa plenaryo. But for the meantime, majority feels na hindi rin ito importante at hindi ito dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ng ating Senado at ng pamahalaan, then it's a waste of time.

Q: Sir, ba't ngayon lang mag-withdraw, ngayon lang nila na-realize na may mga questionable possible, violation of Constitution, yung provision of the bill?

SJV: It's not for me to comment on as to why they would be withdrawing their co-authorship. I cannot answer for my colleagues as to why magugulat ka. Marami nagugulat din eh na nakausap ko dito sa Senado.

Q: Sir, challenge lang ng konti. Sir, kasi yung mismong bill, wala naman nga talaga yung provisions ng 0 to 4 years old tuturuan ng masturbation. Kung sasabihin ba sa bill na hindi susundin yung international standards and we will create our own standards, will that make you support it?

SJV: Of course, of course. And would be based on our culture and our beliefs na pinapangalagaan natin yung innocence ng ating mga kabataan. Hindi natin sila itutulak. I mean, di ba parang may mga istorya dyan, yung mga matatanda. Para hindi, para tignan ng bata at bigyan ng atensyon, yung isang bulletin board, ilalagay nila doon, huwag basahin, di ba? And these are things na, kaya rin ang sinasabi ng matatanda, huwag tayong maglaro ng apoy. Huwag nating payagan maglaro ng apoy yung mga bata. I-guide natin sila. And again, I don't see any emergency, national emergency for sexuality education in our country.

Q: Pero sir, kumbinsido ka ba na may dapat na gawing action ng government doon sa problema sa tumataas na teenage pregnancy.

SJV: Absolutely. I think, no, that's not even debatable. I think all of us overwhelmingly agree. And let me share to you what happened in the past, siguro, five, six weeks ago. Binanggit na ito sa mga, on the sidelines, you can ask our Senate President about it. So, ayusin na lang natin let's stick to the title of the measure yan na lang, yan talaga lang huwag na natin lagyan na come on, we're not born yesterday yung mga palaman na yung mga palaman na gaya nitong section 6 na ito, may section 5 pa na karga diba?

Q: Tinatawag nila, sir, ito na child protection bill.

SJV: Well, ako ha, walang magdidebate, walang hihindi po doon eh. Walang hihindi doon sa argumento na kailangan ituro, turuan, ma-prevent ang teenage pregnancy. Pero hindi po in all levels. Hindi po ginagawa yan sa ibang bansa. Sa ibang bansa, for example, in Singapore, I think there's at a certain age na ituturo po ito, three hours, nakatutok, concentrated doon sa isang programa na ganun, no? Hindi yung integrated sa lahat, kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2. Sorry, but if that is the case, I will be... You know, yun yung binabanggit ko, no? Yun yung saloobin ko bilang isang kinatawan ng ating mamamayan dito sa Senado. Marami din pong ganyan yung saloobin. Kaya sana, pakinggan din po tayo. But of course, I respect the decision of the majority. If the decision of the majority is to push for this, you know, I will just give my piece. I will try to also convince my colleagues the dangers of this measure.

Q: Sir, Sen. Risa mentioned yesterday, 17 daw yung members ng committee na nag-sign. Hindi kayo part ng 17?

SJV: I don't think I am part of any committee kasi I remember dun sa, if you recall, nung kay Sen Koko inelect ako dito rin, inelect ako sa Meralco. Kasi nagkaroon ng change of leadership. I even mentioned that I don't intend to be part of any committee. So, definitely I'm not a member. Definitely I did not. I will never sign such a committee.

Q: Because you were then the majority leader when this was discussed during the committee meeting.

SJV: Yeah. I'm the majority leader. So, supposed to be ipapasign sa akin. I did not sign.

Q: Sir, ilang ung magwiwithdraw?

SJV: Sila na lang ang tanungin natin. Kasi ako, I really think this is crucial. Yung tignan nyo yung social media right now, lahat ng concerns being raised by different groups. Hindi lang yung grupo ni former Chief Justice Sereno. They're all valid concerns. I think we should be more careful in crafting measures that would affect the sanctity of family, yung karapatan ng mga magulang sa kanilang anak na-backed up by our Constitution.

Q: Ano yung indication, meron pa rin mga na-raade ang authority na mga remnants ng illegal POGO na nag-ooperate pa rin.

SJV: Opo yung report sa amin. In fact, yung sabi ni Usec Cruz, talagang naghiwa-hiwalay, maliliit-maliit, kaya talagang mas humirap na i-monitor. But they are aware na nandyan pa rin sila.

Q: So talagang ano, kahit na binigay yung deadline ni Presidente on December 31, 2024, it doesn't mean na POGO-free na ang Pilipinas.

SJV: Pag mafia, think tank yung gumagana sa ganyan, talagang yun yung talagang gagawin at gagawin nila. Kaya importante na maging vigilant tayo at suportahan din natin yung PAOCC sa kanilang hangarin na mahuli itong mga mafia na ito.