BALDOZ: Sir, kukumustahin po natin iyong naging command conference po ni Pangulong Duterte kahapon diyan sa Malacañang. Ano ang mga naging direktiba ng ating Pangulo sa AFP at PNP po?

USEC. ABELLA:  Well, unang-una po, ang maibibigay ko po sa inyo ay iyong mga general disclosures lang dahil siyempre may mga items naman na for private consumption iyon ano. Pero basically po, traditional  ito na gathering, iyong traditional New Year command conference. Iyong lahat ng armed services ng Armed Forces natin kasama na rin po ang Coast Guard. Ano lang po siya, basically (unclear) updates at saka po nagbibigay ng mga current na mga law enforcement activities ng mga pulis. Tapos, ang ginawa po ng Presidente ay ni-reiterate niya ang kaniyang guidance regarding corruption lalo na, sinasabi niya na hindi naman mawawala iyan just like that. And then iyong campaign against drugs and terrorism. Tapos, diniin din ni Presidente na iyong kaniyang commitment to end (unclear).

So ano po ito, basically, it’s an annual, traditional meeting.. Maganda naman po ang nangyari. It was a short meeting (unclear) ano lang po, mga two hours siguro iyon, pero it was – anong tawag nito – substantial and very good for (unclear) and good for the President to

BALDOZ: Sir, hingian po namin kayo ng mensahe para sa mga kababayan natin na dadalo ng Traslacion sa Lunes, para sa Pista ng Poong Nazareno?

USEC. ABELLA: Opo. Siyempre, we continue to appreciate ‘no iyong faith ng ating … lalo na iyong mga kalalakihan ‘no, Filipino people ‘no. Ito iyong expression ng Filipino spirituality. What more can I say na, of course, you go in complete faith, but also, you continue to be watchful and careful. And siyempre alam naman po natin ang human nature being what it is ay may kaniya-kaniya po tayong pagka-baltik, ano?  So let us just be careful and let us remain calm and sober, and let us, again po, look out for one another. Ano po tayo, we are careful and watchful pero on the other hand, let us continue to enjoy the benefits of a (unclear) spirituality.

BALDOZ: MARIE?  Sir, may patanong lang po si Leila ng Philippine Daily Inquirer: What does the President mean when he said he wants Russia to be the Philippine’s protector? What kind of protection  is the President seeking from Russia? And what kind of relationship does he want Moscow and Manila to have?

USEC. ABELLA:  Tungkol po sa specific, wala po tayong … we cannot go into specifics about the actual specifics of those statements. Pero ang sinasabi lang po natin ay nagkaroon po ng, in a sense, nagkaroon po ng break … na-break po iyong ating mentality ng ating source of security. It comes only from one particular country. Kumbaga po, nagbo-broaden at nagwa-widen ang ating borders of support. So basically, hindi lang naman po sa Russia iyan, kung hindi rin po sa ating mga neighbors. But also, kumbaga, sinasabi ng Presidente, we’re beginning to recognize na … in fact, tinatanggal natin iyong demonization  ng bayan na iyon, that particular country. And we’re beginning to recognize that our borders are not necessarily limited or confined to simply one country or one geo-political force.

BALDOZ: Sir, we have a studio guest. Ang station manager ng NET 25, si Weng Dela Fuente. She would like to greet you po, at may isang question lang.

USEC. ABELLA: Yes, ma’am.

DELA FUENTE: Happy New Year, sir. Sir, sa press con po ni Ambassador Khovaev from China [Russia], he is saying na they’re hoping soon ay magkakaroon po ng pirmihan regarding with the defense cooperation between Russia and the Philippines.

USEC. ABELLA: Ambassador ng China o ng Russia?

DELA FUENTE:  Russia po.

USEC. ABELLA: Mayroon po tayong ano … mayroon po kasi na-initiate na memorandum of understanding noong 2014 during the Aquino administration. Sila po ang nagpasimula ng relationship na iyan – we recognize that. Pero there are certain ambit of … iyong pagsa-sign po ng memorandum of understanding na iyan ay hindi lang po tungkol sa defense, but it covers all areas of engagement including cultural, including military to military, student exchange. So malawak po ang coverage ng memorandum of understanding, and it may be part of that.

DELA FUENTE: So sa pagbisita ho ni Presidente sa Russia in the coming months, may mga inaasahan ho ba tayo ng mga agreements specifically on the defense matters na lalagdaan po?

USEC. ABELLA: I cannot categorically say yes. But I’m sure that’s part and parcel of it. Kaya lang hindi ko masabing (unclear).

DELA FUENTE: May wish list na din ho ba tayo with regard doon sa mga … sabi po kasi ng Russia, they can supply us with weaponry, even planes, submarines and helicopters. So ang hinihintay lang daw po ang iyong wish list ng Pilipinas.

USEC. ABELLA: Iyong wish list na iyan must come from the Secretary of National Defense.

BALDOZ: Thank you, sir.

USEC. ABELLA: Opo. Happy weekend.