Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star): The question is what are the programs regarding renewable energy in Mindanao like solar, ganoon?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Can I ask Secretary Monsada to describe it, medyo may..

Ms. Regalado: Yeah, pero may dagdag pa po ako, may follow up question po ako after that.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: May pagka-technical ‘yung sagot e.

SEC. MONSADA: Okay. Our push for renewable energy is one, through—meron tayong FIT, ‘yung feed-in-tariff for renewable energy kasi generally, because it’s a new technology, mas mahal siya kaysa sa conventional like coal.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Excuse me… Iyong FIT, just to be clear, tinaasan natin ‘yung—part of the mix na galing sa renewables dahil nagkaroon ng efficiency sa solar that have brought the price down. Iyong problema sa renewables, kapag isinama mo doon sa mix ng oldsources, normally tataas ang presyo.

So dahil doon sa efficiencies na nakamit ng solar, puwede nating dagdagan ‘yung component ng solar na hindi unnecessarily talagang pasisipain nang husto ‘yung presyo. So dumagdag to… Is it 250 megawatts? Somewhere around that table…

SEC. MONSADA: 50 to 500…

PRESIDENT AQUINO: From 50 to 500 megawatts from solar, at may other renewables pa on the mix.

SEC. MONSADA: So ang solar actually napakaganda ng potensyal niya all over the country including Mindanao. Now, meron tayong programs for rural electrification kasi sa Mindanao, especially marami pang areas na kulang ang kuryente, lalo na sa off-grid areas, remote areas. So we have a program na ang tawag natin ay access to sustainable energy, merong funding to support from the EU and kasama dito ‘yung mga individual homes, 30 kilowatts sa individual homes na bibigyan ng solar, and then community, two megawatts, a cluster of homes and even schools.

So talagang ang project natin for solar meron tayong program para dito na to push for—iyon nga ang sabi ni Presidente kanina na balanced energy mix. Renewable, ang target is no less than 30 percent of the capacity for power generation. So as the power demand increases dapat tumaas din ‘yung RA capacity.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Just to connect, ‘yung to emphasize, meron tayong sitio electrification program, dapat lahat mabigyan ng kuryente. Merong mga napakaliblib na lugar na mahirap ikabit sa grid, masyadong mahal. So for them, ‘yung solar becomes very practical. So ang point nga dito parang may increased economic activity—parang maraming benefits kapag may kuryente ka. So even the remote sitios are being catered to at tumataas na din ‘yung mix natin ng renewables because solar is the most practical in those areas.

SEC. MONSADA: And sir, if I may add, in cooperation with Minda, nag-establish kami ng energy virtual one-stop-shop kasi ‘yung per meeting tina-track namin ‘yan para mas mapabilis and soon may access lahat ng gustong mag-check kung ano na ‘yung progress ng mga projects.

Ms. Regalado: Thank you, ma’am. Sir, follow up question lang po, right now NGCP said there is a danger Mindanao grid to collapse because the the tower in Lanao has not been restored yet and the land owners refused entry for the NGCP to repair the tower. So I would just like to ask what will the government do about it? Will you ask them…

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Iyong right-of-way issues dito sa mga towers ang pagkaintindi ko minana na nating problema ‘yan. May question doon sa valuation at meron kaming meeting scheduled by next week just precisely to how to address ‘yung— paano ba?—differences to zonal valuation at saka ‘yung gusto nitong mga supposed to be may-ari ng lupa doon sa right-of-way. But having said that, this is an industry imbued with national interest and I am sure there are so many laws that can be utilized to ensure that access to the repair of these towers is done posthaste. But again thank you for pointing that out to us. I will inquire from the Secretary and also NGCP the plans, the problems in restoring these towers to full operational use.

Ms. Regalado: Final question, sir, before you step down, by what percent do you think would you be able to—‘yung available energy or power na for Mindanao by the time, ‘yung problema ng Mindanao, ‘yung supply, ‘di ba, ‘yung mga problema sa… By the time mga ilang percent na before you step down?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Kunin ko lang ‘yung exact figure ha?

Ms. Regalado: Yeah, parang legacy mo na iiwan, sir.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Medyo malaki-laki kaya gusto ko lang manigurado. Sandali ha, sorry hanapin ko ‘yung table. Iyong system peak demand for Mindanao as of… As of November 2015, ‘yung peak demand for Mindanao is pegged at 1,519 megawatts. Iyong dependable capacity is 2,004 megawatts already. Ngayon, kanina binanggit ko rin doon sa speech there are at least another 11 in various stages of completion that will provide another 670-plus megawatts, tapos meron pang others na ang tawag nila indicative, ‘yung mga interesado pa. But again, from the situation we inherited, there was a point na four megawatts surplus e, which is nothing. This is at… From November last year meron ka nang difference of about 500 megawatts.

Just to ano ha, baka may magsasabi, meron pa rin kaming brownout, Zamboanga City, for instance. The problem there is we believe is more ‘yung contracting na ginagawa ‘nung bawat cooperative rather than the availability of the supply. For instance, I was advised today that there are some cooperatives who really just want to purchase ‘yung hydro. They don’t want to mix. Kapag dumating ‘yung mix ang lalabas tataas ‘yung presyo, kulang ng political will na ipaliwanag sa mga kliyente nila na merong supply pero tataas ang presyo. Pero sabi ko nga if I were the cooperative, walang kalugi-lugi ‘yung cooperative doon, ipapasa lang naman nila ‘yung cost nila. The power is there but again because of certain contracting peculiarities of specific cooperatives nagkakaroon ng brownout pa rin.

Alex Lopez (Manila Bulletin): Dalawa po ‘yon, sir. Una, how will the current administration sustain the peace with the MILF despite the non-passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress. And secondly, sir, puwede ba namin mahingi ang reaction mo with the current move to reopen the Mamasapano incident?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Iyong sa first question muna. Iyong even before they drafted the Bangsamoro Basic Law, nag-umpisa na rin ‘yon tayo ‘yung para ipakita ‘yung benefits. Sajahatra program, ‘yung pagpo-provide ng skills dito sa mga dating combatants para maging fruitful economic players. Meron na rin ‘yung governance courses na pinasukan ng mga ilang miyembro ng MILF para by the time that they’re given a mandate. Ngayon, ‘yung sa hindi pagpasa parang sinasara mo naman ‘yung posibilidad na mapapasa.

May meeting kami, if I’m not mistaken, next week with the House of Representatives precisely to push for the passage of the BBL. Si Congressman Rufus Rodriguez tells me na patapos na sila doon sa tinatawag na stage “turno en contra” at pagkatapos ‘non pagbobotohan na. So maganda pa rin ang pag-asa na maipasa ‘yung BBL.

Doon sa… Sorry, second question, reopening ng Mamasapano? Well, alam naman natin malapit na ‘yung campaign period. Sa ating mga katunggali nakita nila na ito ‘yung parang pinakamabigat na dagok sa akin simula nang ako’y namahala. Siguro sinusubukan nilang samantalahin na naman ‘yung pagkakataon. Siyempre, ‘yung bilang Pangulo, bilang ama ng bayan, hindi naman ako puwedeng magpadami ng emosyonal dito, ‘yung… Alam niyo January 25 kasi birthday ng nanay ko, first year anniversary ‘nung Mamasapano, para bang dinidiin nilang kailangan pahirapan ka dito. Ngayon, may kasabihan nga, nakita natin sa pagtuturo ng aking simbahang kinabibilangan, sa Bibliya, “the truth shall set us all truth.”

So doon sa report, ulitin ko lang, ‘yung Senate report pinirmahan ng maraming senador pero hindi pa dinaan sa tinatawag na plenaryo, hindi pa pinagbotohan. So kung tutuusin hindi pa siya actually Senate report. So magandang pagkakataon ito para makumpleto natin ‘yung picture ‘yung nangyari sa Mamasapano, mailagay na tama ‘yung record.

Ngayon, isang huling punto na lang. Noong senador ako—at saka sa Congress—ang turo sa akin, isa sa pinakamalaking insulto sa isang committee head at doon sa mga miyembro ng committee, ‘yungtinatawag na i-recommit ‘yung committee report, parang ibinalik doon sa mga gumawa. Dahil ang paliwanag sa akin ng nakakatanda sa akin doon sa Senado, para bang hindi tama ang ginawa niyo kaya ibinabalik sa inyo. So natanong ko kung nagbago na sa Senado, ang sagot sa akin ni Senate President, hindi raw tumanggi ‘yung committee chair kaya naibalik doon sa committee. Kung tumanggi ang committee chair, pagbobotohan ng plenaryo kung ibabalik sa kanila o hindi ibabalik.

So palagay ko sa lahat ng mga pangyayari, nakikita natin malaking bagay ‘yung pulitika. Baka huwag nating kalimutan ‘yung pasimuno nito, siguro maiintindihan natin, malamang may sama ng loob sa aking administrasyon.

Florante Rosales (DZRH): Mr. President, mainit na tanghali po at sana ay….

PRESIDENT AQUINO: May konting simoy naman.

Mr. Rosales: Sana masaya ‘yung New Year niyo, lalo nanalo si Ms. Universe Pia Wurtzbach.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Teka muna, gumagawa ka ng intriga. Wala pa yata dito e.

Mr. Rosales: Magco-courtesy call daw po sa inyo.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Okay. Kasi sabi mo nandoon e. For the record ha, wala doon, kung nasaan man ako galing. Okay.

Mr. Rosales: Pero ang alam ko po meron po kayong alagang German Shepherd. Anyway, Mr. President, tanong po: Ano po ang hakbangin o atas sa mga Embahada sa Middle East dahil sa tensyon ngayon sa Saudi Arabia at sa bansang Iran. May mahigit po tayong two million OFWs ang posibleng maapektuhan kung saka-sakaling uminit ‘yung gulo. At base po sa interview ng aming himpilan kanina sa isang OFW doon sa border ng Yemen at Saudi Arabia, patuloy po ‘yung bombahan at nag-lock down na po ‘yung mga borders. Pero ‘yung travel po ng plane to and from Iran, ‘yon po ‘yung nagkaroon ng travel ban. Pero sa Pilipinas naman po wala pa hong ganoong declaration. Pakilinaw po.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Well, tama ka doon, wala… Iyong travel ban or ‘yung pagsasara ng air services between Saudi Arabia and Iran sa pagkaalam natin. Iyong sa Yemen, alam naman nating nagkakaroon ng siguro civil war na ang masasabi natin diyan, ‘yung Houthi rebels at saka ‘yung gobyernong nakatayo. Nagmeeting tayo Wednesday, kung hindi ako nagkakamali, noong araw na headline nga itong severing of diplomatic ties. First, ang unang sinabi sa atin, meron tayong mga roughly about 1,100,000 OFWs in the Middle East. Hindi Saudi arabia lang ‘yon, siyempre, Bahrain, merong island na Kish yata ang pangalan and so many other areas.

Now, according to Secretary (Rosalinda) Baldoz ng DOLE, ‘yung we have a capacity na ‘yung to absorb all of these people and get them gainfully employed in case all of them are repatriated. Binanggit sa atin, for instance, ‘yung sa opportunity including about, kung tama ang tanda ko, about 23 percent kasi ‘yung category na household workers. Ngayon maraming mga caregivers, et cetera, na kakailanganin sa Japan, doon sa special economic zones, ‘di ba, na binuksan sa atin o bubuksan sa atin. So ‘yung walang pangamba si Secretary Baldoz na ‘yung kung kakailanganin ay makaka-provide ang gobyerno ng retraining at saka job placement from these returning countrymen of ours.

Now, having said that, ‘yung walang assessment na nagsasabing puwedeng uminit ito. Di ba, dati kasi kapag nag-sever ng diplomatic ties, prelude to war. So walang tumitingin na puwedeng magkaroon ng digmaan mula sa KSA (Kingdom of Saudia Arabia) at saka sa Iran. Pero ngang kaguluhan sa buong Gitnang Silangan. So ang masasabi ko lang sa inyo ‘yung one, kinakausap… Siyempre, lahat ng Embahada natin, kunyari, specific na figure, meron tayong 23 Embassy and Consular officials in Korea, ang population natin doon 50,000. Iyong Embassy more or less nandoon sa number na about 20 to 30 typically.

So lahat itong mga Embahada natin sa Gitnang Silangan, ‘yung ni-review ulit ‘yung kanilang mga contingency plans. Pero isa sa una kong pinag-utos, siguraduhin natin ‘yung mga organisasyon na katulong natin kung saka-sakali ilikas ‘yung mga kababayan natin ay up to date ‘yung contacts, tetestengin nila na kayang ma-contact lahat ng ating mga kababayan doon para maipon itong mga organisasyon na kinabibilangan nila para smooth kung kakailanganin nating ilikas.

Ipaalala ko lang sa inyo ‘nung kasagsagan ‘nung Arab Spring, 2011, sa Libya meron tayong nilikas na 20,000 of the 26,000 na nandoon. Sa totoo lang maski na noong matindi na ‘yung bakbakan na may bombahan na doon sa kapitolyo, ‘yung nakakuha pa tayo ng barko para mailipat sila to—sorry, hindi ko maalala ngayon kung Cyprus o… At ‘yung paglikas natin doon, pati mga ibang banyaga, hindi Pilipino, nakisakay na rin sa atin, pati sila nailikas natin.

Hindi ko pinapangako, nagawa na natin, kaya nating gawin kung saka-sakaling kakailanganin. Pero ulit, ‘yung talagang hinahabol natin na makatulong doon sa panunumbalik ng katahimikan sa Gitnang Silangan dahil malaki talaga ang epekto nito sa, ‘di ba, ‘yung refugee problem, ‘yung ating economy—world economy na bumabangon pa lang. So handa tayong dumamay at tumulong, at matagal na tayong tumutulong din doon para nga magkaroon ng kapanatagan dito sa Gitnang Silangan.

Mr. Rosales: Sir, two follow-ups. If worse comes to worst doon sa Saudi Arabia tension, may makukunan po ba tayo ng (langis) kung saka-sakaling (magsara ang Saudi Arabia) dahil siya lang ang pinagkukunan natin ng oil, ‘di ba…? Meron po ba tayong (ibang) sources—for DOE—kung meron tayong mapagkukunan pa?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Actually, kinukuhanan natin, ‘di ba, karamihan ‘nung fuel needs natin Singapore also?

SEC. MONSADA: Actually po, tama kayo, bulk of the supply natin on crude galing sa Saudi but we have other sources, mga refined, and even ang ASEAN mayroong supply security agreement. Siguro at this point, kasi isa sa mga tanong na, ano, is, paano ‘yung presyo, tataas? Sa ngayon, wala pong impact sa supply ng langis. In fact, we are expecting another rollback next week.

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Baka naman, ano, para huwag naman tayong mangamba. Kasi ang presyo ng krudo ang baba e, ‘yung historically low na yata. Ngayon, pati ‘yung nangyari diyan, ‘yung sumpia ng kapirasong-kapiraso pero below 40 dollars a barrel, mula ‘nung dating—may puntong umabot halos 200 dollars per barrel. So bakit ko binabanggit ‘yung presyo? Maraming gustong magbenta as opposed to, ‘di ba, ‘yung demand more or less constant. Ngayon, ‘yung medyo mainit ‘yung naging winter sa temperate climates, bumaba ‘yung… Wala silang ire-replenish na bunker oil, for instance. Parang in effect, ‘di ba, bumaba ‘yung seasonal demand so again negative factor ‘yon para tumaas ‘yung presyo ng krudo. So huwag tayong kabahan doon. Palagay ko marami tayong mabibilhan. Parang buyer’s market ngayon as opposed to seller’s market.

Mr. Rosales: Sir, my last point. On China lang, sir. What else can the Philippines do even if we win The Hague case with China having apparently nearly fully functioning military bases on their artificial islands na sinasakop, kumbaga sakop din natin? And what is the worst-case scenario for you?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Well, dumaan na tayo sa ano… Palagay ko ginawa na natin lahat ng puwede nating magawa. Nandoon tayo doon sa pagtutulak doon sa Code of Conduct between China and ASEAN. Ang pagkaintindi ko by next month, ‘yung elements of the Code of Conduct ido-draw up na, so umabante na tayo mula noong 2002. Dagdagan sana ng—para bang pakiusap, konting pressure na China, puwede ba umupo na tayong lahat at ilabas na natin itong binding Code of Conduct.

Ngayon, puwede ba i-ignore ‘yung sa arbitration? Tandaan mo lahat ng bansang may inaangkin dito sa tubig na ito e, parating sinasabi “we want to adhere to international law and this is in conformity with international law.” So kapag naglabas ‘yung Tribunal ng dinesignate (designate) ‘nung, ‘di ba, ‘nung international law na siyang duminig, paano nila i-ignore, lalo na dahil, ‘di ba, susi rin sa paglaki nila ‘yung tuloy na komersiyo sa buong mundo. Hindi naman puwedeng ‘yung economic activity sa kanila magpu-fuel ‘nung kanilang growth. So importante rin ‘yung goodwill of all nations. So umaasa tayo na pragmatic ‘yung ating mga kapatid na Tsino, makikita ‘yung ikabubuti kapag mas maliwanag na entitlements and obligations sa lahat at kumilos [-unclear-].

Nikko Dizon (The Philippine Daily Inquirer): Sir, good afternoon. Sir, can I just follow up Flor’s question? Is the upcoming two plus two meeting of Secretary (Voltaire) Gazmin and Secretary (Albert) del Rosario with their US counterparts next week prompted by the developments in the Spratly Island?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: As far as I understand this is a regular scheduled meeting.

Ms. Dizon: Sir, on to my question talaga, sir. Sir, is Secretary (Jun) Abaya staying as Transportation Secretary?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Yes.

Ms. Dizon: And, sir, why?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Baka bakit hindi natin pasukan ‘yung instant issue? If I understand correctly, Senator Grace Poe was calling for his firing primarily because of the issue with the MRT. Balikan natin ‘yung MRT. Iyong maintenance contract. Bakit ba tayo nagkaroon ng problema sa maintenance contract? Iyong entity that used to have the maintenance contract, at that time that the contract was expiring or about to expire, said “we want an increase in the fees that we charge.” Ngayon, ‘yung besides the increase in fees, they also said “we want to…” parang “we will not give you a warranty on the service that we’ll gonna do because the ridership far exceeds the original plans for the system.” So tataasan tayo ng presyo, wala pang warranty, parang doon naumpisahan ng DOTC hanapin meron bang ibang maintenance provider na puwedeng mag-provide ‘nung service na at the very least bibigyan naman tayo ng warranty doon sa serbisyo nila para meron tayong kapanatagan rin doon sa safety ng ridership.

Now, binabase yata ‘yung call for his resignation dahil nawalan tayo ng maintenance provider and—sorry ha—I have to… There is a company called Busan Transport na sinabi—‘di ba, headline. The irony was headline na nawala itong South Korea or walking out, et cetera. Well, actually that same day, ‘di ba, signing of the contract. Paano ba ‘yon? Hindi ‘walking away,’ ‘walking to’ dapat ang nalagay doon sa headline. They will maintain the MRT 3 for three years and rehabilitate and overhaul 43 of the LRVs; will install a completely new signaling system to replace the obsolete one. They are already taking over the signaling and rolling stocks today.

They will also continue to maintain the remaining portions of MRT 3—sorry… There is a current maintenance provider who accepted a one-month extension. After the one-month extension, ‘yung Busan will takeover the maintenance aspect completely. So hindi tama ‘yung nawalan ng maintenance. So there was never… Secretary Abaya insists there was never a moment that MRT 3 did not have a maintenance provider.

Ms. Dizon: Sir, so can we say that just like in the Mamasapano reopening of the investigation, this is all politically motivated or related to the upcoming campaign?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Baka dapat tanungin si Senator Poe since I am not authorized to be her spokesperson.

Ms. Dizon: Sir, speaking of the campaign, are you ready to campaign starting next month and what can you say about the survey showing of your presidential and vice presidential bets?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Well, the last surveys na nakita ko, I think I’m very happy. Iyong Leni Robredo started out—and Mar Roxas, for that matter—started out single digit. Now, in the survey that I particularly saw kapag sinama mo ‘yung margin of error ng plus or minus 3, one can actually say there is already a statistical tie for a second place. From people… Di ba, parang compared to people who are considered unassailable at some point in time, ‘di ba, ‘yung mga nasa 40s ang supposed to be rating are now down to 20s. So, di ba, para sumipa na multiples ‘yung aming kandidato, bumaba rin ng parang 50 percent ‘yung mga kanilang katapat. Bakit tayo hindi matutuwa doon?

Now, when the campaign goes full blast, well, you will see parang the witnesses of Daang Matuwid doing the campaigning for us, I think you will see the numbers even progress that much more. Am I ready to campaign? Yes. I am actually… Kanina actually ‘yung papunta dito, ang sabi ko, ang lamang lang ‘nung mga ibang katunggali natin sila puwedeng mag-concentrate sa kampanya, ako kailangan kong patakbuhin pa ‘yung bansa hanggang June 30. So may parte ‘nung araw, araw-araw na papatakbuhin ‘yung bansa, at may parte nangangampanya at may parteng nag-aaral para doon sa ibang problema naka-pending rin.

Ms. Dizon: Sir, may binubulong si (Flor).

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Sana relevant lang, Flor.

Ms. Dizon: Ano daw po ‘yung message niyo kay Pia?

PRESIDENT AQUINO: Well, number one, siyempre, natuwa tayong lahat na nanalo siya. Siguro para baka magkakaroon ng sining doon sa aspect na kung paano siya nanalo na, paano ba, may disappointment bago may joy. Iyong point na pinaghirapan naman niya talaga itong pagkapanalo niya. Nakikita naman niyo ‘yung sacrifice involved for somebody to get to that level. And I’m really glad that she achieved one of her dreams.