SEC. ANDANAR:​ Yes,                  I was there during the meeting kasi it’s our job to be where the President is, pero iyong ano kasi iyong—it is at the closed door meeting eh and the President just wanted to talk to the mayors na sila, sila lang at…you know, he wanted to talk to them in a very intimate manner. So—

DELA CRUZ:                                     ​But were they aware of the agenda – the purpose of the meeting?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Well—

DELA CRUZ:​                           O, na-inform before hand? That was the question.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     No, no, no. I was not informed kung ano iyong pag-uusapan. It was highly confidential…government matters and noong pagdating ko doon ay nalaman ko na lang na—kung ano iyong napag-usapan, kasi… of course, hindi naman natin alam kung ano talaga iyong pinaka-agenda. But—

MADERAZO:​                           Anyway, ang in-attendance is more than 1, 400 ba, tama po ba iyon?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Yeah, around, around that number.

MADERAZO:                           And then they were met in two batches, parang ganoon ang pagkakaalam po natin. ​

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Yes, there were three…from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

MADERAZO:                                    ​So ano po ang—what is the official statement natin regarding that meeting? Kasi maraming nagsasabi na may ganito, may murahan, may ganito ganiyan. But what is the official line on that meeting?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Well, I will have to defer the official line to the Presidential Spokesperson. Pero what I can tell you is that it was a heart-to-heart talk between the Mayor and—between the President and the mayors. So it was amplifying the message of the President and the policy of the President on the illegal drugs, kasi nga alam naman natin na this is the priority policy of the President. At kung ano, iyong enormity kasi ng problema hindi matatawaran so the President had to talk to them.

DELA CRUZ:​                            Pero iyong list na hawak na po, Secretary, ni Presidente ‘di ba sinabi niya na prior to assumption in office. Pero it took him more—after 6 months to deal personally with the mayor. Ano iyong paliwanag dito, Secretary, bakit ngayon lang niya pinatawag ang mga mayors? Nakita niya na walang ginagawa, is that it?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     No, no. Actually iyong listahan naman na hawak ng ating Pangulon gayon, this is a developing list. Iyong listahan naman ng Philippine National Police ay—na-discover lang noon na ganito kadami na after the President took his oath of office. So in battling crime, you know, you need the support of number 1, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the public and you also need the support of the local government executives; so it make things easier. It makes the war—should shall I call, call it ano—hindi naman easy ‘no but it makes it more manageable kung lahat ng mga stakeholders kasama.

MADERAZO:​                           Iyon ho bang mga dinala ay mga town mayors po ito, mga—and the city mayors?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Hindi halo-halo po eh—

MADERAZO:​                           Ah, halo-halo so—

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Kasi mayroon pong mga—

MADERAZO:​                           Pero bakit ng ano—ng municipal mayors ng league at saka ng League of City mayors. Nagbago na ho ba?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Iyong liderato po?

MADERAZO:​                           Opo.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     I’ll have to ask the DILG Secretary.

MADERAZO:​                           Ah, wala pa hong—

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Hindi ko po alam kung sino iyong bagong League of Municipalities president, the League of City [Mayors] president. Pero let me get back to you on that, Jake.

MADERAZO:                                    ​Okay, anyway, so alam naman natin na mga mayors iyan, towns and City mayors, talking to the biggest mayor of the Philippines. At sabikonga, ang sinasabi ko kay Arlyn kanina, siyempre napapag-usapan iyan, normally kasi ‘pag pumupunta ng Malacañang, kapag pinatawag binibigyan ng pondo o kaya binibigyan ng benepisyo. So since bago na iyong budget ngayon, mayroon bang nangyaring lecturing or something that—incentives naman napuwedeng ibigay?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Wala po, wala po. It was really plainly heart-to-heart po—

MADERAZO:​                           Heart-to-heart lang talaga.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Oo, heart-to-heart talk. Wala pong napag-usapan na mga tit-for-tat, wala hong ganiyang. Si President Digong ho ay he is very straight and very straight forward when it comes to talking to people, lalo na iyong mga official. So iyong pinakapinag-usapan ho diyan—of course, we are getting varied reports from different mayors also who were connected to the media. Pero ang ano ko na lang po…take is that I’ll ask the Presidential Spokesperson to give us an official statement.

MADERAZO:                                    ​Some of the mayors are being interviewed on radio eh.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Opo.

MADERAZO:                                    ​Some are telling their versions ‘no.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Opo. ‘Di bale, I’ll assure you that we will come up with an official statement. Ayoko lang pong pangunahan ang Presidente.

MADERAZO:​                           Okay. So the clear message was that sabi ng Presidente, let us help na magkaroon ng drug-free Philippines. Talagang plano ba niya na 2017 drug-free na tayo?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Well, doon sa huling interview po kay Presidente noong December 29 ay ipinaliwanag niya po sa sambayanang Pilipino na he will not stop until the last drug pusher is out of the street and even if it takes him six years to do that. So there are no promises—magiging drug free talaga 100 percent this year, or next year, pero the government will do its best to implement all of the policies of President Duterte and make this country a more livable country.

MADERAZO:                                    ​The past—‘di ba mayroong mga 200 na mga bagong officials na in-appoint ‘no ha. Totoo ba iyong balita na natanggap naming na si… of course, si Beroya nasa LRT-A, pero si Lastimoso nasa PNR na – Philippine National Railway? Is that correct? Si General Lastimoso?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Ang naulinigan ko po ay diyan ilalagay si former PNP Chief Lastimoso.

MADERAZO:​                           So iyon ang alam mo?

DELA CRUZ:                                     ​Saan po?

MADERAZO:​                           PNR—

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Sa PNR, iyon po iyong naulinigan ko. Pero let me get –

MADERAZO:​                           Wala pang official.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     I’ll get back to you, Jake and Arlyn, hindi ko Makita iyong official talaga na—

DELA CRUZ:​                            Hindi kaya lang natanong naming iyon, nakita naming na lahat ng mga dating military and police, iyong nakapalibot sa kaniya sa campaign nakapuwesto na. Sabi, “Oh, nasaan si Lastimoso?”

SEC. ANDANAR:                            ​So, I’ll text that or I’ll talk to the Executive Secretary kung iyan ay confirmed na talaga.

MADERAZO:​                           Oo kaibigan natin iyon eh. Kaibigan natin—

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Opo, si General Lastimoso. Kasi si General Lastimoso parehas tayo, Jake, eh noong mga bata pa kami, kaklase ko iyong anak ni…

DELA CRUZ:​                            Si B0jie ba?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Hindi si Bojie, si Jopet. Yung ka-batch ko si Jopet. Iyong sumunod kay Bojie. Si Bojie, si Jopet tapos si—

DELA CRUZ:​                            Oo, may mas bata pa.

SEC. ANDANAR:                            ​Pero mas mukhang bata si Bojie, kasi masyadong ano iyon eh, nag gi-gym yun eh tapos—anyway, so noong mga kabataan naming doon kami nag-aral sa Cagayan de Oro City.

MADERAZO:​                           Basta ang importante, at least, si General Lastimoso is up for a position. Matagal nang inaabangan ni Arlyn kasi. Anyway, mayroon ba tayong final say doon sa ano, regarding itong retraction ng invitation kay Vice President Robredo on that Vin d’ Honneur. Natapos na ba iyong story na iyon?

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Well, naglabas ng statement si Spokespeson Abella kagabi. At ang sinabi niya doon, it is the prerogative of the President kung sinong gusto niyang i-invite at alam naman natin na… siyempre ang pipiliin? Di pipiliin talaga kung sino ang gusto, kung kanino siya komportable. So siguro the Office of the Vice President should respect that.

MADERAZO:​                           Eh iyong kay Chief Justice Sereno, talagang hindi lang siya nakarating?

SEC. ANDANAR:                            ​I’m sorry po, Sir Jake.

MADERAZO:​                           Kay Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, ‘di ba, was she also invited? The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Hindi po nakarating eh. So hindi koalam kung na-invite talaga siya. Anyway, mayroon ngang biru-biruan, nag-usap kami ni Executive Secretary Medialdea, sabi ko, “Hindi ba in-invite si Vice President?” Tapos sabi niya, sabi ni ES, “Eh magkakaroon siya ng sarili niyang Vin d’Honneur next year.” [Laughs]

MADERAZO:​                           [Laughs] Sigeka, bakamagkatotoo.

DELA CRUZ:​                            Sir, teka muna, iyong paksa talaga, the intention why we called Secretary Martin Andanar is the 50th anniversary of ASEAN. Ano ang expectations natin dito? And of course, we are the host. Ano na, tayo na ngayon ang may hawak ng ASEAN.

MADERAZO:​                           Oo nga. Shinzo Abe is arriving today.

SEC. ANDANAR:                            ​Opo. Well, unang-una, ay sa January 15 na po iyong kick off ng ASEAN, alas tres ng hapon dito po sa SMX Davao. Nandoon po iyong ating mga Cabinet members, at nandoon din poiyong majority ng Diplomatic Corps at itopo ay pangungunahan ng ating Pangulo. Excited na po ang buong National Organizing Committee, kasama po ang inyong lingkod, as the Chairman of the Media Committee, dahil marami kaming preparation na ginawa for this ASEAN 2017. Magkakaroon po ng 100, over 100 ministerial meetings all over the country, and three major summits – one sa Abril, isa po sa Agosto at isa din po sa Nobyembre.

Ang mahalaga po dito, Jake at Arlyn, ay ang maintindihan ng sambayanang Pilipino kung ano po ang kahalagahan ng ASEAN talaga sa buhay natin, and why should they really even bother to be part of it or be active. Well, ASEAN, para sa kapakanan ng lahat, has 630 million people, dahil sampung bansa ito. At mayroon pong negosyo na umiikot kada taon na $2.5 billion. Now, as one ASEAN, as a collective group ay mas malaki po ang tiyansa ng lahat ng mga miyembro na mag-negotiate, mag-bargain sa mas malalaking mga bansa tulad ng China o America pagdating sa negosyo. And as one, we can promote our country and we can even be more progressive, kasi nga kapag nagdesisyon tayo ay we decide as a group.

​                                                So para po sa mga kababayan natin na gustong makinabang, gustong malaman iyong impormasyon na makakatulong sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay tungkol sa ASEAN, pumunta lang po kayo sa Presidential Communication’s Facebook page at manood po kayo ng ating state-run media – PTV 4, puwede sa Radyo ng Bayan – sa Radyo Inquirer because maglalabas po tayo ng iba’tibang media collaterals na para mas lalong maintindihan iyong ASEAN. At ang ating Philippine Information Agency will be working with the barangay also, lahat ng barangay para magbigay ng mga polyetos para mas maintindihan po natin iyong kahalagahan ng ASEAN.

I think what is important, Sir Jake and Arlyn, to know that only 24% of the entire 630 million really has a basic understanding of ASEAN. So as the Communications person, ang ating objective po ay kahit man lang at the end of the 11 months, kahit 50% ng population natin – or about 50 million – ay mayroon ng basic knowledge ng ASEAN and that this will be a multiplier effect.

MADERAZO:​ ​                          Oo. Kasi may integration na tayo na darating, kailangan maintindihan nating nang husto iyan.

SEC. ANDANAR:                            ​Opo, opo. Oo, kasi—just to give you an example, ano ba iyong puwedeng pakinabangan sa ASEAN? Alam ba ninyong lahat na mayroon pong mga unibersidad o college sa bansa natin na accredited sa buong ASEAN. So therefore, kung mayroon kang diploma na natanggap sa University XYZ, halimbawa, kung doon ka nakapagtapos at iyong university na iyon ay accredited sa ASEAN, eh iyong kurso mo ay kikilalanin, iyong diploma mo, kikilalanin sa ibang bansasa ASEAN. So lalo na sa atin na we are very heavily dependent on our OFWs, and our OFWs are very dependent on jobs outside the country, mahalaga na matanong mo, halimbawa, sa registrar, kayo ba ay ASEAN registered ba kayo? Ito ba na kursong kukunin ko kapag ako ay nagtrabaho sa Singapore, kikilalanin ba ito ng Singapore government? So that’s just one basic knowledge that we should … information that we should know, at saka marami pang iba.

MADERAZO:​                           Alammo, Secretary, kapag mayroon kayong—kauna-unahan, I’ll take this opportunity. Maraming salamat ho na nila-live naming iyong feed na of value, mga live feed galing sa Channel 4. At kung mayroon kayong mga materials na puwede naming gamitin, like for example, promoting itong ASEAN ninyo, just send it to Ms. Arlyn. And then si Arlyn na lang will take care of it so we can be of help from time to time.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Salamat, Sir Jake at Arlyn. By the way, I still owe you a visit there.

DELA CRUZ:​                            Yes, a visit. Alam mo kung bakit? Ibibigay ko sana sa’yo personally iyong letter namin requesting a one-on-one with the President. Nakakaselos naman, parang kami wala.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Opo. Arlyn, magpapakabit ng microwave. Hindi, sige po. Makakaasa po kayo, we are ano … this year, asahan ninyo po na iyong PCOO will be more active especially sa mga radio stations—

DELA CRUZ:​                            Radio and television in the case of Inquirer.

MADERAZO:​                           At saka may request kami sa inyo, Martin, na magtatayo kami ng microwave na para makapag-live report iyong reporter naming sa Malacañang.

DELA CRUZ:​                            ‘Di ba, Rose, na-submit na natin iyong letter ‘no, oo.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Ah sige po, sigepo. Mag-usap po tayo.

DELA CRUZ:​                            It’s already in your office, Mr. Secretary.

MADERAZO:​                           Magse-setup kami ng microwave diyan so puwedeng mag-live report everyday iyong reporter naming sa Malacañang, si Chona Yu.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Sige po, sige po. Si Chona, opo.

DELA CRUZ:                                     ​Iyong letter po na-submit na sa inyo, Secretary.

MADERAZO:​                           Okay. Anyway, Secretary, mayroon ba kayong bagong… on the arrival of Shinzo Abe, mayroon ba kayong sasabihin para sa ating mga kababayan; and then, the Miss Universe.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Well, darating po ngayong araw na ito si Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. At kung kayo po ay—for example, kung kayo po ay nakatira malapit sa Malacañang or sa airport, let’s show our support to the President and, of course, to the Japanese Prime Minister. And Japan, as one of our strategic allies pagdatings a economy at pagdating diyan sa lahat ng aspeto ng ating buhay. If you can go out, bring a Japanese flag, a Philippine flag and wave it pagdaan po ni Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Alam po naman natin na the President was very warmly welcomed when he visited the Prime Minister, when he visited Japan last year. And one way to show our appreciation sa lahat po ng tulong ng Japan sa atin dahil ang Japan po ang may pinakamalaking investment po sa bansa natin, taun-taon po iyan, iyong JICA. Let’s show our appreciation and best foot forward tayo, and let’s show the Prime Minister why our country is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Thank you po.

MADERAZO:​                           Thank you. Okay, maraming salamat sa’yo, Secretary Martin Andanar.

SEC. ANDANAR:​                     Thank you po. Mabuhay po kayo.

​##

source:  Transcription NIB