Q: Mr. President, gaano po ba ka-epektibo ang ating intelligence gathering, yung ating intel community? Bakit mabilis pong namamatay yung mga destab, coup d’etat na laban po sa administrasyon?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, pinatibay talaga natin ang ating intelligence services. It’s much better than it was before because marami nang ibang bagong kailanagan na bantayan.

So, yes they’ve been doing a good job and I think that we shouldn’t be talking about intelligence services kasi they’re supposed to be clandestine, eh. But maayos naman ang trabaho nila but then, I think more than anything, they are really directed towards external threats rather than internal, because those are more serious as far as we’re concerned.

Q: It only proves po, Mr. President, na you’re not a weak president.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, we get things done. We get more things done than most other people. So, I think that’s the most important thing. I don’t know how you would define one or the other. Ang importante naman diyan, we’re here to serve. As long as we’re able to do that then we’re effective. And that’s what’s important.

Q: Sir are you done with your consultations on the mode of changing the Constitution?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Months ago.

Q: So, what’s your preferred mode po?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: What’s happening now. I always said the Senate will take the lead. The Senate is taking the lead and between the two houses they will come to an agreement then that will be the way we’ll do it.

But I don’t know why there is such…It’s really a storm in a tea cup because this has been decided very long ago from both the leaders of both houses. Maybe I don’t proclaim but sinasabi na kailangan kong pumasok,kailangan kong…Matagal na akong nakikipag-usap sa magkabila. But, you know, what for me is more important than to make these proclamations, pronouncements, what’s more important is to get it done. So, that’ what we’re doing, we’re doing it quietly. We do it with, you know, without any fuss. We just want to get those amendments incorporated into the Constitution to improve the chances of investment and upskilling of our people.

Q: Sir, may alleged cyanide fishing daw po sir sa—

PRESIDENT MARCOS: May?

Q: Alleged cyanide fishing sa Scarborough Shoal. May reaction kayo doon, sir? Are we going to file a case?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, the best that we know is that there is, as far as we can tell. Ang sabi ng BFAR talagang mayroong ginagamit. Mayroong nagsasabi matagal na raw ginagawa ‘yan. And I do know that there are cases of cyanide fishing before, even here in the Philippines. but I think the reason that it has been more alarming is that it has become more prevalent. Kaya ‘yun ang inaalala natin.

Q: Sir, are we going to file a case kasi sabi po ni [Undersecretary] Malaya parang they intend to file a case against China?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: If we feel that there is enough ground to do so, we will.

Q: Mr. President, I understand you’ve already given your stand regarding the ICC probe but 55% of Filipinos right now approve of the cooperation of the government with the ICC probe, your thoughts on this. Is there a possibility that you change your stand with regards to this considering that more Filipinos are approving of your cooperation?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: It opens Pandora’s box because it’s still those questions of jurisdictions and sovereignty that I haven’t yet seen a sufficient answer for. Until then I do not recognize their jurisdiction in the Philippines. I cannot— that seems to be the only logical conclusion that you can come to in that situation.

Q: But there’s still a possibility that you will change your mind later on if you see more evidence?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: No. It’s not about the evidence, it’s about the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines. They can produce as much evidence as they want but they cannot act upon it in the Philippines. That’s the point.

Q: But their presence here— you’re approving of it?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: I don’t approve or deny. You know, they haven’t done anything illegal. Once they do of course, we will do something about it but the— we’re an open country, we’re not a closed country. So, sure yeah.

Q: Thank you, sir.

Q: Sir, balikan ko lang po ‘yung event. Gaano po kahalaga ‘yung pagkilalang ito para magpursige pa po ‘yung iba nating artist doon po sa napili po nilang craft?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, talagang— alam mo lahat naman ng mga ng ating mga artist, whatever field that they’re in, talagang tuloy-tuloy naman ‘yan. They really work hard at their art kasi iba ‘yung art eh, iba ‘yung— creativity is something that you cannot deny, it’s something that comes out whether you like it or not.

Kailangan sumulat, kailangan sumulat ng poetry, kailangan maging pintor, kailangan mag— sumulat ng music, kailangan magperform, they will—  it will do it anyway. what’s important is the support from government and support from other else hindi lang government.

But government must take the lead and the reason why I consider it very, very important and I’ve always done so, is because the culture of a country is the definition of its people. ‘Yung kagaya ng nabanggit ko kanina in my remarks sinabi ko that artist define our culture and the culture is the shared consciousness of the Filipino. And it is the answer to the question: what is it to be Filipino. Sila’ng sumasagot sa tanong na iyon kaya’t napakahalaga ng kanilang ginagawa. Hindi lamang dahil nage-enjoy tayo, dahil ang ganda ng painting, ang ganda ng music, ang ganda ng building, ang ganda ng kanilang mga ginawa but also because it’s important because of that because they serve as a unifying influence for our country.

Q: Thank you, sir.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Okay, thank you.

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