DECISION 2013: JAMBY MADRIGAL

Jamby:  Di takot maging unpopular

Nina Bella Cariaso, Liza Soriano

“YOU need someone in the Senate who will take a strong stand against corruption and who will not care whether the issue is popular or not.”

Ito ang giit ni dating senador Jamby Madrigal na nais magbalik sa Senado at ngayon ay isa sa mga kandidato ng administration coalition.

Sa kanyang pagbisita sa Inquirer Bandera kamakailan, sinabi ni Madrigal na nagbabalik siya dahil kailangan ng Senado ng isang senador na may paninindigan, hindi natatakot  laban sa korapsyon at  isang tao na walang pakialam sa sasabihin ng iba lalo na kung ang isinusulong niya ay hindi popular.

Anya, bagamat nasa administrasyon na siya ngayon at miyembro ng partido ni Pangulong Aquino, maninindigan pa rin siya sa mga posisyon na kanyang pinaniniwalaang makakatulong sa taongbayan.“I have taken stance whether it’s popular or not, whether you like me or not, I’ll take a stand even if it’s unpopular,” giit pa nito.

Sa ngayon, aniya ay tanging sina Senador Panfilo Lacson, TG guingona at Serge Osmena ang nakikita niyang katulad niya na hindi natatakot maging “unpopular”.

LP vs UNA

Ikinuwento rin ni Madrigal na una siyang inalok ng coalition ng Liberal Party bagamat may mga parinig din ang United Nationalist Alliance na gusto siyang isama nito sa kanilang tiket.

Ngunit sumama siya sa LP dahil ito ang pormal na nagbigay sa kanya ng imbitasyon.

Wala umanong pormal na alok sa kanya ang UNA, partikular na si Vice President Jejomar Binay, kahit pa dati anya siyang miyembro ng partidong PDP-Laban.

“Merong mga parinig pero hindi ako kinausap ni Vice President Binay and considering I’m an ex-PDP-Laban, maybe that was a message na nilagay ang pangalan ko pero hindi ako kinausap,” dagdag pa ni Madrigal.

Niliwanag din ni Madrigal na hindi niya pinuputol ang ugnayan sa kampo nina Estrada at Binay, ngayong nasa LP na siya.

“No. I’m very thankful to them.  I’m very thankful to president Estrada.

Hindi namin inaabuso yung friendship. I consider him a friend and I hope he considers me the same,” dagdag pa ni Madrigal.

Ibinida rin ni Madrigal na una siyang inalok ng LP bago pa man sinimulang ang usapang-pakikipagalyansa nito sa Nacionalista Party ni Senador Manny Villar na “nakaaway” niya noong nakaraang Kongreso.

Walang personalan, isyu lang

Tapos na rin anya ang sinasabing “away” na namagitan sa kanila ni Villar, dagdag pa ang hirit na walang personalan sa mga nangyaring bangayan at tanging nakabase ito sa isyu.

“Ang pinaglabanan namin ay issue-based. It was not against Senator Villar per se. It was against an issue that I felt strongly about,” anya pa.

Wala rin umano siyang galit o sama ng loob sa misis ng senador na si dating Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar na ngayon ay kasama rin niya sa tiket ng LP coalition.

Isa pa ring “nakalaban” ni Madrigal ay ang ngayon ay katiket din na si Sen. Alan Peter-Cayetano. Ngunit tapos na anya ang mga isyu na nagdaan sa kanilang dalawa at hindi personalan ang namagitan sa kanilang dalawa.

“Madami nga akong batikos galing kay Alan Cayetano, si Villar lang kanyang sinusunod at that time.

That’ s politics pero nung tinanong nila ko kung comfortable ba ako kay Alan ang sabi ko yes because he was just doing his job.

Hindi naman kami nagtanim ng galit kay Alan although kung titignan ang sinabi niya nakakagulat talaga,” ayon pa kay Madrigal.

Handa rin siyang makasama ang mga ito sakaling pare-pareho silang iboto ng publiko.

“Hindi  mo naman mapili who would you work with pero you have to work together para maisalang at maipasa ang  mga needed  legislations,” sabi pa ni Madrigal.

Environmental laws, anti-contractualization

Kabilang sa mga bibigyang prayoridad ni Madrigal sakaling maupo muli sa Senado ay ang mga panukala na magbibigay proteksyon sa kalikasan at imbestigasyon hinggil sa isyu ng contruactulaization.

“I would like to look into the benefits under contractualization bagamat it’s very controversial.

Contractual workers end up with nothing after 30 to 40 years.

There has to  be a way, short of stopping contractualization to completely safeguard the rights and the job security of contractual workers,” paliwanag ni Madrigal.

Nangako rin siya na paiimbestigahan ang patuloy na pagtaas ng water bill at isusulong din niya ang mga panukalang batas na isinusulong ni Aquino.

“It would be nice if we could do positive contribution instead of just fighting the government.

During the time of GMA, laban ka nang laban, yung talagang energy mo is just spent fighting, but that was necessary because we have a corrupt regime.

I would like to become a constructive member of LP but I would also like to be independent and stand my ground on controversial issues especially environment, women and children,” sabi pa ni Madrigal.

Editor:  May tanong, komento o reaksyon ba kayo sa artikulong ito? I-text ang pangalan, edad, lugar at mensahe sa 09178052374.

 

Iba’t ibang hirit ni  Jamby Madrigal

BUMISITA sa Inquirer Bandera kamakailan si dating senador Jamby Madrigal na bumabalik muli sa Senado at tumatakbo sa ilalim ng Liberal Party (LP). Tinanong namin siya sa mga isyu at ito ang kanyang mga posisyon:

Hospital arrest para kay GMA
God works  in many mysterious ways. I don’t like to be in her situation, if you put her in an ordinary jail at mabali ang leeg niya o magchoke siya at walang special attention… you don’t want to make a martyr out of her also, dahil alam mo naman ang mga Pilipino maawain, kapag nilagay sa kulungan.

I think hospital arrest would be better.

If they’re reasoning is bad, kung anong mangyari diyan at least sa hospital may mga doctor na.

As to whether she can have operation here, only doctors abroad and here will be able to say after meeting, so it’s really medical issue.

Reproductive Health bill
I’m watching what they are doing.

I’m really for reproductive health education, yung pinagtatalunan ata nila, funding component, sa akin we should study that very carefully.

It’s really the poorest of the poor that we really need to reach out kasi they are the ones who have more children because it’s is cultural because for them ang yaman nila yung mga anak nila.

Sin tax bill
The sin tax should be used for more health care, meaning for more illnesses, yun talagang may sakit, rather than ibili ng condoms.

Sabi ko nga, ang tobacco ang tinatawag nila inelastic demand.

So, kung ito ang price mo, ito ang cigarettes, yung demand halos hindi gumagalaw.

Unang-una ang mga cigarette companies, oligopoly, monopoly na yun,  tapos yung nature, luxury or sin good. It’s good to increase sin tax kung health care lang, Philhealth makinabang. (yung DOF version) It’s not very radical.

And then yung farmers, hindi totoo yun… only 20 percent of the Virginia tobacco, of the industry is taken from the Ilocos farmers. But of course, it could be very controversial because of the coming elections.

Anti-political dynasty bill
I’m for it, meaning it’s hard to see na mag-ina, magkapatid na nasa Senado kasi no matter what yung independence… bloc voting.

Ang mga pangalan ngayon lahat dynasty, sa Senado.

Pero mas masagwang tignan sa probinsiya, parang merry go round, anak, asawa.

That’s my opinion but until the law is passed.

In the case of Bam (Aquino) who is related to the president, until the law is passed, he has all the right to run.

Charter change
Definitely not, I’m very against that. I don’t believe, one, in a federal form of government.

Two, I also do not believe in a parliamentary form of government because if you have the money, the media, the power, you can stay as prime minister as long as you want.

Parang dictatorship na rin yan kasi kung ang parliament  ang bumuboto sa ‘yo, prime minister ka,  it has no term limits.

Divorce
We have annulment here.

All I can say is that the rich again are more privileged because they can get annulment.

If  annulment is easily attainable by the poor then  divorce will be redundant.

That has to be addressed because when you are poor and you live in a squatter and you want to leave your wife and then your live na with someone else because you cannot get divorce.

You have to level the playing field. The rich, they can easily get annulment because they have many lawyers.

Annulment is divorce only dressed up much better. But there’s some hypocrisy there.

Same sex marriage
We are land of the free.  We are very kind country to gays, but I’m not keen on it yet because it maybe abused.

But the right to partnership can be recognized as a partnership.

We  don’t even have divorce here.  Can you imagine, how they will be married? I can understand the religious and moral complications there. A lot of Catholics are very conservative here anyway.

Logging
Definitely, you know my stand from the previous Congress that environment is a priority.

I would like to see the Philippines as a center for eco-tourism. So there are alternatives. I’m for conservation.

Mining
I would like to see selective mining where ores are processed here.

Kagaya ng gold, dapat tayo ang mag-process ng ores natin at magkaroon tayo dito ng ating sariling jewelry industry.

Kagaya ng sa Thailand imbes na mag-import.

Yung gold kasi natin, ini-export natin yung ores,  tapos  yung gold mismo, iimport na naman natin, kawawa naman, may tax pa.

We should  really process our natural resources here and and all the gold and silver jewelry. I’m against the unlimited export of raw materials.

Peace talks
I think it’s a good first move. What’s important again is there are efforts, when you stop to talk, that’s the time when guns come out.

Now, (Nur) Misuari is probably not happy because aside from him, people are giving more participation so, to me it is a good first step.

Now the devil is in the  details.

And it will take a few years.

But the fact that they have gone this far to have  a  Framework Agreement, it’ s not like it can be perfected immediately,  but I think the timing is  good.

Legalization of jueteng
That’s a two-edge sword.

We have to study how many people would be affected. How many people are making a living out of jueteng.

Of course, I agree with Sen. Lacson and Archbishop Cruz, it breeds a lot of corruption.

We have to see to it that if it’s legalized, jueteng will be minimized.

I cannot answer that categorically, I like to see a study on legalization and who will also control the legalized jueteng because that would also be a source of corruption.

K-12 education program
Honestly I don’t agree because our greatest writers, during pre-wars, lahat sila hanggang grade six hanggang, high school, they speak Kapampangan, Spanish, Tagalog.

It’s not in the length of schooling, it’s in the quality of schooling.

So, if you can increase the budget education… kasi you are putting another layer although magandang pakinggan.. Imagine this child sa probinsiya, what’s the difference if you increase the number of years, kung walang classroom, walang papel, walang libro, it’s going  to be the same without learning anything.

I’m not really for increasing years, yumayaman na ang mga universities which are being privatized.

That’s why isa sa mga accomplishment ko, I blocked the provision that UP could be sold of.  They cannot sell it they can only lease it for five years and renewed.

Lahat ng mga bagong may-ari ng universities, they will make money.

At what caause you will sacrifice your education to profit? Ako, I will always err on the side of let’s not make a profit but let’s make a quality education than learn a profit and bring them in and out.

Pork barrel
I did not take pork barrel. There are two reasons.

During the GMA government, it’s so corrupt, I wonder if I took my pork barrel, siguro mas marami akong natulungan.

Nung sinoli ko sa budget yan, pumunta rin sa corrupt government.

So, in a way it’s a two-edge maraming bumabatikos sa pork barrel pero kung ang kongresista, senador, mahal yung constituents, hindi naman nila kukunin yun.

Under the Aquino administration, I will think about it.

Labor exports
At the moment, it is very important for us because we are taking advantage of remittances.

Yan ang nagpapabuhay din sa ekonomiya.

However, hopefully I would like to see the day, where our brain drain comes back.

Umaalis naman ang mga Filipino dahil walang opportunities but if there are more opportunities here, it would also be nice na wala nang bubuti sa mga OFWs natin once they are trained there.

FOI bill
I don’t think it’s going to pass this Congress. I need to look the provisions.

Isyu kay Juday
Sabi nila nag-away kami ni Juday, remember?

Hindi naman totoo yun kasi meron mga taong namamagitan sa amin, na iba- iba ang sinasabi kay Juday.

Tapos iba din ang sinasabing sa akin, kami ni Juday, never kami nag-away.

Tapos narinig  ko na lang sa radyo may bumabanat sa akin pero I thank her for supporting me and I don’t think there was an issue. It’s just misunderstanding with intermediaries.

Kapag nasa showbiz, lumalaki lahat. Sinabi na parang hindi ko naman kailangan si Juday, hindi yun totoo,  hindi ko siya ininsulto.

Medyo na-twist yun kasi I felt my political opponents were using that. Nung bago ako talaga I thanked her for helping me win.

Pero kung naka isang term ka na naman as senator, ang dapat basehan ng tao yung track record mo, hindi na yung endorser.

I think our best endorser would be the president himself,  who is the head of Liberal Party who still enjoys a very high trust and popularity rating.

Philippine Sports
Dismal.  You know, it is sad because even yung sa Azkals pinopondohan din ng private, so I really think something should be done.

Hindi ba there is controversy in the Philippine Sports Commission?

Si Peping Cojuangco, he has been there for a long time so… There should be an alternate commission … it’s not necessary a Cabinet level, you only need a competent chairman.

At least if it’s Cabinet level, it will have the support of Malacanang.

The controversy has been raging on…but the President hindi na kailangang makialam diyan.

Hindi naman maaaring the President telling his uncle to leave, it should be the private sector who should find another candidate if they are not happy with him… to remove him.   —Bella Cariaso, Liza Soriano