An interview with former Secretary Ronald Liamas.

Video Transcript / Subtitles:( AI generated. About AI subtitles » )

* AI ("Artificial Intelligence") subtitles on Tagalog.com are generated using "Whisper" by OpenAI (the same company that created ChatGPT and DallE2). Results and accuracy may vary.
* The subtitles do include errors occasionally and should only be used as a tool to help with your listening practice.
* You can request this website to create a transcript for a video if one doesn't already exist by clicking the "Request AI Subtitles" button below a video. Transcribing usually takes 30-40% of the length of a video to complete if there are no other videos in the queue. For example, a 21 minute video will take 7-8 minutes to transcribe.
* Running a super fast cloud GPU server to do these transcriptions does cost money. If you have the desire and financial ability, consider becoming a patron to support these video transcriptions, and the other tools and apps built by Tagalog.com

Alright, let's do this. Ito yung important episode talaga. Ito yung highlight natin.

Obviously, we were talking in the previous episodes about how our allies and partners can help the Philippines

and that behind the scenes perhaps they're pressuring Marcos Jr. to adopt a more humane or human rights friendly approach.

And that's why I won't be surprised that the Delima, Senator Delima's, you know,

that positive turn in events for Senator Delima perhaps may have a thing or two to do.

I mean, just look at the congratulatory almost tweets from ambassadors of US and other countries.

So clearly, invested sila sa issue na yan. I mean, what is your read on that aspect?

Well, itong kay Laila Delima was long delayed.

A month before the elections, nung halos sigurado na naman nanalo si BBM,

in-interview ako ni Patrick Paez sa 1PH.

Sabi ko, ito yung isang low-hanging fruit na pwedeng gawin.

Ni President-elect Bongbong Marcos.

Dahil hindi kinakailangan ng legislation, hindi kinakailangan ng major agreements.

It's not a huge effort.

Pero magbabago yung kanyang image within the country, but most importantly, outside the country.

Kung papalayain niya or papayagan niya mag-bail si Laila Delima,

lalo na yung evidence naman ay masyadong manipis.

At hindi naman niya kaaway si Laila Delima.

So, inulit ko yan last year, several times.

Nangyari na binigyan nila ng lifeline si Laila last year.

Nang sabi nila, oh Laila, sabihin mo lang na meron kang serious illness.

Ikaw ay papalabasin namin sa preso, hospital arrest, and even house arrest.

It's almost bail.

Nang sabi ni Laila, ibig sabihin magsisinungaling ako?

Ibig sabihin, sasabihin.

Ibig sabihin ko na may ganitong klaseng karamdaman para wala.

Hindi ko gagawin yan.

I will just stay here.

Kahit most of the time, solitary confinement ako.

Early this year, nangyari ulian.

Binigyan nila ng lifeline si Laila na gamitin yung habeas corpus, humanitarian grounds,

na ginamit ni Gigi Reyes, chief of staff ni ex-senate president and really,

na nakakulong for almost 10 years, diba?

Sabi ni Laila, teka, teka.

Iyan ay ginagamit, yung judicial precedents niyan are basically yung mga may hina ang kaso,

kaya ini-invoke yung humanitarian grounds.

Ang tingin ko sa kaso ko ay malakas.

Ito ay isang lifeline na inooffer ng gobyerno ng Secretary of Justice

para gamitin ko.

Pero ang gusto ko, gumawa kayo ng judgment doon sa merits of the case.

Yan ang naging debate noon, kaya nagalit si Secretary Remulia.

In-emphasize ni Laila, judge me on the merits of my case.

Kaya tumagal pa siya ng maraming buwan.

Pwede na ma-avail yun.

Kaya ang sinasabi lang natin, maraming pangyayari,

na pwede sanang naiwasan, pwedeng napaaga,

na both positive for Laila and for the government.

Pero maraming considerations doon.

Tingin ko yung unsaid, magagalit ba si Digong?

Lalo na in the past year, hindi pa naman ganun ka-full-blown yung away.

Ngayon, full-blown eh.

Kaya they're willing to bend backwards.

Hindi nila didiinan yung korte.

Hindi nila didiinan.

Hindi nila didiinan yung judge.

Unlike nung previous government.

And in a way, to make a long story short, nakapag-bail si Laila.

Pero using the merits of the case, dapat earlier pa yan eh.

Diba? Dapat earlier pa yan.

Hindi naman nagmamakaawa si Laila eh.

Hindi naman siya nagmamalimus eh.

Hindi naman siya humihingi ng humanitarian help eh.

Sinasabi lang niya, this is my case.

It could have been done earlier.

Pero ngayon, even if it's late, pwedeng namiti niya ni Bongbong.

Sa kanyang rebranding, sa kanyang reinvention of their Marcos name.

Dahil makakatulong yan, makakadagdag sa kanyang image around the world.

At kung ganda lang image niya, yung pinag-uusapan natin earlier about commitments, investments,

in this unique country, in this region,

ay baka mas makakita tayo.

Nang frusyon.

Pwedeng mangyari yan.

Isang magandang element, yung nangyari kay Laila.

Dahil three to four resolutions na nalabas ng European Parliament.

Two resolutions ng U.S. Congress.

One resolution ng U.S. Senate.

Two resolutions ng Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Et cetera, et cetera.

Diba?

Yun lang naman sinasabi ko.

It could have been done earlier.

So, essential argument, this was a relatively low-hanging fruit,

late corrective.

Move with relatively minimal also cost for BBM.

Now, of course, we discussed also the ICC option.

But one of the issues we haven't discussed is yung case ni Walden Belio, right?

Because in a way, it has a family resemblance to the Delima case, right?

Because at least the position of the Walden camp is being politically persecuted

for taking a very strong stance against yung pangalawang pangulo ng bansa.

Because the person who's on the other side of this case is the chief communication,

person of the current vice president.

And of course, this is also raising a bigger question about weaponization of cyber libel, no?

And so, what is your read on the Walden Belio?

Do you think that Walden Belio can come or Leila Delima perhaps can express solidarity?

Because her case is not an isolated case, right?

It looks like marami na carryover ng mga ganitong legal cases from the past.

First of all, no?

First of all, our libel law.

Our laws are patterned after the US, no?

And very clearly, isang essence ng libel is the presence of malice.

Mahirap patunayan ang malice dahil nasa loob ng utak mo yan, no?

Unless merong narinig ka sa isang tape recording or video na talagang sinasabi mo,

eh, talagang gusto ko lang wa sakin ito, no?

So, based on that term of reference, no?

Ay dapat malakas yung kaso in favor of Walden.

No?

Yun yung at unless talagang pe-pressure rin mo yung mga judges,

pe-pressure rin mo yung mga witnesses, no?

Katulad ng ginawa kay Leila Delima, yun yung similarity, no?

Pero kung ito yung normal judicial procedures natin, medyo mahirap manalo yung libel.

Pero yun nga, di ba, Ronald?

I get your point.

My thing is, in the Philippines, even if mahina yung kabila,

sa sobrang bagal ng takbo ng hustisya,

you're a year stressed out and financially drained.

Yes.

Lalo na, lalo na yung kaso ay nasa dabaw, no?

Ibig sabihin, yung kaharihan ng mga Duterte.

Tapos pupunta ka ron, eh baka mamaya paglabas mo ng korte,

madulas ka sa balat ng saging, di ba?

No?

It's a dangerous place for critics of the Duterte, no?

At hindi na natin kailangan ipaliwanag bakit.

Di ba?

Yan yung point.

So, ang unang dapat gawin ni Walder, ipalipat sa Manila,

sa korte sa Manila, yung kaso.

No?

Just to be safe.

Or take it to the Supreme Court even, and question the whole cyber libel case.

Yes, pero hindi ka pwedeng mag-forum hopping, eh.

So, usually, kailangan dumas ka kung nasaan siya nandun.

So, yun yung, pero mga abogado na ni Kwanian.

Ako, hindi ako abogado, eh.

I'm just...

I'm gonna interview, actually, you know, people in his team soon.

And also, Laila Dalimas.

Don't worry.

Don't have to go there.

But in terms of political environment, because we know, you know,

our judicial system doesn't operate in a complete vacuum.

Do you think the political bamboo is swinging?

Well, favorable.

I think, kaya may mas favorable kay Walder, no?

Dahil the Dutertes are not as strong as a few months before.

No?

So, yan yung point.

Pero, alam mo naman si Walden Boy, eh, matindi rin yung banat niya sa gobyerno.

Di ba?

So, so...

Neither nor siya, eh.

Neither Duterte nor Marcos.

So, hindi ko naman sinasabi na bawasan niya yung kanyang criticism.

Sinasabi ko lang, things as they are, no?

Hindi niya pwede, baka hindi niya magamit yung weakening ng Duterte sa ating judicial system.

Kung babalatan niya in the same sharpest line, yung gobyerno na indirectly,

sabi mo nga, we don't live in a vacuum.

Pwede nga mag-exert some pressure or supports.

But, Ronald, what if it's not about Walden as irritable as he may be to the powers that be?

But, it's more like hitting the other side, right?

Like, you know what I'm saying, right?

Maybe in that cynical way.

I mean, there could be that potential angle, no?

Now, Ronald, the thing is, siguro, one of the things I noticed, and correct me if I'm wrong,

kulang tayo sa culture of solidaridad, no?

I mean, I remember when I was with...

Kayla, I said a few years ago, maganda sana na mag-join press conference sila.

Of course, siya over line, online, Zoom, whatever, or video, whatever,

with Lenny, and all, Sereno, and Maria Delsa, and all of that.

And for some reason, that thing never happened.

We never saw these women in the same fora, standing together, kind of.

Wala eh, parang kanya-kanya ng discarten, nangyari.

Di ba, yung isa, all around the world, holding the line, yung mantra, yung isa.

But, I was thinking, sana.

Like, Lela Delima could become the kind of a pivot of more of a culture of solidarity.

Kasi kaya nga, I'm pushing for RRL, RRC, RRM.

Like, this for me, part of...

Hindi tayo magkakumpit dito for audience.

We can work together and push for public education and knowledge.

You and I working is a form of solidarity.

Sabi nga ni Lelo, terapi nga sa kanya yung mga conversation natin.

So, I'm just hoping that this Delima and Walden and all that

could be a kind of a microcosm.

Or mitochondria for more of a culture of solidarity,

which is close to our heart as progressives.

But it doesn't seem to be a liberal Filipino culture, right?

Pag mga liberal sa Philippines, I don't know.

For some, I didn't see as much.

Or maybe I'm just wrong. Sorry.

Kapa full of empty, no?

Nung six years ni Digong, ang hirap.

Dahil lahat dinemonize eh.

Di ba?

Di ba? Lahat dinemonize eh.

But isn't that precisely why you should come together?

Or you're saying ayaw nila ma-package?

Hindi naman.

Di ba? Limawa, si Pinoy, nung buhay pa,

ang sabi niya,

ayoko naman parang ako eh isang bitter ex-president

na sasabihang kagad yung presidente, no?

At babalatang kagad siya.

So, nagbigay siya ng konting space

bago siya nagsimulang mag-criticize.

Di ba? Yan ang ginawa niya.

Si Lenny naman, naging bahagi ng cabinet.

Di ba? Naging bahagi siya ng cabinet for a while eh.

Di ba? Eventually, ay na-realize nila Digong yung kanilang mistake.

Tinanggal din siya with extreme prejudice.

Si Sereno, pakita naman natin, natanggal.

Di ba? As a chief justice, no?

Using this co-warrant or something, no?

Etcetera.

At in between, ang daming patay.

There were thousands of deaths.

So, yung iba ay nag-worry, baka mangyari sa kanila yan, no?

Natatakot, no?

Yung sinasabi mo, halimbawa, na nagbiyakay,

dahil ang marami, etc.

Nangyari after the election, after Digong.

Pero during Digong, walang coordination eh.

Di ba? Tattered, fragmented yung opposition.

Nakita mo naman yung 8 Diretso in 2019, no?

First time in the history of the country

na not a single opposition ay nanalo.

So, makikita mo yung pan eh.

Hindi lamang yung offensive ng gobyerno,

yung demonization, yung fear, sowing of fear.

Nakita mo rin yung epekto nito sa opposition.

No?

They were practically decimated.

They were practically marginalized.

Kaya, hindi ko sinasabi this is an excuse.

Dahil some of us continue fighting in spite of that.

Di ba? Yan yung nangyari.

Pero, sinasabi ko, iba ngayon.

Whether you like it or not, there's more space.

There's more freedom of the media.

There's more...

Kaya nga, ang daming nagtsatsaga sa akin ngayon.

Dati, walang magtsatsaga sa akin noong panahulit Digong eh.

Nungayon, nagtsatsaga na, no?

From morning show to evening.

Evening, hey Darian, no?

Dami nangtsatsaga.

Pero, noong panahulit Digong,

baka magdalawang isip yung mga media.

Di ba?

Well, I can tell you a lot.

I was in the media.

It was so hard when I started bashing na Duterte.

Kasi, di ba?

I paid the price in terms of my career.

That's why I'm not, you know,

anchor or something like that.

Although, I didn't need it.

I mean, I had my own stick abroad.

Eh ako, nasama ako sa dalawang matrix.

Plotting to our...

Kaya nga, ba't ako hindi sinama?

At least, kasama ko si Jollibee.

Kasama ko si Heidi Lin.

Di ba?

Kasama ko si Gretchen Ho.

It's a stupid matrix.

Pero, ibig sabihin,

ganun yung pananakot, di ba?

Ganun yung pananakot nila.

Pero, nga, NPA daw.

And then, the yellow opposition.

And then, the military.

All plotting.

To our...

It's the government.

Tapos, nakasama pa ako ron.

As one of the major players.

Di ba?

So, walang lalapit sa akin ng media.

Walang lalapit sa akin ng pan.

Dahil, baka madamay sila eh.

Di ba?

Ngayon, iba.

No?

Ironically,

under a Marcos presidency.

O, di ba?

So, nangyayari ngayon yan.

So, ngayon, mas iba.

Kaya, yung sinasabi mo,

yun yung proposal ko.

A national Thanksgiving tour.

No?

Ni Laila, ni Risa,

once in a while, kahit si Lenny.

No?

Tatlong Maria.

Di ba?

Key cities.

No?

Key cities.

Punta sila.

Listening tour.

Ano bang problema nyo?

Parang RRL sila.

Ano bang problema nyo?

Ano bang kailangan gawin?

Et cetera, et cetera.

No?

Et cetera, et cetera.

So, in between...

I think town hall meeting ang tawag dyan.

Yes.

Yes.

And you build a machinery.

No?

Guys like me,

kami yung maglulu pa.

No?

Kami yung maglulu pa.

So, after one or two years,

then you have the semblance

of a new opposition.

Or the semblance of a new movement.

Not necessarily opposition.

Which partly harms

the pink wave,

but also

recruiting new energies

from those discontented.

Discontented with the unity.

Di ba?

So, yan yung mga possibilities.

Hindi ko sa'yo sabihin na yun.

Ano na mangyayari ha?

Dahil I'm just a beat player.

Like you.

We're just looking at scenarios here.

Di ba?

My goodness.

I was just thinking about it

and you mentioned it.

Speaking of unity and unity, no?

So, remember what I said.

Like, I know people are taking out their popcorns,

but at the end of the day,

BBM doesn't want a complete break with Duterte

because, you know,

it's still within his interest

to keep things on an even keel to a certain degree.

So, recently, si President Marcos Jr.

said na,

pagbalik niya from America,

na he doesn't want

mag-process itong impeachment

complaint laban kay Sarah Duterte.

Is that a white flag?

Or is that a damage control?

Or is that a deceptive front?

What's going on here?

Well, we can take it at face value.

Na yung sinasabi nila ay totoo.

Ang problema lang, Richard,

ang hirap siya i-take at face value

knowing what happened

this past year.

Di ba?

Pambalus laws,

Confidential Intelligence Fund,

tax boycott,

destabilization,

deputy speaker,

ousted, etc.

So,

yes,

we can take it at face value,

pero medyo mahirap

because of what happened

this past year,

this past month.

Yun yung pa.

Ikatlo,

wala naman nag-announce

ng impeachment eh.

If you plan to impeach somebody,

you never announce it.

You surprise the target.

Parang nangyari kay ARAP.

Yung in-appoint niya na speaker,

si,

si Manny Villar,

eh biglang bumaliktad,

no?

At nakita na lang niya,

ini-impeach siya.

No?

Ini-impeach.

So,

ibig sabihin,

kung magkakaroon ng impeachment,

if ever,

di ko sinasabi magkakaroon,

it will be a surprise.

No?

It will be a surprise.

No?

Although,

hindi ganung kadali

ang impeachment

kay Vice President Sara

dahil

iba yung bilang sa Senate.

Kaya kailangan mo ng

tutors vote.

Yeah,

medyo mahirap.

Yeah, you're right.

That's a good point.

Pero,

pero Richard,

some are setting the template.

Some are setting the predicate

which can be used

for an impeachment.

The two cases

in the Supreme Court.

Perhaps,

a few more

coming,

no?

Sa Supreme Court.

So,

hindi ko sinasabi na yan

ay directly related.

No?

Wala ko sinasabing ganun.

Parang ito yung wala nga talaga

sinasabi.

I'm sure,

I'm sure sila Barry,

sila Shelo Magno,

Barry Gutierrez,

Christian Monzod,

walang kinalaman niya

sa impeachment.

But,

whether this is unrelated,

ay

others can use that

as a basis for impeachment.

Others,

yung mga

mga intriguero

na hindi kasama tayo,

pwedeng sabihin na,

oh, may datid lines yan.

May datid lines yan

papuntang impeachment.

No?

Katulad ng sinasabi ni

Congresswoman Castro,

na hindi ko sinasabing

intriguera.

No?

Katulad ng sinasabing

mahal natin yan.

Maraming nag-uusap-usap,

no?

On the side

about impeachment.

No?

So,

medyo nakakatawa lang

dahil lahat

nagde-deny

ng

ng

away sa

unit team.

Lahat

nagde-deny

na

merong break

until it happened.

And it happened

big.

It happened

huge.

Diba?

So,

ngayon wala na

nagde-deny.

Ay, meron pa pala.

Nagsasabi pala sila na,

oy, wala namang

away,

wala namang

wala namang

desktop,

wala namang

coup,

wala namang

so,

wala namang palang problema, eh.

No?

Malulugi yung mga shows

katulad mo,

Richard.

Wala namang pala, eh.

Kako tayo

na marapas natin.

Wala namang pala, eh.

Wala namang pala.

So,

yan yung nakakatawa

minsan.

I mean,

Ronald,

speaking of wala namang pala,

PDP Laban of Digong

is bleeding

even more members,

no?

So,

base sa latest report,

you know,

yung PDP Laban of Duterte

has lost more congressmen

to House Speaker

Romualde Ceslakas

CMD.

So,

press release,

from Speaker's Office

identified.

Former PDP Laban

lawmakers,

Representative

Rosemarie

Panotes

from Camarinas Norte,

Dale B. Corvera

from Agusan del Norte,

Mari Meats

Cajayon Uy

from Caloocan,

and

all of them now

taking

oath with CMD.

So,

my point is,

it looks like a sinking

boat to me.

And if you're in the

Duterte camp,

parang

better strike now

before the whole

situation

ship sinks,

right?

I mean,

is that a possibility

that they might try to

strike before?

Kasi slow motion

as if,

you know,

as if

as a situation

yun,

eh,

di ba?

Hindi lang yan,

Richard.

Hindi lang yan

pag-hemorrhage nila.

Rats jumping ship.

Hindi ko sinasabi

na rats sila.

Just a

just a

It's a metaphor.

It's a metaphor.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Wala ko sinasabi

na sila ay

dirty,

dirty

rotten rats.

So,

wala ko sinasabing

ganoon, no?

Carrying diseases.

Wala ko sinasabi.

Carrying diseases,

jumping to a new party,

bringing the diseases

with them.

So, wala ko sinasabing

ganoon, no?

To be clear, no?

Pero, no?

Yung window nila

ay lumiliit

because the possibility

of the ICC

being permitted

to enter

is just a matter

of months.

So,

if they want

if they want

to move,

no?

They have to move fast.

No?

Dahil pag nandun na sila

sa Denhal,

hindi sila makakakaano.

Hindi sila makakakaano.

Hindi sila makakakilo.

Unless mag-migrate

sila sa China.

Assuming tatanggapin pa sila

sa China.

So, let's end on this note.

Thank you so much.

Katulad ng sinabi ko

a few months earlier,

I still expect

BBM

and SAR

to have their

holidays,

mga,

ano yan,

twin-tweeny,

tweenie,

mga ganoon,

tweening, tweening.

Hindi ko na alam

si Paulo Soriano

pa rin na mag-creative

sa kanila.

But, I'm sure

BBM...

Nakita mo ba, Johan?

Nakita mo yung video?

Hindi,

hindi.

Hindi.

Nung pagdating,

papadala ko sa iyo.

Nakita mo yung video

nung pagdating ni BBM,

no?

Yung

cabinet secretary,

no?

Talagang

nagsalubong si

Vice President Sara

at si Speaker Martin.

Talagang

walang pansinan.

O, malayo.

Kinamayan nila lahat.

On the picture, yeah.

Except each other,

no?

Alam na this.

Pwede,

walang ibig sabihin niya.

Katulad nga na sabihin.

Wala namang palang away,

wala namang palang palay,

no?

Yan ay just mga

imagination,

lang,

na mga

malisipang busy

katulad na RR,

no?

Yung isang R lang,

hindi yung isang R.

On that note,

thank you so much,

Secretary Llamas.

Papahinga na kita.

Ayaw lang ko,

busyng-busy ka.

Let's try to catch up

with RRL

on RRM soon,

next time.

Para hindi meantime,

magpahinga ka.

Mabuhay ka.

Thank you so much,

Secretary Llamas.

And yeah,

pagkasabi mo rin si Cristiano,

para yung Cristiano Ronaldo

magsama sa atin

para

full blast na tayo.

Thank you so much.

Ay, hahalis na ako.

Kayong dalawa na lang.

Ay nako,

drama, drama.

Hindi na ako makakapagsalita niya

pagkakanta ko yung dalawa.

Drama, drama.

Hindi,

ang ganoon natin.

Si Cristiano yung host.

Pa na lang ako.

Wallflower.

Hindi,

si Cristiano na host.

Ano lang,

makulit lang tayo dyan.

Thank you so much,

bossing.

Talk to you soon.

God bless.

Ano tayo?

Ano tayo?