Skip to playerSkip to main content
CNN Philippines
  • 3 years ago
The state of the nation over a year into the Marcos administration: a showcase of economic achievements amid the challenges brought about by inflation; a stern warning against smugglers and hoarders; and a vision on education, healthcare, labor, infrastructure, and agriculture.

But some lawmakers point out that the president missed some crucial issues, such as transport, wages, and even the West Philippine Sea.

Live and exclusive, Pinky Webb speaks with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/

Follow our social media pages:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to The Source where we combine the headlines with in-depth conversations with
00:06 the newsmakers themselves.
00:07 I'm Pinky Webb.
00:08 Today on the program.
00:12 I know that the state of the nation is sound and is improving.
00:17 The state of the nation over a year into the Marcos administration.
00:28 When the global prospects were bleak, our economy posted a 7.6% growth in 2022, our
00:36 highest growth rate in 46 years.
00:39 A showcase of economic achievements amid the challenges brought about by inflation.
00:46 Inflation rate is moving in the right direction.
00:48 A stern warning against smugglers and hoarders.
00:52 And a vision on education, healthcare, labor, infrastructure, and agriculture.
01:14 But some lawmakers point out that the president missed some crucial issues such as transport,
01:20 wages, and even the West Philippine Sea.
01:23 Live and exclusive, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin joins us in the program.
01:47 We begin with this breaking news on CNN Philippine State Weather Bureau Pagasa says Egey has
01:51 intensified into a super typhoon.
01:53 Egey was last spotted east of Tuguegarao City and continues to threaten northern Luzon.
01:59 It is carrying maximum winds of 185 kilometers per hour near the center.
02:06 Signal number three is up over the Babuyan Islands, northern and eastern parts of mainland
02:11 Cagayan, the northeast portion of Isabela, and the northern portion of Apayao.
02:16 Signal number two is raised in other parts of northern Luzon including Quirino, Calinga,
02:22 Abra, and Mountain Province, while signal number one is hoisted in parts of the Visayas
02:27 and Luzon including Metro Manila.
02:31 Thousands of passengers and nearly 300 cargo vessels have been stranded in northern Samar.
02:37 Again breaking news here on CNN, Philippines, Egey has intensified into a super typhoon.
02:42 Let's go straight to the source of the story.
02:45 We have live and exclusive Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
02:50 Yes, it's good to see you again.
02:52 Marami salamat po sa inyo oras.
02:54 Yes, magandang umaga Pinky and I am very happy to be invited again to your show, a very popular
03:02 one.
03:03 This is our second time.
03:05 This is our second time.
03:06 Yes, let's start with the breaking news.
03:08 Any marching orders from the President regarding Egey?
03:11 Well, we have been monitoring Egey and that was the reason why we had to suspend work
03:18 in government offices and schools.
03:24 It was not because of the sauna but because of the impending bad inclement weather.
03:30 Itong bagyong Egey ay namataan na sa malayo pa na lugar but alam mo naman ang mga super
03:37 typhoon magaling maghigup sa ibang lugar ng tubig at yung kanilang path.
03:54 Predicted naman that it will go up north and towards mainland China, south mainland China.
04:03 So we are hoping that hindi masyadong malaki ang efekto dito sa Pilipinas.
04:09 So the President has instructed us to go to the normal protocols of safety.
04:16 Alright.
04:17 So, yeah, again, let's just bring that in.
04:20 Super typhoon na po yang si Egey.
04:23 But also it was government work and school in public schools were suspended also because
04:30 of the transport strike.
04:32 Yeah, that's the second reason.
04:35 We did not like that anyone is put in unusual or unnecessary risks.
04:41 So including our riding public, we had to protect them and we made sure that provisional
04:50 buses or transportation would be provided them in Metro Manila should the need arise.
04:55 Let's talk about the State of the Nation Address of the President.
04:58 Yes, were you part of crafting that speech?
05:01 I'm not going to say no.
05:04 I'm not also going to say yes, because that is the President's ownership of the speech.
05:10 We respect that very much.
05:12 And I'm only affirming what is true, that this speech, the SONA, was the report of the
05:19 President.
05:20 And whether there were speechwriters or not, he was the author of that speech.
05:29 That is my statement on this.
05:31 What do you, siguro, it's good to note something.
05:35 During the first State of the Nation Address, the ES back then, was Vic Rodriguez.
05:40 So this is your first time to be there during the State of the Nation Address as the ES,
05:46 because you were appointed sometime in September of last year, no?
05:50 April, September 27, when I was asked to join the Cabinet.
05:56 And since then, I've been working on the job.
06:01 So the President, I'm going to start with this.
06:03 He ended with this, "The State of the Nation is sound and improving."
06:08 Ang sabi po niya, "Parating na ang bagong Pilipinas."
06:12 When he says, yes, that the State of the Nation is improving, siguro, the basic question,
06:16 what can Filipinos expect in terms of, number one, lowering the cost of basic goods?
06:21 Punta na po tayo sa inflation.
06:24 Yes, I am very happy that you are asking that, because outside of what the President said
06:30 in the sauna, this administration has really been putting its hands on the inflation.
06:38 When I joined the government again, I came from GSIS anyway, inflation was the main
06:46 occupation of the Cabinet.
06:49 Yung presyo ng mga basic commodities, sugar, onions, and other basic food products, pinag-usapan
07:00 namin lagi yan kung paano namin mapababa yung cost.
07:06 And our, like in sugar, what we sought out to do was to create buffer stocks, because
07:15 there were speculators that were affecting the pricing.
07:19 And as far as other products like onions, you remember that very scandalous period when
07:26 onions were being, well, yung humor ng Pilipino, nilalagay nilang kwintas or hikaw, mas mahal
07:38 pa raw yung onion ngayon kesa yung ibang mga produkto o pagkain.
07:44 So yun ang tinutukan ni Presidente.
07:47 And napababa naman.
07:48 I think we are slowly going down in this inflation matter concern, and prices have been stabilizing.
07:57 Yung pong sinabi din niya, di ba, it was a campaign promise na 20 pesos na kilo sa bigas,
08:04 although the President made mention, maybe a few weeks ago, na that was a goal, sabi
08:10 po niya.
08:11 Paano ba ang nakikitan yung projection that the President is able to fulfill this campaign
08:17 promise of his of 20 pesos per kilo of rice?
08:20 It's not an entirely unrealistic ambition or aspiration.
08:26 Kung mapag-usapan yung bigas, marami tayo kasing factors na mag-i-impact dyan, like
08:36 this weather, the climate change, yung El Nino kung tawagin, nandyan na.
08:42 Pero in ginagawa ng gobyerno, lalo na yung Department of Agriculture na experts, ay gamitin
08:52 ito na advantage din.
08:55 Because there are species of rice that thrive on moderate, even during moderate El Nino
09:07 prediction of moderate El Nino occurrences.
09:10 Gumagawa ng paraan ang mga Department of Agriculture upang hindi masyadong mahirap ang efekto sa
09:24 rice production.
09:25 Now itong rice kasi a very ordinary staple.
09:32 Staple ng kanyan, hindi tayo kumakain o walang kasamang kanin.
09:39 But we are doing everything to lower the price.
09:44 Now yung 20 peso per kilo as we started out saying was an aspiration.
09:51 Magsabihan noon, it may not be soon, it may not be later, maabutan din natin yan.
09:57 But you know, factors of production, hindi tayo masyadong, dahil marami ng areas na hindi
10:07 na nag-pro-produce ng rice.
10:11 But those areas that are producing rice, we try to maximize yung production levels nila.
10:17 That's another thing that we are doing now in order to reach that aspiration.
10:22 Do you have a projection, ES, when, kailan kaya maisasa katuparan, kailan mangyayari
10:30 itong 20 pesos per kilo?
10:32 Kasi paulit-ulit pong tinatanong ang Pangulohing Giljian.
10:37 Alam ninyo, yung 20 pesos per kilo, hindi ko naman sinasabing matagal na matim yan.
10:46 Hindi ko rin sinasabing madaling matim yan.
10:49 But I am saying that I am very confident that for as long as government is doing things
10:55 right to attain these goals, that aspiration may soon be realized.
11:01 Bakit hindi?
11:03 Apo.
11:04 When we talk about inflation, ES, yan po ang isa, yung unang urgent concern during a recent
11:14 Pulse Asia survey, ang first concern nila is inflation.
11:19 The President said that by the end of 2024, we're looking at a 2.9 percent inflation rate.
11:28 Let's start with the year-end.
11:29 Is there a projection from government?
11:31 I understand, of course, from the BSP, there is already a projected rate of inflation.
11:37 But what is the President looking at year-end?
11:39 Well, you know, inflation has many factors.
11:44 Mahirap ipaliwanag yan kasi these several factors interplay and they impact on inflation.
11:53 But as you might have heard the President say yesterday, and I affirmed that, the rate
12:00 of inflation in the Philippines has been spiraling down.
12:04 And that is very, very promising.
12:07 We cannot tell kung by the end of this year, mababang-mababa na, but I think at the rate
12:14 we are going, that rate may be very, very much lower than what we have today.
12:21 And of course, if you lower the rate of inflation, you cause these prices to go down and make
12:28 the purchasing power of the peso stronger.
12:31 If you had noticed, yung exchange rate in the past few days, lumangkas ang peso.
12:41 I don't know if that is at all a big factor of the spiraling down of inflation, but it
12:47 could be also factored into this situation.
12:51 The second concern, E.S., is wage hike and the third is job creation.
12:55 I'll have you respond to that.
12:57 After the break, this is The Source on CNN Philippines.
12:59 Please stay tuned.
13:00 You're watching The Source on CNN Philippines.
13:12 Our source today, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
13:14 Sir, the second concern in the Pulse Asia survey is wage hike.
13:18 Does the, number one, the President did not mention this during the State of the Nation
13:22 address yesterday, but is the President supportive of this 150 peso legislated across the board?
13:30 Wage hike, which has been approved in principle in the Senate.
13:33 Actually, wage hikes are governed by a mechanism that is tripartite.
13:42 And we just try to leave as much of this wage determinations to these existing bodies.
13:49 But as far as legislated wage hikes are concerned, we also would like to leave that to the wisdom
13:55 of the Congress.
13:57 It's hard to take that first because there may be developments that have to be considered
14:06 that impact on legislated wage hikes.
14:11 We are very slow on that as far as the national government is concerned.
14:17 That's the initiative of the Congress, actually.
14:20 Is that why he did not mention it during the State of the Nation address?
14:24 He also wants to deal with wage hikes, but the problem is it might be anticipating or
14:34 what is that, pre-empting initiatives that are already pending in the Congress.
14:39 We do not like to do that.
14:41 When we make statements about issues that impact on economics, we usually do that through
14:48 the LEDAC, which has been reconstituted and reconvened by the President early on.
14:54 So, if we did not discuss that in the LEDAC, maybe that will not come up yet in the immediate
15:01 priorities of the Congress.
15:03 We leave that to the Congress.
15:05 Okay, it wasn't there during the second meeting of the LEDAC.
15:09 Let's talk about smugglers and hoarders.
15:12 The President said that your days are numbered because of smugglers and hoarders.
15:20 Basically, they are the ones who are smuggling in the Philippines.
15:27 Are there moves, ES?
15:29 Is the President already familiar, first and foremost, with smugglers and hoarders?
15:35 I think we have intelligence reports that have been validated many, many times.
15:42 These people have been already there.
15:45 Their names have already been mentioned in prior administrations to engage in smuggling
15:50 of food products.
15:52 They are very, very hazardous to our economy and our health.
15:59 Now, the President actually has asked or required the Department of Justice to come up with
16:07 a task force.
16:08 And that's a personal undertaking of the President.
16:11 He really means to deal with these people the justice that they deserve.
16:16 His statement yesterday, to me, was a very correct statement of his sentiment against
16:23 smuggling and economic sabotage.
16:26 Has there been any report sent by the DOJ task force anti-smuggling regarding this?
16:31 Has there been a forward in the office of the President?
16:33 As far as I know, because the task force was established only very recently, and I think
16:40 they are gathering evidence regarding these activities.
16:47 The good thing about the DOJ is that they are not the same.
16:52 Under Secretary Boeing-Ramullo, they are very conscious about case development.
16:59 And they want to succeed every time that they bring a case.
17:02 I think it was a question asked by the President.
17:05 However, forgive me, sir, I'm unsure.
17:07 But when the President was asked if he has a timeline here, I do recall he said that
17:13 he wants the investigation to be thorough.
17:16 But when you say "bilang ng araw", is the President expecting cases to be filed?
17:24 And if so, when?
17:25 Well, when you say "bilang ng araw", it means there is an immediate.
17:32 But that word "immediate" is also relative in the sense that it also depends on how strong
17:38 the evidence that the government has.
17:42 So, I think it will be very soon that cases will be commenced against the people responsible
17:50 for smuggling and food hoarding.
17:58 And you know, the hoarders are identified.
18:03 We are glad that we have that intelligence available to us.
18:07 Okay.
18:08 And just a number, sir, in terms of smugglers, what number do you have?
18:11 Those that have been identified so far?
18:13 I cannot have the exact number because what we usually do is we leave that to the agency
18:20 or office we have tasked to do the job.
18:23 And only when there is a final reckoning that they are ready to give to us will we become
18:30 aware of how many and all those details.
18:35 And you will review this?
18:36 Yes.
18:37 Again, we need to take a short break.
18:38 We'll be right back.
18:39 You're watching The Source on CNN Philippines.
18:48 I'm Pinky Webb, our source today, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
18:51 Let's put this, let's finish what we were talking about off air.
18:55 Did the President snub Vice President Sara Duterte, sir, because there is a report that
19:01 when she passed by, she said hello to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
19:05 She passed by Audrey Zubiri and Vice President Sara Duterte.
19:11 And then she went straight to former President Joseph Estrada.
19:14 What happened there, sir?
19:15 I did not notice that actually, but you know, I will be surprised if that happened because
19:21 they are really very close on the personal level.
19:24 I will tell you a story.
19:27 When the Vice President sat down yesterday, and I was very close, I was two persons.
19:34 I saw that on the screen.
19:36 I did not notice that it was her.
19:39 You did not recognize her?
19:40 I did not recognize her.
19:41 I said, "Who is this highly placed Muslim lady?"
19:47 I asked GMA.
19:49 He said, "That's the Vice President."
19:51 So, maybe that's what you noticed, but there was no snub.
19:56 I don't think there was a snub.
19:58 In fact, of course, during the State of the Nation address, the first mention of her was the Vice.
20:03 Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte.
20:08 Very, very fancy Vice President.
20:10 Okay.
20:11 What we're going to have to do is we have to say goodbye for now on television,
20:15 but we will continue this conversation on Facebook Live with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
20:20 He's going to give us a couple, maybe five to ten more minutes.
20:24 Let's talk about the MUP and the Maharlika Investment Act.
20:29 Thank you for joining us here.
20:31 ES, maraming salamat, but please stay.
20:34 Maraming salamat, Pinky, sa pagpapaunlock mo sa akin.
20:38 Thank you for joining us here on The Source.
20:40 I'm Pinky Webb. You're watching CNN Philippines.
20:42 [Music.]
20:48 (dramatic music)
Comments