|
ERRING
officials of Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Co.
(ZTE) of China could be held liable for bribery in
connection with the multimillion-peso kickbacks paid in
advance to alleged Malacañang brokers after ZTE bagged
the aborted $329-million contract to build a national
broadband network (NBN) here, the Senate chief
investigator in the NBN-ZTE scandal said on Wednesday.
“We are
taking that [recommendation for bribery charges] into
consideration kasi in a bribe there are two
parties involved, iyong nang-bribe at iyong
tumanggap,” Sen. Alan Cayetano, blue-ribbon
committee chairman told reporters.
He
explained that “under Philippine laws, when we talk
about bribery, hindi tinitingnan ang nationality.
If titingnan mo ang nationality, then ang
gagawin na lang ng mga nagba-bribe ay kukuha na
lang ng mga foreigner para mag-bribe so if we
do conclude that there was bribery here we will not look
at the nationality of the persons involved.”
Cayetano
confirmed that the Senate blue-ribbon committee is now
drafting a report detailing its findings on potential
liabilities of certain officials and personalities with
alleged links to Malacañang. He added it would also
include recommendations for the enactment of remedial
legislation to plug loopholes in the Foreign Borrowing
Act, as well as the government procurement law.
“If we
still have no new witnesses who would testify in the
NBN-ZTE scandal inquiry, then we will be prepared to
submit a committee report on our findings and
recommendations,” he said.
According to Cayetano, the bribery case stemmed from
former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri’s
direct testimony that former elections chairman Benjamin
Abalos offered him a P200-million commission in exchange
for endorsing the bid of ZTE to build a broadband
network bankrolled by a loan from China.
He told
reporters the blue-ribbon committee is in the process of
finalizing an interim report, but added the inquiry
could still be reopened if new witnesses surface with
more evidence about the anomaly.
The
committee also obtained additional testimonies from
other witnesses alleging that ZTE advanced about $40
million in commissions to Abalos’s group.
But
while there was no direct testimony linking President
Arroyo to the anomaly, Cayetano pointed out that Neri
also testified that he told the President about the
bribe offer from Abalos, but she even stood as a witness
during the signing of the ZTE-NBN contract in China
despite his warning of the bribery attempt.
The
planned “installment” release of a committee report by
the Senate on the controversial national broadband
network is just another propaganda to stir publicity and
undermine the government, proadministration legislators
said on Wednesday.
“The
plan of the Senate to come up with a report by
installment, beginning with an interim report, points to
a striptease in the making. The idea is there for all to
see. Unravel it piece by piece so the public’s attention
will be riveted to the Senate. Like a telenovela, there
will be hints and teasers, advance publicity and leaks,
on what will be released next, to heighten public
interest and milk the report to its last drop of
publicity, all in aid of election,” said Lakas Rep.
Matias Defensor of Quezon City.
“My
advice to the Senate? Bring it on. But please, in one
report, one time, so you will not be suspected
of unnecessarily stretching the schedule of release to
fit your campaign timetable,” he added.
Lakas
Rep. Monico Puentevella of
Bacolod
City said he does not see any logic in making public the
committee report in “chop-chop fashion.”
“What’s
the agenda? Propaganda. The Senate should release the
report in whole so any one who will read it will know if
the Senate has a case and had done a good job. It is
sloppy work to submit a committee report piecemeal,”
said Puentevella.
Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino Rep. Rodolfo Albano III
of Isabela said the investigation has turned into a
teleserye.
“Hindi
ko alam kung bakit parang naging teleserye na lang ’yan.
Ginagawang drama lang ’yan ng mga taong behind that
teleserye. As the committee report comes out, I
hope the ZTE-NBN deal would die of natural cause. As far
as I’m concerned, it’s now a closed book,” said Albano.
Malacañang said on Wednesday that it expects to be
vindicated by the forthcoming Senate committee report on
the scrapped national broadband deal with ZTE Co., after
the Senate blue-ribbon committee chairman admitted that
the probe did not produce any direct links between
President Arroyo and irregularities in the project.
Asked to
comment on the statement of Cayetano that the Senate
investigation failed to secure direct testimony tying up
the Chief Executive to the controversial project,
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a news
briefing in Cagayan de Oro, “It’s a vindication of the
national leadership.”
Deputy
Presidential Spokesman Lorelei Fajardo said in a
statement that Malacañang was not surprised by the
preliminary Senate report on the ZTE deal.
“The
preliminary report, as expected, was no surprise. The
testimonies as presented were pure conjecture and, in
most cases, hearsay. We hope that puts to rest any
further questions on the culpability of the President,”
Fajardo said.
She
added the President “has acted purely on national
interest, canceling the contract to protect the interest
of the people.” (With F. Marasigan and M. Gonzalez) |
