SENATORS slammed the controversial $330-million broadband contract with China-based ZTE Corp., saying it is just as “anomalous” as the allegedly overpriced Northrail project, which is similarly funded by Chinese loan agreements earlier entered into by the Arroyo administration.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III indicated that critics of the broadband deal may have to go to court if the Arroyo administration ignores a clamor initiated by religious leaders and big business groups to abrogate the broadband deal signed by Palace officials during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s recent trip to China.

“If something [like this broadband deal] that is seen to be anomalous is not voluntarily aborted by Malacañang, we have to seek recourse in the courts,” Osmeña added.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, in a separate interview, confided that he would move to have the details of the broadband deal subjected to public scrutiny in Senate hearings when a new Congress convenes in July.

He hinted that his staff is conducting a preliminary inquiry, and if warranted by the facts they would gather, he would push for a no-nonsense investigation by the Senate that would spare no one.

“We owe it to the people. That should be a priority investigation by the incoming Senate leadership,” Pimentel said.

However, a senior Department of Transportation and Communications official on Thursday defended the deal and accused a private corporation of spreading alleged disinformation about the government contract for the establishment of a national broadband network (NBN) with ZTE Corp. of China.  

Assistant Secretary Lorenzo Formoso said that the private corporation, Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI), which is reportedly owned by the son of a ranking government official, has been claiming that it had submitted its proposal for the establishment of the NBN ahead of ZTE, and that the Chinese company had copied the proposal of AHI.

“How can that be when AHI admittedly submitted its first and original proposal on January 2, 2007, while ZTE submitted its original proposal to the government on August 2006?” Formoso asked. “After submitting its original proposal, ZTE made a number of iterations to address the government’s requirements and find a suitable funding source. It was eventually endorsed by CICT [Committee on Information and Communication Technology] to Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] on October 2006.” 

WHILE Sen. Manuel Villar appeared to have sewed up the Senate’s top leadership position, that of Speaker of the House remains to hang fire especially with the absence of the 13th Congress Speaker, Jose de Venecia, still one of the contenders.

COTABATO CITY—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Thursday urged government security forces not to exert extreme force in their attempt to rescue Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.

THE Armed Forces is willing to be investigated by the newly created Presidential Task Force against Media Harassment in the abduction of Jonas Burgos as it said it has been its stand to cooperate in any investigation involving its personnel.

Malacañang is confident that the negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF) will go on smoothly with the appointment of a new chief negotiator.

SENATORS slammed the controversial $330-million broadband contract with China-based ZTE Corp., saying it is just as “anomalous” as the allegedly overpriced Northrail project, which is similarly funded by Chinese loan agreements earlier entered into by the Arroyo administration.