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BUCKING
pressures to abort their inquiry into the P16-billion
national broadband network scandal, senators resume
hearings today into the aborted transaction expressing
confidence it would result in meaningful reforms that
would check corruption in big-ticket government
development projects.
“We will
make sure that this probe is pursued to its logical end,
in aid of legislation. At the end of these hearings into
the national broadband network [NBN] project, we will
make sure that we have all the tools and measures
against those seeking to make a windfall from overpriced
deals at the expense of the people,” Sen. Mar Roxas II,
cochairman of the joint committee inquiry, said on
Wednesday.
Sen.
Alan Cayetano, chairman of the lead blue-ribbon
committee, confirmed that investigators were looking to
get a deposition from President Gloria Arroyo’s husband,
Jose Miguel Arroyo, who begged off from appearing at
Thursday’s hearing for health reasons.
Arroyo,
who underwent a recent heart operation, cited doctors’
advice for him to avoid stress in asking to be excused
from appearing at the inquiry.
Malacañang said on Wednesday that Cabinet officials will
no longer attend the Senate hearings on the NBN project
as it has already scrapped the deal with ZTE Co. of
China.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Solicitor General
Merceditas Gutierrez is scheduled to ask the Supreme
Court to dismiss the case pending before the tribunal
questioning the constitutionality of the ZTE deal as the
latter no longer exists.
Bunye
said this will be basis of a Palace letter to the Senate
explaining the absence of concerned Cabinet officials at
the Senate hearings.
“What I
know is that the solicitor general will write the
Supreme Court and seek a dismissal of the pending case
on the NBN deal, as it has been discontinued by the
President . . . on that basis, a similar letter will be
sent to the Senate,” he said.
The
President initially ordered the suspension of the NBN
and cyber-education projects in September because of
allegations of irregularities surrounding them.
During
an official visit to
Shanghai
on October 2, the President informed Chinese President
Hu Jintao that she had decided to cancel the NBN project
because of the controversies surrounding it.
Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza on the other
hand told the Senate that he will not attend Thursday
hearing because of a heavy work load. |
