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‘Turn state witness? That’s stupid, I know nothing’ |
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source : Philippine Star
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Wednesday, 03 October 2007 04:11 |
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 Resigned elections chief Benjamin Abalos spurned yesterday calls to turn state witness and “tell all” the details surrounding the controversial national broadband network (NBN) contract.
{xtypo_quote}“How can I become a state witness when I know nothing? It is just their presumption that I have knowledge about that and to ask me to turn state witness is stupid,” he said.{/xtypo_quote} Abalos maintained he cannot implicate the key players in the NBN deal without any hard evidence. He rejected calls by lawmakers and critics to turn state witness and name all the key figures that facilitated the government’s NBN contract with China’s ZTE Corp |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 October 2007 04:16 )
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PDI stands by story on Joker’s intervention in Neri’s testimony |
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source : GMANews.TV
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Wednesday, 03 October 2007 03:31 |
The Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) newspaper on Tuesday stood by its story on Sen. Joker Arroyo’s intervention in Romulo Neri’s testimony during the September 26 Senate closed-door hearing on the $329.48-million National Broadband Network project with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp.
“The Inquirer stands by its story. The Inquirer however, regrets that it cannot reveal the identities of its sources since the information related to the Inquirer was given in confidence and on condition of anonymity," the PDI said in a statement.
{xtypo_info}Last Sunday, the PDI came out with a banner story quoting sources saying that Neri, former head of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), was “on the verge" of telling the rest of his explosive story on the supposed lobbying and bribery in the ZTE deal during a Senate executive session. {/xtypo_info}
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 October 2007 03:35 )
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Ermita: NBN project remains, only ZTE deal junked |
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source : GMANews.TV
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Wednesday, 03 October 2007 03:30 |
Although the $329.48 million deal with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Corp. had been canceled, the Arroyo government may still pursue the National Broadband Network project.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, however, said it may not entail a renegotiation of the ZTE contract because it would only invite public outcry sparked by allegations of anomalies that attended the negotiations for the scrapped contract.
“The higher objective set for undertaking such a project, kung hindi man ZTE, siguro makahahanap ng pamamaraan siguro na similar project na ma-achieve ‘yang objective na ‘yan," he explained to reporters during his weekly press conference at the Palace.
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Arroyo scraps NBN deal but senators won’t scrap probe |
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source : GMANews.TV
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Wednesday, 03 October 2007 03:29 |
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has scrapped the $329.5-million national broadband network deal with China's ZTE Corp., but many senators are not as ready to scrap their investigation into the deal supposedly marred by corruption.
Radio dzBB reported that senators maintained the scrapping of the deal should not shake off public focus from the irregularities that surrounded the deal, including bribery and bullying.
President Arroyo reportedly told counterpart Hu Jintao in China Tuesday that she had decided to "scrap" the deal, and that it was a difficult decision.
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ZTE $329-M deal zaps Abalos |
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source : Inquirer.net
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Monday, 01 October 2007 20:52 |
NBN row claims its first casualtyMANILA, Philippines -- The $329-million broadband scandal that has hounded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration for weeks claimed its first casualty -- or sacrificial lamb as some critics put it -- when Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos resigned Monday. “I have come to the painful determination that the time has come to separate my person from the office I now occupy,” said Abalos, 72, who has been accused of offering bribes while brokering the allegedly overpriced National Broadband Network (NBN) project with China’s ZTE Corp. |
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Thousands of troops backed by air and artillery fire have captured 15 Muslim guerrilla strongholds in the southern Philippines after five days of intense fighting, while more than 272,000 villagers...
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