| Neri shields Arroyo from ZTE mess, gags self through '464' |
| source : GMANews.TV | |||
| Wednesday, 26 September 2007 15:07 | |||
|
During Wednesday’s Senate hearing on the NBN project, Neri continuously invoked executive privilege to parry queries that attempted to bring the NBN anomaly to the doorsteps of Malacañang. After 11 hours, the three Senate panels led by the Blue Ribbon Committee failed to squeeze sensitive information from Neri, believed to be the government official who could bring out the missing pieces in the alleged bogus deal between the Philippine government and China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE), Corp, which bagged the NBN project. Before 8 p.m., senators led by Loren Legarda and Rodolfo Biazon tried squeezing information from Neri on whether a high government official asked him to prioritize China's ZTE Corp. over other proponents of the NBN project. However, senators failed to get information from Neri as he kept invoking section 2 of Executive Order 464, which he said barred him from revealing information that could endanger confidential or classified information between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other public officers. Legarda did not get a response when she asked Neri "if there is any official higher than you who told you to give preference to ZTE over other proponents." Biazon then asked Neri if President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita anticipated that he would be asked of the question posed by Legarda, to which Neri replied: "I was instructed to cite executive privilege on those issues." When asked by Sen. Alan Pater Cayetano, chairman of the blue ribbon committee, if he could reveal sensitive information about the ZTE deal in an executive session, Neri said, "I will have to seek permission (from the Palace)." Closed-door probe At about 8:30 p.m., the Senate panels decided to go on an executive session with Neri. However, the session was not pushed through because Neri already looked sick and exhausted. "He was having fever and chills. We needed to let him go. Walang nangyari (sa executive session). Ayaw naman namin siyang magkaroon ng diperensiya, so we just ate and had to let him go. " Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada told radio dzBB . Neri was director general of NEDA before he became chairman of the Commission on Higher Education. It was during Neri’s term at the NEDA when the proposed NBN project was reviewed. Neri said the NBN project was approved by NEDA last March 29. The project was awarded to ZTE Corp. for $329.4 million last April 21. During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, Neri testified that Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr told him earlier this year that he could expect “200" from the approval of ZTE’s contract for the NBN project. Neri said Abalos told him about what he would receive during a game at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City, sometime between January and February. On September 18, the son of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr testified before the Senate that in December, Abalos offered him $10 million to withdraw his proposal for the NBN project. The speaker’s son, Jose “Joey" De Venecia III, is co-owner of NBN losing proponent Amsterdam Holdings Inc. During the same hearing, De Venecia III also accused the President’s husband, Jose Miguel “Mike" Arroyo, of bullying him into backing off from the NBN project. Abalos and Mr Arroyo denied the accusations. - GMANews.TV
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Special Topics ZTE Deal Neri shields Arroyo from ZTE mess, gags self through '464'
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