Wednesday, October 03, 2007 Barrita: Abalos falls By Eddie O. Barrita Small Bites
COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Chair Ben Abalos Sr. quit his post Monday, effectively stopping moves to impeach him over allegations of bribery in the $330-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE.
No, he didn’t admit guilt of any wrongdoing. He quit to spare the poll body from another scandal.
Hail Sir Abalos, Comelec’s knight in tarnished armor.
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Three Cebu lawmakers, Pablo John Garcia, Raul del Mar and Tony Cuenco, said Abalos’ resignation was an “honorable thing to do.”
But opposition lawmakers called him a “sacrificial lamb.”
I don’t think Abalos, who has shown rare delicadeza, looks anywhere like a lamb.
Neither does he look like a wolf in wolf’s clothing.
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Abalos vowed to clear his name and reputation. He’s filing perjury and libel cases against former Neda director general Romulo Neri and businessman Joey de Venecia.
Neri alleged Abalos offered him P200 million to approve the ZTE NBN deal while de Venecia accused Abalos of offering him $10 million to back off from his bid for the project.
Well, Abalos now has all the time to slug it out with his detractors.
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It was in a round of golf in an exclusive club where, Neri told the Senate, Abalos told him, “Sec, may 200 ka dito.”
Abalos, an Inquirer report said, worked as janitor and caddy in this exclusive club and later became its president. He must have felt at home in this club.
But it was sad the controversy behind his downfall came from where he rose.
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Days before the Comelec chair quit, Speaker Joe de Venecia announced he will call for a conscience vote among congressmen in resolving the impeachment case against Abalos.
Had Abalos not resigned, Speaker de Venecia would have been most fair in handling the impeachment case and be “guided by the light of reason and the lamp of conscience,” his son being one of Abalos’ accusers.
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Now that Abalos has quit as Comelec chair, many congressmen urged him to tell the truth about about the ZTE NBN deal so they can address the worsening problem of graft and corruption.
Sir Abalos, you better take it from these lawmakers who are not willing to give up their pork barrels.
