Monday, February 25, 2008 CCCI official says proceedings to ferret out the truth in ZTE deal should continue
IN line with its advocacy to promote good governance, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is supporting efforts to “find the truth” in the controversial the ZTE-National Broadband Network deal, which has Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. as key witness in a Senate inquiry.
“Lozada symbolizes the people who are directly or indirectly affected by bad governance,” said CCCI outgoing president Francis Monera. “If the truth doesn’t come out, it will threaten the institution. We need to preserve the institution rather than the personalities.”
Monera made the statement when asked by news reporters whether CCCI will echo the call made by the Makati Business Club for Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and Commission on Higher Education (Ched) chairman Romulo Neri to resign from their posts amid accusations they were involved in the allegedly anomalous ZTE-NBN deal.
While Monera stressed the importance of finding the truth in the controversial issue, he urged the public to “respect proceedings and hear both sides of the story.”
He said during the CCCI general membership meeting last Friday that the chamber has yet to come up with a collective stand in relation to the call made by the Makati Business Club for Neri and Atienza to resign.
“There are two sides to a story and the story is still unfolding,” he said. “If we want fairness, we have to give everyone due process,” he added.
Business as usual
On a local perspective, Monera said that while Cebuano businessmen have different opinions on the ZTE scandal, business development in Cebu, in general, continues to be unfazed amid the political turmoil in the country.
“Business in Cebu is still moving in spite and despite of,” he said. He added that the tourism and information and communications technology industries – the main drivers of Cebu’s economy – continue to grow.
“Business has to learn to adapt to changes in the government,” Monera said.
Makati Business Club (MBC) executive director Alberto Lim earlier said the business group called on Neri and Atienza “to save themselves from further shame by resigning from their positions in government for their respective roles in the attempt to prevent Lozada from testifying on the ZTE deal at the Senate.”
“Their protection at any cost of the interests of those in power renders them unworthy of the people’s trust,” Lim was quoted by national newspapers.
The MBC lauded Lozada for coming to testify in the Senate inquiry on the scuttled $329-million ZTE-NBN deal. (MMM)
