Friday, May 23, 2008 Palace: JDV won't testify v. Arroyo
MALACAÑANG on Thursday expressed confidence that former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. will not testify against the Arroyo administration on the meetings involving the national broadband network (NBN)-ZTE deal.
In a press briefing, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Antonio Apostol said de Venecia will not testify against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and the administration because "he will not destroy the political party of the administration (because) he co-founded it."
"For the sake of his political allies, he will not do anything like that. He is a statesman. He is a credible witness and he will not use that privilege to malign the administration," Apostol said.
He said if ever de Venecia speaks, he will not be able to say anything damaging against Malacañang.
Apostol said Malacañang already admitted that there was a meeting between the President and ZTE officials but it was just a social call.
"The Arroyo couple just played golf six months before the alleged contract was signed and there is no more contract. That ZTE deal has been cancelled by Malacañang so what are we talking about?" he said.
During the same press briefing, Apostol asked ZTE witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. to stop his campus tour and liquidate his expenses so that the public would know if he is using taxpayers' money intended for the Senate.
"He (Lozada) is spending the people's money. He should stop his campus tour," he said.
According to him, it is no use for Lozada to continue his school tour because the students are already giving him the cold treatment.
He said Lozada's handlers should stop him from bothering the students because he is using public funds to tarnish the government's image. (JMR/Sunnex)
