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Tuesday, October 09, 2007
House Speaker, son charged with ‘graft’
MANILA -- Lawyer Rafael Pulido on Monday accused House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and his son Jose “Joey” de Venecia III of violating several times the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act (RA) 3019 in a complaint he filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Pulido, in his complaint, said the de Venecias are liable for violating Section 5 of RA 3019, which prohibits relatives of the four highest officials of the land from having anything to do with government contracts and projects.
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The lawyer charged that de Venecia Jr., with obvious criminal intent, concealed his knowledge of his son's interest in the company MTI (Broadband Philippines) when it obtained from Congress a telecommunication franchise in 1995, and when it had that franchise amended in 1997 to include broadband services.
At both instances in 1995 and 1997, de Venecia Jr. was holding fort at the House as Speaker, Pulido said.
Pulido also maintained that the Speaker did not disclose the true financial interest of his son in MTI when the firm reported to Congress in 1995 and 1997 its compliance with the terms of its franchise.
The lawyer earlier filed a case against de Venecia Jr. before the House ethics committee for the same offense. He said the de Venecias should stand accused as co-principals under Article 17 of the Revised Penal Code.
He claimed that the de Venecias are also liable for graft and corruption for intervening in the National Broadband Network (NBN) project of the government, through Joey’s company, Amsterdam Holdings Incorporated (AHI).
"If Joey de Venecia III is to be believed, Jose de Venecia Jr. should be held criminally liable for his indispensable cooperation that allowed Joey de Venecia III to illegally intervene in a government contract," said Pulido.
Pulido cited as particulars the Speaker's organizing of a breakfast meeting between then Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. and his son Joey in an alleged criminal attempt to cooperate on the NBN project.
He also cited as a ground de Venecia Jr.'s private and public endorsement of his son's bid for the NBN project.
Pulido said the de Venecias cannot claim that AHI did not stand to gain from the position held by de Venecia Jr. as Speaker since AHI's NBN proposal "would involve providing broadband services to the general public, which will require a legislative franchise."
De Venecia III has been going around media talk shows claiming that Section 5 of RA 3019 does not apply to him allegedly because AHI, had it been awarded the NBN contract, would not benefit from any action emanating from the office of his father.
Section 5 prohibits the spouse or any relative (by affinity or consanguinity within the third civil degree) of the President, Vice President, Senate President, and House Speaker from having anything to do with government contracts and projects.
"The fact that Jose de Venecia Jr. knew of his son's interest in both MTI and AHI could no longer be denied. In fact, it is a matter of public knowledge that he publicly hailed his son as 'the father of broadband in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,' thus revealing his intimate knowledge of his son's broadband business," said Pulido.
"Despite this knowledge, Jose de Venecia Jr. concealed his son's interest in MTI. This concealment was indispensable for Jose de Venecia III to obtain a franchise in violation of RA 3019," he said.
The younger de Venecia admitted under oath during the Senate NBN hearing that although the incorporation papers of both MTI and his company that bid for the NBN project, AHI do not reveal his name, he actually owns or controls them, said Pulido.
MTI obtained its legislative franchise through RA 7908 on February 23, 1995, and had it amended by RA 8332 on June 30, 1997, at both times while de Venecia Jr. was the House Speaker. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (October 9, 2007 issue)
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