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Thursday, February 14, 2008
NBN scandal closing in on Palace: de Venecia
MANILA -- Ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. resumed his offensive attack against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Wednesday, saying the national broadband network (NBN)-ZTE controversy is already closing in on Malacañang.
"Every day, with new courageous witnesses coming forward with unshakeable tale of avarice and abuse of power, the emerging picture from this jigsaw puzzle is putting Malacañang ever closer to the center of this firestorm-this hideous conspiracy to extract more than P6 billion in kickbacks from the NBN deal with the Chinese corporation ZTE," he said in a privilege speech early Wednesday night.
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De Venecia, who held the speakership for five times, was ousted and replaced by Davao City Representative Prospero Nograles last February 5. De Venecia's son Joey had exposed alleged irregularities on the US$329 million NBN-ZTE deal that involved former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.
The Pangasinan congressman supported the testimony of Senate witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., who said during a Senate hearing that he was forced on a vehicle and driven away from Manila last Tuesday by people he did not know. The men later turned out to be police and airport security officials.
"Madame President, I pray to God that honestly, Malacañang is not involved, that Malacañang's hands are clean and Malacañang's conscience is clear," he said.
For the first time, de Venecia also called on former socio-economic Secretary Romulo Neri to face the Senate and tell all that he knows about the controversial deal.
"Go present yourself to the Senate. The truth shall set us free," he said of Neri.
Neri is former head of the Congressional Planning and Budget Office (CPBO) and a known de Venecia confidant.
Majority of de Venecia's speech also focused on disputing the claims of Kilusan ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) president and Camarines Sur Representative Luis Villafuerte that de Venecia's failure of leadership was what drove him out of office.
He said Villafuerte stood on the floor last Tuesday night "to malign my person and peddle lies about my leadership and collective performance of this House."
"In so attacking my person and my leadership, that man tried to paint himself as a saint and his political patrons as demigods conceived without sin," he said.
De Venecia blatantly called Villafuerte a lackey of Malacañang and First Gentleman Arroyo who was linked by Joey to the ZTE scandal.
"Yesterday (last Tuesday), the man who, in conspiracy with the First Gentleman, with their two sons in this House, and with the most powerful crony capitalist under this administration, Enrique Razon -- orchestrated a change in the leadership of the House a week ago -- this man rose again to malign my person and to peddle the foulest lies about my leadership and the collective performance of this activist House that you and I carefully built together," he said.
"But every Filipino saw through the sham. Today he is a caricature of the very administration he represents," he added.
Presiding officer Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar adjourned the session at 7:20 p.m. Tuesday on the motion of Bukidnon Representative Teofisto Guingona III.
Del Mar was one of the 25 congressmen who voted in favor of de Venecia's retention as Speaker. (WV/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (February 14, 2008 issue)
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