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By Jomar Canlas Reporter
The Supreme Court issued a
temporary restraining order on Tuesday that stops the controversial
$329-million broadband deal given to ZTE Corp. from pushing through.
“A TRO was issued by the
Supreme Court en banc after the deliberation held on Tuesday,”
said Atty. Jose Midas Marquez, the High Court’s public information
office chief. “This is to avoid any injury that could be caused if
the contract shall be pursued.”
The restraining order is for an
indefinite period, but the Court asked the government to comment in
10 days. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and
the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) are
respondents in the case, but they are to be represented by the
Office of the Solicitor General.
On Monday Jose “Joey” de
Venecia 3rd, son of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., filed a
petition with the Supreme Court asking it to compel government to
disclose the contract signed with ZTE on April 21.
That petition follows a similar
Supreme Court case filed by former Iloilo congressman, now Vice-Gov.
Rolex Suplico. Reports have it that his and de Venecia’s petitions
will be consolidated.
The younger de Venecia is the
co-founder and major shareholder of Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI),
which competed but failed to clinch the broadband deal given to ZTE
of China. Before that deal was signed, de Venecia said he was
offered a $10-million bribe by Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos to
back off the project.
Abalos, who dismissed the
allegations as false, announced that he was filing a case of his own
against de Venecia.
In the Supreme Court petition, de
Venecia asked the Court for access to the signed contract to
scrutinize it for possible anomalies.
Meanwhile, the House of
Representatives was planning to hold a question hour on the
broadband deal despite the Court’s restraining order.
“The House is not the one being
issued of a TRO, so I don’t think it is illegal to proceed with
the question hour,” said the House majority leader, Rep. Arthur
Defensor of Iloilo.
Invited to the question hour are
Trade Secretary Peter Favilla and Transportation and Communications
Secretary Leandro Mendoza.
But a late development on Tuesday
may prevent the question hour from pushing through.
Favilla, who earlier said he
would attend the questioned hour, cancelled his appearance upon
instructions of Malacañang. In a letter to Speaker Jose de
Venecia Jr. dated September 11, Favilla said, “The President has
not granted the undersigned permission to attend the said question
hour in accordance with Section 22, Article 6 of the
Constitution,” or a Cabinet official’s discretion whether to
attend or not attend the question hour.
Mendoza never confirmed his
attendance.
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