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By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter
Is former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.
timing his testimony on the $330-million National Broadband Network
project with the lapse of the one-year ban on the filing of
impeachment complaints against President Gloria Arroyo?
This question was asked after de Venecia
announced recently that he will testify in August before the Senate
blue-ribbon committee on what he knew about the broadband contract
awarded to China’s ZTE Corp. Earlier, he said his testimony could
bring down the Arroyo administration.
It was in August 2007 when Rep. Edgar San Luis
of Laguna endorsed an impeachment complaint against President
Arroyo, but the House Committee on Justice quickly threw it out.
Under the Constitution, only one impeachment complaint can be filed
against a sitting president within a year. So next month, another
complaint can be legally filed.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, the chairman of the
blue ribbon, said he did not know why de Venecia chose August.
“That’s why I have been telling him to
testify immediately so there would be an end to speculations,” he
said.
Cayetano said he had been waiting for de Venecia
to testify for the last six months, and that he had cancelled
several appointments and hearing because of this.
He considered de Venecia’s testimony crucial
to the Senate inquiry because the former Speaker was present when
the President met with leaders of ZTE Corp. in Shenzhen, China, on
November 2, 2006. This was six months before she witnessed the
signing of the broadband contract.
De Venecia’s son, Jose “Joey” de Venecia
3rd, a losing bidder for the contract, previously testified before
the Senate blue-ribbon committee that the President knew former
Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. of the Commission on Elections was
allegedly involved in ZTE’s pursuit of the broadband contract.
“If he [de Venecia] had agreed to testify
immediately, there would have been no need for ‘Alex’ to come
out,” Cayetano added.
Alex is the alias of a potential witness who
took the pictures of the President, de Venecia and ZTE officials
during a visit to Shenzhen. Cayetano said Alex’s testimony was no
longer needed after Malacañang had confirmed that there was a
meeting but insisted that there was nothing wrong or secret about
it.
De Venecia claimed he had been having health
problems that kept him from going to the Senate, but he expects to
be well enough to testify by August.
Most senators agree that the Senate should
immediately wrap up its inquiry if he fails to testify as announced.
“I am already tired of waiting,” Sen.
Francis Escudero said.
“If he [de Venecia] wants to testify, the
doors of the Senate are open for him, but I would not hold my breath
waiting for him to decide whether to testify,” Cayetano said.
He added that he would consult with the senators
on what to do should the former Speaker fail to testify in August.
“We cannot wait forever.
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