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By Efren L. Danao Senior
Reporter
The Senate blue-ribbon committee
has set a hearing for the new witness in the national
broadband scandal, who has photos of President Gloria Arroyo’s
“secret visit” to ZTE headquarters in Shenzhen, China six months
before she witnessed the signing of the firm’s $329-million
contract for the scandal-plagued project.
Malacañang confirmed Wednesday
that President Arroyo met with officials of ZTE during a side trip
to China from Hong Kong in 2006.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, the
committee chairman, said the new witness, whom he did not identify,
had agreed to testify before the blue ribbon within the next two
weeks. The blue ribbon did not have any hearing since former
Socioeconomic planning Chief Romulo Neri went to the Supreme Court
to question the blue ribbon’s authority to compel him to answer
questions and to cite him in contempt.
He said that the witness, whom he
called “Alias Alex,” together with Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex
Suplico, showed two pictures and said President Arroyo went to the
ZTE headquarters and met with the firm’s officials after playing
golf in Shenzhen.
He said the President should
answer if she really met with ZTE officials and reveal what they had
talked about.
“Why is it so hard for the
President to either categorically deny that she met with them, or
deny that she was there, or confirm that she was there? How come
they’re now being very evasive?” Cayetano said of Malacañang’s
claim that the pictures were merely spliced.
He said that the witness would
not give an affidavit in advance because that would reveal his
identity “which he could not do right now to make sure that he is
safe.”
He insisted, however, that the
witness would not do a “Leo San Miguel,” in reference to the
“surprise witness” of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who surprised
everybody by claiming he knew nothing about the alleged overpricing
of the broadband project.
Nothing different
Deputy Press Secretary Lorelei
Fajardo said the meeting, where President Arroyo supposedly played
golf with ZTE officials, was “no different” from past meetings
with potential foreign investors.
Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita said President Arroyo met with ZTE officials in November 2,
2006 but said the meeting was merely a “social call.”
“How can you make the activity
a secret? If the President leaves the country everyone should know
it. And whenever she goes out, the receiving state provides
security,” Ermita said.
Miriam knows identity
of witness
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
said she had been informed that the new witness is lawyer Alex
Avisado, who had served as counsel for the opposition and “Hello
Garci” witness Sgt. Vidal Doble.
“This being the case, I doubt
if somebody identified with the opposition could be a part of a
presidential party to China,” she said.
Cayetano denied that “Alias
Alex” is really Avisado, saying the new witness is not even a
lawyer.
Santiago said she would question
the reopening of the blue-ribbon inquiry on the broadband deal,
which will just determine if President Arroyo really went to the ZTE
headquarters six months before the contract signing.
She contended that hush-hush
meetings on a project like the broadband project were normal to
prevent other parties from getting wind of the project.
Cayetano, however, said the visit
should be viewed in the context of her decision to change the
original concept of the broadband project from a
build-operate-transfer project to a government-to-government scheme
with sovereign guarantee.
He already has the witness’
initial testimony, which he described as “substantial.”
“I know that it is direct
testimony and I know it talks about the role of the President.
That’s why I want the people to hear it from the witness himself
so that every single person can judge [it] directly,” Cayetano
said.
Abalos alleges politicking
The camp of former Commission on
Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. on Wednesday dismissed as
politics the sudden emergence of a new witness to the broadband
scandal.
Lawyer Salvador Panelo, legal
counsel and spokesman of the former poll chief, said that the
political enemies of President Arroyo are just trying to resurrect
the issue to gain leverage for the 2010 elections.
Abalos was dragged into scandal
for allegedly being one of the “brokers” of the broadband deal.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales
dismissed the testimony of the new witness in the broadband deal as
nothing but “hearsay.”
“His [witness] statement was
wild. He is not credible as his testimony was obtained from a third-
party source,” Gonzales said.
The new witness is being handled
by Gonzalez’s provincemate, Rolex Suplico, who said his witness
has more photos on the visit of the President to the ZTE
headquarters.
Lozada barred
from leaving country
The Department of Justice has
also placed broadband star witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. on the
immigration’s “watchlist” to prevent him from leaving the
country unless he has the travel clearance from a court and other
concerned government agencies.
Gonzalez issued the order
Wednesday following Lozada’s statement that he is considering
leaving the country with his family to start a new life, if the
Court of Appeals will deny the writ of amparo petition filed in his
behalf by his brother, Arturo.
The writ of amparo, if granted,
would provide Lozada the protection against the government’s
security forces he accused of harassing and threatening him.
--With Angelo S. Samonte, William B. Depasupil and Francis Earl
A. Cueto
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