|
By Efren L. Danao Senior
Reporter
Sen. Francis Escudero on Tuesday
cautioned his Senate colleagues on reopening the national broadband
probe, saying a caucus should be called first to determine whether
the upper chamber should resume its inquiry into the matter while a
case is pending before the Supreme Court.
Escudero insisted that in
reopening the inquiry, the heads of the Senate blue-ribbon, trade,
national defense and rules committees should not decide unilaterally
and exclude other senators.
Earlier, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano,
chairman of the blue-ribbon committee, announced the reopening of
the broadband probe within 10 days after a new witness whom he
called “Alias Alex” claimed that he saw President Gloria Arroyo
visit the ZTE headquarters in Shenzhen, China, six months before she
witnessed the signing of the broadband contract. ZTE is the
contractor for the broadband project.
Mrs. Arroyo had earlier claimed
that when she cancelled the broadband contract, she had no prior
knowledge of its details.
Escudero pointed out that the
Supreme Court had questioned the non-publication of the Senate rules
on investigations in aid of legislation, in a case lodged before it
by former Socioeconomic Planning Chief Romulo Neri who refused to
testify before Senate.
“The Supreme Court case might
have a legal effect on the hearing and some witnesses, and some
senators might [even] question the conduct of a hearing unless this
is clarified in a caucus,” he explained at the weekly Kapihan sa
Senado.
Escudero said that without a
senators’ caucus where all concerned will commit themselves to
abide by any decision reached, the hearing might only end up with a
debate among committee members on the legal issues involved.
Escudero also urged the
investigating panel to secure first a sworn statement from “Alias
Alex” before he is allowed to testify.
“The testimony can be given in
an executive session. The sworn statement can be in confidence of
the three chairmen,” he said.
Malacañang had admitted that
Mrs. Arroyo visited the ZTE headquarters on November 2, 2006, but
insisted there was nothing neither secret nor wrong about it.
Sen. Manuel Roxas 3rd said Malacañang
should not brush aside the meeting simply as a “private social
meeting.”
“All official activities of the
President are imbued with public interest and subject to full
transparency, unless they involve sensitive matters of national
security, which was not the case in the Shenzhen visit,” he said.
Roxas explained that at the heart
of the controversy is the decision of the government to shift its
procurement preference for the project, from a
build-operate-transfer scheme involving the private sector to a
government-to-government deal with a loan component guaranteed by
the government.
“Out of delicadeza and to
protect the integrity and dignity of her office, the President
should have avoided such a social visit,” he said.
Part of opposition plot
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez
said the sudden emergence of a “new witness” in the broadband
deal controversy is part and parcel of an elaborate plan by
anti-government forces to sow chaos and confusion among the people,
and justify their aim of illegal power grab.
He pointed out that his
provincemate, Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico of Iloilo, whom he called the
self-proclaimed handler of the new witness, is identified with the
political opposition and a staunch critic of the administration.
“He [Suplico] has been doing
all the talking,” the justice chief noted.
Administration stalwart Rep.
Antonio Cuenco of Cebu City also dismissed any wrongdoing on the
part of Mrs. Arroyo in her China visit, saying visiting headquarters
of major conglomerates in foreign countries is a “presidential
tool” to draw investments. This, he said, has been practiced by
all past leaders.
Cuenco added that “plant
tours” are usually included in the official schedule of state
visits of Philippine presidents to other countries “since the time
of President Carlos Garcia.”
Rep. Edcel Lagman, chairman of
the House appropriations committee, also saw “nothing immoral in
the President meeting with foreign investors.”
Lagman also said photographs of a
purported golf game of President Arroyo with ZTE officials
“don’t prove anything.”
Rep. Anton Lagdameo of Davao
said, “All economically-strong countries deploy their leaders in
clinching foreign sales that would benefit local industries.”
“Those that sell arms even use
their leaders to lobby with a country that is planning to buy
fighter planes, tanks and other armaments. Some of these leaders
would even pick up the phone to make a sales pitch to the leader of
the country that is planning to make the purchase,” Lagdameo said.
--With William Depasupil
and Sammy Martin
|
