Abalos lying

MR. EXPOSE

Amb. Ernesto Maceda

09/27/2007

It was a battle for credibility between former Neda Director General Romulo Neri and Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. at the third hearing of the Senate on the ZTE national broadband network project contract.

Secretary Neri confirmed that Abalos did talk to him about the ZTE-NBN deal three times and that on one occasion during a golf game in Wack-Wack, Abalos offered him P200 million to approve the ZTE-NBN project.

Abalos denied he was brokering the ZTE deal, that he offered Neri P200 million and categorically declared that Neri was lying. Upon questioning by Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Jinggoy Estrada, Abalos denied brokering the ZTE deal in five or six meetings at Wack-Wack, at the Chinese Embassy dinner, at meetings with ZTE officials in Szhenzhen, China. Totally incredible. Nobody will, at this point, accept or believe that Abalos was not somehow involved and interested in the ZTE-NBN project.

Jinggoy read out a Bureau of Immigration report that Abalos had gone to China six times between 2006 and 2007 to belie Abalos’ claim that he went to China once only and upon the invitation of Jose “Joey” de Venecia III.

Committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano also confrontedAbalos with ABS-CBN transcripts of interviews where he denied that he was close to ZTE officials and further that he knew nothing about the ZTE-NBN project.

As a lawyer and as a three-term senator, I vote squarely to believe Neri’s claim that Abalos offered him a P200-million bribe to act favorably on the ZTE-NBN contact, therefore, Abalos is the one lying.

Unacceptable. Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. tried to evade being caught brokering the ZTE-NBN contract by presenting a letter of the Chinese ambassador dated Dec. 2, 2006 addressed to then presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor designating “ZTE as prime contractor for the national broadband network project, to say the award to ZTE is a done deal and therefore there was no need for Chairman Abalos to broker the deal.”

Wrong, sir, the devil is in the details, the finalization of the ZTE contract involves agreeing on many details including the extent of the broadband network coverage, the castings, the management services, the training services and, of course, the commissions and corresponding schedule of payments. That’s what a broker or lobbyist would be doing.

Now we have Joey de Venecia III and the credible Secretary Romulo Neri testifying under oath that Abalos offered huge bribes of $10 million or P450 million and P200 million to Joey and Neri, respectively.

Imagine Abalos ended up charging Neri as the one brokering the deal, presumably for Joey and Amsterdam Holdings Inc.

Miriam’s charge. The irresponsible Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago walked out of the hearing after declaring that both sides were telling half truths and that it was a double-cross and a quarrel between two sides on the division of the spoils.

“Pinag-aawayan lang ninyo ang kickback ninyo,” declared the feisty senator.

That brought the house down. But Miriam came back to the hearings in the afternoon.

Brilliant. Sen. Chiz Escudero asked the more substantial questions based on provisions of law and executive orders. Escudero was able to pin down Abalos that in a total of 10 to 11 meetings or chance encounters with personalities involved, Abalos was seen or was present.

Escudero revealed a memorandum of agreement with China, which mandates that no announcement or press release on the ZTE contract be made without the consent of the other party, or complete secrecy.

Sen. Nene Pimentel drew out an admission from Secretary Neri that Neda or he does not have a copy of the ZTE contract. Pimentel also brought out Abalos’ meeting with the parents of Sen. Migz Zubiri at Shang Palace Restaurant with Abalos, who said it was a chance encounter.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile charged that Amsterdam Holdings Inc. actually is a front not for Joey de Venecia III but rather for Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., suggesting in the process that Neri is testifying against Abalos and ZTE to favor the De Venecias. It’s getting murkier.

Tidbits. Woman solons Lani Cayetano and Abigail Binay were in the gallery watching. Also, Menguita Padilla, Leah Navarro, Imelda Nicolas, Carlitos Siguion Reyna, Evelyn Fuentebella, Willie Villarama and Ricky Recto... Mayor Lenlen Almonte of Biñan, Laguna, confirmed that MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando has talked to her to allow the expanded Southrail railroad tracks to pass through Biñan. This confirms reports that Fernando is in charge of the $5-billion Southrail project financed by China... Former Neda chief Solita Monsod revealed that Abalos as MMDA chairman led her on in a garbage project in Bataan when then Gov. Ding Roman called her to say the province had disapproved Abalos’ dump project.

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