Neri toes GMA line, zips lips on ZTE

By Angie M. Rosales

09/27/2007

Save for blurting out that Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. had offered him 200 which he took to mean P200 million, former Socio-economic Planning Secretary and now Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) Romulo Neri refused to answer any questions that pertained to any and all conversations between him and President Arroyo on this issue, including the alleged bribe offer, invoking executive privilege.

Senators let it go momentarily, but toward late evening, they persisted in challenging Neri’s claim of executive privilege.

Even when a senator asked columnist Jarius Bondoc, who exposed this, to speak on this issue, with Bondoc first seeking permission from his source, Neri, the former National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) chief refused to grant the columnist permission, thus protecting even tighter the so-called executive privilege.

The Comelec chief, Neri said, attempted to bribe him with P200 million, in exchange for his recommendation approving the alleged highly overpriced national broadband network (NBN) contract.

Abalos denied this charge and pointed out that even Neri was not too clear on whether it was P200, P200,000 or P2 million.

Neri said he lost no time in informing Mrs. Arroyo about it and was merely told “not to accept it,” and informed the Senate panels yesterday in the continuing inquiry into the controversial $330-million NBN project awarded to the Chinese firm, ZTE Corp.

But before the senators could go deeper into possible culpability and explore alleged involvement or the extent of knowledge of Mrs. Arroyo of the then ongoing transaction between the Department of Transportation

and Communications (DoTC) and the Chinese officials, proposed to be financed through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) from China, Neri begun invoking “executive privilege.”

The Ched official insisted that private conversations between him and the Chief Executive are covered by executive privilege and cannot be disclosed to the three Senate panels investigating the ZTE deal.

The Makati Business Club yesterday in a statement commended Neri for his “courageous” testimony by implicating Abalos in a bribe attempt in the matter of the NBN contract.

The MBC, however, said it “regretted that (Neri) invoked executive privilege at a point in his testimony which prevented certain facts from being revealed.”

MBC also reiterated the call for Abalos to resign and called on Congress to impeach him if he refuses to resign.

Neri, apparently sensing further exposure further of Mrs. Arroyo in the deal, first mentioned during the initial public hearing by businessman Jose “Joey” De Venecia III,while being inter-rogated by Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, stopped at the issue of notifying the President regarding the alleged attempt of Abalos to buy him off into approving the contract.

But when it came to further discussions he had with the President, Neri clammed up and invoked executive privilege.

Earlier reports had it that the Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Calderon yesterday deployed several policemen to Neri’s home in Quezon City even when the Ched official never asked for it, but in confirming he had deployed policemen to man the Neri’s house, he claimed it was because of some trouble, which however, Calderon failed to identify.

The PNP chief also disclosed that the deployment of policemen to man Neri was the PNP’s initiative and not Neri’s request.

“This is our way of ensuring that he would be safe and could freely arrive for the Senate hearings”, Calderon added.

Malacañang for its part, quickly washed its hands off the surveillance of Neri and the deployment of the PNP troops.

But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said it was Malacañang that ordered the PNP to provide necessary protection to Neri after the Ched chairman bared that an unidentified green car was seen roaming outside his residence recently.

“Secretary Neri asked help from me so I called the attention of the PNP. Secretary Neri even thanked me for that. He (Neri) was afraid because he saw a green car roaming outside the vicinity of his residence.. I ‘m glad this matter was brought up because the government has nothing to do with this,” Ermita said.

The Palace official said it is impossible for them to “terrorize” Neri because as part of the Cabinet and that Neri must be protected from all kind of threats, whether perceived or not.

In the third joint hearing of the blue ribbon, electoral reforms and national defense and security committees, Abalos found himself virtually engaged in a face off with not just one but two of his main accusers on the alleged bribery surrounding the ZTE contract.

A visibly upset Abalos waged a lonely battle as he tried to defend himself over charges of alleged improprieties before members of the three investigating panels but also on the accusations made by De Venecia III, majority stockholder Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI), practically bolstered by Neri.

Abalos appeared to be only prepared in rebutting De Venecia III’s claims made in previous hearings, branding it as “falsehoods, half truths, well-funded and professionally-managed personal attack” against him, as Neri’s testimony on his alleged bribe offer seemed to have nailed him on his involvement in brokering the deal despite his vehement denials.

He tried to turn the table on Joey by telling the committees it was the Speaker’s son who was trying to peddle influence, even allegedly engaging his father to convince him in endorsing his company, AHI.

At one point, during questioning by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Abalos hurled back the charges at De Venecia III, stating before senators that it was the Speaker’s son who was trying to “broker” for ZTE in getting the contract as his company could not meet the government’s require-ments.

Prior to the face-to-face confrontation with De Venecia III, Abalos tried dousing water on the testimony of Neri, who at the start of the hearing, broke his silence on the P200 million alleged grease money.

Under grilling by Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. who inquired whether his unceremonious removal from Neda to Ched, took place after the alleged offer was made by Abalos.

“It didn’t occur to me that that was the reason,” he said in answering the possibility of the deal that gone sour, as the reason behind the decision of Mrs. Arroyo to assign him to a new post.

When Villar took up the issue of De Venecia III against Abalos, particularly on the matter of Neri having attended any of the meetings between the two, the former Neda chief said he could only recall three occasions where he discussed the contract with the poll body executive.

In recalling the said incidents – the first one took place in his office when Abalos paid him a visit in Neda, followed by an incident where they played golf and the last, a luncheon meeting with Chinese Embassy and ZTE officials at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel – Neri managed to narrate how the alleged P200 million bribe offer was made.

Neri said after being offered the bribe, he had informed the Neda staff top be careful in assessing this project liability and be careful with the costings “because I told them what happened, what was told to me and what was said to me,” he added.

He confirmed the involvement of Abalos with ZTE before Senator Estrada saying that the clearest indication on the poll body chair’s participation in the project that had been mentioned to him on several occasions, was when they had lunch at the Shangri-la Hotel.

Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson, in confronting Neri over his change in position over the project, noting the minutes of a meeting of the Neda -Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) where he expressed strong objection on the ZTE proposal, pursued Villar’s line of questioning on the Wack-wack golf incident.

Admitting that he’s not used to such kind of offer, Neri claimed he turned to Mrs. Arroyo and relayed what had been said to him by Abalos.

In trying to save face with the said incident that Neri claimed was known to some of his subordinates who happened to have accompanied him in Wack-wack that time, Abalos shot back at the Ched chief saying it was all a lie.

Sen. Mar Roxas, after asking several questions to Neri, who had claimed that it didn’t matter if the contract was overpriced, said he was shocked that this was now the norm in appraising contracts, where even corruption is no longer shocking.

Sen. Alan Cayetano said they intend to pursue First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo into attending the hearing to shed light on the issue.

“If he’s well enough and he will allow himself to come here and be placed under our jurisdiction, we can ask him questions,” he said. Gina Peralta-Elorde and Sherwin C. Olaes

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