‘More questions than answers on last ZTE hearing’
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday said the last hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on the government's botched $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project with China's ZTE firm spurred more questions than answers.
Cayetano, former chairman of the committee, said the hearing failed to answer several basic questions and instead focused on grilling the two important witnesses of the case, Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. and Jose de Venecia III.
"Bakit nilaktawan natin yun? Bakit yung focus napunta kay Lozada at kay Joey De Venecia (Why did we skip the more pertinent matters and instead focused on grilling the two witnesses)?" he asked.
Lozada and De Venecia were among those who would be recommended to be charged with graft by the panel, according to Sen. Richard Gordon, the chairman of the committee.
De Venecia was asked on his dealings with the government while his father, Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia Jr., was still speaker of the House of Representatives.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the contract on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China but it was scrapped on Sept. 22, 2007 after allegations of bribery erupted.
Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman recommended that then Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos and Neri be charged with graft for their involvement in the said bribery case.
Opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson said he would not support the committee report, which is expected to be released this week, if it would include recommending that Lozada and De Venecia be charged.
“Sila yung main witnesses dito. If not for Joey de Venecia or Jun Lozada wala kaming iniimbestigahan. Wala kaming sufficient information or even basic information to blow it wide open," he said.
(They are the main witnesses in this case. If not for them, we have nothing to investigate.)
He believed the two were not guilty of any misdemeanor. “If ever (they did anything) they were practically forced to do what they did." - GMANews.TV
Cayetano, former chairman of the committee, said the hearing failed to answer several basic questions and instead focused on grilling the two important witnesses of the case, Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. and Jose de Venecia III.
"Bakit nilaktawan natin yun? Bakit yung focus napunta kay Lozada at kay Joey De Venecia (Why did we skip the more pertinent matters and instead focused on grilling the two witnesses)?" he asked.
Lozada and De Venecia were among those who would be recommended to be charged with graft by the panel, according to Sen. Richard Gordon, the chairman of the committee.
De Venecia was asked on his dealings with the government while his father, Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia Jr., was still speaker of the House of Representatives.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the contract on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China but it was scrapped on Sept. 22, 2007 after allegations of bribery erupted.
Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman recommended that then Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos and Neri be charged with graft for their involvement in the said bribery case.
Opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson said he would not support the committee report, which is expected to be released this week, if it would include recommending that Lozada and De Venecia be charged.
“Sila yung main witnesses dito. If not for Joey de Venecia or Jun Lozada wala kaming iniimbestigahan. Wala kaming sufficient information or even basic information to blow it wide open," he said.
(They are the main witnesses in this case. If not for them, we have nothing to investigate.)
He believed the two were not guilty of any misdemeanor. “If ever (they did anything) they were practically forced to do what they did." - GMANews.TV
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