Arroyo's arch critic eager to see former President in ZTE trial
Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz, the arch critic of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said he is eager to see the former leader take the witness stand in the trial on the $329-million ZTE broadband deal.
Cruz, former head of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese, said on Tuesday he "cannot wait" to see Arroyo testify about the involvement of one of her former officials, Romulo Neri, who is linked to the mess.
Neri, as director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved the National Broadband Network (NBN) project. The Arroyo administration then entered into a contract with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China for the proposed NBN project.
However, as alleged irregularities were cited about the deal, Arroyo cancelled the NBN project in October 2007. On July 14, 2008, the Supreme Court dismissed three petitions questioning the constitutionality of the ZTE deal, saying the petitions became moot when the project was cancelled.
Cruz, in an article on the news site of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said, “This is something nice to watch. What happens next? What will the First Couple say? What will Neri say? If Neri gets upset, he might blurt out what he really knows."
Cruz said Arroyo's testimony may pressure Neri to disclose what he knows about the project.
In September 2007, testifying at a Senate hearing, Neri alleged that he had three meetings with former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, who was a proponent of the national broadband network project.
According to Neri, Abalos reportedly told him over a golf game "Sec, may 200 ka dito," which the former NEDA chairman interpreted as a bribery attempt.
Neri said his lawyer advised him to disclose this information to the former President, who reportedly told him not to accept the money.
Neri added that he asked the technical staff of NEDA to watch out for any indication of an overprice in reviewing the NBN project in light of the bribe attempt.
Earlier, Assistant Special Prosecutor John Turalba said Mrs. Arroyo would be asked to clarify the extent of Neri’s involvement in the deal once the trial starts October 13.
Turalba added former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo may also be summoned to answer allegations linking him to the deal.
Still, Cruz said he continues to believe that Neri is the less guilty party in the controversial project as previously revealed by earlier probes.
“Something seems wrong. I thought the principals are the husband and wife and Neri is an accessory. Come on, there is something here I still cannot understand," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV
Cruz, former head of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese, said on Tuesday he "cannot wait" to see Arroyo testify about the involvement of one of her former officials, Romulo Neri, who is linked to the mess.
Neri, as director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved the National Broadband Network (NBN) project. The Arroyo administration then entered into a contract with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China for the proposed NBN project.
However, as alleged irregularities were cited about the deal, Arroyo cancelled the NBN project in October 2007. On July 14, 2008, the Supreme Court dismissed three petitions questioning the constitutionality of the ZTE deal, saying the petitions became moot when the project was cancelled.
Cruz, in an article on the news site of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said, “This is something nice to watch. What happens next? What will the First Couple say? What will Neri say? If Neri gets upset, he might blurt out what he really knows."
Cruz said Arroyo's testimony may pressure Neri to disclose what he knows about the project.
In September 2007, testifying at a Senate hearing, Neri alleged that he had three meetings with former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, who was a proponent of the national broadband network project.
According to Neri, Abalos reportedly told him over a golf game "Sec, may 200 ka dito," which the former NEDA chairman interpreted as a bribery attempt.
Neri said his lawyer advised him to disclose this information to the former President, who reportedly told him not to accept the money.
Neri added that he asked the technical staff of NEDA to watch out for any indication of an overprice in reviewing the NBN project in light of the bribe attempt.
Earlier, Assistant Special Prosecutor John Turalba said Mrs. Arroyo would be asked to clarify the extent of Neri’s involvement in the deal once the trial starts October 13.
Turalba added former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo may also be summoned to answer allegations linking him to the deal.
Still, Cruz said he continues to believe that Neri is the less guilty party in the controversial project as previously revealed by earlier probes.
“Something seems wrong. I thought the principals are the husband and wife and Neri is an accessory. Come on, there is something here I still cannot understand," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV
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