Arroyo admission of alleged NBN-ZTE deal anomaly is ground for impeachment, says Senate President

By Ronron
February 24, 2008

The admission on Saturday of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that she approved the awarding of the National Broadband Network (NBN) project to China’s ZTE Corporation in April last year even after learning that it had an alleged irregularity is a ground for her impeachment, Senate President Manny Villar said Sunday.

“If she signed that, I think that is ground for impeachment,” Villar told DZBB radio in a phone interview.

Agreeing with Villar, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview that the act constitutes “corruption and failure to discharge her duties properly.”

“It really is an admission of guilt. That’s something that ties Gloria to the anomaly,” Pimentel said of Arroyo’s admission.

But he doubts if an impeachment will prosper against the President, citing her allies at the Lower House, which outnumber the members of the political opposition.

“It will just make some members of Congress rich,” Pimentel said, apparently referring to possible bribes in the Lower House to junk any impeachment complaint forwarded against the President.

In a radio interview, Arroyo said the other day that she just allowed the signing of NBN deal with ZTE Corporation to proceed on April 21 last year in Boao, China because she learned of the alleged anomaly the night before only.

Yesterday, she said in a speech at the Heroes' Hall in Malacanang Palace after a Holy Mass that it took her months to officially cancel the deal so as to give time for proper notification to the Chinese government.

Villar said he finds it hard to believe that the President made the admission about the alleged anomaly surrounding the $329 million project because all the while, when the Senate began its probe on it since last year, there were attempts from the executive branch not to talk about it.

He said it even used airport officials, the Presidential Security Group, and the Philippine National Police in an attempt to stop key witness, Rodolfo Lozada, Jr., from appearing at the Senate.

“I think the President is only after the sentiment of the people here. I think the President is worried of the outrage that came out over the ZTE deal… I think her confession is for the people to stop feeling hard against her,” Villar said.

“Maybe, somebody advised her that if you ask for forgiveness or own up to your mistake, it will cool down the heads of the people,” he added.

Mass actions have started to frequent the capital this month after Lozada disclosed his alleged knowledge on former Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos' alleged insistence to get a $130 million kickback for endorsing ZTE Corporation to get the project. Lozada had also implied that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo knew about the alleged commission demand.

Opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson said it is in fact more important and proper for Arroyo to cancel the project after she learned about the alleged anomaly, rather than push for it despite having knowledge already of the alleged irregularity.

In her speech yesterday, Arroyo reiterated that she is as interested as the people on the NBN issue that she even assures making people accountable if found to have liabilities over the deal.

“The people are mad at the corrupt, so am I. We are all bothered that’s why I immediately acted to cancel the contract upon learning that it has the slightest hint of anomaly. We just waited the proper notification to the government of China,” she said.

She said the allegation of bribery was also reported to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno, thus the order for an investigation over the matter by the authorized agencies.

Along with this action, she said that the immediately added funds to the Office of the Ombudsman for a stronger watch and action against corrupt officials.

“We directly acted to ensure that all these kinds of projects are closely monitored by people to avoid any irregularity,” Arroyo said.

But opposition Senator Benigno Aquino III pointed out in a separate interview that if she was really sincere to have it investigated, why did the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman only act recently, months after the Senate started its investigation.

According to Arroyo, she will not condone “friends and foe alike” if they are found to be corrupt as she challenged House Speaker Prospero Nograles, who attended the Holy Mass, to pass the “Anti-Corruption Reform” this year to prevent corruption and add heavier penalty to it.

She said this will be among her goals before she steps down in 2010. “We plan on working harder next two and a half years to fulfill our Philippine reform agenda until the day I leave the Presidency in 2010. We will fight for the economy, education and the environment.”

“We will work to fix the corruption that still plagues our nation,” Arroyo stressed as she debunked claims that her administration is more corrupt than the previous ones, citing the “lively economy” under her term.

“A corrupt nation will not prosper quickly within a generation or will not have a richer national coffer or will not be strict against tax cheaters or will not prosecute more officials if they are not transparent,” she said in defense to her administration.

The President admitted she is “not perfect” but she said she has “worked hard everyday to achieve positive and lasting change for the nation,” helping “create seven million jobs and bring in billions in new investment,” bring down unemployment and incidents of hunger, and bring up access to health care and a good education.

Lacson said he hopes Arroyo’s declaration of a strong stand against corruption is not just a lip service, especially since the First Gentleman is also tagged in the allegations.

“Her credibility has already sunk before the public, nobody believes her anymore. So if she says that people liable for corruption will be made accountable and yet does not take concrete action, the more nobody will believe her anymore,” he said.

Arroyo said she is saddened by the way her political nemesis have resorted to desperate moves to criticize her, especially since no evidence have been put forward so far.

Reacting to allegations that she is running a midnight Cabinet, Arroyo said this could be the impression left to those who do not know that she works starting early in the morning until, sometimes, way past midnight.

“I am the President, not anyone else. I decide on matters involving the government and not those who are not in the position,” she said in Filipino.

She said her family “is not engaged in any business venture with the government,” an act that is “not acceptable.”

As to calls for her resignation, Arroyo said: “I will follow the Constitution and my own desire to step down when my term ends. I can tell you that without any hesitation, I will step down when my term ends in 2010, although even up to that time, we will exert effort to push for reforms so we will leave a strong nation to the next leader.”

“We challenged our political leaders who are seeking the Presidency in 2010 to develop a positive agenda for change and reform. The people want us to focus on working for the people and avoid the endless saga of political vendettas and mindless investigations,” she said./DMS