mula sa abs cbn news:

(UPDATE) Joey De Venecia confirms $10M bribe offer

The son of House Speaker Jose de Venecia, co-founder of one of the losing bidders in the controversial National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with the ZTE Corp. has broken his silence on allegations of bribery hounding the contract.

Joey de Venecia, a majority stockholder of Amsterdam Holdings Incorporated (AHI) admitted that Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos offered him $10 million to let the Chinese firm ZTE corner the multi-billion peso deal.

“Sabi niya, Joey, umatras ka na lang bigyan kita $10 million (He said, Joey, just back out I will give you $10 million),” the AHI co-founder said.

The younger De Venecia said he was shocked with the offer but he immediately declined the money which was equivalent to almost P500 million.

“Our proposal is a very good proposal. Secondly, two of my partners are from countries that are very sensitive to foreign corrupt practices,” he said.

Abalos, who was the alleged broker of the broadband network deal, declined to comment on the issue. He wanted to watch first the statement issued by the younger de Venecia.

However, Joey de Venecia admitted that he does not hold any evidence to prove that he was indeed bribed by the poll body chairman. He added that he has no reason to lie about the matter.

“It’s his word against mine on the bribe of $10 million. On the fact that were sour-graping—no, I’m not sour-graping,” said de Venecia.

He clarified that he only wanted the truth to come out regarding the questionable broadband deal and he is not involved with lawmakers or sectors who wanted to remove Abalos.

The controversial P16 billion NBN-ZTE contract has reached Congress, the Ombudsman, and the Supreme Court for the high-tech internet network for the government.

According to de Venecia, the project could have been completed with only $130 million but he believed that it was overpriced to give room for kickbacks.

He also expressed his willingness to testify in any investigation on the NBN deal.

China willing to investigate

China on Thursday said it may be willing to investigate the ZTE Corporation over allegations of overpricing and kickbacks in its multi-million dollar deal with the Philippine government.

ABS-CBN Australia News Bureau correspondent Gigi Grande said Liu Jien Chao, the Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesman, said while he is not privy to details of the deal, in principle China takes allegations of corruption seriously.

“We are firm in fighting against any kind of corruption no matter if it happened in the government or any of the enterprises so and also we are against any corruption that cropped up in bilateral trade relations with our trade partners, so we’re firm on that,” he told ABS-CBN News during an interview in Sydney prior to the start of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference Summit.

“I think if the Philippine side will raise this issue with the Chinese side, the Chinese side will look seriously into this,” Liu added.

China is bent on cleaning up its image. It has been cracking down on both government and corporate corruption. Early this year, the Corruption Prevention Bureau was formed.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila, meanwhile, said if the Philippine government wants to back out of the national broadband network project, it would be no big deal to the Chinese.

“I don’t think its going to be an issue or get in the way of our relations with China. These are ordinary business proposals,” he said.

While admitting that he is the “China-man” in charge of strengthening and broadening economic ties with China, Favila said he had nothing to do with the controversial deal.

He said it was Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communications who pushed for the deal.

“The proponent was DOTC. DOTC is the one that is going to explain everything.”

The controversial $329-million deal drew flak after critics said it was approved by the Philippine government without going through public bidding. The winning contractor was Chinese state-owned ZTE Corp. With a report from Jing Castañeda

NBN, ano ba talaga ito? utang na loob, dadagdagan nyo nanaman ang utang ng bayan… biruin nyo? 329 milyong dolyares, babayaran ng taong bayan sa loob ng 20 na taon…

Hindi ba natin pwedeng gamitin ang mga ating mga sariling infrastraktura upang maisaituparan ang NBN? bakit kailangang ibang bansa pa ang kumontrata sa sa ganyang proyekto na meron naman tayong sapat kapabilidad upang maimplemento ang NBN…

Hindi ba puro kickback at pagpapataba ng bulsa nanaman nag hangarin nyo dyan sa proyekto na yan? Pera ng taong bayan ang inyong nilulustay at ibinubulsa, hindi ang sarili nyong pawis at pinag hihirapan…

Ang pinagtataka ko lang, bakit dawit ang ating pinuno sa Comelec sa nasabing eskandalo? Bakit sya may partisipasyon sa nasabing NBN-ZTE Deal? Wala na ba syang dapat gawin sa Comelec lalo ngayong lumalapit ang eleksyong panglokal?

Sa huling balita na aking napanood sa telebisyon, naisaiwalat na ang “mystery man” na sabit sa ZTE-NBN Deal. Hindi na ako magtataka na damay ang asawa ng ating presidente, madaming scam, eskandalo at expose na rin na sya ay naituro.

Sa bandang huli, tayo pa rin ang maghihirap na bayaran ang utang na ito samantalang ang ating gobyerno ang makikinabang sa nasabing proyekto… habang tayo ay nag titiis na gumamit ng mga prepaid cards, dial-up o kaya’y nagpupyat sa mga internet cafe, sila nama’y magpapasarap sa kanilang mga upisina (at maaring pati mga bahay nila) sa mabilis na fasilidad pangkomyunikasyon gamit ang ating pinaghihirapang buwis…

Gusto kong purihin ang isang “Kuya Jr.” na isang jeepney driver. Kaninang umaga ay sumakay ako sa kanyang pinapasadang jeepney na may plakang TCR-699  byaheng DBB-1 Dasmariñas papuntang Baclaran. Hindi talaga ako sumasakay ng jeep dahil sa maulan na panahon natin ngaun ngunit ito ang aking nadatnan sa aming sakayan.

Ako ay sumasakay sa harap. Una palang ay nasaksihan ko na ang kanyang natural na pagkapilipino: Maunawain, Masikap at Magalang. Nang kami ay nakarating sa Coastal Road Plaza, ay nakaranas ang aming sinasakyang jeepney ng problema; kumalas ang isang parte sa may kanang bahagi ng jeep, rason kung bakit hindi rumiresponde ng maayos ang manibela.

Kahit ganito ang problema ay minarapat nyang ihatid ang kanyang mga pasahero sa Baclaran, gamit ang kanyang sinturon, itinali nya ang bumagsak na parte at inilakad ang jeep na dahan-dahan hangang makaabot sa aming destinasyon.

Sabihin na natin na ang Jeepney ay ang ating Inang Bayan, Ang mga pasahero ang Mamamayan, ang Pamasahe ang ating Buwis at si Kuya Jr. ang Pulitika; hindi ba natin mararanasan ang sadyang kabayanihang para sa bayan? nararamdaman ba natin ang mga katagang “Bayan Muna, Bago Sarili” sa mga nakaupo sa kani-kanilang pwesto?

Bakit ang ordinaryong mamamayan ay nanakaya nilang maglingkod sa kanilang kababayan samantalang ang ating mga opisyales ay hindi? Hindi ba insulto iyon sa ating pamahalaan na walang ginawa kung di magpalaki ng tyan?

Mula sa Inquirer.net:

Generals hold breath as DND chief flies C-130 plane

By Christine Avendaño
Inquirer, INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:47am (Mla time) 08/14/2007

MANILA, Philippines — Barely two weeks into his new job, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. showed generals on Sunday how “hands on” he is.

For a few minutes, Teodoro took control of the C-130 plane that ferried him and military officers on a whirlwind one-day visit to conflict-torn Sulu and Basilan provinces.

But reporters who joined the trip only got wind of Teodoro’s flying skills when the transport plane had already landed at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

“Was our flight OK?” Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. later asked reporters. “The secretary flew the plane,” he said.

“He’s an expert pilot of Lear jets,” Esperon then said of Teodoro, 43, a lawyer, former Tarlac congressman and the favorite nephew of business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.

Esperon said Teodoro first took control of the plane when it departed from the Edward Andrews Airbase in Zamboanga City after 6 p.m. bound for Manila.

The group had gone to Jolo where Teodoro and Esperon received a briefing on operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group. From there, they boarded Huey helicopters to Basilan.

AFP information chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said Teodoro took control of the plane when it left Zamboanga and again later as it approached the Villamor Air Base runway but yielded to the pilot for the touchdown, Bacarro said.

That was why the military generals, seated together near the cockpit, applauded loudly when the plane landed. And that was also why Teodoro, who was seated with them, suddenly disappeared before the landing.

One general said lightly that the other generals had held their breath for a few minutes during the landing.

Teodoro did not mention the flight at a news conference Monday in Camp Aguinaldo, the military’s general headquarters in Quezon City.

He did say though that he was overwhelmed with emotion during the trip back to Manila because the plane was “taking home” an officer who perished in the Aug. 9 encounter with Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu.

“On a personal note, the only time I felt severe emotion was yesterday when General Esperon and I had to console the widows of this conflict [and] secondly when we had to take home the casket of 2nd Lieutenant Camelon. There I felt a lot of emotion,” Teodoro told reporters Monday.

2nd Lt. Charlie Anthony Camelon of the 33rd Infantry Battalion based in Sulu was killed with 27 others during the incident. His remains in a white casket were on board the C-130 that Teodoro piloted for a few minutes. With a report from Joel Guinto, INQUIRER.net

Oo, may mga opisyales tayong kayang magpalipad ng isang C-130 pero sapat na ba yun para makita ang kanyang dedikasyon bilang isang pinuno? Saludo ako sayo kung yan ay mula sa iyong puso para maglingkod at hindi lamang na isang pakitang-gilas tulad ng ibang nakapwesto ngayon sa ating pamahalaan.

-J.D.C

Mula sa Abante, Panulatan ni Rose A. Miranda, Lunes, ika- 13 ng Agusto, 2007:

PINEDA NANGOPYA NG ELECTION PROTEST

(Rose A. Miranda)

Uminit ang bakbakan sa pagitan nina Pampanga Gov. Eddie “Among” Panlilio at tinalo nito sa eleksyon na si Lilia Pineda.

Ito ay matapos na akusahan ng abogado ni Panlilio na si Atty. Romulo Macalintal ang kampo ni Pineda na kinopya lamang ang inihaing election protest laban sa Pampanga Governor mula sa ibang nakabinbing election protests sa Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Akusasyon ni Macalintal, kinopya umano ng grupo ni Pineda ang mga election protest ng mga natalong kandidato sa Taal sa Batangas, Sta. Rosa City sa Laguna at Cavite City.

“Parehong pareho ang nilalaman ng mga protestang ito, maging ang numbering ng mga paragraphs at mga grounds of protest ng nasabing mga protesta. Imposible naman na ang nangyari sa dalawampu’t dalawang munisipyo ng Pampanga ay siya ring nangyari sa Taal, Batangas; Sta. Rosa City at Cavite City sa lahat ng mga presinto, sa kaparehong araw at oras, at parehong mga guro umano ang gumawa ng mga iregularidad sa halalan,” pahayag ni Macalintal.

Bago ito ay may alingasngas na suportado umano ng Malacañang ang election protest na inihain ni Pineda kontra kay Panlilio, bagay na ayaw bigyan nang komento ng huli.

Matatandaang magkumare sina Pangulong Gloria Arroyo at Pineda ngunit isa ang Malacañang sa mga maagang tumanggap noon ng pagkatalo ng huli kay Panlilio.

Hindi ba ito’y nakakahiya? kopya dito, kopya dun… usong-uso nga talaga ang pirata, mapa CD, DVD at kung ano ano pa…

Mano’y hindi nalang tanggapin ang pagkatalo? Ano ba ang talagang rason bakit pinaglalaban ang mga ganitong bagay? Hindi ba pinapalabas nyo lang ang inyong mga interes sa pulitika?

Oo, ang naririnig naming rason nyo ay ang upang makapagsilbi sa bayan… pero, gasgas na ang ganyang rason… kung talagang gusto nyong tumulong sa ating bayan o sa inyong pook, kaya nyo bang gawin yan ng hindi gumagamit ng pwesto?

Si JDC ay kumakatawan sa mga kabataan at libo-libong pilipinong nagugutom. Kaliwa’t kanan na ang mga patungkol, pag-akusa, pangongotong, pang-aapi, pangmamaltrato at kung ano-ano pa ang ginagawa ng mga taong nakaupo sa mga kani-kanilang pwesto. Nararapat lamang batikusin ang mga ito dahil marami na ang mga namamatay, nagugutom at nagdurusa sa ating bansa, andyan ang mga extra-judicial killings, pangaalipusta sa kapwa pilipino at ang walang aksyon na ginagawa ng ating gobyerno.

Pagod na ang ating Inang Bayan sa mga katakot-takot na pangako ng mga nakaupo, andyan ang pag-asang nasasabit, ang mga proyektong pangkabuhayan na nauuwi sa wala, mga benepisyong hindi natatamasa at ang mga bagay na dapat sanang napupunta sa mamamayang pilipino. Pero asan ang mga bagay na to? sa Rolex ng isang pulitiko? sa Mercedez Benz ng isang gobernador? proyektong pabahay ng kabit ni congressman? mga private army ni mayor? Noon pa sana’y natamasa na natin ang pag-unlad ng ating ekonomiya, pero asan? asan ang pinagmamalaki nilang “strong republic”? hindi ba na sila lang ang nakakaranas ng “maunlad na republika”? ito ba ay ang republika ng kanilang mga tahanan?

Ako JDC… Si JDV naman ay kumakatawan sa kongreso at isang trapo.