Rep. Joel Villanueva (PL-Cibac) said it is useless for Malacañang to feign innocence.

"It’s too late to confuse and deceive the Filipino people in trying to alter Secretary Neri’s earlier statement especially when he mentioned that PGMA was very much aware of everything from the start," he said.

FIRST Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo will not attend the Senate hearing on the $329-million broadband deal with China’s ZTE Corp. on Tuesday as it is against doctors’ orders and he has nothing more to say about the botched deal, his lawyer Ruy Rondain said yesterday.

Rondain said in a radio interview that the Senate Blue Ribbon committee only issued an invitation so his client has the option to decline.Also invited were Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, former Planning Secretary Romulo Neri, Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr., Michael Defensor, Deputy Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza.Rondain said he will just provide copies of three sworn affidavits that they submitted to the Ombudsman.Rondain said Arroyo, in his affidavits, denied telling Joey de Venecia to "back off" from the broadband project.

"It never happened. Wala sa vocabulary niya iyon kasi American iyon. Hindi naman siya Amerikano mag-salita," he said.

He said Mendoza, who introduced De Venecia to Arroyo during the supposed meeting in Mandaluyong City in 2008, has corroborated the affidavit of the First Gentleman.He said De Venecia was only admonished by Arroyo that he could be guilty of conflict of interest if he pursued the broadband deal since his father and namesake was the House Speaker.

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro last Thursday recommended the filing of graft charges before the Sandiganbayan against former Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos and Neri over the overpriced contract.The anti-graft court said Abalos showed pecuniary interest in the business transaction between the Arroyo government and ZTE Corp.Neri was held liable for his "acquiescence" to Abalos’ shady negotiations with various parties in the ZTE deal.

But the anti-graft court dismissed the graft complaints against President Arroyo and her husband for lack of probable cause.Rondain said the First Gentleman welcomed the Ombudsman’s decision.

"The Ombudsman said walang kaso because there is no evidence against my client," he said.

Minority leader Aquilino Pimentel said Neri should stop grumbling over the Ombudsman’s decision.Neri, over the weekend, asked why he was being charged when he refused a P200 million bribe supposedly from Abalos in exchange for endorsing the project.Pimentel said Neri had a lengthy discussion with the President about the bribery and the project itself.

"But he did not want to reveal exactly what they discussed. The implication is that he was covering up a crime."

Pimentel said the Senate only wanted Neri to explain why the President went ahead with the approval of the NBN-ZTE deal despite the allegations of bribery, overpricing and other irregularities. 

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said Neri could not be forced to testify, under the rule of executive privilege. She said she did not know why Neri was included in the charge sheet when in fact he never accepted the bribe.

Rep. Risa Hontiveros (PL-Akbayan) said Neri should now spill the beans on the President’s role in the anomalous deal.She said there are "bigger fish" involved and Neri has all the goods on them.

Rep. Joel Villanueva (PL-Cibac) said it is useless for Malacañang to feign innocence.

"It’s too late to confuse and deceive the Filipino people in trying to alter Secretary Neri’s earlier statement especially when he mentioned that PGMA was very much aware of everything from the start," he said.

Source: MALAYA BY REGINA BENGCO, August 31, 2009