Romulo Neri and ZTE

Subject: Romulo Neri and ZTE September 29th 2007, 10:44 am

Romulo Neri, former National Economic and Development Authority head, on Wednesday confirmed allegations that Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. offered him money to favor ZTE Corp.'s proposal for the national broadband network (NBN) project of the government.

Neri, attending the Senate investigation into the NBN deal for the first time, said Abalos "whispered" the offer to him while they were riding in a golf cart during a golf game. He said the game took place after a meeting with ZTE Corp.'s Chinese officials at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City.

"There was something he said that surprised me, 'Sec, may 200 ka dito (Secretary, you have 200 [in this deal]),'" Neri said.

After dropping the bomb on Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., Commission on Higher Education Chairman Romulo Neri refused to divulge details of his "additional" conversations with President Arroyo about the controversial national broadband network (NBN) deal.

"May I claim executive privilege, your honor, because I think this already involves conversations between me and the President," Neri replied to Sen. Francis Pangilinan when asked if he had further conversations with Mrs. Arroyo about the NBN deal.

Pangilinan accepted the request as he and other senators have yet to agree on what actions should be made by the three Senate committees that are investigating the NBN deal, when executive privilege is invoked during the proceedings.

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE September 30th 2007, 10:48 am

Abalos tied to NBN deal

MANILA, Philippines -- Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. may have played a key role in the ZTE Corp. of China bagging the country’s national broadband network (NBN) project with a $329-million bid, an opposition congressman Wednesday said.

“Apparently, Chairman Abalos’ unofficial trips to China courtesy of ZTE and his golf games with the officers of ZTE can hardly be characterized as just friendly and totally innocuous. He was a man on a mission,” Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla said in a privilege speech.

“Could it be that that mission is worth P15 billion?” he asked. The NBN project would connect all government offices.

Padilla said Abalos played golf with executives of the Chinese telecommunications firm in Shenzhen and in Mandaluyong City where the Comelec chair once served as mayor just “weeks before April 2007” when the contract was signed.

Padilla cited a column by Jarius Bondoc in the Philippine Star on an unnamed election official who reportedly negotiated the NBN deal while he played golf and had sex with women in Shenzhen.

“If this matter is investigated by the House, I suggest that this be made a required reading of the members of the House,” Padilla said.

Abalos laughed off the allegation that he was the Comelec official who acted as a conduit between the government and ZTE to seal the NBN deal.

On the phone, he was full of mirth as he said: “I feel flattered. I didn’t know I am that influential.”

Abalos said he could not imagine himself as someone who could influence members of the Cabinet like Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Trade Secretary Peter Favila and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

Wishful thinking?

Abalos also heartily laughed when he said he “wished” he could be the person, who was mentioned in the newspaper column as someone with the “sexual prowess” to handle two women in one day.

“That would make my wife very happy. You know, I am not at all affected by these allegations. It’s really laughable. One [partner] in the morning, and another in the evening?” he said, chuckling.

“At my age, I am already 73, why would I do that?” he added.

Ready to face probe

Nonetheless, Abalos said he would face whatever investigation Padilla or the House of Representatives would initiate.

On April 21, 2007, which was covered by the election period during which no government contract should be signed, Mendoza and Yu Yong, ZTE vice president, inked the $329-million deal in ceremonies witnessed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Boao, China.

Asked if the ZTE contract was legal even if it was signed at the height of the election campaign, Abalos said it would have to be looked into.

“We can’t immediately say if it’s allowed or not because we don’t even know if that is just an understanding or a contract. We have to see it first,” he said.

Two other companies -- Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI) and US-based Arescom -- came up with proposals of $240 million and $135 million, respectively, to undertake the NBN project.

Padilla said the Filipino firm AHI submitted an unsolicited bid under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) but the offer was set aside “despite the fact that under the BOT Law, the agency concerned is mandated to review the BOT proposal within a fixed period.”

E-Procurement Law violated?

Padilla said the E-Procurement Law was also violated because the award in favor of ZTE failed to go through an “honest-to-goodness” bidding process.

“There was no competition, no fight, nothing that would have ensured that the Filipino people will get the most of the taxes they are always constrained to cough up,” he said.

Padilla said the representative of AHI, which proposed to undertake the NBN through the BOT scheme, was asked to withdraw its unsolicited proposal to the DOTC.

Unofficial trips

Padilla said that weeks before the ZTE-NBN deal was signed, Abalos traveled unofficially to China.

“According to sources, ZTE Corp. paid for the hotel accommodations of Abalos. It was then unclear why Abalos was traveling to China, why he was doing so unofficially, and why ZTE Corp. was apparently sponsoring his trips,” the lawmaker said in his speech.
“On several occasions earlier this year, Chairman Abalos was also seen playing golf with officials of ZTE at a golf club in Mandaluyong City and in Shenzen, China. Obviously, this was more than a mere coincidence,” he added.

Padilla said Assistant Secretary Lorenzo Formoso III of the DOTC made up the story about the ZTE-NBN contract getting lost with four other agreements signed in Boao.

He said Formoso made the claim before a round-table discussion at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati City.

“Probably taken aback by the reaction of those present ... (Formoso) almost immediately declared that there was no need to worry. He promised to make available copies of the reconstituted pertinent agreement,” the lawmaker said.

Contrary statements

Contrary to Formoso’s announcements, Padilla said Presidential Legal Adviser Sergio Apostol said the NBN project would not push through because there was no contract.

Favila, for his part, also said that what was signed in Boao was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and not a contract with ZTE.

“The day after (Apostol’s announcement) Mendoza and Formoso in an interview with the Inquirer practically made liars of Favila and (Apostol) when they declared that an MOU and supply contract with regard to the NBN had, in fact, been executed between the government and ZTE,” Padilla said.

Padilla noted that Mendoza and Formoso earlier said that the contract had been reconstituted.

“Mr. Mendoza and Mr. Formoso lied. The Department of Justice reviewed the transaction not the agreements,” Padilla said.

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 23rd 2008, 10:56 am

Malapit na ring matapos ang issue na ito...nawa'y magkaroon na ng kapayapaan sa Pilipinas...

Magiging makabuluhan kaya ang Edsa 3????

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 24th 2008, 11:23 am

Sana nga hindi na kailanganin pa ang isang People Power para lang singilin ang isang tiwaling pamunuan.

Matuto na sana ang mga Filipino sa tamang pagpili ng mga Mamumuno ng Bansa at sana mas maraming mabubuti at matitinong taong mag-aalay ng kanilang sarili para sa pagiging Lingkod Bayan.

Huwag na nating iboto sa mga darating na Halalan ang mga kasalukuyan at mga dating politiko, maging oposisyon at administrasyon man. Bagong dugo naman ang iluklok natin.

NO TO ALL TRAPOS!

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 27th 2008, 12:37 pm

I feel sad, though marunong tayong kumilala ng TRAPO at hindi, pero karamihan sa ating mga kababayan, makamayan lang ng kandidato, masayawan lang at maaiwitan, makakita lang ng artista, ayos na!! Mas grabe pa, bigyan lang ng 100 ok na din, hindi naisip yung 100 na yun katumbas ng 3 to 6 years na paghihirap.

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 27th 2008, 11:04 pm

Malungkot talaga.

Kaya dapat doble ang pagsusumikap natin na mabago ang ganitong sistema. May mga paraan para maturuan ang mga tao upang magamit nila ng tama ang kanilang kapangyarihan na mamili ng kanilang mga magiging pinuno. Ang kailangan lang talaga ay ang mga taong mulat na mag-aalay ng kanilang panahon.

Ang KP members sana maging bahagi ng mga grupong tumutulong para hubugin ang kamalayan ng iba. Kaya kailangan rin natin ng mga paghuhubog para maging taga-hubog rin.

Hamon ito. Ilan kaya ang tutugon?

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 28th 2008, 6:40 am

Jhuly wrote:: Malungkot talaga.

Kaya dapat doble ang pagsusumikap natin na mabago ang ganitong sistema. May mga paraan para maturuan ang mga tao upang magamit nila ng tama ang kanilang kapangyarihan na mamili ng kanilang mga magiging pinuno. Ang kailangan lang talaga ay ang mga taong mulat na mag-aalay ng kanilang panahon.

Ang KP members sana maging bahagi ng mga grupong tumutulong para hubugin ang kamalayan ng iba. Kaya kailangan rin natin ng mga paghuhubog para maging taga-hubog rin.

Hamon ito. Ilan kaya ang tutugon?

Magandang idea yan, actually iniiisip ko din yun, kung hindi man natin mabago ang sistema sa ngayon, maari natin simulan sa maliit na grupo, para sa kinabukasan ng mga anak natin.

Anong malay natin, baka isa sa mga member dito ay future president of the Philippines.

Sino anf tutugon sa Hamon?

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 29th 2008, 10:20 am

Iboto si PA para pangulo heheh joke..

tumutugon ako pero hindi ako papasok sa politika hehe..kailangan lang maging mapanuri tayo...mahal ng DIos ang ating bansa kung kaya't hindi Niya tayo pababayaan...

magtulungan tayo....at gawin ang lahat ng ating magagawa sa abot ng ating makakaya..

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 29th 2008, 12:29 pm

hindi natin kelangan maging pulitiko para makatulong, kaya para sa akin, yung mga nagsasabing tumatakbo sila para makatulong, kalokohan yun!! kasi in your own little way pwede ka naman tumulong e, pag pulitiko ka, gagamitin mo pera ng bayan tapos iclaim mo ikaw nagpagawa nun

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE February 29th 2008, 4:39 pm

sabi ko nga po hehhe...

basta ako happy na ako to help in my little own way....alam ko anti government ka kuya bartolome hhehhehhe..joke

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE March 2nd 2008, 1:23 am

Ako pinag-iisipan ko na talagang humawak ng Public Office. Mas makasisiguro ako na ang pera ng bayan ay hindi ko nanakawin. Pero kailangan ko ng tulong ng mga kaibigan para hindi ako kainin ng sistema.

Nakikita ko kasi na kung patuloy na ganito ang sistema na ang pulitika iniiwan natin sa mga magnanakaw at tayo gagawin natin kung ano sa tingin natin yung ating "helping in our own little way" eh patuloy na magnanakaw sila at tayo helping in our own little way.

Hindi pa ba panahon na hawakan naman natin ang kapangyarihan at sikaping ito ay manatiling maayos tulad ng pagiging maayos ng pagpapatakbo ng ating buhay ngayon?

Kung kaya nating maging mabuti bilang ordinaryong mamamayan eh bakit hindi natin kayang maging mabuting pulitiko?

Subject: Re: Romulo Neri and ZTE March 3rd 2008, 4:42 pm

hindi ako politikong tao....subalit kung hihilingin ng pagkakataon handa akong ibigay ang oras at panahon at buhay ko para sa bayan...