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Joey de Venecia eyes public office in 2010


MANILA, Philippines - Jose “Joey” De Venecia III, the whistleblower in the allegedly anomalous $329.48-million national broadband deal between the government and China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE), has disclosed his intention to run for public office in the 2010 presidential elections. In an interview with dzBB’s Nimfa Ravelo, De Venecia said he is still undecided whether to run for senator or congressman in the 4th district of Pangasinan, which his father, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, is set to vacate. At present, the younger De Venecia said he is conducting rounds of consultations in his bid to inform people about his stand on poverty and corruption in the country. “Pag ini-imbita ako sa iba’t ibang organisasyon ay pumunta po ako doon. Sinasabi ko po ang aking paninindigan ang ating paglaban sa corruption at paglaban dun sa kahirapan ng ating kababayan (I go every time an organization invites me. There I talk about the fight against corruption and poverty),” he said. He said his consultations have brought him to various areas in the National Capital Region and even in Mindanao. “Nakaabot na po ako sa Mindanao at iba-ibang bahagi ng NCR para sa masabi ko po ang ang aking paninindigan at saka gusto kong i-salaysay ang karanasan ko sa corruption sa gobyerno (I’ve been to Mindanao and several places in NCR where I talked about my stand and experience on corruption in the government),” he said. Also during the interview, De Venecia called on to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of Senate blue ribbon committee, to release their committee report on the ZTE broadband scandal so that public officials who are accountable will be identified. “Mag i-isang taon na from the first time na lumabas ako sa ZTE expose. Sana naman ay mag-decide na po ang ating committee chairmen especially si Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano na mag labas na ng report para ma-umpisahan na ang proseso nag pag i-idetify kung sino ang may kasalanan (It’s been a year since I first exposed the ZTE scam. I hope our committee chairmen especially Senator Alan Peter Cayetano would release their report soon so that the culpability of those involved in this will be identified),” De Venecia said. Last Thursday, Cayetano, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said they are set to release the preliminary report on the controversial ZTE hearing on the first week of September. In relation to that, Cayetano said they will conduct a special hearing so that they could invite the Rep. De Venecia to attend and reveal what he knows about the ZTE issue. The younger De Venecia clarified that he doesn’t know if his father’s testimony would strengthen his previous statements since he has no idea what his father is going to reveal. He added that his father is weighing carefully the possible repercussions should he testify before the Senate. “Hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ng tatay ko doon (I don’t know what my father will do there). He keep that (invitation to attend the hearing) close to his chest,” De Venecia said. To recall, Rep. De Venecia was with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she visited the ZTE headquarters in Shenzhen, China on November 2006. He was ousted from his post as House speaker following the testimony of his son before the Senate joint panels’ investigation about the controversial ZTE broadband deal. After his ouster, the former House leader said he will testify before the Senate panels investigating the controversial ZTE-NBN deal. The younger De Venecia said the committee chairs should also invite First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo to testify before hearing so he could personally narrate his role on the stalled deal. “Si First Gentleman Arroyo, ‘yung una siyang inimbita, sabi ng doctor niya may sakit. Siguro ngayon na nakaka-biyahe na siya sa iba-ibang bansa eh siguro pwede na siyang humarap sa Senate para masabi na niya kung ano ang role niya dito sa ZTE-NBN scandal (When the Senate first invited First Gentleman Arroyo, his doctor said he can’t go because of his health. But now that he’s traveling abroad, maybe he could already face the Senate)” De Venecia said. - GMANews.TV
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