JDV son denied entry to military airport in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines - Jose "Joey" de Venecia III on Thursday claimed he was prevented by the military to address students and faculty members of an aviation school in Cebu province where he was invited to speak. In a press statement, De Venecia - son of the ousted House speaker and whistle-blower in the ZTE deal controversy - said that he was invited to deliver a speech at the Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA) which is located inside the premises of the Air Force-run Mactan Air Base. However, when he arrived at the military base, De Venecia said he was prevented by Air Force officials from entering the military base, without giving any “official reason" as to why he was being barred. De Venecia described the incident as an assault on his freedom to express his views and "at worst, it was a martial law-style tactic of muzzling a person perceived to be an enemy of the administration." "There is a world of a difference between the Philippine government, which I support, and the Arroyo administration, which I do not... I may be perceived as an enemy of the administration, but I am not now, nor have I ever been an enemy of the State," de Venecia said. De Venecia quoted Jim Sarsalejo, a PhilSCA professor, as saying that Air Force officials had earlier approved of the Makati-based businessman’s visit, but took back its approval at the last minute. The forum – organized by students and faculty members of the PhilSCA - was supposed to have started at 2 p.m. Thursday. In a telephone with GMANews.TV, officials at the Mactan Air Base who asked not to be identified said they have received a letter from PhilSCA saying that the forum had already been cancelled. School officials have yet to issue a statement on the matter. In the press statement, De Venecia expressed suspicion that the Arroyo administration might have had something to do with him being denied entry inside the military base. He said he earned the administration’s ire at least twice: first, when he blew the whistle on the national broadband network deal in 2007; and second, when he led the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last year. De Venecia also lamented how the military tried blocking his path, given the fact that he is an active supporter of the Alay sa Kawal Foundation, which extends assistance to soldiers killed in the line of duty. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV