JDV III says Erap wooing him for 2010 elections

MANILA, Philippines - Jose “Joey" de Venecia III, the whistleblower in the allegedly anomalous broadband deal between the government and ZTE Corp., on Sunday disclosed that he was being wooed by former President Joseph Estrada to run under the opposition banner in next year’s national elections. "He [Estrada] told me that I was included in the list of six for the Senate. I told him that if this will propagate my advocacy to fight corruption and poverty, then I will seriously consider running in the 2010 elections," De Venecia said in the weekly Balitaan sa Tinapayan forum in Sampaloc, Manila. He however clarified that he would still consult his father and namesake, the former House Speaker, Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., about his plans. "Of course I would still consult my father about my political affairs since he is the politician in our family. Hindi naman ako pulitiko [I am not a politician]," De Venecia said. De Venecia became a household name in 2007 when he bared the alleged anomaly in the $329.48-million national broadband deal between the government and China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp., where among those implicated were First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. De Venecia is the owner of Amsterdam Holdings Inc., the information technology firm that lost the bidding for the broadband project. The contract eventually went to ZTE Corp. Asked why he is likely to run under Estrada’s wing, De Venecia said he could identify with the former president’s "love for the poor Filipinos." De Venecia admitted that he continued to undertake endeavors as part of his advocacy to fight corruption and poverty and still demand accountability to those involved in graft and corruption. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV