Senate may reopen NBN-ZTE probe — Lacson

The Senate may reopen its investigation on the botched national broadband deal between the Philippine government and Chinese firm ZTE Corp., one of the corruption issues that hounded the nine-year Arroyo administration. "That’s under consideration," said Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a vocal Arroyo critic, during a weekly forum at the Senate on Thursday. Allegations of government officials asking for kickbacks from ZTE officials hounded the awarding of the $329-million construction contract to the Chinese telecommunications firm in 2007 for the proposed government-managed National Broadband Network (NBN). Then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had to cancel the contract after the issue broke out and became the subject of congressional inquiries. Among the high-profile personalities linked to the supposed anomaly was then-Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., who resigned at the height of the controversy; then-National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Romulo Neri; and Mrs. Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel “Mike" Arroyo. Lacson said that he has been "persistently coordinating" with Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III for the chamber to finally put closure on the controversy. "Kailangan malaman natin ang puno’t dulo ng usapin na walang closure. This is the opportune time to really put closure on all this issue," he said, adding that this time, the Senate will take action after the probe. "Ang Pilipino napagod nang kakapakinig at kakapanood ng hearings, ang common criticism na nakukuha namin walang nangyayari. [So] the moment a committee report is out on the floor we should go straight to the Ombudsman to file the necessary charges ourselves," he said. Guingona had earlier said that they will still have to conduct one or two more hearings on the alleged anomalous sale of choppers to the Philippine National Police. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News