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Guards of Cabinet men in hearing on ZTE deal fortify Senate building


Security escorts of Cabinet members who attended Thursday’s Senate hearing on the government contract with China’s ZTE Corp. turned the Senate building into a virtual fortress. Numerous security personnel, some in barongs and others in gray overalls, guarded the corridors and all stairways leading to the second floor of the Senate building where the hearing is being conducted. Even entrances to comfort rooms near the session hall were not spared by the security men. Among the Cabinet members present in the hearing are: Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, and Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila. Also present are Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol. Cabinet officials went in full force to show "moral support" to three colleagues testifying on the government’s $329.48-million contract with China’s ZTE Corp. for the roll-out of the national broadband network project. Earlier in the day, the office of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano received an anonymous phone call about an alleged bomb attack that will be carried out in time for the second Senate hearing into the controversial contract. Meanwhile, the Senate parking lot turned into a car showroom of sorts as many Cabinet officials' sport-utility vehicles – and their security backup cars – were parked there, crowding vehicles of regular employees. - GMANews.TV

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