Senators lose contact with Neri

With two days to go before they resume their hearings on the matter, senators have lost contact with a key official in the $329.4-million broadband deal with ZTE Corp of China. Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. said Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Romulo Neri has not been answering phone calls in past days. “Palagay ko may ikakanta (siya). Hindi pa kami nagkikita, kinokontak ko nga, di ko mahanap. Siguro natatakot at binabantayan siya, palagay ko bugged yan (I think he can drop a bomb on the ZTE mess. We haven’t met but when I tried to contact him, he would not respond. I believe he is afraid and is being watched. I am not discounting the possibility he may even be bugged)," Villar said in an interview on dzBB radio Sunday. He said Neri, who was National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) head when the deal was signed, is an “honest" man and could blurt out the truth if asked the right questions. Villar said it is possible Neri is being guarded. He said he has decided not to call Neri anymore because his phones might be wiretapped. “Di ko na tinatawagan, palagay ko bugged yan. Napakahirap sa bayan natin, para bang may nagba-bug na di mo mapatunayan pero may nagwa-wiretap (I stopped trying to call him. I believe his phone is bugged. That’s the problem in our country. There are signs of wiretapping but it’s hard to prove)," he said. When asked if he believes Neri is now being pressured to keep quiet, Villar said, “palagay ko pine-pressure yan (I believe he is being pressured)." But he said the Senate has its options to force Neri to show up through a subpoena. He said the subpoena may give Neri the chance to show up and explain why he could not show up. “Kung di siya pupunta sa invitation isa-subpoena siya. Mapilitan siyang sumunod, pwede niya idahilan yan, na wala siyang choice. Kung hindi, nasa sa kanila rin yan, binigyan namin ng pagkakataon magsalita (If he won’t show up on Wednesday we’ll subpoena him, at least that’ll give him a chance to explain why he could not show up. If not, it’s up to him. We gave him his chance)," he said. - GMANews.TV