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Senate panel sets new ZTE hearing on Oct. 25


The Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday scheduled more public hearings into the ZTE controversy amid allegations that the panel was softening up on pursuing the probe. Radio station dzBB quoted committee chair Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as saying that the next hearing was scheduled for October 25. An additional hearing was set for the first week of November. The report said resource persons to be invited to the October 25 proceedings are First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, resigned elections chair Benjamin Abalos, businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, newspaper columnist Jarius Bondoc and some "Cabinet members." Cayetano said subpoenas will be issued against those who fail to make it that day. He has been quoted in previous interviews as saying that the Senate will not force Arroyo to show up at the probe, given the latter's heart condition. Should the resource persons or witnesses fail to make it anew in November, Cayetano said senators will discuss among themselves what their next move will be. In a privilege speech Wednesday, Sen. Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal claimed to have received information that the Cayetano panel indefinitely suspended the hearings upon the request of a "powerful businessman." She said Senate President Manuel Villar intervened to ensure that the probe would grind to a halt. Free chamber Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan denied that the Senate's ZTE probe was in "limbo," saying the chamber will assert its independence in uncovering the truth about the controversial deal for the national broadband network (NBN) project. "I have spoken with the chairman (Cayetano) and I have no reason to believe that he is allowing anyone or any group whether for or against the NBN ZTE probe to dictate the terms and conditions of the conduct of the probe," Pangilinan assured. He also threw a jab at "groups conspiring to conceal the truth" wanting to use the blue ribbon panel for "their own political agenda." "It appears that there are groups and individuals on both sides of the political fence who wish to dictate on the committee how it is to do its job with respect to the ZTE hearings," he said. For his part, Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II expressed support for continuing the probe, saying the Senate trade committee which he chairs would like to speak with technology experts in relation to the ZTE deal. "Cancellation is good but it’s not synonymous to absolution of perceived sins. We need to make sure that this controversy sheds light on how government does its projects so that this politico-diplomatic fiasco won’t happen again," he said. 'Off-cam' Earlier in the day, Cayetano said the ZTE hearings will continue but without live telelvision coverage. He said the "off-camera" investigation will have technical working groups (TWGs) conducting background checks and gathering related documents. "Only part of the investigation is aired on live television. The bigger half is behind the scenes. The Blue Ribbon Committee staff will get documents and conduct interviews while the senators are away," Cayetano said in Filipino on dzBB radio Thursday. He said a Blue Ribbon technical working group will contact potential witnesses and verify information relayed to the Senate through e-mail, phone calls and text messages. Cayetano said the technical working groups will have 10 to 15 days to finish the groundwork, including obtaining and analyzing documents relative to the mess. "TWG members will talk to industry players and ask them about costings. In effect, they will hold their own mini-investigations. They will verify leads such as so-and-so meeting at this or that restaurant. They will talk to the waiters and managers to check the information," he said. He added that, "You can only ask the right questions if you have the right documentation ... That's the way real investigations are done. Not all investigation is done in front of the cameras," he added. - GMANews.TV

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