Day: December 29, 2011

Finally, Gloria Arroyo will be made accountable for the anomalous NBN/ZTE deal.

The Ombudsman yesterday charged Gloria Arroyo, her husband Mike Arroyo, and two other officials of her government – former Commission on Elections Benjamin Abalos and former Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019).
Arroyo was also accused of violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R.A 6713).

All the three criminal information filed included Gloria Arroyo as accused. Mike Arroyo, Abalos and Mendoza are only in the first information.

The first information cited three reasons why the five accused violated the ant-graft and corrupt practices act when they entered into a contract for a national broadband network with the Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment International Investment Limited (ZTE) on April 21, 2007:

1. The actual cost of the ZTE proposal for the NBN project was only US$130 million but was finally pegged and overpriced at US$329 million.

2. ZTE’s NBN project covered only 30 percent of the country compared to the proposal of Amsterdam Holdings Inc. which would cover 80 percent of the country at a much lesser cost.

3. It was to be financed by a loan from the Eximbank of China, payment of which was to be guaranteed by the government of the Philippines, compared to the AHI proposal of implementing the project under the Build Operate and Transfer scheme which would actually entail no cost to the government of the Philippines.

The second information cited Arroyo’s knowledge of the irregularities and anomalies that attended the approval of the deal including the P200 million offer of Abalos to former Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri yet, she approved the contract.

The third information accused her of violating R.A 6713 for accepting the invitation of ZTE for a round of golf and lunch in Shenzhen while a contract involving the host was being deliberated.

I remember the press release the April 21, 2007 of Malacañang when Arroyo left the bedside of her ailing husband in St Luke’s hospital and flew to Boao, China to witness the signing of the agreement for the Chinese jumbo loans including that for the NBN project.

The title was “So much investments, so little time for PGMA in China” and it aptly likened Arroyo to “a thief in the night.”

The press release enthused: “Nearly a billion dollars worth of new investments in 12 hours.

“That’s the way things looked like for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her brief stay in this picturesque coastal town Saturday as she ‘came and went like a thief in the night,’ bringing with her an avalanche of Chinese investments to the tune of $904.38 million.”

If your own propagandist called you a thief, what does that make of you?

The graft charges filed by the Ombudsman are bailable but since Arroyo is under detention for the unbailable crime of electoral sabotage, she still won’t be released even if she posted bail in these cases.

That’s a good one from Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

I understand the Ombudsman is preparing more charges against Arroyo. Possibly plunder.

What I want to see is for Gloria Arroyo to be charged for her cheating in the 2004 election. That’s her original sin against the Filipino people.

Related articles:
http://www.malaya.com.ph/dec30/news1.html
http://www.ellentordesillas.com/2007/09/18/ops-gma-parang-magnanakaw-sa-gabi/

Information 1

Ombudsman’s case vs GMA over NBN-ZTE (SB11CRM0467)

Information 2

Ombudsman’s case vs GMA over NBN-ZTE (SB11CRM0468)

Information 3

Ombudsman’s case vs GMA over NBN-ZTE (SB11CRM0469)

From abs-cbnNEWS.com

The graft charges filed by the Ombudsman against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before the Sandiganbayan will be raffled off next week.
“The Office of the Ombudsman has requested a special raffle today but it was disapproved by the presiding judge. Instead, it was rescheduled for January 2, Monday,” said Sandiganbayan spokesperson Renato Bocar.

The case stems from the graft complaint filed by Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casiño in connection with the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corporation.

“There were 3 criminal information which were filed against the former president. One was for violation of Section 3-G of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. This is for entering into a contract, the NBN-ZTE contract, which is manifestly disadvantageous to the government of the Philippines,” Bocar said.

“The second case is having interest for personal gain in a contract which will pass through her office as President of the Philippines; and, the third one, for accepting gifts or benefits from the ZTE Corporation in the form of playing golf and lunch in China in connection with the pending ZTE contract,” he added.

Also charged were former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, and former Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

“It’s only in the first case where there are other accused. In the other 2 cases, it’s only the former president is accused here,” he said.

Bocar explained the graft charges in this particular case are all bailable.

The former president is currently under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for an electoral sabotage case filed against her last month.

“These new offenses which were filed against the former president are all bailable. I don’t know if the accused, the former president, would post bail because she is under detention under a non-bailable offense [electoral sabotage],” he said.

Bocar said it is not necessary for Arroyo to post bail while still under detention.

“But if she files a petition for bail under the electoral sabotage case and there is that possibility however remote, if it is granted, then she would be set free under that charge. So she also has to post bail under the case filed with the Sandiganbayan para makalaya din siya,” he said.

Bocar added that the Sandiganbayan will coordinate with the Pasay Regional Trial Court handling Arroyo’s electoral sabotage case to ensure that no conflict will arise from the hearing schedules of both cases.

The NBN-ZTE deal, which was intended to provide a broadband network for the government, was scrapped in 2007 by Mrs. Arroyo herself due to allegations of overpricing and bribery.