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Arroyo: I learned about ZTE mess on eve of signing deal

February 23, 2008February 23, 2008 admin Leave a comment

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Saturday said she learned that something was wrong about the Philippine government’s $329.48-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp the night before she witnessed the signing of the NBN-ZTE contract.

Mrs Arroyo told radio dzRH that the day before she witnessed the signing of the NBN-ZTE contract on April 21, 2007 in Boao, China, she was advised about the supposed irregularities in the project.

However, she said she could not readily terminate the deal that would be funded through a loan from the Chinese government.
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More soldiers from countryside to capital

February 23, 2008February 23, 2008 admin Leave a comment

by Victor Reyes

The Armed Forces has deployed additional troops to Metro Manila to pre-empt possible attempts to grab power during protest rallies scheduled for Monday.

A composite battalion arrived at the headquarters of the AFP National Capital Region Command (NCRcom) in Camp Aguinaldo Wednesday from nearby provinces, Maj. Gen. Fernando Mesa, NCRcom chief, said yesterday.
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Opportunity for Heroism

February 23, 2008February 23, 2008 admin Leave a comment

No arraignment took place yesterday in the court martial hearing of the 28 officers accused of withdrawing support from Gloria Arroyo two years ago.

The court, though, denied the motion of Atty. Homobono Adaza for a suspension of the hearings for 45 days as a cooling off period. He said there’s no point “for both parties to be shouting at each other now,” when considering the current political situation, the case might be “moot and academic” in a few weeks time.

The court also didn’t agree with the defense that they have to wait for five days after service of the corrected amended charge sheet which was yesterday before they can go to arraignment.The five- day wait, the court said, applies only to the original charge sheet.
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Batanes on my mind

February 22, 2008February 22, 2008 Enrico Dee Leave a comment

Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest province of the Philippines both in terms of population and land area. The province is actually more nearer to Taiwan than Manila. It is said that .the people of Batanes, known as the Ivatan, are of Chinese descent. Many would say that their facial characteristics and their dialect, Ivatan, have some similarities to the dialect being spoken in Taiwan.

And when an invitation as sent to me to join a Media Appreciation Tour of Batanes, a lot of things rushed in my mind. Images of Batanes that I usually see on television and books came like a bolt of lightning.

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Dramatis personae in NBN/ZTE deal

February 22, 2008February 22, 2008 admin Leave a comment

On days that Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada was testifying in the Senate, all the taxis that I took had the drivers tuned in to the live coverage of the Senate hearings. The drivers by now know the story of the NBN/ZTE, including the riveting kidnapping episode.

No doubt, the broadband deal has become a blockbuster. Rightly so, with a $329 million (P16.4 billion at the exchange rate of P50 to $1 at the time it was negotiated). It’s turning out to be mind-boggling in scope and audacity.

Although the title NBN/ZTE deal has already become a byword, there have been more colorful quotes from participants like “back off” or “may 200 ka dito” and the most recent “moderate their greed.”
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