Prove To Us That ZTE-NBN Is A Good Project

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Sunday that Benjamin Abalos Sr., former chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), is welcome to clear his name during the Senate hearing on Monday. Abalos, however, should not give senators the runaround, the senator added.Though not scheduled to appear before the Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee, Cayetano nonetheless said Abalos could attend the hearing on the allegedly overpriced national broadband network (NBN) deal.“He is welcome to go there anytime. Prove to us that it’s a good project but don’t give us fairytales,” Cayetano said in an ANC interview.Cayetano, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, investigating the contract with China’s ZTE Corp., also belittled the statements of Abalos during a press conference in Mandaluyong City.During the press briefing, Abalos, along with lawyer Salvador Panelo, attacked the credibility of key witnesseses Joey de Venecia III and Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr.Both Lozada and de Venecia, a son of former House speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., testified that Abalos brokered the multi-million dollar NBN-ZTE contract. Lozada also said Abalos demanded a $130-million commission from the project."I know that the Writers Guild of America is on strike but apparently they are working freelance for Mr. Abalos,” Cayetano said in jest.Meanwhile, Lozada’s elder sister, Carmen, said she respects the decision of Abalos to file perjury and libel charges against her brother for his statements linking the former COMELEC chief to the scrapped NBN contract.“If he feels that he has been maligned, that is his right (to file a case). But (my brother) can say whatever he wants to say. That is his right,” she said.She said their family has been supporting Lozada and his assertions regarding the $329-million contract.Lozada has also been getting overwhelming support through text messages from relatives and religious groups, she added.