Gordon agrees to submits NBN report to Ombudsman after visit of JDV son

MANILA, Philippines - Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Sen. Richard Gordon agreed yesterday to submit to the Office of the Ombudsman the final report of the investigation on the canceled national broadband network (NBN) contract of the government with Chinese firm ZTE Corp. after he was visited by one of the whistleblowers in the deal, businessman Joey de Venecia III.

De Venecia went to the Senate the other day with a letter asking Gordon to release the final report on the investigation.

The committee held its final hearing on the NBN-ZTE deal last Sept.1.

De Venecia and Gordon had a heated exchange over the businessman’s claim that the senator had prejudged the case.

The unscheduled meeting between De Venecia and Gordon was held in a more cordial atmosphere. After a brief chat on the Senate floor, Gordon asked his staff to retrieve the final copy of the report.

For De Venecia, the release of the report is the culmination of a two-year odyssey to ferret out the truth in what has been called the “Mother of All Scandals.”

The son and namesake of former speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. had accused First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former Commission on Elections chief Benjamin Abalos of conspiring to guarantee that ZTE Corp. would bag the deal even if the younger De Venecia was the original proponent who had submitted a superior proposal.

De Venecia had criticized Gordon for issuing statements that he and his father should also be charged in the NBN-ZTE deal.

The young De Venecia had reminded Gordon that the Ombudsman had cleared him and he had also been wrongfully charged, being a private citizen who never held a government post.

“It really doesn’t matter if Sen. Gordon has prejudged me by saying I was guilty even after the Ombudsman cleared me. What’s more important is that the committee report be released for the people to judge for themselves if its findings are valid,” he added.

De Venecia said he was worried that with election fever heating up, the NBN-ZTE scandal would be swept under the rug.

The young De Venecia testified that he was offered P500 million to back off and allow the ZTE contract to push through.

He revealed the results of the scam before the Blue Ribbon panel two years ago and President Arroyo was forced to cancel the NBN-ZTE contract.

In his letter to Gordon, the younger De Venecia said, “I am sure that you will agree with me that this issue needs closure. The role played by the person whom I consider the mastermind of the NBN-ZTE deal, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, has yet to be determined. The Filipino people are looking at the Senate to prove that there are no untouchables in this administration.”

He said that unless the Blue Ribbon committee releases its report soonest, the biggest scandal involving the government would be overtaken by events.

“The culpability, if any, of President Gloria Arroyo will never be determined,” he said.

De Venecia said releasing the report soonest would give Gordon a “golden opportunity to prove his independence.”

“I think you will agree with me that the NBN-ZTE deal should not be treated as a political issue. Corruption in the highest places must not be allowed to pass. I am appealing to you to release the Blue Ribbon report on the scandal at the soonest possible time,” De Venecia said.