Abalos again!!!???

**sirmykel** · September 3rd, 2007 05:44 PM

grabe talaga hindi ko alam kung nagsasabi ng totoo to o hindi
pero isa lang comment ko maanomalya talaga yung mga pinapasok nyang
projects

**sea.piper** · September 3rd, 2007 09:10 PM

ito ang taong tumanda nang walang pinagkatandaan. Abay sabihin ba naman sa anak ni JDV na si Jose De Venecia III na isa sa may ari nang Company na AHI at kasama sa bidding na mag back out na dahil "last Hurrah" na daw nya...malapit nang mamatay eh pera parin ang asa utak..Grabe sila masydong lulong sa pera.

**chua_riwap** · September 3rd, 2007 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by VtEC

kapal naman nyan..diba pwedeng tanggalin yan?

Si Lord na bahala sa kaniya.

Tingnan nyo si "Sir Raul oh", malapit na kunin ni Lord.

**geo** · September 4th, 2007 12:31 AM

Ka-golf lang pala eh. Malabo naman sigurong may pinaguusapan na MULTIMILLION DOLLAR business deal yung si Abalos and mga ZTE officials. Baka NAGKATAON lang. Baka CLOSE FRIENDS lang talaga sila na magkapitbahay o nagkakilala sa golf course o sa KANTO. Hehehe joke joke joke

**explorer** · September 4th, 2007 02:32 AM

Trader to testify against Abalos
Chinese firm says raps vs broadband deal baseless

By Juliet Labog-Javellana, Riza T. Olchondra, Beverly T. Natividad
Inquirer, Last updated 02:04am (Mla time) 09/04/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- A businessman is willing to testify in any investigation that Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. offered a rival firm of China’s ZTE Corp. $10 million to withdraw from the national broadband network (NBN) project.

“I’m willing to testify before the Ombudsman, the Supreme Court or any congressional investigation. There is nothing to hide,” the businessman told the Inquirer.

But the businessman declined to be named in the meantime, saying he did not want to be cited in contempt by the high court, which has been asked to nullify the ZTE contract.

The businessman said Abalos had attempted to bribe Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, cofounder of Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI) and son of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

Abalos refused to comment on the allegation that he tried to bribe De Venecia so AHI would withdraw its bid for the NBN project.

“I think I have said enough. How can I comment on something I don’t know?” Abalos said on the phone.

AHI and US-based Arescom had protested the ZTE contract, which was signed during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s trip to Boao, China, on April 21.

The NBN is envisioned to establish a seamless connectivity of landline, cellular and Internet services among all national government agencies and offices.

The House of Representatives is set to investigate the ZTE deal after Rep. Carlos Padilla claimed that Abalos helped ZTE bag the $329-million NBN deal, which he said was overpriced.

Padilla also claimed that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) “discriminated against and deliberately refused to act on the proposal” of AHI.

ZTE on Monday said it did not enjoy undue advantage over AHI and Arescom in winning the NBN contract.

“Since March of this year, ZTE’s participation in the proposed NBN project has been subjected to malicious and unjustified attacks by other parties. We have been quiet because we know these are all baseless accusations,” ZTE said in a statement.

“The time has come, however, to let the public know the truth. There was complete transparency in the proposal, evaluation and approval of ZTE’s application for the Philippines’ NBN contract,” the Chinese company said.

ZTE remained mum on allegations that it bribed Philippine government officials to bag the contract.

Last hurrah

The businessman said De Venecia was having breakfast with Abalos and some of his friends at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City sometime in December last year when the Comelec chair invited the Speaker’s son to his private office at the golf club, of which Abalos is president.

The businessman said this was what Abalos told De Venecia:

“Joey, this is my last hurrah. I have nothing to do after I retire. I really want this contract. I’m willing to give you $10 million.” Abalos is due to retire in February 2008.

The businessman said the bribe would come from the overprice of the ZTE deal.

AHI and Arescom offers

The businessman said De Venecia turned down the offer, insisting that his firm’s offer was better because it does not require a sovereign guarantee.

AHI offered $240 million, and Arescom, $130 million.

The businessman said ZTE had proposed $262 million for the project, including $130 million for the cost of the actual equipment.

Upon Abalos’ suggestion, the ZTE contract was upgraded to $329 million, according to the source.

The NBN project is one of the target beneficiaries of the $1.8-billion loan agreement between the Philippines and China.

The Philippine government and the Chinese Export-Import Bank signed the deal without fanfare on Aug. 25 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Economic Ministers meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati.

In response to Abalos’ concern about being jobless after his retirement, De Venecia offered him a seat on the AHI board or even to be its chair emeritus, according to the source.

After De Venecia turned down Abalos’ offer, the Comelec chair asked the former to see him again in his Wack Wack office to convince him to give way, according to the source.

Trip to Shenzen

Apart from the six meetings in Wack Wack, Abalos invited De Venecia to join him in Shenzen, China, to meet with ZTE officials.

De Venecia agreed, and met with Abalos and the ZTE officials in a hotel in Shenzen on Dec. 27 last year.

The source said Abalos presented De Venecia as “my partner and the son of the Speaker.”

De Venecia flew separately with Abalos, who went to Shenzen two days ahead.

Most powerful man

At the hotel meeting, the businessman said Abalos bragged before De Venecia and the ZTE officials that he could secure the contract because of his powers as chair of the Comelec.

“I’ll be the most powerful man in the Philippines starting Jan. 15 because I’m the Comelec chair,” the businessman quoted Abalos as saying.

The Comelec chair meant to say that no politician could challenge his decisions during the campaign period for the 2007 midterm elections.

Asked why De Venecia agreed to the Wack Wack and Shenzen meetings with Abalos, the businessman said it was in deference to the Comelec chair’s position.

First proponent

In the ZTE statement, sales director Zhang Shumin said the company was the first proponent of the NBN project, contrary to allegations by competitors.

He said ZTE submitted its original proposal to the CICT (Commission on Information and Telecommunications), the original shepherd of the NBN project, in April 2006.

AHI claims to have started pitching its idea for NBN around this time before submitting a formal proposal in December 2006.

“It (ZTE proposal) went through a six-month evaluation from CICT, NEDA [National Economic and Development Authority] had the proposal for six months as well, and for four months the papers were with the DOTC for evaluation and comparison to the other proposals which incidentally, were late in submission,” Shumin said.

Most comprehensive

For his part, Howard Xue, ZTE global marketing director, said the company offered the most comprehensive and responsive proposal to help meet the Philippine government’s ICT infrastructure requirements.

Zue said the ZTE proposal would cover first- to sixth-class cities and municipalities all the way down to the barangay level.

To bridge the digital divide and promote e-governance, the Philippine government needs network availability in remote areas with enterprise-quality communication, according to Xue.

“This can never be achieved unless it builds and operates the system itself, because private telecom operators do not provide the required services to the (poorest) fifth- and sixth-class municipalities, and only partially to fourth-class municipalities since it is commercially unprofitable to operate in such areas,” he said.

Xue said ZTE’s proposed NBN network would cater exclusively to the government, completely integrating all government communication infrastructures.

“Clearly, our NBN has no intention of taking away the business from existing private telcos unlike the proposals of other companies,” he said.

Xue was alluding to AHI’s proposal to offer commercial telecom services while exclusively servicing the government’s telecom needs.

AHI’s proposal to fuse all landline, cellular and Internet needs of the national and local offices covers first- and second-class municipalities.

Arescom proposed connectivity up to the third-class municipalities using voice over Internet technology.

**carscout** · September 4th, 2007 02:40 AM

Dipa ba kayo nasanay kay Abalos... Sa tagal nyang Comelec Chairman, pagnagsalita laging sinasabing walang naging dayaan sa election. Sanay na sanay nang magsinungaling yan

. Kahit pitpitin mo bayag nya, deny to death parin gagawin nya. Kaya tayo alang asenso eh!

Puro makakapal ang mukha ng mga nasa pwesto.

Sana kagaya sa Japan, pag nasangkot sa kahihiyan at anomalya eh naghaharakiri

No wonder anlayo natin sa kanila..

**explorer** · September 4th, 2007 03:17 AM

Finance chief confirms two meetings with ZTE executives

By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer, Last updated 01:12am (Mla time) 09/04/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said on Monday he met with ZTE Corp. executives twice -- one instance last year at his residence in Ayala Alabang, the other only a few months ago at the Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong City.

On both occasions, Teves said, Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos was present.

Teves said that in the earlier meeting, he discussed with ZTE officials a project in Mindanao. In the other, he discussed with executives of the Chinese telecommunications firm the controversial national broadband network contract.

Does the government consider Abalos as an influence in the outcome of the deals because of his presence in the meetings, including the one on the multi-billion peso broadband deal?

“I don't know,” Teves told reporters on the sidelines of the budget hearings at the House of Representatives on Monday.

Teves said the ZTE deal worth $330 million or P15 billion had yet to be perfected as the loan agreement that would provide the funds had yet to be signed by the country and the Chinese government.

“What we have is a ... supply contract which will not be executed without a loan agreement. It's not a perfect contract. It has to go through a number of processes, procedures before finally be executed,” the finance secretary added.

Former Iloilo Rep. Rolex Suplico said on Monday the statements of both Abalos and Teves regarding their roles in the awarding of a controversial $330-million government telecommunications contract to a Chinese firm were full of inconsistencies.

Suplico, now the Iloilo vice governor who has filed before the Supreme Court a case against the contract awarded to ZTE, said these inconsistencies only showed the dubious manner in which the broadband network deal between the Department of Transportation and Communication and ZTE was pursued.

“We appeal to the Supreme Court to take these things into consideration because the interests of 88 million Filipinos are bound to be adversely affected if the government implements the deal without determining if they did the right thing or not,” Suplico said.

The Iloilo official has asked the Supreme Court to immediately issue a temporary restraining order against the DOTC to stop the implementation of the contract for the national broadband network (NBN) project following the signing last August 25 of a $400 million loan facility between the Philippines and China.

“On Thursday, Chairman Abalos said he brought the ZTE officials to the house of Secretary Teves in Ayala Alabang to discuss the Mindanao project that the Chinese officials wanted to put up. Then on Friday, Secretary Teves confirmed he met with Abalos and the ZTE officials upon the Comelec chairman’s invitation, but at Wack-Wack,” Suplico said.

Suplico said that Teves then clarified on Saturday in a statement to media that he indeed met with Abalos and ZTE officials at his Ayala Alabang house, and then later at the Wack-wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong.

“Among psychologists, this is what you call a Freudian slip. Secretary Teves needed to be called personally by Chairman Abalos when he contradicted the latter’s statements, and only then did Teves suddenly recall that he had two separate meetings with Abalos and the ZTE officials,” Suplico pointed out.

“Given the controversy surrounding the contract since it was signed in April, and given the fact that his signing of a $400-million loan facility from China last August 26 has been questioned as inappropriate considering the legal and political troubles that the broadband deal is in, we would have expected Secretary Teves to check his information first before saying anything about it,” the Iloilo official said.