BACK IN THE EYE OF THE STORM. Resigned Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. is hounded by media as he leaves the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City Thursday, hours after Rodolfo Lozada Jr., key witness to the scandal-tainted NBN deal, surfaced, saying the former poll chief asked him to overprice the contract by $130 million as a commission and threatened to kill him if he failed to do so. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/JIM PUNZALAN
MANILA, Philippines -- “I don’t know what these people are doing to me,” said former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., Thursday, hours after a key witness in the national broadband network controversy surfaced and linked the ex-poll chief anew to the alleged anomalous transaction.
An exasperated Abalos, who gave a short interview to media waiting outside the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club early Thursday, refused to elaborate, saying he has not yet heard the statement of Rodolfo Lozada Jr., a former technical consultant on the NBN project.
"Give me the privilege of hearing him and everything he said before I comment," Abalos said.
Lozada claimed that Abalos had demanded P130 million in “commission” from the $329-million contract between the Arroyo government and China’s ZTE Corp.
Abalos expressed incredulity at Lozada's allegations.
"$130 million? Do you know how much that is? That's P65 billion. Well if that's how you accuse me, bahala ka na [that’s up to you]," said Abalos.
In a media conference organized by bishops and nuns at the La Salle Greenhills gym in Mandaluyong City early Thursday, Lozada recalled his experiences with government officials allegedly involved in the NBN project with China’s ZTE Corp., including a direct threat made by Abalos.
"I don't know what these people are doing to me ... after more than a year magsasalita dahil sa [because of a] threat? Would you believe that?" added Abalos.
Abalos said the fact that Lozada revealed what he knew of the agreement a year after it happened was “suspect.”
When Abalos was asked on what he felt about the accusations of Lozada, which corroborated a statement by Jose “Joey” de Venecia III that the former Comelec chairman had masterminded the overpricing of the NBN project, Abalos only said, "Bahala na [We’ll see]."
Abalos resigned from his post following De Venecia III’s allegations.
De Venecia III is the son of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. who was ousted this week allegedly over his son’s revelations during an inquiry at the Senate on the NBN contract.
The young De Venecia had also admitted to having expressed interest in the NBN project and submitted his own proposal before he said he was told to “back off” by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.
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