MANILA, Philippines -- Denying anew any involvement in the controversial national broadband network project, the former president of state-owned Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) is considering filing libel charges against the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

Eduardo Mañalac dismissed as "irresponsible" an Inquirer report that identified him as the next witness in the Senate inquiry into the anomalous telecommunications project forged with China's ZTE Corporation.

"I know next to nothing about the NBN deal. To implicate [that] I have knowledge is a lie...I'm here to declare that some of the press is guilty of distorting the truth," said Mañalac in a press conference.

"I deserve that right to study the possibility of filing charges," he added.
"I demand a public apology from the Philippine Daily Inquirer... what PDI did is a total abuse of press freedom."

Mañalac also said that his reaction was not sought.

Mañalac, who was said to have connections in China, was allegedly set to testify at the Senate Tuesday on how some $41 million in supposedly under-the-table commissions were funneled from the Chinese firm to the so-called “Greedy Group plus plus” that was packaging the NBN-ZTE deal, the Inquirer reported, quoting unnamed sources.

Mañalac also denied knowing Senator Panfilo Lacson, who would allegedly present him before the Senate.

"I don't know Senator Lacson and I haven't met him," Mañalac said.