ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Come out and tell all.
Evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva on Saturday challenged former Speaker Jose de Venecia to tell everything he knows about the bribery-tainted National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp.
“(De Venecia) should come out (because) everybody should shed light on the scandal,” said Villanueva in a press conference here on Friday. The Jesus Is Lord founder and leader was here with other church leaders for the Sagip Bansa prayer assembly.
Villanueva said it was time for De Venecia “to show to God and the Filipino people if he is really serious in launching his moral revolution… by telling everything he knows about the ZTE deal.”
The Senate blue ribbon committee had earlier urged De Venecia to be the next witness at the resumption of its inquiry into the controversial NBN-ZTE deal.
Committee chair Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano had said that De Venecia’s testimony could provide a fitting “bookend” to the earlier testimonies made by De Venecia’s son and namesake, businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, about alleged anomalies in the now-scrapped $329-million project.
Two other witnesses, Rodolfo Lozada Jr. and Dante Madriaga, had also testified that the deal was attended by kickbacks involving millions of dollars.
The testimony of the elder De Venecia, who was ousted from his post early this year after a falling out with President Macapagal-Arroyo as a result of his son’s testimony linking the President’s husband to the aborted deal, is deemed crucial by the Senate committee to shed light on how the project was changed from a build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) project to one funded by a government-to-government loan.
Cayetano said De Venecia could also provide information on the President’s secret visit to Shenzhen, China, where she played golf and had lunch with top ZTE officials. De Venecia was part of the President’s party during the visit.
Villanueva made the challenge to De Venecia as he called for continued vigilance on the NBN-ZTE deal and other corruption scandals being faced by the administration.
He said that amid the pressing issues affecting the people like the rice crisis and the high oil prices, he hoped “Pandora’s box will be opened and the truth will come out.”
“The Filipino people are waiting for the absolute revelation of the truth behind the various scandals that have happened in our midst,” Villanueva said.
He said vigilance was needed more than ever because “the government has been very busy in suppressing the revelation of truths” despite its pronouncement that it was serious in fighting corruption.
“Never in the history of our country that there has been a regime of lies, deceptions, incredible litany of corruptions,” said Villanueva.
Without giving any specifics, Villanueva said the “diversionary tactics of the enemies of truth, justice and righteousness, are experiencing a little success.”
But he said he believed the “inherent vigilance” of Filipinos would prevail.
Asked if he was still calling for the President’s resignation, Villanueva said that a leader who had failed to do his or her duty should step down or be replaced.
“If you’re hired as a CEO (chief executive officer) of a certain company to resolve the bankruptcy of that company, and the CEO fails to resolve the bankruptcy in one or two years, then the CEO should be fired or voluntary resign.”
Villanueva said the scandals that had plagued the administration, the rice and energy crisis, and the worsening crime, including the recent massacre of RCBC employees, “show the incompetence of the present CEO of the Republic of Philippines.”
But he said he doubted the President would step down.
“Everybody knows that is impossible in a regime which is devoid of any delicadeza, that is why the Filipino people should really pray hard for it appears that it is only God’s divine intervention that can save our beloved country from a chaotic future,” he said.
