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So
the controversial $329-million national broadband network
deal with the Chinese company ZTE Corp. has been placed on
the freezer. The announcement came as a conclusion to a tumultuous
week that thrust First Gentleman Juan Miguel Arroyo into the
limelight for allegedly intervening in the deal.
The
suspension of the deal was the latest twist in the bizarre
deal that included tales of bribery, sex, influence-peddling
and even death threats. Given the magnitude of the amount
involved, and the payoff which runs into hundreds of millions
of pesos to key players, it is worth all the drama.
At
the center of the maelstrom of controversy are Jose de Venecia
III, son of Speaker Jose de Venecia who stirred the hornets'
nest when he implicated Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos and
the First Gentleman in the questionable deal.
When
the first smoke came out of the fire that is the broadband
deal, Abalos seemed unperturbed, even summoning laugher at
the tales of sexual escapades as though it was one laughing
matter. Arroyo though did not seem too eager to make it a
laughing matter - flying out of the country in haste for a
"long planned trip".
Pres.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also did not seem the least bothered
by the latest scandal to hit her administration. Calling critics
all sorts of names which has become her habit when confronting
accusations, the President gave a stern order to her Cabinet
secretaries not to take center stage at the Senate "vaudeville".
The
younger de Venecia however took the bull by the horns when
he testified under oath before the Senate and spilled the
beans on the roles of Abalos and Arroyo. In one fell swoop,
the walls around Malacañang tumbled down.
First,
the President made a complete turn-around, ordering her subalterns
to head straight to the Senate vaudeville. Although only Transportation
and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Finance Secretary
Margarito Teves were billed for lead roles, the others including
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita were content in cheering
from ringside.
And
just days after insisting that there was absolutely nothing
wrong with the NBN deal, Malacañang found enough holes
to suspend the multi-billion peso deal. No explanations. Just
like that.
Before
people go out to the street to celebrate however, they should
take note that the President's change of heart has little
to do with conversion. It was no road to Damascus , perhaps
a case of one step backward, two steps forward.
Flip-flops
have become a way of life for this administration. When no
one is looking, the deal will just push through as though
nothing happened.
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