More transparency urged in Philippines’s business deals with other countries

Anakpawis Rep.Crispin Beltran today said that the scrapping of the
Macapagal-Arroyo government’s national broadband network (NBN) deal
with China’s ZTE Corp. was a victory of the Filipino people against
graft and corruption. He said that Pres. Arroyo was essentially forced
to terminate the contract because of the strong outrage generated by
the controversy over the illegal and underhanded brokering of the
contract.

“Pres. Arroyo was forced to take back her previous declaration that
her government will continue to uphold the NBN contract with ZTE
because of tremendous pressure from the public. It cannot dismissed,
however, that Pres. Arroyo also has compelling personal reasons of her
own to declare the contract terminated: she wants the senate probe on
the contract brokering ended because the trail is slowly but surely
leading towards her and the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.”

“Pres. Arroyo remains accountable for this anomalous government
contract that would’ve driven the country deeper into debt in the long
run. She also cannot escape responsibility for the conduct of her
officials who were involved in brokering and finalizing the deal with
ZTE. There are clear indications that she condoned and abetted the
shortcuts and the bribery that went it, and quite possibly for
self-serving reasons. The senate investigations must continue despite
the contract termination,” he said.

The activist lawmaker in the meantime issued the warning that Pres.
Arroyo may have issued new promises and brokered new comprises with
her Chinese counterparts to make up for the NBN fiasco. He said that
Pres. Arroyo is clearly not above making political and economic
compromises to save face.

“Now more than ever, the contracts and business deals that Pres.
Arroyo secures and brings home from her trips abroad should be
monitored. There should be more transparency in the projects and the
agreements she forges with other governments and the business sectors
of the countries she visits. We don’t want another NBN contract to be
signed and sealed right under the noses of the Filipino people. If it
were not for the watchfulness of the media and concerned sectors, the
NBN deal would’ve pushed through and the Philippines would’ve been the
worse for it.”

“Pres. Arroyo should be compelled to give more detailed reports
regarding the business deals that she secures with other country. She
continues to crow over her supposed achievements in strengthening the
Philippines’ business ties with other countries, but by and large we
have no clear idea about the nature and details of these contracts and
transactions. For all we know, the NBN deal with ZTE was only one of
the few even more anomalous contracts she finalized and approved.”
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