A former political ally of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said yesterday he was prepared to expose widespread corruption within the administration.
Former House of Representatives speaker Jose de Venecia told foreign correspondents that Arroyo's husband, two sons and a brother-in-law bribed legislators using public funds to oust him from the post he held for 12 years.
The move, de Venecia said, was a "personal vendetta" because his son, Jose de Venecia III, blew the whistle on an overpriced telecoms deal between the government and China's state-run ZTE firm in which certain officials allegedly were promised kickbacks.
De Venecia's threat signaled more trouble for Arroyo in the remaining two years of her six-year term, which has been marred by three failed attempts to impeach her, a coup attempt and failed rebellion by a restless military.
He said he would use the floor of the House to outline in detail what he described as "corruption in all units of the government."
De Venecia, who until Monday had been speaker for 12 years, said he would offer "first-hand" knowledge and proof of shady deals, and that he would volunteer to testify against the first family if Congress launched a full investigation.
"They have no choice but to investigate," said de Venecia, who remains among one of the most politically powerful figures in the Philippines.
"We will oppose all attempts against bribery and corruption," he said, naming Arroyo's two sons, Diosdado and Juan Miguel, brother-in-law Ignacio and husband Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo as the people who worked to oust him.
He said the men used "public funds" to bribe congressmen into voting to unseat him in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
An overwhelming majority of the House voted to replace de Venecia with close Arroyo ally Prospero Nograles after a marathon session that went past midnight on Monday.
Apart from alleged corruption, de Venecia promised he would also divulge details of vote-rigging during the May 2004 election that Arroyo won by a slim margin.
Following the 2004 vote, opposition House lawmakers tried to impeach Arroyo after a recording of a phone call emerged between a woman sounding like the president and an elections officer who appeared to be conspiring to rig the polls.
Arroyo has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but never denied she was the woman on the tape.
In related news, a witness in a Philippine Senate inquiry who has implicated Mike Arroyo in the telecoms scandal said yesterday a former elections chief threatened to kill him if he tried to deny him a huge kickback on a government contract.
Rodolfo Lozada Jr, a former government consultant on the US$330 million broadband contract with ZTE, was taken into police custody on Wednesday at Manila's airport after he returned from a trip abroad, in what officials said was a move to protect his life.
Lozada was later released and told a news conference yesterday that Benjamin Abalos, the former elections chief who allegedly acted as a broker for the contract, threatened to kill him if he didn't secure a kickback for him by overpricing the contract by US$130 million.
Lozada has emerged as a key witness in the scandal that exploded last year when Mike Arroyo was implicated in the inquiry.
Jose de Venecia III, the losing bidder who later blew the whistle on the deal, told investigators Mike Arroyo was promised a US$70 million kickback for approving the overpriced contract. Lozada said he met only once with Mike Arroyo and de Venecia.
Abalos quit after the scandal broke last year and has refused to comment on Lozada's latest accusations that Abalos issued death threats against him.
China’s military news agency yesterday warned that Japanese militarism is infiltrating society through series such as Pokemon and Detective Conan, after recent controversies involving events at sensitive sites. In recent days, anime conventions throughout China have reportedly banned participants from dressing as characters from Pokemon or Detective Conan and prohibited sales of related products. China Military Online yesterday posted an article titled “Their schemes — beware the infiltration of Japanese militarism in culture and sports.” The article referenced recent controversies around the popular anime series Pokemon, Detective Conan and My Hero Academia, saying that “the evil influence of Japanese militarism lives on in
DIPLOMATIC THAW: The Canadian prime minister’s China visit and improved Beijing-Ottawa ties raised lawyer Zhang Dongshuo’s hopes for a positive outcome in the retrial China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian official said on Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing. Schellenberg’s lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo (張東碩), yesterday confirmed China’s Supreme People’s Court struck down the sentence. Schellenberg was detained on drug charges in 2014 before China-Canada ties nosedived following the 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟). That arrest infuriated Beijing, which detained two Canadians — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — on espionage charges that Ottawa condemned as retaliatory. In January
A sign hanging from a rusty ice-green shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia reads: “Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area.” On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand’s military showed off its gains. Thai forces took control of several patches of disputed land along the border during fighting last year, which could amount to several square kilometers in total. Cambodian Kim Ren said her house in Chouk Chey used to stand on what is now the Thai
NEW RULES: There would be fewer school days, four-day workweeks, and a reduction in transportation services as the country battles a crisis exacerbated by US pressure The Cuban government on Friday announced emergency measures to address a crippling energy crisis worsened by US sanctions, including the adoption of a four-day work week for state-owned companies and fuel sale restrictions. Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga blamed Washington for the crisis, telling Cuban television the government would “implement a series of decisions, first and foremost to guarantee the vitality of our country and essential services, without giving up on development.” “Fuel will be used to protect essential services for the population and indispensable economic activities,” he said. Among the new measures are the reduction of the working week in
RSS