Hold order out for Abalos, Neri

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday placed Social Security System (SSS) president Romulo Neri and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos in their hold-departure order at the request of the Sandiganbayan.

BI spokesman Floro Balato Jr. said the anti-graft court’s requests for Abalos and Neri were dated June 22 and June 23, respectively. The two have been charged in court in connection with the $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp.

“Their names have been included in our HDO list and we have already circulated it to all the airports and seaports,” said Balato.

Since there is an existing HDO against them, they would have to secure a travel authority from the court in order to leave the country.

“It is up to the appreciation of the court if they would issue a travel authority to Neri and Abalos, but in previous cases people are issued with travel authority only for medical and business reasons,” he said.

Abalos: Not guilty

Abalos pleaded not guilty yesterday to the corruption of public official charge leveled against him in relation to the controversial NBN-ZTE deal.

Accompanied by his lawyer Salvador Panelo, Abalos entered his plea at the sala of Mandaluyong City metropolitan trial court (MTC) Branch 59 Judge Marcos Diasen at around 1:30 p.m.

Judge Diasen set the pre-trial of the case for the afternoon of July 29.

In a brief interview after the court proceedings, the former Comelec chairman expressed confidence that the charges against him will not stand and he will be able to prove that the testimonies and claims of businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III were all fabricated.

He said De Venecia has been saying that they met at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City but failed to mention anything about their meeting at his (De Venecia’s) place.

“There was no mention that he invited me to his place. It is clear that he needed something from me, not me (needing something from him),” Abalos said in Filipino.

It was while playing golf at the Wack Wack golf course that Abalos allegedly told then National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) secretary Neri, “May P200 ka dito (you have P200 here),” allegedly referring to a P200-million bribe.

He said the Chinese government does not want to do business with De Venecia because he has a $12-million debt to the company.

Because of the outstanding debt, he said the son of former House speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. kept seeking his help with regard to the NBN-ZTE deal.

“He thought I besmirched his reputation that’s why he got mad at me. And what he said that the First Gentleman (Mike Arroyo) told him to ‘back off’ was not true because the First Gentleman is a Spaniard, so if he is going to curse it must be in the Spanish language,” he said.

Abalos is also expected to present himself again before the Sandiganbayan on July 20 for his arraignment on the graft case against him in connection with the same controversial deal.

The anti-graft court’s Fourth Division, chaired by Associate Justice Gregory Ong with Associate Justices Jose Hernandez and Maria Cristina Cornejo as members, scheduled his arraignment at 8:30 a.m.

He will be asked to enter a plea to the allegation that he offered Neri, who was then NEDA director general, a bribe in exchange for approving the contract between the government and China’s ZTE Corp.

He is also accused of brokering for the foreign firm, a violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits acts of “directly or indirectly having financing or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.”

Neri is also facing a graft case before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division for approving the deal despite knowing about the irregularities and even after he was allegedly offered a bribe.

Both of them have already posted bail amounting to P30,000 each and are now the subject of hold departure orders.

Neri, whose motion for judicial determination of probable cause was junked, will be arraigned on July 16 also at 8:30 a.m. - Non Alquitran, Michael Punongbayan