JOSE Miguel Arroyo yesterday denied ever
receiving a phone call from former Elections chairman Benjamin
Abalos Sr. concerning the national broadband network as alleged
by Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr.
"Mr. Lozada himself admits he is unsure if it
was me Chairman Abalos called, if that phone call took place to
begin with. And, further, Mr. Lozada admits he did not hear the
conversation," Arroyo said in a statement.
He said he was forced to break his
self-imposed silence because of "distorted" news reports saying
he was responsible for the overpriced $329-million broadband
project which was eventually scrapped.
"I reiterate that I do not meddle in
government affairs, be they political or commercial. I
deliberately avoid the limelight, and I have suffered all the
unfair accusations against me precisely to buttress this policy.
I do not interfere with governance. Also, being an ordinary
lawyer, I am hardly versed in the technical terms and procedures
of international finance. Again I don’t have anything to do with
the NBN deal," Arroyo said.
Arroyo also denied ever having dinner with
Lozada or Jose de Venecia III who had a competing proposal.
"I never had dinner with Mr. Lozada and or
Joey De Venecia, at the Shangri-La Hotel, or anywhere else. Even
if I did, we would certainly not have discussed the NBN deal,"
he said.
He said Lozada and De Venecia’s testimonies
were conflicting.
"Note that on this point, even Mr. Lozada
repeatedly claims that I joined him for dinner although I ‘did
not say much’. Joey de Venecia on the other hand claims I was in
another function room for a separate cocktail party and that I
was not at that dinner. These two supposedly close associates
are not even consistent with each other. In fact, at the Senate
hearing, Mr. Lozada said that I was at another function, maybe
to coincide with Joey de Venecia’s statement," he said.
"So much has been said about Mr. Lozada being
a hapless victim in all this. But in many people’s desire to
vilify me, they conveniently overlook the fact that, by his
admission, Mr. Lozada tried to work out a deal that would
satisfy De Venecia and Amsterdam Holdings. By his own admission,
Mr. Lozada tolerated Joey de Venecia’s corruption. It amazes me
that there are people who glorify Joey de Venecia who admits he
failed in that attempt, while they vilify me, and subject me to
dishonor and disgrace, on mere speculations," he said.
Arroyo’s legal counsel Ruy Alberto Rondain
said it is hard to prove if it was Arroyo himself Abalos was
calling that time.
While refusing to say that Abalos merely
dropped the name of Arroyo, Rondain said nobody would know if
the former Comelec chief indeed called up the President’s
spouse.
"Is that (Lozada’s testimony) damaging? It’s
not. Those are all speculations. There’s nothing new in what he
said," Rondain said.
"He (Arroyo) is just a little bit bothered. Hindi na niya
pino-problema ‘yun, sasakit lang ulo niya at tataas lang blood
pressure niya," Rondain said.