BY JP LOPEZ

SENATORS yesterday vowed to stop at nothing to get representatives of Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp., the Chinese firm which was awarded the $329 million national broadband deal, to cooperate in the Senate’s inquiry on the NBN-ZTE scandal.

"We can invoke our rights with the Hong Kong authorities. We have a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Hong Kong. We can invoke that and ask them to give us all the information about the ZTE president and so we can have jurisdiction," said Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel.

"I think it is not good for our people to see that we are only running after the crooks in our government, and not after those foreigners who are corrupting them," Pimentel said.

"In other words, the ZTE will be given all the chances to show that the contract is above-board. But let us not give them the pleasure of ignoring our invitation on the pretext that they have no address here," he said.

"Let us proceed and issue a subpoena to (ZTE president) Mr. Yu Yong. If he cannot be reached, then this committee should write the bourse in Hong Kong to de-list ZTE stocks," he said.

Pimentel said Chinese commercial attaché Fan Yang was mentioned by many witnesses as being present during the series of meetings between ZTE officials and former elections chair Abalos.

He said since Fan is a diplomat, he should be invited formally. But if he ignores the invitation, he should be declared persona non grata, Pimentel said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the Blue Ribbon committee might recommend blacklisting ZTE Corp. from undertaking government-funded projects.

ZTE, in a statement, earlier said it could not participate in what it said "a political circus" at the Senate.

Acting on Pimentel’s motion, the Blue Ribbon, trade and commerce, and the defense and national security committees jointly investigating the ZTE scandal approved the issuance of a subpoena to Yu and Fan.

Pimentel said that aside from the alleged overpricing, Yu will be asked on the alleged role of Abalos in the broadband deal.

Jose "Joey" de Venecia III told the Senate last year that Abalos acted as broker and tried to bribe him and former Planning secretary Romulo Neri to facilitate the approval of the ZTE’s project proposal by the Arroyo government.

ZTE star witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. told the Senate that Yu and Yang admitted to him that they have given advance payments to Abalos for acting as broker.