BY DENNIS GADIL

SENATE Blue Ribbon chair Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday said President Arroyo should show proof that the national broadband deal was indeed anomalous, saying she owes it to the public and her Cabinet members who insisted that the project was aboveboard.

Cayetano said the President’s admission in a radio interview Saturday that she was aware of the irregularities in the deal could be interpreted that she is as ready "to sacrifice her Cabinet to save herself and FG (Mike Arroyo)."

"This could mean that the vultures would get away while the goats (her Cabinet) would be fed to the mob," he said.

Sen. Manuel Roxas III said with her admission, President Arroyo should no longer prevent her Cabinet members from testifying in the Senate’s ZTE inquiry.

Majority leader Francis Pangilinan said the Supreme Court should now take a cue from the President’s admission by making a ruling on the executive privilege petition filed by the Senate.

"Dapat ma-realize ng Supreme Court na wala ng executive privilege, kasi presidente na mismo ang umamin," he said.

Pangilinan said it was unthinkable that the President knew about the kickbacks only on the eve of the contract signing.

Arroyo flew to China to witness the signing of the ZTE deal last April 22 in Boao.

"Why did she not order a thorough investigation and in the meantime insist that the contract signing be placed on hold instead of traveling all the way to China to be a witness to its signing?" he asked.

Opposition congressmen insisted the President’s admission was the strongest ground to impeach her.

Bayan Muna party list Rep. Teddy Casiño said the President’s admission is "a textbook case of betrayal of public trust."

"Now very clearly, she is directly in the ZTE picture by her own admission," said Rep. Roilo Golez (Ind., Parañaque), spokesman of the minority bloc.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez expressed support for an impeachment complaint.

"Ituloy nila iyang balak na iyan nang sa gayon ay lumabas na yung talagang katotohanan tungkol sa isyung ito ng NBN," Iñiguez, head of the CBCP’s public affairs committee, said.

NO CULPABILITY

President Arroyo, in a speech at a peace rally at the Cavite provincial capitol, dared her critics: "Ang paglilitis, hindi dinadaan sa tsismis. Ang paglilitis, dinadaan sa evidence. Merong karapat-dapat na korte para doon."

She said while everyone is against corruption and irregularities, there must be rule of law and democracy.

Cerge Remonde, presidential management staff director general, said there is no culpability on the part of Arroyo because it was only a memorandum of understanding that was signed. He said Arroyo canceled it "as soon as it became controversial."

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita failed to explain why it took Arroyo about six months to cancel the deal but said it showed that the President knew what to do once the contract started creating a lot of noise.

The NBN deal was signed in Boao, China on April 22, 2007. Arroyo cancelled the deal Sept. 22, 2007.

NO HARM, NO FOUL

Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. said it is premature to talk about impeachment.

Nograles said there is no government culpability in the so-called deal because it was already canceled.

"In a basketball game, when there is no harm, there is no foul. Government did not lose any money, so where’s the harm? Where’s the foul?" he asked.

Nograles said the President only wanted to preserve good relations with China and make sure nobody would lose face. "That’s diplomacy in foreign relations."

"She stopped the deal, didn’t she? But she had to cushion the impact first," said Nograles. – With Regina Bengco, Gerard Naval and Wendell Vigilia