This was on November 2, 2006. They had a golf game and proceeded to the ZTE Headquarters. According to Joe de V: "At that lunch, the Shanghai crabs were cooked as excellently as promised, and lunch being at three hours past noon, we all had good appetites."

Benjamin Abalos apparently was thoroughly at home in the ZTE headquarters and dominated the discussion on the National Broadband Network project. According to Joe de V, Gloria made no comment and her husband hardly said a word.

But after lunch, Mike Arroyo suggested a formula that would eventually see the awarding of the NBN project to the Chinese telecommunications company.

In the book, De Venecia notes that after their visit to ZTE, the President changed her policy of undertaking the project on a BOT (build-operate-transfer) scheme to a government-to-government contract that required a Philippine government loan guarantee. This was later awarded to the Chinese telecommunications company.

According to the book: "Then came the second surprise: Abalos led the discussion on various matters but primarily he talked about the ZTE group and its capabilities.

"The Speaker had the growing sense that Abalos was thoroughly at home in Shenzhen–so at home, in fact, that as the President and her party stood up to tee off, Abalos announced that lunch would be served at ZTE headquarters, and it would feature the well-known Shanghai crabs, which were then in season."

After the golf game, De Venecia and the other Filipinos arrived at the ZTE headquarters at past 2 p.m. and were welcomed by its officials.

According to the book, "Abalos was virtually monopolizing the discussion. He pointed out how much the Philippines needed to modernize its telecommunications capabilities, just as China is doing, and how ZTE could help provide the Philippines with good equipment and technology."

For the first time, the NBN project was discussed.

The book continues: "De Venecia could not forget what Abalos and the ZTE officials assured the President.

"They said that the broadband project could be financed by the China Export-Import Bank under terms similar to the project loan of NorthRail."

"I didn’t comment on that suggestion. Nor did I hear any comment from Mrs. Arroyo. As always, the First Gentleman said hardly a word," De Venecia recalled.

On the way back to Hong Kong, the President said that if Abalos and the ZTE officials were interested in the NBN project, they should submit a BOT proposal "competitive with" the proposal of Joey de Venecia or other companies.

"In other words, the President was continuing to stick by her word that the expensive project should not cost the Philippine taxpayers any money," De Venecia says in the book.

The book continues: "But when the President and her group returned to Hong Kong, before they disembarked from the coaster, the President’s husband began suggesting that the best formula would be for a government-to-government loan, even if the Philippine government then would have to take a project loan from China with a Philippine government guarantee, to be paid by the Filipino people."

The book says that De Venecia thought the trip to Shenzhen was the "turning point" for ZTE, which was awarded the project four months after the President’s visit.

Says Joe de V in the book: "That was the first and last time I talked about the NBN project with the President. In hindsight, I would say I was brought to Shenzhen to play golf and have lunch with the President, the First Gentleman, Abalos and the ZTE officials, to show that the father of the owner of one of the companies interested in the NBN project was cooperating with them. This they did to redeem whatever promises they may have made to ZTE and other persons involved in the project."

Luckily for us, ZTE and Gloria misread the De Venecias. They thought that Joe de V was in control and that his son would go away. Also, they were confident that their secret would never surface. Too bad for ZTE. Whatever they might have paid up front they have lost forever.

As for Joe de V pater et fils as well as the Arroyos, what I truly resent about all of these is the idea that we need foreigners to do national broadband for us when we actually have local companies that are already providing us this service. In fact, if the government would talk to the present providers and open bids for whatever government’s needs are for broadband, I am sure that this can be served by the present providers. Why do we need a different provider to do what is already being done by Smart and Globe and other carriers?

***

After being discharged from St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) Sunday noon after a one-day confinement due to "infectious diarrhea with vomiting," First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo castigated former Speaker Joe de V for linking him, President Arroyo and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. to the $329.48 million ZTE broadband deal mess.

"That JDV is a liar and you can tell him to his face," said Mike. While the he did not say which part of the JDV book were lies, he did comment on other matters: "I did not have a heart attack, thank God. But it was very painful, very severe abdominal pain so it’s already led others to conclude that I had a heart attack."

***

"A lot of people ask me: Why did you choose to fight Manny Pacquiao? The process went like this. I chose Pacquiao first and foremost because of the challenge. Manny Pacquiao is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today by experts. That is a challenge that motivates me. Second, I took the fight because of the fact that they called me out. I always take it as a challenge when you call me out. I’m going to respond to it, I’m going to react to it. And, third, this is a worldwide event. You have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and you have the most popular fighter in the sport in world in myself. " Oscar de La Hoya