Press Release
August 25, 2009

Transcript of Interview with Senator Richard Gordon re hearing
on NBN-ZTE deal

Q: Magkakaroon ba ng another hearing?

Sen. Gordon: I just want to make sure that we are fair. Not only because of the letter of De Venecia. Akala ko ibang letter, pareho pala.

Q: Ano ba ang laman nung letter?

Sen. Gordon: Pareho. Yung sinasabi nya, yung kaniyang testimony sa Lower House na wala raw silang kasalanan. So nung inaral namin, inayos namin, gumawa kami ng chart, maraming gaps, and I want those gaps answered so I think I will call one more hearing early next week. And then immediately after that we will make a decision.

Q: According to the Palace hindi na raw aattend yung mga executive members kasi daw meron na sa Ombudsman.

Sen. Gordon: Yun na nga ang isang finding namin. The Ombudsman is supposed to be doing it, matagal na yun nakalagay nay un sa report ko pero wala pang lumalabas hanggang ngayon. Actually, we could go ahead with the report. Like I told you it was ready. But when we look at it last night, maraming gaps. Sino ang nagsimula? When I make the presentation I will show the gaps.

Q: Ang claim ni Joey parang wina-water down yung report.

Sen. Gordon: Does he have an x-ray vision? Is he afraid of what I am going to say about him? As you know, I'm an independent and I fear no one.

Q: Pagkatapos niyan isa-submit na naman yang report sa Ombudsman?

Sen. Gordon: Kailangan maglagay kami ng report eh. Ang report naman namin is legislation eh, ang recommendation namin is criminal.

Q: Eh tatakbo daw si Joc-Joc, bakit ayaw pang aksyunan?

Sen. Gordon: Kaya nga sinabi ko dito nung isang araw, one peso na lang ang budget ng Ombudsman.

Q: So ano sir ang mangyayari sa hearing?

Sen. Gordon: Magpre-present muna ako kasi isa-summarize ko yung na-find out namin and then kung ano ang kulang yun ang itatanong namin. The committee report siguro one or two days, immediately afterwards. Tapos na eh. Makikita ninyo kasi may chronological order ako tapos meron dyan eto yung sinabi ni ganito, sinabi ni ganun. So makikita mo ano yung kulang. It will be the people who will really make a decision.

Q: Sinu-sino ang ipapatawag ninyo pa?

Sen. Gordon: Sigurado si Lozada, Neri. If they don't want to come then we will make our own conclusions.

Q: Joe De Venecia will definitely come?

Sen. Gordon: If he wants to, he is welcome to come. We're not going to invite him out of inter-departmental courtesy.

Q: Otherwise, you will just use his communication?

Sen. Gordon: We have already used it. It's in the decision already. Kumbaga, may mga gaps, isasara namin. It is all in the interest of crossing the T's and dotting the I's and letting the people see for themselves kung ano ang totoo.

Gusto ko maliwanagan ang tao kung sino talaga ang gumawa. In other words, you can conclude on your own kung paano nangyari ito.

Q: Kelan isa-submit yung committee report?

Sen. Gordon: I will submit it two days after the hearing. What I am trying to do is, after having seen the entire report three or four drafts, we reviewed it together with the committee secretariat, and from beginning to end there are still gaps that have to be answered. I have prepared all those questions to fill in those gaps.

Q: Through this mas magiging malinaw sa tao kung ano ang nangyari?

Sen. Gordon: Yes. Kasi nakalimutan na ng tao di ba? So what we want is, when we make the presentation the format will be, we will show the chronology, we will show the participation of everyone, then we will say these are the gaps we are trying to fill, and these are the questions we are going to ask to fill in the gaps.

Q: But everyone will have accountability?

Sen. Gordon: Yes. Anybody who is accountable has something to explain. It's about accountability eh. It's about improving the system. This is what we are, we are not a court, we will pass it again to the Ombudsman. Whatever she does that's her business, but in the meantime, we will plug in the holes on any procurement procedures, on matters that should not be done by people who are in government.

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