Orders immediate suspension of Neri
by Andreo Calonzo
GMANews.TV
The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday affirmed the involvement of former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Romulo Neri and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos in the botched multi-million NBN-ZTE deal.
In a 16-page joint order, the Ombudsman upheld its April 21, 2009 resolution recommending the filing of graft charges against Neri and Abalos in connection with the $329-million national broadband network deal (NBN) the Arroyo government entered with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. in April 2007.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo terminated the contract, which was supposed to improve the communication capabilities of government offices, in September 2007 after news of bribery surrounding the deal came out.
Bare denials
In coming up with its order, the Ombudsman in effect junked the separate appeals filed by Neri and Abalos for being just “bare denials.”
The same order also affirmed the Ombudsman’s decision to clear President Arroyo and her husband, First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, of involvement in the case.
The Ombudsman also dismissed a motion for reconsideration filed by lawyer Harry Roque seeking the inclusion of President Arroyo’s name in the charge sheet. The Ombudsman cited the incumbent president’s immunity from suit.
Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro issued the order on behalf of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who inhibited herself from the case for being closely associated with Mr. Arroyo. Gutierrez and Mr. Arroyo were classmates at the Ateneo Law School.
Go signal for Neri’s suspension
Through upholding its earlier resolution, the Ombudsman gave the go signal for the immediate suspension of Neri as Social Security System (SSS) president for six months without pay.
The Court of Appeals nullified in November last year the suspension order due to Neri’s pending motion for reconsideration filed with the Ombudsman.
In affirming Neri and Abalos’ indictment, the Ombudsman gave weight to testimonies made by whistleblowers Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, Jr. and Jose de Venecia III, son of Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., directly linking the two officials to the botched broadband deal.
During the Senate hearings on the case, Lozada, who was a NEDA technical consultant under Neri when the deal was made, accused the then NEDA director general of intervening for the broadband project. De Venecia III, meanwhile, charged Abalos of offering bribes to Neri to make sure that the deal pushes through.
Abalos resigned from the Comelec in October 2007 because of the controversy.
The Senate blue ribbon committee recommended last year the filing of graft charges against Mr. Arroyo, Neri and Abalos for their alleged involvement in the controversial deal.
Abalos accepts, Neri to appeal
In a GMA News Report, Abalos said he accepts the Ombudsman’s decision to uphold his involvement in the NBN-ZTE mess.
The former Comelec chairperson said he would just let the court decide whether or not he is guilty of the graft charges set to be filed against him.
Neri’s camp, on the other hand, vowed to challenge the Ombudsman’s order.
“We are confident with the rule of justice in this country. My client is innocent. Whether criminally or administratively, he is not guilty,” lawyer Paul Lentejas, Neri’s counsel, said in an interview aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras.”
Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus, official spokesperson for the office of the Ombudsman, however, disputed Lentejas’ claims, saying that both Neri and Abalos presented no convincing evidence to clear them of involvement in the case.
Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez should be impeached!!!
Bakit ngayon lang…ang tagal nýong ginawang tanga ang Noypi?
Sige na nga, huli man daw at sobrang sakit ng ulo kalakip ng konsumisyon kayong mga taga-Ombudsman e ayusin nýo ang inyong mga trabaho.
Magaling lang kayong sentensyador kung di nýo kapartido, but heto pinagkakitaan na yang isyung yan e ngayon lang pagtutuunan ng pansin.
Sige, bilisan nýo ang paglilitis ng kasong yan para naman makabawi ang Noypi.
RE: Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez should be impeached!!!
Ngayon pa Igan Mike…di ba talunan yan sa May 10 eleksyon?
Akala nýa iboboto siya na kanyang mga kababayan…diyan siya nagkamali, itong ngang kaso ng mga kurap e di niya naresolba…bakit?
Dahil ba appointed siya ni Madam Gloria?
@Balweg: Did she run for public office? If she did, she should’ve resigned already.
Si DOJ Sec. Devanadera ang tumakbo, hindi si Gutierrez.
Hah! Why am I not surprised! Gloria and her chain saw gang should be hanged, drawn and quartered.
RE: @Balweg: Did she run for public office? If she did, she should’ve resigned already.
Opppss…ay MALI, SORI Igan Mike…korek si Igan Tongue, ang ibig ko palang sabihin e classmate pala siya ni FG.
Hayan tuloy…puro pulitika kasi ang laman ng kukote kaya sa halip na topographical error e PCOS made in China pala ang nagamit ko.
Tao po lamang…na umaamin ng pagkakamali!
malaking puntos iyan kay noynoy na kung sa simula pa lang ng kanyang panunungkulan ay maipakulong niya si abalos at neri. sumunod sana si gloria at mike. kailangang maibalik ang tiwala ng bayan sa batas.
Hayan tuloy…puro pulitika kasi ang laman ng kukote kaya sa halip na topographical error e PCOS made in China pala ang nagamit ko. – Balweg
Langya ka, natawa akomg mag-isa dito mapapagkamalan akong nababaliw na.
Hindi ba pinakasuhan din ni Gordon at Miriam sila JDVIII, Jun Lozada, at si “Tongpats”, sino nga yun?
Dante Madriaga?
Sunod titirahin na itong si Neri … para mawala ang isang tinik sa lalamunan ng mga buwaya.
I asked one of Dante’s classmates sa Don Bosco at the wake of my brother kung ano na ang nangyari kay Dante..delikado pa rin daw ang kanyang buhay and his family stays with the nuns for protection..samantalang si Neri masarap ang buhay at maligayang maligaya sa protection ni “evilbitch”?..dapat silang tatlo- putot, Neri and Abalos should be jailed and parusahan din.. bitayin kayang suli!
Inalis ni Gutierrez yong dalawang ulo at naka-safe deposit na, ang itinira yong mga galamay at yon ang pagpipistahan naman ng mga tao ni Noynoy.
Sige lang, let them enjoy the dismissal. Anyway, without prejudice naman ang dismissal.
Two years from now, kapag nag-appoint ng bagong Ombudsman si Noy, they can file an amended information in court, including the fat slob. Same thing they did to Ping Lacson.
They can tell Neri that his charge will be moderated, if he reveals whose greed was not moderated.
nakakatawa itong Ombudsman…total revamp! Halata na lahat!
Cases will be filed against Gloria and the fat guy, but ultimately they will get away with it and no jail terms for them. For all we know everything may already has been dealt with and that every words coming out from their mouths are only for posturing and for public digestion.
I hope I am wrong but we all know that there exists in our midst a twin trouble-shooter called wheeling and dealing that are part and deeply rooted into the culture of Filipinos especially politicians. Notice that the pair of kleptos and their alalays were so relaxed, maybe because as we used to say, they had all the bases covered. The presence of Noynoy’s close relatives under their wings will eventually work for them as there “padrinos and padrinas”. Why in the world are they still there? What for?
There’s obsolute truth in the statement,”iba na ang may pinagsamahan lalo na kung malalim”.
Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is a partner in crimes of gma and FG, her acts constitute treason and betrayal of public trust under a bogus regime. She should be made answerable in the bar of true justice sooner than later …….
a nation can only move forward if its justice system could prove that CRIME DOES NOT PAY ………
Try reverse psych. All you out there, send a nicely gift-wrapped ream of his cigarette brand with a wonderful message that reads: “may you stay healthy and strong, our one and only beloved President!”
Oops. Sorry this should be on the other post. Please delete ms. Ellen.
Mercedita Gutierrez must go one way or the other, that’s in the priority list of Noynoy’s government……
This is called managing the results. Damage Control.
Completely free Gloria and her husband. Give the public two scapegoats – Abalos and Neri.
But secretly arrange the outcome of the verdict for the two whipping boys so that they get off lightly.. in exchange for rich rewards for the two.
Gloria can’t afford to allow these guys to land in jail. They’ll sing.
the evil heads put in place by gma in sensitive positions like Ombudsman, DOJ, AFP Chief, SC ,Comelec, GSIS , SSS , DPWH, LTO, LTFRB, MRT, BOC, etc…. must be replaced with credible and good people……
Huwag muna tayo matuwa dahil kakasuhan ang dalawang scapegoat. Mga tuso ang mga iyan lalo na si Abalos at alam nila na kaya nilang pa ikutin ang kaso dahil dadalhin nila sa Supreme Court ang mga appeal nila at sino ang mga naka upo doon kundi mga talamak na galamay ni Gloria.
Kaya di pa nakakasigurado tayo gaya ng sabi ni Abalos na bahala na ang court mag decide sa kanya kung guilty or not guilty siya. Si Neri ang kawawa dahil baka siya lang ang gawin sakripisyo ng mga ganid. Kawawang bakla.
RE: There’s obsolute truth in the statement,”iba na ang may pinagsamahan lalo na kung malalim”.
Syiempre naman Igan Florry, iba ang kulturang Noypi…partners in crime e ka nga, kundi ka IN…sure OUT ka? Ito ang sinasabing Noypi mafyusi…kaya heto ang Pinas paurong at ang Noypi kanda kuba sa hirap’t dusa.
Kailangan malansag ang mafyusi sa ating lipunan…ang kaso, ang daming involves dito…tulad ito ng cancer, nagkalat na sa katawan.
But, still may pag-asa pa tayo…todo-bantay tayo sa kanilang kilos-galaw para madaling mabokya at tirahin sa cybermedia.
This is only the tip of the iceberg my friends. The big fat fish is still lurking at the ocean and still hiding. Mind you all folks, comes hearing this kulangot Neri will drag FG to the cell and hopefully to the grave, same with Evil Glorya. Yes the question is why only now? Bec. Ombuds Gang are all waiting who will win the election. Luckily it’s the will of the PiNoys who prevailed that’s why they just brought these 2 GMA cohorts to grave.
Slowly but surely change will come to this Evil Gorya and Porky FG! May all of them be put to jail. Surely hindi natutulog ang Diyos, bec. lahat ay may kabayaran! Lalo na yong mga kumita ng husto sa 9 years reign ni Evil Glorya!
‘ulang’yang malditas ‘yan!
Ipapareyp ko ‘yan sa mga Bedoin dine sa Saudi, eh!
Sobrang sipsip kay glorya?
O, hindi gustong makulong ang lover ba-boy niya?
“….President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo terminated the contract, which was supposed to improve the communication capabilities of government offices, in September 2007 after news of bribery surrounding the deal came out…”
Okay. She terminated the contract but should that be enough ground to free her from any liability being the president (daw) who surely knew all about the overprice?
From the very start, she knew there were paddings but what she did was close her eyes thinking this shit can escape the eyes of the vigilant public.
Naglalaro lang sina goyang at malditas ng harangang taga.
Ang ginagawa nilang taya ay ‘yung dalawang gunggong na walang sawa sa pag-ako ng kasalanan dahil bayad na ‘yung kanilang kaparte.
just wondering..gaano ba ka lalim ang samahan ni Fat Guy and Maldita? how deep is the ocean?
inaabangan ko kung tutulungan ni putot si Neri? best friends forever? si Maldita best forever ni Fat Guy..All I want to see is the removal of that smirk smile ni Neri’s face….malalaasar kasi..mabutyi na lang hindi ako naglilihi…wala na kasing Executive Order 464 kaya sa falda na lang ni putot magpakupkop si Neri and bear the stench..
Isa na namang military whistleblower ang dinemanda with the usual suspect charges,
http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100527nat1.html
This is one Noy should look into, because it is similar to Oakwood. The injustice visited on the respondent is even worse, because he did not attack any establishment, nor did anything physical. He uploaded evidence of corruption onto youtube.
Conduct unbecoming an officer ba ang magsumbong ng kurakot?
Again the usual disrespect for a superior officer, because he urged viewers to join the move to oust the Glue. Military jurisprudence states that this offense involves disrespect of a superior military officer. Since when did the Salamander-in-Chief become a military officer? The President is a civilian official. That office is made the Commander-in-Chief, pursuant to the Constitutional provision that civilian authority is above the military.
Maliwanag na freedom of speech ang involved dito, but the stooge, one Franchito Diamante saw otherwise.
sax, you must be referring to Capt. Pogoy(?) who once blogged here about some details of the contract to repair and restore the C-130s by a Clark-based company.
He claims the contractors merely used the service of PAF personnel for free while bagging the huge contract. The spare parts were not even bought but cannibalized from decommissioned C-130s.
If I remember right, he claims the video was uploaded by his girlfriend on a dare he made during one of their lovers’ spats.
Hala, tago ka na Romy sa lungga, titirahin ka na para hindi ka pumiyok in the future. Gago ka kasi, kung binulgar mo ang mag-asawang baboy na yan noon pa e di sana protektado ka ng pinoy gaya ni Jun Lozada. Duwag ka kasi e!
Begin right away Merceditas impeachment if Sonny Belmonte becomes the speaker. Yan lang ang paraan para matanggal ang pangit na babaeng yan.
‘ulang’yang malditas ‘yan!
Ipapareyp ko ‘yan sa mga Bedoin dine sa Saudi, eh! -Magno
Rereypin naman kaya?! Baka sumuka ng dugo ang mga Bedoin sa pandidiri!
Rose, wala ng pakinabang si Gloria kay Neri kaya goodbye na yan. Ang inaanbangan ko ay kung ano ang mangyayari o drama ni tita Nerisssa para absweltuhin ang sarili.
Para sa mga hayop na katulad ni putot, Taba. Abalos at Neri-barbaric parusa…ang nagnakaw–putulin ang kamay, ang nagbulagbulagan–sungkitin ang mga mata..ang nagsinungaling putulin ang dila..pag nakita ito ng iba hinding hindi gagawa ng mga kasalanan gaya ng mga ito….o kaya firing squad…sa Luneta…kung si Rizal na walang kasalanan ay pinatay na ganito…dapat ang mga hayop na ito should be hanged and with a dart, or tierador, paglaro tayo sa Luneta..they shoot horses don’t they? ang mga asong ulol ay pinabaril din, hindi ba? kaya karapat dapat din silang parusahan…
Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro issued the order on behalf of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who inhibited herself from the case for being closely associated with Mr. Arroyo. Gutierrez and Mr. Arroyo were classmates at the Ateneo Law School.
____________________________________________________________
Merceditas Gutierez INHIBITS herself……….
I may be naive, but isn’t it true that people who hold sensitive positions of public trust, in this case, the office of the Ombudsman, supposed to be objective in their rulings irregardless of who the devil is involved in any government anomaly ?
Sa aking paningin, it was not even a noble thing to do in Gutierrez’s part to have inhibited herself. Meron bang provisions para sa posisyon na ito na “kapag ka-kosa, dating ka-kaklase, kamag-anak, ka-barkada, ka-inuman, ka-ututang-dila, kabaro, kabyan, etc.,…..eh hindi ka puwedeng maging objective to prosecute an erring public official ? What does “pinagsamahan” got anything to do with investigating a corrupt government official in the interest of the people ? Because if such is the case, then nobody in the upper echelon of power will ever be investigated/prosecuted/punished for betrayal of public trust. It is the “enemies” of the powers that are and the small fries who will each get the shorter end of the stick. Inhibited……my ass !!! That is plain and simple BULLSHIT !!
So now that a ruling has been made against Abalos and Neri, lalabas si Merceditas na para siyang si Poncio Pilato na naghugas ng kamay. The judgement did not came directly from her but from her own goons.
So Gloria and MIke get scott-free!! Dang !! Merceditas’ office found no incriminating evidence linking the fucking demonic couple as principals in the botched deal. Makes one think, did gloria and mike’s minions acted on their own without gloria’s blessings, or, by virtue of command responsibility, those idiots did so because they knew gloria was behind them all the way………only to find out in the end that gloria will abandon them anyway when she had no more use for them ?
Sino ngayon ang gunggong ?
To you, Merceditas, I ask this question, “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW” ?? Sayang ang ibinabayand sa iyong, PUTA KA !!!
what does maldita know? She knows the Fat Guy na asawa ni putot.
next they will exonerate the Ampatuans and the people of Maguindanao will give them a heroes welcome…that si life with putot and tabba…
Tigas ng mukha mo Mercy! Huag kang aalis sa pwesto mo at talagang makapal ang mukha mo.
Truth Commission is forthcoming, similar to the one done in South Africa when the apartheid was abolished.
Another trial balloon by Gloria. Testing the reaction of the public with this pronouncement. Giving the people Abalos and Neri, but exonerating the principals. This Two do not have that much influenece / power to be able to make such a deal.
The Truth Commission would surely dig deeper into the shenanigans committed by this admin.
Spratly, MOA-AD, North and South Rail, DPWH – World Bank, Joc-Joc Fertilizer, The Maguindanao Massacre, etc…
A glimmer of hope is in the horizon. Noy is the torchbearer, we the people should provide the fuel in ensuring that the light from this torch does not fade nor lose it’s power. Lest we lose our way, yet again…
Noy’s presidency is attributed to the people. He is where he is presently (on presidency) because of the people, and in his pronouncements, both public and private, he wants to bring back the power to the people.
“…..Aquino repeatedly vowed during the presidential campaign to hold Ms Arroyo accountable for graft and corrupt practices during her presidency. The NBN scandal would be a good place to start such an enterprise. If the new probe body and a fresh group of prosecutors are able to build a strong case here, then the firewall Ms Arroyo built by appointing loyal friends to the judiciary and the prosecution service might come down quickly.”
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20100529-272810/Same-story