Engr. Dante Madriaga takes the floor, explains his involvement in the NBN project, and that he is a former consultant of ZTE. He says he was paid “allowance money” by the consortium, and that the rest would have been paid after the contract was approved. He says he went to the Senate to clear his name.
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Sen. Jingoy Estrada asks Banayo what was meant by “24 presidents” indicated in the diagram. “Meron ba tayong 24 presidents ngayon?” Jinggoy asks. Banayo replies that the 24 presidents refer to the 24 senators. “So ibig mong sabihin etong 24 presidents, yung mga senador ito?” Banayo replies in the affirmative. And then co-chair Sen. Cayetano quips: “That is all, President Estrada.”
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Sen Arroyo says he has been looking for the ZTE-NBN deal in the Neri diagram, and that he finds nothing pertaining to it. “If there is nothing in this diagram, then what are we discussing it for?” Arroyo asks. “I was also waiting for anything that would lead to the patriotic fund. Well, ‘evil’ was discussed. But what is the value of this testimony?”
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“The meeting of December 7 was preceded by another meeting on December 3,” says Banayo. “This was the first time we met Mr. Lozada. This was at Inagiku at the Shangri-La. He (Lozada) gave us some details, some background how this (NBN deal) was done and how he got into the picture. It was my impression that he wanted to speak out on the NBN scandal, so to speak.” Sen. Joker Arroyo interjects. He says Banayo should not be interpreting what Lozada felt at that time.
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The aide of Sen. Jamby Madrigal, who was also at the December 7 meeting, confirms Banayo’s testimony, from the oligarchic diagram to Neri’s statements. He says Neri did indeed say “She is evil” twice. First was matter of factly, he says, and then the second was while Neri was shaking his bowed head.
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“With a grimace or an expression of pain on his face, he said: ‘She is evil,’” Banayo says, quoting Neri. “And then he repeated in a softer tone: ‘She is evil.’”
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Banayo adds that Neri said control of the military, the police and the LGUs was crucial to the President’s survival. He says Neri was uncomfortable about answering anything about the NBN project, making segues to his diagram of oligarchic influence. “Then he segued to something which I thought was rather strange,” Banayo says. He says Neri talked about what happened to Manila Peninsula. He says Neri thought civil society and the church and the opposition were not out to remove the President. “Wala raw mangyayari,” Banayo says.
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Banayo proceeds to recount that Neri said control of Congress was crucial to the survival of the President. Banayo says Neri explained that JDV was outside the circle because after Joey de Venecia III’s testimony, the former speaker was no longer part of the circle of influence. He says Neri claimed Congress was in the Palace’s “pockets.” Banayo says Neri claimed media was closer or more sympathetic to the Senate than it is to Malacanang.
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Former secretary Lito Banayo takes the floor. He asks the page to distribute a diagram based on one scribbled by Sec. Romulo Neri during the December 7 “secret meeting” at AIM in Makati. He recounts details of their arrival, and shows their seating arrangement in a diagram. Banayo says Neri told them Tom Alcantara was “into oil smuggling.” Banayo shows a diagram based on Neri’s explanation, and which “national oligarchs” were close to the President. Manny Pangilinan and the Lopez family were outside the circle of national oligarchs because, he says, they were not “close to the President.”
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Lacson replies that he had been talking to Lozada even before he left. He says he merely wanted to preserve the goodwill he had with Lozada instead of having him arrested. “I was afraid that we would lose him as a witness,” he says. Enrile continues to quote Lacson from the record. “This is a very positive, unequivocal statement,” says Enrile. “Was there indeed such a promise? The distinguished senator knew all of these facts without disclosing them to the Senate.” Lacson says he cannot recall anymore, and that he does not need to disclose everything they gather. “I have been honest to our colleagues and I have been transparent all along.”
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