KIKO TO NEDA: PRODUCE NBN DOCUMENTS OR ELSE...
"We will cite NEDA officials in contempt if need be!"

Senate Majority Leader Kiko Pangilinan today strongly criticized the National Economic Development Authority's (NEDA) refusal to submit documents related to the corruption-tainted multi-million national broadband network project.

"NEDA's refusal to submit official documents is totally unacceptable. It violates the constitutional right of the people to information and it impairs and undermines the Congressional power of investigation in aid of legislation under the constitution."

NEDA officials invoked "executive privilege" in their defiance to a Senate subpoena to submit the documents containing the minutes of a meeting wherein its former head and now Commission on Higher Education (Ched) Chairman Romulo Neri supposedly rejected the NBN ZTE project's approval.

"We need to know if there were laws violated in the processing of the contract and if so, who ordered these officials to violate these laws and why. Only by making these officials account for their acts can we avoid a repeat of irregularities in the other government to government transactions involving billions of taxpayers' money."

Kiko said the Senate Blue Ribbon committee should compel Acting NEDA Director-General Augusto Santos to produce the controversial document, and "and if they refuse, we will not hesitate to enforce our rules to ensure compliance."

"If need be we will cite NEDA officials in contempt and have them arrested and detained until they comply."

Kiko stressed that Executive 464 cannot be used by Palace officials to infringe the Constitutional duty of the Senate to act as check and balance on a wayward Executive Branch.

"Executive privilege most certainly cannot be used to cover up for wrongdoing most especially if the wrongdoing is committed by the officials in the highest echelons of government. No one is above the law, and this includes the President."