A group of opposition party members have filed a complaint which accuses President Gloria Arroyo and several people close to her of being involved in a bribery scandal.
Oppositionists led by former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona Jr. filed Tuesday a graft complaint before the Ombudsman against President Gloria Arroyo and three others for alleged involvement in the $330-million broadband network project with China’s ZTE Corp.
The scandal is nothing new. It first came to public attention it became known that a contract between the government and Chinese broadband provider ZTE might have been marred by bribery. Opposition leaders claim that the contract constituted a misspending of the nation’s money and Arroyo has taken steps to cover up what exactly took place behind closed doors.
This is not the first time that a Philippine president has been accused of graft. Remember Mr. Estrada? As recently as 2004, there were allegations that Arroyo was involved in rigging the voting to assure she was elected for another term. Are these allegations just the opposition making noise and attempting to dislodge Arroyo and her party from power? There are more than a few criticisms of Arroyo, including the fact that The Philippines is second only to Iraq in the number of journalists killed last year. However, her economic policies have made her popular at home and her stance against terrorism makes her a favorite of the White House. It doesn’t look like Arroyo will be going anywhere soon.
Tags: Arroyo, bribery arroyo, Philippines, Scandal
