Roxas slams planned NEDA policy vs. free information

Senator Mar Roxas condemned the reported plan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to draft guidelines limiting access to information amid the people’s search for truth behind the National Broadband Network (NBN) debacle.

The Liberal Party President said the NEDA’s move to craft such policy, as reported by BusinessMirror newspaper Friday, runs counter to the people’s outcry for the government to come clean and reveal the truth on the botched ZTE Corp. contract.

“Such moves are against the principles of sound market system where the free and transparent flow of information on the economy and the Government’s development programs, is indispensable to business confidence and decision-making,” he said.

“Moreover, this also runs against the quest of truth and justice, at a time that the people are deeply indignant about the ZTE-NBN deal, here comes NEDA rubbing salt on the wound,” he said.

“Talaga bang manhid na ang administrasyon sa nag-uumapaw nang galit ng sambayanan?” he stressed.

“Are they so numb with power and arrogance already that they continue to stonewall the truth and ignore the people’s outrage?"

Roxas said NEDA should not complicate the situation by issuing such guidelines, especially as the Supreme Court is set to hear the issues on executive privilege on March 4. He said Malacañang should immediately reject the said guidelines once NEDA submits these for approval.

“Ang panawagan ko sa Pangulo: huwag aprubahan ang mga guidelines na ito ng NEDA. Lalo lamang gugulo ang magulo na nating sitwasyon,” he said.

Roxas and fellow Liberal Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, have filed a case before the High Court to compel NEDA to submit all documents on the NBN of the NEDA-Investments Coordinating Council; and with his NBN probe co-chairmen, a counter-case before the Supreme Court to order Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Romulo Neri to appear before the Senate. Both question the government’s application of executive privilege.

He has also made a call to the President to “save the Republic” by taking concrete steps to uphold the truth: revoke Executive Order 464 and order all her officials to appear before the Senate and submit all relevant documents, under pain of suspension.