“My son is telling the truth”, says Gina de Venecia
Leaves fate to destiny
Mrs. Gina de Venecia, wife of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. is steadfast in her support of her stepson, Joey, the whistleblower in the controversial National Broadband Network project.
Mrs. De Venecia said although they and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are friends, “I also have to look out for my son because my son is telling the truth.”
The 47-year old Jose de Venecia III, son of Speaker de Venecia by his first marriage to the former Victoria Perez, came out in the open and named First Gentleman Mike Arroyo as the man who told him to back off in the NBN project.
“Let destiny decide for us,” said Mrs. De Venecia adding, “The events are unfolding fast and we pray God and destiny to lead us where we are meant to go.”
De Venecia III is the major stockholder of Amsterdam Holdings Inc., among the multinational companies that submitted a bid to the NBN project, which was eventually awarded to the Chinese firm ZTE.
He also accused Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos of trying to bribe him with $10 million in connection with the project.
Mrs. De Venecia, president of the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI), said before de Venecia III made his testimony before the Senate, she told him to think it over because his revelation might put the family at risk, threaten the Speakership of his father and be subjected to a lot of black propaganda.
But Joey told her that he was reared by his father to tell the truth, and that was exactly what he did, Mrs. De Venecia told newsmen after gracing the Sari-Sari Store Livelihood Fair at the CSI Jimmy Fernandez Center in Lucao, Dagupan City.
“As a mother who am I to stop him?” said Mrs. De Venecia.
She added, “Ang sinasabi po ni Joey ay walang dagdag, walang bawas (What Joey was saying was the plain truth).”
Mrs. De Venecia admitted that since after Joey’s testimony before the joint committees in the Senate investigating the ZTE contract, her family had been receiving threats through the phone, text messages and letters, aside from the black propaganda thrown at Speaker de Venecia.
Describing Joey as a humble person with no inclination whatsoever in politics, Mrs. De Venecia said in making his testimony, the younger de Venecia “would just like the Filipino people and the future generation to have a better life”.
She admitted that she feels sad because Arroyo was like her sister and knows that the President was affected when the name of the First Gentleman was mentioned by Joey.
“How can I tell my son to lie? I can’t tell him to tell a lie,” she said, her voice rising.
Asked if her husband can continuously be assured of the support of the majority of the congressmen in the House of Representatives so he will stay on as Speaker, Mrs. De Venecia said: “The congressmen, I am sure, will side with the truth at the end of the day.”—LM
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