ROXAS: LIE DETECTOR TEST PART OF THE "PEOPLE'S PROCESS" IN SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

Senator Mar Roxas said he would help in finding the truth among the witnesses' various testimonies and documented evidence in the National Broadband Network (NBN) controversy, by administering lie detector tests.

He said that since the Senate witnesses--Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, Rodolfo Lozada, Dante Madriaga and Leo San Miguel--have agreed to undertake polygraph examinations to prove their testimonies, it is only logical to proceed with the tests so the public will see and hear who are being faithful to the truth.

"Polygraph tests are used all over the world as a standard for measuring the veracity of information and aiding investigators to focus the direction and intensity of their efforts," he said.

"This is part of the people's process in the search for the truth, which runs alongside the Senate's investigation or that of the courts. It is not meant to take the place of the legal process, but to supplement it and satisfy the people's right to know," he said.

Roxas, co-chairman of the Joint Senate Committees investigating the NBN, said his office is now looking for the best polygraph services available abroad, preferably within the region, so that the ZTE-NBN probe can be reinforced through a legitimate, credible technical tool.

"We're forced to think of extraordinary ways to arrive at the truth, because of the administration's continued coverup. Ang mga pangkaraniwang pamamaraan para dito ay patuloy na hinahadlangan ng administrasyon," he said.

"At habang hinihintay natin ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema tungkol sa executive privilege, ito ay hakbang para makita natin kung sino ang dapat paniwalaan," he said.

"We have Lozada going around the country in a speaking tour, making the youth aware of the importance of getting to the bottom of this issue. And I am now looking for an established polygraph expert to administer the lie detector tests for the same reason. This is the people's business and they must have access to the truth in whatever manner they can," he added.

He noted that while the hearings have brought out various witnesses, "there were some things that do not fit in the jigsaw puzzle." Among these were San Miguel's claims to have been part of the technical aspects of the project, but being unable to confirm any incidents of corruption despite being in the presence of those allegedly involved such as former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos.