APPEARING as a prosecution witness, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia confirmed that then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and then Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos dined and played golf with the officials of the Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. in Shenzhen, China on November 2006 and later talked about the controversial national broadband project.

De Venecia took the witness stand at the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division in connection with the graft case filed against Abalos.

The former ally of the Arroyos confirmed that he joined the former President, Mike Arroyo and Abalos on a visit to the corporate headquarters in China where they had breakfast and played golf.

His testimony was part of the prosecution’s presentation of evidence in the graft trial of Abalos in connection with alleged intervention in the botched $329 million broadband network contract between the Philippine government and the ZTE.

“I am here to serve the ends of justice,” he said.

De Venecia told Assistant Special Prosecutor Jacinto dela Cruz, during direct examination, that he received an unexpected invitation from Mrs. Arroyo to play golf while he and his wife were on vacation in Hong Kong during the Halloween break of 2006.

“I didn’t ask where. I thought it was nearby. It was already when we were on the road that she said we were going to Shenzen,” De Venecia said.

De Venecia said he had no idea who were the people they meeting and learned later they were the city officials of Shenzen and officials of ZTE.

He added that they played golf with Abalos and “two or three” Chinese.

After the game, De Venecia said they were invited to have lunch at the ZTE headquarters.

The former House leader told the anti-graft court that he was “surprised” on seeing Abalos since he was not informed by the Arroyo couple about him.

On the other hand, he did not put malice in the presence of Abalos but only thought that the latter was an avid golfer and was there to play golf.

During lunch, he said a banker whose name he could no longer remember made a pitch that their bank was prepared and willing to provide a “concession loan” to a project proposal of the ZTE in the Philippines.

In separate graft charges filed last December against the Arroyos, former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Abalos, the Office of the Ombudsman said the golf game and lunch with ZTE officials constituted criminal offenses for the Arroyos because they exhibited unusual interest in the NBN project.

Prosecutor dela Cruz marked as evidence a controversial picture taken of the Arroyos, Abalos, De Venecia and a Chinese nationality on the golf course in China.

On cross examination by defense lawyer Gabriel Villareal, De Venecia admitted that his son, businessman Joey De Venecia III, had told him about his interest in bidding for the said broadband project as early as August 2006.