MANILA - Former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Romulo Neri said Friday that he is confident the Office of the Ombudsman will reconsider its ruling recommending graft charges against him in connection with the $329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with Chinese telecommunications firm, ZTE Corp.

"I'm surprised about the charges against me... What's wrong with playing golf with Chairman Abalos? What's wrong with having lunch with ZTE people?" Neri told ANC's Dateline Philippines in a long-distance phone interview on Friday.

The Office of the Ombudsman will be filing charges against Neri for violating Section 3(h) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Section 3(h) defines one of the prohibited acts for public officials: "Directly or indirectly having financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest."

Neri said he had no idea that Abalos would be offering him a bribe when they played golf at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country in Mandaluyong City.

He added there was also nothing wrong with joining a Chinese embassy-arranged lunch with ZTE Corp. officials since it was part of job as NEDA chief to meet parties involved in government projects.

"They interpreted my playing golf and having lunch as pecuniary interest?" he said, adding he was shocked by the Ombudsman's decision.

He said that before the lunch meeting with ZTE Corp. officials, he also had meetings with Chinese officials because of the Philippine government’s existing memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government on trade and commercial projects.

He said the Ombudsman cannot blame him for the allegedly anomalous contract because as NEDA chief, he was never involved in signing the contract. He clarified that the agency "only handles project evaluations."

Motion for reconsideration

Neri, who was still in Hong Kong during the ANC interview, said he will meet with his lawyers as soon as he arrives in Manila to draft a motion for reconsideration to be filed with the Ombudsman.

The former NEDA chief was dragged into the NBN-ZTE controversy after his friend, Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. named him as one of the people in government who knew about the bribery involved in the US$329-million broadband project.

Neri, currently president of the Social Security System (SSS), had testified at a Senate hearing that Abalos offered him a bribe by saying: "Sec, may 200 ka dito (Secretary, you have P200 million here)."

He also told senators that he informed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo about Abalos's bribe offer. He said he was advised to refuse the bribe, but declined to provide the Senate more details about his conversation with the Mrs. Arroyo regarding the botched broadband contract, citing executive privilege.''

Lozada had claimed that Abalos wanted a $130 million kickback from the deal, and that $70 million would go to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Abalos and Mr. Arroyo have denied the allegations.