MANILA, Philippines - Former President and current Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and husband Jose Miguel will be summoned by the Sandiganbayan to testify against former National Economic and Development Authoirty (NEDA) director-general Romulo Neri.

The summoning of Arroyo was announced during the pre-trial of Neri and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos on Monday in connection with the National Broadband Network-ZTE scandal.

Arroyo spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn said they have yet to receive official communication about the matter.

Abalos and Neri are both facing graft cases in connection with the botched deal.

In May, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of the charges after finding “sufficient evidence” to tag Abalos and Neri in the controversy. It upheld an August 2009 decision finding that they violated provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act as well as the Revised Penal Code.

Abalos resigned amid calls he offered bribe money for the passage of the ZTE Corp.-led NBN project.

Neri, then National Economic Development Authority director general, allegedly “acquiesced” to attending lunch meetings and conferences with the ZTE officials even if his office was still reviewing the contract.

The penalty for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act rangers from 6 years and 1 day imprisonment to 15 years plus a fine. With reports from Atom Araullo and RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News