The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Monday said he is not inclined to receive the alleged P500,000 bribe given to former Speaker Jose de Venecia by a Palace emissary last year.

In an interview, CBCP president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said he does not know the history of the money although it could be one of the "cash gifts" given by Malacañang to congressmen who would endorse, and then dismiss, a weak impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.

"Decision on this matter on the part of CBCP would need consultation with the Permanent Council. But considering the source and intent of the money, which smacks of bribery, the CBCP will refuse to handle such amount as it is tainted with corruption," Lagdameo said.

He added that he will refuse the money even if de Venecia insists on giving it.

"It is praiseworthy of former Speaker Jose de Venecia to have revealed that he in fact was offered such amount. Since JDV may not be alone in this issue, I hope and pray that others too will have the same courage to expose similar conduct for the love of the country," Lagdameo said.

De Venecia earlier told congressmen that his refusal to endorse the complaint cost him the Speakership and the presidency of Lakas-CMD, the party he co-founded with former president Fidel Ramos.

During the hearing on the new impeachment complaint against Arroyo, de Venecia confirmed that he received a P500,000 bribe from Malacañang to endorse the complaint.

He said he did not touch the money but will turn it over to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo and Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Gabriela party list Rep. Liza Maza supported de Venecia's claim and said bribery among top government officials should stop in order to effect change in government.

Maza cited various reports that linked Malacañang to bribery including the alleged distribution of P500,000 "cash gifts" to congressmen and governors in October 2007.

"On October 11, 2007, there was a breakfast meeting at Malacanang, including President Arroyo and around 189 congressmen. At the same time, a meeting was also called by the President for local government officials. According to reports, and as to what the public has already seen via media live footage, the officials went out of the meeting bringing paper bags," she said.

By October 15 of the same year, governors Ed Panlilio (Pampanga) and Joselito Mendoza (Bulacan) confirmed in a press conference that they have received P500,000 after the breakfast meeting at the Palace. Panlilio stated that public funds may have been used for the alleged bribery scandal.

Secret meeting

De Venecia, a former close ally of President Arroyo, also accused her of having direct knowledge of a controversial nationwide broadband deal involving Chinese company ZTE.

Testifying before the House of Representatives, congressman Jose de Venecia said Arroyo had given her approval to the deal after a secret meeting in the state-run firm's headquarters in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in 2006.

The ZTE scandal forms the main basis in the latest bid to impeach Arroyo over corruption. Arroyo is also accused of diverting public funds for her campaign, as well as large-scale human rights abuses.

The House Justice committee is to hear on Tuesday the side of Arroyo's supporters and on Wednesday debates will be launched on whether or not to throw out the case.

Political analysts, however, say Arroyo controls the House and that it is unlikely the impeachment bid will succeed.

De Venecia's son, Joey, lost out on the bid for the broadband contract last year and testified before a previous senate hearing alleging widespread corruption and massive overpricing of the 329-million-dollar deal.

It was his testimony, political observers say, that cost his father the speaker's chair, which he had held for more than a decade. De Venecia lost the chair in a vote earlier this year to a close Arroyo ally.

Backroom negotiations

In his testimony Monday, Jose de Venecia said Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and former elections chief Benjamin Abalos, brokered "backroom negotiations" that led to ZTE getting the lucrative contract, which was later cancelled by Arroyo.

He said his son was later told to back off and offered a 10-million-dollar bribe to quietly withdraw.

"Now, pray tell me, what is the president of the Philippines doing there at the ZTE headquarters? Pray tell me, what is the husband of the president doing there (in the company of those) bidding for a massive project in the Philippines?," de Venecia said, and showed a picture of the first couple during a golf trip in Shenzhen.

"Let me say to you, my colleagues in the House of Representatives, that pictures do not lie," he said in his first congressional appearance to address the issue.

"President Arroyo has to do a lot of answering," he said.

De Venecia said Arroyo had also bribed congressmen with huge amounts to kill the impeachment bid, while he and his son have been receiving death threats.

Arroyo spokesman Anthony Golez said de Venecia's testimony was self-serving, and denied the accusations.

"We recognize the congressman's sour-graping and we can see that he is still hurting over his ouster as House Speaker by the vast majority of his colleagues," Golez said. "The president never bribes anybody."

He stressed that Arroyo had already cancelled the contract when the scandal first broke.