Manila, Philippines — House of Representatives Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said on Wednesday it would be up to former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo whether to testify in the graft case against former National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) director general Romulo Neri.

Neri is facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the cancelled $329-million national broadband network (NBN) project with Chinese firm ZTE Corp.

"I wouldn't want to preempt Mrs. Arroyo's lawyer, but it would be up to the former president if she wants to testify because she can invoke her right to self-incrimination," Lagman said.

Lagman said that the possible testimony of Mrs. Arroyo may be used against her in another possible case against her in connection with the NBN project.

Mrs. Arroyo had also been perceived as having been involved in irregularities in the project's approval, although she had cancelled the project in 2008 amidst allegations of bribery and overpricing among top officials in government and some of her former closest political allies.

Neri told Senate hearings on the NBN project that former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos had offered him P200 million so he would approve the project in favor of Chinese firm ZTE Corp.

Abalos had denied exerting influence to award the contract to ZTE Corp., saying that the Chinese government, which was funding the project through a loan with concessional rates, had the final say on which Chinese firm will undertake the project.

Neri also supposedly told Mrs. Arroyo about the bribery attempt, but he invoked executive privilege when asked by senators how Mrs. Arroyo responded to his supposed report on the bribery attempt.