Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. welcomes the planned House investigation of the joint-venture agreement (JVA) between IBC-TV 13 and R-II Builders as it would give him a chance to apprise lawmakers on the current situation of the deal, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda made the statement in a news briefing, when asked for comment on the move of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to inquire into the JVA.

“Secretary Coloma…said he will welcome any investigation. It will again provide him an opportunity to explain the situation between the IBC 13 and the R-II Builders’ JVA,” Lacierda said.

He said Coloma “is willing to appear before any investigation before the Congress to explain his side or explain the situation.”

Lacierda also said based on Coloma’s request, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. “will be convening a meeting between the officials concerned with this project and will meet with the President.”

Coloma earlier requested Ochoa to call for a meeting of the concerned agencies—the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, and the Presidential Commission on Good Government—with the PCOO to “clarify and harmonize” the government position on the JVA.

The OSG earlier nullified the JVA but Coloma said he could not void the deal without due consultations with the stakeholders, including the IBC 13 employees who are the intended beneficiaries of the deal.

The deal has been described as “grossly disadvantageous” to the government as the 3.64-hectare lot was only valued at P9,999 per square meter, despite its prime location. Coloma had said part of the ongoing review of the JVA is the valuation of the lot, with the end-in-view of securing for the government a better deal.