MANILA, 11 February 2008 — Roman Catholic bishops and former President Corazon Aquino have expressed support yesterday for two officials who exposed allegations of large-scale corruption in the Philippine government, urging Filipinos to back efforts to uncover the truth.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) praised former House Speaker Jose de Venecia and a government consultant, Rodolfo Lozada Jr., for bringing to public attention a bribery scandal that implicated President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s husband and a resigned election official.
On Saturday, Mrs. Aquino visited Lozada at the Senate, where he is being secured, to give him encouragement and moral support.
The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic, and the church played key roles in the nonviolent revolts that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and President Joseph Estrada in 2001 over allegations of massive corruption and misrule.
In the latest instance the bishops, led by Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, called de Venecia and Lozada “courageous” for exposing “the high level of graft and corruption.”
“Their public confession may be considered a providential event that may yet save our country from being hostage to scandalous and shady government deals,” Lagdameo said in a statement posted on the website of the bishops’ group.
“Our country has too long been captive to the corruption of people in governance,” he said. “We have to confess that corruption is, in truth, our greatest shame as a people.” Lagdameo urged the Philippines to back religious groups’ efforts to uncover the truth behind the alleged corruption and to join protest prayers.
“This truth challenges us now to communal action,” he said.
De Venecia, 71, was the longest-serving speaker of the powerful House of Representatives. Arroyo’s dominant allies removed him from the post in a Feb. 5 vote.
Arroyo’s alliance with de Venecia frayed last year when his son, Jose “Joey” de Venecia III — a losing bidder in a government broadband contract — told a Senate inquiry that Arroyo’s husband had been promised a $70 million kickback from the deal. Her husband, Jose “Mike” Miguel Arroyo, denied the allegation.
De Venecia stood by his son’s allegations, and claims he has knowledge of cheating in the 2004 presidential elections that Arroyo won.
Libel Suit
Lozada, a government consultant for the $330 million broadband contract, told a Senate inquiry last week that Benjamin Abalos, a former elections chief, allegedly acted as a broker for the deal and threatened to kill him if he did not obtain a kickback of about $130 million for him from the deal. Abalos denied the charge and threatened to sue Lozada for libel.
Abalos’ lawyer, Salvador Panelo, told reporters in a press conference, that they were set to ask the Senate for the videotape and transcript of Lozada’s testimony on the broadband contract with the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. in preparing their libel suit against Lozada.
“We are preparing an affidavit complaint against him (Lozada). We will sue him for libel based on his testimony imputing a crime againstAbalos,” said Panelo.
“We will also file a case of perjury against him because he lied under oath (in the Senate).” Abalos came out swinging in his defense, saying he was not fazed by the fact that three witnesses have pinned him down in the Senate for brokering the NBN deal and trying to wangle a $130-million kickback from the project.
The former poll chairman said Lozada’s testimony was “riddled with inconsistencies.” To discredit Lozada, Abalos zeroed in on the former consultant’s claim that he and Abalos met in September 2006 during which Abalos allegedly tried to force a loan agreement for the NBN project that would include his $130-million kickback.
Lozada testified that a day after that meeting, a letter from the Chinese ambassador was sent to Malacañang, approving a loan package for the NBN deal. To disprove this, Abalos showed to reporters the purported letter from the Chinese embassy, dated “December 2, 2006,” not September as Lozada said.
“You can see from here that Lozada’s statement should crumble,” Abalos argued.
Abalos also decried the conspiracy against him and first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. He accused the De Venecias of trying to destroy him because of his failure to get the NBN contract for the younger De Venecia, who was a “bad shot” to the Chinese.
In an unexpected turnaround, Malacañang has decided it will no longer block the appearance in the Senate of all the ranking government officials implicated in the testimony of Lozada.
“I suppose that’s the only way we can better address the things he (Lozada) said. They have to be refuted,” said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.
This means that the officials concerned will not be invoking Executive Order No. 464, which bars executive branch and military officials from appearing before congressional inquiries without the-approval of President Arroyo.
Invoking national security and the public interest, the president issued EO 464 in September 2005, the same day that two military officers were scheduled to testify at a Senate inquiry into alleged election cheating in Mindanao during the 2004 election. Other executive branch officials have since routinely invoked EO 464 to avoid a congressional appearance.
Ermita said allowing the members of the Senate and the public to hear the side of Arroyo’s aides.
Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr. and Commission on Higher Education Chair Romulo Neri, among others, would “provide a clearer picture” of the latest development in the NBN-ZTE controversy.
“By listening to them, we will also see the underlying reasons, the motives for all these statements and what’s behind this drama that unfolded before us,” said Ermita.
“Let the truth come out. I’m very sure the truth will come out,” he said.
Arroyo Quiet But Hurting
An aide, meanwhile, said President Arroyo is hurting but has chosen to take the attacks against the first family quietly.
“She feels really bad. They always insist on trying to implicate (the first family),” said Remedios “Medy” Poblador, the Palace secretary for special concerns, in an interview.
Poblador said the president felt that her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, was being unfairly linked to the allegedly irregular $329-million NBN-ZTE deal.
Arroyo earlier ordered the Department of Justice to investigate after Lozada came out and implicated the president’s husband in the NBN deal.
Last year, Arroyo ordered the same department to look into the case when Joey de Venecia first exposed it, but apparently no investigation was ever conducted.
Arroyo had sought to end the NBN controversy by scrapping the deal but Lozada’s revelations has revived it. (With input from AP & Inquirer News Service)
