MANILA, 23 February 2008 — A key witness in the corruption scandal hounding the Philippine government filed a kidnapping complaint yesterday against six officials allegedly involved in taking him from Manila’s airport to keep him from testifying in the Senate.
Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr., a former government consultant, has testified about alleged large-scale bribery in a $330 million government broadband contract with Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corp. that is under investigation by the opposition-dominated Senate. Lozada filed the kidnapping and attempted murder complaint against his former boss, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, national police chief Avelino Razon, airport security chief Angel Atutubo and three airport security officers.
Lawyers for Lozada said that the basis of the kidnapping and attempted murder complaint was his alleged abduction allegedly by government operatives on Feb. 5 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon his arrival from Hong Kong.
“He was taken without the knowledge of his family who are also waiting at the airport,” Theodore Te said.
The lawyers said that they also included attempted murder based on what they saw on the NAIA CCTV camera where Atutubo made a gesture of slitting his throat while escorting Lozada.
Lozada has become an icon after he came out to testify in the corruption scandal, which was first exposed by businessman Joey de Venecia, who said his group lost the bid to put up a National Broadband Network even though it was far cheaper than what ZTE offered.
Lozada confirmed de Venecia’s testimony that former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos and first gentleman Mike Arroyo lobbied for the ZTE.
Amid an alleged concerted effort by government functionaries to silence Lozada, church leaders, lawyers, along with business, academe, labor and youth groups have joined hands to help the witness and others who wish to expose the corruption scandal.
After filing the complaint yesterday, Lozada went straight to University of the Philippines-Diliman in Quezon City, skipping a hearing earlier scheduled at the Department of Justice which is also looking into the NBN case.
Reminiscent of the historic day when revolutionary general Emilio Aguinaldo stood in his balcony along side the Philippine flag 110 years ago, Lozada,answered queries from thousands of law students from the country’s top universities.
Answering questions during the “Advocacy for Sustained Accountability and Reform (Asar),” Lozada said there was a need for a “change in behavior” among the youth. “Be the change you want to see in the world” and urged the youth to join and be part of the political situation, he said, borrowing a quote.
He also said that speaking the truth had “saved him and not the other way around.”
A flag ceremony welcomed Lozada who raised the Philippine flag as students sang the national anthem, led by Lorybeth Serrano, president of the UP law student government, and Ralph Calinisan, president of the Ateneo Law Student Council.
A candle lighting ceremony followed Lozada’s meeting with the students, who aside from those in UP and Ateneo, included law students from the University of the East, De La Salle University, University of Sto. Tomas, and Far Eastern University.
The country top two generals, meanwhile, told opposition groups yesterday to stop asking soldiers to join calls for the overthrow of Arroyo amid a corruption scandal. “Do not ask us to intervene,” Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, the country’s military chief, said. “The more the military intervenes, the more the country’s democratic institutions become weak.”
Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, the head of the army who will succeed Esperon as military chief in May, echoed Esperon’s call: “We can’t just intervene every time there’s a political problem,” he said.
Civil society groups backed by some Catholic bishops, students and some members of the business community, have been calling for Arroyo to quit after allegations of $130 million worth of kickbacks in a state telecoms deal with China’s ZTE.
Political analysts, however, say Arroyo’s position is secure because the powerful Catholic Church has failed to come out directly against her and she enjoys the support of the military, whose top brass often get government jobs upon retirement.
The army has played key roles in the overthrow of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and former president Joseph Estrada in 2001 but rogue officers have also mounted over a dozen failed coup bids, including three against Arroyo.
Yesterday, former President Fidel Ramos slammed official corruption in the Philippines but like his predecessor Corazon Aquino stopped short of directly criticizing Arroyo, whose final term runs out in 2010. “History might yet call us to come together again — to offer our lives and fortunes on the altar of our civil leaders,” Ramos said in a wreath-laying ceremony at Manila’s Heroes Cemetery ahead of the anniversary of Marcos’ overthrow on Monday.
Anti-Arroyo groups are planning to hold demonstrations on Monday and next yesterday and organizers hope that a slow-burn campaign, including prayer rallies and teach-ins at universities, will encourage bigger numbers to take to the streets. Around 10,000 people protested against Arroyo last week, the biggest demonstration since 2005 when tens of thousands rallied against her amid allegations she cheated in 2004 elections.
But the crowds are still a fraction of the hundreds of thousands that marched against Estrada and the 1 million who famously stopped Marcos’ tanks in their tracks.
Local Officials
In an effort to drum up support for beleaguered Arroyo, some Mindanao governors held meetings with their mayors and other local officials.
In Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, Gov. George Hofer said the consultations with mayors and other local officials were made at the behest of Malacañang.
Hofer said during a meeting attended by governors in Cagayan de Oro City last week, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales also asked them to keep the people’s support for Arroyo.
Misamis Occidental Governor Loreto Leo Ocampos, president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), however contradicted Hofer’s claim saying the initiative to ask the people to continue supporting the president did not come from the Palace.
Ocampos said it was finalized after he shared to other local government leaders his idea of consulting the people.
The League of Cities of the Philippines, Ocampos added, also had a similar initiative. “We, too, want all these scandals resolved peacefully. If the evidence warrant (it), bring the case to court. But please let us not usher in another period of political instability,” Ocampos said.
In Lanao del Norte, Gov. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, met yesterday with his mayors, village and Sangguniang Kabataan officials, and came out with a manifesto declaring full support to the president. (Additional input from Inquirer News Service & Agencies)
