|
Several administration figures presented themselves to the Senate
Monday as the joint inquiry on the ZTE-NBN controversy was resumed.
Led by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, the witnesses disputed
the allegation that so-called whistle-blower Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr.
was snatched by government operatives upon his arrival on February 5
from Hong Kong.
Actually, even before the officials gave
testimony, observers were already bothered by glaring
inconsistencies in the “kidnapping” scenario—notwithstanding
Loazada’s insistence that he was picked up by men he did not know
and brought out of the airport against his will.
For one, the police who met Lozada at the
airport neither seized nor prevented him from using his, not just
one, but two cell phones. Through those phones, Lozada was free to
communicate with his relatives, his pal CHEd chairman Romulo Neri
and presumably others throughout his purported “involuntary
disappearance.”
For another, at his own request, Lozada
was brought to La Salle Green Hills in Mandaluyong. There, he was
placed under the protection of the Christian brothers and nuns from
various congregations summoned by the school’s officials.
Finally, Lozada was able to hold a press
conference at LSGH on the second day of his supposed kidnapping.
Loud insistence
Why then was there such loud insistence by the
senators—who evidently have already prejudged the topic of inquiry
even though their probe is ongoing—about Lozada’s kidnapping?
At the Senate Monday, Atienza noted that during
an earlier hearing when the senators decided to issue a warrant for
Lozada’s arrest, Sen. Panfilo Lacson expressed serious
misgivings—saying it would only dissuade the prospective witness
and others from coming forward.
Still, Lacson was able to assure his colleagues
that he was confident Lozada would make his appearance in future
hearings.
Prior to recent developments, public interest in
the NBN-ZTE inquiry was in serious danger of evaporating. Even a
newspaper report—later proven untrue—that Jose Miguel Arroyo,
the President’s husband, had spat at Lozada failed to revive
popular excitement for the issue.
But when it was reported that Lozada had been
snatched to prevent him from testifying, the Senate inquiry was
again at the center of national attention.
Atienza seemed ready to explore this point
further early on in the hearing Monday, but Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
cut short any further discussion on the matter. Only later in the
day did Sen. Lacson—reacting to the DENR chief’s
insinuation—acknowledge that he had held several meetings with
Lozada as early as December.
Atienza told the senators that he only decided
to help Lozada after he approached him for help. According to the
DENR chief, Lozada had said he feared the prospect of appearing
before the Senate joint inquiry into the abortive contract.
Atienza said he merely granted Lozada’s wish.
But Atienza said he felt “violated” that after extending help he
was later portrayed as part of the conspiracy to snatch Lozada.
The rejoinders to the alleged kidnapping of
Lozada were persuasive. Whether they are enough to cast doubt on his
other statements regarding the ZTE-NBN deal is another matter.
Summon Chinese
Lacson did bring up another senator’s
suggestion, which had been virtually snowed under by the
much-publicized sidebar on the alleged Lozada kidnapping.
Lacson recalled that Senate Minority
Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. had said Chinese officials should be
made to appear before the inquiry to shed light on their
government’s role in the NBN project.
“The Blue Ribbon Committee should now subpoena
ZTE chairman Fu Yong and commercial attaché Fan Yang, who should
shed his diplomatic immunity, if any,” Pimentel said. “If they
refuse to appear before the Senate, the government should deport Fu
and declare Fan persona non grata.”
He said that Fu had previously been summoned by
the blue-ribbon committee but he failed to show up, with the members
of the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms unable to even locate
his address in the Philippines.
Pimentel said Fu and Fan would also be asked on
the allegation that former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos had
already received a portion of his alleged “commission” from ZTE
even before its project proposal was approved by the Philippine
government.
Unfortunately, both Fu and Fan were last
reported to have already left the Philippines.
The allegation of a kickback was first revealed
by Jose de Venecia 3rd of losing bidder Amsterdam Holdings Corp. in
his testimony before the Senate last year. The same information was
given by Lozada when he took the witness stand during the Senate
hearing last week.
The shareholders of ZTE, which is listed in both
the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges, would probably be
curious as well to find out the truth behind the payoff allegation.
After all, $130 million is not peanuts.
If true, it is their money that was spent to
bribe Philippine officials—yet, no reports have surfaced thus far
about the ZTE shareholders’ concern. Strange.
|
