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Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr. conceded he is no saint and that he
merely wanted to save his soul that was tainted by years of public
service under the Arroyo administration.
“I was trying to save my soul. I didn’t know
that it would save this country’s soul,” said Lozada, a witness
in the Senate’s inquiry into the controversial broadband network
deal. He spoke after Mass on Sunday at De La Salle school in
Greenhills, San Juan City, organized by former President Corazon
Aquino. Some 5,000 people attended, including former House Speaker
Jose de Venecia Jr., opposition members and business leaders.
In his Senate testimonies, Lozada accused former
elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. of demanding a $130-million
kickback from the deal and also alleged that the President’s
husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, took part in backroom
negotiations for the contract. They deny the charges.
After Mass, Lozada addressed the crowd and said
he was humbled by people’s support, saying he thought he stood
alone against the government.
Lozada said he was bothered by the questions
posed by his children about the pressure from the administration and
death threats from unidentified people. “Papa, if it’s true that
you did well for the country, why is it we are on the run?” he
quoted one of his children.
In Filipino, Lozada asked for help. He added
that he hopes that Filipinos who are Christians should learn to
teach their children what is right and to be proud if they do
something good for the country.
Aquino said she will not grow tired of calling
for reforms and leading people to moral ascendancy, urging Filipinos
to unite once again and to rally behind people who reveal the truth
and fight corruption.
She added that she feels compelled to pursue her
advocacies, because the Philippines is the only country that she
loves.
Fr. Manuel “Manoling” Francisco, the Jesuit
priest who officiated the Mass, said the clerics and the De La Salle
brothers will continue protecting Lozada from harassment from those
he implicated in the scrapped $330-million project.
“We hope that by our presence here you may
find some consolation,” Francisco said. “Jun, be assured that
your solitude is no longer isolation as we profess our solidarity
with you.”
“We are committed to stay the course and do
our best to protect you and your family and the truth that you have
proclaimed.”
Calls for resignation
Some 60 former secretaries of the
administrations of Aquino, former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Fidel
Ramos and Joseph Estrada and even President Arroyo’s called
on Cabinet members to resign. Former ambassador to the US Albert del
Rosario read the manifesto.
It was sent to media right after the Mass and
was read in front of the entrance gate of De La Salle, where
government had recently installed a closed circuit
camera—supposedly to monitor traffic. Critics say it was put there
to monitor antigovernment activities.
The scene at the end of the Mass was reminiscent
of the anti-Marcos and anti-Estrada protests. People sang the
popular “Bayan Ko,” with people raising a clenched fist.
Palace calls for calm
Malacañang appealed to the public not to
hastily judge the administration based on allegations made by Lozada
and others critical of President Arroyo. The appeal came after the
Mass organized by Aquino.
Deputy Press Secretary Lorelei Fajardo said the
Mass is a democratic exercise of religious freedom, adding that the
country needs a healthy dose of prayers. But she said that in
searching for the truth, “we should have an open mind and exercise
sobriety and fairness in appreciating the motives of certain
individuals and groups.”
Fajardo said “disunity and discord” will
only “bring the country down” at a time when the government is
making headway in moving the economy forward and fighting poverty.
In a radio interview Sunday, Cabinet Secretary
Ricardo Saludo said judgment of the charges made should be based on
“due process,” adding that the Church should not to become too
emotional.
Senate probe today
Details about the “meeting that never
happened” in December could be unraveled when the Senate
blue-ribbon committee resumes its inquiry into the broadband
deal today.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Lozada had previously
refused to give details of the meeting with former Director General
Romulo Neri of the National Economic and Development Authority
because of a commitment not to talk about it. Sen. Jamby Madrigal
was also in the meeting where Neri supposedly detailed how some
people made money out of the broadband project and other government
contracts.
This commitment, however, might change with
Neri’s acknowledgment that such a meeting had indeed taken place
and that he had uttered some words against the Arroyo
administration.
Lacson said the many gaps in the Senate inquiry
will be filled once it becomes known how and why the original intent
of a build-operate-transfer financing scheme for broadband deal
suddenly became a loan with sovereign guarantee.
-- Francis Earl A. Cueto, Angelo S. Samonte And Efren L. Danao
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