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Whistleblower Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr. was arrested on
Wednesday on perjury charges and detained at the Manila Police
District (MPD) headquarters after refusing to post the P6,000 bail
for his temporary liberty.
He was picked up by police at La Salle
Greenhills in San Juan City (Metro Manila) around 2:45 p.m. Clad in
a black shirt with a portrait of National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal on it,
Lozada was accompanied by Sister Mary John Mananzan and other nuns
from the Order of Saint Benedict from the school to the jail.
Lozada surrendered after his lawyer Jose Manuel
Diokno arrived and made sure that the legal process was observed.
At the police headquarters on United Nations
Avenue in Manila, he told reporters that he was ready to face the
allegations against him and that it saddened him that the alleged
culprits behind the controversial P330-million broadband deal were
spared from any charges.
“Masama talaga ang loob ko kasi parang wala
talaga akong aasahan na patas na laban sa gobyerno [I feel bad
because it seems that I cannot hope for a fair treatment from the
government],” Lozada said.
He had linked President Gloria Arroyo’s
husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, to the allegedly graft-tainted
broadband deal between the Philippine government and China’s ZTE
Corp. But Mr. Arroyo denied the allegations.
Lozada was arrested by Chief Insp. Rolando
Balasabas of the Manila police’s Warrant and Subpoena Section and
his men who were armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Jorge
Emmanuel Lorredo of Manila Trial Court Branch 26.
Lorredo was the same presiding judge before
whose courtroom Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim had filed a motion for
recognizance that would make Lim as guarantor of Lozada attending
trial of the perjury charges. The motion was denied.
No bail to be posted
Balasabas said that they did not handcuff Lozada,
because he was very cooperative to them. Besides, Mananzan had
requested so. The arresting officers had read the whistleblower the
Miranda doctrine.
“He will not post bail as a sign of protest
against the government,” Mananzan said. Lozada himself also said
so earlier.
Also present during the arrest were Sen. Allan
Peter Cayetano, Renato Reyes of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Leah
Navarro of the Black and White Movement, Cibac party- list Rep. Joel
Villanueva and other Lozada supporters.
“Ayos naman ang pakikitungo sa akin ng mga
kagawad ng MPD. Wala naman silang nalabag na batas kaya
nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila [The MPD people treated me nicely. They
did not violate any law in arresting me so I am thankful to
them],” the whistleblower said.
Adequate protection
The police district director, Chief Supt.
Rodolfo Magtibay, said that Lozada would be treated accordingly
during detention.
“Safe siya dito at sisiguruhin namin na wala
kaming batas na lalabagin [He is safe here, and we will ensure that
we will not break any law],” Magtibay added.
Lozada had undergone medical check-up before he
was fingerprinted by Balasabas’ men.
Mananzan of the Association of Major Religious
Superiors of the Philippines also assured that they would not leave
Lozada. As night fell, she and the other supporters of the
whistleblower started a vigil outside the police headquarters.
Militant Bayan Muna members said that they would join the vigil.
Palace perspective
Malacañang also on Wednesday said that it sees
nothing wrong if nuns and students protest against the arrest of
Lozada as long as they respect the law, Cabinet Secretary Silvestre
Bello 3rd told a press briefing.
Press Secretary and acting Executive Secretary
Cerge Remonde said the government would not dip its hands in the
matter since the Vatican already ordered the clergy to stay away
from politics.
He and Bello said senators “must be the first
ones to know the systems of checks and balances among the three
branches of government.” The senators investigated the alleged
corruption that had tainted the broadband deal.
Remonde denied reports saying that Malacañang
had influenced the issuance of the arrest warrant against Lozada.
He also belied reports saying he that he talked
to Michael Defensor, convincing him to withdraw the case against
Lozada. He said that he just asked Defensor about the development of
the case he filed against the whistle-blower.
Perjury charge
The Manila Trial Court Branch 26 earlier
dismissed the perjury case filed by Defensor, President Arroyo’s
former chief of staff, but the ruling was reversed by Judge Cicero
Jurado Jr. of Branch 11 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila.
Lozada said Defensor had forced him to lie about
his supposed kidnapping by government officials when he returned to
the Philippines from Hong Kong in February 2008.
Defensor said he would not withdraw the case
unless Lozada retracted his statement implicating him in the
broadband deal. The deal had been canceled by the President over the
allegations of corruption, including bribery.
He and his family were reported to be set to fly
to the United States for a two-week vacation. Defensor denied that
he was escaping from the issue, saying the trip had long been
planned.
Senate security
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile ordered
withdrawal of the Senate security for Lozada immediately after the
arrest of the whistleblower.
“The jurisdiction of the court is superior to
ours,” he said, adding that the Senate’s security personnel
could not possibly join Lozada in jail.
Enrile earlier reduced the security detail for
Lozada from four to two men. The detail was provided after Lozada
claimed that his life was in danger because of his testimony before
the Senate blue-ribbon committee on the botched broadband deal.
“Lozada’s security is costing a lot of the
people’s money. His travels, gasoline, food, all are paid for by
the Senate,” he said.
Enrile added that the Senate would review the
continuation of the Senate security should Lozada be released on
bail and the reported threats to his life persisted.
“But if he refuses to post bail, that is up to
him. If he wants to sacrifice himself at the altar of what he
considers to be the truth and justice, that is his prerogative,”
he said.
Enrile contended that Lozada had to answer the
charges leveled against him before the courts.
“Nobody is immune from the net of the law if
there is a violation. I am not saying he is guilty. He has to defend
himself in the proper forum. It’s not the public who will
judge,” he said.
Sen. Richard Gordon said that the Senate had
already finished its investigation of the broadband deal and so the
Senate must yield its jurisdiction to the courts.
He added that if Lozada could not post bail
because he has no money, he is willing to help out.
Good governance
The Ombudsman was asked also on Wednesday by
leaders of Kaya Natin!, a national movement for good governance and
ethical leadership, to “act swiftly and with impartiality in
prosecuting those who have taken part in this [broadband]
scandal.”
“It is very disheartening to see that the
person who risked his and his family’s life to tell the truth
about this controversial government transaction is now being branded
as a liar. More disheartening is the fact that those who perpetuated
this anomalous transaction have not been held accountable for their
actions thus, denying Filipinos the justice that they deserve,”
Kaya Natin! said in a statement.
The statement was signed by Gov. Eddie “Among
Ed” Panlilio of Pampanga; Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City,
Camarines Sur; Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija; Gov.
Teddy Baguilat Jr.of Ifugao; Mayor Fermin Mabulo of San Fernando,
Camarines Sur; Mayor Florante Gerdan of Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya; and
former Mayor Gloria Congcoof Cabiao, Nueva Ecija.
-- Ruben D. Manahan 4th, Efren L. Danao, Angelo S. Samonte, Cris
G. Odronia And Francis Earl A. Cueto With Mark Andrew S. Francisco,
Thea Ayla P. Banag And Danielle Clara P. Dandan
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