GOTCHA, Published in The Philippine Star, Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Holes remain unfilled in the national broadband caper. Foremost is why, if the $330-million supply from
At any rate, that nagging question of canceling what was supposedly a dandy contract might be explained today. That is, if the Senate’s surprise witness shows up and bares all at the 7th hearing on the broadband scam.
Problem is, he’s no surprise anymore. The media have broadcast his name and other personal circumstances. For that reason, Rodolfo Noel I. Lozada Jr., CEO of state-owned Forestry Corp. and supposed eyewitness to trickery, has said he might no longer show up. So the question will remain hanging, and the sleazy events that preceded the signing of the DOTC-ZTE Corp. contract may never be fully exposed.
It’s all the fault of Blue-Ribbon Committee head Alan Peter Cayetano, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Lozada allegedly had wanted to tell all he knows about the deal from which kickbackers would have got $200 million, three-fifths of the contracted price. But then, Malacañang operatives got to Lozada and convinced him to shut up with a combination of death threats and blandishments, Lacson lamented. And how did Palace men find out about Lozada? Well, by Cayetano’s own admission, he revealed the name of the secret witness last weekend. He had to, he said, for transparency, since the subpoena he issued Lozada last month was a public document signed not only by him but also Senate President Manny Villar, and Mar Roxas and Rodolfo Biazon of the two other committees investigating the fraud. Cayetano nonetheless acknowledged to being the leak. He told reporters he purposely had avoided them during the Christmas break so that they wouldn’t force him to break secrecy — until days ago. And so was redefined the meaning of secret witness.
What would Lozada have revealed had he not been put in jeopardy? The answer lies in part in the testimony of Joey de Venecia III, who blew the lid off the $330-million cheating. Roxas had asked him in a hearing in Sept. if he knew a certain Jun Lozada. De Venecia said yes, and that Lozada was present in some meetings with ZTE executives, presidential spouse Mike Arroyo, and then-Comelec chief Benjamin Abalos.
Lozada was no longer mentioned after that. But Lacson and Roxas apparently continued to receive more info. Word reached them that Lozada was conscience-stricken seeing Joey and other whistleblowers lay their lives on the line while he who knew more about the high crime was comfortably silent. And so Lozada decided to talk.
The first senator Lozada approached to tell his story was not of any help. If at all, it only proved to him that some opposition figures have been co-opted, although it’s not readily seen through their pretentious posturing. That senator allegedly told Lozada to not bother testifying because the tri-committee already was wrapping up the probe and drafting a report. (Cayetano said Monday he definitely will set more hearings if new evidence turns up.)
Lozada reportedly then prepared an affidavit of what he knows. The most telling segment allegedly is about a meeting in Malacañang on
What else is in the affidavit, the few remaining truly opposition senators prefer that Lozada himself say under oath. They’d rather not jump the gun. Too often have witnesses recanted testimonies freely given, because Palace fixers also got to them.
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From a reader who prefers to remain anonymous: “I hold today’s STAR and am happy to see you keeping the NBN issue alive. I thank you in behalf of all those who cannot do so themselves. People appreciate what you are trying to accomplish through your column. Stay strong.
