No Greed Moderation

According to former Senate President Jovito Salonga, the Senate probe of the US $329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal has produced sufficient evidence that can be used to prosecute the First Gentleman (FG) Jose Miguel Arroyo, Former Comelec Commissioner Benjamin Abalos, Sr. and former NEDA Director General, now Secretary of the Commission on Higher Education Romulo Neri.

“Even President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo could be held accountable and be impeached in connection with the allegedly anomalous contract after she went to Boao, China to witness the signing of the contract with Chinese company ZTE,” said Salonga.

It was Jose de Venecia III who first revealed the NBN deal is anomalous. Another witness, Rodolfo Lozada, Jr. linked the FG to the deal during the February 11 Senate hearing on the alleged NBN deal scam.

Lozada also accused Mr. Benjamin Abalos, Sr. of brokering the deal in exchange for fat commissions.

According to Lozada, he is a good friend of Sec. Romulo Neri who tapped him as consultant in the NBN project. According to Lozada, Com. Abalos asked for a US $130 million overprice. Lozada told Sec. Neri of the requirement of Com. Abalos. In response, Sec. Neri advised Lozada to “moderate their greed.” Lozada in turn told Com. Abalos, US $130 million is too big at ‘bubukol yon”.

Because of that Lozada revelation, Abalos threatened he will file libel case against Lozada. Until this writing, Abalos has not file any complaint in court against Lozada.

NBI Gets Documents

On Tuesday, February 12, following the testimonies of Lozada, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents went to Lozada’s office in the Philippine Forest Corporation (Philforest), Taguig City. They looked for some documents which maybe used as evidences in pursuing corruption charges against Lozada who was the Executive Director of Philforest before he left for Hong Kong on January 29. He resigned his position upon his return to the Philippines and before appearing in the Senate Investigating Committee on the NBN alleged anomalous deal.

Lozada stated that the NBI “raided my office and the people who replaced me are those who betrayed me.” His filing cabinet was opened, they took my personal stuff, lamented Lozada.

But according to Allan Contado, NBI anti graft division chief, it was not a raid. He denied. His agent Marlon Tauli just went to Philforest with NBI request for certified true copies of some documents concerning Lozada. “Lozada’s office was not ransacked,” he said.

Lawyer’s Group

Since Monday, February 11, Lozada is gaining support. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) announced it would join Friday’s mass protests to denounce the corruption exposed by the very credible witness in the Senate according to the newspaper report.

“We condemn and oppose all kinds of corruption. There could be no modernization of greed,” said IBP president Feliciano Bautista. “We call zero corruption in all public procurements,” Bautista stressed. /MP