Thursday, February 07, 2008

Lozada expose may mark end of Arroyo rule--MBC exec

Ang walang katapusan pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan, mga unresolved at kaliwa't kanang iskandalo na kinasangkutan ng kasalukuyang administrasyon; ang multo ng “Hello Garci dagdag-bawas” Election controversy, ang proyektong North Rail, Diosdado Macapagal Highway scandals, ang Joc-joc Bolante Fertilizer scam, Jose Pidal caper, daan-dang unresolved extra-judicial killings, ang pamumudmud at suhulan sa Malacañang at ang pinakahuli, ang kasalukuyang kabulukan ng ZTE-Broadband controversies, tuluyan ng nawalan na ng moral ascendancy at credebility ang bangkarote at ilehitimong gubyernong Macapagal Arroyo.

Hindi na makakayanan tiisin ng mga Pilipino ang dalawa pang taong pamamalagi nito sa Malakanyang. Tanging ang kabayanihang paglisan na lamang sa trono ni Ate Glo, kasama ang buong barkada't MAPIA sa Gabinete (Puno, Razon, Gonzales, Esperon) ang tanging paraan, solusyon upang maisalba ang kapanatagang politikal at manumbalik ang pagtitiwala ng mamamayan Pilipino. Kaya lang, uso ba sa Pilipinas ang PAGRE-RESIGN?

- Doy / IPD

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080207-117367/Lozada-expose-may-mark-end-of-Arroyo-rule--MBC-exec
By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 13:06:00 02/07
/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The Makati Business Club (MBC) on Thursday said the revelations of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. about the controversial national broadband network (NBN) contract “may mark the beginning of the end for the regime” of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Lozada, a key witness in the Senate inquiry into the NBN controversy, has implicated First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and resigned Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. to the scandal-tainted deal with China’s ZTE Corp., which has since been scrapped.

"The previous [Estrada] regime started
eroding when it began to turn against its own people like [former Ilocos Sur governor Luis] ‘Chavit’ Singson, and it appears the same thing is happening," said Alberto A. Lim, MBC executive director.

In a phone interview Thursday, Lim said tha
t at the start, Lozada's arrival at the airport looked liked that of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. when he returned to the country in 1983.
"Like Ninoy, Lozada went through the tarmac, but subsequent events make the arrival look more like the supposed ambush attempt on Singson just before he talked against [former president] Joseph Estrada," Lim added, Lim referring to the confusion about whether Lozada was abducted by police or was spirited away from the airport by supporters.

"But as the last regime learned a
ll too late, protecting itself by turning on its own people marked the beginning of the end," MBC said.
Singson’s charges of corruption against E
strada led to the former president’s impeachment and aborted trial, which triggered the popular uprising that ousted and replaced him with Arroyo in 2001.

Lozada resigned as chief executive of the state firm Philippine Forest Corp. when he surfaced early Thursday morning.
"Lozada appears to be genuine and seems to be motivated by patriotism," Lim said. "His statements filled in a lot of gaps in Romulo Neri's testimony
."
"Lozada was very knowledgeable, having been in the controversial meeting about the NBN project," he added. "He actually stayed longer than Neri did."

The MBC official said the group was "appalled" that Neri, who was then director general of the National Economic and Development Authority, felt
he had to be in that meeting to "regulate the amount of greed."

Lim also accused Malacañang of trying to put a political spin on the issue by making it appear Lozada was saying things to support the careers of ce
rtain senators.
In a statement issued late last Wednesday when Lozada was still missing, the MBC expressed concern about his life and safety, saying the reported abduction illustrated the extent to which the administration would go to protect itself.

The MBC also said the ouster of Jose de V
enecia Jr. as Speaker of the House of Representatives last Monday was a naked display of power by Malacañang.
"It was retribution for the acts of his [De Venecia’s] son Joey [Jose III] de Venecia who exposed high government officials involved in corruption in the ZTE deal," the group said. "It sent a strong signal to those who would fight corruption in this country that to do so would mean putting your business, your career, and perhaps, even your life on the line."

"As this latest demon
stration of impunity has clearly shown, the Executive will continue to be immune from indictment for any wrongdoing since it holds the key to political reckoning," MBC said.


Transcript of Lozada's exposé
Transcript of Lozada's exposé: 'Halika tawagan natin si FG'
02/07/20
08 | 01:12 PM
I'd like to start by thanking a lot of people who expressed their sincere sympathy for the family. I'd like to thank them first, so many of them. And in Tagalog, nagpapasalamt po ako sa lahat ng nagpahayag ng pag-aalala sa akin at sa sampu ng aking pamilya.
Ako po'y nagtawag sa pagpupulong na ito
upang mabigayan ng liwanag. Madami kasing mga katanungan ang bayan ukol sa proyekto ng NBN-ZTE na ito.
(Photo:
Rodolfo Lozada wipes away tears during a news conference at the La Salle Greenhills gymnasium yesterday, JOVEN CAGANDE, http://www.philstar.com/)

At upang huwag na sanang mapilitan pa yung iba, marami nang mabubuting taong napilitan pang magsinungaling dahil sa akin. Hindi naman sila kasama rito, napipilitan pa silang magsinungaling. Ayokong maging dahilan na magkasala sa Diyos at sa bayan kahit sinoman. Ayoko ho iyon.
Mabigat po sa aking damdamin ito at isipan, ang aking gagawin. Ngunit kailangan kong gawin ito para sa kaunawaan, para maliwanag na ang isipan ng bayan, tungkol sa mga bayan na ito na lubhang makaka-apekto doon sa kinabukasan nila.
Ang aking ilalahad na mga salaysay ng
ayon tungkol sa ZTE-NBN ay yung mga bagay na ako'y may personal na ginampanan, the things that I'm involved with. And I'm going to say this with malice to no one.
Wala ho akong malisya kahit kanino man. Ang sasabihin ko ay kung ano lang ginawa namin, at kung ano ang nangyari.

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/79634/Transcript-of-Lozadas-expos%E9-Halika-tawagan-natin-si-FG

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