Ex-President Aquino attends another 'Mass for Truth'

Former President Corazon Aquino Sunday attended another Mass in support of Senate witness Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada Jr. in Manila Sunday, radio dzMM said.

Aquino, along with daughter Kris and her husband James Yap, trooped to Adamson University in Manila Sunday for the "Mass for Truth" to support the testimony of Lozada before the Blue Ribbon Committee probing the scrapped national broadband network (NBN) project with China’s ZTE Corp.

The event was organized by the Catholic Educators’ Association of the Philippines and was also held to support the call of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines call for a communal action for prayer.


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Lozada, de Venecia III get warm welcome at La Salle Mass

Senate witnesses Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. and businessman Joey de Venecia III received applause from the crowd when they arrived at the La Salle Greenhills Gym in Mandaluyong City Sunday for the Holy Mass organized by former President Corazon Aquino and the La Salle brothers.

ABS-CBN news correspondent Ricky Carandang said Lozada got a warm welcome from the people who trooped to the Sunday morning Mass offered for Lozada. Read Full Article ...

'Filipinos experiencing People Power fatigue'

Groups seeking President Arroyo's ouster through another bloodless revolt have failed to get popular support because of "people power fatigue", a sociologist said.

Sociologist Josephine Aguilar said many Filipinos are pessimistic about conducting another "People Power" revolt similar to mass actions in 1986 and 2001 that deposed presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada.

"People power fatigue na nga ito. Kapag kinausap mo ang mga tao napapagod na sila dahil paulit-ulit ang nangyayari at pare-pareho din ang mga taong involved, malalaking tao (This is people power fatigue. If you would talk to the people, they would say they are already tired because [these kind of controversies] are just going in circles, with the same people involved, big people)," Aguilar said.

She noted that the bishops' call for "communal action" amid the latest corruption scandal affecting the Arroyo administration is too general.

"Masyadong generalized ang statement. 'Di specific kung ano ang ibig sabihin. Unless sabihin nila na lumabas sa kalsada, 'yun ang malinaw (The [CBCP statement] was too general. It's not specific. Unless they tell the people to go out into the streets, that's clear)," she said.

Activist groups renewed calls for Mrs. Arroyo's ouster recently after a Senate witness revealed First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo's possible involvement in the multimillion-dollar broadband deal between the government and China's ZTE Corp.

On Monday only a few ralliers arrived for a street protest outside the Senate building in Pasay City, which coincided with the hearing on the ZTE-NBN deal inquiry.

Several people interviewed by ABS-CBN said they were unsure if the Senate inquiry would amount to anything.

"Sino ba naman ang aaming may kasalanan? Bahala na sila diyan. Wala naman kaming mapapala diyan," said one bystander.

(Who is going to admit that he was wrong? We leave it up to [the Senate]. We won't get anything out of it.]

Another bystander noted that the Senate conducts hearing after hearing everytime there is news about alleged corruption in government. "If there is a new issue, the old scandal would be forgotten. I just hope that something good would come out of this," he noted.

In London, several overseas Filipino workers who watched Monday's Senate hearing on the NBN deal said they are fed up with renewed calls for Mrs. Arroyo's resignation.

OFW Abel Canlas said Filipinos are just tired of the neverending congressional investigations, which is why Congress is not getting enough cooperation from many sectors.

He said that instead of calling for the President's ouster, progressive groups should start thinking about accepting the administration's offer of reconciliation.

Bertie Lim, executive director of the Makati Business Club, meanwhile, said his group is supporting calls for Mrs. Arroyo's resignation.

He, however, the group would have to consult other groups, including the Church before they actually move against Mrs. Arroyo.

Civil society groups have scheduled a series of protest actions in the coming days to support Senate witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada's revelations about the botched NBN deal and his alleged abduction. With reports from TV Patrol and ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

ZTE Corp. of China, the official version

As Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr., a key witness in the cancelled national broadband network project of the government, delivered an explosive testimony at the Senate NBN hearing last Friday, the public felt a renewed interest in the deal and those party to it, particularly ZTE Corp. of China.

Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Co. Limited (ZTE), a global provider of telecom equipment and network solutions founded in 1985, bagged the controversial NBN deal.

Despite allegations of bribery and other under-the-table transactions, ZTE has repeatedly stressed that there was complete transparency in the proposal, evaluation and approval of its application for the Philippines’ NBN contract.

ZTE, in particular, cited its standing as a billion-dollar company which is the only publicly listed telecom manufacturer in the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. The company also said that it has a proven track record for turn-key projects such as the NBN.
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Abalos lawyer: Lozada's motive is to bring down President Arroyo

The lawyer of Benjamin Abalos Sr. said the motive of whistle-blowers businessman Joey de Venecia III and Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. to come out with alleged anomaly in the national broadband network (NBN) deal is to bring down President Arroyo.

Lawyer Salvador Panelo said the motivation in the allegations that Abalos brokered for China’s ZTE company is ultimately to oust the President.

In a press briefing, Panelo said both de Venecia and Lozada have been trying to linking First Gentleman Mike Arroyo to the scrapped NBN-ZTE deal in order to destroy the Chief Executive.

He added that this de Venecia’s motive in destroying Abalos is because he did not get the multi-million dollar contract.

"Nagalit siya kay Chairman Abalos dahil di nya nakuha yung kontratang yun ( He got mad at Chairman Abalos because he failed to get that contract)," Panelo said, calling de Venecia as a "sore loser."

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Lozada: 'I am the least likely hero'

"I never imagined myself to become a hero, Mr. Senator."

Senate witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. gave this response when asked about his motives in testifying about alleged irregularities in the $329 million national broadband network deal between the government and China's ZTE Corp.

“Mayroon pa nga akong mga permissible zones di ba? Hindi ako pwedeng maging hero,” Lozada told Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.

Honasan said that although neither he nor the upper chamber will be Lozada’s judge, the former president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Forest Corp. is still accountable to God and the Filipino people.

“I cannot judge you because I am not sure if what you’re doing is a selfish act of personal survival or an outright act of heroism,” Honasan said.

Lozada admitted being afraid for his life and that survival was one of the factors that led him to reveal what he knew. Read Full Article ...

Moderate their greed: Who's clean, who's not?

"Jun, you moderate their greed."

This order from former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri to then-technical consultant Rodolfo "Jun Lozada Jr. poses questions on who among the personalities involved in the scrapped national broadband network (NBN) project may have wittingly or unwittingly dipped his hands into the mess.

Lozada’s recollection of Neri's statement, delivered at Thursday’s press briefing at the La Salle Greenhills high school in Mandaluyong City, showed that even the government officials involved in the planning stage of the controversial project were aware and "tolerated" the alleged anomalies. Read Full Article ...

Lawyer says Mike Arroyo unlikely to charge Lozada

First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo may not file charges against Senate star witness Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. for linking the presidential spouse to the aborted $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal.

Roy Rondain, Mr. Arroyo's lawyer, said Lozada did not directly accuse his client regarding the controversial contract.

Rondain said Lozada admitted that he was not sure if it was indeed Mr. Arroyo who was talking to resigned election chief Benjamin Abalos when the former official was pressing the witness to approve the project.Read Full Article ...

'NBN-ZTE scandal could be the end of Arroyo'

The Makati Business Club (MBC) said Thursday that the ZTE-NBN scandal could be the beginning of the end of the Arroyo administration.

MBC executive director Alberto Lim said that the pillars of support of the administration are "collapsing" after the anomalies in the deal were uncovered, ABS-CBN News correspondent Alvin Elchico reported. Read Full Article ...

Arroyo spokesman says Lozada is a liar

A deputy spokesman of President Arroyo on Thursday said government official Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. was lying when he accused Malacañang of trying to prevent him from testifying in the Senate inquiry on the $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal between the government and China's ZTE Corp.

"The first time ko na nakita si Jun Lozada sa isang press conference sinasabi ko na pong kasinungalingan iyong dalawang punto na narinig ko sa press conference (The first time I saw Jun Lozada in the press conference, I said he is lying about two points that I heard in the press conference)," Anthony Golez, Mrs. Arroyo's deputy spokesman, told radio dzMM.
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Lozada: Abalos wanted a $130-M commission

Rodolfo Lozada Jr., the next Senate witness in its investigation into the scrapped national broadband network (NBN) project, bared Thursday that former elections chief Benjamin Abalos Sr. wanted a $130-million commission for the deal.

He said that he was tasked to study a proposal for the project between the groups led by businessman Jose de Venecia III and Abalos.

Lozada, who has been missing since Tuesday afternoon, said Abalos wanted the project to push through with loans.

When he refused to agree to Abalos's wishes, Lozada said that the former elections chairman threatened to have him killed. Read Full Article ...

Lozada brother seeks amparo writ from SC

Fearing for his missing brother's life, Arthur Lozada on Wednesday filed before the Supreme Court (SC) a petition for a writ of amparo.

The move came after lawyer Melencio Sta. Maria, representing Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr.'s wife, earlier asked the high court to issue a writ of habeas corpus to force the police to produce the missing public official.

Arthur told reporters that his brother was shown to his wife, Violet, "as proof of life," but taken away again. Read Full Article ...