After being elated by the appearance of the teary-eyed “star witness”, Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr in the Senate hearing on the ZTE-NBN deal; after the excitement I felt upon hearing of the peaceful anti-Arroyo rallies in Makati and the highly-publicized mass for truth in Greenhills; after the joy of reading the messages of support for Lozada from journalists in newspapers and bloggers on the Internet; After all these things, it pains me to say that we haven’t gotten anywhere in our quest to find the truth about the corruption in the Arroyo administration. In fact, we are back to where we started: accusations of corruption in the government but no real evidence to back them up.

A lot of people have commended Lozada for his courage in testifying in the Senate and revealing what he knows about the wheeling and dealing that goes on in our government. Let’s look back at his testimony and see if there is anything there that can be used as evidence against the Arroyo administration. Let’s see if he is the star witness that we’ve been hoping for. You be the judge:

Lozada said in his testimonies:
(1) At nang nalaman niya (ni Sec Atienza), sabi niya, “Pag kinuwento mo sa publiko ito, magagalit sila. Ibibigay mo ‘tong gobyernong ito sa oposisyon.” — Lozada is implying that he knows something that will bring down the Arroyo administration. And he uses Atienza’s reaction to confirm this.

(2) marami na po akong death threats — Question: Has he shown any text messages, letters, emails, or any document to prove that he has received death threats from the government or from the opposition?

(3) Pinagawa ako ng mga travel request (with the help of Dep Sec Manny Gaite), pina-antedate at pinaalis po ako papuntang Hong Kong — Question: Do we have copies of these antedated travel requests? And in case we get them, what will they prove? This has a very weak link to Pres Arroyo. And besides, Lozada was the one who requested “assistance” from Dep Sec Gaite, right?

(3) They texted me what to write (to Sen Enrile). Hindi ko na lang natago ‘yung text. — Question: Bakit hindi natago yung text? Sayang naman, ebidensya na sana yon! I wonder what kind of cellphone Lozada uses. Nowadays, cellphones can hold a lot of text messages.

(4) Sabi niya (ni Sec Atienza), nakausap na namin si (Immigration commissioner) Libanan. Okay ka na sa Immigration basta dumere-deretso ka lang. Hindi ka iho-hold ng Immigration. Tapos pasalubong ka na lang. Okay ka na. — Is he hinting to us that he is being given VIP treatment by the government because he is a potential state witness against the administration? And notice that Atienza told him that he would be picked up at the airport.

(5) Naaawa nga ako sa mga taga-Senado. Kwentuhan sila nang kuwentuhan, naririnig naman sila ng mga kumuha sa akin. — Is he trying to win the support of the Senate by telling on the PNP? And why would he use “kumuha sa ‘kin?” Didn’t he say earlier that he had a phone conversation with Sec Atienza and Atienza said that there would be someone who would pick him up from the airport. Seems to me like he’s playing the “kidnapping angle” too much. He is accusing the government of kidnapping him but does he have any grounds? No, he doesn’t. In fact, he was the one who requested that he be delivered from the Senate and so naturally, his “friends” in the government made sure that he was picked up at the airport and whisked away from the public.

If he was truly kidnapped, I don’t think his kidnappers would let him use his cellphone. He was the one who insisted that he should not be taken to the Senate but then, he’s the one accusing the government of kidnapping him. It makes sense to me now as to why his friends in the government tried to approach him and asked him to make a public statement to clarify that he was not kidnapped.

(6) Tapos tumawag din po si Sec. Neri. Sabi niya, ‘Jun, patahimikin mo. Calm, calm your wife down. Calm your wife down. They’re panicking in the media.’ Sabi niya, ‘Tawagan mo.’ Sabi ko, ‘Sir, she cannot calm down. I have to go. She has to see me. Hindi titigil iyon.’ — At this point, I think Sec Neri was still under the impression that Lozada was still on their side. Little did Neri know that it was Lozada who panicked and he was the one who told his brother that he was being kidnapped when he texted his brother the message, “Bumulnot.”

(7) Nakikita kong hirap na hirap si Gen. Razon. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Sir, pasensya na po kayo. Pati kayo nadadamay sa akin.’ Kasi nakikita ko ho na nag-aano siya sa media… he was forced to say a lie. So naawa ako sa kanya actually. I know he’s a good man but napipilitan pa siyang magsinungaling. — I don’t think Gen Razon was lying when he said that Lozada was not abducted. I think abductors know a few things about how to nab someone. One would think that an abduction would include the confiscation of the kidnap victim’s cell phone - something that didn’t happen to Lozada. Just because Lozada thinks he was abducted, doesn’t make PNP chief, Gen Razon, a liar. Accusing a chief officer of the law on national TV that he is lying is something we should not take lightly.

(8) Sabi ko, ‘Mike ayoko nang gumawa ng… dadagdag pa ako sa gulo eh. Pwede bang hindi na ako magsasalita. And he was so gracious. Sabi ni Mike, ‘Oh eto panggastos-gastos.’ Kaibigan ko po iyang si Mike. Sabi niya, ‘Puwede bang bukas mag-press conference ka na. Kaya ‘yang press conference na iyan, press conference ni Mike ‘yan eh (laughs). Kasi sabi ko kay Mike, “Mike lahat naman ng inuutos niyo sa akin, sinusunod ko kaya lang sabog nang sabog. Sabi niya sa akin umalis ako, pumunta ako ng Hong Kong dahil tapos na ito, closure report na. Hindi, pinaaresto ako. Kaysa umayos, lalong lumala. — Again, at this point, he is still speaking as a man of the administration. He is still in contact with close allies of Pres Arroyo. He is good friends with Mike Defensor and so they are chatting as friends. Defensor gave Lozano P50,000 but Lozano doesn’t confirm whether or not it’s hush money from the government or charity from a friend. But it’s very tempting to think that it’s bribery from the government especially with the way Lozada said it. Personally, I think it’s too small an amount to be a bribe, especially since we’re talking about a $329 million contract.

(9) Sabi po ng mga madreng kausap namin at ‘yung mga pare, ‘Jun wala nang katapusan ‘yan. Let’s pray over it. And after praying, magdesisyon ka kung sasama ka na diyan. Irerespeto natin ‘yan. O you will stick with the light.’ Medyo tumagos sa puso ko ‘yung sinabi nung pare. I prayed over it. Mag aalas-dose na po iyon. Nagdesisyon po ako, which really made my wife freak out, na I will just go to the Senate na lang. I will submit myself to the Senate panel. — This is the turning point for Lozada. And because of this decision, he has gained the respect and admiration of many Filipinos. From being an Arroyo man to becoming a man for others and for the nation. The scene that Lozada paints is almost reminiscent of Jesus’ Agony in the Garden.

(10) ang sasabihin ko po ay ‘yung aking personal na partisipasyon lang at ‘yung ibang bagay na alam na naman ng publiko. At uulitin ko po, ikukuwento ko lang to without malice to no one. — I guess part of Lozada’s charm is his meek and humble disposition, but watch his eyes intently and you will see a world-class politico. After all, he has been successful in brokering multi-million dollar contracts with the government and that’s no easy task. So when he says, this is “without malice to no one,” does he mean to say it in the colloquial sense, as in “this is without malice to ANY one”? From his accusations in his testimonies, it’s easy to think that what he really means is that his testimony is “full of malice to everyone!”

Lozada has made a lot of accusations and “character assassinations” in the Senate hearing on the NBN deal. But let’s remember that the burden of evidence lies on him to prove his accusations. Thus far, he has shown no evidence to substantiate his claims that Secretary Neri, former Commissioner Abalos, and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo were going to pocket millions of dollars from the NBN contract with ZTE. I really hope that he can back his claims with solid proof before the public interest wanes and we grow tired of his rhetoric.

I am a Lozada supporter because during the early part of his testimony, he purported himself as an “insider” and a “whistleblower.” But after appearing in the Senate for several days, he has not backed up any of his claims with hard evidence.

In our show of support for Lozada in the rallies, in the media, and on the Internet, we hope to have encouraged other whistleblowers to come out and tell us what they know. But no one has heeded the call yet. And we both know that we can’t continue our calls for Pres Arroyo’s resignation if we’re just going to base it on Lozada’s accusations.

You and I know that it would be against our democratic institutions and against our conscience to accuse and punish someone of committing grave sins agains the nation, unless there is undeniable evidence to support the accusations. Two of our greatest national heroes, Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, were both given death penalty sentences based on false testimonies from witnesses who didn’t present any proof.

When the Senate presented witnesses to the public in Pres Estrada’s impeachment case, it followed proper legal proceedings and there was hard evidence to support the witnesses’ claims. The televised hearings on the NBN deal pale in comparison to the impeachment case. Sooner or later, the public may believe the administration’s claim that the senators are just using Lozada to get free publicity.

The fire that Lozada started is dying. The momentum that the opposition gained is slowing down. If there’s anyone out there who can fan the flames of our calls for reform, please come out now. If you can provide the public with hard evidence that will substantiate Lozada’s claims that the Arroyo administration is ridden with corruption , please come forward now and show us what you got!

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