Jinggoy dares Lozada 'abductors' to identify who gave them the orders

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada yesterday challenged the government officials who allegedly conspired to "abduct" Senate witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. to pinpoint their superior who ordered the operation.

Estrada said Manila International Airport Authority Assistant General Manager for Security and emergency Services Angel Atutubo, officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) should also be summoned for questioning in the Senate public hearings.

"All the people involved in Lozada's 'abduction' should be subpoenaed to force them to appear before the Senate," Estrada said.

According to him, the security officers that took custody of Lozada should identify the people who ordered them to accost Lozada.

"Kung kaya nilang magpadukot ng testigo ng Senado sa loob ng airport kahit na andun ang mga taga-Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) ng Senate at mga reporters e paano pa kaya ang isang ordinaryo mamamayan ng ating lipunan? Totoong nakakabahala ang ganyan," Estrada said, adding:

"It is for this reason that I am requesting the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano to subpoena all the people behind Lozada's abduction so that they can tell all and identify the mastermind."

Estrada also called on Chairman Romulo Neri of the Commission on Higher Education to cooperate with the Senate investigation on the controversial $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with ZTE Corp. of China after another star witness came out and expressed willingness to testify.

Estrada said that Neri, former socio-economic planning secretary, should help Lozada, his friend who is now under Senate custody and had vowed to disclose all the irregularities he knows about the NBN-ZTE deal.

"Secretary Neri should be brave enough, like Lozada, to come out in the open and tell the people what really happened in the broadband network contract with ZTE," Estrada said.

Estrada praised Lozada for his courageous effort to come out now and cooperate with the Senate to find the truth about the ZTE deal.

He expressed hope that the testimony of Lozada will shed more light on the alleged overpricing and bribery that were involved in the NBN-ZTE contract.

"I appeal to Secretary Neri, General Sonny Razon, General Romeo Prestoza and General Angel Atutubo to testify in the Senate and tell everything because only the truth shall set them free," Estrada added.