ellen tordesillas Posts

From ABS-CBN online:

Embattled Benjamin Abalos Sr., resigned chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), denied Sunday that he brokered for China’s ZTE company to get the national broadband network (NBN) contract.

Abalos said there is no need to broker for ZTE because the Chinese government already designated the Chinese contractor to undertake the NBN project as a condition to the granting of the loan.

During a press conference in Mandaluyong City, Abalos presented a photo copy of the letter of the Chinese embassy Dec.2, 2006, approving the loan and naming ZTE as its “prime contractor.”

Ano kaya ang pakiramdam ng mga sundalo at pulis nang tinatanong ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson si Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada tungkol sa parte ng $1.1bilyon (P59,400,000,000) na perang nawawala na maaaring napunta sa ma-anomalyang NBN.ZTE na kontrata?

Ang parte kasi ng P59,400,000,000 na yun ay dapat para sa housing project ng mga sundalo at pulis.

Lumabas itong impormasyon sa pagtatanong kay Lozada na humarap sa Senado noong Biyernes pagkatapos siyang kinidnap ng mga pulis nong Martes ng hapon nang dumating siya galing Hongkong, kung saan siya pinapunta noong isang linggo para makaiwas sa pagharap sa Senado na nag-iimbestiga sa anomalya ng $329 milyon (P18 bilyon) na kontrata ng pamahalaaang Arroyo sa ZTE ng China para magpatayo raw ng National Broadband Network dito sa Pilipinas.

Update: Ateneo Political Science students support Lozada; ask Arroyo to resign Malacañang in damage control mode: Mike Defensor admits giving Lozada P50,000. Ermita admits asking…

From ABS-CBN:

The Filipino Chinese community slammed the remarks made by a top Palace official Friday on Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr. after the resource person testified in the Senate hearing on the investigation of the controversial national broadband deal between the government and China’s ZTE Corp.

“He is a crying witness like a crying lady. Di ba sabi niya ‘probinsyanong Iintsik?’ Intsik pala siya eh. Kung ako ipapa-deport ko na ‘yan. Magulo ka dito,” said chief presidential legal adviser Sergio Apostol.

From ABS-CBN:

The national police chief on Saturday admitted that Senior Police Officer 4 Roger Valeroso, who was initially identified as one of Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada’s escorts at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon his arrival, is a former member of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ABS-CBN News learned.

PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. explained that on Wednesday morning, when reports of Lozada’s alleged abduction surfaced, they checked on their list of active personnel but did not find Valeroso in their roster.

A further search, however, revealed that Valeroso is a retired policeman and is working at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

I was touched by this part of Jun Lozada’s testimony:

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Dona Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The stark contrast between poor villagers concerned with how hungry birds would find food to eat and greedy politicians and officials drove star witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. to unbosom himself Friday.

Testifying at a Senate inquiry into the controversial, now-scrapped National Broadband Network (NBN) project, Lozada said he had a difficult time reconciling his work as president of Philippine Forest Corp. (PFC), which takes him to impoverished areas, with his job as a government consultant, which takes him to swanky hotels for meetings involving high-stake deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Palace scoffs at Lacson’s claim

By Dona Pazzibugan, Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Funds from a China loan facility originally meant for a housing project for soldiers and policemen were allegedly diverted to the anomalous $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project of China’s ZTE Corp., according to key ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr.

Lozada told a Senate hearing yesterday that part of a $1.1-billion loan facility which President Macapagal-Arroyo got from China during her trip last April 21, 2007 was meant for military housing and for the upgrade of the Angat Dam, the main source of Metro Manila’s potable water.

But the proceeds of the loan meant for these two projects were instead channeled to the $329-million NBN project.

by JP Lopez
Malaya

ZTE star witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. yesterday confirmed that former Elections chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. bribed former Planning Secretary Romulo Neri with P200 million in exchange for approval of the $329 million national broadband network deal with China’s ZTE Corp.

During his Senate appearance that lasted for almost eight hours, Lozada told Senate President pro-tempore Jinggoy Estrada that Abalos was apparently pleased that the negotiations with ZTE people were proceeding smoothly that he told him that the P200 million would be released in advance.

The offer was supposedly made at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong city last September.

Malacañang officials tried to stop Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. from testifying in the anomalous NBN-ZTE deal by sending him to Hong Kong on a contrived official trip.

When he decided to come back last Tuesday, the officials staged his abduction at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on the basis of a cooked-up request for protection by Lozada.

Lozada told yesterday’s Senate hearing that his trip to Hong Kong last Jan. 30 was the idea of Deputy Executive Secretary Manny Gaite.

Inquirer story: Senate to include abduction in Friday hearing

The lawyer of First Gentleman Jose Mi-guel Arroyo yesterday said his client is not bothered by the allegations by ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. that he was involved in the deal, but was annoyed by the lies being peddled to the public and the media.

“He has no reason to react since there was no direct accusation or evidence against him,” Ruy Alberto Rondain said in a press conference at the LTA building in Makati.

Rondain said he requested a short meeting with the First Gentleman, who had just arrived from Europe, to discuss the issue but the latter said he did not want to get involved in politics.