'Tired' Lozada asks people to pray for him

MANILA, Philippines — Saying he is tired of being pursued and harassed, engineer Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. asked Filipinos to pray for him as he faces possible arrest for perjury. Lozada, a key witness in the $329.48-million ZTE broadband deal mess, also maintained that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is among those answerable for the mess. "Hiling ko sana siguro ang pagdarasal. Paninindigan ko ang laban na ito, kung saan makarating ito harapin ko na ito, nakakapagod na sila (I ask my fellow Filipinos to pray for me. I will not run away from this fight, wherever it will take me. I am tired of being harassed)," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. According to Lozada, he and his family had been staying at the La Salle Greenhills campus in Mandaluyong City since he surfaced there in February last year. Lozada had decided to testify at the Senate last year after being "fetched" upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Hong Kong. Since he testified, Lozada said he had been the target of harassment. Earlier, a Manila court found "basis" to arrest Lozada for a perjury case lodged by former environment secretary and defeated senatorial candidate Michael Defensor. Despite this, Lozada maintained that Mrs. Arroyo "committed a crime" in the ZTE broadband deal mess. "E alam ko namang may ginawang krimen si Gloria Arroyo rito sa NBN-ZTE na ito at alam ko ang krimen na ‘yan pagnanakaw ng ilang bilyon sa kaban ng ating bayan ... Paninindigan ko na ‘yan (I know Gloria Arroyo committed a crime in this NBN-ZTE mess. I know stealing billions is a crime. And I stand by what I said)," he said. Meanwhile, civil society group Black and White Movement voiced amazement at how the wheels of justice can move "swiftly, and with impunity" against Mrs. Arroyo's critics. In an entry on its blog site (blacknwhitemovement.blogspot.com), the group said if fears that any day now, Lozada "will be hauled off to jail for telling it 'like it is.'" “We will not be surprised if the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report on the NBN/ZTE investigation will be released soon after Jun Lozada is convicted of the crime of perjury (which may take only a few weeks, given the administration's determination to pin down Lozada). We expect the report to clear GMA, the First Gentleman, and Benjamin Abalos. After all, they will argue, Jun Lozada lied. This seems to be the Palace script," said lead convenor Vicente Romano III. Romano said there are now 16 civil and criminal cases filed against Lozada and members of his family, all in various stages of resolution. In contrast, he said the Ombudsman has yet to file cases against former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos and former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante "despite a preponderance of evidence." “Crusaders of truth are hunted down, made to suffer while those that play the Gloria game enjoy high paying government positions, perks, and most of all, freedom," added group executive director Leah Navarro. The group branded the arrest order as a "latest cheap shot by administration henchmen." "We find it ironic that the very person who dared to stand for the truth is accused of lying by the very people who patently and routinely lie. Those who followed closely the Senate hearings can readily discern who is lying and who is telling the truth," it said. "We denounce the continuing use of the agencies of justice by the GMA administration in persecuting its critics, particularly Jun Lozada, while at the same time delaying, if not perverting justice to protect its loyal allies," it added. - GMANews.TV