Neri claims Lozada called him up, said he is okay

Romulo Neri, the key witness in the $329.5-million broadband network deal mess involving China's ZTE Corp., claimed to have received a call from Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr Tuesday night to tell him he was "okay." In an interview Wednesday morning over dzBB radio, Neri said the call came 9 p.m. Tuesday, or hours after Lozada supposedly arrived in the country but was nowhere to be found by authorities, including the Senate, which wanted Lozada arrested for his failure to testify before the hearings on the ZTE controversy. "He called me up last night 9 p.m. He said he's okay," Neri said in the interview. But when asked if Lozada disclosed his condition or whereabouts, Neri did not give further details, saying Lozada merely told him he was fine. "Di ko tinanong (I did not ask him about details)," Neri said when asked to elaborate on Lozada's supposed phone call. When asked if he thought Lozada's tone indicated he was being forced to make a phone call, Neri said, "di ako magaling sa tono ng boses (I cannot judge one's tone of voice)." Neri, chair of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) when the ZTE deal was inked, was ordered arrested along with Lozada last week for failing to attend Senate hearings on the broadband controversy. The Supreme Court, however, issued on Wednesday a status quo order on the warrant of arrest issued against Neri. - GMANews.TV