Lozada wife to seek SC help vs husband's ‘abductors’

The wife of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr is set to file before the Supreme Court Wednesday a petition for the immediate issuance of habeas corpus against several government officials allegedly connected to the disappearance of her husband. Radio reports said that as of 11:30 a.m., Violeta Lozada is on her way to the Supreme Court to file the nine-page petition. She was accompanied by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which is investigating the ZTE mess on which the male Lozada is said to be a key witness. Lozada, chief executive officer of the Philippine Forest Corp, planed out of the country last January 30, the day he was to testify in the Senate probe on the controversial government deal. A week later on Tuesday, Lozada flew back to the Philippines but was whisked away from the airport by unidentified people. Representatives from the Ateneo Human Rights Office (AHRO), who prepared the petition, also came along during the filing. Named respondents in the petition were Philippine National Police chief Director Avelino Razon; Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog; retired Gen. Angel Atutubo, assistant deputy for security of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA); Octavio Lina, MIAA assistant deputy manager for operations, Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, Presidential Security Group (PSG) head. Also indicated in the petition as another respondent was "SPO1 Roger Valeroso," allegedly the name of the policeman who fetched Lozada at the airport. However, Razon had earlier denied having any personnel in the police force named as such. Razon admitted that Lozada is with the elements of the PNP's Police Security Protection Office. Aside from Violeta, the civil society group Black and White Movement is also set to file its own petition for habeas corpus and for amparo for Lozada before the High Court.- GMANews.TV