Lozada wife to SC: Compel PNP to produce ZTE witness

The wife of engineer Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., a key witness in the $329.5-million broadband network mess, formally asked the Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon to compel the Philippine National Police to produce her husband. Radio dzBB reported that Mrs. Violeta Lozada lodged the petition before the high court where she scored the PNP for its "illegal restraint" of her husband since he arrived in the country from Hong Kong Tuesday afternoon. She also said the PNP's continued custody of Lozada had caused her "anguish, confusion and mental torture" while violating her husband's basic human rights. In her petition, Mrs. Lozada asked the high court to order the PNP, which already admitted having custody of Lozada to produce him. Accompanying her were Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano, and the Ateneo Human Rights Office (AHRO), which prepared the petition. 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. Senate to probe abduction For his part, Cayetano said he will be calling for a Senate investigation in connection with the PNP's admitted role in the disappearance of Lozada. Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said that he has yet to speak with Sen. Rodolfo Biazon and Sen. Mar Roxas regarding the matter but said he will make sure that police and airport officials are summoned in the planned probe. "I will be consulting Roxas and Biazon and I want to immediately call for a hearing and summon the PNP (officials) and also officials from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport," Cayetano said in a radio interview Wednesday. Biazon chairs the Senate Defense Committee while Roxas is the chairman of the Committee on Trade and Commerce. The senator however was quick to admit that he is already expecting to have difficulty in making the government officials show up in their probe, saying that "the AFP and the PNP are under the executive branch. So what we can do will be so limited." 'Lying through his teeth' Cayetano said he thought Razon was "lying through his teeth" when the police official said they've been holding Lozada, recalling that Razon had previously indicated the PNP's willingness to remain neutral on the issue of the Senate arrest against Lozada. "Bakit sinabi ni Razon na they wil be neutral and they will be hands off sa arrest ng Senado? Bakit ngayon suddenly they're taking sides at sinasabi nilang pinoprotektahan (si Lozada)," he said. Cayetano, instead, challenged Razon to produce Lozada and just allow the missing public official to make known whether he really intends to testify before the Senate probe on the $329.5-million national broadband network mess. "Matagal na kaming binabastos ng Palasyo at ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno but right now this is a basic human rights issue," Cayetano stressed. Chilling effect Lozada, who is the chief executive officer of the Philippine Forest Corp, decided to return to the country after spending almost a week abroad supposedly on an official business trip. However, immediately after disembarking from the plane Tuesday afternoon, Lozada suddenly disappeared and was reportedly escorted out of the airport by unidentified men. "The chilling effect that this creates is far worse than that created when media personalities were handcuffed, which prompted reporters to file libel charges," Cayetano said. "If a high-profile witness can be abducted even inside a secured area at the NAIA, they are sending a message that anyone of us can be abducted by the government if it is being threatened," he added. Cayetano also compared the incident to when late strongman Ferdinand Marcos placed the entire country under military rule in 1972. "This is worse than during the Martial Law. That time, you expected that there will be abductions and the military to be involved," he said. "But in an atmosphere like this, how is it possible to pick up someone at the NAIA without going through the Immigration and Customs. Then you will be led to a tunnel and be told you are being arrested. You will keep mum for the rest of the night then come the next day, already telling a different story," Cayetano continued.- Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV