'NBI agent' tries to 'visit' Lozada at Senate

A man claiming to be a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent tried to "visit" ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr at the Senate Thursday morning, but was barred from doing so. The supposed agent, who was not immediately identified, was escorted to the office of the Senate sergeant-at-arms for verification. "Normal yan, taga-intel ng bawa't agency will come here to monitor ang nangyayari. Trabaho nila yan. Sinabi ko sa kanila other agencies na gaya ng Isafp kung wala silang mission order dito we don't know what their business, they are not welcome (It's normal for intelligence agents to come here and monitor what happens. But I told him that if he has no mission order he has no business being here)," retired Col. Jaime Dimacali, deputy for operations, said in an interview on dzBB radio. Dimacali said the "agent" called up his "boss" and handed the phone to him. He said the agent was a certain "Dan Ebo." He said they are still verifying the matter. The supposed NBI agent deposited a cal-.45 pistol at the lobby with the Senate security personnel, but security personnel said the permit to carry for the firearm was expired. Also, the NBI agent showed the security personnel an ID card, but refused to answer reporters' questions on his identity, and would only wave them off. Dimacali said the supposed NBI agent went to the fifth floor where the office of Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano is located. Lozada has been staying at the office of Cayetano since he was brought to the Senate before dawn Thursday. The dzBB report described the supposed NBI agent as having long hair. For his part, NBI Intellectual Property Rights Division head Elfren Meneses Jr said he was not aware of any agent being sent to "spy" on Lozada. "As far as I know, wala kaming pinadala. Titingnan natin (As far as I know we did not send anyone. We'll look into it)," Meneses said in a separate interview on dzBB radio. - GMANews.TV