NBN-ZTE Whistle Blower Jun Lozada, Maiinit Na Tinanggap Sa Cebu

CEBU (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 18, 2008) – Maiinit pa rin ang tanggap ng mga taga-Cebu kay NBN-ZTE deal whistle blower Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada kahit na diumano’y binusalan ni Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal ang bibig ng mga pari na magsalita ukol sa eskandalo na kinasasangkutan ng pamahalaang Arroyo.

Kalat ang balitang pinagbawalan diumano ni Vidal ang mga pari sa Cebu na magmisa kay Lozada ng ito’y dumating doon kamakalawa bilang bahagi ng kanyang pagiikot upang ipabatid sa publiko ang katotohanan sa overpriced NBN-ZTE deal.

Si Vidal ay kilalang supporte ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo at kamakailan lamang ay napaulat itong makipagkita ng sikreto sa mag-asawang Arroyo sa Wack-Wack.

Bagamat itinanggi ni Vidal na binusalan nito ang mga pari ay umani naman ito ng batijkos mula sa kampo ni Lozada.

Binansagan rin ni Lozada na mayroon “Archbishop of Malakanyang” sa Cebu at ang Black and White Movement naman ay sinabing mistulang “Congressman in Cassock,” si Vidal dahil sa naging asta nito. Nais sana ni Lozada at ng grupo nito na magkaroon ng misa para sa katotohanan sa Cebu, subali’t walang pari ang gustong lumabag sa utos ni Vidal.

Galing si Lozada sa Ilo-ilo na kung saan ay pinagbawalan rin ni Justice Secy. Raul Gonzales ang mga paaralan doon na papagsalitain ito. Subali’t mas mainiit ang naging pagtanggap kay Lozada dahil sa laki ng simpatyang tinanggap nito.

Pilit na sinisira ng Malakanyang ang mga pagbubunyag ni Lozada ukol sa NBN-ZTE deal na kinapapalooban diumano ni dating Elections chief Benjamin Abalos, Sr. na inakusahang nag-overpriced sa proyektong nagkakahalaga ng $330 milyon.

Itinanggi naman ni Abalos at ni Arroyo ang lahat ng bintang. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jun Lozada, Off-Limits Sa ARMM Campus

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 09, 2008) – Umani ng kaliwa’t-kanang batikos mula sa mga estudyante at militanteng grupo ang Department of Education sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) matapos diumano’y ipag-utos nito ang pagbabawal kay NBN-ZTE scandal whistle blower Jun Lozada na magsalita sa mga campus.

Limang lalawigan ang sakop ng ARMM at kasalukuyang nasa campus tour si Lozada sa Mindanao, ngunit pinangunahan na ng DepEd-ARMM ito. Bawal na umano na magsalita sa mga estudyante si Lozada, particular sa isyu ng NBN-ZTE deal na tadtad ng eskandalo bunsod ng mga alegasyong overpriced ito ng $130 milyon.

Galing umano ang kautusan sa pamunuan ng DepEd-ARMM. Naunang ipinag-bawal ni Education Secy. Jesli Lapuz si Lozada na mag-ikot sa mga campus sa Maynila ngunit matapos na umani ito ng maraming batikos ay pinasinungalingang may nasabing kautusan.

Takot umano ang Malakanyang sa malaking simpatiya na nakukuha ni Lozada mula sa mga paaralan at sa maainit na pagtanggap sa kanya ng mga estudyante sa Metro-Manila.

Maging sa ibang bahagi ng Mindanao ay malaki rin ang suporta ni Lozada mula sa mga estudyante. Hindi naman mabatid kung itutuloy pa ni Lozada ang planong pagiikot sa mga campus sa ARMM, na kilalang balwarte ng mag-amang Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan at ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan na parehong mga loyalista ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo.

Ang ARMM rin ang isa sa mga lugar na diumano’y talamak ang pandaraya, pananakot at vote-buying nuong nakaraang Presidential elections. Malakas ang suporta ni Arroyo sa mga opisyal ng lalawigan ng ARMM dahil sa marami nitong proyekto doon. Kilalang Arroyo county ang ARMM at ang mag-amang Ampatuan ang ilan lamang sa mga gubernador na nagbuhos ng suporta kay Arroyo nuong kasagsagan ng mga rally sa Maynila. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Jose de Venecia lll And President Gloria Arroyo -- Two Diffrent Worlds!

Jose De Venecia III, the first to blow the whistle on the bribes and overpricing in the National Broadband Network-ZTE deal speaks to students Friday, March 07, 2008 in Davao City in southern Philippines. De Venecia is currently on a campus tour in Mindanao where he speaks about government corruption before tens of thousands of students and supporters. Another witness in the flawed NBN deal, a former government executive, Jun Lozada, is also touring different schools in Luzon. But Philippine education officials have banned Lozada and De Venecia from schools to prevent them from speaking about government corruption and scandals involving President Gloria Arroyo and her family. Students have joined calls for Arroyo to resign over corruption allegations. Below, Arroyo waves to supporters during the International WomensDay Celebration on Friday in Malacanang's Rizal Hall in Manila.(Photos by Keith Bacongco / AKP Images and Rey Baniquet / Office of the President for the Mindanao Examiner)

A Mockery Of Whistle-Blowing And Anti-Corruption Efforts: PSLINK

MANILA - The current Jun Lozada expose has brought to fore many critical issues chief of which is the preponderance of graft and corruption in the country. But for civil servants, the whole affair most glaringly exposed the lack of security, protection mechanisms and regard accorded to whistleblowers.

Ironically, it is the administration itself to blame for this sad state of affairs.

Whistle-blowing has been proven to be an integral and effective tool in fighting corruption around the world. But the Arroyo administration has besmirched the essence of whistle-blowing in the country as can be gleaned from the recent showdown between the administration witnesses and Lozada in the Senate.

The administration came fully prepared for battle during the hearing. With all their doggedness, they endeavored to discredit Lozada, portraying him as the mischief maker, an attention-grabber, somebody who had a “penchant for drama.”

They insisted on inconsistencies in Lozada’s claims, exploiting whatever gap they could find and making a whole fuss about it. Further, they went all-out to convince the public that Lozada was not abducted to prevent him from testifying and accused him and his family of acting in “bad faith” when they filed a petition for writs of habeas corpus and amparo.

All these efforts by the government have turned the whole affair intended to unveil the truth behind a highly questionable multi-million dollar broadband project into a mere recital of rehearsed lies, ruses and red herrings.

If there’s anybody acting in bad faith, it is the Arroyo administration, with its manipulative ways and palpable efforts to curtail the truth by preventing its executive officials from testifying and discouraging the practice of whistle-blowing as a way to fight corruption.

We commend Lozada for speaking up even at the risk of retaliatory attacks from those in power. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing glamorous, advantageous or comfortable in being a whistleblower.

As a national union of government workers committed to eradicating corruption in the public sector, we have had to live through the sad reality of whistle-blowing under this administration. In a lesser publicized case, but which involves a cabinet official of Arroyo nonetheless, some of our affiliates who blew the whistle against TESDA Director General Augusto Syjuco have had to go through the same intimidation, coercion and emotional distress to which Lozada had been subjected to.

Consequently, we sympathize with Lozada and the rest like him who have suffered unduly because of this administration’s intolerance to criticisms and whistleblowers.

Lozada’s coming out heralds a new sensitivity on the part of the Filipino public to whistleblowing. Unlike in previous high-profile whistleblowing cases where those who blew the whistle did not quite get sympathy from the public, Lozada is believable in the eyes of many.

The fact that Lozada has acknowledged his improprieties in the past does not make him less of a whistleblower. In contrast, it actually shows his humility and sincerity. This explains why the majority of the public has taken his side.

Corruption is an age-old problem but it has become pervasive and insidious more than ever because fighting it is impossible under the current administration. We cannot expect any change under an administration that makes a mockery of authentic whistleblowers and anti-corruption stalwarts. We cannot expect change under an administration that turns crooked officials into allies and beneficiaries of goodwill, and legitimate whistleblowers into wrongdoers and enemies of the state.

We urge other brave souls privy to anomalous government deals and projects to come out. Let us use whistle-blowing as a legitimate medium to report on the excesses and unjust and immoral practices under the Arroyo administration. Let us use it as a means to challenge wrongdoing in the government and rid it of corrupt and abusive officials.

PSLINK is an umbrella organization of unions and associations in the public sector representing more than 80,000 government workers in the Philippines. PSLINK is committed to the development of a Strong, Accountable, Comprehensive, Responsive, Effective and Democratic (SACRED) Public Services and campaigns for responsible unionism and social dialogue.