Jun Lozada: The ZTE whistleblower revisited
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/04/2009 12:45 PM
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Since last year, Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada has had no income. He is faced with cases of graft and perjury filed by his detractors, he no longer plays golf, and he has lost a lot of hair.
Indeed, it has not been a glamorous life for the so-called "celebrity" in the ZTE-NBN broadband deal controversy.
"A celebrity rakes in money because of his popularity. I may be known to the public, but I'm stuck here, I'm poor. I'd be lying if I say I'm enjoying my life right now," Lozada told ABS-CBN News and radio dzMM.
Lozada, his wife Violet, and his five children are currently sheltered by the La Salle Brothers, away from the assistance of house maids and a lavish lifestyle. Since he has no source of income, Lozada said they are being fed by members of the religious, people he is truly grateful for.
"I can't ask for anything more. We don't have to spend for anything. Sometimes, they even treat my children to the movies," he said.
Last year, Lozada--a former president of the Philippine Forest Corp.--bared irregularities in the $329.5-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with ZTE Corp, implicating First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, and former National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) chief Romulo Neri, among others.
He revealed that the project was overpriced from its original amount of $262 million, saying that Arroyo and Abalos wanted to get kickbacks of $70 million and $130 million, respectively.
A year after his abduction at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to prevent his leakage of information regarding government dealings, Lozada's said he is willing to go through it all over again, if it means standing up for what is right.
"No, I don't regret that I revealed this to the public. If I were to be given another chance, I'd do this again. There are some things in this world that you can always fight for, even if they offer you money or a prominent position, even if they go after you. You just won't be able to stand it," he said.
Despite being stripped bare of material wealth, Lozada feels peace of mind and heart in his current life, which he said is better than the one he left.
"You know the world where I came from. You just feel cold and you already have half a million pesos. You have no money to buy groceries and you get P50,000, and that's already deducted. When I came from Hong Kong (when I was abducted) my hotel room cost P35,000 a night," he said.
Lozada said a number of people have tried to talk him into taking back all of his statements. He said, however, that he will not even budge an inch.
"Maybe I still have a lot of money now (if I chose not to tell the truth). I'm still with Secretary Neri, and I still play golf at Wack Wack with Chairman Abalos. And maybe, my soul would be holding a (devil's) fork by then," he added.
Perks of whistleblowing
It may seem that he could've been better off not exposing the irregularities in the dealings of the Arroyo government. However, Lozada said whistleblowing actually has its advantages, which he believed is more rewarding than anything money can buy.
"You get to be friends with real people who have love for God and for others. In my previous job, maybe I would never get to be with people I'm with right now. It's priceless. You may not get money, but you'll get the affection of total strangers. You'll feel their respect and love," he said.
On a personal level, Lozada bared that his relationship with his children greatly improved amid challenges he and his family went through for going against the Arroyo administration.
"After that crisis, I saw how my children changed the way they perceive me. I'm glad that I was able to help them have a different view of the world. I want to prove to my children that all of our suffering was worth it, because in the end, the good will reign over all this," he said.
A lot more people know about corrupt practices in the current administration, Lozada said. He encouraged them to stand up and fight for what is right, as he did a year ago.
"I've already decided to fight. I don't know if I can do this alone. I can't take this (corruption) anymore. When I die, I hope that the good will reign in the Philippines," he said.
Relationship with Neri
Despite belonging in opposing camps of the ZTE broadband deal controversy, Lozada disclosed that he is still in speaking terms with then NEDA Chief Neri, saying that they even greeted each other on their birthdays via text messages.
"Malacañang might get mad at him (for that)," he chuckled.
Lozada said that he holds no grudge against Neri even if he invoked his executive privilege to conceal the details of his conversation with President Arroyo regarding the broadband deal.
"As to why he didn't expose that to the public, only he can tell the reason. But I'm convinced that they're talking about something criminal," he said.
Neri, Lozada revealed, has expressed attempts to resign from his post due to his dealings with government.
"He has told a lot of people about it, that he wanted to leave his post," he said.
However, the former NEDA Chief was later promoted to head of the Commission on Higher Education, and eventually as president of the Social Security System (SSS).
Looking ahead
Lozada wants to go back home, but because of security issues, he has no choice but to remain in seclusion. He said it's hard to know what lies ahead, especially with the strong grip of his opponents on all sectors of government.
"The government gets to control the filing and progress of cases here. I only filed a kidnapping case against them but unfortunately, it's still in the investigation phase. It's been a year. A justice even objected to my writ of amparo, he's going against my lawyer. So it's a really tough battle," he said.
"The extent of the First Gentleman's shadow is really vast in the government. The hard part is, it's a shadow so you really can't catch it," he added.
Still, Lozada has not lost faith. He has called on Filipinos to open their eyes and take action regarding the worsening state of corruption in the country.
"I hope that people would begin to slowly open their eyes. I know a lot are already aware of what's happening, but I do hope they will also act on it. I hope they'll learn how to defend their integrity," he said.
"If they say the opposite of fear is courage, I'd say in life, the opposite of fear is faith. I believe that there is a God of goodness, that's it not sleeping. In our history, even emperors, kings, or presidents cannot go against Him," he added. -- KAREN FLORES, abs-cbnNEWS.com
