By Ronron
February 13, 2008
Detained alleged mutineers Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and resigned Navy Lt. Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV have joined different groups supporting ZTE-NBN deal scandal witness Rodolfo Lozada, Jr.
In a one-page statement dated February 12, 2008, Lim and Trillanes “praised” what they say as “the courage and patriotism displayed” by Lozada “on his expose of yet another series of condemnable acts by the GMA administration.”
Lim and Trillanes are currently detained at Camp Crame, Quezon City for their participation in the alleged power grab plot last November 29, 2007 at Makati City. Other than that, Lim is also facing charges for his alleged participation in the failed coup attempt in February 2006, while Trillanes for his participation in the same attempt in July 2003.
Like them, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) also expressed support yesterday to Lozada and called for “zero corruption in all public procurements.”
“We are greatly appalled and concerned by the revelations made by ZTE-NBN deal witness Rodolfo ‘Jun’ Lozada, Jr. during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation. We condemn and oppose all kinds of corruption,” the IBP said in a statement.
“There could no be no ‘moderation of greed’,” it stressed, referring to the directive allegedly of former National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) chairman Romulo Neri on how Lozada should act on the intention of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos to get a $130 million kickback from the National Broadband Network (NBN) project.
The IBP, chaired by Feliciano Bautista, said it “will provide necessary legal protection” to Lozada “if, in the end, he will be charged in court because of his revelations.”
In implicating Abalos, Lozada implied that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was aware of it.
“We will actively observe the proceedings before the Senate investigations by sending representatives thereto… We express our full support and uphold the integrity of the Senate and the Supreme Court, two branches of government that will not allow themselves to be used in snatching from our people their dignity and honor as a people,” the IBP said.
The IBP said it supports “the creation of an independent Citizen’s Commission that will continue the Senate investigation,” and “will take immediate action on complaints against lawyers who may have violated their oath and the Code of Professional Responsibility in connection with the Senate investigations on the ZTE-NBN deal.”
Lim and Trillanes hope that the revelations of Lozada “would be enough to finally convince the Filipino people to stand up and assert their sovereign power to choose a government that would truly protect their rights and fight for their interests.”
“As somebody once said: ‘The limits of a tyrant are defined by the patience of those whom he (she) oppresses’,” their statement reads.
The statement, which was apparently hand-written by opposition Senator Trillanes, was distributed yesterday by the family of officers facing court martial proceedings at Camp Aguinaldo over their alleged participation in the February 2006 coup attempt.
Like other officers in the military, Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog warned soldiers yesterday against joining moves to grab power from the Arroyo government.
“Now, there are military officers claiming to be idealistic. I can say, they are not (idealistic), and they can go to hell,” Cadungog said.
Cadungog said he had been in both sides of the coin in the past, and any attempt to grab power is always violent and detrimental to ordinary Filipinos.
He said he was among the young officers who joined the People Power Revolution in 1986 to topple the Marcos regime, and the subsequent coup attempts against the Aquino administration. And he was also in Malacañang on May 1, 2001 to protect the Arroyo government from enraged supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada.
Meanwhile, in reaction to the directive of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for the New People’s Army to intensify their offensives in the next few weeks in the light of Lozada’s exposes, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Information Chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said: “This just shows the true color of the CPP-NPA. They are going to ride on an issue like this to pursue their overall intention of grabbing power, and add to the worries of our countrymen.”
“But the Armed Forces of the Philippines is ready to address the call of the CPP-NPA for intensified attacks. We are ready,” he added.
Praising Lozada, the CPP said in a statement yesterday that he actually “bared the immensity of the Arroyo regime’s capacity for greed, perfidy, malevolence, and fascist abuse of state power.”/DMS
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