I was told to lie on NBN deal Lozada

MANILA, Philippines – Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., key Senate witness on alleged anomalies in the botched $329-million national broadband network (NBN) project, said yesterday he was told by former presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor to lie in the Senate investigation to end the controversy that was hurting President Arroyo.

In his testimony during a hearing of the petition for a writ of amparo before the Court of Appeals, Lozada said he was instructed by Defensor to tell the Senate that there were no irregularities in the controversial deal with China’s ZTE Corp.

“He (Defensor) told me Madam (President Arroyo) was hurting… Pero hindi ko po kayang magsinungaling (but I could not afford to lie),” he told the appellate court’s 17th division.

“I was also told to say that I was not abducted, that my knowledge of the NBN deal was limited to technical aspects and that I did not consult any official for my statement,” he revealed.

Lozada also recalled how Defensor tried to convince him to lie by saying only he had the power to end the controversy on the NBN deal.

He further told the court it was lawyer Antonio Bautista, counsel of Commission on Higher Education Chairman Romulo Neri, who was assigned to coach him on what to tell the Senate.

When sought for reaction, Defensor denied the allegations of Lozada and accused the latter of outright lying.

“I am willing to take a lie detector test with him in front of CA and the media. I’ve been publicly calling for such ever since this started but to no avail. He’s always resorting to publicity with his outright lies,” he told The STAR in a text message.

Defensor likewise accused Lozada of committing perjury by validating his statement in the Senate.

“The Senate records will bear me out,” he stressed.

The writ of amparo was filed by Lozada’s brother Arturo before the CA following reports that the former environment official was abducted by government agents when he arrived at the airport from Hong Kong last February.

Lozada, in his testimony before the Senate, backed up the claims made earlier in the probe by original whistleblower Jose de Venecia III, who linked First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos to alleged kickbacks in the NBN deal.

The CA has set the next hearing for the amparo petition on May 20, when witnesses are set to be cross-examined by the solicitor general.  

Government lawyers have stood firm in their position that Lozada was not “kidnapped” when he arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Feb. 5 and he was never under any threat from government agents.