Recall of security for whistle-blowers sending wrong signal, says Lagdameo

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo yesterday said the Senate’s move to recall the security personnel detailed to whistleblowers would not only send the wrong signal to future informants but it would also hamper efforts to ferret out the truth in anomalies.

Archbishop Lagdameo told CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the CBCP, that he was opposed to the Senate’s decision to stop security protection for whistleblowers because it would “cast some fear on future whistleblowers.”

“Future whistleblowers would either hesitate or refuse to come out with the truth they know because they would risk their lives,” Lagdameo said.

The 68-year-old prelate also suggested that the government come up with a more effective Witness Protection Program (WPP) “for the sake of truth and good governance”.

“With a much better Witness Protection Program, people who know the truth can preserve whatever documents and information they have for the sake of truth and common good,” he added.

Dante Madriaga, a witness in the national broadband network (NBN)-ZTE deal, who alleged that the $329-million contract was overpriced by about $200 million, and this amount would have been divided between a Filipino group and a Chinese group, found himself stripped of security escorts recently. The Senate reportedly used to assign four men to keep him safe.

Upon the instructions of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate sergeant-at-arms Jose Balajadia also said the upper chamber cut by half the number of Senate security escorts for NBN-ZTE primary whistleblower Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr.