Lozada lauded for his courage in revealing the truth about ZTE-NBN deal

BLOWING their whistles in support of national broadband network project
whistle blower Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada Jr., members of the Freedom from
Debt Coalition today staged a protest action in front of the Senate
condemning the alleged role of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo in the
controversial deal.

Former House Representative and now FDC vice president Etta Rosales lauded
Lozada for his courage in revealing what he knows about the involvement of
former Commission on Election chair Benjamin Abalos and Mrs. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo's husband in the $329-million ZTE-NBN deal.

"The ZTE-NBN deal is a glaring example of how the government conducts its
business concerning billions of dollars at the expense of the taxpayers who
will shoulder the burden of footing the overpriced bill. Jun Lozada is right
in saying that this deal is 'one transactional example of a dysfunctional
government procurement' system," said Rosales.

In his press conference Wednesday morning at the De La Salle Greenhills,
Lozada revealed that when he left the project in January 18, 2007, the deal
was only worth $262 million. The following month, the Office of the
President issued an executive order transferring the Telos, the implementing
agency of the NBN project, under the Department of Transportation and
Communication. After two months, Lozada was surprised to learn that the
project was approved at $329 million, not through the originally planned
build-operate-transfer scheme but through a loan from China.

Lozada also narrated how Chairman Abalos threatened to have him killed
because the then COMELEC official wanted to protect his $130 million
commission from the project.

"Lozada was allegedly asked by NEDA chief Romulo Neri to 'moderate their
greed'. Indeed, this case has clearly exposed the rapacity that has become
the hallmark of this Arroyo administration and its officials. Enough is
enough!" exclaimed the former activist lawmaker.

"We fought for the cancellation of this overpriced project after Joey De
Venecia exposed the anomalies involved, because just like its analog
predecessor, the Telepono sa Barangay, it has the potential of becoming a
'white elephant' project," said Rosales.

"The ZTE-NBN deal could be Mrs. Arroyo's waterloo. We just hope that nothing
bad will happen to Jun Lozada and his family for breaking the code of omerta
regarding this anomalous deal," stressed Rosales.