Defensor files perjury raps vs Lozada

Former presidential spokesperson and chief of staff Michael Defensor filed perjury charges yesterday against whistleblower Rodolfo Lozada Jr. before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office for saying that he had paid Lozada P50,000 to change his statement that he was not kidnapped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) when he arrived from Hong Kong at the height of the national broadband network (NBN)- ZTE controversy.

In a six-page complaint filed before 2nd Assistant City Prosecutor Hannibal Santillan, Defensor denied allegations that he paid Lozada to change his statement into saying that he was not abducted and that he did not know anything about the NBN-ZTE deal.

Defensor said that on Feb. 8, 2008, he appeared as resource person before the Senate to explain his participation in the alleged kidnapping of Lozada, a witness who exposed the supposed anomalies in the aborted NBN project between the Philippine government and China’s ZTE Corp.

He said he only knew about the alleged kidnapping of Lozada from news reports.

When he found out that Lozada took refuge at the De La Salle Dormitory in Greenhills, he immediately went there to verify his condition.

Lozada had allowed Defensor to see him and he quickly asked him about the habeas corpus and writ of amparo petitions he filed.

Lozada told him that it was his wife and his brother who filed the petitions. Lozada also told him that he did not want to appear at the Senate.

“I told him to think hard about the matter and offered my help,” said Defensor.

When Defensor testified before the Senate, he said Lozada did not correct or negate his statement regarding their conversation at the meeting in De La Salle Greenhills.

Defensor said Lozada told him he was not restricted in his movements when he was allegedly kidnapped.

But Lozada, Defensor said, changed his story and testified under oath that the latter convinced him to lie and say that he was not kidnapped during the Court of Appeals hearing in a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus and Writ of Amparo last May 13, 2008.

Lozada also told the court that Defensor had implied Malacañang may do things if he did not cooperate with the plan to change his testimony.

Lozada also said Defensor implied there would be monetary consideration from Malacañang in exchange for his denial.

“Mr. Lozada’s testimony before the Senate significantly deviated from that he gave before the Court of Appeals. In the Senate, he stated that I asked him to deny that he was kidnapped; in the Court of Appeals, however, he said (i) I asked him to deny any knowledge about the NBN-ZTE deal; (ii) I threatened him about his going against Malacañang, and if he does, the staff working there will destroy his credibility through the media, and (iii) I offered him ‘hush money’ in exchange for his retraction or silence,” said Defensor.