Truth shall prevail

Last week very few people have heard about this guy Jun Lozada. Now millions of Filipinos glued to their TV sets while he was testifying at the Senate inquiry last Friday on the defunct ZTE project consider him a “bayani”. All because of that rather absurd response to his alleged frantic call for help upon his arrival from Hong Kong.

Assuring the safety of any citizen is unquestionably the duty of the PNP. Nothing is really wrong if our policemen provide security to someone asking for their help because of alleged threats to his life. But in this case of Lozada the PNP’s actions are as unusual and silly as to be implausible and hard to believe.

Ordinarily, police response to calls for assistance even within the neighborhood takes at least a few hours. It is SOP for the police to first verify those calls. But in this case, four security escorts immediately responded and were able to catch up with Lozada at the arrival tube when he called the Police Security Protection Office (PSPO) based in Camp Crame only upon his arrival at the NAIA. Assuming that Lozada called by cell phone upon touch down of the plane as it seemed to be the fastest means of communicating, there was no way those escorts could reach the airport in such record time during that rush hour of the day even with the use of a helicopter.

But the more ridiculous part here is that no less than PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr. himself later on after several hours of silence on the matter claimed in a radio interview that Lozada was in the PNP custody because he requested for assistance in his own handwriting and that a brother whose name he could not divulge for security reasons also made a handwritten request. Lozada must really be a very important person for the PNP to be at his beck and call. A mere handwritten request from him was enough for the PNP to move heaven and earth in providing him security to the extent of intercepting him at the arrival tube in record time and then by-passing the Immigration processing required of all arriving passengers without exception.

Suddenly grabbing a passenger by the arm then taking his traveling bag and dragging him to a waiting vehicle at the tarmac definitely indicate some element of force that is inconsistent with merely providing security upon his request. A tarmac exit is necessarily intimidating because it is a grim reminder of the tragic fate that befell on Ninoy Aquino at the same place. Lozada could have been provided with adequate security by simply escorting him through the well secured arrival area teeming with guards to keep off suspicious persons and even welcoming relatives. The PNP actions simply do not support its explanation that it merely provided security to Lozada. They even scare tourists for picturing our airport arrival area as a dangerous place that necessitates the use of the tarmac to secure a passenger in distress.

The eerie gap that intervened between the time Lozada was reported missing and the time the PNP Chief went on the air to claim that they have Lozada in their custody further degrades the plausibility of the PNP story. It easily suggests the concoction of a scenario justifying his disappearance. When the wife aired her appeal, the PNP should have immediately informed media that Lozada was with them. DENR Secretary Lito Atienza himself said that he called Lozada after he was taken from the airport and told him not to worry because “mga tao natin yan, mga taong gobyerno yan”. So he could have immediately called the distraught wife and media right away to inform them and the public that Lozada was not missing but was in safe hands. Interestingly, Razon and Atienza could not even agree on who really has custody, was it the PNP as Razon insisted or mga tao ng DENR as Atienza claimed?

The most ironic twist in this PNP ploy is that while they were safeguarding Lozada in an undisclosed place, he was asked to sign prepared affidavits, one confirming the version that he sought PNP protection and another one containing an item that will make Malacañang comfortable.

It is so ironic because these documents all the more show that Lozada was actually deprived of his liberty albeit temporarily and that the real purpose for snatching him at the airport tube was to “convince” him to sign a document virtually exculpating the very official and prominent personality repeatedly mentioned to be involved in the corrupt ZTE deal. His credibility may really suffer if he subsequently makes statements contradictory to those contained in these affidavits. Statements however may still be inherently true even if the person making them lacks credibility. Truth may still be extracted even from criminals.

Like the fallen Speaker Joe de Venecia who made serious exposes in his valedictory address immediately before he was toppled, Lozada already knew long beforehand the facts he belatedly disclosed at the Senate inquiry. Malacañang effectively warded off the de Venecia accusations because of wrong timing and selfish motives.

The same strategy could have been used to debunk the Lozada revelations. If the minions of Malacañang had just peacefully allowed Lozada to come home and testify at the Senate investigation without any such controversial airport incident, the public would have forgotten sooner than later his damaging revelations simply because his timing was wrong and his motives suspect.

The apparent frantic attempt to gag Lozada obviously proves that he may be telling some truths damaging to the administration. Now a lot of Filipinos are starting to believe him and consider him a “bayani”. Any demolition job that Malacañang may unleash against him at this stage may not be enough to turn the tide of public opinion. They never learn that truth always prevails.

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