The Jun Lozada show

While nobody really cares about the political scene especially today, since everyone will be glued to their TV sets watching Manny Pacquiao slug it out with Ricky Hatton, here comes the sideshow involving Jun Lozada, the self-proclaimed hero of the ZTE-NBN controversy.        

 It was an absolutely wrong move by Mike Defensor to file the perjury case again after it had already been dismissed by a Manila court. So now we have this whole circus with all sorts of characters joining in, reviving a controversy that the Palace doesn’t need at this point. Everyone knows Mike is a close ally of the president, and this has done more harm than good. The political opposition and anti-GMA groups have found fresh ammunition to fire against this administration. Nobody really believes it when Mike says the case is not politically motivated. Worse, the perception is that he was really put up to it by Malacañang, and only a handful of people believe the denials being issued by the Palace.

The arrest merely resurrected Jun Lozada who, for all intents and purposes, has been virtually buried into oblivion, forgotten except for sporadic radio interviews where he laments his continued “retirement” in the La Salle Greenhills compound. While he had been continuing his “speaking tours” in some parts of the country, it was becoming evident that the interest in what Lozada has to say was waning fast.

Judging from the photos taken during Lozada’s arrest, it’s very obvious that the man is enjoying all the attention, smiling for the cameras and showing his ink-stained fingers after being brought to the Manila Police District headquarters. He certainly knows he will get a lot of media mileage at least for the next few days, and that playing the underdog would strike a sympathetic chord among frustrated Filipinos.

 Of course, the former official of the Philippine Forest Corporation under the DENR is being turned into a rallying point by members of the opposition and civil society groups, with people being goaded to support Lozada. This issue certainly has its moments, comic relief included, with the typical Filipino humor coming to surface even in a situation like this. The statement made by some nuns that they will go with Jun Lozada wherever he goes — even a jail cell — seems to be tickling the funny bone of some Filipinos. Though the nuns’ intention may be noble, a lot of people find the imagery quite funny and quirky, sparking malicious and unkind remarks from some.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this zarzuela may just turn Lozada into a senator in 2010 especially with the interest shown by the party of Manny Villar to include him in their senatorial slate. This may backfire on Villar though since a lot of people have become a bit cynical of politicians, particularly presidentiables, with the perception that everything at this point is calculated to give them the edge for the 2010 election.

That’s really the sad part — that people have become very suspicious and that nobody really believes it anymore when someone claims to be telling the truth. People are more concerned about getting jobs, putting food on the table and praying that this potential swine flu pandemic that’s sweeping across Mexico, the US and other countries does not reach Philippine shores.

In any case, Filipinos will only find out “the truth” — and who’s really the “true” president — when we will already have a new president. One thing is for sure — everybody is just waiting for the 2010 May elections. However, if the present dispensation ignores this truth and continues to push for Charter change/term extension, then they’ll find out for sure the truth about what unpleasant consequences can bring about.

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Speaking of presidential elections, I got a call from a friend working with the United Nations who told me that Loren Legarda is very much respected, and that they have such a high regard for her in the UN because of her strong advocacy for the environment. Loren — who’s been named the Asia-Pacific regional champion for disaster risk reduction — was in Beijing some two weeks ago for an international conference on gender and disaster risk reduction.

My UN source said the lady senator is popular among Filipinos working at the UN and even those from other countries. Her work and her advocacy are particularly appreciated at this time when all sorts of disasters like the recent earthquake in Italy are costing billions of dollars in socio-economic losses, not to mention the death of many.

Loren was just fresh out of college when she got her first job working with our company, and she has certainly come a long way from the time I first knew her. I’m proud to see Loren distinguishing herself in the international scene. While some may use the issue of gender against her, one can never tell what will happen with so many presidentiables vying for the top seat. After all, Loren continues to be extremely popular with the masa and the women voters, and she has proven this with her track record at the polls, always landing number one both times when she ran for senator. Who knows, she may just get the top spot again.

At the rate things are going, we may just end up with another female president. One thing is clear though — whether she becomes the next president or not, Loren has already distinguished herself and has made her mark in the international arena — an achievement that many Filipino women can be proud of.

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