This came after Malacañang allowed Cabinet members and other government officials to appear before investigations by the Senate.

Meanwhile, Senate President Manuel B. Villar Jr. aired his disappointment over the Executive Department’s apparent and continuing effort to prevent vital witnesses from appearing before Senate inquiries on anomalies in government.

"Mr. Chairman, I resent this. Alam mo, kanina pa ako nakikinig dito. Nakita ko na parang meron attitude on the part of our law enforcement people. Dito sa ating government officials din, sa Executive Department, na parang merong tendency na huwag pa-atendin at tulungan iyong mga ayaw umattend sa Senado,’’ he said as the inquiry gathered momentum.

Lozada insisted that he feared for his life as "military" men took him from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) upon his arrival from Hong Kong and drove him around Metro Manila, Laguna and Cavite without telling him where they were taking him or identifying themselves.

Atienza maintained that he tried to protect Lozada by asking the Philippine National Police (PNP) to secure him upon his arrival at the airport as Lozada told him he feared for his life and did not want to appear before the Senate.

"Kidnapping? Durog na durog na ang pangalan ko. Being identified with allegations of a Lozada kidnapping. . . I feel violated. My family has suffered. I am happy the Senate is hearing my side. Lozada sought my help. I thought he was in London. I am surprised he was in Hong Kong. The airport incident . . . there was no kidnapping."

"Lozada’s rights were not violated,’’ Atienza said.

He said Lozada quoted him "out of context’’ about his statement that appearing before the Senate would play into the hands of the political opposition.

Also at the hearing, PNP Director General Avelino I. Razon rejected demands by some senators that he go on leave during the pendency of the Senate hearing, saying he did not violate the law.

PNP Senior Supt. Paul Mascarinas admitted that he asked Roger Valeroso to go up to the arrival area to pick up Lozada.

Razon said Valeroso is a former Army master sergeant now detailed with the PNP aviation security command.

Lozada said that he had wanted to be taken to the arrival area where members of his family were waiting and protested being taken out of the airport complex through the exit tube.

He also told the hearing that the people who took custody of him had taken his laptop and passport upon his arrival at the airport.

He insisted that he never requested police or military security.

Lozada said his supposed trip to London to attend a seminar was a plan hatched by Atienza and Manuel Huberto B. Gaite as Atienza himself asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to facilitate the trip.

He told senators in yesterday’s hearing that fears for his life from the group of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos.

Lozada had insisted that Abalos had asked to protect his $ 130 million commission from the $ 329 million NBN contract with ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications firm.

Antonio R. Bautista admitted Gaite requested him to meet Lozada at a restaurant at Libis, Quezon city, with an affidavit for his signature.

Alfonso Cusi, NAIA general manager, said that Lozada’s claims of being kidnapped at the country’s premier airport would adversely hurt the country’s image.

Retired Brig. Gen. Angel Atutubo, NAIA assistant general manager for security and emergency services, told the hearing that there was no official request from the Senate that Lozada be kept in their custody.

Atutubo said said that all he knew was that the Senate sergeant-at-arms was there to meet a person and that he didn’t know that that person was Lozada.

Meanwhile Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Joker Arroyo said that the three Senate committee chairmen-- Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee; Sen Rodolfo G. Biazon of the Senate national defense; and Sen. Manuel Roxas II of the Senate trade and commerce committee -- wasted their time by their asking questions and leaving them out in the Q & A portion of the inquiry.

Arroyo said the Senate must be careful on this particular inquiry as people might tag the Upper House as spending most of its time investigating but less of its time on its mandated role of legislating.

The ZTE scandal was brought to the fore last year by Jose ‘’Joey’’ de Venecia Jr. who claimed that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo angrily told him "to back off’’ from the ZTE deal.

Lozada earlier told the Senate that he, upon instructions of former Planning Secretary Romulo Neri, should "temper the greed’’ of Joey de Venecia, who wanted the NBN contract through the ‘’Build, Operate Transfer’’ (BOT), and Abalos who wanted his $ 130 million kickback protected.

In yesterday’s inquiry that began at 11 a.m. yesterday, Joey told Senators Maria Ana Consuelo ‘’Jamby’’ Madrigal and Panfilo Lacson that he learned that ZTE officials had given to Abalos advances amounting to $ 1 million.

Lacson said this allegation, if true, would make Abalos liable for plunder.

Lozada, for his part, could not give an estimate on how much advances were given to Abalos.

Cayetano told his colleagues that his committee had sent invitations to ZTE officials three times for them to appear and clear things up but was told that they had already left the country.

* * * *

Abalos cites inconsistencies in Lozada’s testimony

Anna Liza T. Villas

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. yesterday maintained that the testimonies of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., about his knowledge of the ZTE-NBN deal were fabricated and riddled with inconsistencies.

During a press conference held in Mandaluyong City, Abalos said that Lozada’s chronology of events about his involvement in the NBN deal were fabricated.

Accompanied by lawyer and spokesperson Salvador Panelo, Abalos said that Lozada claimed that he received the referral from former National Economic and Development Authority chief Romulo Neri regarding the National Broadband deal on September 2006.

However, Abalos presented a letter from the ambassador of The People’s Republic of China, Li Jinjun dated Dec. 2, 2006 that said the NBN contract was a done deal and that ZTE Corp., was the "prime contractor."

Panelo said that Joey de Venecia submitted his unsolicited proposal for an NBN project only on Dec. 5, 2006 as build-operate-transfer scheme.

He noted that while Lozada claimed De Venecia and Abalos met on sometime second week of September, De Venecia said that he only met Abalos on Dec. 15.

"Lozada tried to stitch fabrications in all his testimonies in the Senate hearing," Panelo said.

In an attempt to debunk claims he had brokered the ZTE-NBN deal, Abalos said there was no need for a borker because the Chinese government had designated the ZTE Corp as the to facilitator of the NBN project as part of a condition for a government to government loan.

Abalos reiterated that he only knew Lozada as a regular member of Wack-Wack.

"How come that if he is really close to Neri, whom he say is a confidante, why did he not tell the threat of Mr. Abalos to Neri?" said Panelo.

Panelo said it’s obvious that there is conspiracy among Neri, Lozada and the De Veneicas to drag First Gentleman Mike Arroyo into the controversy.

"It is plain conspiracy. All they want is to put down the President," he said.

Meanwhile, Abalos called on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to review Lozada’s character.

"He said he fears for his life as he was threatened. How come he did not even report to the police if there was such an incident," Abalos said.

Earlier, Abalos said he would file a P100 million to P200 million libel suit against Lozada for his testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee last Friday and his statements during a press conference at La Salle Greenhills last Thursday.

* * * *

Joey de Venecia links FG to deal; Razon calls it ‘pure fiction’

Hannah L. Torregoza

Businessman Jose "Joey" De Venecia III yesterday testified that former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chief Benjamin Abalos promised First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo $ 70 million once the deal from the controversial $ 329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) contract was approved.

During yesterday’s resumption of Senate hearings on the NBN contract, De Venecia reiterated that business man Enrique Razon, reportedly a close friend of Arroyo, had told that Abalos had promised that the President’s spouse would get $ 70 million as his cut from the deal from the $ 329 million NBN contract with ZTE Corp. of China.

Razon is chairman and president of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI).

"Prinomisa kasi ni Chairman Abalos Jr. na may $ 70 million si FG dyan. Di na makalimutan ni FG yung $ 70 million," De Venecia quoted Razon as telling him.

De Venecia said this happened after Arroyo had told him to "back off" from the project.

He added that that he believes Abalos could have received more than P100 million in advances from ZTE executives.

Razon yesterday described as "delusional and pure fiction" persistent statements by De Venecia linking him to the ZTE controversy.

Razon said that it was De Venecia who insisted on seeing him about the ZTE deal.

"After asking around, I told him that my reading of the events was that the government would likely be doing a government-to-government deal with no private sector involvement. This happened in the first quarter of last year and that was the last of it as far as I’m concerned,’’ Razon said.