Aquino advises Jun Lozada to just face charges
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MANILA -- President Benigno Aquino III denied Tuesday that his administration was harassing whistleblower Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, who is facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.
Aquino told reporters that the NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should instead face the charges against him.
"That harassment (issue), the cases that he's facing now were filed against him even before I assumed (office), it's in the record. If he thinks he should not be harassed by absolving him from his cases, it's not in my jurisdiction," he said.
He added that if he meddled on Lozada's case before the anti-graft court, he might be the one to be charged.
Aquino recalled that the last time he talked with Lozada, the latter told him that he was ready to defend himself and to prove his innocence.
Lozada, who used to be the president and chief executive officer of the government-owned Philippine Forest Corporation (Philforest) during the Arroyo government, sought Aquino's help to get the necessary documents from the agency to prove that he was not guilty of the graft charges against him.
The President said he advised Lozada to provide the Office of the Executive Secretary of the list of documents he needed, but as of now he has not submitted any.
He also noted that at least two of his allies - Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) General Manager Nereus Acosta and Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca - are also facing separate cases before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
But he was not meddling on their cases because it is against the Constitution.
"He (Lozada) said that he could defend himself, then why don't you do it, instead of raising several issues," he said.
In 2008, Lozada testified before a Senate investigation on the questionable $329-million national broadband network deal that the Arroyo administration entered into with Chinese ZTE Corp.
Because of the controversies hounding the project, Arroyo decided to drop the deal.
But after his expose during the previous administration, Lozada was charged for allegedly granting separate leasehold rights over public lands to his brother and to a private firm connected to him.
Source: President Aquino advises NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Jun Lozada to just face charges | Sun.Star
MANILA -- President Benigno Aquino III denied Tuesday that his administration was harassing whistleblower Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, who is facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.
Aquino told reporters that the NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should instead face the charges against him.
"That harassment (issue), the cases that he's facing now were filed against him even before I assumed (office), it's in the record. If he thinks he should not be harassed by absolving him from his cases, it's not in my jurisdiction," he said.
He added that if he meddled on Lozada's case before the anti-graft court, he might be the one to be charged.
Aquino recalled that the last time he talked with Lozada, the latter told him that he was ready to defend himself and to prove his innocence.
Lozada, who used to be the president and chief executive officer of the government-owned Philippine Forest Corporation (Philforest) during the Arroyo government, sought Aquino's help to get the necessary documents from the agency to prove that he was not guilty of the graft charges against him.
The President said he advised Lozada to provide the Office of the Executive Secretary of the list of documents he needed, but as of now he has not submitted any.
He also noted that at least two of his allies - Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) General Manager Nereus Acosta and Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca - are also facing separate cases before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
But he was not meddling on their cases because it is against the Constitution.
"He (Lozada) said that he could defend himself, then why don't you do it, instead of raising several issues," he said.
In 2008, Lozada testified before a Senate investigation on the questionable $329-million national broadband network deal that the Arroyo administration entered into with Chinese ZTE Corp.
Because of the controversies hounding the project, Arroyo decided to drop the deal.
But after his expose during the previous administration, Lozada was charged for allegedly granting separate leasehold rights over public lands to his brother and to a private firm connected to him.
Source: President Aquino advises NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Jun Lozada to just face charges | Sun.Star