The contingency of this presidency, Mr. Jun Lozada
These are the days a social science teacher lives for.
Today I suspended my prepared outline. I worked hard on it and believe in it passionately, but I shoved it aside to talk about something else. Entitled Four Currents of Modern Asia, my lecture was designed to weave together a lot of our themes for the year and move our course towards the finish line; however I wouldn’t be so current if I didn’t touch on the actual current that moves us right now.
Instead I talked about the recent plight of Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr., the former CEO of Philippine Forests Corp., who was abducted earlier this week and is now in the custody of the Senate. He is a key witness to the NBN deal brokered by Chairman Benjamin Abalos and the First Gentleman, Mike Arroyo.
I’ll leave the details of his testimony to the journalists and other bloggers.
In class I summarized his statement and explained the differences between a project following a BOT scheme and another using a loan facility. I illustrated how and where corruption takes place and why Jun Lozada found it so difficult to tell the truth, or even why — if he is the man of integrity he claims to be — he just told the truth now.
In the end, I still managed to tie in my discussion with my prepared lecture. I teased that next week we’ll talk about the link between governance and the growing gap between the rich and poor, and the trend in Asia of persistent autocracies and highly controlled democracies.
Now to share some of my more personal takes on the issue.
I saw Jun Lozada as an honest and credible man. I am aware that in making this judgment, I only go by what I saw on TV and heard on the radio. This is neither a personal assessment of the man nor a commentary on the Arroyo regime.
He won me over when he admitted that he wasn’t the cleanest man in Philippine politics. He impressed me with his technical knowledge of telecommunications, and his commentaries on government procedure — dysfunctional procurement will definitely become part of the lexicon of our politics. His notion of treating $65M as ‘acceptable’ is also worth looking into, though that would take some foray into Philippine culture and sociology. Moreover, I saw the conflict within him. Just as he struggled to testify for “the good of our country” (take that for what it’s worth), he held on to the confidence of his family and friends, particularly former NEDA and current CHED Chairman Romulo Neri.
Lozada, to me, represents the fate of our good and honest public servants. My students ask me whether there are good men and women in government and I would always say, “Yes, there are.” We just have to draw the line between government and politics; the former is the machine and the latter is the oil.
I recognize that there are many young, idealistic and worthy public servants. There are a lot who try to break new ground and make a difference. However, the Damocles sword of political favoritism and patronage remain. This is the political reality that compels the up and coming to leave the public service in the same way that economic realities compel a lot of us to leave the country for greener pastures. Yet in the end, these servants face the choice of being either a Neri or a Lozada. Will they hide in the darkness of truth or will they bring the truth to light? How about you?
I would also have to commend the Senate. Even with the grandstanding of those who aspire to become president, I have to say that I am beginning to see the place of our Senate in our complicated political tapestry.
In a political system where personalities trump policy and political parties are formed through allegiances rather than ideologies, the Senate has evolved into a necessary check and balance to an executive that continues to monopolize political and economic capital. The Senate remains our one true opposition in a country where the President has control over the Lower House and, allegedly, the courts. The Senate can always be criticized of prioritizing politics over policy, but in our political culture, politics is policy. I don’t necessarily condone this of course, yet I consider this essential if we are to keep authoritarianism in check, banner the cause of justice and in so doing, facilitate a transition to a fuller and more complete democracy. If at all, the Senate is here to remind us that we deserve a better government than we’ve got — even if that, in the end, includes every single Senator too.
I wonder how this story will unfold. For a student of history and politics, that may be a strange thing to say. But though there have been too many precedents to tell us how things may turn out, the future remains unclear. Perhaps it is because one man today stood up for truth in spite of it. Or perhaps it is because evil will prevail despite him.
Thus I continue to hope. And wonder.
I appreciate what Jun Lozada did , sometimes there are time that a hero comes along .
Three realities in the Philippines that make my head reel:
1. Government officials pocketing millions from government contracts.
2. Senators being paid about a million monthly for chairing committees, but spend a lot of time badgering witnesses “in aid of legislation”.
3. Professionals in the private sector like me who are withheld P20,000 a month from our salaries. And all we hear in the news are the said government officials and senators who insist on keeping on with the media mileage so the people will know the truth. Boohoo.
Just a clarification. Senators don’t get paid in the millions for chairing committees. The highest salary grade in the land (that would be the President) earns you around P57,000 so the senators get something a little lower than that.
They get their millions elsewhere…
All these investigations will be worth much to our children. Future education will be thru an interface of our digital library via visual and other means. In the future when our consciousness as a nation goes up, the inheritance of gloria etc. and other loots will be voluntarily given back. Nothing much will be kept secret, history will be an analysis of motivation and it will be difficult for their heirs to live using the stolen inheritance.
[...] Akomismo is a high school teacher who suspends his lesson plan to talk about Lozada: “Lozada, to me, represents the fate of our good and honest public servants. My students ask me whether there are good men and women in government and I would always say, “Yes, there are.” I recognize that there are many young, idealistic and worthy public servants. There are a lot who try to break new ground and make a difference. However, the Damocles sword of political favoritism and patronage remain. This is the political reality that compels the up and coming to leave the public service in the same way that economic realities compel a lot of us to leave the country for greener pastures. Yet in the end, these servants face the choice of being either a Neri or a Lozada. Will they hide in the darkness of truth or will they bring the truth to light? How about you?” [...]
[...] the whole thing is fascinating and urges people to follow the hearings and make up their own minds. AKOMISMO Vol. II is using the whole thing as a teaching aid. the in’s and out’s of the twisted mind of [...]
I think this country should be asking the bigger questions here. Regardless, of whether Jun Lozada is friend or foe, hero or villain, conspirator, or accomplice. One fact we can’t deny, is that he exposed yet another corruptive scheme of our amazing gov’t. Amazing coz the people in office have the stomach to take a blind eye & greedy pockets, on the deep turmoil our country has been experiencing ever since time immemorial.
We keep forgetting what history has taught us, and yet we are surrounded by it everyday. How many years were we enslaved by the Spaniards? How many years have the Americans been a part of our government’s decision making during the Marcos’ regime? To think we even needed their recognition for our OWN independence day! Don’t get me wrong, I love America, as a matter of fact, I’m 25% American, but I’m 100% loyal to my country the Philippines. And it’s a sad fact that our people have to find work elsewhere to support their families. We are servants in their countries, and when you come to think of it, we are still servants in our own. What people hold the business sectors in our country? Isn’t it the Chinese, or some other foreigner? Even for the small businesses, like the vendors et al. Who do they run to, to lend them money? The Indians! Why is that? Doesn’t it enrage you being a servant in your own country? And due to what? The highest forms of reptiles in our gov’t.
Sa totoo lang magmula ng maging tao ako, korupsyon na ang nakagisnan kong gobyerno. Nakakawindang na, grabe na talaga. Para bang normal na talaga ang korupsyun sa pang araw araw, na dapat nating tanggapin na may katumbas na pursyento na dapat ‘ilagay’ sa kung sinomang nakaupo na nangangasiwa sa proyekto o ng anumang ahensya ng gobyernong kelangan nating lapitan.
KAILAN BA MAGBABAGO ANG MGA LIDER NG BANSA NA HUMUHULMA SA GOBYERNONG NAG DEDESISYON SA PARAAN NG PAMUMUHAY NG BAWAT PILIPINO?
KAILAN MATITIGIL ANG KORUPSYON?
PAANO NA ANG SINASABI NI RIZAL NA ANG MGA BATA ANG KINABUKASAN NG ATING BANSA, ANO ANG MAGIGING KINABUKASAN NILA, KUNG GANITO ANG GOBYERNO NATIN NGAYON?
I think we’ve had too many Edsa Revolutions, to prove that we have time and again, put in position a corrupt govt. What do we need to change? The people running the gov’t, or the kind of gov’t itself?
It’s a sad fact that a half breed (no insult intended) Filipino in the person of Mr. Jun Lozada had the guts to stand up to those bulging corrupt officials. To be questioned, to be ridiculed, to be terrorized day after day, and undergo this agonizing reality. Again, if he’s a fake, so what? Isn’t what he’s claiming, not true? Whether you take a 20% or a 50% commission isn’t the bigger question here, it’s the fact that this gov’t did! Can one say, “Oh I just stabbed him once, I didn’t shoot him, he just died 20% not 50%!” A crime is a crime people. Let’s keep our eyes on the ball!
So the bigger, and probably biggest question here is, what do we DO after this? Put another corrupt gov’t in office? Isn’t it commonsense, if something hasn’t been working for what 40 years more or less, then it won’t ever work? Let’s do steps to change. Does it really matter if we give up our democracy for a freer life? (Or is this still a democratic country at all?) Free from oppression, Free from poverty, Free from ignorance, and most of all, Free from a corrupt gov’t. What is democracy anyhow, if our children are becoming dumber and their stomachs are empty?
It took one man to stand up to the Spaniards, and his life to start a revolution to gain our independence. How many men will it take to reclaim our True Nation’s Freedom? Would it take a Ninoy Aquino, a Clarissa Ocampo, or a Jun Lozada to open our wide shut eyes to the whole truth and nothing but the damning truth? And when we find the truth, what are we willing to do about it?
Those who are trying to demean the witness’ (JUN Lozada) are using the oldest trick of a defense lawyer, to put down a man’s character so he won’t deem credible. Aside from the dramatics of all of this fiasco’, let us keep a watchful eye on the FACTS please, not the MAN. If anything, Jun Lozada may be that vessel of liberation we haven’t experienced since Pres. Ramon Magsaysay. Or does our freedom come in percentages too?
Base on the news on t.v. and on what i have researched I could furtherb say that Jun Lozada was telling the truth….
He’s a role model to all who has the knowledge abot the ZTE-Nbn Deal, to say evrything they know…..
The problem with the ‘facts’ that Lozada keep presenting is that they are all hearsay. His own account/story without any documentary evidence or hard facts.
It’s the people who join the street rallies who focuses on the ‘man’ than the ‘facts’. And I can’t blame them since there are no facts to really focus on. Everyone got caught with the emotional blackmail this Lozada has successfully woven so far.
We are all shaped by our preconceived notions, bias, prejudices, beliefs, emotions, behaviors, attitudes, options accumulated over the years of our existence. Add to that the conditioning of our mindset by all surrounding factors/sectors. So what we see infront of us maybe distorted taken out of context.
In fairness to government employees, I’ve known some of them who are really honest, hardworking, law abiding and tax-paying citizens. But because of a few unscrupulous people, the masses tend to generalize that all government people are bad. Aren’t we becoming an uncontrollable mob lusting for blood? If we are, then we are no different from them.
Just like what Francis M said: “Nilamon ng sistema…”, aren’t we all consumed by the system? Its funny that a land mass which is smaller than the state of Vermont is more “colorful” and “vibrant” than other nations. ANG PROBLEMA KASI NATIN DITO SA BANSA EH NAPAKARAMING MATALINO.
If you would observe the history of all developed and first world countries, all of them have undergone a bloody past, a civil war of sorts like the Scottish-English War, French Revolution, US Civil War. I think but I do not hope that it would happen to us. Of course, nobody wants it, except for some firm believers of Mao Tse Tung that the only way to liberate is through a BLOODY REVOLUTION.
What is the anatomy of a hero? Is it all about patriotism? Dedication? Selflessness? Integrity? Courage? Bravery? Personally, I can’t say, its been blurred by so many factors.
Democracy, for me is kind of anti-peace. Why you ask? Because everybody is free to have a piece of the pie, but the problem is everybody likes it bigger than the other or if not the whole pie itself. Mas maganda kaya kung gayahin natin ang China at NOKOR? What the government says, the people does. ANG PROBLEMA KASI SA GOBYERNO EH MAYROONG MAMUMUNO. IDAGDAG MO PA DIYAN KUNG MAKASARILI AT WALANG PAKIALAM SA TAO YUNG NASA TUKTOK.
At the end of the day, commoners like you and me will just be a witness and the recipient of whatever comes as events unfold.