The name Jun Lozada is unheard of months ago. Nobody knew who he was until recently he became the “star witness” of the ZTE-NBN broadband scandal.
For those of you who do not know what the ZTE-NBN broadband deal is, this deal is made between the Philippine government and the People’s Republic of China through a Chinese government entity named ZTE. The project had a good intention which is to link government offices and establishments all over the country in order to improve the delivery of services to the common Filipino. Its educational application could also do wonders for our waning educational.
The deal was formally scrapped by the president due to rumors that people who were involved in this deal made money out of it.. The key witness in this controversy is a man by the name of Jun Lozada.
Jun Lozada does not claim to be a saint. He said this himself and I totally admire his “humility” in telling people that he is just a sinner like you and me. His message is that he is a repentant sinner.
Allegedly, the government has been trying to “tarnish” Jun Lozada’s image by discrediting him, digging up his “colorful” past and showing the Filipino people that he is not the noble “Hero” as painted in the media.
But the question that we should ask ourselves is, are the actions of Jun Lozada really helping the country?
Instead of helping “heal” the country and helping restore faith in our democratic institutions, Jun Lozada has divided the Filipino people. He keeps on throwing allegations at the government without a single shred of evidence save his “colorful” testimony.
In the Court of Law, Jun Lozada’s testimony will not be enough to convict those allegedly involved. Everybody knows that the evidence required to convict criminally should be evidence beyond reasonable doubt. If he really planned to help the country, he should have gathered documents and other evidences before dropping the bomb shell. The only conclusion I can reach is that he gave out his premature testimony because he was pressured to do so. Perhaps also the possibility of instant fame (And probably fortune) that goes with it is too hard to resist. (For more information on this see my previous post entitled: Jun Lozada, subtitled, Jun Lozada – Hero or hypocrite)
What message is Jun Lozada bringing to the international community? He is saying that our courts and other democratic institutions cannot be trusted and that you have to bring your case to the media in order that something may be done. Since he has a very sloppy case, he is resorting to trial by publicity in an effort to achieve something.
What is so sickening about this is that opposition politicians are taking advantage of Jun Lozada’s expose. They see this as another golden opportunity to bring down the government.
Jun Lozada actions is not helping the country at all. If he has no other evidence to prove his case, I strongly suggest that he shut up and take note of the saying “If you do not have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
I haven’t been following the case closely, but I do agree about having strong evidences before taking actions. Lozada is a definite whistleblower perhaps by ethical dilemma. His past is far from immaculate, but I do admire the man for standing up despite the lack of evidence. Lozada is risking his life, his family, his career for what? Which is an indication that some unethical financial dealings had occured notwithstanding deficiency in evidences.
Regarding saving face, the international community is already aware of the Philippine government’s corruption. This scandal is not surprising. The government must perform a 360 degree turnaround to defeat corruption so our beloved country could finally emerge from poverty for the sake of the people. The only way this possible is to eliminate the current politicians to be replaced by a new type of people free of corruption. However, this is an impossible plan to execute. The Philippines is a poor country and its people can easily be bought to vote for incompetent candidates with financial means dreaming for government positions in order to accumulate further wealth and power.
When will corruption ever end?
Iris: In some ways, I agree with you. I just hate how he is being exploited and how he has allowed himself to be exploited by traditional politicians. By the way you are my top commentor !!! Thanks !