OUR DAYS
This day...19 February 2008 'Neri said Arroyo is
Evil' -- Lozada MANILA, Philippines -- Commission on Higher Education Chair Romulo Neri called President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo “evil” and considered resigning after she told him to endorse the $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project despite bribery claims, Rodolfo Lozada Jr. said Monday at the continuation of the Senate hearing on the scuttled NBN deal with China’s ZTE Corp. Lozada, a former government consultant to the NBN project, recounted how Neri described Ms Arroyo while the CHEd chair was giving a presentation to Senators Panfilo Lacson and Jamby Madrigal on the country’s oligarchy-dominated economy last December. “When he (Neri) said she (Ms Arroyo) was evil, he was describing the web or ecosystem of corruption in the country and that she was actually right in the middle of it,” Lozada said in emotional testimony at the 10th Senate hearing on the NBN deal, which was allegedly overpriced by $130 million to fund kickbacks for certain people, including Ms Arroyo’s husband. Lozada said Neri gave the presentation at a restaurant at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City on Dec. 7, 2007, two months after Neri had testified in the Senate that former Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. had offered him P200 million to endorse the ZTE proposal to undertake the NBN project, which sought to digitally link government offices nationwide down to the barangay (village) level. Neri wanted to resign early last year as then director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) after he told Ms Arroyo about Abalos’ bribe offer, according to Lozada. Moral authority lost Asked why Neri wanted to resign, Lozada replied: “Because the President has lost all moral authority over him.” “He was told not to mind Abalos but approve the project anyway. He told the President that the issue could be a hot item in media as it had become controversial. But the President just told him that it was just a gimmick of Joey and his father,” Lozada said... Oligarchs fund politicians Based on Neri’s presentation, Lozada said the oligarchs were funding the election campaigns of politicians, leaving them no choice but to follow the dictates of the oligarchs. “Which is why most of our laws are blind or are siding with them,” Lozada said... The Senate inquiry into allegations of bribery in the deal has prompted renewed calls for Ms Arroyo’s resignation and sparked the biggest protest since 2005, when tens of thousands of people demonstrated against her amid accusations of election fraud. From : www.inquirer.net, 19 February 2008 ____________________________________________________________________________________
OUR
JOURNEY
The most shocking revelation this far in the Senate inquiry into the anomalous government-to-government National Broadband Network deal was Jun Lozada's testimony that former NEDA Director General (now CHED Secretary) Romulo Neri called President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo 'evil' --
Here is another member of the President's own cabinet losing faith in her...What keeps him from resigning from government to this day remains a mystery. Ten of his fellow cabinet members immediately withdrew their support for the President in 2005 when they became aware of her direct involvement in the "Hello Garci" scandal which paved the way for her election into highest office in 2004. What is a good man doing in the company of a person he considers evil? That was a rare moment he had with Senators Ping Lacson and Jamby Madrigal when he was able to freely express his thoughts and his concern for our country. That must be a 'sacred moment' snatched from evil times he has difficulty running away from -
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OUR
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Stop and inwardly notice God in your day. Ask for eyes to recognize sacred moments as they happen.
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02/19/08 |
