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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Gaite admits giving P500T to Lozada
MANILA -- Deputy Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite said he was set up by former Philippine Forest Corp. president Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. into making it appear that Malacañang was preventing him from testifying in the Senate.
Lozada is the key witness in the Senate hearing on the questionable National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China firm ZTE Corp.
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Gaite, in a statement, said he gave P500,000 to Lozada's brother Owe last February 4 because Lozada told him through a text message that he was running out of funds abroad and was tired of the threats to his life.
"With regard to the P500,000 that I extended to him (Lozada) through his brother Owe Lozada on February 4, the same was made upon Jun's instance, after he had texted me that it was so cold where he was (which I assumed was in London), with not even a proper winter clothing and running out of funds," Gaite said.
He said Lozada also said in his text message that "hindi ko na po kaya ang ganitong buhay."
"I believed him. I pitied him. That text came at about 2 a.m. of February 3, 2008. When my wife saw the text and asked me about it, she also felt pity for him and asked if there is any way I could help him," said Gaite.
He said: "No government fund was used in the money that I gave to Mr. Lozada."
He also said he asked Owe to sign an acknowledgment receipt because he thought that Jun Lozada has to account for the money when he comes back from abroad.
Gaite said it was "unfortunate" that his efforts to help Lozada had been "twisted by him (Lozada) or made to appear as part of a scheme to prevent him from testifying in the Senate hearing on the NBN-ZTE project."
He said it was Lozada, through Commission on Higher Education (Ched) chairman Romulo Neri, who sought his legal assistance.
According to him, the information about Lozada's travel to London, not Hong Kong, came from the NBN witness, after he explained to him that one of the valid reasons not to appear at the January 30 Senate hearing was a previous schedule that one can no longer cancel.
He added that it was Lozada's decision to push through with his trip. He said he did not arrange for Lozada's travel documents nor funded his trip.
Gaite said he was "surprised" when he learned that Lozada was coming back a day after he gave Owe the money.
"Did he really need the money or was he just baiting me? It is not true, as claimed by Lozada, that the money I gave him through his brother was meant to prevent him from appearing in the Senate hearing nor make him tell a lie if he appears in the hearing," he said.
He claimed that Lozada deceived him about his dire circumstances, took advantage of his "act of compassion" and used it to suit his story. He said his name was dragged in a controversy he had no personal knowledge about. (JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (February 20, 2008 issue)
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