NEWS TUESDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2008 | CEBU DAILY NEWS 35

Vidal ... from p.2

Lampposts...
The number of the missing lamp-
from p.1
We didn't think it was so serious until
Atutubo, chief airport se-
curity official and one of
sa Maynila [until we
went farther and farther
Ponce-Enrile and the late
Senator Renato Cayetano
posts is too many to be explained as the anti-graft investigators came to see the officials who appeared from Manila],” he said. in the Pecabar Law Firm,
simple looting. us this afternoon,” he said. at the hearing, admitted An d w h i l e t h e y d i d also presented to the Sen-
Associate Graft Investigator Rod Francisco Amit, legal counsel of that Lozada did not pass take him to La Salle ate a copy of the affidavit
Blazo, head of the fact-finding team, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, through the immigration Greenhills, Lozada said that bore Lozada's cor-
said he asked Mandaue City Adminis- said the city government did not au- counter upon his arrival h i s e s co r t s w a n te d to rections.
trator Briccio Boholst and Ayaon thorize the removal of the lampposts. last Tuesday from Hong bring him to Rembrandt Bautista also denied
Manggis, DPWH-7 legal officer II, “We were caught by surprise. Since Kong. Hotel at around 11 a.m. Lozada's claim that he
about the disappearance. Both denied it is our stand not to accept the project Atutubo’s admission “I am really sure that told the latter that the af-
ordering their pullout. until the case is resolved, it is impossi- came after Senators the ones who took me fidavit was drafted for
One possibility is that the private ble for the mayor to order the removal Rodolfo Biazon and Fran- from the airport are dif- the “comfor t of Mala-
contractor, Fabmik Construction of the lampposts,” he said. cis Pangilinan pointed out ferent from those who cañang .”
Equipment Corp. Inc., removed it. Manggis, for his part, said the DP- the security lapse. took me to La Salle,” he Lozada had told the
“Attorney Boholst told us that they WH-7 did not give clearance to Fab- “Bakit hindi pinadaan said. Senate that he had
were also surprised about the removal mik to uproot the lampposts. sa immigration [Why was Lozada also said he did “reservations” about a
of the lampposts. He told us that Fab- Since there is a pending case before he not allowed to pass not voluntarily give his provision which said that
mik admitted that they removed the the anti-graft office, he said the con- through immigration]?” hand-carry bag, his com- he did not talk to any
lampposts because those were not part tractor should have been prudent Atutubo was asked. “That puter bag, and his pass- government official
of the contract with DPWH. We are enough to ask clearance from the Om- was a violation of the law. port to the men who about the ZTE deal and
still waiting for the official report of budsman Visayas first. You even escorted him out fetched him. that he dealt only with
the DPWH and we'll see what our next Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas without passing through “My bags were taken technical people.
move is,” he said. Apostol said he was puzzled why the immig r ation,” Biazon from me...Colonel [Se- RAZON
He said that while the lampposts lampposts were taken out. said. nior Superintendent In their testimonies
have not yet been turned over by the The pending case alleges that the VILLAR Paul] Mascariñas [of the e a r l i e r o n M o n d a y,
contractor to the DPWH, these are still ASEAN summit lampposts, a P365 Senate President PSPO] was always with Ma n i l a I n t e r n a t i o n a l
considered government property be- million project, was overpriced. Manuel Villar asked the me,” he said. Airport Authority gener-
cause the public works department He said he is reviewing the recom- blue-ribbon committee to Lozada said he was not al manager Alfonso Cusi,
paid P120 million of the P365-million mendations of the anti-graft panel be- conduct an ocular inspec- free to move, as there was Philippine National Po-
contract price. fore sending the case records to Manila tion of the airport route only one exit and his es- lice Chief Avelino Razon
The release of the balance was frozen for approval of Ombudsman Merced- taken by Lozada so that corts were always with J r. , a n d E nv i ro n m e n t
by the Ombudsman pending resolu- itas Gutierrez. the testimonies at the Sen-
him. S e c re t a r y Jo e “ L i to”
tion of the graft case. Among the respondents of the com- ate are understood. “I've always admitted At i e n z a c l a i m e d t h a t
Blazo said they would look into plaint are former Mandaue mayor His suggestion, which that I did not want to go Lozada, a former envi-
claims of Fabmik that the 44 lampposts Thadeo Ouano and members of his en- will be decided by the to the Senate. But they ronment official and
were not part of the contract. gineering staff then –former city engi- committee later, will cov-keep forgetting that I technical consultant of
“The government has already paid neer Hidelisa Latonio, assistant city en- er the route taken from have always had three re- the NBN agreement, was
millions of pesos for the project and we gineer Gregorio Omo and engineers the plane to the car. q u e s t s , t h e o t h e r t wo not kidnapped to prevent
can't allow this. There is a pending case Mario Gerolaga, Alfred Sanchez Sr. and At the same time, the were that the death him from testifying at
and their removal is of course ques- Rosalina Dengue. committee, after being threats stop and that I the Upper House.
tionable. Why now?” he asked. At the Lapu-Lapu end, implicated in told that the video from cannot lie if I go to the Razon denied this and
CEBU DAILY NEWS called the office of the case were City Mayor Arturo the airpor t would not Senate,” he said. said that the police was
Fabmik on Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu Radaza and city engineer's office per- show what happened at “It was the police who successful in securing
City, but the man, who answered the sonnel —Julito Cuizon, Fernando Gate 7, where Lozada were always in control,” him as he is “alive and
phone said, Fabmik staff had moved to Tagaan Jr. and Rogelio Veloso. supposedly passed on ex- he said. well” now.
Makati City. The other respondents were DP- iting the plane, decided DEFENSOR Razon said he thought
Boholst, in a separate interview, said WH-7 officials who were involved in not to play the footage. Former presidential that Lozada's life was in
he overheard one of the lawyers of Fab- the ASEAN Summit preparations. L oz a d a s a i d h e w a s chief of staff Michael De- his hands because the
mik during a meeting with Gov. Gwen They were former regional director turned over to the Police fensor said Lozada told witness told him that he
Garcia last month say that they would Roberto Lala, assistant regional direc- Security and Protection him five times that he did was afraid for his life.
remove the lampposts along A.C. tors Marlina Alvizo and Gloria Dindin, Office (PSPO) only after not want to testify at the Razon said he was sur-
Cortes Avenue because these were not acting chief of the maintenance divi- the dinner and interview Senate when the former prised that Lozada had
part of the contract. sion Pureza Fernandez, acting mainte- w ith the lawyer at the Cabinet official visited been talking to other sen-
He said that late last year, they re- nance division chief Cresencio Bagolor, Outback Restaurant. the witness in La Salle ators.
ceived a call from concerned citizens that legal office Agustinito Hermoso, plan- He said the men who Greenhills in Mandaluy- Atienza said Lozada
lampposts in Mandaue were uprooted. ning and design division chief Luis fetched him at the air- ong City. had asked for his help be-
This was verified when City Hall Galang, administrative division chief port refused to identify Lawyer Antonio fore leaving for abroad
personnel went to the area. Restitutio Diano and construction di- themselves, but would Bautista said that Lozada because the witness did
“We are really caught by surprise. vision chief Buenaventura Pajo. only tell him: “Kaming w a s n o t u n d e r d u re s s not want to appear be-
bahala sa yo [We’ll take when he signed the affi- fore the Senate.
care of you].” davit, which he was sup- “I advised him to stick
“I really did not feel posed to submit to the to the truth. I just told
M’daue ... from p.2 t h e y w e r e my p ro t e c- Senate and even made
tor[s]. They would have corrections to the docu-
him to get good legal ad-
vice,” he said.
a t l e a s t a n s w e r e d m e ment in his own hand- “I feel v iolated. He
catch them on the spot reclamation area. tions of motorcycles. when I asked them who w riting. shouldn't have come to
because these people will Last weekend, TEAM The police stayed from they were....hanggang Bautista, a former law me for help,” he added.
just gather in the gasoline and police watched a 10 p.m. till 4 a.m. lumayo ng lumayo kami partner of Senator Juan /WITH INQUIRER REPORT
station and then later on, group of about 100 peo- "But it seems the
the race has started. ple, who gathered with groups there were just
Puno said they could
not even pinpoint who
their fancy cars and mo-
torcycles near the gaso-
waiting for the police to
move out. We're the ones
Horse show... from p.3
initiated the activity be- line station in Ouano Av- they are watching," said thing that we will work to “This is the first time for the event,” he said.
cause there were several enue. PO1 Romulo Villarojo of sustain,” he said. we’ve experienced support He said Ceobsa officials
groups. All the law enforcers barangay Subangdaku Anton Quisumbing, like this, and we are over- plan to go to the towns
Before, he said, the could do was issue tickets Po l i c e S t a t i o n 2 . / R E- one of the directors of whelmed. We have plenty and cities to spread the
race was done at the UN for traffic violations such PORT ER DALE G . ISRAEL AND
Ceobsa, said yesterday's of plans, and with the gov- sport of horseriding get
Avenue at the new bridge as non-wearing of crash C O R R E S P O N D E N T J H U N N E X N A-
launch was the “greatest ernor's office behind us, we involved in other activi-
but it transferred to the helmets and no registra- PA L L A C A N
ever made” for the event. can materialize our plans ties, such tree-planting.