ZTE witness
‘abducted’ at airport NAIA security chief whisks
Lozada
away from Senate arresting team
BY DENNIS GADIL
A TEAM believed led by the security
chief of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
"snatched" NBN-ZTE prime witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada
from Senate arresting teams as he arrived yesterday.
Reports said Lozada, who flew in from
Hong Kong at around 4:40 p.m., was apparently whisked
off by retired general Angel Atutubo, NAIA assistant
general manager for security, and was directly taken
down to the tarmac to a waiting van.
Atutubo reportedly was a former aide
of President Arroyo. The van went toward Villamor
Airbase in Pasay City.
NEWLY installed House Speaker Prospero
Nograles yesterday vowed Congress would remain independent
from Malacañang as he said he does not owe to the Arroyos
his position in Congress.
"We took a vote. The Arroyos (Rep.
Mikey Arroyo of Pampanga, his brother Dato of Camarines
Sur and their uncle Ignacio of Negros Occidental) have
only three votes," Nograles said after taking his oath
from Rep. Pablo Garcia (Kampi, Cebu) at about 1:20 a.m.
Tuesday.
Nograles, chairman of the 12-man House
contingent to the Commission on Appointments and majority
leader in the previous 13th Congress, said "we (Congress
and Malacañang) have always maintained the separation of
powers."
PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday ordered the energy
department to look into the possibility of giving value-added
tax (VAT) reduction coupons to the lowest electricity consumers
for refund by the government.
Arroyo, at the closing ceremony of the Energy
Summit, said the scheme is better than a VAT reduction on power
which she said would require legislation.
She said the refunds would come from
government shares in Malampaya and excess profits in the
privatization of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) and the
National Transmission Corp. (Transco). She said the scheme would
be implemented by Transco and the Philippine National Oil
Co.-Exploration Corp.
