hat will it take to make
Gloria and Mike Arroyo more respectful of the law? Appeals to reason do not
work. Neither do appeals to conscience. Possibly it is only when they are called
to account that it will dawn on them that they too need the protection of the
very law they now flout with impunity.
Their arrogance is breathtaking. And we are not talking about
the televised execution of their long-time partner Jose de Venecia. The Arroyos
had only sought to demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of the members of
the House were their lapdogs. But what was the point? Everybody knew that all
along.
What bears close watching are the attacks by the Arroyos on
persons they cannot buy and institutions they cannot cow. The abduction of
Rodolfo Lozada is a case in point. Lozada was earlier ordered arrested by the
Senate for his failure to appear before the inquiry into the overpriced national
broadband deal. This minor government functionary Lozada, however, sent word to
senators he would be coming home to face the music. His only request was that
Senate sheriffs meet him at the airport so he could turn himself in.
Armed men led by airport security chief Angel Atutubo,
however, were a step ahead of the Senate sheriffs, getting hold of Lozada and
taking him to places unknown.
Yesterday, PNP chief Avelino Razon said Lozada was in their
custody, adding the latter had sought police protection. And yes, another PNP
high official chimed in, they would produce Lozada when summoned by the Senate.
A more implausible story no one could possibly concoct.
The only threat is to Lozada’s liberty. That comes from the
arrest order signed by Senate President Manny Villar. The PNP can now defy the
Senate by taking into custody – protective or otherwise – the subject of the
chamber’s arrest order?
And to further insult the Senate, the PNP took it upon itself
to issue a guarantee that Lozada would be produced whenever he would be needed
by the Senate.
That is, on the assumption that Lozada indeed sought the
"protective custody" of the PNP, an assumption that flies in the face of
statements of Lozada’s close relatives.
According to his relatives, Lozada was prepared to cooperate
with the Senate. He was willing to name the people behind $329 million attempted
raid on the treasury. He was willing to cite figures on the millions in
"advances" made by the Chinese company ZTE.
In short, he was abducted to silence him. Hopefully, not permanently.
