Reluctant witness said he did not want to testify at the Senate but changed his mind.

In his testimony today at the Senate, he recounted details of his departure for Hong Kong and his “disappearance” upon arriving from Hong Kong.

Lozada, an IT expert, was expected to corroborate the testimony of former economic planning secretary Romulo Neri on the national broadband network deal with ZTE Corp.

Lozada said that he met with his boss, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza, last week and recounted what he knows about the overpriced broadband deal. He told Atienza that he didn’t want to appear in the Senate to testify.

The Office of the Executive Secretary then arranged his travel papers. Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Manuel Gaite processed an ante-dated travel order to Hong Kong.

Newsbreak earlier reported that Lozada met with Sen. Panfilo Lacson to reveal what he knows about the controversial national broadband deal. This was about the same period that he was also in touch with Atienza, telling his boss that he did not want to testify in the Senate. (Click here to read "Lozada: Benjamin Abalos and Mike Arroyo Behind Broadband Deal Overprice")

While in Hong Kong, Lozada said Neri called and told him to write a letter to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile to withdraw the motion to arrest him. Lozada claimed Neri told him not to drag First Gentleman Mike Arroyo into the fray.

He said Secretary Atienza told him to go home on Feb. 5 during off-peak hours. The secretary, Lozada said, assured him that the immigration officials would not hold him.

Lozada said men, whom he did not know, approached him, hauled him to a vehicle and was brought to Villamor Air Base, Fort Bonifacio, Dasmariñas in Cavite, Calamba and Los Baños in Laguna. He said the men who held him were well equipped, “They could hear the conversations of the staff of the Senate.”

While they were on their way to Los Baños, the men were told to return him. The men, he said, asked him to write a letter asking for a security detail. Lozada said he was then brought to Libis where he met police officer Paul Mascariñas, deputy director of the Police Security Protection Office, and lawyer Tony Bautista.

Lozada said Bautista talked to him and said he would prepare an affidavit. He said the following day, Bautista told him to sign the affidavit while Mascarinas told him to convince his sister to sign a letter requesting for a security detail from PNP.

Lozada added that former DENR secretary Michael Defensor visited him while he was being held. Defensor, he said, was the one who told him to call a press conference to deny that he was kidnapped and to say that he has not been involved in the issue.

After the meeting with Defensor, Lozada said that he told those who held him to call the nuns and the priests. As of posting time, Lozada is recounting his involvement in the ZTE project.

PHOTO CREDIT: from gangbadoy.multiply.com

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