The President's Men Squirm at the Senate

Here are my Internet-Archived recordings of the testimonies of NAIA General Manager Alfonso Cusi; PNP Chief Avelino Razon; DENR Secretary Lito Atienza; Presidential mechanic Mike Defensor; and Atty. Antonio Bautista at the Philippine Senate this morning on the circumstances of the arrival of ZTE Witness Jun Lozada.

My preliminary commentary:


IRONICALLY, the most damaging interpellations of the President's men came from three successive pro-Administration Senators in Joker Arroyo, Juan Ponce Enrile and Dick Gordon.

JOKER ARROYO dropped a hollow block on a giant kalabaw pie when he elicited from Jun Lozada the information that the latter had been secretly talking to Mrs. Joker Arroyo upon the intercession of Manila Standard columnist Tony Abaya. (video at eleven!) [update: --true identity of "Tony Abaya" is uncertain, apparently --djb]

JUAN PONCE ENRILE meanwhile, ended up dropping a giant kalabaw pie on the shyster-lawyer, Antonio Bautista, by exposing Col. Paul Mascariñas as the strong arm of duress who was present to force Jun Lozada to sign a certain questionable affidavit. JPE badgered Jun Lozada to list the LIES that the President's Men delivered in their various testimonies. Wily old JPE may have outsmarted himself this time as Jun Lozada started to count the ways...!

DICK GORDON put on his Small Town Mayor's voice got Mascarinas to just about admit that they had indeed kidnapped Lozada, and convinced him that indeed the people all over the country who have tuned in get that very same impression. Even more explosive was his series of questions to Lozada about the Chinese and their willingness to give bribes. He moved for a letter to the Chinese Embassy about the role of ZTE.