On Lozada Testifying before the Senate Blue Ribbon Investigation

Press Statement
08 February 2008

On Lozada Testifying before the Senate Blue Ribbon Investigation
Divulge All, Tell Everything, OFWs & Families and the Filipino People are all behind you – Migrante Middle East

“Tell all, divulge everything you knew,” said Migrante Middle East Regional Coordinator John L.C. Monterona to Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. who is appearing before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on the anomalous ZTE Broadband deal.

“Telling the truth and nothing but the truth is an act of heroism especially if what is at stake is the people’s money,” Monterona added.

Migrante Middle East Chapters are asking local media in the Philippines to convey their message of support & solidarity to Mr. Lozada and to let him know that OFWs & their families are supporting him and the Filipino people will never allow this time that the truth will be concealed again by the most corrupt and most-anti OFW Arroyo government.

“Malacanang’s lackey made mistake by offering bribe, which he has rejected, to an honest & noble man like Mr. Lozada,” Monterona added.

Migrante said that in between Abalos, who is a traditional politician, Mike Arroyo, who is being linked to several corruptions, and Jun Lozada, who is a principled person, all testifying in the Senate Blue Ribbon, the Filipino people is most certain who will be telling the truth about the controversial ZTE broadband deal.

Conjugal Crimes

Migrante further that Mr. Arroyo, like her wife, has a mischievous record to OFWs and families when Mr. Arroyo has been appointed by her wife as OFW envoy giving her husband a hand in the overseas workers legal assistance fund allegedly to be used for her 2004 presidential campaign which was opposed by Migrante.

“Due to Migrante’s campaigns & criticism, the First Gentleman voluntarily resigned,” Monterona added.

Monterona said that before the 2004 Presidential elections, Mrs. Arroyo directed and succeeded the transfer of P4-B from OWWA fund to Philhealth in connivance with now Health Sec. Francisco Duque by virtue of Executive Order No. 182 without OWWA’s Board of Trustees concurrence and consultations amongst OFWs who are OWWA members themselves.

“Two months before the elections, Mrs. Arroyo along with Sec. Duque, were seen distributing Philhealth cards free of charge to sway voters and was later confirmed that the said health cards are not being honored by Philhealth-accredit ed hospitals,” Monterona said.

OWWA fund is a trust fund where each OFW-member is asked to pay an amount of P1,050.
OWWA fund now is estimated to reach P8-B.

Monterona further revealed that more anomalies have been discovered in OWWA such as the P260-M bogus claims, the un-audited US$293,500 allotted to Middle East Preparedness Team headed by Gen. Roy Cimatu during the U.S. aggression on Iraq, and the impending plan by the Arroyo government to transfer an amount of P1-B from OWWA fund to save the Philippine Postal Saving Banks and thereby converting it to be an OFW Bank.

“We are seeing a pattern of conjugal crimes here, both husband & wife are being linked to several corruptions,” Monterona said.

“Not only that, the Arroyo government is also being held criminally negligible for it’s inaction to the worsening plight of thousands of distressed OFWs, sexually harassed, maltreated, unpaid, victims of labor malpractices, who are either in jail or under the bridges of Saudi Arabia who managed to escape from their unscrupulous employers,” Monterona lamented.

Monterona said that these are the very reasons why OFWs and their families are calling for her immediate resignation. If she insists to stay in power, then once again the Filipino people will be obliged to oust her from office.

“In support to our people’s demand, Migrante members in the Middle East will be writing their respective Congressmen, Governors, and Mayors in the Philippines urging them to withdraw their support to the most- fraudulent and most anti-OFW Arroyo government,” Monterona ended. ###

Reference:
John L.C. Monterona
Migrante Middle East Regional Coordinator
Mobile No.:0966 564 97 8012