...Kamusta na si Uncle Jun?...

Lately I have been asked this question by those who are aware that I am the nephew of Engr. Jun Lozada, a key figure in exposing the controversial NBN-ZTE scandal during the Arroyo administration. He's been making the news again recently, as cases against him have been highlighted by various media outlets. Frankly, I just know that he is safe with the religious groups who have been with him since day one.

Some years back, I took to my blog space to express a perspective from this point of view, not sugarcoated or filtered by media or editors. Those were painfully long reads, and I am grateful for everyone who had the patience to read through those. Now, I'll try another one, just to have you know what's going on with him, and at least I can point to somewhere if the question again arises.

I'd first like to clarify that they (him and his brother, who was with him in the Philippine Forest Corporation) are not running away from anything. The legal case filed against them can easily be dismissed as it is baseless and empty. They opted to be in hiding not because of the case, but because of the threat from unknown people. And besides, they have not been presented with actual legal documents calling for their arrests; the arrest warrant that the most articles over the net are saying couldn't be presented by the proper authorities when they met with Uncle Jun. It was eventually served to them though, and they posted bail for their temporary freedom until their arraignment on March 6. After that, I am not sure what's going to happen.

Here are some of my thoughts on his current predicament.


The Blind Eye

During the height of the NBN-ZTE scandal, former President Cory Aquino stood side by side with Uncle Jun whenever she was able. Even when she got sick, she constantly asked for updates and always reminded our family that we (especially Uncle Jun) were in her prayers, as she was in ours while she fought her own battle. She succumbed to hers, but through her pains, she always believed in what Uncle Jun fought for. Some time after her passing, our family stood in front of the Aquino residence to urge then Senator Noynoy to run for Presidency to continue his parents' legacy. It was our pitch, our taya, for the country. My dad remembers Noynoy saying that we're in this together, and he can't achieve change for the country alone; we needed to do our own part not just during the campaign, but even after the battle is won.

That battle was won, and yet now he stands again alone. Unaided by political friends, but always guided by the religious who we have already considered family.

This is not me begging for help for the administration or seeking unjust favors for those granted to them. If there is truth to the cases, let's have the court decide. But he knows and we know that the case is a bogus attempt to destroy Uncle Jun's credibility as witness for the NBN-ZTE case. What I don't understand is why we are even in this new battle anyway, after we put our own battle aside to help him win his battle for the hope of a more normal life for us ultimately.

Tuwid na daan? "Due process"? Am I alone in seeing the President's influence in impeaching constitutionally appointed officials in the Ombudsman and the Chief Justice? And yet here is Uncle Jun, years removed from the public eye and slowly having just gotten back to his feet, standing alone because this government seems afraid of being branded as "favoring" allies. Yes, the same government which appointed friends and dismissed political rivals is afraid of being seen as partisan. 

The Curious Armed Men

While we respect the "due process" of law, we do hope that it goes through properly. We were initially alarmed when armed men in casual clothes who claimed to be from the police tried to "arrest" Uncle Jun by looking for him at his house during the height of the "arrest warrant" issue mid last month. Later that week, when Uncle Jun sought refuge from the religious, we were informed that armed men in casual clothes again visited his house, and threatened to sue the housekeepers if they were not let in to search for him.

Armed men in casual clothes. My ninong (Uncle Jun and my dad's brother), Tito Nandy, died because of the same kind of people. He was "mistaken" for a ransom collector because of lack of information by the ISAFP; they never knew the plate number of the car, they just stopped the first one that matched the description. Armed men in casual clothes asked Tito Nandy to get down from the car he was driving, which had his daughter and his daughter's best friend in it. Naturally, they fled the scene, but because Tito Nandy was shot prior to him bolting out, they crashed at a corner, where the men exhausted their ammunition to shoot down three defenseless people who were just trying to find their way to a friend's debut. My cousin survived the incident, with Tito Nandy falling in the scene, and my cousin's best friend expiring after being in a comatose for a week. Those men were from the government. They got suspended for six months, and a slap on the wrist.

Armed men in casual clothes. If some guy in street clothes walked up to your car, told you he was a police officer and you should get down from your vehicle, would you go down? In the same light, would you go with armed men in street clothes if they say they are the police and they have an arrest warrant they can't show? What's scary is that this is happening during the administration of Noynoy. With everything that Uncle Jun knew, and with the effect he had on Gloria's ratings, of course we were afraid she might try something. We were always a bit paranoid on such little things. When Noynoy won, it felt like we have won as well. We knew his administration is at least the complete opposite of what Gloria's has been. But even during those times, his house wasn't violated as it was when men forced themselves in it. Are those Gloria's men? How could she even mobilize them if she's facing her own charges? Are those the government's men? Why can't they just present themselves officially? It's not like Uncle Jun is surrounded by bodyguards wherever he goes. Heck, he didn't even kill anyone to make him so dangerous that arresting officers should be armed with rifles.

The Irony of Sacrifice

The legal case filed against Uncle Jun, I learned, was by Erwin Santos, Uncle Jun's subordinate while he headed Philippine Forest Corporation (PFC), and is now the president of the said department. Nobody remembers, but a day after Uncle Jun was ridiculed and sympathized with after his emotional breakdown in the NBN-ZTE hearing, Erwin actually had an emotional interview with PTV 4 claiming "his conscience" pushed him to come out of the open and say that Uncle Jun is not who he says he is. He was the government's answer to Uncle Jun's emergence. However, his tears fell on the deaf ears of the millions and millions of viewers of the government-operated PTV 4.

Now, with the current administration's habit of purging government posts of Gloria's people, we found it curious that Erwin is still the president of the PFC. For the uninformed, the Philippine Forest Corporation is responsible for allocating idle lands to make it productive. It is different from the Department of Agrarian Reform, which re-allocates productive lands to people, as in the case of Hacienda Luisita. The land area of productive lands pales in comparison to that of idle lands in the Philippines. Hence, the PFC, though not as prominent, actually carries with it a huge responsibility.

Funny how things turned out; whistle blower and one of the main campaign supporters, Jun Lozada, is fighting off a bogus graft charge years after living in obscurity, while Gloria man Erwin Santos, who cried himself to anonymity, is securely making a living under the Gloria-hating administration by Noynoy.

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It just sucks that after recovering from his idle, non-earning self during the height of the NBN-ZTE saga by doing tech stuff and "modernizing" some schools by going the tablet route, he's back to seeking refuge again. My other Uncle has it bad as well, after finding something he'd love to do (selling properties as a broker; he placed 6th in the licensing exam to be a broker), his name is again dragged to this mess.

Ok lang sana kung nagkapabayaan na lang; ni hindi na hiningan ng pabor si Noynoy pagkatapos nya manalo, hindi hinanapan ng pwesto sa gobyerno nya o kaya maibalik man lang yung dating pwesto. Ang pagkapanalo noon ay ang pwede nang mabuhay ng normal dahil wala na ang takot na kumilos ang mga tao ni Gloria laban kay Uncle Jun. Pero nanahimik na nga sila, pati si Gloria hindi na nga gumagawa ng kalokohan para mapag-usapan nanaman sa balita, tapos eto nanaman? Bakit ngayon pa? Bakit di to natapos noon pa? Kung meron talagang kailangang panagutan, bakit kinailangan pa ang tatlong taon para dinggin ang kaso?

I am not ignorant of what the media says about my uncle. I have read articles, I have seen how he was painted, I have seen positive and negative comments, and those are people's opinions I respect. I post this as an opinionated nephew who blogs as a hobby, and wishes only to voice out his own opinions. I am not paid to do this, nor was I forced to write by any of my family members. While it is natural for a family member to defend him, I am not trying to defend him without cause. Heck, if he is guilty of the charges against him, we'd all just be flying around the country to our vast hectares of land. I am but fueled by the desire to have another one of those family outings where we're free to do these:

Photo taken some years back from his daughter's album

We've had some nice days over the past couple of years that he was away from the public eye. Hopefully, this predicament ends soon. 

...The "Bakit Sila" Mentality: Keeping a Third World Country Where It Is...

We hate our government.

The Philippines I grew up to, the "free" Philippines not anymore limited by the dictatorial rule of then President Ferdinand Marcos, has always been plagued by corruption. As far as we're concerned, the word "government" is so synonymous with "corruption" that no one would be surprised if they were seen in each other's entry in the thesaurus.

I have been vocal of my support for President Noynoy Aquino during his presidential campaign. After enduring 10 years of crap from the previous administration, everyone wanted positive change. We each had our views, and ultimately, the yellow campaign won. Looking at the state of the government now, it seems as if nothing has actually changed much. Corrupt and/or unqualified politicians are still voted into power and we still loathe the government because of how much tax they deduct from our salaries, only to give back so little.

Despite how loud we shout for change, though, we seem to just let tradition drag us down, then blame it all on the government. Despite our clamor for change, we continue to cultivate our traditions. It shows on the political families that dominate the local scene. And it shows on our everyday lives.

The "Bakit Sila" Mentality 

We Filipinos are creatures of imitation. From movies inspired by Western media to fashion inspired by our neighboring countries. This same drive to imitate is that which keeps us from being a developed country, but it may also serve as an inspiration to finally start change within ourselves. Let me cite some negative examples of this mentality:

On Mall/Train Lines - It's usually chaotic, going to a mall during rush hour, or lining up to get to a train station in the morning. Lines are crazy and people continually bump you to be able to get in first. People with baggage line up at the "express/no bag" lane and guards still check them and let them in. Those who see this do the same, thinking "bakit sila, pumila dun?" and do the same thing. 

On Traffic Rules - Traffic lights. Traffic signs. They're there to be followed, not merely suggest. If it says "yellow" you should slow down, "red" to stop, a sign that crosses out an inverted "U" means you can't make a u-turn on that street. Basic rules and regulations people need to know before being able to acquire a license. Yet because of people who break these rules, those who wonder "eh bakit sila, pwedeng gawin yun?" follow suit, resulting to more chaos on the roads.

Cultivating Corruption - A respected friend of mine was known to be a man of principle back in his college days. Eventually, he got a position in the government and enjoyed the perks it brought. I remember him telling me that its either you let the system eat you up, or fail in that field. The government has become a "survival of the fittest" kind of game, and newbies entering it would have that "bakit sila, ganun kumita?" line of thought, and eventually learn to play the same game the older TraPos play. 

Discipline and Change

I think genuine change still lies within ourselves. Refraining from the negative "bakit sila" mentality and turning it into a positive thought. We envy the roads of Singapore and resign to thinking that its not possible to emulate here, however, we can see traces of it in Subic. How come we can do it in Subic, but can't do it in freakin Quezon City? We shouldn't keep thinking and acting on "bakit sila, pwedeng mag-counterflow" when we should be thinking and acting on "bakit sila, maayos ang disiplina sa kalsada?". 

I do not wish to defend the government, I'm as disappointed as most Filipinos are. While it is easy to blame everything on the government, no change will come to us if we don't trust in it. So, why would we wait for positive changes in a government we can't learn to trust, when we can start change within ourselves by doing ordinary things guided by discipline and not by what others do? Rules are meant to be followed in order to avoid chaos. While breaking some of it allows temporary relief for us, it does not help our cause in aspiring to be a better country to live in.

So I say, stop ranting and start doing. If politicians can't make our country better, why can't we?