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The Philippine National Police (PNP) is as much a liar as its master in Malacañang.

After kidnapping Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (he had decided to testify at the Senate investigation of the controversial $329-million contract of ZTE Corp. to build a national broadband network), the PNP admitted he was in its custody. Thus the PNP has invented a new meaning of the word “custody” -- that is, abduction or kidnapping.

What was the PNP’s motive in taking Lozada into its “custody”? And by whose authority? Certainly the family did not ask for it. The Senate neither requested the PNP to do such a thing. Nor did the people’s movement. The family, the Senate and the people’s movement would find it immoral and deplorable to conspire with the PNP to abduct a witness to an appalling corruption scandal that has been linked to the First Family.

It is clear that given the PNP’s record, any right-minded Filipino would not readily put his/her trust on this institution.

PNP Director General Avelino Razon said Lozada was safe in police custody. Who would ever feel safe under the custody of the PNP?

After the electoral fraud in 2004, which remains unresolved to this day, and given the layers upon layers of lies and corruption scandals hounding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family, it is very difficult to believe that the present administration did not have a direct hand in the abduction of Lozada. With the PNP’s admission that Lozada was in its custody, Malacañang could no longer deny it had a direct hand in the abduction. And to think that in her speech during the 17th anniversary of the PNP, Ms Arroyo appealed for political stability.

How could the abduction of Lozada have happened? And now everybody is wondering about command responsibility.

NORMA P. DOLLAGA, general secretary, Kapatirang Simbahan Para sa Bayan (Kasimbayan), kasimbayan@yahoo.com.ph

• Obvious!
• Greed in a changing landscape
• Immoderate greed
• 'Guava lesson:' Of rural folk and greedy pols
• Senate told funds for AFP, PNP may have been diverted
• Jose de Venecia hosts Estrada with unity on the menu
• Palace tied to abduction
• Arroyo men gang up on Lozada
• How nuns outwitted Lozada's cop escorts

• Real numbers in Con-ass
• Charter amendment leads to ‘conquest by money’