HERE IS what I think makes the legal system in this country seem so rotten. Recall that Jun Lozada blew the whistle on the NBN-ZTE project during the presidency of Gloria Arroyo. Billions of money was supposed to be spent to make the entire archipelago connected internet-wise to bring progress to the remotest parts of the land.
Lozada found so much “bukol” in the deal which he could not stomach. “Tongpats” were everywhere with high-profile Philippine government officials and personalities wanting to help themselves to hundreds of millions of pesos. The Senate investigated it and found strong evidence to recommend criminal prosecution before the courts.
Then after years of judicial charade, all the accused were acquitted. There was no denying the deal was blatantly anomalous, prompting Arroyo herself to abort it in response to the public outrage and disgust. But it seemed the anomalies existed only in a vacuum with no one found committing them.
The most ridiculous thing is, Lozada was the one found guilty in the countercharge filed by those he testified against. How despicable can our justice system get?
—CHIN CHIN KATIGBAK, cckatigbak@yahoo.com.ph