Jun Lozada hiding with nuns

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Whistle blower Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada is hiding again.

Lozada told Rappler that on Wednesday, February 6, and last Saturday, February 2, armed men came to his house in Pasig City.

The 6 thugs were looking for him but he wasn’t at home.

Lozada’s helper told him that the men were in civilian clothes and arrived on motorcycles and a silver jeep.

The NBN-ZTE whistle blower said he does not know why the thugs were looking for him, in spite of the arrest warrant issued against him on Wednesday for alleged irregularities in the lease of government lands by his brother, Jose Orlando Lozada, when the former was President of the Philippine Forest Corp (PhilForest).

Lozada explained that it could be that his “former enemies are taking advantage” of this development, since the Aquino administration has also not done anything about his case.

He said that President Benigno Aquino III Aquino even promoted Erwin Santos — who accused Lozada of setting aside 200 hectares of forestland for him and his brother — as the new President of PhilForest.

Staying with nuns

Lozada said he is now staying with a group of nuns in an undisclosed location.

The sisters know about what happened at his house, but he would rather not tell the police after his unfortunate experience in 2008.

Lozada’s testimony that year triggered one of the biggest scandals to hit the government of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

(Read: Whistleblower charged – Interview with Jun Lozada)

He accused former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, former Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos, and former Cabinet officials of taking bribes from Chinese officials in the controversial ZTE-NBN deal.

Lozada’s revelations led to a probe of the deal and the filing of charges against Abalos and former Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri.

Despite his role in exposing corruption during the Arroyo administration, the whistle blower is now barred from leaving the country due to 2 graft cases filed against him for allegedly granting unlawful leasehold rights when he was president and CEO of government-run PhilForest in 2007 and 2008. – with reports from Carlos Santamaria/Rappler.com