Police men, clueless on 'threat' to Lozada

A police official tasked to secure Senate witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. last week said he did not know who Lozada was hiding from.Senior Superintendent Paul Mascariñas, deputy director of the Police Security and Protection Office (PSPO), told the Senate that he was only ordered to form a team and proceed to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to fetch and protect a person he did not know.“While having lunch with my director, Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen instructed me to form a team [and fetch someone at the airport],” Mascariñas said, adding that he only knew Lozada was somehow connected to the botched $329-million national broadband network deal mess.Asked by the senators if he was informed of the specific threat against Lozada, Mascariñas repeatedly answered: “I was advised that this person was under threat. There was nothing specific.”He said he did not ask the Senate witness who he was hiding from. He said the threats could come from "the administration, the NPA (New People’s Army) or even from anyone.”NAIA security chief Angel Atutubo said he did not ask the policemen why they were taking the Senate witness at the airport.Atutubo said the Rodolfo Valeroso of the Aviation Security Group, whom he initially identified as Senior Police Officer 4 Roger Valeroso, was the only person who coordinated to him about Lozada’s request for protection.The former military general said the people who took Lozada only told him that “they will provide maximum security for Lozada.”He, however, failed to ask what kind of threat Lozada was receiving and how severe the threats were.Earlier, both officials corroborated each other’s statements about Lozada’s arrival from Hong Kong up to the time that Senate witness was taken out of the airport.However, senators hinted that the officials made inconsistent statements about the death threat and the possible neglect of proper immigration and security rules at the airport.Senators grilled Atutubo after learning that Lozada left the airport without being processed at the airport’s immigration line.Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, said airport officials and the policemen who took Lozada were in a hurry leaving the airport to avoid being seen by members of the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms, the media and the Senate witness’ family.Atutubo said Lozada’s case was special even if he was not aware of the specific threat that Senate witness was facing.Senate President Manuel Villar said he “resents” the way the airport, police and government officials wanted to make it look like that Lozada was running away from the Senate.“I noticed that there is some kind of an attitude on the part of our law enforcement people, government officials from the executive department, like there is a tendency to prevent [Lozada] from attending to the Senate,” Villar said.He added: “It seems something big is going to happen and Lozada will be killed.”The Senate president said Lozada’s wife, Violeta, was genuinely worried about her husband’s safety after failing to meet him at the airport.Earlier, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza said he called up Director General Avelino Razon Jr., Philippine National Police chief, on Tuesday last week to ask security for Lozada.Razon confirmed Atienza’s testimony. He said he immediately directed the PSPO to provide security for Lozada.