Arrived at the Senate at around 9:00 am, way before the start of the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the abduction of Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada.
Almost everything was seen through the live broadcasts. I say “almost” because there were some side stories that need to be told. Here are some of them:
1. Bro. Eddie Villanueva, together with evangelical Bishops Leo Alconga and Dan Balais, prayed over Lozada prior to the hearing. They were joined in prayer by scores of Catholic nuns and priests.
2. In an interview with reporters prior to the hearing, Villanueva echoed calls for President Arroyo to resign. According to him, the crisis under Arroyo is “irreversible”. He also batted for snap elections under a caretaker government that will “give back to the people their sovereign right to choose their leader”.
3. During the lunch break, children and child rights advocates gave white roses to Lozada as a sign of their support. The group Salinlahi and the Children’s Collective said they admire Lozada for being a good example on honesty.
4. The children and child rights advocates said that the Children’s Rehabilitation Center is ready to provide his children “psychosocial treatment” if he makes such a requests.
5. Youth groups also visited Lozada and gave him “burjers” — spelled out in the way erstwhile Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos likes to pronounce it. Lozada even gamely posed with them for photos, including the ones below, courtesy of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines:
6. La Salle students also came to the Senate; Some joined the vigil outside, while others attended the hearing.
7. By mid-afternoon, members of the the Batangas chapters of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (Pamalakaya), Anakpawis and Bayan staged a picket at the Senate gates. They announced the holding of nationally-coordinated “fluvial protests” by fisherfolk to express their support for Lozada.
8. At the Senate media room, reporters were asking whether the University of Santo Tomas has issued a statement on Lozada’s plight or his revelations.