Blow your whistle

When it comes to whistling, I am a late bloomer.

No matter how hard I tried to blow through my pucked lips, no sound would come out. One of my brothers once joked that all I needed to do was to blow a whistle to learn to whistle.

The word "whistleblowers" used to describe British cops who would blow their whistles upon seeing someone committing an offense. Today, the word refers to those who expose an anomaly in organizations or governments.

Whistleblowers played crucial roles in history. Watergate. Enron. Pfizer. Washington sex scandal. Those who blew the whistle so to speak became celebrated. In the Philippines, whistleblowers are commonly looked with suspicion. Mary Rosebud Ong spilled the beans on Senator Ping Lacson, and did not get any product endorsement. Acsa Ramirez, a lowly cashier, implicated Landbank executives in a multi-million tax diversion scam and was named a suspect by no less than the President herself. (She was acquitted a year later.) Ilocos governor Chavit Singson's testimony on Jueteng-gate led to Estrada's downfall but his heroics failed to win him a seat in the Senate.

Whistleblowers in the Philippines are often pictured as lacking in credibility. They are considered traitors, sourgrapes, and equally guilty of the offenses they exposed.

Strangely, though, ZTE-NBN scandal whistleblower Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, Jr. appears to be gaining what other whistleblowers failed to achieve. Credibility in the eyes of media. Therefore, credibility in the eyes of the public.

He may have achieved this status because of his consistent, unshakeable statements. "Paulit-ulit na po tayo. Pero uulitin ko pa rin po." His meek countenance and his unabashed crying bouts. "Ayoko na pong umiyak." His humble remarks. "Ako po ay isang promding Instik." His witty retorts. "Hindi ko po alam kung bakit pilit akong kinakabit kay Joey (De Venecia). Ang tanging pagkakatulad lang namin ay pareho kaming nakakalbo na." He presented himself as somebody who is not clean, who has done wrongdoings, who has a genuine fear for his life, who has nothing to gain, who did not want his life to be disrupted, who cannot tell a lie under oath.

The Senate blue ribbon committee investigation had a totally different ambiance with Jun Lozada around. The Senators appeared sympathetic. Those who tried to rattle Lozada like Enrile and Santiago were generally courteous. Only Joker (who happens to share the President's surname) lost his cool with Lozada.

This drama will continue to unfold and hug airtime and print space. The plot will thicken and have its twists and turns. Is he a sinner or a saint? A hero or just simply stupid? Will his story aid legislation? What laws will come out of this investigation? Will we finally have a Whistleblower Protection Act?

Or will Lozada's whistleblowing be like mine? Timid. Futile. Simply ka-pffft.

(For an interesting read on whistleblowing in the Philippines: http://www.rvr.aim.edu.ph/quartely%20report/mcravol18.pdf)