MANILA, Philippines -- The key witness in the Senate inquiry into the scandal-tainted national broadband network (NBN) deal is considering settling down abroad if he is not granted a protection order by the Court of Appeals.

Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., whose brother has filed a petition for a writ of amparo before the appellate court, said once the Senate wraps up its investigation into the allegations of bribery and overpricing surrounding the now-scrapped NBN deal, it would pull out the security detail provided him.

"If that happens, and I did not get any protection order from the court, I am afraid that my life will no longer be normal," Lozada said.

Lozada and his family remain with the La Salle brothers and are escorted by Senate security personnel.

The whistleblower claims he was abducted by government security personnel on his return to the country from abroad in February. He also told the Senate of attempts to convince him to testify that the NBN contract was aboveboard.