MANILA, Philippines -- While a group of avowed sinners -- including drinkers and cockfight aficionados -- has rallied round Rodolfo ?Jun? Lozada Jr., embattled former polls chief Benjamin Abalos Sr. is looking for a friendly audience to listen to his side in the broadband kickbacks scandal.

A lawyer for Abalos Sunday urged schools and universities, which the Senate whistle-blower has been touring, to also invite the retired Commission on Elections chair to hear his side

In Biñan, Laguna, a meeting of friends over a round of drinks one recent Saturday night led to their banding into an informal group called the ?Sinners Club? to show support for Lozada, one of the organizers told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

With members ranging from businessmen and basic wage earners to ?mga manginginom at sabungero,? the gang is a motley group of men of all ages and convictions.

?We felt at first that we had no right to meddle in the issue because we are all sinners,? said businessman Boy Baylon, the recognized head of the group. ?But we realized Jun is a sinner, too, and he has admitted to being so. He has the strength to face [persecution] so he can tell the truth.?

?As Jun said, he has done some permissible sins ? So we said that if we did our part, we will all be like Jun, all sinners who also have good in us,? the 55-year-old Lozada admirer said.

It all started on the eve of the Feb. 17 Mass at La Salle Green Hills for Lozada, when Baylon?s fraternity of sorts had its regular Saturday gathering in their hangout in Biñan.

?We are a group that, if it?s not too much to say, is highly regarded in the community. That night, we came to talking about Lozada and many felt pity for him. It seemed like ginugulpi siya (he was being pummeled),? Baylon said.

He was amazed at how even those who barely had money to spend for their daily needs volunteered to join the group.

Hottest place in hell

?It was spontaneous. We decided we?ll go to the Mass. We had some T-shirts rush-printed so that we will be like a walking billboard when we go out in public to rouse the conscience of people who do not want to talk,? Baylon said.

Baylon?s initial delegation of 20 men grew to 70 the next day and they joined the crowd of thousands that cheered Lozada at La Salle Green Hills.

They wore shirts that carried the famous quote of US civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr: ?The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great conflict, choose to do nothing.?

Human chain

?I just feel that we need to contribute in our own little way. We were touched by the candidness of Lozada, his personality,? Baylon said.

Wearing the same T-shirts, the group again turned up at the subsequent ?Mass for Truth? at the Baclaran church to mark the 22nd anniversary of the 1986 People Power revolt.

The ?Sinners? were among Lozada?s security men at Baclaran, forming a human chain that helped cordon off the entrance and exit routes for Lozada.

Baylon said the group had been gaining support among residents and students as far south as Los Baños and might soon formalize their organization into an advocacy group ?Pro-Truth? --standing for ?Probinsiyano who wants to know the truth.?

?It feels great to be able to help. This is the first time I really feel good about myself. This is the starting point and we hope that we can sustain this toward changing ourselves,? he said.

Modern Everyman

Leah Navarro, executive director of the Black and White Movement, believed such a spur-of-the-moment gathering as the Sinners Club proved the wide appeal of the ?probinsiyanong Intsik.?

?The way he speaks hits all segments of society. He is Everyman to every man. He translates well on television, you?re disarmed by him, he has an easy way about himself ? he is a glib speaker,? Navarro said.

?It?s not a performance. He?s a good teller of the truth,? she said.

Not everyone is happy with the seeming adulation Lozada is getting, especially on campuses.

Hear his side

In an interview after Friday?s Mass for Peace and Unity in Mandaluyong City, Abalos? lawyer, Salvador Panelo, criticized schools for inviting Lozada to speak to students without asking to hear Abalos? side.

Abalos has been accused of brokering the now scrapped $329-million National Broadband Network deal between the government and China?s ZTE Corp., and of offering P200 million in kickbacks to former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri to approve the project.

Abalos has denied the allegations and threatened to sue for libel.

?He?s trying to use students to back up his lies,? Panelo said of Lozada. ?He?s trying to drum up emotions and the students are lapping it up because they haven?t heard the other side.?

Madriaga?s claim disputed

Panelo said the schools should invite him or his client so that they could answer Lozada?s allegations. ?You should listen to the other side, too,? he said.

He said similar claims by another Senate witness, Dante Madriaga, that Abalos was involved in the NBN deal and had received monetary advances were all ?fiction.?