DoJ to Cabinet: Attend Mass for Lozada and face dismissal

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Saturday warned Cabinet officials against attending Sunday's prayer rally for Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr at the La Salle Green Hills campus in Mandaluyong City. GMA News Flash Report quoted Gonzalez as saying that he would recommend to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo the dismissal of Cabinet officials who would show up at the La Salle rally. The Justice department chief spoke to reporters at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo forum along Matalino road in Quezon City. According to Gonzalez, Cabinet officials have no business attending anti-government activities like the La Salle Mass for Lozada. Lozada testified at the Senate corruption inquiry into the anomaly-tainted National Broadband Network (NBN) contract with ZTE Corp, and linked some government officials and Mrs Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo in a brewing kickback scandal. Gonzalez said defiant Cabinet officials would face dire consequences. “They will be fired," he said. In a related development, Malacañang on Saturday taunted Lozada to pray hard during the Mass at La Salle. Lorelei Fajardo, deputy presidential spokeswoman, said the Palace was hoping that Lozada could be "enlightened" during the Mass, which was organized by former President Corazon Aquino, and groups from the civil society. "Pag nag-attend ng misa baka ma-enlighten (If he attends the mass perhaps he will be enlightened). He really needs to pray hard, all of us need to pray hard," Fajardo said on government-run dzRB radio. Fajardo continued to attack Lozada's credibility, saying he did not have enough evidence to make accusations against those he linked to the government's deal with ZTE Corp. She said Lozada himself admitted before the Senate that he made some indiscretions when he headed the Philippine Forest Corp., an attached agency of Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "Tayong lahat witness (We all witnessed that) he had admission he had lapses. Does he really have the credibility to make such accusations," she said. - GMANews.TV