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Sanctuary fund for Lozada 'doubles' to P236,000 after Mass


Barely a week after it began, a sanctuary fund for ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. has soared to P236,253.75, much of it coming from donors at a "Mass for truth" in Mandaluyong City Sunday. Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines executive secretary Sr. Estrella Castalone said contributions are "pouring like rain" for Lozada's legal defense fund. But Castalone, in a statement posted Sunday night on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Web site (www.cbcpnews.com) said the amount is not yet enough, considering the legal cases Lozada may face. "We repeat the appeal. AMRSP has opened special fund to support witnesses like Lozada. We all know that he has a long road battle to face," she said. Over the weekend, a pro-Arroyo group that placed full-page newspaper ads questioning Lozada's credibility threatened to sue him for his testimony. Similar threats have come from deputy presidential spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry head Donald Dee. Lozada had linked several Palace officials and members of the first family to the $329.48-million ZTE broadband deal mess, which involved a series of commissions and kickbacks - and attempts to gag witnesses. Still, Castalone noted that before Sunday's Mass at the La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City, contributions for Lozada stood at P186,253.75 as of Saturday. After the Mass, Castalone announced that they got another P50,000 from an anonymous donor. Castalone said the money that will be generated from the fund-raising activity will also be used to aid other whistleblowers on government corruption cases. Meanwhile, she called on the people to help Lozada, as they anticipate other forms of harassment to be thrown his way. Donations to the AMRSP Sanctuary Fund may be sent to the AMRSP Secretariat, 28 Acacia Street, New Manila, Quezon City, at tel. nos. 724-4434 and 448-5644. They may also be deposited directly to MBTC Account No. 3259-07445-3, under the account name AMRSP Special Funds (Sanctuary Fund). - GMANews.TV

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