Overseas Pinoys willing to give to 'sanctuary fund'

Filipinos overseas have already sent word that they would like to contribute to the sanctuary fund for whistleblowers, according to Senate majority leader Francis Pangilinan. "Since we started the call for a sanctuary fund seven days ago, I already received several text messages from Filipinos in the US, Europe and other parts of the world, telling me that they would like to contribute," Pangilinan said in a press statement on Friday. “Gusto raw nilang tumulong, hindi lamang kay Mr. Jun Lozada kundi pati sa mga gustong maglahad ng katotohanan sa hinaharap," he said. The senator the offers are “most welcome." “This is a collective effort of all Filipinos for our crusade for truth," Pangilinan said. The sanctuary fund seeks to cover for the legal expenses and support of those who would like to testify against ranking government officials. The fund is currently administered by the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP). "Truth knows no boundaries. Ang Pilipino, Pilipino kahit saan pa man mapadpad," Pangilinan quipped. On the fourth day after the fund was put up, the AMRSP reported that donations reached P500,000. On Friday, AMRSP reported that the fund has breached the P1-million mark, according to an article posted in the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. "As of Friday morning, the fund was at P849,192.75 but the AMRSP still received a total of P158,345.00 later in the afternoon," the article said. Most of the donors declined to be named and would only describe themselves as concerned citizens, according to Sr. Estrella Castalone, executive secretary of AMRSP. But the amount is not yet enough, considering the imminent legal battle that Lozada may have to hurdle, Sr. Castalone said. Pangilinan said donations or checks may be sent to AMRSP Special funds at 28 Acacia Street, Quezon City, with telephone numbers 724 4434 or 448 5644, or deposited to MBTC Account No. 3259-07445-3. Last week, a Filipino from Guam telephoned GMANews.TV to inquire how he and other Filipinos in the Pacific territory could extend financial help for Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., key witness in the allegedly anomalous contract for the national broadband network project of the Arroyo government. The caller was referred to the Senate. "The strong showing of the sanctuary fund speaks of our people's thirst for truth. We are getting support from various sectors of society and the fund has snowballed faster than we expected. This is our way of saying they won't take this issue sitting down," Pangilinan said. "We cannot be mere spectators on this issue, and we can't let intimidation and fear get in the way of transparency and accountability in governance. We are consolidating our efforts to protect the truth," the senator added. "Now more than ever is there a need to raise vigilance among our people. We cannot be apathetic about what's happening anymore. We do not want to wake up one day under the shackles of a tyranny," he said. - GMANews.TV