AS PREDICTED, critics of the administration will again blame the government kung bakit nakoryente sila sa testimony ng much-ballyhooed surprise witness—Leo San Miguel.

Now that San Miguel has not testified in accordance with the expectations of some senators, government detractors are accusing the administration of having “coached” this witness, just like what happened to Erwin Santos when he spoke against Lozada. They are saying Santos and San Miguel are pakawala ng administrasyon. In other words, for some critical media and some senators, anyone who speaks in favor of the government is a pakawala while all those who attack PGMA, her family and her administration are saints. Of course, let the Filipino people be the judge. But I think that as long as the inquisition in the Senate continues, many more of this type of witnesses will surface. After all we don’t know how long these Senate hearings will last.

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The story of Jesus Christ is said to be the greatest story ever told. What is going on in the Senate will perhaps be the longest and the most monotonous story ever told.

Did you know that Catholic leaders from other countries have been coming to the Philippines to recruit Filipino priests to man parishes in Europe because of the lack of priests in the continent? A few Sundays ago I met three priests from Rome, Brazil and Lisbon shortly before the Mass at the Christ the King Church. They told me they came to recruit Filipino priests and they hope their recruits will agree to be posted in various parishes in the many towns and cities in Europe. When asked why the situation has gone critical, they said that even in Catholic countries in Europe today, there are very few young men who enter the seminaries, and this has resulted in a dearth in the number of priests in many communities in the continent.

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The priest from Rome said this situation is prevalent even in the Holy See where, for so long a time, the Cardinalate has always been occupied by an Italian cardinal. This tragic situation in Italy might see a drastic change in tradition, he said. The priest also said they were happy the Philippines continues to attract many young men to the seminaries and that many Filipino priests are seen in many parts of the world, spreading the faith. This revelation made me feel the Philippines is still a nation of God.

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The TV program Diwa ng Katotohanan or  “Spirit of Truth” is making a great impact on people from all walks of life in that it is making them understand the issues surrounding the ZTE controversy, as well as the confusion over the Spratlys seismic activities which have cornered so much space and time on media. The credible presentation of how the controversy developed has given viewers not only a clear understanding of the true side of the issues but also the motives of the so-called whistle blowers. People are now beginning to see how each allegation actually came about, minus the half-truths alleging such fictions as “overpricing” and “bribery.” The Commission on Audit helped a lot when it came out with a certification that no government money has been spent on the project. Now the people are beginning to see how some very determined sectors in our society are intent on maligning this administration to force the President to vacate her post. But no way. When pushed into a corner, one can always fight fire with fire and let the issues burn as they are now burning, to peel away the camouflage that has covered the real motives of the self-styled whistle blowers.

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In a newspaper article, a study revealed that as much as 25,000 sacks of rice worth some P22 million are wasted daily in the country. Rice is wasted in many ways, but what is clear about this news report is that we don’t have to produce more rice to avoid a shortage. And if there is no shortage, the price of the staple will remain stable. All we have to do is cut the wastage by half and people will have plenty of it. To Filipinos, rice is as precious as life. Save that rice!

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