Who’s afraid of Bebot Alvarez?

The four-page ads lambasting DOTC Secretary Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez and spelling out reasons why the Commission on Ap-pointments should not confirm his appointment shows the power and might of those paying for the ads. Those ads cost a lot of money.

The ad-buyer, the Manila International Airport-Ninoy Aquino International Airport Association of Service Operators (MASO), really wants Bebot out, and has been working hard to convince President Macapagal-Arroyo to withdraw Bebot’s appointment. But the President is not budging.

That means to say she does not believe in MASO’s linking of Bebot to the controversial NAIA Terminal 3 contract between the DOTC and the Philippine International Air Terminals Corp. (PIATCO). In last Wednesday’s hearing, the CA wasted many precious hours looking for a non-existent fourth supplement to the contract as instigated by the oppositors. Bebot testified he had not signed or endorsed the proposed fourth supplement to NEDA, a fact confirmed by NEDA Director General Dante Canlas.

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It’s a good thing that opposition Sec. Edgardo Angara made the announcement that the oppositors’ move to issue warrants of arrest to Presidential Adviser Gloria Tan-Climaco and alleged PIATCO consultant Alfonso Liongson, who are both reportedly abroad, will not affect the planned voting of the committee on Monday. An observer told me this is good news, not only for Bebot but for the confirmation process as a whole, "because dilatory tactics such as the ploy of witnesses to disappear so as to derail the hearings, will not prosper. Imagine the implications if a witness would purposely hide just to put on hold the CA deliberations."

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The charges filed by MASO against Bebot have already been thrown out by the Ombudsman. Why should the CA waste its time looking into those supposed illegal contracts?

I’m glad the CA is holding its last hearing on the confirmation of Bebot on Monday. This will mean savings on the taxpayers’ money and an end to the moro-moro being staged by the oppositors.

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My column on cooking with banana peelings last Tuesday elicited excited comments and inquiries from readers. Obviously, people want to economize by using or recycling banana peelings as extender. One of those who responded was Bezalie Bautista-Uc-Kung, executive director of New Day Publishers, who wrote that banana happens to be one of her favorite fruits, "so I’m glad to find new ways of enjoying it." Bezalie wants to get in touch with the banana-peelings inventor, Ofelia A. Panganiban, so New Day can publish her manual.

Incidentally New Day has published a book entitled 100-1 Banana Recipes. The recipes were created and tested by the Banana Export Industry Foundation. According to Bezalie, "It began as an experiment during the rice-crisis year of 1973. The Foundation, noting the under-utilization of Cavendish banana stock rejected for the export market, wanted to test the possibility of utilizing banana as a cereal substitute. Nutritionists were hired and the recipes that were developed found high acceptance rate among wives of plantation workers. The book continues to sell to this day, proof of Filipino’s love for the fruit."

By the way, in celebration of Philippine Books Month in June, New Day is holding a special book sale, call 928-8046 or 9275982.

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Below are recipes from the book.

Banana Omelet

Ingredients:

1 cup grated unripe banana

1/2 cup fresh dilis

1 piece calamansi

2 tbsp. Lard or oil

2 stalks green onions, chopped

1 tomato (chopped)

3 eggs beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure: Clean dilis. Marinate it in calamansi juice, salt and pepper. Saute onions, tomatoes and banana in oil. Add dilis, cover and cook. Avoid too much stirring. Remove from fire. Add fish to beaten eggs and cook like an ordinary omelet.

Embotido

Ingredients:

3 cups mashed boiled unripe banana

1/2 kilo finely ground or chopped pork

2 eggs

1 tsp. Toyo

2 onions

3 tsp. Flour

a piece of leaf lard

Procedure: Grind meat and onions. Mix together and add the beaten eggs, flour and toyo. Wrap it in leaf lard, Wrap it again with banana leaves in the form of rolls. Steam in a small amount of water. Let cool then fry in fat till golden brown. Serve with banana sauce or catsup.

Banana Stuffed Bangus

Ingredients:

1 medium size bangus

1 cup boiled unripe mashed banana

1 small carrot

1 small onion

2 pieces calamansi

1/4 cup chopped Baguio beans

2 pcs. Small red and green pepper (chopped)

1 egg for binding

1/4 cup chopped celery

toyo and white pepper for seasoning

dash of salt

Procedure: Scale the fish and wash it clean. Pound the fish until soft and pull the flesh outside through the gills. Cook the meat with little water and then remove the tiny bones. Marinate the fish skin with toyo and calamansi juice. Saute onions and add the fish meat, carrots, beans, and banana. When half cooked add the celery. Remove from fire and add the egg. Let cool, then add the chopped red and green pepper. Stuff the bangus with the ingredients, sprinkle with a little flour, and bake for 20 minutes in an oven or fry in deep fat until golden brown.