Are you for or against abortion? Let’s hear it!

Almost exactly a year ago, Philippine Star columnist Federico Pascual wrote an article exposing the National Power Corporation (Napocor) for awarding a coal deal close to a billion pesos to a firm called Transpacific Consolidated Resources, Inc. (TCRI) that only had a paid-up capital of only P62,500. My, that money could hardly buy a brand new Honda 125 cc XRM motorcycle! We also wrote our own article on this exposé; after all, this contract was to serve the coal needs of Cebu. I learned later that this deal was “cooked” in the Napocor headquarters in Manila. So our FREEMAN reporters could not verify the information that Pascual and I wrote.

Well, after almost a year of silence, finally Napocor through Mrs. Zenaida Ducut, the newly-appointed chair of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) officially admitted to Napocor’s awarding this highly-questionable contract. As the Philippine Star headline last Tuesday screamed, “NPC: So What if P62K firm got P956-M deal?”  Hey, I thought that the Arroyo administration was in the forefront in the fight against corruption? With this attitude of public officials, this it is not a wonder at all that the Philippines is dubbed as “The most corrupt nation in Asia!”

The new ERC Chair was reacting to reports that she is related to Leslie and Ressie Ducut of Pampanga who are the principal incorporators of TCRI, saying that neither she nor her husband are related to this Ducut. Whether they are related or not, that is beside the point. The main issue is whether companies whose paid-up capital is too small should be allowed to participate in government bidding process? What can we expect if a company with a small paid-up capital fails to deliver on their promise? What can the government get from such a small firm?

While Malacañang wants to distance itself from this issue, it cannot take a “Humpty-dumpty” attitude and sit on the wall while this debate rages. Malacañang must clarify its rules especially when it allows private firms to bid for government contracts. If it allows small companies to bid for multi-million peso contracts, then we can expect more corruption in government contracts. It makes me wonder what the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would say about such small companies?

So Malacañang must take the bull by its horns and tackle this very sensitive issue. If we continue with this attitude of Napocor, then what’s stopping me from bidding for projects from the Assets Privatization group with a similar paid-up capital? Soon, we shall see a lot of bogus small companies fronting for big ones who would later sell their companies for profit if they win contracts from the government. Is this really happening to our government today? I’m sure that if he were alive today, Sir Max Soliven would sigh in disgust and shout, “Sus Maria Joseph!”

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Should the Catholic clergy make good its threat not to give Holy Communion to those people supporting the proposed Reproductive Health Act? This issue depends solely on what the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) should decide. Right now, this issue comes from a Pastoral letter by Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado, which makes it binding within his archdiocese. But what I would like to hear is what does the CBCP think about this?

The problem lies upon the fact that more often than not, not all priests would agree to any sanctions imposed by the CBCP. But this is a topic that the CBCP should seriously look into because it affects many Catholics who strongly obey the teachings of the Catholic Church. Yesterday, I saw on tv a non-Catholic Bishop claim that he was married and even had grandchildren, which we all know violates the teachings of the Catholic Church (which is why he is considered a self-excommunicated person) because this bishop openly supports the abortion of the innocents!

At this point, Catholics must make a formal stand: Are we supporting the teachings of the Catholic Church or not? If you are a Catholic, you cannot support the killing of an innocent and defenseless child inside the womb of its mother, regardless of what pro-abortionists say, especially those women who insists that they have the freedom to do what they want to do with their bodies!

While Malacañang is fence-sitting on the issue about Napocor’s allowing small companies to bid and win a billion peso contract, at least Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) has openly declared that she is not changing her policy on population control, which means she is like many of us, sticking to the official line of the Catholic Church. What about you? Are you merely fence-sitting or have you made a stand to defend the teachings and tenets of your Catholic Church? Remember, God is always on our side!