Being discussed in the congressional hearings is the issue on the budget for travel of the office of the speaker of the lower house. The alleged huge travel budget was raised in a commentary by one Jeffry Celiz, a broadcaster of Sonshine Media Network, Inc. (SMNI) a television network that was granted congressional franchise believed to be owned by Apollo Carreon Quiboloy albeit denials of such ownership. The commentator who disclosed the travel budget which purportedly amounted to 1.8 billion pesos was invited by the lower house to shed light on such news regarding the huge travel budget that was disclosed in his commentary program.

The resource person refused to reveal the identity of his source on the basis of Republic Act 53 known as the Sotto Law or the Press Freedom Law that protects journalists from being compelled to reveal the name of their news sources. The said law affords journalists to maintain the safety of their news sources from all forms of pressure or harassment that the news subjects might take against the news sources. The commentator consistently insists that he is protected by said law and he is bounden to protect his news sources. He also cited his constitutional right under the bill of rights and the right of the people to information on matters of public concern.

Indeed the travel budget is a matter of public interest as it is source from taxpayers’ money. What appears to be a concern on the part of the office of the house speaker is its negative repercussions on the integrity and credibility of the lower house. The commentary is being connected to the political squabble between the house speaker and the vice president who are both positioning for the upcoming presidential derby. The attacks on the house speaker is being construed by the house members as emanating from the former president and his daughter vice president as close allies of pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy.
In the course of the house investigation, the commentator disclosed that the issue of that huge travel budget was leaked by a senate insider. The revelation stirred varied reactions from the senators with the outright denial by the senate president. The senate urged the lower house to continue its investigation. Meanwhile, the lower house made efforts to compel the commentator to name his source or else he would be cited in contempt and detained.

The threat of being cited for contempt and detention did not deter the commentator, standing his ground to protect his source and protect his rights as a journalist as well as other journalists from revealing their news sources. He insisted that what he raised was in the form of a question as to the truth or falsity of the alleged leaked information. The lower house had already retorted with its report that the travel expenses incurred by the office of the speaker of the house of representatives this year is about 4.347 million pesos. That would settle the issue without pressing the commentator to reveal the name of his news sources.

comments to alellema@yahoo.com

DECEMBER 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe whose image was miraculously imprinted on a simple cloak of a Mexican of Aztec descent, now saint, Juan Diego, back in 1591. The image has become so famous that it now is a national symbol of Mexico. It also reminds us of so many interesting things about Our Lady and us.

For one, it reminds us that Our Lady is always a mother who constantly cares for us, acting as our most reliable intercessor before God. She does not hesitate to make some extraordinary interventions in our life, as when she makes apparitions, if only to remit to us some important messages, if not warnings, over matters that may have gone quite serious.
In the readings of the feast’s liturgical celebration, we are reminded of the basic truth of our faith that tells us about the dignity that we have. And that is that we enjoy the highest connaturality with God, since God created us to be his image and likeness. (cfr. Gen 1,27)
Although that image has been damaged because of our sin, there is one person who managed to keep herself immaculate. And that is Our Lady. She can be considered as the perfect specimen of how a human person should be.

Thus, in the responsorial psalm, this passage from the Book of Judith is applied to her: “You are the highest honor of our race.” (15,9) It’s good that we be familiar with these words because even if it is incredible to apply them to us, the truth is that at the end of the day, we, too, like Mary share in that connaturality with God.

We should just try our best to imitate our Lady in living out that dignity as faithfully as possible. And the secret is simply to have the same faith, the same openness to God’s will, her obedience to the divine designs for man that undid the disobedience of our first parents and that of ours.

Her “Fiat” (Be it done unto me) is the best example of the obedience of faith that a human person as a creature can have in relation to the will of God. It perfectly echoes in a mysteriously anticipative way Christ’s obedience to the will of his Father—“If it is your will, let this cup pass by me, but not my will but yours be done.” (Mt 26,39)

Mary’s “Fiat” is the perfect model of how our will ought to be conformed to God’s will. We have to be reminded that by the very nature of our will, the very seat of our freedom, our will is supposed to be in synch with the will of its Creator. It just cannot be by itself, turning and moving purely on its own.

It is meant to be engaged with the will of God, its creator and lawgiver. It is the very power we have been given by God that enables us to unite ourselves with God in the most intimate way. All the other aspects of our life—physical, biological, chemical, etc.—are also governed by God-given laws but, by themselves, they cannot bring us into intimate union with God.

We cannot expropriate our will to be simply our own. We are meant only to be stewards of it, not its owner nor its designer, creator and lawgiver. It has to submit itself to the will of God, otherwise it would be working without proper foundation and purpose.