Finally, a military breakthrough for truth?

The Senate did it again.

After a very incisive inquiry of National Security Adviser, Secretary Norberto Gonzalez regarding the Venable contract, yesterday, the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security drew from two military officers the first military version of the truth about election fraud in Lanao.

Brig. General Gudani confirmed that he was the general referred to in the so-called "Gary/Garci tapes" to be relieved from his post as he was perceived mistakenly as sympathetic to FPJ when what he did, he said, was non-partisan leadership.

Colonel Balutan corroborated Brig. Gen. Gudani's statements that there was indeed election fraud in Lanao, upon the orchestration of Commissioner Garcillano. This Comelec official was not assigned to Mindanao but, according to the two military officers, Garcillano seemed to have been very visible and notoriously known in Mindanao as an alleged "election rigger or cheater". Coming from a born-again Christian and a brigadier general at that, it was difficult not to believe Brig. Gen. Gudani's comments.

Expectedly, the present military leadership exploded and relieved Brig. Gen. Gudani and Col. Balutan from their posts for defying the "legal" order of their Commander-in-Chief, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for them or anyone else in the military not to appear in Congress without the permission of the President.

Malacañang must be panicking nowadays. After the Senate held their ground to ferret out the truth about the donors, the reasons, the processes related to the P50 million Venable contract from Secretary Gonzalez, it must have dawned on them, as it did to many of us, that the Senate, through their inquiries, can actually drag out the truth about the wire-tapping, about election fraud, practically about everything else related to the truth that the President refuses till now to explain. Hence, the gag on the military people and all else who may link them to the truth?

General Ermita confirmed the view on tv yesterday when he verbalized that the Senate inquiries have clearly been proceeding like an impeachment body, sans a Chief Justice. For those in Malacañang who thought that the impeachment has been killed, the Senate inquiries must be driving them crazy and making them so busy scheming the next moves to keep the truth from being told.

Remember how they are trying all means to have Gonzales released by the Senate and for the National Adviser not to appear at all, anymore, before the Senate? Remember how they are now toying with the idea of penalizing those who will publicly divulge confidential matters? This is after former DSWD Secretary and the Hyatt 10 promised to tell all "under oath."

Who would have thought that the truth may come, after all, from the most unlikely source, from honest military officers? Who would have thought that a military coup could be so non-violent, so calm, so honest and so truthful as witnessed yesterday in the Senate?

The more this administration tries to hide the truth, the more they are driven to more violence on their part and more curtailment of rights to speech, to assembly. They are even testing the public pulse regarding the imposition of martial law.

Martial rule may end all search for truth, well, at least from Congress, especially, from the Senate. They may silence all those who have pieces of the truth puzzle. Under Martial law, no one can make GMA explain the truth behind her " I am sorry". No one else need know about her calls to a Comelec official.

It is interesting to note that the more this administration tries to move on without telling the full truth about the calls and election fraud, the more new, unexpected developments crop up calling attention back and questioning about truth and honesty from this government.

God must so love our people and our country that even from the so-called "hardliners", from the military, from the security agency, truth is now slowly but surely coming out. Truth, like a lighted lamp, can never be hidden. It is meant to shine upon all, for all to be guided to the right way, to the right path, to freedom, and to life.

True officers, true gentle persons, true officers of the people, not of a dishonest and untruthful government still exist in the military. That is one truth worth rejoicing about!