Highest form of betrayal

It has been said that men only have their wives’ word for it that they are the fathers of their children but that women are absolutely certain that they are the mothers of their offspring because they give birth to them. This is not intended to cast doubts on fathers, or for that matter, mothers. It is just that, in this context, it is easier to see how women can be more attached and protective of their children than men.

I say this in light of the appalling series of recent events in Cebu in which our sensibilities are being tested by the relatively new phenomenon called cyber sex and trafficking of women and children. It is appalling because, in most cases, the perpetrators happen to be the parents of the victims. The supposed guardians of children are the ones feeding the children to perdition.

Again I say it would be a more swallowable pill despite its bitterness if only the fathers were involved. But mothers? The female human beings who carried their babies in their bodies for nine months through hell and high water? They who nursed these babies from birth on their chests and would not allow a mosquito to alight on their flawless skin? They who would not eat just so what morsel can be scrounged can fill baby’s tummy?

Jesus Christ. What has the world become when mothers tell their daughters to strip before computer cameras so that some foreign perverts can ogle them from the safety of distance and anonymity? Is that it? Is that enough comfort that no filthy hairy hand can touch a square inch of daughter’s skin that a mother herself feeds her daughter the concept of immoral survival?

And how about herding their own daughters and nieces, as well as the daughters and nieces of neighbors and friends unto the clutches of recruiters who, in turn, feed them to the vultures that operate prostitution dens in the glitzy urban centers? What filthy pesos can ever buy peace for a conscience that knows where these daughters and nieces are headed?

But the answers are of course self evident. Conscience has become the first casualty of human depravity. There is no God in the chest of those who would sell their children in whatever form of enterprise. When you sell your children — that is the highest form of betrayal, more than turning your back on your country, more than being unfaithful to your spouse.

Mothers, and yes fathers, who truly love their children will give up their lives for them. But when they turn against their own children, they become the beasts that inhabit mankind’s worst nightmares. They become no better than the animals who eat their own offspring. In fact animals like these are better off because they are not intelligently conscious of what they are doing. Betrayal is not an understood concept among the lower forms of creation.

***

Here is another call for all alumni of the Colegio del Santo Nino. The general alumni homecoming is just more than a week away. It is scheduled on August 20, to be kicked off with a motorcade from the Asiatown I.T. Park in the afternoon, followed by a Mass at the Basilica at 5:30 p.m. Dinner and program follows at 6:30 p.m. So all CSN alumni are advised to get in touch with their respective classes or the school for more information.

The deadline for the sale of tickets to the alumni homecoming is on Monday, August 15. The deadline is necessary in order for the dinner caterer to have a fair estimate of the expected attendance. We do not want people to go hungry while the rest are having fun, do we? So get your tickets on or before August 15. They are available at the CSN office. See you on August 20. As to my batch of Class 1970, contact Roberto “Bo” Varquez — 09173254872

***

Because of the unavoidable circumstances of column scheduling, I have not been able to congratulate two dear friends of mine who received the highest honor our beloved Province of Cebu can bestow on Cebuanos. And I refer to Garbo sa Sugbo awardees Chester Cokaliong for Entrepreneurship, and Francisco Benedicto for International Relations.

Cokaliong is the hottest item in Cebu’s maritime industry today, while Benedicto has just completed more than two decades of foreign service for the country. Both Cokaliong and Benedicto, just weeks prior to the Garbo sa Sugbo Awards, were also recipients of similar awards from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I would also like to make special mention that my classmate at Colegio del Santo Nino — Tinong’s Bakery big boss Rolito Villo — was also a CCCI awardee.

Finally, congratulations to Governor Gwen Garcia for the successful staging of the 442nd Founding Anniversary of the Province of Cebu. The entire celebration would have rung hollow if it could not be validated by accomplishments that only successful leadership can allow it to be validated. Every claim Garcia can make on Cebu’s behalf is rooted in verifiable fact. She made the celebration believable by tangible leadership.