GMA asks for partners
in prayers and renewal

A LITTLE past midnight Saturday, President Arroyo joined members of the Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai and asked them and the public to join her in spending the Holy Week in prayers and renewal. She said Lent is a time for reflection, sacrifices and love, and that whatever happens, God will always be with us.

"Anuman ang mangyari, alam natin kasama natin ang Panginoon. Kaya sa pagpasok natin sa Semana Santa, iyun ang ating pagninilay at sana samahan ninyo ang inyong lingkod sa pananalangin at sa pagbabagong-loob para sa ganon ang mga biyaya ng Panginoon ay bubuhos sa ating bansa Pilipinas," she said.

The President also said she is seeking the help and support of El Shaddai anew as the world is now faced with the threat of rising oil prices and decreasing supply of rice. Following the "Walk of Faith or National Unity" and anticipated Palm Sunday mass in Parañaque City, she said even Pope Benedict XVI in his Lenten message stressed the need to help the poor.

"Talagang mabigat na mabigat itong tungkuling ito sa mga panahong ito na tumataas ang presyo ng langis sa buong mundo at nagkukulang ang bigas sa buong mundo. Kaya lalong kailangan natin ang tulong at lalong kailangan nating magdasal, manalangin kay Yahweh El Shaddai," she said.

Secretary to Cabinet Ricardo Saludo said that while rising oil prices is beyond the administration's control, government has already moved to cushion its impact through a cut in oil tariffs, fuel discounts to public utility vehicles, and a single ticketing system that would keep the lid on any fare hike demands from buses and jeepneys.

He said government has also made available more affordable NFA rice, opened more low-cost food and medicine outlets; reduced power rates, water rates and expressway tolls; boosted farm support to raise rural incomes and food supplies; and fast-tracked infrastructure programs to boost jobs and put more money in people's pockets.

Shell and other oil players raised their pump prices by 50 centavos a liter over the weekend after the world price reached $111 per barrel. This was the third price hike implemented by Shell this month.

The President said she has been joining the annual celebration of the El Shaddai since 1992 and she acknowledged the group for standing by her and supporting her, for giving her advice, and praying for her and with her for the past 16 years. "Marami ng pagninilay, marami ng panalangin na sama-sama tayo, marami ng payo na nanggagaling sa mga nagmimisa at saka mga salita ni Brother Mike na alam natin na anointed at ang mga salitang to ay mensahe mula kay Yahweh El Shaddai. Marami ng suporta sa isa't isa bilang magkakapatid ang dinanas natin," she said.

Despite the call of some sector, including priests and the religious, for her to resign following allegations of corruption, the El Shaddai group has kept mum and did not even join any of the anti-administration rallies.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye reiterated that even the administration supports the search for truth as "the truth will set us free." He said in searching for truth, however, tone must first have an open-mind which means searching without "a pre-conceived notion of the truth. Otherwise, his search will be selective and limited only to searching facts and data which will validate or confirm his pre-conceived notion of the truth.

"Not being God, who is omniscient, we are prone to accept as truth the limited and often erroneous information that we may have," he said stressing that the Senate is hardly the venue for the search for truth, considering the actions of some senator who has been "less than careful in processing information which on careful analysis amount to no more than baseless, unsubstantiated allegations."

Bunye said had these testimonies and allegations been brought to the court, many of them would have already been dismissed "as irrelevant and immaterial."