Mess of pottage and few pieces of Gold

A few pieces of gold!? 

A few days back I saw on TV Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. giving the opening statement for the prosecutors of CJ Corona. He was (i.e. for me) an eloquent speaker, careful of his enunciation, had good timing with his pauses and stresses; his mien projected authority and genuine disgust for the man he was prosecuting. Unfortunately, he got one very important fact--that every Chrsitian and Catholic Filipino and human beings knew--wrong: the price recieved by Judas Escariot for the betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here's the last part of the speech that was filled with literary and historical spices made more interesting because of a biblical error.

“In closing, the message of the House, as the representatives of the people, is the same as that given by Oliver Cromwell when he dismissed England’s Long Parliament on April 20 of 1653. Before God and country, we say: “It is high time for us to put an end to you sitting in that place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice, you are an enemy to good government, as you have sold your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas Escariot betrayed your God for a few pieces of gold. Depart I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

Judas Escariot must be stirring in his grave (or in hell). My dear Congressman, even if you have quoted Cromwell verbatim you should have known better. As has been pointed out by Bishops and Sunday school pupils, our Lord was betrayed by Judas Escariot for thirty pieces of silver and not a few pieces of gold. Now, for an ordinary mortal like me, this lapse is permissible but for a congressman who was invoking the Holy name of God to exorcise the evil of graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust out of the accused Chief Justice, you should have checked the Holy Book first because your exorcism may not be accepted by the heavenly authorities for technicalities!

He sure hell knew a lot about English History but he knew not his Bible. Tsk, tsk, tsk, not good.

I think it’s time congress replace Tupas as the lead man of the prosecution team. Admit it, the guy is not good for the job. He is being minced by the defense team as well as by the senator judges especially Sen Santiago. If not for Drillon...hmmmm.

Anyway, the Chief Justice has a lot of explaining to do about his wealth. If  the explanations are simple enough and could be understood by common folks like me, he has nothing to worry about. But if the explanations on how he acquire these properties are too long, too legalistic, too technical, and too confusing, chances are, he acquired his wealth the way corrupt men do: by magic.