What milk does your child drink? Our son, CJ, currently drinks NIDO, a milk product produced by Nestle Philippines.

As a parent, the ongoing milk scare brought about by Chinese-made milk that are tainted with melamine, a toxic substance, caused us so much concern.

Our fears have somewhat been allayed by Nestle Philippines’ recent announcement assuring the safety of their milk products.

According to Nestle’s website, the other products that they produce or carry aside from NIDO are the following: BEAR BRAND, NESLAC, NESTOGEN, NESVITA, and NESTLÉ.  They also import NAN 1 from the Netherlands, NAN 2 and 3, from Switzerland, and NAN HW 1 and 2 from Germany.

Well, at least that’s one less milk-related item to worry about, now the problem is what of other milk-based products circulating our Philippine markets (pastries, milk snacks, candies, etc)? What do we do now?

I’m sorry, but you can’t blame me if I stay clear of Chinese-made or Chinese-sounding products for the meantime. Melamine-tainted milk, formalin-laced white rabbit candies, toxic lead-laced toy paints and defective christmas lights are more than we can handle for now, thank you.

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Related blog entry:
Warning: Do you know what milk products have melamine?

In the news:
1. Philippine Daily Inquirer: Ban on China milk eyed
2. ABS-CBN News: Nestle assures safety of milk products
3. GMA News: Arroyo orders temporary ban on China-made milk products

Our country is now in a state of moral and political crisis. But it is appalling that some people have chosen to remain neutral, silent or indifferent with what’s currently going on.

Here are some quotes on neutrality that I hope might spur some people to action.

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” – (Elie Wiesel – Romanian born American Writer. Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986. b.1928)

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality” – (Dante Alighieri – Italian Author and Poet. Considered one of the greatest poets in all literature, 1265-1321)

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” – (Bishop Desmond Tutu – African Spiritual leader and Novelist, b.1931)

“People who demand neutrality in any situation are usually not neutral but in favor of the status quo” – (Max Eastman – American Author, Journalist and Writer, 1883-1969)

And so, come on man, take sides!

I don’t understand why a lot of people have been hitting on the credibility of Mr. Jun Lozada, the ZTE-NBN deal star witness. Some sectors keep on presenting arguments about his checkered past that they simply forget or ignore what the real issue is – our quest for the truth. Come on, the truth is still the truth regardless of the source.

So what if he has a lot of skeletons in his closet? If we go by this argument, then why did we, as a nation, insist on hearing out and believing other star witnesses in the past, like the Chavit Singsons, the Jessica Alfaros, etc., who also had their share of hidden skeletons or were accomplices to a particular crime? Why should credibility be an issue now with Mr. Lozada?

If I recall, Erap’s downfall and GMA’s ascendancy into the presidency was because such a star witness with a questionable past was initially vilified, then listened to, and eventually glorified by most Filipinos.

Let’s burn our brain cells to figure out how to sift through the truth and not how to bring a good (or bad) man down.