Talk about giving the ?good news? and the ?bad news.?

The National Bureau of Investigation conducted a press conference the other day, covered and aired by TV networks, announcing that DNA tests conducted on the body of a young girl found inside a suitcase two years ago had confirmed the girl?s identity. The girl, they said, was Geraldine Palma whose parents had been searching for her these last two years. Cause of death was determined to be strangulation.

But that wasn?t all. NBI technical services chief Reynaldo Esmeralda also said that while the DNA profile matched that of the mother, Felma Estravela, it did not match that of the father, Gerald Palma. Estravela and Palma are not married.

I didn?t catch the newscast, but a friend did and was disturbed enough to write to me about it. ?I found it disturbing that the NBI made the announcement (in such a manner),? my friend wrote. ?The video footage showed that Geraldine?s father was clueless until the announcement. His reaction, which was caught by the cameras, was clearly unguarded.?

Was it necessary to announce to the world that Geraldine?s DNA and her father?s did not match? asks my friend. ?The announcement that Geraldine?s profile matched that of her mother?s would have been enough,? my friend believes. And couldn?t the news have been broken to the parents in private, at least to prepare them for it?

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THE BIT about mismatching DNA profiles may have lent the proceedings some titillating touches, but such a sudden, public announcement was unnecessary cruelty, my friend said. ?I am troubled by the way the NBI subjected the man who, as reports said, was a loving father to Geraldine, to such public humiliation. I can imagine how confused the man is right now.?

My friend says he is also concerned about the implications of the information on Geraldine?s mother. ?I hope her relationship with her husband will not be destroyed because of this. They need to fight for justice and to keep the memory of Geraldine alive, together.?

Indeed, what was the NBI thinking? Were they so elated by the DNA results that they overlooked human sensitivities and ethical considerations altogether?

On a related topic, the news report on the NBI findings said the bureau sought the help of the International Commission of Missing Persons (ICMP), based in Sarajevo, after DNA tests the NBI conducted and another one by the University of the Philippines? National Science and Research Institute yielded ?inconclusive? results.

Dr. Ma. Corazon de Ungria, of the institute?s DNA Analysis Laboratory, clarified that they did not conduct any DNA tests on Geraldine. Instead, they merely ?assisted in the initial preparation of a bone sample which included cleaning and pulverization of the bone submitted to us. The pulverized sample was then given to NBI for subsequent DNA testing. All DNA tests were conducted by NBI.?

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ANOTHER source (I have many helpful friends) comments on what he believes are the ?deceptive? explanations of agriculture officials, including those from the National Food Authority, regarding a wire news report on the overpriced rice imports from Vietnam made last December.

The report said the price of Vietnamese rice at that time was $380 per metric ton, while the average price quoted (and paid) by our officials was $549.50 per metric ton.

At the time, says my source, Vietnam had a rice surplus and so the cheaper price for exports made sense. A report made by the Vietnamese government, dated Oct. 9, 2008 states: ?Mekong farmers struggle with piles of unsold summer-autumn (Aug.-Sept. harvest) rice crop ? the approaching harvest of the autumn-winter crop does nothing to allay their fears.? The US Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, said in its report: ?When the local price fever cooled down, export demand was also down due to the global economic crisis in the latter half of 2008, resulting in large to unsold stocks of rice. Vietnamese rice exporters largely refrained from further increases of low-quality autumn crop rice, causing a dramatic drop in local prices from August to November 2008.?

Indeed, why would our government authorities pay over $100 more per metric ton for rice that Vietnam was not only eager to sell, but for which it was having a hard time finding buyers? ?Whose interests is the NFA protecting?? asks my source.

For sure, it?s not those of the poor Filipino rice consumer, who must deal not just with high prices of rice but also periodic rice shortages.

It seems the issue needs further examination. Including the reason DA and NFA officials keep raising a smokescreen when asked why they paid so much more for rice that Vietnamese farmers were anxiously waiting to dispose of, at cheaper prices.

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THERE will be a General Alumni Homecoming at the SVD Major Seminary in Tagaytay on Aug. 20, one of several activities to mark the centennial of the Society of the Divine Word in the country. Rector Fr. Wilfrido Saniel, SVD, said during a press conference that everyone who went through the portals of the Seminary??SVDs, non-SVDs, alumni who didn?t make it to ordination, or those who have left the priesthood??is welcome to join the festivities. This also includes former faculty and staff.

These days, some alumni would even include laywomen or women religious who have taken classes on theology, ethics or Bible studies at the seminary. The institution is now opening its doors to a broader public since the decline in vocations means much of its space remains unused. Even so, wouldn?t the women?s presence make the alumni homecoming much more interesting?