The late Rolando Galman was no saint, but for all his faults, he was loved by his mother in much the same way that Atty. Rodolfo U. Jimenez is loved by his. And his children believe in his innocence with the same tenacity with which Ms. Chato Olivas proclaims that her father, the general, was not part of the conspiracy.

It is for this loss of a son and a father that the Galman family is seeking some indemnity. In these terms, the offer of P30,000 in civil liabilities (Veritas, Feb. 24) is penny-ante.

It is far less that what Justice Manuel Pamaran has awarded under similar circumstances. Last year, he convicted two constabulary soldiers on two counts of homicide and awarded their heirs P30,000 in indemnities, P30,000 in moral damages, and P255,600 for loss of earning capacity. The Supreme Court upheld Mr. Pamaran earlier this month (Bulletin Today, Feb. 14).

The Philippine Heart Center’s Dr. Avenilo Aventura will attest that it barely covers the cost of bringing a symposium speaker to the Philippines.

Business Day’s Marites Danguilan Vitug will tell you that a prominent assemblyman spends about that amount to get a favorable treatment for just two press releases.

And General Fabian Ver will complain that it isn’t enough to buy a full-page ad in the Bulletin Today.