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Bacolod City, Philippines Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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OPINIONS

Cesar Montano's 'panaghoy'

Ninfa Leonardia The Hongkong-based group called the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy or PERC, has released its latest survey report showing that the Philippines now tops the list of Asia's most corrupt economies. But we do not need the PERC to tell us that, everyday our media gives us accounts of cases of corruption taking place, and very few reports of grafters being penalized. Oh, we hear of charges being resolved, but, by some mysterious developments, or maybe machinations, fewer still are acted upon. And so we continue to have that reputation, despite the denials issued by the administration.

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Meanwhile, that kind of reputation follows us even in the conduct of professional examinations as illustrated in the June 2006 nursing examination. After a lot of hullabaloo, and a lot more posturing for pogi points that didn't work, the President has ordered a re-take of the ill-fated tests. Obviously she no longer believes in the capability of those self-appointed emissaries to convince the untractable Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, or even the American Congress, to give in and, as the classic statement of the team leader quoted by Manila media noted, "bend the law" a bit. The re-take has been scheduled on June 11-12. I wish they had chosen another month, though.

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Poor Cesar Montano. The multi-awarded movie actor who had lately ventured into the uncharted seas of politics by filing his certificate of candidacy for senator, is finding out that he had gotten himself into an entirely different milieu this time. His fellow candidates and the leaders of the Team Unity that had recruited him say he is only suffering from culture shock, and he might well be. The poor guy is just finding out how different campaigning is from making movies.

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Here he has no script, he has no actors to direct, no producer, and also, he is not being given top billing. He may have garnered all those awards for his own movie that he produced, directed, wrote and starred in, the one titled "Panaghoy sa Suba" set in his own home province, Bohol, that roughly translates to "Sighing by the river". They say Montano is now wavering over his decision to run. Maybe he is now making his "panaghoy" along the campaign trail.

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He's not waffling, but he is certainly singing a much different tune now. After all the bravado about not yielding to family urgings for him to abandon his plan to seek the gubernatorial post in Batangas, Vice Governor Ricky Recto was seen and heard yesterday talking calmly about family togetherness, his love for his brother, the senator, and even for his sister-in-law and potential political rival, Vilma Santos. Does this mean that we will be seeing a Recto in the Senate, a Recto in the House of Representatives, and a Recto heading the province of Batangas? It seems we are making so many protests against dynasties and yet, perversely, we keep on abetting them.

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As for the now much-acclaimed decision of Vilma to run for governor after all, guess who her runningmate is going to be? No less than the son of Presidential executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, who is believed to have been instrumental in guiding both Ate Vi and Ricky to come to their decisions. Well, the post of Edwin Ermita does not make him a "dynast", since his daddy is not an elective official, only one of the most powerful in the land, known as "The Little President." I hear that the new members of the dynasties who are coming in have pledged to pass an anti-dynasty law when they are settled in office already.

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The Daily Tribune editorial yesterday was titled: "FIRE TO THE RESCUE". How malicious can you be? And the paper does not sound as if it is laboring under so many libel cases filed by people close to the administration already. Maybe its motto now is "In for a penny, in for a pound." As for the official response of Comelec to those who have aired suspicions about the cause of the blaze, we are supposed to be assured by their claim that only the records of elections from 1995 to 2004 (!) were destroyed.

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On the lighter side - fans of basketball star James Yap, the youthful husband of celebrity Kris Aquino, are disappointed that he has not been picked for the team being sent to the Beijing Olympics. Sports officials said, anyway, he's still very young and has other chances to compete there. Others say it should be a blessing so he can stay home and fix his family troubles first.*

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