Can the Comelec make them?

What could we expect? The flavor of the week is surely going to be the hostage-taking affair in Manila which has, so far, eclipsed even the antics of our politicians filing their certificates of candidacy. Now everybody has something to say about what went wrong in the handling of the incident, about who is to blame for the fact that it lasted too long - imagine, all of ten hours!

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What seems to have been forgotten by all those who wanted to have a share in the credits and were edged out, is the fact that, at least, nobody was harmed, all the children were retrieved by their anxious parents, and not even the supposed villain suffered a single cut or hematoma from his caper. And while many condemned him for playing such a dastardly game with the little innocents, many also stood up for him, pointing out the good works that he had done, and the reason why he did it.

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But it was clear that the fellow, Armando Jun Ducat, was, first of all, hungry for attention. That is, he wanted to have all media focused on him so he could say his piece. I doubt if he would have harmed the children, unless he accidentally exploded those grenades. By the way, have they been determined to be real ones? Even his own family members were surprised at what he had done. It seems, though, that the children were not afraid of him, he showed thoughtfulness for them by supplying them with toys and food before making use of them.

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What is more interesting now is the way the finger-pointing is going on. The top cops are blaming their subordinates for their handling of the affair. The top civil officials are blaming their underlings for getting there first. Anyway, it was clear, since everything was covered by TV, that politicians also had a heyday getting footage and looking concerned. I'd say, though, that Senator Bong Revilla managed to get the starring role this time.

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Another scene that could also have beaten the movies was that one between superstar Vilma Santos and her brother-in-law Ricky Recto. The two met at the Commission on Election Office unexpectedly (kuno) and proved to all that things had been ironed out in the family because Vilma was going to have her way, and run for governor, while Ricky was keeping the peace by seeking a seat in Congress. So there was a happy ending in Batangas, and just like the movies, really, may kissing scene pa! Hugs and kisses, talaga! The only thing missing was a shot of them walking into the sunset - but where would Senator Ralph Recto, Vilma's hubby, be? Behind the camera?

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Comelec Commissioner Rex Borra looked really annoyed yesterday. He disclosed the names of senatorial bets who did not comply with the requirement to submit drug test results and claimed they would apply the full force of the law on the violators. Hmm? Three of them are incumbent Senator Joker Arroyo, and senatorial wannabes Prospero Pichay and Jamalul Kiram. I recall that in previous elections, some candidates had claimed that they did not believe there is such a requirement. But the angry Borra was heard saying, "The senators and congressmen themselves passed this law, so they're not law-abiding". Ah, Commissioner. Some of them believe that they don't have to obey any law, and that they can bend them as they wish.

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Meanwhile, public office is really getting to be a family affair in this country. In Muntinglupa, Loreta Fresnedi is running for mayor since her husband, Mayor Jaime Fresnedi has gone for three terms already. National Security Adviser, Norberto Gonzales, who had announced that he would run for congressman of his district in Bataan, has reportedly been prevailed upon to desist by the President, and is fielding his daughter, Ma. Aurora, instead. Former Congressman Mark Jimenez, now the country's most popular philanthropist, has declined nomination, but is backing his sister, Maria, so the representative of his district will still be "MJ". Well, that seems to be a trend in politics now, keeping it in the family.

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A different story has unfolded in Bicol where Congressman Luis Villafuerte is backing another candidate against his own son. Villafuerte reportedly said that he had promised to help this other guy, and he will do so. So it's not always true that blood is thicker than water?*

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