GMA may steal the show

Aspiring candidates for the United States presidency have turned to singing to get votes from their constituents. Where did they learn about such election tactics? Surely not from the Philippines where some of those who try to woo voters with their songs fail to get elected. And, after listening to the singing samples of bets like incumbent president Barack Obama, and front runner Mitt Romney of the Republican Party, I think somebody should advise them to cease and desist. None of them can carry a tune in a way that could lure votes, I think.

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The remains of the late Congressman Iggy Arroyo of the Fifth District of Negros Occidental are expected to arrive in Manila tomorrow. I hope that, by this time, it has already been determined who will be the official mourner backed by his family. His daughter from his first wife has appealed for a peaceful and decent wake and burial for her father. We hope all will grant her wish. Meanwhile, his constituents in the Fifth District are hoping that the vigil will include one in his district.

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Meanwhile, former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is said to be asking the court to allow her to go to the wake of her very loyal and protective brother-in-law, Iggy. Then she also wants to attend his funeral later. If the court grants her those requests, she will surely steal the show, because more people will watch or join the funeral rites and procession, not to pray for Iggy, but to see the former president whom they have seen in public for a long time now.

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It is alarming to hear reports about the raids and seizures of illegal drugs in some high class subdivisions in Metro Manila. Worse is that it is not only traffickers who are hiding themselves in such subdivisions, at least three have already been arrested for actually producing the banned substances. The latest catch was in the Greenmeadows subdivision, the first were at the Ayala Alabang Village. Were those the sources of the very lucky but notorious Alabang Boys? I say lucky because they got away with it.

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Unfortunately, I turned on the TV set just when a certain Congressman Umali was questioning the witness from the Securities and Exchange Commission. This time I agree with Senate president and presiding judge Juan Ponce Enrile who seemed to be exasperated at the very slow manner of questioning by Umali. If more of those assigned to question from the Prosecution go through it as slowly, the impeachment process may take several months. I hope he will watch the footages of his act so he will try to avoid saying “Ahh” so often.

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Despite Umali’s roundabout methods, however, yesterday seemed to be a good day for the Prosecution who were able to elicit very important evidences from the SEC witness. One of them was the revelation that the company that Chief Justice Renato Corona’s camp had so glibly pointed to as the source of the P11 million he had used to buy a high-priced condominium unit, is no longer existing and its permit had been revoked by the SEC as long ago as 2003! This gives credence to the claims of one of the officials of that corporation that no such cash advance or loan had ever been given to Corona or his wife, said to be a relative of the owners of the company. Now what?

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How long will it be until Mainland China cracks the whip on the rebellious residents of Hongkong? Hongkongers, who had been used to the more liberal life when the colony was still under Great Britain, are apparently chafing over the stricter laws of China. In advertisements and posters, they referred to mainland Chinese as “locusts”, and slamming what they call discrimination against native Hongkong residents. They also claim that a Chinese professor has called them “bastards” and “dogs” because majority of them want to be called Hongkongers and not Chinese.

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But I guess this is to be expected under such an arrangement, where people find themselves in another culture, although with their own race. I was fortunate to be a German government grantee shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the citizens of East and West Germany were still on guard against each other. A friend told us the Easterners were resentful because everytime an unusual crime occurs in the West, people there would say, “this is the work of the Easteners.” So I guess Hongkong and China will also have to go through this.*

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