Managing the fun

Knowing the background of the new Tourism secretary in advertising, I just can’t have believe that no effort had been made to check whether the new slogan he was adopting had not been used before. There was already, after all, the big boo-boo of that previous one that even cost the job of his predecessor. A check on the internet could have shown quickly that Switzerland had already used the slogan “It’s more fun in Switzerland” six decades ago.

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I also suspect that all the supposed enthusiasm and excitement over the “It’s more fun in the Philippines” copy had already been manipulated so that reports about twitters gushing over it came out almost simultaneously with its introduction. If it is, indeed, true that those Tourism officials and their ad agency had plagiarized the Swiss version, then, maybe, Supreme Court Justice Mariano del Castillo should be advised to adopt as his battlecry: “It’s more fun to plagiarize in the Philippines”. Especially if you are a member of the court that will judge you.

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Faith can, indeed, move mountains. On Sunday, President Noynoy Aquino came out on TV, warning devotees of the Black Nazarene about a possible terrorist attack while the procession of the icon is going on. Considering the huge crowds expected to gather at the Quiapo area and along the route of the procession, what pandemonium could arise in case of a terrorist attack! Just think of what happened in some churches in other parts of the world, especially in Muslim countries. Seems nobody heeded his warning, because about eight million people were reported to have gathered for the event yesterday.

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And those who decided to come, despite the risk, confident in their belief that the Black Nazarene would protect them, must be congratulating themselves for not being deterred from complying with their “panata” or vow. Many of those who regularly join the procession, or just watch it from the streetsides, are those who have experiences of healing or help they got through the devotion to Him. So, warnings of terrorism, or untoward incidents do not faze them at all.

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But credit should be given to the Red cross volunteers who kept to their posts and took care of those who fainted, suffered minor injuries, or just felt dizzy during the day. Which is not surprising, because some of the people there had camped at vantage areas since the night before yet. Credit should also be given to the policemen who kept watch over the crowds, alert to any sign of disorder or disturbance. It was reported, though, that there were some snatchers who tried to victimize the devotees, but they were caught and even manhandled by the others before the cops could get to them. But the procession is taking a very long time – as of this writing, news reports are saying that the procession is still quite far from the Church, and will probably reach it today!

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Meanwhile, all is not well in the political camp of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. A rift has come up between two of her most loyal members, the voluble Rep. Edcel Lagman, and the wealthy Rep. Danilo Suarez. The latter claims there was a previous agreement of “time-sharing” of the position of minority leader in the House between him and Lagman, who now refuses to honor it. And Lagman has reportedly found out that Suarez has been plotting with GMA at her hospital suite about what to do with him, which is why he is digging in.

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Worse, Lagman has pronounced a death sentence on GMA’s party, the LAKAS-KAMPI that used to be merged with Fidel Ramos’ Christian Muslim Democrats. But GMA herself has not commented publicly on such rift. While Suarez (wasn’t be the one who hosted that multi-million peso dinner in Washington?) is bragging that he already has 19 of the minority members, Lagman also claims he has the most on his side, and that they even have signed a document confirming their support. What would GMA have ordered, were she not detained at the Veterans Hospital?

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In the United States, meanwhile, it is not only the economy or the troubles in Europe that are hounding President Barack Obama. This is election year and it looks as if those supporters who would die for him before are now disenchanted and regretting having helped him win. This is immediately obvious among showbusiness folk who are quite outspoken about their disillusionment. Well, you never can tell about politics. Many who voted for Obama say they should have picked Hillary Clinton. The lady, however, has stressed that she is no longer interested in politics. The Democrats seem to be a bit shorthanded, but who’s electrifying the Republicans now? Americans may be crossing their fingers until November.*

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