Nietes deserved
Bacolod’s tribute

Donnie Nietes deserves a major tribute from Bacolod City for having defended his WBO boxing crown from challenger Felipe Saguero of Mexico.

Both Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson paid tribute to Nietes as having made Negros Occidental a source of major boxers of the country.

Once again, Donnie Nietes made us all proud as a Negrense, “May his victory be the source of inspiration for young boxers in the province,” said Marañon.

He also said he is a boon to the Negros First boxing program of the province.

We hope that Sayson organizes for Nietes a welcome that is more rousing than that of Manny Pacquiao, who is actually from General Santos City.

Just approximate Pacquiao’s adulation by Negrenses, after all. Nietes is from Murcia and now a resident of Bacolod City. In short, he deserves more tribute from Bacoleños than an imported one.

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Kudos to Congressman-elect Alejandro Mirasol of the Fifth District. He roundly led challenger Dino Yulo-Montalvo capturing 81,982 votes against Yulo’s 68,879. That meant a margin of 13,103 votes, a convincing win if there is any.

But also to Dino, we doff our hats for his graceful admission of the election results and for congratulating Mirasol, his relative.

Yulo, it must be remembered was supported by the Nacionalista Party while Mirasol had both the Liberal Party and the United Negros Alliance behind him.

But it also gave an indication of the forthcoming local election. Not necessarily that the outcome of next year’s polls will be the same as now for there are other issues that may govern voters’ minds.

But the most dramatic is, of course, the results in Himamaylan City where Mayor Agustin Ernesto Bascon delivered 21,916 votes for Yulo against only 15,125 for Mirasol.

That lead of 15,125 votes could not have gone for Yulo had Himamaylan voters harbored serious misgivings about Tinto’s leadership and that of his mother, Menchit Bascon.

Anyway, we hope that Mirasol will do a lot during his one year term so that he can go back to congress in the next elections.

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In pomp and pageantry, one must admit that nobody can beat the Brits.

I must admit that I still have to see pomp and pageantry as the British displayed when they celebrated the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II.

Despite having won their shining independence from Britain, the emperor of the Commonwealth have remained firmly tied to its apron. Perhaps, it is just the memory of the heydays of the British Empire that have kept them tied up to the Commonwealth.

Queen Elizabeth does not have the charismatic appeal of a politician. But here reserved and prim waves of her hand often are enough to send crowds into a frenzy of applause and shouting. Perhaps, it is the mystique of the monarchy that has kept Britain and her former colonies still loyal to the Crown, but there was no mistaking the fact that they still worship their Royal Couple.

Actually, it is Elizabeth who remains the top drawer.

But one can just see the pageantry of thousands clothed in the outlandish uniform of the former past, British calvary, etc. and the thousands of boats along the Thames to wonder the extent of the grip of the British by the monarchy.

I received a call from my youngest son, Rolando Junior from Dublin, Ireland. And he told me the other day that he was going to UK.

“To witness the celebrations?” I asked him

No, he answered, “I am going to participate there in the triathlon.

But being a Filipino, I knew that the pomp and pageantry may dazzle him but never will it capture his loyalty, although he is already an Irish citizen.*

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