India should reciprocate

Many eyebrows were raised when the news came out that the Philippines is granting visa-free entries to Indian nationals. Why Indians, among all the others wishing to also have an easier time getting into our country? Is it because many Indians now living here are generous in granting collateral-free loans to small business people? The “Bombay”, as they are called by their “clients” are even edging out the banks because of their very easy processes, despite virtually usurious rates.

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But the visa-free entry is not all that easy to take advantage of. An Indian cannot just knock at our terminals and get into the country. The catch is that this privilege is only available to Indian nationals who also have visas from such countries as the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and member states of the European Union. In other words, those good enough to be granted entries by those countries should be good enough to enter ours.

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I wonder, though, if India will reciprocate this privilege. Will it also allow Pinoys to visit their country visa-free? Maybe they can impose the same requirements, that of having visas to the abovementioned countries, too. If they do that, they can expect a rush of Pinoy tourists, if only to see the legendary Taj Mahal, especially on Valentine’s Day. The temple is a monument to love and lovers, you see.

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But why should I be promoting Indian tourism when I should be mouthing the DOT mantra of “It’s more fun in the Philippines”. But that slogan sticks in my tongue because as any teacher will tell you, it is ungrammatical in the first place, and not original in the second. “Fun” is a noun and you don’t say “It’s more happiness, or sadness, in a country,” you know. But then people nowadays do not care about being grammatical, they’ll tell you it’s all right, so long as you get the message across. That is why we need to have two more years of school, to keep up with the rest.

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The other day, I was packing some salted peanuts to be sent to some relatives in the U.S. who asked for them. The nuts came in a paper bag, and I thought, maybe the producer is environment conscious. But I was dismayed when I picked up the bag and it immediately burst at the bottom. Luckily, I had a tray under it, so the nuts were saved. I had to look for a plastic bag and transfer all the nuts.

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I know that sounds nutty, but that is the reason why I cannot fully agree with those who cry out for the elimination of plastic bags. How can paper bags survive live, wriggly and wet fish housewives take home from the wet market? Cursing plastic bags is a popular project, but, alas, they have already shown us their usefulness and durability, so that is it difficult to imagine life without them. I wish advocates for their elimination would consider educating people on how to properly dispose of them, or recycle them. Even medicines manufacturers will probably have a hard time finding a substitute that will preserve their products so well.

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Today, Bacolod will see the launching of a new medical clinic with a difference. This one will deal with the revolutionary procedure involving stem cells, which are supposed to reinvigorate people or even help them overcome some ailments. The new clinic is located at the Medical Arts Building at Benigno Aquino Drive. No, no, I am not about to offer to be a test case, my interest in it is only that a very good friend, Dr. Rudy Patino, will manage the clinic. After retiring from medical practice in Chicago, Doc Rudy has hopped on another medical strategy as this will be a first in the city. Good luck, Rudy and company!

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This is good news for absent-minded people. The Department of Trade and Industry has issued an administrative order stating that starting next month, all gift certificates issued by stores and other entities will no longer have expiry dates. Which is just proper, because such instruments are supposed to have been paid for by the ones who give them out, so, like cash, they must not expire. Let’s see if local establishments know about this already.*

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