She’s a brawler, too!

It was a sweet come-back for Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who had been out of power for several years, but France’s dashing, Nicolas Sarkozy lost miserably to his challenger, Francois Hollande. It was a fight between a right winger and a socialist in the French election, and some people are worried about the different approaches the new president will take. With her husband now out of office, his glamorous wife, Carla Bruni, will probably devote her time to her modeling career. By the way, she didn’t seem to figure prominently in the campaign of her husband. Why?

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Locally, however, the most interesting news concerns the airport brawl between Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo and showbiz personalities Claudine Barreto and her not so well-known spouse, Raymart Santiago. It seemed strange to see the feisty Tulfo with a lump on his forehead and a swollen eye, but the Santiago couple also exhibited bruises, despite the fact that they were aided in their scuffle by so many other people. A video tape of the incident showed Tulfo being overwhelmed, down on the floor with so many jabbing at him.

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Well, I think everybody knows what led to the encounter, but whatever happens after all this gets sorted out, it is the actress who will get the wrong end. Not only was she reported by Tulfo to be abusive to the airline employee, she was also dropping names while threatening the woman. And wow! for all the sweet, docile image she has been trying to project, she really showed her true colors as she grabbed and pulled at Tulfo – aided by so many others – who was down and outnumbered.

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It also showed her looking sloppy, with her bra straps showing, and twisted at that. Does she not care how she looks in public? She should take a cue from the former first lady, Imelda Marcos, who once said that a star should always be at her best because people look up at her. But people should not be surprised to discover what a brawler Claudine can be. Remember how she also quarrels with her own sisters? But they are not claiming to be “de buena familia” are they? It’s obvious from their behavior.

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Now Claudine and her husband are calling on the members of Gabriela to come to their aid in this case. But what if the poor airline worker, who was the victim of verbal abuse, also calls out to Gabriela? Which will the group consider deserving of their backing? Both are now going to court, Tulfo by his lonesome, and the couple with their gang. This bears watching. I hope it does not distract attention from the impeachment hearings.

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It is good to know that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who presides at the impeachment hearings on the case of Chief Justice Renato Corona, has declared firmly that he wants the trial to end as soon as possible. Maybe he is already getting tired of all the roundabout questioning and the presentation of witnesses who only repeat each other. Really, the people are getting tired of whole thing already. By this time, the senator judges must already know how they should vote, if they had not decided even before the hearings started.

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Another person has come out with documents purportedly showing how much Corona has in dollars in the bank, and even the amounts he had withdrawn at the last minutes before his impeachment. Unfortunately, even if the papers appear credible, they are not official documents from the banks themselves and are worthless as evidence. What about the nun, an aunt of Mrs. Corona who had indicated before that she was willing to come out and testify? Why hasn’t she been summoned? Of course not anymore, since this is the turn of the defense, and anything she will say can only be harmful to the cause of their client.

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Media people covering the Palaro are also complaining because the President again delivered his speech in Tagalog. Even the Tagalog-speaking reporters are complaining because they have to translate before they can write their news for their English language newspapers, as most of our national dailies are. If Palace spokespersons are complaining that the President’s speeches are sometimes not fully or extensively reported, this could be the reason. But who is tell him this?*

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