Tiger na, exciting pa

Our Pambansang Kamao must have gotten a big boost with the call on him by some of the hottest stars of the National Boxing Association at his training center in Los Angeles the other day. The report said several NBA big names were there, but, unfortunately, I caught just the latter portion of the news on TV and saw only Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Kevin Garnett of the Celtics. Kobe also seemed to be quite chummy with our Manny Pacquiao, who looked somewhat bemused with his visitors.

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By the way, I remember that Pacquiao once invited the entire Celtics team to one of his bouts in Las Vegas. When we asked him about it, he said he had always been a Celtics fan. Has there been a change of heart? When that match took place, practically the entire Celtics team was there at ringside (Pacquiao also said he sent them tickets), and the crowd seemed flustered, not knowing whom to watch, the basketball stars, or the boxers in the ring.

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That was a terrible report that the probers into the airplane crash that killed the popular Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo rendered. The investigators disclosed that there was no doubt that the accident had been caused by pilot error. And that plane was piloted by the president of the company himself, who was also a flying instructor! At least they did not confirm rumors before that it was the student pilot, a Nepalese, who was at the helm when the plane crashed in the water near Masbate.

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The investigation also unearthed a can of worms in the Civil Aeronautics office, when it revealed that some certifications and authorizations had been signed, virtually without the proper inspection by an official there, a certain Fernando Abalos. So many other failures and improper procedures were also noted in the report, all of which were quite damning to the airline company called “Aviatours” headed by Jessup Bahinting. With such findings, can the victims of the crash seek damages from the company? Robredo’s widow, Leni, seemed to be very calm when asked about it, but what about the Nepalese young man’s family? It now appears that the problems of the Aviatour are just beginning.

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E tu U.K.? After the glow that the extravagant statements of the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had left with his statement referring to our country as an “emerging tiger”, here comes a report from the United Kingdom saying that ours is an “exciting” country to trade with. My, Oh my. Maybe that will make our own people think twice before doing some self-bashing, the way we often like to do. Look, these two big and powerful countries are seeing in us things that we have failed to notice. Let’s be kinder to ourselves now, please.

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Another piece of encouraging news I got was from the New York Times, a few weeks ago. The article by a certain Floyd Whaley said “Times are pretty good in the Philippines.” It also said that this is partly due to the fact that we have a young populace. Another thing Whaley said that should perk up our people was “A high population growth rate, long considered a hindrance to prosperity, is now seen as a driving force for economic growth”. It also noted that “As other countries see their labor costs grow up, the Philippines will remain competitive due to the abundance of workers joining the labor force.” And these workers are the young ones, who are helping drive an economic boom in the cities. And that’s not an anti-RH Bill group talking, it’s a New York Times article.

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It’s good news to some, but bad for others, even if is something our economists and finance officials will welcome. There are now forecasts from some quarters that the peso will continue to rise against the dollar, and may even reach the proportions of P37 to $1 in the next few years. In fact, as of yesterday, it was already P40.10 to $1. Those who will not be happy are those receiving the so-called “foreign aid” from family members working abroad, because it will mean very much less in pesos when the dollars come. Businessmen who are trading abroad may also be shocked when they get payments for what they send abroad. So everybody must brace up for that eventuality, starting now.

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So President Aquino is perceived to be inclined towards Marvic Leonen to fill up the vacant seat in the Supreme Court? Why not? Leonen has proven himself, not only an excellent negotiator, but also a talented member of the academe, as well as a law school head. He also appears to have an impeccable reputation, and can stand up to any of those in the short list of the Judicial and Bar Council. Maybe his time has come? Let us pray that the President will be guided in his choice.*

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