Obama, a kissing bandit?

Hey, what is President Barack Obama up to? Photos of his visit to Myanmar showed him hugging the iconic Aung San Suu Kyi, and then kissing her, too! What could the conservative Burmese people be saying? Are they talking about it and accusing the president of the United States of making “chancing-chancing” with their beloved “Lady” or of stealing her affections from them? Let see what Michelle has to say.

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The deed is done. The Senate finally passed the Sin Tax Bill yesterday, and while some sectors will feel triumphant, others will be in despair over the repercussions to them and their livelihood, and others on the expected “withdrawal pains”. Doctors, parents and school officials will be happy because this will surely reduce the number of smokers in the future. Tobacco growers and cigaret manufacturers will be dismayed because, for sure, this will impact on their businesses and their profits.

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The finalized version gives them some consolation, though. The implementation of the bill, granting that it will be signed into law soon, will be done on a staggered basis, to reach its peak in the year 2017, after starting in 2013. I guess that is fair enough. Those who are already stuck with their addiction to smoking will have some time to reduce their consumption, while those who have not started yet, will certainly think several times before going into it.

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Ironically, President Aquino, who reportedly had certified the Sin Tax bill as urgent, is himself an inveterate smoker and, so far, has not signified any intention of quitting. So he will be among those who will have to bite the bullet and pay the much increased prices of tobacco products, especially cigarets. Not that this will be a problem for him, being not only a bachelor, with no wife to complain or children to give bad examples to. He is also wealthy enough not to mind whatever taxes will be imposed on his “vice”.

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Of course there were some concessions before the bill was finally passed. Credit to Senator Franklin Drilon its success, because he was the one who faced all the brickbats from protestors, and stoically stood firm. I understand that he, himself, is not a smoker, that is why he can act like that. The adjustment will also mean a few billions shaved off from the projected P40 billion in taxes that is supposed to go into health care, and especially to help those suffering from diseases caused by smoking. Fair enough?

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It will be a long time before we stop hearing about the infamous Aman Futures scam in Mindanao. After being fed with the nauseous reports on the thousands being swindled and the billions spirited away by the culprits in Pagadian City, yesterday brought more appalling ones. An official from Zamboanga del Sur has disclosed that the province has also been victimized, and that more than half of the residents there have been milked of their money. He said about 100,000 families, or 70 percent of the homes there have also lost their savings and life earnings. The sad thing is that most of them are still hopeful about getting their money back.

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But not everything that has happened in Zamboanga is bad. A fish vendor there reportedly won the lotto jackpot drawn early this month and is now more than P8 million richer, having to split his prize with another winner. The vendor told Pagcor officials that the winning number had been given to him by his best friend who died a year ago. The last message to him from his friend was that he should continue betting on those numbers. And, indeed, one day, the numbers popped up. Other Zamboangueños must envy him. At least he invested only a few pesos on lotto, and gained so much, while they invested a lot in Aman and lost all.

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Whatever you have heard or learned about the deadly epidemic that hit Asian countries a few years ago, called SARS, try to recall them, especially the warnings and precautions issued by health authorities. Wire reports say the disease – official name “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome” – is back with a vengeance and seems to be even more vicious than the original, let us not be complacent, because even if the strain has been found in another country, the world is now getting smaller and smaller and people travel so much, that we never can tell which visitor will come, bringing the virus. En garde, as the French would say it.*

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