Consummatum est for Hong Kong?

It is true. Those who swear by the saying that it’s an ill wind that blows no good must have proven it several times. Remember the tsunami that hit and killed so many people in Aceh, Indonesia? Well, the people there are saying now that, despite the losses in lives and property, the tsunami had also brought something good, because, after it, the rebellion that was going on there ended. The people who wanted to take over, probably realizing that it was not a very safe place, after all, decided to leave, and peace has returned to Aceh.

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In South Korea, a great fuss was made over the capricious behavior of an official of the airline when she ordered the plane to return to the airport and expel the member of the cabin crew whose serving manners she disapproved. The server brought her macadamia nuts in a bag, and not in a dish, as they should have been, for first class passengers. The other passengers were indignant, and made a lot of noise about it, especially because their flight was delayed.

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The official, a woman, happened to be a vice president of the airline, and her father was the president, but the public reaction that could have bad effects on their company, forced her to apologize, not only to the passengers, but also to the employee whom she reportedly made to kneel for the mistake. She also had to resign as VP, to appease the flying public. But again, the “ill wind” from the incident blew a lot of good to macadamia growers. Where they used to sell very little of their product, sales leapt by about 20 times more after the incident!

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It was a pleasure to see the pictures of the Philippines’ Miss World, Megan Young, crowning her successor, Rolene Strauss of South Africa. Megan Young really did us proud in the way she handled herself, not only when she won, but in subsequent days. And, of course, we are biased, but she looks even prettier than her successor. What’s more, she further endeared herself to Filipinos by wearing a gown featuring the famous butterfly sleeves of the Philippine terno. Atta girl!

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It is finished. Consummatum est. The struggle for the right to choose their candidates for public office, that residents of Hong Kong tried to earn for themselves, has been squelched by the administration, and it is doubtful if the daring thousands who risked their freedoms and even their lives, will be able to work up such numbers and such enthusiasm as they had in their almost three months of stand-off against the Mainland government. The past few days have seen the sad scenes in the area, called the Admiralty District, with the stalls being dismantled, and the huge umbrella, symbol of the protest, being torn down. Well, they tried.

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The best defense is a good offense, so that is what Vice President Jejomar Binay must be trying to do when he anticipated what he expected to be the plan of his former vice mayor, and now main accuser, Ernesto Mercado. Binay has announced through the media that Mercado is now in the United States and will bring back evidences, supposedly of his (Binay’s) properties in that country. He also said that it is Mercado who has properties there. Whom will the Filipino voters believe?

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As for former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada, he is now declaring that he has no more intention of seeking reelection in 2016. If I remember right, he had announced before that he was interested in running for president again. After all, his administration had been aborted when he was outwitted by his vice president, who sent him to jail, but pardoned him later. Is the change of mind due to the reports that the Supreme Court is about to release its decision on the disqualification case filed against him by his opponent, former Manila Mayor Fred Lim? The rumors are that Lim may win his case. Abangan.

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The survey that says 88 percent of Filipinos are optimistic about 2015 is very encouraging. It is also believable, because our people are now seeing how serious this administration is in its moves against graft and corruption. As for the President himself rising in the surveys, that is also credible, because, until now, nobody has brought out charges of irregularities against him, and the Philippine reputation abroad seems to have improved a lot lately. So, why shouldn’t Pinoys be happy? Let us only hope that whoever succeeds Benigno Aquino III will be as focused on transparency and honesty in governance as he had been.*

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