Back on the streets of Hong Kong

I thought the protestors in Hong Kong had given up, when the streets they used to occupy were shown free of crowds recently. Obviously it was only because they were promised a dialog with officials, which never materialized. So now they are back, and this time they are prepared for an extended stay on the streets. Most of them have set up tents, pillows and blankets in preparation for nights at their posts.

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The pro-democracy protestors are being challenged this time by pro-China ones who, however, seem to be outnumbered and do not have the zeal, and determination of the pros. But is there an end in view that will be favorable to the ones longing for a democratic election? Not a chance, allegedly declared sources from the office of the Hong Kong leader Leung Chunying. In fact there has also been a threat of force being used on the protestors if they do not give up, despite the fact that they have been told that Mainland China will never, never give in to them.

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Yet, the numbers on the street continue to grow and several businessmen are said to be joining them. As the night grows, the younger ones on the street while the time away by playing guitars, listening to music and even playing cards. To them it is like a picnic that they know could be dangerous, but which they are determined to enjoy, anyway. And they are also prepared for bad weather, with the colorful tents they have set up right on the major streets. Let’s wish them luck.

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Meanwhile, I hope our officials have given up the idea of sending Filipino health workers to the Ebola-hit countries. Aside from the fact that we need them here where we hardly have enough to man our hospitals and clinics, our people may not have the capacity to endure or resist infection, not being as healthy or sturdy as those from Europe or the United States. Since those countries already have their people there, all they should do is see to it that they are provided maximum protection and perhaps medication that could make them resistant. Let us spare our own people.

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Haven’t you noted that when some foreign health workers are found to be infected, they are being sent home to their own countries? That would surely bring the risk to our country in case one of ours gets infected there. Let’s move to stop our officials from doing so. In the meantime, let our Health officials concentrate on preventing the entry of the virus and preparing our hospitals and their facilities for the eventuality that, God forbid, someone comes along bearing it. Let us ask our churches and church workers to include in their prayers a plea to the Lord to protect us from this scourge.

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Even the problem of the deadly virus has not fazed our officials who continue to focus on the charges against Vice President and presidential hopeful, Jejomar Binay, and his alleged malpractices as mayor of Makati City, and possibly after his term when he was succeeded by, first, his wife, and after her, his son and namesake. But how can the public lose interest when everyday something or someone comes up with more revelations that boggle the mind, and eyes?

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Yesterday, his spokespersons, trying to defend him from the claims that he owns the stupendous, fabulous and unbelievably luxurious properties in two Luzon provinces, tried to do an exposé by announcing that they had identified the people who were on the helicopter that took pictures of the hacienda in Batangas and the mansion in Tagaytay, and even the owner of the helicopter. The spokesman sounded as if that had already proved that the Binays had nothing to do with those multi-million – or billion – properties.

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He said one of the men in the chopper was connected to the Cayetanos, and the helicopter belonged to a supporter of Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas. What of that? Does their act make them liable for any crime, and does the identification exonerate their boss? Could it be that even his lawyers are now picking at straws? The most puzzling, to most people is the adamant refusal of the Vice President to face the Senate, and his stock reply to the charges only as “politically motivated”, “hallucinations”, etcetera. Those cannot placate the people who are showing their disgust by pulling down his once zooming ratings.

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Are you a lotto addict, and a regular bettor? A certain Antonio Mendoza had been betting on a favored number and one day he saw that the winning numbers were the ones he had betted on. When he looked for his ticket, he found it crumpled by his young son, and his daughter, wanting to make it presentable, ironed it. That blackened the thermal paper and made the numbers invisible. The prize was supposed to be P12 million, but the PSCO told Mendoza that their policy is “No ticket, no prize”. If you are a frequent bettor, learn from this. Lotto is supposed to be by luck, but it could also mean bad luck.*

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