Bill Gates and autumn leaves
Senator Antonio Trillanes may have said a mouthful when he announced that Makati Junjun Binay had paid two justices of the Court of Appeals to issue the temporary restraining order that would stop his suspension by the Ombudsman. Now the entire Binay dynasty is after his neck, and are readying all kinds of charges against him. Also, one of the Binay girls, now Senator Nancy, is digging up some dirt to throw at him. Can he avoid getting dirtied?
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But Trillanes insists that he has the goods on both Binay Junior and the justices who have, so far, not commented on the very damaging allegations against them. Is there a code of silence there, or were they ordered by their higher-ups to shut up? It is not likely, however, that they will not speak up to defend themselves, unless Trillanes can really produce the smoking gun that will close the case. By the way, there are two Binay girls who are in politics, one a senator and the other a congresswoman. I understand both are married, but why is it that they are still carrying the name of their father?
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Meanwhile, the Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio Morales, has commented on the adoption of the so-called “Aguinaldo Doctrine”, that clears officials of administrative charges pending against them when they are reelected. The rationale is that by voting for them, their constituents have virtually forgiven them, or just consider their misdeeds unimportant. It is doubtful, though, that Congress will do anything to repeal the law on this, because it has served as a safety hatch for too many of them. Now they only have to worry about criminal charges.
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For the first time, Manny Pacquiao reacted to something Floyd Mayweather has said against him. This was when Mayweather described him as a “reckless” boxer. To the credit of Manny, he answered, not by saying anything against his prospective opponent, by saying that “reckless” is how his fans like him and love to see him. Meanwhile, many Pinoys I know who had seen the latest fights of Mayweather, all had the same description: “Lousy”. They said he spent most of the time hedging and avoiding his opponent, and trying to keep from an exchange of blows. That was how he managed to tire them out, and get the judges to score in his favor, they said.
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“Mommy is here!” That was what Mommy Dionisia, mother of the Pacman, announced upon her arrival in Los Angeles yesterday, to join her famous son and the rest of their relatives who are there to watch and provide moral support to the Pambansang Kamao of the Philippines. Ah, nobody can beat Mommy D in this game, she really knows how get a piece of the media attention wherever she is. With her upon her arrival, but seemingly trying to maintain a low profile, was her boy friend, identified as Michael Yanson. I understand the guy is from Iloilo, so he must speak Ilonggo. I have never heard him interviewed, though.
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Finally a more comprehensive report on the arrival and stay of the famous Bill Gates and his family came out after they had left the country, as quietly and unobtrusively as when they arrived. Now we hear that they stayed almost two weeks in the island of Amanpulo in Palawan. It is obvious that this couple, with all their talents and wealth, shun publicity very much. Even their support for projects in various parts of the world does not get the publicity other lesser projects get. In the Philippines, they support the International Rice Research Institute, and also the campaign against rabies, with no fanfare.
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I had personally met Bill Gates in his compound, I think it was in Seattle, where he had a meeting with then President Fidel Ramos, and my impression of him was of a very simple and very shy person, who was very respectful to President Ramos, but who avoided talking to the media as much as possible. I felt very lucky when President Ramos called me to ask about something happening in the sugar industry, and I was able to take a picture of them together. Sayang, there were no selfies yet, or I could have gotten myself into the picture, too.
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We media people noticed how simple his office was, and that even the telephone cords were frayed. But it was in his compound that we experienced a very glorious autumn, when the leaves wafting from the trees were all so colorful, they made a beautiful crackly carpet on the ground. The falling leaves were really, as the song went, “red and gold”. But some of them were brown and light green, too.*
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