Jockeying for Marcos jobs like Pavlov’s dogs

“If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

—Red Adair

By Alex P. Vidal

LIKE Pavlov’s dogs, some supporters of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. are queueing and salivating for employment in government in response to an arbitrary stimulus: the age-old political utang na loob or debt of gratitude.

We have nothing against it as long as the political jobseekers aren’t dullards and inutile, and won’t steal from the taxpayers and enrich themselves while in public office.

There will be Ilonggos in the Marcos administration, for sure. 

If they apply and are accepted, what’s wrong with it? Why not?   

Six years of “happy days are here again” is enough for dedicated workers, and too short, of course, for the thieves and rapscallions. 

Six more years—or beyond what is mandated by the Constitution—is avarice and rapaciousness. 

To the victor belong the spoils, a political expression against the Democratic Party made in 1832 by New York Senator William Marcy, who saw nothing wrong in the rule that to the victor belongs the spoils of victory. 

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In 2016, or months after he poleaxed Mar Roxas by a wide margin (but not as “scary” as Mr. Marcos’ margin of lead over Vice President Leni Robredo in the recent election), outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte signed the employment papers of lesser-known supporters who jockeyed for various co-terminus positions, including subordinate cabinet jobs.

Some of them attached photos in their “credentials” showing them and then candidate Duterte on stage during the election campaign smiling together like long lost friends and flashing a fist bump sign.

Mr. Duterte actually didn’t know many of them from Adam, but because of the photo reinforcement, plus the backing from key Duterte lieutenants, they made it in the biggest post-election employment galore.

Some of these appointees, occupying “not-so-prominent-but-meaty” positions, will bow out with Mr. Duterte after the inauguration of Mr. Marcos Jr. as the new president on June 30, 2022.

History is repeating. 

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TWO CONTRASTING FATES. In the Philippines, there are two ways for elected public servants to exit after an election defeat: 

1. Accept the loss gracefully, congratulate the winners, thank their supporters, and move on to the next chapter of their career; and 2. Vacate the office after the loss but not after filing a protest and insisting they were cheated. Even if it won’t be proven, at least they are making it hard for the winners to take over.   

While Capiz Governor Esteban Evan “Nonoy” Contreras II conceded to former 2nd District Representative Fredenil “Oto” Castro, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia has filed election protest against Mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and sought for a manual recount.

Castro garnered 249,622 votes while Contreras got 149,315 votes. Benitez received 171,893 votes while Leonardia collected 107,447 votes.

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Observers said it wasn’t hard for Contreras, who upset incumbent governor Antonio “Tony” Del Rosario in 2019, to accept defeat and even egged his supporters to “move forward and help our beloved province.”

Contreras further quipped: “I am very grateful and to all Capiznons for giving me the chance to serve Capiz as the people’s governor.”

Leonardia, on the other hand, filed a complaint at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) central office in Manila 11 days after the election and sought for the holding of special elections in Bacolod allegedly due to massive vote-buying and the presence of fake voters.

He called the results of election “mysterious and unbelievable.” 

Because he gamely accepted his defeat, Contreras will now have a peace of mind after vacating his post. 

Leonardia will have to spend more money, suffer sleepless nights, endure the brickbats from those who don’t agree with him, and prolong his mental and emotional agony. What if the Comelec will eventually trash his case?

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed) 

Talkative Miguel

“In this age of media and Internet access, we are much more talkative than ever before.” —David Duchovny

By Alex P. Vidal

MY most favorite line in Desiderata I always mentioned in conversations with friends is, “Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.”

I remembered this line every time I saw on Philippine news Juan Miguel Zubiri a.k.a. “Talkative Miguel”, a senator from Bukidnon who aspires to become a senate president in the incoming senate.

The eager-beaver politician from a landlocked plateau in North Central Mindanao, who has just been reelected, has become so “loud and aggressive” nowadays.

In almost every pandemonium, Talkative Miguel wanted to be heard and noticed giving a sermon and soliloquy like he knew the solution of every problem.

In other words, he has been noticeably grandstanding and showboating; he saw to it that his antics were always captured in the national media.

This is understandable for somebody who wants to get the attention of everyone, perhaps as part of a strategy in his quest for the senate presidency.

The astute politician understands and knows how to handle and exploit the power and influence of mass media—and joyrides his way to free publicity.

Talkative Miguel’s being a sip-sip (sycophantic) to the incoming administration, however, is so glaring. 

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“This new president with the mandate of 31 million votes will not even be able to appoint the head of the COA until even up to the last day of his term, because she will have longer period of time than the president,” said Talkative Miguel, referring to his possible rival for the senate presidency, Cynthia Villar, chair of the Commission on Appointments committee on constitutional commissions.

The CA was scheduled to deliberate on the ad interim appointments of Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan and Commissioners Aimee Torrefranca-Neri and George Garcia, COA Chairperson Rizalina Justol and CSC Chairman Karlo Alexei Nograles after their confirmation hearings were postponed on May 25.

Talkative Miguel wanted President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to be given a free hand to make his own appointments, especially since top officials of the Comelec, CSC and COA, he said, have a fixed term of seven years, or longer than that of the president.

It was not the first time Zubiri made a lot of noise and created a ruckus on various issues. 

Immediately after securing his reelection in May, he went on a sermon spree, chiding the Comelec for the delay in the transmission of certificate of canvass.

“They have only one job and one job to do, the provincial election supervisors, which is to insert the COCs of the province of the results of the president and vice president into the ballot box and deliver it to the Senate,” Talkative Miguel hollered in front of national TV.

“One job and one job only. How can they be remiss of that job that is constitutionally mandated for them to do? Therefore we admonish the Comelec for this non-action or non-appearance of these COCs.”

Surprisingly, Talkative Miguel was meek as a lamb during the campaign season when his reelection bid was still hanging by the thread, refusing to say a word or criticize so many lapses made by the same polling body he now roasted in full media coverage.

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Many friends have wondered why in more than two weeks that Vice President Leni Robredo and her daughters were in New York City recently, I didn’t spare a time to meet them for interview or greet them like what other New York-based Filipinos who noticed their presence in New York did.

If I can remember it right, it was a Monday, my (only) off day, in the United States when the Robredo mother and daughters were reported to have spent their first day in the Big Apple after arriving the day before. 

They were sauntering the New York University (NYU) Washington Square Campus in Manhattan.

Most of NYU's buildings are scattered across a roughly square area bounded by Houston Street to the south, Broadway to the east, 14th Street to the north, and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) to the west. 

Most of NYU's main buildings surround Washington Square Park.

The first person who asked me to greet the political celebrity and her daughters was a friend from Capiz who is a Marcos loyalist.

I told him, “No, never.” 

They came here to relax, to wind up and attend the graduation rites of the vice president’s youngest daughter, Jillian. Let’s leave them alone and let them enjoy their precious moments privately, something they haven’t experienced during the rigorous months of election campaign.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

I was told to avoid the subway; I can’t

“In New York, you've got Donald Trump, Woody Allen, a crack addict and a regular Joe, and they're all on the same subway car.” —ETHAN HAWKE

By Alex P. Vidal

A US-based friend on a vacation in the Philippines to campaign for a cousin in the recent election, has asked me to “avoid the (New York City) subway right away.”

He gave the contact numbers of his uncle and aunt based in Brooklyn “just in case you need help.”

My friend, who knows I travel regularly via subway, panicked when he learned that a Goldman Sachs executive, 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez, was shot by a stranger at point-blank range riding the subway May 22 to mid-morning brunch, dying in the Q train car.

The news frightened my friend who was miles away in the Philippines. 

It was also in this controversial Q train where I was verbally attacked in March 2021 on my way to Brooklyn’s Coney Island.

The latest murder in the Big Apple’s splendid subway made headlines and became viral all over the United States and in some parts of the globe.

For a while, it became the hottest crime topic until it was overshadowed by the shocking school shooting in Uvalde, Texas where 19 elementary pupils and their two female teachers were massacred by an 18-year-old wacko on May 24.

We can’t stop crimes from happening everywhere and anytime if they are bound to happen even in the sounds of silence.

According to Simon and Garfunkel in the Sound of Silence, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.”

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The source of fear of New York City subway was actually a result of the constant violence and murders that happened these past two years involving mostly Asians. 

Even if we want to, we can’t avoid the subway if we live and work in the Big Apple’s five boroughs—the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island—which are all connected by rapid subway system.   

I can’t avoid it, I mean I can’t use the other modes of transportation (bus or taxi) if I hop from one workplace to another especially during rush hours.

What happened to Enriquez can still be considered an isolated case; here we go again—he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, so to speak, or in the wrong train at the wrong car (the train has 10 cars).

Since March 2020, there have been 18 victims of subway homicide, each one a preventable tragedy, according to crime watchers. And each one a message to the rest of New York that it’s unsafe to ride the rails.

Enriquez was minding his business on a ho-hum ride while traveling across the Manhattan Bridge from affluent Park Slope to affluent Manhattan, according to New York Post’s Nicole Gelinas. 

Then a person on the train car, pacing up and down, picked him. 

“Whether the suspect was motivated by racial animus, a perceived slight, or nothing—who knows?” Gelinas asked. “There’s nothing Enriquez could have done to prevent his own death — except not take the subway.”

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In 2016, several pocket celebrations in the streets erupted anywhere in the Philippines when Rodrigo Duterte was elected as Philippines president by 16,601,997 voters.

In 2022, not even a single street celebration has occurred when Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was elected by 31,629,783 voters.

Philippine Star columnist Federico D. Pascual Jr. asked in his column dated May 29, 2022: “Many are wondering why Marcos’ majority win did not trigger rejoicing all over. Where are his supposed 31.6 million voters? There was not even one bus-load of festive followers waving celebratory banners in front of the Marcos campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong. And why the unusual drop in the output of BBM social media trolls?”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

  

Man’s future: The Immense Journey

 

"Men can not afford to be a naturalist, to look at Nature directly, but only with the side of his eye. He must look through and beyond her."

—HENRY DAVID THOREAU

By Alex P. Vidal

AN imaginative naturalist has admitted in The Immense Journey there were days when she found herself "unduly pessimistic" about the future of man.

"Indeed, I will confess that there have been occasions when I swore I would never again make the study of time a profession," explains Dr. Loren Eiseley, author of The Immense Journey.

"My walls are lined with books expounding its mysteries, my hands have been split and raw with grubbing into the quicklime of its waste bins and hidden crevices. I have stared so much at death that I can recognize the lingering personalities in the faces of skulls and feel accompanying affinities and repulsions."

She says one such skull lies in the lockers of a great metropolitan museum. It is labeled simply: Strandlooper, South Africa. 

"I have never looked longer into any human face than I have upon the features of that skull. I come there often, drawn in spite of myself. It is a face that would lend reality to the fantastic tale of our childhood," Eiseley adds. 

"There is a hint of Well's Time Machine folk in it--those pathetic, childlike people whom Wells pictures as haunting earth's autumnal cities in the far future of the dying planet."

Yet the skull has not been spirited back to us through future eras by a time machine, according to her describing it as "a thing, instead of the millennial past. 

It is a caricature of modern man, not by reason of its primitiveness but, startlingly, because of a modernity outreaching his own. It constitutes, in fact, a mysterious prophecy and warning."

For the very moment in which students of humanity have been sketching their concept of the man of the future, that being has already come, and lived, and passed away, explains Eiseley.

CURIOUS

"We are insatiably curious about ourselves and desperately in need of reassurance. Beneath our boisterous self-confidence is fear--a growing fear of the future we are in the process of creating," she explains. 

"In such a mood we turn the pages of our favorite magazine and, like as not, come straight upon a description of the man of the future."

She suggests that the descriptions are not pessimistic; they always, with sublime confidence, involve just one variety of mankind--our own--and they are always subtly flattering.

"In fact, a distinguished colleague of mine who was adept at this kind of prophecy once allowed a somewhat etherealized version of his own lofty brow to be used as an illustration of what the man of the future was to look like. Even the bald spot didn't matter--all the men of the future were so bald, anyway," Eiseley writes.

In the minds of many scholars, she points out, a process of "foetalization" is one of the chief mechanisms by which man of today has sloughed off his ferocious appearance of a million years ago, prolonged his childhood, and increased the size of his brain. "Foetalization" or "pedomorphism," as it is termed, means simply the retention, into adult life, of bodily characters which at some earlier stage of evolutionary history were actually only infantile. 

Such traits were rapidly lost as the animal attained maturity, she observes.

"If we examine the life history of one of the existing great apes and compare its development with that of man," Eiseley explains, "we observe that the infantile stage of both man and ape are far more similar than the two will be in maturity."

GORILLA

At birth, according to her, we have seen, the brain of the gorilla is close to the size of that of the human infant. Both newborn gorilla and human child are much more alike, facially, than they will  ever be in adult life because the gorilla infant will, in the course of time, develop an enormously powerful and protrusive muzzle. She says the sutures of his skull will close early; his brain will grow very little more.

By contrast, she adds, human brain growth will first spurt and then grow steadily over an extended youth. Cranial sutures will remain open into adult life. 

Teeth will be later in their eruption. Furthermore, she elaborates, the great armored skull and the fighting characters of the anthropoid male will be held in abeyance.

Eiseley says modern man retains something of his youthful gaiety and nimble mental habits far into adult life. The great male anthropoids, by contrast, lose the playful friendliness of youth. 

In the end the massive skull houses a small, savage, and often morose brain.

"It is doubtful whether our thick-skulled forerunners viewed life very pleasantly in their advancing years," she observes.

Nail-biting Iloilo election results

“Win or lose, we go shopping after the election.”

—Imelda Marcos

By Alex P. Vidal

BELOW are some of the interesting facts in the recent local election in Iloilo prepared by Hilway News editor Jerry Taclino:

VERY CLOSE ENCOUNTERS in Iloilo and Guimaras: some won or lost "by the skin of their teeth" in the recent elections.

Just 2 votes separated the winner Jun Cordero who scored 6,935 against Wilme Denila who got 6,933 votes for the vice mayorship of San Lorenzo town in Guimaras province.

In Maasin, Iloilo Dok Etik Albacete won as vice mayor with 10,675 votes, while the other contender Sweet Malones-Sanchez had 10,331 or a difference of 344 votes.

A very close fight for mayor of San Dionisio, Iloilo also attended the race between incumbent Jon-jon Bajada and Doc V Villanueva. 

Bajada won with 10,440 votes against Villanueva's 10,282 votes, or 158 votes separating the two. 

As reported here earlier, only the showdown for Igbaras town mayor were closer where Juvic Escorpion edged out the incumbent Jaime Esmeralda by 117 votes.

In the vote-rich town Oton, Iloilo political newbie Sofronio Fusin Jr. upset the come backing Vincent Flores for the mayorship. 

Fusin won by a margin of 457 with 18,430 votes against Flores' 17,973 votes. (Read more: www.hilwaynews.com)

-o0o-

If she is as good as her former mentor, the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, retired Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon can easily wiggle out from the case for violation of the anti-graft law, the code of conduct for public officials and employees and the Revised Penal Code filed by fellow lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.

In her heyday, the fire-spewing Defensor-Santiago lambasted the high and mighty but were abusive and corrupt in government.

Because of her reputation, no one dared to retaliate viciously or legally. 

Bad guys and gals tormented by the late brilliant daughter of Iloilo City feared her like a lion. 

They never filed a case against her if their intention was only to exact revenge. 

Not in Guanzon’s case. 

Now that she is on the opposite site of the fence with the sudden turn of political events, so many of her nemesis now want to slice her to pieces. 

Topacio’s complaint said Guanzon’s revelations of information relating to the disqualification case of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from the presidential race were “premature public disclosures (that) were made without authority or justifiable reasons.”

Guanzon considered the case filed by Topacio and another lawyer Diego Magpantay representing the group Citizen’s Crime Watch as a retaliatory act after she reportedly sued Topacio for libel and unjust vexation in Bacolod City.

Knowing her caliber, we expect Guanzon to trounce Topacio and Magpantay in this dubious legal battle.

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In the Philippines, a mere possession of a piece of bullet even from a paltik revolver will send someone in jail. 

A bullet seized from a travel bag of an OFW in the airport can dash his dreams of working abroad to pieces.  

In the United States, anyone with legal age can possess both the firearm and bullets.

It’s because of the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, which has been abused by mentally deranged individuals who ran berserk and shoot innocent civilians.

Like the recent carnage in Uvalde, Texas where an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 elementary pupils and their two female teachers.

It’s good that gun control measure is strictly being implemented in the Philippines. It’s about time Uncle Sam followed suit.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

The tabula rasa

"I have always thought that the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts." 

—JOHN LOCKE 

By Alex P. Vidal

MY better understanding of tabula rasa was enhanced after reading part of John Locke's thick essay concerning Human Understanding. 

English empiricist Locke was regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. 

He influenced our favorite philosopher Voltaire, and his contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the United States Declaration of Independence.

As a student and admirer of philosophy, I often mistook Locke for Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French romanticist who authored The Social Contract, a book that theorized the best way in which to set up a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society.

Tabula rasa is one of the simpler great ideas which means "blank slate," which, according to certain philosophers, is the original state of the human mind.

Locke studied the origin of ideas and their relationship to reality in the Essay concerning Human Understanding. 

He theorized that all ideas come from experience and that knowledge is simply relations among ideas. 

Locke's theory tells us we can't have ideas until we have experiences, so in effect the newborn's mind is empty. 

He called it "white paper" (tabula rasa literally "erased tablet" predates him and suggests, contrary to his doctrine, that something was once there to be erased).

Author Michael Macrone explains that the upshot of Locke's "white paper" is that not only are we born without concrete ideas, we also lack abstract concepts such as morality, God, and freedom. "Such things must be learned, as language is, and they are learned either by experience or by reflection and reason. These views lead Locke to reject idealism and the whole notion of innate ideas in favor of common sense philosophy," explains Macrone.

UNDERSTANDING

Though reason has its place in human understanding, Locke said, it doesn't dominate experience. 

Mind is not over matter, because matter, through experience, provides the mind with ideas.

"Our simplest and most basic concepts (such as 'loudness,' 'hardness,' and 'sweetness') are furnished by sense, and all more concrete ideas are built upon them," Macrone explains. 

"Other ideas come to us through reflection, including awareness of our own thought processes; 'thought' itself as well as 'perception,' 'belief,' 'consciousness,' 'doubt,' and so on are furnished by reflective experience. That such ideas are simple, however, doesn't mean they're innate."

The doctrine of tabula rasa derives mostly from simple logic. If we are all born with an innate idea of God, then we would all have the same idea of God. But of course we don't. Similarly, if we were born with the idea of moral right, we would all agree on what is right and what is wrong. But we don't.

Macrone stresses: "Analytic truths such as 'whatever is, exists' and '2+2=4' are not ideas obvious to everyone--for example children and idiots."  Locke also thought the premises if rationalism--mind over matter--were much too complex to be useful or valid. Like Occam, Macrone emphasizes, Locke thought simpler is better, and any account of knowledge that doesn't require innate ideas is simpler.

While tabula rasa seems a simple idea, Locke's argument ends up rather complicated. He sometimes contradicts himself and is eventually forced to admit that certain "faculties" must be innate. 

Among these, Macrone points out, are the five senses and the capacity to reason, which do count as "ideas" in some circles. 

Whatever the difficulties of his argument, Macrone says it did not steer British philosophy into what remains its characteristic empiricism. 

He failed to convince the French, however, who by and large remain rationalists. 

Just another reason so many English worry over European union and the Channel Tunnel.

Tears in heaven

“God doesn't promise an easy journey, just a safe place to land.” 

―Kirk Spencer

By Alex P. Vidal

I HAVEN’T seen so many news anchor and field reporters in the United States cry while delivering the story of a massacre “live” on prime time. 

I, myself, was also moved to tears while watching some of the long-running follow-up episodes of the most recent school shooting in Ovalde, Texas these past three days.

Even the male journalists who are supposed to be stronger emotionally, couldn’t stop their tears as the photos of the victims were flashed on TV while their parents were grieving. 

Media people are actually trained to control their emotions while performing their duties, but sometimes, because we are only humans, we can’t fake what we feel inside us while doing our tasks.

For instance, of all the 213 mass shootings in the United States in 2022 alone—and, perhaps, all the mass shootings recorded in America since 2009–the school shooting in Ovalde, Texas that killed 21 people on May 24, was probably the most agonizing and hard to forget.

It’s because 19 of the dead were fourth grade students with ages from 9 to 10 and the circumstances of their killing were so grotesque and hideous.

One of the children killed, a girl, reportedly tried to call 911 on her own phone but was peppered by bullets before she could complete the call.

All were maimed by bullets fired by an 18-year-old killer from a powerful assault firearm made to destroy, not just to kill, according to reports.

-o0o-

Mass shootings involving assault weapons or high-capacity magazines are always far deadlier.

When assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were used in mass shootings, records showed they resulted in far more deaths and injuries. Like the one that happened in Ovalde, Texas where the crime was perpetrated randomly inside the classroom.

Between 2009 and 2022, the five deadliest mass shooting incidents in the US all involved the use of assault weapons and/or high-capacity magazines: Las Vegas, Orlando, Newtown, Sutherland Springs, and El Paso, according to records from Every Town Research.

Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were disproportionately used in public mass shootings. 

Of the shootings with known weapon type, 76 percent of those that involved an assault weapon and/or high-capacity magazine occurred in public compared to 44 percent of those that involved a handgun.

Every Town Research defines a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people are shot and killed, excluding the shooter.

By this definition, the United States experiences an average of 19 mass shootings every year, ranging from 15 in 2010 and in 2014 to a high of 24 in both 2011 and 2013. 

However, there exists no consensus on the definition of a mass shooting. 

Counts under other definitions range from a dozen per year to nearly one mass shooting every day depending on factors such as casualty thresholds or whether the mass shooting was in public or not.

By any count, the number of mass shootings that plague this country is far too high, and the counts are just a small fraction of the lives left forever changed after the tragedy of a mass shooting.

-o0o-

When Eric Clapton’s four-year-old child, Conor, fell to his death from the 53rd-floor residence here in the Midtown Manhattan (a few blocks away from where I stay during weekend) in 1991, he composed the hit song, “Tears in Heaven.”

Though it achieved incredible international success, the creation of the song, like many adored ballads and laments, was heavily influenced by the emotional state of its creator.

It arose out of Clapton’s pain following the accidental death of Conor and it is infused it with all the loss, heartache and longing of a grieving parent:

Would you know my name?

If I saw you in heaven

Would it be the same?

If I saw you in heaven

I must be strong

And carry on

'Cause I know I don't belong

Here in heaven

Would you hold my hand?

If I saw you in heaven

Would you help me stand?

If I saw you in heaven

I'll find my way

Through night and day

'Cause I know I just can't stay

Here in heaven

Time can bring you down

Time can bend your knees

Time can break your heart

Have you begging please

Begging please

Beyond the door

There's peace, I'm sure

And I know there'll be no more

Tears in heaven

Would you know my name?

If I saw you in heaven

Would you be the same?

If I saw you in heaven

I must be strong

And carry on

'Cause I know I don't belong

Here in heaven

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

We are dead again

“As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.”

—Pythagoras

By Alex P. Vidal

THE title of this article can best describe what any normal American can grotesquely feel and express instantly in a nutshell each time a gun-toting maniac has opened fire in a crowded place—grocery store, subway, synagogue, theater, shopping mall, or school—and kill innocent people, including children, women and elderly.

We Are Dead Again because death—in the number that defies the logic of murder—has been happening on a regular basis, rampage after rampage, state after state, with no apparent provocation and almost endless and routinely. Life in America.

Yesterday (May 24), authorities confirmed 21 died again, including the gunman, a teacher, and 19 other students in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, roughly 80 miles west of San Antonio.

The latest macabre killings occurred a week after radio RMN Iloilo in the Philippines reached me via social media to share what I learned about the mass murder inside a Buffalo supermarket in New York State that killed 10 people in a racially motivated attack.

I mentioned during the “live” conversation with RMN anchors Novie Guazo and Regan Arlos that the Buffalo massacre “might not be the last” even if I further elucidated that Americans, unlike the Filipinos in the Philippines, are allowed to carry firearms under the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, thus violence is always inevitable. 

-o0o-

In a shocking coincidence, I mentioned Texas as the state with the most number of incidents of gun violence and with the highest number of firearms in the hands of civilians where the possibility of another mass murder might occur.

Both the gunmen in Buffalo and Uvalde were 18-year-olds, armed to the teeth, motivated by unexplained animus, and extremely dangerous.

The gunman in Uvalde, identified by officials as Salvador Ramos, was himself killed dead and believed to have acted alone. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said confirmed the murderer had attended Uvalde High School.

It was the deadliest shooting at an elementary school since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut that left 26 people dead, including 20 children between 6 and 7 years old, according to reports.

Will the mass murder in the land of milk and honey and endless economic opportunities end? I don’t see it ending in Uvalde.

In fact, 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S. in 2020, the most recent year for which complete data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The figure includes gun murders and gun suicides, along with three other, less common types of gun-related deaths tracked by the CDC: those that were unintentional, those that involved law enforcement and those whose circumstances could not be determined. 

The total excludes deaths in which gunshot injuries played a contributing, but not principal, role. 

CDC’s fatality statistics are reportedly based on information contained in official death certificates, which identify a single cause of death.

-o0o-

We further learned from CDC that the 45,222 total gun deaths in 2020 were by far the most on record, representing a 14 percent increase from the year before, a 25 percent increase from five years earlier and a 43 percent increase from a decade prior.

CDC said gun murders, in particular, have climbed sharply in recent years. 

The 19,384 gun murders that took place in 2020 were the most since at least 1968, exceeding the previous peak of 18,253 recorded by the CDC in 1993. 

The 2020 total represented a 34 percent increase from the year before, a 49 percent increase over five years and a 75 percent increase over 10 years.

The number of gun suicides, CDC said, has also risen in recent years – climbing 10 percent over five years and 25 percent over 10 years – and is near its highest point on record. 

The 24,292 gun suicides that took place in 2020 were reportedly the most in any year except 2018, when there were 24,432.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

What we Heard and how Depp do we know

“This would be a much better world if more married couples were as deeply in love as they are in debt.”

—Earl Wilson

By Alex P. Vidal 

OF all the not-so-earthshaking-but-headturner news that spread around the globe these past weeks, none was more shimmering and toffee-nosed as the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard l’affaire.

News of the Virginia trial of Depp’s $50 million defamation suit against his ex-wife Heard, for awhile, had been stepped aside to pave the way for the gruesome killings by Russian soldiers of Ukrainian civilians, the never-ending saga of Roe V. Wade, the impending return of the Marcoses to power in the Philippines, the baby formula shortage, among other hot issues.    

Now, it’s the talk of the globe, so to speak; it’s hard to ignore this courtroom melee that erupted more than five years after the controversial couple’s breakup.

The star of the Pirates of the Caribbean, who arguably is more popular than Vladimir Putin and sometimes more hot-tempered than Will Smith, is mired in the most scandalous publicity that will either make or break him.

What have we Heard, so far, and how Depp do we know about the case that is now on its final stage?  

Let’s begin with Depp's legal team, which had argued that Heard ruined the actor's reputation by "choosing to lie about him for her own personal benefit." 

Heard had written an essay for the Washington Post back in 2018 in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." 

The article never mentioned Depp by name, but the actor’s attorneys previously said in court documents that his ex-wife’s op-ed was all part of an "elaborate hoax."

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Depp also claimed in court documents that Heard concocted her story in the hopes of generating "positive publicity" and to "advance her career."

The Aquaman Mera actress made a rare statement on Instagram announcing a break from social media days before the trial unwrapped. "Johnny is suing me for an op-ed I wrote in the Washington Post, in which I recounted my experience of violence and domestic abuse," she wrote on April 9. "I wrote about the price women pay for speaking out against men in power. I continue to pay that price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny."

Writers Mike Vulpo, Lindsay Weinberg, and Gabrielle Chung narrated that on May 23, producer and entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold testified that Depp's career was already in decline before Heard's 2018 op-ed piece for The Washington Post. 

According to the three writers, Arnold had said past movies starring Depp including Mortdecai (2015), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) and The Lone Ranger (2013) underperformed at the box office.

She also testified that reports of Depp's poor work habits made it harder for Hollywood to financially back him. 

"We talked about the erratic behavior, the tardiness, the drugs and alcohol abuse," Arnold testified. "And the lawsuits have had a really big impact, not just this lawsuit but previous lawsuits that Mr. Depp has been involved with because there's a lot of publicity around anything he does."

Arnold also referenced a Hollywood Reporter article, published before Heard's Post piece, that said Disney was rethinking the future of Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after disappointing returns on the fifth film.

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During her testimony, Arnold said that movie, TV and endorsement deals for Heard dried up after Adam Waldman, Depp's ex attorney, publicly called her abuse accusations against Depp "false" and a "hoax."

Arnold predicted that Heard could be at the same level as Ana de Armas, Zendaya and Gal Gadot following her breakout superhero role in 2018's Aquaman. "It would have been very reasonable to believe her career would have been on an upward trajectory of those other actors" if not for the hoax allegations, Arnold testified. "It's very likely Ms.Heard should have earned $45 to $50 million." 

Depp's team, however, pushed back on cross-examination arguing that Gadot was in Fast & Furious movies before she played Wonder Woman and Zendaya was a Disney Channel star before her career took off.

Psychiatrist says Depp showed Signs of intimate partner violence. Psychiatrist Dr. David R. Spiegel testified for Heard's defense on May 23 that Depp showed signs of substance misuse and intimate partner violence. 

"In my opinion," the Eastern Virginia Medical School professor said in court, "Mr. Depp has behaviors that are consistent with both someone who has a substance use disorder as well as consistent behaviors with someone who is a perpetrator of intimate partner violence." 

Depp's legal team argued that Dr. Spiegel may be unqualified to testify on intimate partner violence because none of his published works specifically have the topic in the titles. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, intimate partner violence is defined as abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship.

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Alex Finnis of People explained a scenario if Depp wins. The jury will decide whether, on the balance of probability, Heard did defame Depp in the 2018 Washington Post article.

If they decide she did, Depp will win the trial and Heard will be ordered to pay him damages. He is seeking $50 M in compensation, but the jury may recommend he is awarded more or less than this amount.

Heard will not go to prison even if the jury decides in Depp’s favor, Finnis stressed.

“This is a civil trial, not a criminal case. Neither Heard nor Depp are being tried on any criminal charges,” he added.

A civil case is a court case in which a person or entity (the plaintiff) can find another person or entity (the defendant) liable for some type of harm or wrongful act. When someone is sued, this is a civil case.

If the plaintiff is successful, they will normally receive some form of compensation from the defendant.

A civil lawsuit can be brought over anything from a contract dispute or a residential eviction to injuries sustained in a car accident, or countless other harms or disputes.

Civil cases are intended to compensate the person who is harmed rather than punish the defendant. If the defendant loses a civil case they are not convicted of a crime, as they would be in a criminal case, and they do not face prison – even if they are found found liable for conduct which amounts to a criminal act.

The burden of proof is also lighter in a civil case than a criminal case. In a criminal case the defendant’s guilt must be proven “beyond reasonable doubt”, whereas in a civil case the jury simply has to decide which side of the dispute they believe to be more likely.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

‘Bilog ang bola’

“When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat.” —Pat Riley

By Alex P. Vidal

IN any competition, we must always expect the unexpected; anticipate a possible upset and a lopsided contest—and if defeat is inevitable, be prepared to walk in the boulevard of broken dreams.

When world basketball superpower, the Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan-led the United States of America (USA), settled for a dismal bronze after being humiliated by Argentina, 89-81, in the men’s basketball semifinals in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games, Filipino lovers of American Hoops hollered: “Bilog ang bola!” (The ball is round)

Pinoy soccer fans also succinctly offered as a convenient excuse the “Bilog ang bola” narrative when a little-known African team Cameroon upset the Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina in the 1990 World Cup.

It’s always a poignant reminder for all the lords of the rings that any ballgame is anybody’s game as long as they’re using the same ball during the match.

Like the recent Hanoi debacle involving highly touted Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team, which succumbed to Indonesia, 85-81, for gold in the recently concluded 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The Philippines lost the basketball crown after three decades because, aside from the magnificent performance of the Indon dribblers, it’s “bilog ang bola,” what else.

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The horrific upset could happen, and it finally happened.

As a matter of fact, we must give credit where credit is due: the Indonesians really came well-prepared and finished the tournament a perfect 6-0, while Gilas brought home a silver with a 5-1 record.

Also because “bilog ang bola,” the Philippines had won 18 of 20 men's basketball gold medals and were riding a 52-game winning streak dating back to 1997 before being conquered by Indonesia.

While other Southeast Asian countries routinely dominate other sports, men's basketball had been the Philippines' domain, thus Indonesia’s Muslim populace celebrated the biggest story in the Games that day like they won the Olympic gold.

For ESPN’s Sid Ventura, the conditions prior to last Sunday’s championship were ripe for a Gilas loss.

It's tempting to blame the lack of preparation on this debacle, explained Ventura, since this version of Gilas had only around three weeks to prepare and didn't practice as a complete team until the Ravena brothers flew in from Japan. 

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“But as early as the 2017 Games, the danger signs were already there,” observed Ventura.

He pointed out that a young Gilas selection backstopped by PBA players Christian Standhardinger, Troy Rosario, Baser Amer, Kevin Ferrer and Kiefer Ravena, nearly lost to Thailand in the group stage and to Singapore in the semifinals. 

Everyone just forgot about that after the SBP fielded a PBA Dream Team in the 2019 Manila Games.

This Gilas team was flawed—only two pure shooters, lack of depth off the bench—but this lineup would won the gold as recently as seven or nine years ago. 

Not so in 2022, where Indonesia was the perfect foil.

It had a coach who knew the Philippine style of play, a big, athletic naturalized player to shut down the paint and neutralize Fajardo, and a ton of players who could shoot well.

Fatigue likely set in. Ventura observed that coach Chot Reyes used only eight players, and one of them--Kib Montalbo—played only five minutes. 

“So he was essentially rotating only seven players for the majority of the game,” Ventura pointed out.

“Towards the end, Indonesia just had more energy. They were quicker to grab loose balls, relentless off the boards, and stayed disciplined on defense. Would LeBron Lopez or Will Navarro or Isaac Go have made a difference? It's hard to say for sure. But four Gilas players logged 31 or more minutes each. In contrast, Pejic rotated 10 players, with only two---Bolden and Dhyaksa--logging more than 30 minutes.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

   

Monkeypox a monkey business?

 

“The mystery of that damn virus has been generated by the $2 billion a year they spend on it.”

—Kary Mullis

By Alex P. Vidal

HARDLY had the humanity recovered from the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, we are again being vexed by a mysterious virus called monkeypox.

Is humanity being held hostage by a greedy corporate cabal masquerading as health authorities with power to spread fear and panic about certain viruses or diseases?

The timing of the monkeypox’s sudden arrival when people appeared to be not anymore fearful of the coronavirus sub-variants, may have been only a coincidence, but no one can blame the Doubting Thomases if they hastily reacted with utmost pessimism and a suspicious mind.

Is the monkeypox a monkey business?

Will governments all over the world be asked anew to require their citizens to have another round of vaccinations to ward off this rare virus? 

The coffers of both the rich and poor countries have been emptied for the purchase of billions of dollars worth of vaccines to combat the coronavirus since 2020. 

Many countries, including the Philippines, are already down on all four from foreign debts as a result of international calamity wrought by coronavirus.

It’s puzzling why all of a sudden the whole world is being warned anew of another strange virus even before the coronavirus sub-variants have bade farewell.

Let’s hope this is not going to be another epidemic that will blossom into a pandemic and again make our life difficult. We pray not.

Monkeypox may be a rare disease caused by infection with monkeypox virus. 

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Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus.

Monkeypox was actually first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox,’ explained the CDC. 

The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. 

Since then, monkeypox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. 

The majority of infections are in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Monkeypox cases in people have occurred outside of Africa linked to international travel or imported animals, including cases in the United States, as well as Israel, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

The natural reservoir of monkeypox remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) may harbor the virus and infect people.

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We have our first reported first case of monkeypox in New York City even as Mayor Eric Adams said May 21 that he’s not worried about the virus’ spread in the Big Apple – where at least one case of the rare disease is already suspected.

“Nope. We have the best Department of Health,” Adams told The New York Post after being asked about the disease following an unrelated Midtown event. “We are going to make the right decisions for the city.”

The city’s Health Department has confirmed that a city patient tested positive for a family of viruses that monkeypox belongs to, but it was still unclear Saturday whether the person was infected with the rare disease.

Two patients had been under investigation by the city’s Health Department for possibly carrying the virus. One case was ruled out while another person tested positive for “Orthopoxvirus,” the family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs.

The patient remained in isolation Saturday awaiting testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Local health officials are carrying out contact tracing in the meantime.

According to CNN, the CDC was investigating at least five other cases of possible monkeypox involving American patients.

Monkeypox cases in the U.S. are reportedly very rare. It does not occur naturally in the United States, but cases have happened that were associated with international travel or importing animals from areas where the disease is more common, said the CDC scientists.

As of this writing, it was reported that CDC scientists were collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to investigate a situation in which a U.S. resident tested positive for monkeypox on May 18 after returning to the U.S. from Canada.

It was reported that CDC was also tracking multiple clusters of monkeypox that have been reported in early- to mid-May in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including in Europe and North America.

It’s not clear how people in those clusters were exposed to monkeypox but cases include people who self-identify as men who have sex with men. 

CDC has urged healthcare providers in the U.S. to be alert for patients who have rash illnesses consistent with monkeypox, regardless of whether they have travel or specific risk factors for monkeypox and regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

When will Treñas and Joe III forgive each other?

“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.” —Alan Paton

By Alex P. Vidal

THE two successive election defeats incurred by former Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III in 2019 and 2022 were a bitter pill to swallow for a highly regarded public servant with a sterling track record.

If he can’t bounce back soon or in the next election, Espinosa, an honest and intelligent man, will be a big loss for Iloilo City politics.

The last thing he needs to put a final nail on his political coffin is a third straight setback in local positions.

Espinosa’s latest defeat to reelectionist Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda could have been avoided if he and his brother-in-law, Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas, weren’t anymore at loggerheads.

As long as Treñas is still active in politics and they remain at odds, Espinosa, who has no more power and with a limited clout now, is doomed.

The back-to-back setbacks could put an exclamation point on his political career—unless he and Treñas will finally kiss and make up, let bygones be bygones and agree to rebuild their splintered family and political forces before they turn 80.

But after two contentious elections, the relationship between Espinosa and Treñas appeared to have further sunk deeper in the ocean instead of making some headway. 

It is said that Philippine elections sometimes could permanently cripple relationships. 

In the case of Espinosa and Treñas, time didn’t heal their wounds?

When will they forgive each other?

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It’s now crystal clear that since their feud erupted in the 2019 election, Treñas still hasn’t forgiven Espinosa, or vice versa, because they ran under two rival political parties in the May 9, 2022 election and cavorted with different candidates for city mayor and House of Representatives instead of supporting each other.

After soundly beating Espinosa for mayor in May 2019, Treñas, who trounced radioman Salvador “Jun” Capulot for mayor in May 2022, backed Baronda’s releection bid for congressman against Espinosa, who supported Capulot.

But even if the two brothers-in-law decided to bury their hatchet for the sake of family unity before the May 9, 2022 election, it wouldn’t follow that Treñas will discard second-termer Baronda for Espinosa.

Treñas’ political commitment with Baronda doesn’t end with the  reinstatement of his relationship with Espinosa. 

Baronda’s position shouldn’t be part of any package deal by any wheeler-dealer.  

Both gentlemen can always break bread together again anytime and rekindle their sweet moments without sacrificing Baronda, or interrupting the lady’s joyride in congress.

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The newly elected neophyte politicians don’t need to be reminded like kindergarten pupils on what to do especially if they are in the legislature—local and national.

Whatever they do or plan to do now that they have been elected, is their call. 

We won’t babysit or pamper those who are incompetent and inept.

Some of them were elected because of their notoriety and popularity, but it’s part of the game and there is nothing we can do about it now; we can’t deny this fact and reality.

The obligation of the voters is to elect their chosen candidates in a free election and watch while they serve in their capacity as public servants. It’s up to the elected officials whether they will bungle or shine.

Good luck.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

Playing with the Ilonggos’ emotions again

“Political promises are much like marriage vows. They are made at the beginning of the relationship between candidate and voter, but are quickly forgotten.”

—Dick Gregory

By Alex P. Vidal

FRESH from being reelected, Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin’s first publicity stunt was to rekindle the bad memory that gave the Ilonggos, especially the Guimarasnons, a nightmare and so much emotional pain.

She reportedly assured them that presumptive President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has “committed” to push through with the over-sensationalized, over-advertised, and over-promised Panay-Guimaras bridge project, aborted numerous times in the past three administrations. 

Another one bites the dust. Here we go again. 

According to the lady solon, Mr. Marcos Jr. “will prioritize” the construction of the controversial bridge first conceptualized during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos in 1992 and last dangled to the Ilonggos by the outgoing Duterte administration.

It’s too early in the game for someone with a political clout like Loreto-Garin to act as spokesperson for political promises that mostly are only made to be broken.  

Loreto-Garin’s grandstanding came after the national government was able to reportedly secure about P2.96-billion loan from South Korea to finance preliminary studies on the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges.

The Philippines and South Korea reportedly exchanged their copies of the agreement for the loan extended by the Export Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF) on May 4, or five days before the presidential election.

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Because of the dishonesty and insincerity of politicians who served under the outgoing Duterte administration tasked to handle the ambitious bridge project, the words “push through” and “prioritize” don’t anymore tantalize the Ilonggos; the words have totally lost their substance, impact and magic.

Ever since the project, supposed to be lined-up in the so-called “build, build, build” program of the outgoing administration, nosedived, many Iloilo residents and Guimarasnons weren’t anymore impressed and excited every time government officials brought up the subject matter.

In their minds they grumbled, “Please stop giving us false hopes. We have had enough. Just do it or shut up.” 

In February this year, Marcos reportedly vowed to include the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges as among his priority projects if he wins the presidential race during his campaign rally in Iloilo.

He reportedly declared: “Kailangan po nating ipagpatuloy ang sinimulan ni Pangulong Duterte na ‘Build, Build, Build’ program sa imprastraktura. Pinag-uusapan nga namin kanina kung papaano ang gagawin para matuloy na ‘yung tulay na manggagaling sa Iloilo hanggang Guimaras hanggang sa Negros.”

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I was serious about the book, The Republic, written by Plato more than two thousand years ago (even before the Roman Empire was established), that I first promoted it when actor Erap Estrada was elected president in 1998.

When several clowns, drug addicts, thieves were elected in the Senate and the House of Representatives thereafter, I again promoted Plato’s marvelous book not because I could gain from it financially, but because I wanted my friends and readers to understand why we kept on electing these incredible characters in our society into these very important government offices.

After Robin Padilla was elected as the No. 1 senator and more ruffians and scalawags have joined the government through the scandalous partylist system, I again promoted Plato’s The Republic. 

I won’t stop promoting the book in the future Philippine elections even if my crusade will be dismissed as only an exercise in futility because many Filipinos, especially registered voters, are non-readers.

To compound the matter, most Filipinos—registered voters particularly—no longer read the newspapers and are hooked on the social media where they swallow hook, line, and sinker all the lies being peddled by insidious Tiktokers and paid hacks masquerading as “political analysts” and “media vloggers.”

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Zinc improves mood in women. Oysters (talaba) are a great source of zinc. According to London-based Dr. John Biriffa, there is some evidence that links zinc deficiency with an enhanced risk of depression. Treatment with zinc improved mood to some extent, he said.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)