Predictions and tips galore

 

“All of us are in the same place, each with our own rooms, and we were allowed to do whatever we wanted. Which is totally different than college, where they manage your schedule for you. In the NBA, you're on your own.”

—Stephen Curry

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

TO determine which team will wrap up this year’s NBA Finals, I picked CBS Sports’amazing report on pre-game tips and predictions released three hours before I wrote this story May 30 (Tuesday) night as the world’s most popular basketball championship begins on June 1 (Thursday) evening at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 

The Denver Nuggets host the Miami Heat for Game 1 of a best-of-seven matchup, with the championship on the line.

It may be recalled that Denver Nuggets logged a 12-3 record in playoff action after earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and ousting the very popular Los Angeles Lakers via sweep in the dramatic Western Conference finals. 

Coached by the darling of Philippine cage fans, Erik Spoelstra, 

Miami had to labor hard in seven games to silence the Boston Celtics, reaching the championship round as the No. 8 seed in the East.

Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET in Denver, according to CBS Sports as Caesars Sportsbook lists Denver Nuggets as the 8.5-point home favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 219 in the latest Miami Heat vs. Nuggets odds.

Before locking in any Nuggets vs. Heat picks, we need to see the NBA playoff predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model, according to CBS Sports.

The SportsLine Projection Model reportedly simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. 

CBS Sports reported that the model enters the 2023 NBA Finals a stunning 72-38 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

 

-o0o-

 

Now, the model has set its sights on Heat vs. Nuggets and just locked in its picks and NBA Finals predictions. 

We can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Nuggets vs. Heat:

-Heat vs. Nuggets spread: Nuggets -8.5

-Heat vs. Nuggets over/under: 219 points

-Heat vs. Nuggets money line: Nuggets -400, Heat +310

-MIA: The Heat are 22-27-1 against the spread in road games

-DEN: The Nuggets are 30-18-1 against the spread in home games

-Heat vs. Nuggets picks (Source: CBS sports)

Our other source, Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic, noted that no eighth seed has ever won an NBA championship.

Rankin stressed the following: 

The lowest seed to ever do so was Houston nearly 30 years ago when they swept Orlando in the 1995 finals as a sixth seed in the West.

Miami is an eighth seed. The Knicks reached the finals as an eighth seed in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season, but they lost to San Antonio in five.

The Denver Nuggets have never won an NBA title.

This is their first finals appearance after reaching the conference finals four previous times in 1978, 1985, 2009 and 2020.

This is the first time they’ve been a No. 1 seed in the West.

This is the best team two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has had with the Nuggets.

“Finally healthy, too, the Nuggets have looked like the best team in the playoffs,” Rankin emphasized. “Jokic is averaging a triple-double in the postseason—29.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg., and 10.2 apg. He’s posted eight triple-doubles this postseason to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most ever in a playoff run.”

 

-o0o-

 

DEPENDABILITY. Man's permanent value rests upon his dependability. 

The first question asked is, "Can we depend upon this person?" 

A man may be clever, capable and agreeable, but if you cannot depend upon him you do not want him around.

To be dependable we must be dependable in all things—little and big—at all times, in all places, under all circumstances. 

We cannot be dependable if we have weak character and a weak will.

The dependable man keeps as straight in the dark as in the light. We know that wherever he is put he will not LIE, he will not STEAL, he will not CHEAT, he will not do any mean or contemptible thing.

ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY. According to the U.S. Department of State, the United States is deeply troubled by Uganda’s passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a law that undermines the human rights, prosperity, and welfare of all Ugandans.  

Uganda’s failure to safeguard the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons is part of a broader degradation of human rights protections that puts Ugandan citizens at risk and damages the country’s reputation as a destination for investment, development, tourism, and refugees.

The United States has urged the Government of Uganda to refrain from implementing laws that undermine human rights.

In the context of the serious concerns conveyed by President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken announced May 29 that the Department of State will develop mechanisms to support the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals in Uganda and to promote accountability for Ugandan officials and other individuals responsible for, or complicit in, abusing their human rights. 

“I have also directed the Department to update our travel guidance to American citizens and to U.S. businesses as well as to consider deploying existing visa restrictions tools against Ugandan officials and other individuals for abuse of universal human rights, including the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons,” Blinken said.

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

The price of justice is eternal publicity

 

“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE won’t get tired of writing about the titanic public infrastructure scandal that hit Iloilo in recent memory primarily as our moral obligation and indispensable duty and contribution to democracy.

In this valiant crusade, no one should lose steam, enthusiasm, energy, and fire in the belly.

We’re referring to the defective P680-million Iloilo flyover otherwise known as Ungka flyover (UFO) in Pavia, Iloilo, a project of the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) that has inconvenienced both the motorists and residents in the city and province of Iloilo.

Given the magnitude of the controversy and amount of public funds involved (P250 million more is needed to repair the project), we can’t help in the Fourth Estate but sustain the publicity until drastic measures have been taken by authorities concerned like the Office of the Ombudsman, the Lower and Upper chambers of Congress, intrepid and independent “fiscalizers” in the LGUs, members of vigilant and incorruptible civil society.

They must be willing to perform a patriotic duty and doggedly pursue the investigation, file appropriate cases against the wrongdoers, and seek justice for the offended taxpayers.

Media, the court of last resort in terms of check and balance, play a major role in exposing the irregular dealings by government functionaries and their subalterns and should continue to provide unwavering torchlight to the benign public. 

There should be no catatonic 180 degrees turn even if spin masters and backdoor PR stunts all of a sudden enter the picture. 

 

-o0o-

 

In the absence of vigilance from anti-graft agencies and swift moto proprioinvestigation and prosecution, the price of justice is eternal publicity.

There should be no more room for indolence and submissiveness on the part of those empowered to scrutinize government transactions now that perpetrators of this grand chicanery think they can get away with murder after sensing that local officials and self-styled anti-graft crusaders have failed to step up the avowed cry for accountability and justice.

We understand why some merchants of transparency and purveyors of justice turned languid and feeble in the face of overwhelming public outcry for culpability on the part of the DPWH and the flyover project contractor. 

Either they are beholden, in one way or the other, or stacked against odds in the face of the multiple Goliaths (shady DPWH bigwigs, 10-percenter politicians, shrewd and truculent contractors).

But the hottest place in hell is reserved not only for those who refuse to take sides in this professed moral and ethical crisis, but also for those who refuse to acknowledge that a malfeasance of epic proportion has unraveled and there is a need to stand in unison and not to backtrack against influential and powerful personalities behind this incredible corruption and negligence. 

 

-o0o-

 

As of this writing, my hopes of recovering the item I ordered from the eBay, one of the world’s oldest and most recognizable ecommerce platforms, which went “missing”, were getting dim.

I placed the order on May 19 and was notified it was up for delivery on May 26. 

On May 26, Friday, I received an email notifying that the item, an Apple MacBook Pro 13, with United States Postal Office (USPO) track package #9405508205497960628890 “has been delivered front door/porch at 12:44 pm” at Elmhurst, Queens.

When I went home on May 29, Monday, the item was nowhere to be found. I checked with the person in charge of our letters and packages in the apartment and it yielded a negative result. 

I immediately contacted the eBay and waited for any reply at the Starbucks. After three hours, eBay replied, but its email only made me feel more somber and dejected.

I have been a regular eBay client for four years now. I have made more than a dozen transactions with eBay from headphones, earphones, laptops (four Lenovo brands and another one Apple MacBook Pro in April), wallets, caps, a clock, watches, laptop bags, knapsacks and they were all successfully delivered. 

In 2018, I lost a very valuable and expensive Bose speaker also delivered by the USPS.

The additional Apple MacBook Pro 13 was the second item I lost.

Moral of the story: no more online shopping, at least for the time being.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Iloilo flyover probe: Rhetoric isn’t a commitment

“Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.”

—Theodore Roosevelt

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

LET us be clear about this: a “declaration of support” is different from “doing it on my own initiative.” 

So let’s not be totally mesmerized and excited when another politician has “supported the call” to conduct a Senate investigation into the scandalous and mysterious P680-million Iloilo flyover project or Ungka flyover (UFO) in Ungka, Pavia.

Senator Imee Marcos told Iloilo reporters May 28 “it is important to look into all this shabby infrastructure. It is apparent that the bridge is very badly constructed and has to be looked into.”

I find Marcos’ words lacking in substance and earnestness.

It appears it was like another rhetoric from a seasoned politician forced to denounce something in a press conference that is already stinking but something vacillating politicians like her wouldn’t really care to take up if nobody had raised it.

In others words, Marcos wouldn’t and couldn’t pick up the cudgels for the Ilonggos by making a lucid and transpicuous commitment to bring the matter herself to the Upper Chamber.     

She will have to wait for a colleague to file the resolution and just “support” it; she isn’t the Real McCoy if Ilonggos are waiting for the Knight in the Shining Armor.

The caveat is: if no senator will take up the issue seriously and be heroic and patriotic to sponsor a formal resolution, no senate inquiry will happen in the near future. 

 

-o0o-

 

The “call” was actually a resolution from the Pavia Sangguniang Bayan (SB) sponsored by Councilor Pyt Trimañez urging the Senate to intervene in the controversy by calling for a formal inquiry.

The municipal resolution came after the Pavia SB “felt hopeless” that the efforts of Makabayan bloc Representatives Raoul Daniel Manuel of Kabataan, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, and France Castro of ACT-Teachers have, so far, yielded negative results in as far as a formal inquiry from the Lower House is concerned.

Months have passed since the lawmakers filed the resolution and it seems, like many pending House resolutions, it is gathering cobwebs and may not be even taken up anytime soon. 

It appears no one is willing to grab the bull by the horns as the frustration and revulsion of Ilonggos get stronger and higher day by day.

We just can’t trust the politicians when they openly denounce the alleged irregularities in the expensive flyover project and yet do nothing concrete to at least speed up any investigation that would bring justice to the taxpayers.

"Ang problema ko ang laki-laki pala nang gagamitin sa repair niyan and I'm hopeful that they can come into a cheaper arrangement," Marcos said.

Problema mo ba talaga, Senador Imee?

 

-o0o-

 

We are all excited and timid—whether we root for Celtics or Heat.

As of this writing, the Boston Celtics were on the verge of making history after a dramatic buzzer-beating victory against the Miami Heat to force a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs. 

Boston was trying to become the first team to win a playoff series after trailing 3-0. 

The winner of that series will play the Denver Nuggets, who swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the franchise’s 47-year history.

In New York City, thousands of apartments meant for homeless New Yorkers are sitting vacant amid record homelessness and a continuing influx of migrants, according to documents obtained by the Daily News. Obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request, the documents show that 2,646 of the city’s supportive housing units—which are meant for homeless individuals with a need for social services—were empty on March 31.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

WBC opens door to transgender

AS a member of the world boxing community, I support the announcement made by World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman that the organization was planning to introduce a new transgender category and would put out a call for interested athletes to come forward this year.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman and Alex P. Vidal in Mexico City

The prospective category would reportedly adopt the "at birth" rule, meaning that a trans fighter assigned as a male at birth would only be able to compete against a fellow trans fighter assigned as a male at birth.

"We are going to put out a global call for those who are interested in 2023 and we will set up the protocols, start consultation and most likely create a league and a tournament," Sulaiman told The Telegraph.

"It is the time to do this, and we are doing this because of safety and inclusion. We have been the leaders in rules for women's boxing - so the dangers of a man fighting a woman will never happen because of what we are going to put in place.

"In boxing, a man fighting a woman must never be accepted regardless of gender change. There should be no grey area around this, and we want to go into it with transparency and the correct decisions. Woman to man or man to woman transgender change will never be allowed to fight a different gender by birth."

Transgender rights have become a major talking point as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage.

In June 2022, swimming's world governing body FINA voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women's competitions and created a working group to establish an "open" category.

FINA's policy requires transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to be able to compete in women's competitions.

However, with the stakes even higher in combat sports given the potential physical danger for athletes, Sulaiman insists his proposed structure is the correct way to make the sport more inclusive.

Sulaiman added: "We are creating a set of rules and structures so that transgender boxing can take place, as they fully deserve to if they want to box.

"We do not yet know the numbers that there are out there, but we're opening a universal registration in 2023, so that we can understand the boxers that are out there - and we'll start from there."

The British Boxing Board of Control responded by saying discussions over a transgender category are only "hypothetical", but that discussions have begun over their policy.

"At the moment this is hypothetical but we can see it coming and we are looking at our transgender policy," BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith told The Telegraph.

"It is what you are born as, as rugby union does. When it does (happen) we intend to be fully prepared. Medical and, perhaps more importantly, legal considerations will have to be taken into account."

A jilted suitor

“If you are the one who is dumped, then you feel like your life is over.”

—Alex Kingston

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE’VE been dumped and that’s the awful truth and reality we must accept however painful and mortifying.

And if they still have a little shame left, negotiators from the Philippine Government should stop flying back to Kuwait now a tosa prisa or lo antes posible (as soon as possible).

They should cancel the next trip—if they still haven’t shelved their plans to return in the Middle Eastern country after being rebuffed during their first trip three weeks ago. 

Like jilted suitors, Filipino foreign affairs and migrant workers officials continued to insist they could convince the Kuwait Government to reconsider the decision to withhold the issuance of any type of visa for Philippine nationals after Manila supposedly rejected the conditions set during a recent bilateral meeting.

Even President Bongbong Marcos Jr. was embarrassed to admit he wasn’t in favor of the Philippine Government’s decision to ban the sending of workers to Kuwait, a decision earlier that led to Kuwait’s intransigence.  

“Sometimes that is an overreaction that we just impose bans and that is not right," President Marcos Jr. was reported as saying on May 26 said adding he didn’t not want to "burn bridges" since the situation could still change and Filipinos might be allowed back.

The truth is the Kuwait Ministry of Interior has already shut the door on our OFWs. 

 

-o0o-

 

Kuwait has stood firm on its decision and is now “working to outsource the skills and expertise needed for its labor market through contracts with other countries” as reported by the state-owed Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

It added: “The sovereignty of Kuwait and the dignity of its people are a red line.”

Loud and clear. They don’t want us anymore.

A letter from Kuwait’s Public Authority of Manpower has outlined the supposed violations that led to the ban, according to the KUNA report.

These violations reportedly include forcing employment offices in Kuwait to recall Filipino housemaids and workers from the houses of Kuwaiti citizens and lodge them at a private residence of the offices, forcing employment offices to locate the escapees from Kuwaiti employers, and dealing inappropriately with Kuwaiti citizens by applying pressure on employers and offices while renewing work contracts.

It also alleged that the Philippine embassy failed to authenticate work contracts without legal justification and lodged supposed Filipino violators of residence laws in private shelters and camps belonging to the embassy.

 

-o0o-

 

AS a member of the world boxing community, I support the announcement made by World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman that the organization was planning to introduce a new transgender category and would put out a call for interested athletes to come forward this year.

The prospective category would rpeortedly adopt the "at birth" rule, meaning that a trans fighter assigned as a male at birth would only be able to compete against a fellow trans fighter assigned as a male at birth.

"We are going to put out a global call for those who are interested in 2023 and we will set up the protocols, start consultation and most likely create a league and a tournament," Sulaiman told The Telegraph.

"It is the time to do this, and we are doing this because of safety and inclusion. We have been the leaders in rules for women's boxing - so the dangers of a man fighting a woman will never happen because of what we are going to put in place.

"In boxing, a man fighting a woman must never be accepted regardless of gender change. There should be no grey area around this, and we want to go into it with transparency and the correct decisions. Woman to man or man to woman transgender change will never be allowed to fight a different gender by birth."

Transgender rights have become a major talking point as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring there is no unfair advantage.

In June 2022, swimming's world governing body FINA voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women's competitions and created a working group to establish an "open" category.

FINA's policy requires transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to be able to compete in women's competitions.

However, with the stakes even higher in combat sports given the potential physical danger for athletes, Sulaiman insists his proposed structure is the correct way to make the sport more inclusive.

Sulaiman added: "We are creating a set of rules and structures so that transgender boxing can take place, as they fully deserve to if they want to box.

"We do not yet know the numbers that there are out there, but we're opening a universal registration in 2023, so that we can understand the boxers that are out there - and we'll start from there."

The British Boxing Board of Control responded by saying discussions over a transgender category are only "hypothetical", but that discussions have begun over their policy.

"At the moment this is hypothetical but we can see it coming and we are looking at our transgender policy," BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith told The Telegraph.

"It is what you are born as, as rugby union does. When it does (happen) we intend to be fully prepared. Medical and, perhaps more importantly, legal considerations will have to be taken into account."

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

 

 

 

We surely won’t be around when New York City ‘sinks’

“I think New York City most represents what it is that America in general aspires to. It's big; it's dense. I've known this city from all of its social arcs. The best that's in America is yet to come. The worst that's in America is yet to come.”

—Harry Belafonte

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WHO escapes and who is left behind? No one knows actually.

But in the event New York City will continue to “sink” (reports said NYC is “sinking”), as feared in a recent study by the US Geological Survey and the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, most of us alive today and who live here will no longer be around, for sure.

We doubt, however, if the “City That Never Sleeps” will really follow the fate of the controversial City of Atlantis on the Greek island of Santorini, the Italian island of Sardinia or Cyprus, which disappeared after being destroyed by an earthquake and flood.

Unless it is sinking fast like the Titanic after hitting the iceberg, or like the P680-million Iloilo flyover project, NYC won’t be swallowed by the Hudson River yet and disappear from the map. 

Just like the fear of a cometary impact and the catastrophic consequences of the climate change when the ozone layer deteriorates, the fear of New York City sinking as sea level rises are the same but people aren’t taking it seriously. 

Not much in our lifetimes -- perhaps 1 in 10,000 -- but over thousands or millions of years, major impacts become pretty likely. Ancient craters on Earth's surface prove that large objects have hit Earth in the past, and there's no reason to think this won't continue in the future.

 

-o0o-

 

As of this writing, most New Yorkers worry more about the debt ceiling talks between the White House and the GOP, which remained in limbo, rather than “the NYC is sinking” shocker that circulated in mainstream news. 

Failing to increase the debt limit is a current event that would have catastrophic economic consequences all over the world, not just in the United States.

It would cause the government to default on its legal obligations–an unprecedented event in American history that will be felt by many people, while “the NYC is sinking” story is a future event in as far as consequences are concerned.

The “sinking” story spread even in the internet and social media after researchers found that the Big Apple’s 1,084,954 buildings have a combined mass of 760 billion kilograms (or 1.68 trillion pounds) distributed over an area of 778.2 kilometers and with an average building mass of 704,000 kilograms (1.55 million pounds).

In areas of soft, clay-rich soil and artificial fill, they found the greatest potential subsidence, ranging from 75 to 600 millimeters, with a median of 294 millimeters. 

The lowest impact is in areas where all the foundations are anchored to bedrock, bringing subsidence close to zero.

Quoting the researchers, Rima Sabina Aouf of Dezeen said this subsidence adds to flood risk, which is already heightened in New York City due to sea level rise and increasing storm intensity.

"As coastal cities grow globally, the combination of construction densification and sea level rise imply increasing inundation hazard," they wrote.

"The point of the paper is to raise awareness that every additional high-rise building constructed at coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk, and that mitigation strategies may need to be included."

Titled The Weight of New York City: Possible Contributions to Subsidence From Anthropogenic Sources, the paper was published in the journal Earth's Future and authored by US Geological Survey geophysicist Tom Parsons and University of Rhode Island researchers Pei-Chin Wu, Meng (Matt) Wei and Steven D'Hondt.

 

-o0o-

 

SEXUAL ABUSE. A child who was sexually and emotionally abused will develop eating disorders like bulimia, minus the countervailing purging behavior, and compulsive overeating, according to David M. Dunkley, a psychiatric researcher and clinical psychologist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.

MAIN CULPRITS OF HEADACHE. If we're having frequent headaches and can't figure out what's causing them, let's take a peek into our fridge and pantry, says Brian Grosberg, M.D. The main culprits to avoid: Hot dogs, salami, bacon and other processed meats. They contain nitrates, a preservative that may cause headaches, perhaps by disrupting the amount of oxygen in our bloodstream.

FOR SENIORS. Study after study shows that  seniors who are most socially connected live longer and have a lower risk of Alzheimer's. Facebook is a great way to link up with old friends and find new ones.

VERY GOOD NEWS! A "magic pill" was expected to be out in the market. The pill is being developed by scientists that would allow people to live beyond 100 and be fit and healthy. Researchers have identified genes that extend life and prevent diseases including Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer, it was reported.

TREACHERY. Treacherous characters strike and implement their aggression when their targets are not prepared to deal with their savagery. These are the cowards that should be dealt with accordingly and blown to bits. Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander The Great were among the famous titans who baffled their adversaries and beat them to the pulp.

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

My celebrity friend in Vancouver, ‘Tina Turner’

“I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life.” —Tina Turner

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

ONE of the most charismatic figures in the Filipino-Canadian community I interviewed in Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada in 2012 was Luisa “LUI” Marshall, host of the very popular TV talk show dubbed as “Simply The Best”—The Luisa Marshall Show.

The No. 1 talk show she co-managed with husband, Steve, was shown then every Monday at 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. primetime at the Shaw Mutlicultural Channel 116 in British Columbia.

VANCOUVER’S “Tina Turner” (Luisa Marshall) and Alex P. Vidal

Popularly known as “The Tina Turner Impersonator” in North America, including in Las Vegas and other parts of Canada where she used to regularly perform as an international singer-entertainer, Luisa, who was voted as one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants, also became my friend.

When I left Canada more than 10 years ago, she would continue to call me every now and then when I was in the Philippines and when I decided to settle in New York.

Of all the Tina Turner impersonators in the world, Luisa was the most respected and a towering figure, having received countless accolades and citations from various organizations in the music and entertainment industry that endorsed her music talent and intelligence.

 

-o0o-

 

When news was flashed in New York May 24 that Tina Turner, the pioneering Rock 'n' Roll star, who became a pop behemoth in the 1980s, died after a long illness, I immediately remembered Luisa. 

This was what I read when I visited Luisa Marshall’s Facebook page: “MY HEART IS HEAVY AND BROKEN. I have no words right now. Just tears and sadness. I luv you so so much, Tina! May you rest in peace. You will not be forgotten. Your legacy will live on coz you are the one and only queen. OH MY GOD, you're simply the best!!!”

Luisa’s post was accompanied by a photo of Tina Turner who actually looked like Luisa Marshall herself.

My interview with Luisa happened before January 21, 2012, the "Damayan Concert" or "Handog ng Nagkakaisang Lahi ng Filipino-Canadians sa Metro Vancouver para sa Typhoon Sendong Victims ng Iligan-Cagayan De Oro" at the Broadway Church in the City of Vancouver, where she was one of the invited world-class performers.

Luisa told me she was “honored to perform for another good cause to benefit our kababayans. I have done so much fundraising events in the past years but this one is close to my heart. I am very happy to be a part of what my friends Babes Newland, Reyfort Media and MHHS initiated.  This is a spectacular show of the collective effort of various artists, organizations, volunteers, crew and other media companies in this Filipino Canadian Community.”

 

-o0o-

 

One of my questions was: How do you divide your time or handle your role as TV hostess and international entertainer?

Luisa answered: “I don't divide my time, I just don't sleep. Hahaha! Seriously, I welcome and embrace my hectic life. I'm used to it. I enjoy it. I take it one step at a time. I determine what's important at that moment, (and) what I have to do. The very moment that I am Luisa Marshall the TV host, my whole mind and body just switch to a different level. Sometimes it comes very easy because I write the entire show. I know what I want and I basically make it happen. I take care of the concept, guests, topics, filming schedule, location shooting, studio, editing, etc. so I have a lot on my plate. My co-producer/manager/husband Steve Marshall does all the technical editing that takes 3-4 days to complete a 30-minute TV show. During that whole gruesome part of the business, I have time to rehearse, work out, pack, get ready for my live performances. It's not easy... there are times when my body just wants to shut down, then I decide to slow down. Sometimes I turn off my cellphone and spend my quiet moments at airports, airplanes, dressing rooms, trailers, etc. It surely helps.”

APV: Your advice to aspiring Filipino-Canadian entertainers.

LUISA: “There are so many Filipino Canadians who are so talented who want a big break in the mainstream world. Sometimes you can get lucky and sometimes it's all a hard long climb to success. My advice is for them to acknowledge their dreams, act on their dreams, learn from the experts, practice, practice, practice, and most of all remain humble.”

The New York Times called Tina Turner, “the earthshaking singer whose rasping vocals, sexual magnetism and explosive energy made her an unforgettable live performer and one of the most successful recording artists of all time.” She died at her home in Kusnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich. She was 83.

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

 

 

Iloilo flyover and Russian Roulette

 

“The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means.”

— Georges Bernanos

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

ASIDE from the protest or condemnation rally—or whatever type of rally or street noise the taxpayers have undertaken and are still planning to stage—a formal complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman must be lodged soon against the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the International Builders Corporation (IBC) in relation to the P680-million Iloilo flyover project or Ungka Flyover (UFO) in Ungka, Pavia.

Both the DPWH and the contractor appear to be unfazed by what have been reported, so far, in the mainstream and social media. 

They think the brickbats and flak from the press are mere mosquito bites that can never bring the wrongdoers down on all four.

They probably suspect that aside from the “mere” media fanfare, no one is really interested to file formal charges in the proper court; and the ruckus will just be forgotten by the passing of time, thus the guilty parties will be off the hook. 

It’s time to halt the Russian Roulette. If no one will initiate the filing of case, the Ombudsman should motu proprio conduct a preliminary investigation based on the “smoking gun”—the result of structural engineer Adam Abinales’ findings that several piers of the flyover’s 16 piers had sunk even after the flyover was supposed to open for vehicular traffic last year. 

Abinales is the managing partner of the Pasig-based Abinales Associates Engineers + Consultants. 

 

-o0o-

 

Abinales submitted the report to the Regional Development Council-Western Visayas’ Infrastructure Development Committee (RDC-IDC) on May 15.

He estimated that at least P250 million is needed to repair the defects.

Abinales confirmed that Pier Nos. 4, 5, and 6 of the flyover’s 16 piers had sunk by more than one foot between May 2022 and April 14, 2023; and among the piers, Pier 5 had the deepest settlement, with a depth of 583 millimeters or 22.9 inches. Pier 6 settled by 488 mm or 19.21 inches, while Pier 4 settled by 431 mm or 16 inches.

Based on this development, there’s a strong possibility that the DPWH and IBC may have neglected the project and did not judiciously and strictly exercise full professional measures to ensure that the expensive project would be done according to specifications and budget.  

It appears there’s an iota of evidence of carelessness and dereliction of duty on the part of those responsible to erect the project and properly discharge the taxpayers money.

A protest or condemnation rally is good. A formal case in the proper court is better.

 

-o0o-

 

WOULD MVP HAVE CALLED LA LAKERS’ 0-4 LOSS TO NUGGETS A DISGRACE? I still maintain that Manny Pangilinan’s over reaction when he tagged as “disgraceful” Gilas Pilipinas’ 79-68 loss to Cambodia in the group stage in the recent 2023 SEA Games men’s basketball was uncalled for. 

He tried to redeem himself by saying he was “happy to be proven wrong” after Gilas finally collared the gold medal by avenging the embarrassing loss to the host country in the battle for the gold medal, 80-69.

Nine years ago in 2014, Manny Pangilinan, popularly known as MVP, expressed interest in owning a stake in the Los Angeles Clippers.

MVP was interested in acquiring a minority stake in the NBA ballclub, which was rumored to be put up for sale after the lifetime ban meted by NBA commissioner Adam Silver on owner Donald Sterling over racist comments.

“Well, yeah (I'm interested in buying a stake in the Clippers). I mean, it’s a good team, I’m sure there will be many interested buyers in the (United) States,” MVP was reported as saying after his team, Talk 'N Text's Game Two win over Rain or Shine at the Astrodome back in April 2014.

He said the Clippers’ market value in that year was pegged at US$575 million (P25.3 billion), but he intended to buy only a minority share if the opportunity arose to be able to experience what it is like to partly own an NBA team.

His plans fizzled out. The Clippers have not been doing well. What if he was able to acquire a stake in the NBA ball club and that team happened to be LA—not the Clippers—but LA Lakers?

And the seventh-seeded Lakers were swept by the top-seeded Denver Nuggets with a 113-111 defeat in Game 4 on May 22 night, ending Lebron James’ attempt to win his fifth career championship in his 20th NBA season. Would MVP run berserk and call the Lakers’ 0-4 shutout loss a disgrace too?

Los Angeles was one of the NBA’s best teams after making several moves at the trade deadline, going 18-8 to end the regular season even without James. The Lakers then made an impressive run to the conference finals, knocking off second-seeded Memphis and defending champion Golden State, but ran out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets.

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

 

 

 

 

Negotiating with the lion inside its mouth

“The most dangerous negotiation is the one you don't know you're in.”

—Christopher Voss

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE can never win if we continue to negotiate with the lion inside its mouth.

I’m referring to the efforts of the Philippine Government to convince the Kuwait Government to lift the ban on Filipinos without residence permit by sending a delegation to negotiate in Kuwait two weeks ago.

So far, so bad; I mean, nothing happened. The trip yielded a negative result.

To make the long story short, Team Philippines went home empty handed. The ban continued to be enforced as of this writing with no bright prospect in sight whatsoever.

Let’s hope something positive will unravel in the soonest possible time with or without the second trip by our negotiating officials to Kuwait.

We heard Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officials are planning to go back for a second round of negotiation.

Kuwait must be thinking we are willing to go extra mile or negotiate on bended knees for the OFWs. 

Kuwait and other countries in the Middle East and Persian Gulf employing Filipino workers are aware that, as a Third World country, we badly need dollar remittances that will come from our OFWs.

The only way for us to get a fair deal or positive concession from Kuwait is to negotiate outside the lion’s mouth.

 

-o0o-

 

Let’s be firm and show them our fangs; that we are hell-bent to actually totally ban Pinoy workers in Kuwait if they can’t guarantee the safety and basic rights of our OFWs there. 

We lose the dollar remittances, they lose quality workers. Who blinks first loses.

Kuwait actually had suspended all types of work and entry visas for Filipinos after the Philippines reportedly violated a bilateral labor agreement with the country, according to reports that cited sources from the Ministry of Interior.

The visa pause was reportedly ordered by Sheikh Talal al-Khaled al-Sabah, the Minister of Interior, after a breach.

The suspension was due to the Philippines having not “complied with the provisions of the labor agreement between the two countries,” reported the Kuwait Times.

It was actually the Philippines that drew the first blood.

In February 20223, the Philippines barred first-time workers, especially domestic workers, from entering Kuwait after the brutal murder of a 35-year-old Filipina maid by the teenage son of her Kuwaiti employer.

The Philippines government had also suspended the accreditation of new recruitment agencies in Kuwait.

Thus the Kuwait’s “counter offensive” must have caught the Philippines by surprise. 

 

-o0o-

 

Kuwait’s lethal punch came after Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople disclosed in January that a team of officials would be traveling to Kuwait

to investigate the rise of cases of abuse against Filipino workers, as well as to work with Kuwaiti officials to take preventative measures.

Sexual abuse and rape, human trafficking, labor contract violations and illegal terminations were reportedly among the common complaints of Filipinos.

Domestic workers in the country also report delayed or unpaid salaries, long working hours, uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, and the confiscation of their passports and personal belongings.

Around 268,000 Filipino workers are employed in Kuwait. According to data from the Department of Migrant Workers, there were more than 24,000 cases of violation and abuse against Filipino workers in 2022 alone.

 

-o0o-

 

Firefighters battled a massive inferno May 21 at the historic Manila Central Post Office for seven long hours. The horrific scene was flashed in prime time news all over the world, including in most social media platforms.

Photos of the blaze showed large flames and thick smoke billowing from the windows of the neoclassical building built in 1926. Officials said an investigation would be launched into the cause of the fire, and investigators haven't ruled out the possibility of an electrical fault or arson.

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