Bongbong watches Eric Clapton show above the ‘cannibalized’ Penn Station

 

“In the music world, concerts unfold strictly according to plan. But, as I'd been finding out, in the book world, things keep changing by the second.”

—Dan Hill

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I HAVE pointed this eerie view many times this year to several visiting friends in New York City who happened to pass by between 31st and 33rd Streets and 7th and 8th Avenues on Manhattan's West Side.

Developers failed to move the big round, colossal elephant in the room sitting on top of the decapitated remains of a once-great Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, when the main intercity railroad station in New York City, was torn down for massive repair early this year. 

I’m referring to the very popular Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan located on top of the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers per weekday as of 2019.

When Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. rushed to the Garden to watch the concert of Eric Clapton on September 19, 2022, he was reportedly shocked to see the “cannibalized” Penn Station that tarnished the Garden’s once magnificent façade. 

 

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Alexandros Washburn had written for Daily News on January 31, 2022: “The conventional wisdom is that Penn can’t be fixed or improved and elevated into the beautiful public space New York City deserves without moving the Garden. And moving the Garden, the thinking goes, even with recent hints that the owners might consider it, is a nonstarter.

But what if moving Madison Square Garden were the best thing not just for the train station but for the arena itself—for those who perform and play in it, for those who own it and, most importantly of all, for those fans who crowd it?”

“We moved Yankee Stadium across the street. We moved Shea Stadium across the parking lot (and gave it a new name). Why not move Madison Square Garden across the street, where some want to build new office buildings? (Do we really need more office buildings?) A sports arena adjacent to a transit hub is immeasurably better than one sitting awkwardly on top of it. Hear me out,” thundered Washburn.

Mr. Marcos reportedly watched the last 30 minutes of Clapton’s concert and must have paid $6,949.89 for the front row ticket.

Clapton, an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter and regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music, is Mr. Marcos’ favorite since the Philippine president was teenager.

 

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The 77-year-old singer, recently diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, a condition that occurs when nerves carrying messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body are damaged or diseased, reportedly sang 16 songs including the hit song “Tears in Heaven” and of course, “Wonderful Tonight.”

Mr. Marcos’ attendance in the Garden came a week before the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in partnership with NJ Transit and Amtrak, approved a contract for the redesign of Penn Station, a project that could cost the city $7 billion. 

The joint venture project team reportedly includes architect of record FXCollaborative, global engineering firm WSP, and British design studio John McAslan and Partners, which will serve as a design consultant.

The base contract is valued at $57.9 million and includes preliminary design of the new station, improvements to nearby subway stations, and engineering support as station reconstruction moves forward, according to New York Yimby.

FX Collaborative and WSP reportedly worked together on the Penn Station Master Plan unveiled in 2021. 

According the New York Yimby, the full scope of work includes replacement of the current station with a 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility with improved interior organization and more space for an estimated 650,000 daily commuters. 

The facility will reportedly include a train hall about the combined size of Moynihan Train Hall and Grand Central Terminal’s main concourses.

The new station will also include retail and dining options, improved ticketing and waiting areas, additional elevators and escalators, and more station entrances and exits. 

 

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The facility will also reportedly have an underground connection to the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station.

The current renovation does not include any added train capacity.

Outside the station, plans call for the construction of a 30,000-square-foot public plaza, increased bike lanes and docking stations, and widened sidewalks, the New York Yimby stressed.

The masterplan also reportedly includes the construction of high-rise residential towers that could create 1,800 apartments including 540 permanently affordable homes.

“The time to fix Penn Station is now, and this is an important step in the right direction. New York City deserves a 21st-century transit hub as great as the city, and we are taking advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconstruct Penn Station and revitalize the neighborhood,” said New York City mayor Eric Adams. 

“Our administration will continue working closely with our state partners to get stuff done.”

In line with the MTA’s mission to encourage the growth and development of certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), the MTA’s Department of Diversity and Civil Rights has assigned a 22.5 percent DBE goal to the contract, added the New York Yimby.

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

 

I sympathize with Bongbong

“Any mind that is capable of real sorrow is capable of good.”

—Harriet Beecher Stowe

By Alex P. Vidal

IF not for those surveys showing Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “leading comfortably” over his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo, the only son of the late former Philippine President Ferdinand Sr. would be experiencing sleepless nights, if not depression, now that there are strong indications the “yellow magic” in 1986 might be duplicated and repeated by the “pink magic” in 2022. 

Marcos Jr., an intelligent and charismatic man, never lost in the surveys. 

Since last year, he dominated almost all the surveys from the Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia, among other polls. Thank you surveys. 

A survey generally is defined as the act of examining a process or questioning a selected sample of individuals to obtain data about a service, product, or process. 

In the May 9 presidential race, the surveys are data collection collect information from a targeted group of people about their opinions, behavior, or knowledge of the candidates.

Common types of example surveys are written questionnaires, face-to-face or telephone interviews, focus groups, and electronic (e-mail or website) surveys.

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Election surveys, however, in the age of social media are different.

Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the Philippines was the first country in Asia to hold elections, and many Filipinos continue to participate enthusiastically in the political process, noted the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. 

For a country where suffrage is a right rather than an obligation, data from the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) indicates that a sizable majority of Filipinos vote, ranging from 64 per cent in 2007 to 90 per cent in 1987. 

The International IDEA database also shows that the average turnout in Philippine legislative and presidential elections from 1945 to 2010 was slightly higher (at 78.4 per cent and 77.8 per cent, respectively) than the Asian average of 70.8 per cent and 75.6 per cent, respectively.

Surveys showing he had 52 percent approval rating was more than enough to make Marcos Jr. feel good—if that is the intention of his publicists and spin masters who don’t want to see him down in the dumps.

Again, thank you surveys. At least Marcos Jr. will have something to hold on to in these crucial moments.

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But if we place ourselves in the shoes of Marcos Jr., we might be surprised to discover and realize it’s the worst place to be in with barely five weeks before the May 9, 2022 election.   

By imagining the person who beat you for vice president in 2016 as the same person who’s now breathing down your neck, is already torture. 

If she was able to put you away in 2016 when she wasn’t yet in power, what’s the assurance she can’t do it again in 2022 now that she has the complete “resibo” (receipt) as a performing and service-oriented vice president?  

Publicly, Marcos Jr.’s demeanor tells us he’s intrepid, unmoved by the mind-boggling crowd that has been phenomenally forming as sea of humanity in the head-turning rallies of his rival, Vice President Robredo.

Privately—or when he is alone with his wife in the bedroom—Marcos Jr. must be thinking and worrying like the late death convict Leo Echegaray, who wasn’t sure if he would be saved by President Erap’s  last-minute call while waiting for the lethal injection.

What if those phenomenal pink crowds that have recently made headlines for Robredo will translate into actual votes on May 9?

Will the surveys that have almost cemented my “sure” victory still matter? 

Can these surveys still do wonders for me on May 9?

My sympathy goes to former Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr.

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After four weeks, five top Russian military generals have been reportedly killed while trying to overrun Ukraine. 

The immoral, unjustified, illegal invasion Vladimir Putin thought would be executed quickly has extended and more misguided and disoriented Russian soldiers have been killed. 

Meanwhile, desperate Russian mercenaries have been killing innocent Ukrainian children, women, elderly. 

The genocide is being monitored and televised in the age of technology. Everything has been recorded for all the world to witness. The war criminals will be indicted for brutal war crimes if they can survive the heroic resistance from the Ukraine people.  

Sooner or later, good will triumph over evil. God works in mysterious ways.

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

 

I disagree with Serge

“I don't think there's ever a winner in a feud. It's about emotional pain and an inability to conquer the pain.”

—Ryan Murphy

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF I were a paid political strategist, I would ask my client or clients running against former Senator Bongbong Marcos to disregard the suggestion made by another former Senator Serge Osmeña to “hit” Bongbong’s father, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. instead of the candidate son.

“Hit the father and the son will fall,” was the 78-year-old Cebuano politician’s uncanny suggestion in a recent nationwide televised interview with ANC News’anchor Christian Esquerra.

I watched the interview on Youtube and was intrigued by Osmeña’s eerie display of antagonism and antipathy toward the dead Marcos.

I thought, with his stature, he would exhort all the presidential candidates and their supporters to level up and do away with gutter campaign and character assassination.

I thought he would act as a paragon of harmony and calmness by urging the candidates to highlight only during the campaign period their platforms of government and concrete plans for the future of the 109.6 million Filipinos.

“Hit the father” means quarrel, bickering and disunity. 

The Bible tells us to “love thy enemy”, but Osmeña was fomenting hatred and altercation.  

Soliciting hostility and coaxing the people to attack the dead can be tantamount to desecrating the late dictator’s memory and may be considered sacrilegious. 

 

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Osmeña believes it is less effective to lambast survey frontrunner Bongbong, who is Team Unity’s standard bearer, as the voters appear to be unperturbed by the negative issues leveled against the only son of the late dictator, deposed from power in the 1986 EDSA revolution.

If Bongbong’s rivals and critics will hit the father, who became infamous for declaring Martial Law in the Philippines from 1972 to 1981, many young voters, especially those who have no knowledge about the atrocities committed by the Marcos regime during the military rule, “will open their eyes” and reject Bongbong, Osmeña theorized.

The retired Cebuano politician, who was incarcerated during the Martial Law, said many of those who are 55 years old and below today don’t have sufficient knowledge about Martial Law.

He admitted that some of Bongbong’s admirers and probably voters on May 9, 2022 are younger Filipinos. 

He wants them to study history, especially how the nation reportedly suffered under the “dark years” of the Marcos regime. 

 

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Osmeña is only one of the many victims of Martial Law still alive today who harbor a lifetime grudge against Bongbong’s father or the entire Marcos family for that matter.

It’s understandable why he has ax to grind against the Marcos family.

He was probably one of those tortured by the Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command (Metrcom) during his stint inside the jail as a political detainee.

As a son of Marcos' political rival, Osmeña was imprisoned in 1972 and embarked on a hunger strike along with his cellmate, Eugenio "Geny" Lopez, Jr., to protest the unjust detention of thousands of innocent Filipinos in November 1974. 

The hunger strike resulted in the release of 1,022 political prisoners in December 1974. 

Osmeña and Lopez escaped from their maximum security prison cell in Fort Bonifacio on September 30, 1977 and their exploit was enacted in the 1995 movie, Eskapo.

Let’s hope Osmeña will realize his rather wrong choice of words in trying to make the Filipinos avoid or hate Bongbong and the Marcoses and correct it while the issue is still fresh in the minds of those who saw the interview.

If he thinks Vice President Leni Robredo will win as what many Ilonggos and Cebuanos, including this writer, believe, there’s no need to slander the dead who had nothing to do with the son’s candidacy.  

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

 

 

Support from cults, false prophets not a sure win

“Regardless of who wins, an election should be a time for optimism and fresh approaches.”

—Gary Johnson

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

TWO big religious organizations in the Philippines have endorsed the Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte-Carpio tandem for president and vice president in the May 9, 2022 election.

The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, headed by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “Most Wanted”-listed Apollo Quiboloy and El Shaddai, headed by Bro. Mike Velarde.

Soon, the Iglesia Ni Kristo, founded by Felix Manalo, might follow suit.

With three powerful and influential religious groups backing the Marcos-Carpio ticket plus the Pulse Asia (PA) and Social Weather Station (SWS) surveys, some people might think victory is in the bag respectively for the only son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and the only daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Wait a minute. Don’t be too fast.

Elections are decided by the voters who cast their ballots on election day (some malicious minds are saying they are decided by Smartmatic machine), not by the polling firms; not by cult leaders and false prophets who operate organized religions.

In the five Philippine presidential elections we have covered in the past, scientific surveys and the support of mammoth secular groups mattered, but they weren’t absolute.

 

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Nowadays, independent voters cast their votes according to their conscience and personal choices; and they reject subjugation by their controlling leaders for a block voting.

Many of them aren’t anymore intimidated by the dominance and control of their pushy leaders, and they take liberty to openly pick and vote for the candidates that represent their sentiments and values.

And that’s where the spirit of volunteerism beckoned. 

Instead of blindly following the wishes of haughty secular leaders to vote for a common candidate, many independent voters choose to go all the way to volunteer for the candidates of their choice. 

They aren’t scared of sanctions and retributions. Times have changed.   

With three months to go, so many things can still happen; some of the previously unshakable alliances and bandwagons might still break up and reorganize, especially in the local level. 

Even The Economist has warned that “An absolute majority may not be enough for Ferdinand Marcos Jr to win the presidency.”

“The popularity of Mr Marcos, the son of the late president of the same name, is a return to form. He is particularly attractive to younger voters, who seem either unconcerned about or unaware of the record of the older Marcos, a dictator who ruled for over two decades and was deposed only after a popular uprising in 1986. The younger Mr Marcos tries to maintain his appeal by avoiding the subject of his father’s regime all together,” explained The Economist in its February 12 edition.

As the saying goes, it’s not yet over ‘till the fat lady sings. It’s a long way to go, folks.

 

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Beware of Love Scam. Before, during, and after Valentine’s Day, many gullible people succumb to love scam, especially in the social media.

Scammers offer fake love or do something during the chats that will control the emotions of their prospective victims.

Millions of people turn to online dating apps or social networking sites to meet someone. 

But instead of finding romance, many find a scammer trying to trick them into sending money.

They’ll often say they’re living or traveling outside of the United States. We’ve heard about scammers who say they are: working on an oil rig; in the military; a doctor with an international organization.

We’ve heard about romance scammers asking their targets for money to: pay for a plane ticket or other travel expenses; pay for surgery or other medical expenses; pay customs fees to retrieve something; pay off gambling debts; pay for a visa or other official travel documents

Scammers ask people to pay: by wiring money; with reload cards like MoneyPak or gift cards from vendors like Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, or Steam. 

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

 

Right, we didn’t kill all lawyers

 “People are getting smarter nowadays; they are letting lawyers, instead of their conscience, be their guide.” 

—Will Rogers

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF we killed all the lawyers, as what William Shakespeare had “suggested” in Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2, no one would believe Rowena Guanzon, the fire-spewing outgoing Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner, who helped enrich our knowledge about “moral turpitude”, now becoming the oft-repeated words in the furor involving the case for disqualification filed against presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.  

In voting to disqualify the 64-year-old son of the late strongman Marcos Sr. in the May 9, 2022 election, lawyer Guanzon emphasized repeatedly in various media interviews that Marcos Jr. “committed a moral turpitude” when he didn’t pay his taxes as Ilocos Norte governor from 1982 to 1985.

And because of this, he was convicted in the trial court and ordered by the Court of Appeals to pay a penalty which he didn’t do, according to the flamboyant lady poll commissioner.

The first two petitions filed in the Comelec first division where Guanzon is the presiding judge, alleged that Marcos is "perpetually ineligible" to run for public office as he was found guilty of failing to file income tax returns and pay his income taxes.

This was before the then First Family was ousted via “People Power” EDSA Revolution in 1986.

 

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Bongbong Marcos supposedly was guilty of moral turpitude for having been convicted of the tax offense.

The word turpitude can be defined as a shameful, vile, or corrupt character or acts.

According to Legal Dictionary, moral turpitude refers to conduct that shocks the public conscience, or which does not fall within the moral standards held by the community. 

The law concerning moral turpitude reportedly has been constantly changing and evolving, as the moral standards of society in general change.

If the world “listened” to William Shakespeare and “stopped producing” lawyers or legal luminaries starting some 400 years ago, no one would explain to ordinary laypersons what moral turpitude and the legalese as a whole are all about. 

Only the lawyers or those in the legal profession can enlighten and tell us that crimes involving moral turpitude are generally grouped into three distinct general categories.  

The general categories of crimes and moral turpitude, according to Legal Dictionary, include: (1) crimes against property, (2) crimes against the government, and (3) crimes against people. 

Each category reportedly consists of certain crimes involving moral turpitude, and crimes that are not considered to involve moral turpitude.

 

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For the second time in six years, I considered myself to be very lucky when powerful blizzards like the recent “Bomb Cyclone” battered the Northeast.

When the snow storm, categorized as hurricane, came January 28 evening until January 30, I was in my workplace and didn’t go out until after the weather monster has left. 

Thus, I was spared of the terrible inconvenience and possible harm experienced by motorists and those who traveled from workplace to home vice versa during those turbulent hours via subway and highways.

When the historic blizzard, with a force double than the “Bomb Cyclone”, lashed at East Coast in 2016, I was also lucky to be “stranded” for several days in my workplace in Manhattan, thus I was also safe and sound there.

When I reached my apartment after the super snow storm in 2016, most of my stuff had been gobbled up by thick snow that penetrated through my room’s sliding glass door facing the street (that’s how ferocious was that 2016 blizzard).

As of this writing, I don’t have any idea what happened to my stuff when I come home after the “Bomb Cyclone.” 

More than a foot of snow fell in coastal New Jersey, with 7.5 to 10 inches in the metro New York City area. Islip Airport on Long Island reported 22.4 inches.

As of Saturday evening, A foot-and-a-half to two feet had fallen in the Boston area from Plymouth to Essex counties, with the powdery snow blowing and drifting in the frigid winds. Final totals could reach 30 inches in some locations, as light snow was still falling.

Given the high winds, lack of visibility and phenomenal snowfall rates, airports were having a hard time staying open.

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

  

 

Bongbong’s goose is cooked?

“Winning or losing of the election is less important than strengthening the country.”

—Indira Gandhi

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NOW that the cat is out of the bag, only a miracle can probably save presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. from being disqualified.

In fact, anytime from now, it is feared the 64-year-old former senator’s goose is cooked.

The key words were already released by retiring Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon: “President Rodrigo Duterte did not want to interfere in the Comelec decision.”

Reading between the lines, President Duterte presumably must have already been “notified” by the Comelec’s decision on Bongbong’s case.

In the event of a disqualification, Bongbong can still go to the Supreme Court while his campaign for the May 9, 2022 election continues.    

But this could damage his candidacy.

It’s another story if you’ve been distracted and tainted even if you lead in all the major surveys.

The voters won’t risk supporting someone who was not guaranteed to occupy the post even if he was allowed to run while the disqualification case was on appeal.

It appeared the case for disqualification filed against the only son of the late dictator was strong that any alleged attempt to influence the poll body’s decision was bound to fail. 

Two weeks ago, we predicted that a big political story would explode and bring sadness to the supporters of a leading presidential candidate.

This could be it.

 

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What is being asked of the voters when they go to the polling precincts to cast their votes on May 9, 2022 is not heavy and impossible: wear a face mask.

Authorities weren’t mandating that all voters must be vaccinated, which is illegal and will surely cause a lot of trouble both for the authorities and those who would continue to refuse to be inoculated if implemented.

Those who were quick to react angrily should learn to distinguish between being required only to wear a mask and being forced to have a Covid-19 vaccine.

In the first place, no authority can force anyone to get a Covid-19 vaccine with or without election. 

Wearing of a face mask is a safe measure, a win-win situation. A voter who is not vaccinated may still adhere to the mandatory wearing of mask. 

By that time, the pandemic hopefully might be on the downswing, but health authorities may still require the people to continue observing the basic protocol in relation to the pandemic for the safety and good of everyone.

 

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I am guilty of violating my own declaration recently that my 11^th swab testing in only two weeks in the month of January, was my last.

I actually had four more after that “false” declaration: two rapid antigen tests and two PCR tests respectively on January 26 and 27.

I can’t blame those who might tag me as “the swab tester who cried wolf.” If I say this is my last, which is the truth, no one might believe it anymore.

To be frank about it, I am not sure if the last four were the last and final.

Next week, I might do it again. I am not doing this for nothing, or for something sinister whatsoever.

I have a legitimate purpose and explanation, which I will try to discuss in my next articles. 

I’m just being a “good soldier” and probably a responsible person who knows how to follow and obey what is right in as far as the ongoing battle against the spread of Covid-19 is concerned.

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