Jeneda Salcedo’s silence

“You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.”
--Desmond Tutu

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Iloilo Board Member Jeneda Salcedo-Orendain did not use her position to get back at the police that raided their house and the houses of her relatives in Sara, Iloilo in the Philippines dawn on October 17, 2018.
In that raid, which targeted the board member’s father, former mayor Neptali “Tally” Salcedo, Jeneda’s half brother, Nerio “Ricky”, and nephew Nixon “TJ”, were killed.
Police said they resisted the raid and tried to engage the cops in a shootout, a claim the Salcedo clan had refuted.
As of this writing, Jeneda neither lambasted the police in a privilege speech in the Provincial Board nor asked higher civilian and Philippine National Police (PNP) authorities to “do something” in order for the tormented family to get even.
The use of arm-twisting tactics, prevarication and “waslik poder” is prevalent in the culture of the Philippines’ political hegemony.

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If the bloody incident happened in the residence of other sensitive and outraged political clans, clan members who hold positions in government would’ve took turns in tearing to shreds the raiding team in the rostrums even if they fabricate lies and half-truths.
We know a lot of parents of some politically powerful and influential families to be the ones egging and provoking their children to hit back hard--and even invent stories--using their full might and resources as public officials.
Huffy and ill-tempered political parents who will risk the reputations and credibility of their children by using them to foment their vindictive fulmination and satisfy their egos and penchant for a revenge.
It did not happen in the case of the Salcedo family.

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Mayor Ermelita Salcedo and her husband Neptali probably raised their children to be humble and meek.
The family, which filed a complaint against the raiding team for “robbery” and “illegal search”, among other cases, has opted to allow the legal process to reign supreme in the tumult.
The Salcedos, despite their reputation as “anarchists”, have shown that they are capable of facing a major imbroglio with veritable adherence to the rule of law.
In fairness to the cops led by Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, Iloilo provincial police chief, and their big boss, Director John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police chief, they welcome the allegations of robbery, among other charges, saying they are willing to impose a disciplinary action on their men if found guilty.

A silent river doesn’t mean there are no crocodiles

“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”
--Franklin D. Roosevelt

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Mayor Oscar “Oca” Garin Sr. of Guimbal, Iloilo in the Philippines did not want the people to further speculate why he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for the same position targeted earlier by his daughter-in-law, Dr. Janette Loreto-Garin, and incumbent Rep. Oscar “Richard” Garin Jr., thus he decided to withdraw.
Mayor Garin was aware the people weren’t convinced he really was interested to go back to congress when he has already found the oasis of happiness and satisfaction in his farm as a plain and simple “Oca Manguguma” when he is not in the municipal hall.
People who have been watching the clan’s political dynamics knew that as an astute political tactician, “Tatay Oca” would never allow anyone to read their plans, much less influence the course of their future as a vortex dynasty.
Until the eleventh hour, “Tatay Oca” will continue to keep the aces up his sleeves and won’t let other card players predict his game plan.
Let’s not count the political maestro out yet.

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His move to withdraw, already expected by both his critics and admirers since day one, will pave the way for his son to run for reelection against the clan’s favorite election whipping boy, Gerardo “Gerry” Flores, a retired police general and former mayor of Miag-ao, Iloilo.
The clan, which has been politically dominant in the first district for more then 30 years now, is supporting Iloilo fourth district Rep. Ferjenel “Ferj” Biron, who is running for governor against Iloilo third district Rep. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr.
Even if he has already gotten the patriarch’s imprimatur, Biron shouldn’t neglect the “Baywatch.”
Don’t think that there are no crocodiles just because the river is silent, sir.
While he is still alive and active in politics, the patriarch Garin is expected to find ways how to worm his way to become the next vice governor and eventually governor, the only two integral positions missing in his public service arsenal.

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A candidate for Iloilo City councilor has reportedly agreed to settle his debt to a female former city hall casual employee in the amount of P30,000 for fear the casual employee might “spill the beans” during the campaign period.
The candidate, who badly needs a job because of his mounting financial obligations, did not want the issue to be used against him during the campaign period as it might cripple his chances to win.
“I already sent him several demand letters but he all ignored them,” protested the former casual employee from Brgy. Dulonan, Arevalo, Iloilo City.
She agreed to lend money to the candidate with a promise that he would pay it from September to December 2017.
The former casual employee described the candidate for city councilor as “sickly” and was once hired by the Mabilog administration as casual employee after he lost in the 2016 elections.
“Nagpakitlooy sia nga mahulam kuarta kay gina dialysis kuno sia, but when it was time for him to pay he gave me a lot of problems,” the former casual employee cried.
When the candidate for city councilor did not honor his obligations, she sought the help of barangay authorities in Dulonan, Arevalo.
The former casual employee said her decision to demand payment from the candidate for city councilor “has nothing to do” with the recent decision of Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III to fire her and several other fellow casual workers.
The candidate for city councilor will reportedly start paying her in November 2019.
“Kon indi gid man sia magbayad ipa sa Diyos ko na lang ini tanan,” she wrote to me.

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0 SUPER SNEAKY WEIGHT-LOSS SECRETS: 1. Never food-shop without gum 2. Ditch your tupperware 3. Give your guy the first bite 4. Sip from only one type of glass 5. Dish it out 6. Eat after happy hour 7. End your workout with protein 8. Love pretzels 9. Lose the serving dishes 10. Drink after-dinner coffee. SOURCES: Cornwell University Food and Brand Lab; Nutrition and Metabolism Specialist Jana Klauer, M.D.
EIGHT THINGS GUYS NOTICE ABOUT LADIES INSTANTLY: 1. How thick their hair is 2. If their smile is genuine 3. The size of their group 4. The pitch of their voice 5. Their hip-to-waist ratio 6. Their glowiness 7. What's fake about them 8. Their eyes. SOURCE: Daniel Amen, MD, author of The Brain and Love

SIX WORST THINGS A LADY CAN SAY TO A GUY: 1. You're so much better than all the other jerks I've dated 2. Can you really afford that? 3. So we're running a little late. Relax 4. He's a great guy--you should be friends with him 5. She made me promise not to tell, but...6. Don't be silly--I haven't done that in ages (Cosmopolitan, November 2009 issue)

Law allows ‘jokers’ to run

“I'm looking for the best person irregardless of political party, of race or religion, or color of their skin. Those things don't matter to me. I want someone who's qualified, who has a qualification to character and the integrity to do the things that have to be done to save this world.”
--Edward Brooke

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- When we laugh at the list of “nuisance” candidates (only the Commission on Elections can determine whether they are nuisance or not) who have filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) for the May 2019 Philippine elections, we actually ridicule our own law.
No matter how we treat their COCs with derision, mock them, and call them names, these “nuisance” candidates will continue to persevere knowing fully well that “the law is also on our side.”
They have the right to assert, “Hey, this election process is not only for the scholarly, the mighty, and the omnipotent. This is for us, too, the undervalued, the spurned, and the tossed aside aspirants for a public office.”
In a democratic country like the Philippines, everyone is free to dream and fail and fail to dream.

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Whether these “nuisance” bets are real-life insane or erudite punks is beside the point once the Comelec has accepted their COCs.
In the first place, “nuisance” candidates can be expunged only from the electoral race during the Comelec deliberation process for their inability to mount a serious campaign, or for lack of a registered political party, among other primordial reasons, not because they weren’t qualified to run.
Under the law or An Act Governing the Elections of Local Government Officials, these “nuisance” candidates are very much allowed to run as long as they meet the qualifications prescribed by law for public elective positions in the Philippines.
For local positions the qualifications are “mere” the following:
1. citizen of the Philippines;
2. on the day of election at least 23 years old for Governor, Vice-Governor, member of sangguniang panlalawigan, mayor, vice-mayor, sangguniang panglungsod in highly urbanized cities; while at least 21 years old for the said officials in component cities and municipalities; at least 18 years old for members of the sangguniang panglungsod, sangguniang bayan and sangguniang barangay and punong barangay; at least 15 years old and not more than 21 years of age for Sangguniang kabataan;
3. able to read and write Filipino or any other local language or dialect;
4. registered voter in the constituency in the locality;
5. resident thereof for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the election.

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Since 2009 when I started posting my photos on social media, a lot of my friends have noticed and mentioned to me that in almost 90 percent of my photos, my ears were always covered with either earphones or headphones.
I noticed this, too, but most of those photos weren’t prearranged. They were natural.
I use the earphones or headphones now especially when I travel far via the New York City subway.
I suspect I have Claustrophobia, or the fear of having no escape, and being closed into a small space.
It is typically classified as an anxiety disorder and often times results in a rather severe panic attack.
It is also confused sometimes with Cleithrophobia (the fear of being trapped).
I learned that Claustrophobia could be related to dysfunction of the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that controls how we process fear.
The phobia can also be caused by a traumatic event, such as: being stuck in a tight or crowded space for an extended period of time, experiencing turbulence when flying.
With the help of earphones or headphones, my attention is diverted into the music and “I won’t feel something” as I close my eyes when the fully packed train would sometimes be stuck in the tunnel (the Dekalb in Brooklyn to Canal in Manhattan area) for six to 10 minutes (the longest I have experienced, so far).

Alex P. Vidal Quotes (Enemy)

When you assume negative intent, you're angry. If you take away that anger and assume positive intent, you will be amazed. Your emotional quotient goes up because you are no longer almost random in your response.
--INDRA NOOYI :

It's tactical brilliancy when we conquer our enemies in the battlefield. To conquer our anger, irrational behavior and propensity to harbor grudges against those who have offended us, is wisdom. To forgive--but not necessarily forget--and let bygones be bygones, is divine.
--ALEX P. VIDAL

‘I don’t want to die that way’

“What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr's cause has ever been stilled by an assassin's bullet. No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled or uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.”
-- Robert Kennedy

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Twelve hours after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre happened on October 27, 2018, I dropped by the house of Rabbi George, 83, and his wife Helene, 76, in Brooklyn.
“The Rabbi has been sluggish. He didn’t go to the synagogue today (Hebrew Sabbath day),” Helene, a school teacher, volunteered.
“It’s been an awful Sabbath day because of what happened in Pittsburgh. I can’t understand why there is so much hatred in the hearts of some people.”
Rabbi George was sitting in the swivel chair facing the computer in his office inside the house when I entered.
“Is it raining outside, Alex?” the Rabbi asked in hoarse voice.
“Yes, Rabbi George. It’s been raining all day,” I answered.
“I didn’t go to the synagogue today as scheduled and I don’t intend to go out,” the Rabbi sighed. “I have been monitoring the news in Pittsburgh and before you came, I listened to the testimonies of a lot of people interviewed by media about the massacre. I feel bad about what happened.”
The Rabbi suddenly bursts, “I don’t want to die that way, Alex.”
The Rabbi said: “The way to die should be sleeping at night and not being able to wake up the next morning, not being hit by a speeding automobile or being violently shot in the head.”
He apologized that he couldn’t face me “because I can’t easily move my feet.”
Rabbi George mourned the death of his fellow Jews in a bloody anti-Semitic carnage, the worst attack against the Jewish community in US history, according to reports.

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The Rabbi slightly turned his head and shoulder on the right side and enthused, “When I was younger, people with no education were dangerous because of their lack of understanding and empathy on many cultural and religious issues. Today, it’s the educated who have become more dangerous because of the hate in their hearts.”
Rabbi George and Helene were referring to the 11 Jewish elderly massacred by a suspected white supremacist, Robert Bowers, 46.
Six others were seriously injured.
The victims have been identified as the following: Joyce Fienberg, 75, of Oakland; Richard Gottfried, 65, of Ross Township; Rose Mallinger, 97, of Squirrel Hill; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood; Cecil Rosenthal, 59, of Squirrel Hill (brother of David Rosenthal); David Rosenthal, 54, of Squirrel Hill (brother of Cecil Rosenthal); Bernice Simon, 84, of Wilkinsburg (married to Sylvan Simon); Sylvan Simon, 87, of Wilkinsburg (married to Bernice Simon); Daniel Stein, 71, of Squirrel Hill; Melvin Wax, 88, of Squirrel Hill; and Irving Younger, 69, of Mt. Washington.
A total of 29 charges, two of which are federal hate crime charges, have been filed against Bowers who could face a death penalty.

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I got a lot of mixed reactions in the previous article I wrote about retired Philippine National Police (PNP) director general Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is running for senator in the May 2019 elections.
Some of Bato’s supporters said I “vilified” the retired general when I attributed the deaths of thousands of victims of summary executions to the campaign against illegal drugs in the Philippines which became known as extra-judicial killings (EJK) when he was the PNP big boss.
I reviewed my article several times.
I didn’t see any sentence there that vilified or maligned the senatorial candidate who is being supported by President Duterte.
I mentioned in that article that I only wanted to interview him in the US or in the Philippines because of so many questions in my mind like, yes, the upsurge of EJK cases, which has alarmed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) so much so that it has called the attention of the Duterte administration.
Doing interview or aspiring to interview any controversial personality in the Philippine government in the name of public interest, I think, isn’t a violation of any law or, to borrow the word of Bato’s supporters, a “vilification” campaign.

Questions for the man called ‘Bato’

“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.” 

--Henri Nouwen

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I saw on social media that retired Philippine National Police (PNP) director general Ronald Marapon “Bato” dela Rosa visited Iloilo City before the All Saints’ Day, and was interviewed by my media colleagues there.
I have long wanted to interview retired general Bato even when he was still the PNP chief.
Now that he has retired and is running for senator, I am more emboldened to interview him as a candidate Mr. Bato.
I hope we can meet soon--in the US, where he was once invited by his kumpare, Senator Manny Pacquiao, to watch the boxer’s fight in Las Vegas, or in the Philippines, where he is now busy “campaigning” for his senatorial bid--before, during, or after the May 2019 elections.
Since the possibility of this meeting, nay interview, remains hanging by a thread for the time being, I would like to pose here some of the possible questions I might throw at the bubbly 56-year-old senatorial candidate from Davao del Sur in the event I’ll be lucky to bump him anytime.

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Here’s some of my questions for retired General Bato:
--When you assumed as PNP director general on July 1, 2016, you reechoed the promise made by President Duterte, your No. 1 endorser, that you would arrest or neutralize all the drug lords in the Philippines in the first six months.
Records show that you failed to deliver that promise. Can you comment on this, sir?
--In tears, you vowed to resign if you can’t fulfill your promise to the Filipino people. You did tender your resignation belatedly, but President Duterte rejected it. He even extended your term as the PNP big boss.
What did you do in the remaining months that your term was extended to redeem yourself after you failed to bag the biggest crooks or the “barracudas” in illegal drug trade, who remain at large as of this writing, in the Philippines?
--After you retired as PNP director general on April 19, 2018, your patron President Duterte “gifted” you with a position as director of the Bureau of Corrections from April 30, 2018 until October 12, 2018.
In the six months that you were the big boss of the country’s biggest jail, where some of the most prominent convicted criminals, including the top drug lords, are detained, what changes--if there are some--have you introduced to improve the jail and management system in the country’s premier corrections facility that houses hundreds of hardened criminals?
--You are pushing for the restoration of death penalty, you said in your media interviews. Is your stand on this subject matter influenced by what you discovered in the Bureau of Corrections during the six months of your directorship? Do you believe that the National Bilibid Prison is over crowded and incapable of accommodating more inmates, and the only solution to this “problem” is exterminate those who have been convicted of heinous crimes?

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We already have an idea of your answer to this next question, but I must still ask this, nevertheless, in a hope that you can shed light on this very controversial issue especially now that you are “on your own” and seeking the blessings of the Filipino electorate for a very important position in the country’s highest legislature.
--Did the police engage in summary executions or extra-judicial killings (EJK) when you were the PNP director general? If your answer is NO, how do you explain the scandalous killings of thousands of suspected drug addicts in the slum areas and the murders of suspected illegal drug traffickers not yet charged formally in court?
If your answer is YES (which we know you won’t admit), will you pin the blame on the Commander in Chief, President Duterte and claim, as a defense, that you were only an underling and receiving orders as a “good soldier”? Or you will own the “command responsibility” and be open and willing to be subjected to any lawful and fair investigation?
And, if elected in the senate, are you willing to cooperate with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which investigates the cases of thousands of alleged EJK victims in the Philippines involving mostly “tambays” or poor suspected drug addicts and “small time” drug pushers?
Hoping to see you soon, General Bato.

Like Pinoys, American bets also use dirty tricks

“If you think you can slander a woman into loving you, or a man into voting for you, try it till you are satisfied.”
--Abraham Lincoln

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- When opponents of the late Ilongga Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago circulated a story that she was mentally unstable calling her a “brenda” (brain damage) when she ran for president in 1992 without showing any proof, we thought elections in the Philippines were the most obnoxious and the murkiest in the world.
It turned out the use of dirty tricks like mudslinging and slanderous media campaign advertisements appeared to be nastier in the United States compared in the Philippines.
For several weeks now, I laughed each time I saw on TV the poll advertisement “approved by” Bob Hugin, a Republican challenger for the New Jersey Senate race, accusing reelectionist Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of having sex with minor prostitutes.
It reminded me of 1998 presidential candidate Joseph “Erap” Estrada, who won nevertheless even if his rivals accused him of being a womanizer and addicted to liquors.
Hugin, a former pharmaceutical executive, has reportedly dug deep into his pocket to hammer Sen. Menendez, spending over $10 million on negative ads.
Media have reported that their tussle “has become unexpectedly close and increasingly nasty.”
Hugins’ most recent ad focuses on the most salacious details stemming from allegations against Sen. Menendez during his last re-election campaign: that he and his wealthy Florida doctor friend, Salomon Melgen, frequently hired underage prostitutes while vacationing in the Dominican Republic.
“What about the underage girls who accused you, according to the F.B.I.?” screams the TV ad that runs in the prime time.

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The allegations were reportedly made by an anonymous tipster who called himself Pete Williams, a wry reference to a former senator from New Jersey, Harrison “Pete” Williams, who was convicted in 1981 of taking bribes.
The tipster reportedly first reached out to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning legal watchdog group. The group eventually passed the allegations to the F.B.I.
The ad reportedly refers to an F.B.I. affidavit filed to show probable cause for a search warrant. In the affidavit, Special Agent Gregory J. Sheehy, recounts his attempts to investigate the tipster’s allegations.
True or not, the nasty TV campaign ad we are referring to only shows that below-the-belt attacks against political opponents are not the exclusive handiwork of Filipino politicians, who went as far as inventing stories and hiring “barkers” or radio block time anchors during the campaign period to destroy the reputation of their rivals.

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Like in the presidential elections in 2016, we will again cover the United States elections on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 which will take place in the middle of President Donald Trump's first term.
To be contested are all the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate.
At stake in the midterms elections is control of Congress, both houses of which are currently dominated by the Republicans (although the Grand Old Party holds only a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate).
Democrats are reportedly “on a roll” and are hoping to wrest enough new seats to at least regain control of the House.
They have not held both houses of the legislative branch since 2010.
The U.S. Senate has 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats (including two independents).