Words of sympathy and condemnation no effect

 

“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.”

— Abraham Lincoln

 

By Alex P. Vidal

EVEN if the the whole universe will declare “in support of the Philippines” each time our resupply vessels are blasted by water cannons from the Chinese Coast Guard ship, the bullying at Ayungin Shoal will continue.  

Even if the United States and the European Union and other sympathetic countries around the world will condemn China’s aggression in the disputed sea each time another RP ship is ambushed by water cannons, the nightmare at sea for the Filipinos will not end.

Even if the United Nations will reprimand and warn China for the never-ending harassment of our ships supplying food and personnel in a military outpost on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, and recently causing a “major damage” to the ship, we expect to see a repeat of the water cannon attack in the future.

It seems the declarations of support and condemnation coming from all over the world have no effect and not the solution to the Ayungin Shoal standoff.

It’s about time the Philippines fended itself and stopped hoping for a miracle solution from mere “statements of support and condemnation.” 

-o0o-

US FOR RP ANEW. According to the United States Department of State, “the United States stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the dangerous actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea on March 23.”  

In an email sent to this writer March 23, Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said, “PRC ships’ repeated employment of water cannons and reckless blocking maneuvers resulted in injuries to Filipino service members and significant damage to their resupply vessel, rendering it immobile.”  

The PRC’s actions prevent normal personnel rotations and deprive Filipino service members at Second Thomas Shoal of necessary provisions, Miller explained. 

“This incident marks only the latest in the PRC’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and disruption of supply lines to this longstanding outpost,” the spokesman added.

The PRC’s actions are destabilizing to the region and show clear disregard for international law.  

According to an international tribunal’s legally binding decision issued in July 2016, the PRC has no lawful maritime claims to the waters around Second Thomas Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal is a low tide feature clearly within the Philippines exclusive economic zone.  

As provided under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, the 2016 arbitral decision is final and legally binding on the PRC and the Philippines, and the United States calls upon the PRC to abide by the ruling and desist from its dangerous and destabilizing conduct.

“The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft–including those of its Coast Guard–anywhere in the South China Sea,” Miller concluded.

-o0o-

ATOMS CANNOT BE SEEN. To show that the world was made of particles a million times smaller than objects visible to the naked eye was so difficult that their existence was not established beyond reasonable doubt until the end of the nineteenth century.

EMPTY CUP. Each day is full of reasons to praise God, even when life seems empty of comfort or joy. It's when our cups are empty that God fills them up. My cup was empty yesterday but this morning, it was filled up.

(PG 13) 38 percent of men have no problem leaping from one relationship to the next. Only 19 percent of women can handle the quick switch. (FHM)

(PG 13) 67 percent of women don't want a partner who has already had lots of partners. (Petra)

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

 

 

‘Jamjam Baronda will run for reelection100 percent’

“I think I might as well give up being a candidate. There are so many people in the country who don't like me.”

— William Howard Taft

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE won’t speculate until hearing Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda (National Unity Party) make an official announcement herself whether she will seek a third and final term or step aside to pave the way for the chirpy Raisa Maria Lourdes Treñas-Chu or Raisa Treñas, daughter of Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas.

“But Congresswoman Jamjam (Rep. Julienne Baronda) will run 100 percent, Alex,” a former punong barangay from Mandurriao district currently active in city hall politics informed us. “While Jerry (Mayor Geronimo Treñas) was busy selling hard Raisa to barangay leaders to be the probable candidate (for congress), Congresswoman Jamjam was busy going around the different barangays silently.”

The former punong barangay, who have relatives holding appointive positions in City Hall, said “members of the entire Baronda family have been busy moving around, too, fueling speculations Congresswoman Jamjam isn’t throwing the white flag yet contrary to what others are thinking.”    

A senior lady political observer, meanwhile, told this writer, “I still like Jamjam kay nagayuhum siya kag ginakamusta sang mga tawo. Si Raisa iya daw gina pilit lang ang yuhum. One time I was introduced to both Raisa and Jay (former city councilor Jay Treñas, 2013 to 2022) daw wala gani gana mag sapak sa imo. Gina pilit lang ni Jeeree bata ya pero sa charisma pierdihon sia ni Jamjam.”

(I still like Jamjam because she smiled while the people shook her hands. Raisa could hardly smile naturally. When I was introduced to both Raisa and Jay Treñas once, they seemed lukewarm to me. Jerry is only pushing for his daughter but in terms of charisma, Jamjam is a lot better.)

The senior lady political observer, a retired government employee, added, “May pondo na si Jamjam (Rep. Julienne Baronda) naka duha na siya ka term. May organization naman sia. Indi ina basta lang nga maatras siya. I believe she will run again even against Raisa.”

(Jamjam now has the financial resources having serve already for two terms. She also has the organization. It’s not easy for her to just decide not to seek reelection. I believe she will run again against Raisa.)

 

-o0o-

           

All the Ilonggos have heard and read about the issue, so far, was Treñas’ breezy announcement in a press conference attended by Raisa and Uswag partylist Rep. James “Jojo” Ang more than a week ago that the city mayor’s brief meeting with Baronda had “averted what could have been an ugly encounter” in the next election.

Treñas was trying to tell all and sundry he was able to somehow “neutralize” the reticent Baronda who even reportedly thanked him for supporting the lady solon in her two previous successful congressional clashes against the late Atty. Joshua Alim and Dr. Perla Zulueta in 2019, and former mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa in 2022.

In the same breath, Treñas revealed “at least 100 percent of the barangay captains” have given their assurances to support Raisa, who holds a degree in economics and has been working alongside Ang in various community outreach programs advocated by Uswag partylist.  

After reading my article about Raisa as being a potential “Iloilo political star,” another former punong barangay in Jaro assured this writer in a private message, “Raisa is really good.”

A former city hall department chief who is now a corporate executive, said, “Raisa is slightly ahead when she and (Representative) Jamjam will debate, but let’s admit it, (Representative) Jamjam is more charismatic. When it comes to campaign funds and organization, the political kingmaker, of course, is way ahead.”

The die is cast in as far as the complete lineup is concerned for the 2025 local election from representative (Raisa)-city mayor (Treñas)-vice mayor (Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon) and “most of the incumbent city councilors,” according to the city mayor.

Will Rep. Baronda, 45, defy her erstwhile political sponsor and risk angering the City Hall demigods?

As the saying goes, it ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings. 

 

-o0o-

 

SMOKER? If we are a smoker, we know that this habit can be hard to kick. If we have been thinking of quitting or have tried before, let's not give up. It is never too late. Let's take advantage of the options available. People who make a plan and get support can succeed.

LET'S CUT OUR CALORIES by doing these simple things: Using skim or 1 percent milk instead of whole 2 percent; choosing water-packed tuna instead of tuna in oil; using "light" or fat-free or dried fruit instead of chips or candy; trimming fat and skin from meats; having one half cup of rice or pasta instead of 1 cup; skipping dessert.

Let's eat colorful fruits and veggies daily for a delicious way to get our vitamins: ORANGE--sweet potatoes, mango, carrots. PURPLE--grape juice, eggplant, plums. Red fruits and veggies may help reduce the risk for several types of cancer. Let's try cranberries, tomatoes, beets, and berries.

PUNISHMENT. Men were taxed as a punishment for having sex with animals in Ancient Rome.

NORMAL SEX LIFE. In Paris in 1977, microsurgeons managed to sew back the penis and testicles of a young man who had castrated himself in a schizoid fit. Apart from being sterile, the patient was later capable of a normal sex life.

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

Alex P. Vidal Quotes

The one person I am with forever is me. My relationship with myself is eternal, so I choose to be my own best friend. I choose to love and accept myself and talk to myself as I would to a beloved person in my life. I saturate all the cells in my body with love, and they become vibrantly healthy. I relate with love to all of life.

-- UNKNOWN :

We have been taught to love our neighbors as Christians. Let's also teach ourselves the art of self love. It's not selfishness and greed. It's rational selfishness that revs up and solidifies our inner strength, self worth, and self confidence.

-- ALEX P. VIDAL #alexpvidalquotes

Alex P. Vidal Quotes

 

Don’t fall for someone who is not willing to catch you.

—THINKNSHINE :

Some of those who are willing and always ready to catch us are true friends and loved ones who will never let us fall in the first place.

—ALEX P. VIDAL #alexpvidalquotes

It’s OK to flare up, don’t feel guilty

“Speak when you are angry, and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.”

 —Laurence J. Peter

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

LIKE the Filipino teacher in the now deactivated viral TikTok clip, some principals and college deans also lose their tempers and act like Haiti gangsters inside the classrooms and faculty meetings from time to time. 

I personally know some of these characters and even watched while they literally ran berserk.

Since no outsider has witnessed the fracases, there’s no earthshaking reaction from any non-teaching staff and personnel, students and even parents. No public outcry whatsoever.

The only difference as we emphasized in our previous article is that these seemingly abnormal behaviors by the educators and other bigwigs in the learning institutions were never posted on the social media or TikToked “live.” Hence, no hostile and knee jerk reaction from the netizens.

In police stations, army barracks, editorial rooms, radio station booths, PTA (Parents and Teachers Association) meetings, corporate board meetings, City Hall and Capitol conferences, vendors association gatherings, and church choir orientations, prayer rallies, among other crowded assemblies, there are uncanny and unappetizing outbursts from the speakers, CEOs, religious and political leaders, managers and other persons in authority who aren’t happy or satisfied with their underlings’ performance and efficiency.

 

-o0o-

 

Every now and then someone powerful or holding higher positions in any organization or institution flares up and calls someone names; managers, politicians, parish priests, club presidents act worse than the teacher in the viral TikTok video that became the talk of the nation for a while until Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio “pardoned” her rant in front of the students saying “she’s only human.”    

Their volcanic eruptions have escaped scrutiny from public and netizens because, we repeat, they were never “advertised” or posted on the social media for the world to watch.

Many of us may have grown up thinking that it's always okay to act out our anger aggressively or violently. So we didn't learn how to understand and manage our angry feelings. 

This could mean we have angry outbursts whenever we don't like the way someone or the whole class is behaving. Or whenever we are in a situation we don't like.

We may have been brought up to believe that we shouldn't complain. We may have been punished for expressing anger as a child. 

 

-o0o-

 

This could mean that we tend to suppress our anger. If we don't feel release our anger in a healthy way, it can become a long-term problem. If we are not comfortable with new situations, our reaction to them might be out of place or ill-fitting. Or we might turn this anger inwards on ourselves.

We may have witnessed our parents' or other adults' anger when it was out of control. And learned to think of anger as something that is always destructive and terrifying. This could mean that we now feel afraid of our own anger. 

And we don't feel safe expressing our feelings when something makes us angry. Those feelings might then surface at another unconnected time. This may feel hard to explain.

 

-o0o-

 

I received an email May 21 from the New York City Health+Hospitals warning bout colon cancer which is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths in New York City. 

“It is most often found in people over the age of 45 years. Early in the disease, there may be no symptoms. So, you may not know you have it,” the email informed.

“The good news is that colon cancer screenings can find cancer early, when it is easier to treat. At NYC Health + Hospitals, our doctors are ready to help you find the colon cancer screening that is right for you.”

The rest of the email thus stated: Screening. There are two main types of screening. Talk to your doctor about which screening test is right for you.

Colonoscopies - This is a procedure in which a flexible instrument with a camera at the tip is inserted through the anus in order to examine the lining of the colon. If lesions are found, the doctor can remove them at the same time.

Fecal immunochemical test or FIT test – This is a test that looks for hidden blood in the stool which can be an early sign of cancer. The stool sample is collected at home and is processed in the lab. If blood is found in your stool, you may, then, need to have a colonoscopy.

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

Iloilo’s future political star

 

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

— Dwight D. Eisenhower

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

PRESUMPTIVE future lady solon Raisa Treñas should start showing the Ilonggo voters that she is her own woman despite being publicly endorsed by her dad, Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas, to be the next representative in the lone district of Iloilo City vice current Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda (granting Baronda won’t seek reelection on her own and still win in the next election).

How? By starting to meet the press in conferences frequently and making her presence felt in major gatherings and public events even without the presence of her father. 

Also, by giving speeches in educational and cultural institutions, barangay conclaves, economic gabs, and logging more exposure in the mass and social media.

In a most recent press conference where the city mayor announced his political separation from Baronda and formally introduced the political plans of Raisa (Mrs. Raisa Maria Lourdes Treñas-Chu), the daughter, a degree holder in economics, showed the potential of being a good speaker. She was confident, calm and focused. 

The job of a legislator is a job of a good speaker and a thinker to boot. When a lawmaker sponsors a certain bill, he or she has to defend it in a deliberation or floor debate. 

Lawmakers who can’t debate or adamant to debate are normally mocked as “members of the committee on silence.”

Because the press conference with her father and Uswag partylist Rep. James “Jojo” Ang was more about announcement of a major political breakup between two political behemoths in Iloilo City, Raisa or Mrs. Treñas-Chu wasn’t given ample time to talk. 

Not all sons and daughters of seasoned politicians are gifted and possessed the qualities of good leaders like their outstanding parents.

Judging from the way she spoke the young and vibrant Mrs. Treñas-Chu could be the next political star to come out from the Visayas. 

 

-o0o-

 

MARCOS-BLINKEN MEETING. The below is attributable to US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., March 19 in Manila, the Philippines.  Secretary Blinken and President Marcos emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Philippine Alliance to security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and underscored their shared commitment to upholding international law in the South China Sea.

Secretary Blinken and President Marcos noted the recent successful Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to Manila, the signing of a civil nuclear cooperation “123” agreement during APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in San Francisco, and additional initiatives underway to foster cooperation in support of our shared economic priorities, including on semiconductors, clean energy, digital economy, and infrastructure.

The Secretary and President Marcos looked forward to upcoming high-level events to strengthen our bilateral ties, including the meeting between Presidents Marcos and Biden in April in Washington, DC. 

They welcomed the first trilateral leaders’ summit between the United States, the Philippines, and Japan, also to be  vheld in Washington in April. 

The Secretary and President Marcos also discussed efforts to promote respect for human rights and strengthen democratic institutions.

 

-o0o-

 

According to experts in environment, the following are some of the ways in which man has upset nature’s balance and reduced our supplies of natural wealth:

1. Destruction of vast forest areas. Enormous quantities of lumber were taken from our forests for buildings, furniture, fuel, and other useful purposes.

But because of the apparent abundance of forests, lumbering practices were very wasteful. Little heed was given to the replanting of trees to keep our forests producing for the future.

2. Destruction of wildlife. When forests are cut away, the homes of countless animals are destroyed, and these animals die.

The balance of nature has been upset at a vital point, and entire species may vanish as a result.

Added to this is the effect of needless trapping and shooting of animals for sport.

Examples of species made extinct or nearly extinct by man most particularly in America are: American bison (buffalo), antelope, passenger pigeon.

3. Reckless use of farmlands. Nature’s orderly processes keep soils permanently fertile.

But when man’s sole interest is to extract the maximum crop from his farm each year, regardless of the consequences, the soil soon loses its essential minerals and cannot support plant life at all. The soil, moreover, loosened and laid bare by the planting and harvesting of a single crop, and the wind and the rain easily carry it away.

4. Overgrazing of pasture lands. Sheep- and cattle-raisers, through lack of planning and foresight, have pastured their animals on the same land year after year.

Here, too, the result has been to lay bare the soil, so that it falls victim to erosion.

5. Pollution of streams. The dumping of sewage and industrial wastes into streams and rivers makes these waters unhealthy for water life.

The result is the destruction of large numbers of fish, oysters, and other valuable organisms.

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

We have the right to sue onion-skinned politicians

“I always try to tell a good story, one with a compelling plot that will keep the pages turning. That is my first and primary goal. Sometimes I can tackle an issue-homelessness, tobacco litigation, insurance fraud, the death penalty-and wrap a good story around it.”

— John Grisham

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

A TIT for a tat.

I am very much inspired by Supreme Court 1st Judicial District in New York Judge Robert R. Reed’s ruling for former U.S. President Donald Trump to pay $392,000 to The New York Times to cover the legal costs from his failed lawsuit against the newspaper and its journalists over a 2018 investigation into his finances that included confidential tax records.

If the Philippine courts could make the same ruling, those who attempted to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists would have been punished like Mr. Trump.

Onion-skinned Filipino politicians, including appointed public officials, police, military officers, and the corrupt and incompetent prosecutors in cahoots with these politicians, should be ordered to pay journalists for the legal costs and damages if they can’t prove their claim they have been libeled or maligned by the press people they hauled in court.

This is one way of giving our tormentors and harassers a dose of their own medicine and teach them a lesson to stop acting like demigods and holy cows while in public offices and receiving salaries and pelfs from the taxpayers.

No professional journalist will criticize erring public officials with intention to malign or destroy the public officials’ reputation unless he or she is a pseudo-journalist, an extortionist or one who practices ACDC (attack and collect and defend and collect) style.

Journalists—or members of the Fourth Estate, the media practitioners—exist because the government exists. Our No. 1 job prescriptions are to inform, educate and criticize, not to destroy or propagate mayhem.

  

-o0o-

 

I included the “corrupt prosecutors” because of personal experiences and overwhelming evidence and circumstances. 

When an ignorant city politician filed libel cases against the editorial staff of the Sun.Star Iloilo Daily led by the late publisher Marcos Villalon and yours truly as editor-in-chief in 1999 that romped off over a factual story written by columnist Wenceslao Mateo followed by a series of blind items written by contributors whose identities I have vowed to protect until this day (unless I was compelled by the court to name them in a fair and honest trial), some of the “corrupt and incompetent prosecutors” tossed everything—including the kitchen sink—to the trial court.

None of the whimsical and waggish cases prospered; they were all simultaneously dismissed by the competent trial courts in different branches. 

Mr. Trump was ordered to pay the money in January, more than eight months after Judge Reed granted the Times’ motion to dismiss the case against it and its journalists, concluding the journalists’ conduct was protected by the New York Constitution.

Among the claims that Mr. Trump brought against the publication was the accusation that the journalists were liable for “tortious interference” in how they allegedly sought out his niece and caused her to allegedly breach a 2001 settlement contract with the Trump family.

 

-o0o-

 

Authored by David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, the reporting series went on to win the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting.

In 2023, the judge said he was dismissing the claim against the Times “because The Times’ purpose in reporting on a story of a high public interest constitutes justification as a matter of law.”

The judge pointed to recent amendments made to New York’s so-called anti-SLAPP law—which provides a mechanism for defendants to seek quick dismissal of lawsuits that target conduct protected by the First Amendment—in explaining why he was ordering the dismissal of the defendants and the payment of their attorneys’ fees.

A CNN report quoted the publication’s spokesman on February 26, 2024 calling the anti-SLAPP statute as a “powerful force for protecting press freedom.”

“This decision shows that the state’s newly amended anti-SLAPP statute can be a powerful force for protecting press freedom,” Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement, as quoted by CNN. “The court has sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists.”

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