Ingrato!

 

“Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors?’

—Saint Basil

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I WAS disgusted when I saw on Youtube Chavit Singson and Jayke Joson saying nasty things against former world boxing champion and now presidential candidate, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao.

The first, a former governor of Ilocos Sur, belittled Pacquiao’s candidacy and predicted that the retired boxer would end up financially bankrupt if he loses in the presidential race.

The second, a movie producer, accused the 42-year-old senator of pocketing P160 million the former boxer had allegedly took as cash advance of his fee in a fight with UFC superstar Conor McGregor that never happened.

I don’t have complete details about the foiled UFC duel, and I don’t have any idea if it is true that money changed hands between Joson and Pacquiao. 

I am also not privy to the true genesis of the feud between the former governor and the former boxer.

All I know, as someone who has covered most of Pacquiao’s fights in the United States for the past 13 years, is that both Singson and Joson were always in the entourage of Team Pacquiao.

And judging from the way they treated the now presidential candidate Pacquiao, I can say, without any second thought, that both of them are ingrato.

They have no manners. 

If they have nothing good to say about their former friend, it would have been better if they shut up now that Pacquiao is a presidential candidate and is being lambasted and ridiculed by his political opponents left and right.

 

-o0o-

 

I personally witnessed how both of them benefited tremendously from Pacquiao during his salad days as a former 8-time world boxing kingpin.

Singson was never an original member of Team Pacquiao. 

He was just a fan who idolized Pacquiao as a prizefighter. 

Singson gatecrashed his way to the circle of Pacquiao, who couldn’t shoo him away because of his stature as a prominent Philippine politician.

Bob Arum once berated him like a kindergarten pupil in front of the world when he gatecrashed in the presidential table of the Pacquiao vs De La Hoya fight during our press conference at the MGM Grand. 

Joson is an eyesore in the Team Pacquiao. His presence inside the ring during the introduction of Pacquiao's fights was a big disgrace because he had no official role. He was not a trainer or a water boy. 

I know a lot of stories about this ingrate. I know why Jinkee Pacquiao once wanted to ban him from the team. 

As I said, I know a lot of things about Singson, or how he became a “member” of Team Pacquaio; and I know why Joson is one of the most hated personalities in the Team Pacquiao.

I am an eyewitness. My memory is clear.

When I start to tell my own story, many people who were with me when I covered Pacquiao’s fights in the U.S. since 2007, will definitely stop, look, and listen.

 

-o0o- 

 

Like her predecessor, resigned governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, has been sending me a regular email, which she also sent to other New Yorkers, about updates on the state’s  fight against COVID-19.

“Alex, Since Day One as governor, I’ve been committed to transparency — that means communicating openly and honestly with you. That's why starting today, I will be sending updates on our ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19 and vaccinate New Yorkers — straight to your email inbox.

Let's dive in.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S COVID TRENDS. As of October 19, 2021, there were 2,144 New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID-19. Our 7-day percentage positivity average was 2.33%, which is down from 2.53% last week.

Per the CDC, 86.2% of adult New Yorkers have at least one vaccine dose. So far, 26,412,510 total vaccine doses have been administered, and 58,380 doses were administered over the past 24 hours. 

ANNOUNCING A NEW DATA HUB. We launched a new portal that will house all of the state's data related to our COVID-19 efforts.

GETTING KIDS READY FOR THE PFIZER VACCINE. We expect authorization to come soon, as soon as November, for kids ages 5-11, and New York State is ready to go when it comes.

Parents: Make a plan now so you don't have to wait once approval comes.

The State is also working closely with schools so they can help get shots in arms.

TWO WEEKS LEFT TO VAX AND WIN. Get vaccinated and enter to win tickets, gear, and more from your favorite New York football teams.

GET YOUR FLU SHOT. Good news! You can receive your COVID vaccine and the flu shot at the same time. Get your flu shot as soon as you can. Don't forget to wear a mask and stay home if you're sick — helpful advice for avoiding COVID, too. Watch our new PSA encouraging everyone to get their flu shot.

Every week, we’re answering some commonly asked questions about COVID-19 and vaccinations.  You can submit a question for a chance to get your question answered in next week’s newsletter. Submit your question here.

QUESTION: Are COVID-19 vaccines safe for pregnant people?

ANSWER: Yes. The CDC recently released new data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant people and encourages vaccination for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future. The increased circulation of the highly contagious Delta variant, the low vaccine uptake among pregnant people, and the increased risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications related to COVID-19 infection among pregnant people make vaccination for this population more urgent than ever. 

My friends, I hope you stay safe this week. There's only one way to get out of this pandemic, and it's by working together.

Ever Upward, Governor Kathy Hochul”

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

Why city hall shouldn’t take Jun Capulot lightly

 

“Never underestimate the capacity of another human being to have exactly the same shortcomings you have.” 

--Leigh Steinberg 

 

By Alex P. Vidal 

 

WE aren’t saying that hard-hitting Iloilo broadcaster Jun Capulot is a “big threat” to the reelection bid of Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas. 

Of course not.  

In terms of organization, intellect, wealth, personality, educational attainment, experience in public service, mayoral candidate Capulot pales in comparison. 

Since Capulot doesn’t belong to a known political party, we doubt if Treñas himself is taking the gutsy radioman seriously. 

There are people in the city mayor’s circle who might think Capulot’s candidacy is a joke; therefore, it’s not worth paying attention to what he has been saying against the Treñas administration. 

They think he is just another fly in the ointment, a “nuisance” candidate who doesn’t have the capability of mounting a city-wide campaign. 

And because Capulot, in their thinking, has no political background, ergo, he has no right to instantly become city mayor.  

 

-o0o- 

 

The basic principle in any political combat is to never underestimate your opponent. 

Since the disparity between Treñas and Capulot is so glaring and nerve-tingling, we can’t blame the Treñas camp if they will ignore this principle and throw a monkey wrench on Capulot’s candidacy. 

But the more they belittle Capulot, the more that he will be emboldened to step up his campaign and give the incumbent plenty of worries. 

While Treñas appears to be “safe” from being dethroned, he may not be spared from the fusillades that would expose him to shame and humiliation, in one way or the other. 

Capulot is not a mild and harmless Mel Carreon, who can never dent Treñas’ reputation in a one-on-one showdown. 

Unlike Carreon who doesn’t verbally torture his adversaries (he had filed his candidacy for congressman, senator and even president in the past elections), Capulot is a tongue-lasher. 

His job has been to torment and lash at public officials, among other ruffians and dolts in society, even before he became a mayoral candidate Capulot. 

 

-o0o- 

 

Unlike Carreon, or any other “nuisance” bets in the local election for that matter, Capulot was active and regular broadcaster before he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for city mayor in the May 9, 2022 election. 

And he is battle-scarred, having sparred for 20 or more rounds against some of the most dangerous underworld heavyweights like the late suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta alyas Dragon and his deadly minions in the illegal drugs and other illegal activities, and emerged unscathed. 

In other words, Capulot has cemented his reputation as having “feared no one” in his death-defying crusades.  

And “he has nothing to lose, but always has everything to gain” since he isn’t really a career politician or somebody who needs to protect vast business and political empires. 

Until today, he has no qualms in admitting he has no college degree and doesn’t own a piece of property, thus his opponents, political and otherwise, are clambering in utter confusion to locate his Achilles heel to smash him to smithereens. 

 

-o0o- 

 

While dyed-in-the-wool politicians hire “blocktime” radio propagandists to smear their rivals during the election campaign, Capulot doesn’t need one as he himself can singlehandedly pull the trigger that would place a rival, in this case Treñas, in a difficult defensive mood. 

In fact, even if Capulot doesn’t spend a single centavo for a “blocktime” program, he has been reportedly effective, so far, in lambasting the Treñas administration in his Facebook “live” commentaries that have generated thousands of viewers. 

The “expose” Capulot has unleashed in his bombastic Facebook tirades may not be enough to sink Treñas’ titanic, but, somehow, it will, in one way or the other, change the way some Ilonggos regard the city mayor in terms of invincibility and being “immaculate.”  

Thus, even if Capulot can’t convince barangay officials and a large fraction of the electorate to rally behind him in his attempt to topple Treñas, he can reduce Treñas’ reelection win into a “Pyrrhic victory”, or an election success that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it will be tantamount to defeat.  

A Pyrrhic victory, like an election win, will take a heavy toll that negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress. 

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

Double standard

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." — ELIE WIESEL 

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF we steal two hens or peanut butter and bread and we get caught, we will be hauled off to jail like El Lute, Spain's most wanted criminal in the 60's. 

If the likes of Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Tito Sotto, backers of COVID-19 major “money maker” Pharmally steal hundreds of millions of pesos from the taxpayers and get caught, they are awarded with movie contracts, get to smile while doing privilege speeches, and hailed as heroes.  

This is the face of the double standard of justice in the Philippines. 

Only small fries get bamboozled; the barracudas and reptiles always get away with murder!

On TV, radio and newspapers we regularly monitor street waifs and juveniles being pummeled with police truncheons and locked in overcrowded jails for robbery and other petty crimes. 

But our SIN-nators and representa-THIEVES, our thick-faced politicians, who plundered and impoverished the nation, get only a rap in the knuckles.

 

-o0o-

 

Only in the Philippines where criminals hide under the mantle of "immunity from suits"; where dolts in government can tilt the justice on their own favor by using backdoor influence and arm-twisting tactics like threats and bribery.

Only in the Philippines where powerful politicians live in lavish lifestyles like Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette; where large scale thievery and debauchery involving public coffer is tolerated like a simple jaywalking misdemeanor; where an ordinary man gets a raw deal if he violates the law or happens to cross path with the mighty and famous.

 

-o0o-

 

A deprived and hungry Filipino foraging for food and seeking equal treatment of social justice in this benighted land is the equivalent of El Lute or Eleuterio Sanchez Rodriguez.

Once listed as Spain's "most wanted" criminal, El Lute, an illiterate peasant, was sentenced to death for armed robbery and for a murder he did not commit in 1965. He fought his conviction and maintained his innocence while in military custody thus his sentence was commuted to 30 years in a military prison.

He became an urban legend, people sympathized with him because the crimes he committed were "peanuts" compared to the rapacity of the oligarchs in their land who were never prosecuted despite their notoriety.

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

 

 

Pinoys patronize New York sidewalk barbecue

 

 “Comfort is key for a barbecue.”

—Ashley Madekwe

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NEW YORK CITY — YOU name them, the Chinese male vendor, maintaining a sidewalk barbecue stand at Queen’s Elmhurst community, has them.

From lamb, chicken, chicken wings, chicken gizzard, flammulina, chivas, eggplant, squid, quail, beef, pork, fish tofu, lobster ball, roasted corn, sheep waist, frog  legs, shrimp, cow backstraps, gluten, lamb tendon, pork tendon, sausage. 

It’s a veritable smorgasbord of ready to cook meat, animal intestines, seafoods.

Prices per stick varies. Quail is the most “expensive” at $4.50 followed by sheep waist at $4. Frog legs is next at $3.50. Others are priced from the “cheapest” $1.75 to $2.25, $2.50 and $2.75.

All the while, we thought a barbecue stand can be available only in the Philippine slums and downtown sidewalks.

But we have it here in New York.

 

-o0o-

 

“This place is one of a kind,” beamed Hai, half Filipino and half Vietnamese, who is a regular habitue and customer. “There is no other place in the United States where Filipinos or other races, for that matter, can gather and spend precious time together while enjoying the barbecue.”

“Parang nasa Pilipinas lang tayo (It’s like we are in the Philippines),” quipped Jimmy, a former seaman, who has lived in the community for 30 years.

The barbecue stand is located on corner Elmhurst and Broadway Avenues adjacent to the U.S. Market, a budget meat, fish and household grocery in the back and Walgreens, a chain outlet that specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, and photo services, in the front.

It’s a stone throw away from the Moore Homestead Playground and a five-minute walk to the Elmhurst Hospital Center.

 

-o0o- 

 

The barbecue stand virtually “competes” with popular oriental restaurants nearby, including Malaysian, Columbian, Tibetian, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, but offers affordable and easy to pick and eat barbecue pieces held together by a skewer or wood stick.

“Mura na ito (it’s actually affordable),” sighed Jun “Tawa” Galinea, a community resident.

Barbecue is slow-cooked and smoked over indirect heat often in a pit,  with the flavor of wood smoke an essential component.

Though barbecue is best known today as the comfort food of the South, the term apparently comes from the native Haitian Arawakan word barbakoa, meaning a framework of sticks—on which meat was traditionally placed to be cooked—adapted by the Spanish as "barbacoa."

Perhaps because of the abundance of large social and religious gatherings there, this smoky technique reportedly became particularly popular in the South. 

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

 

‘Papa’s girl’

“Some people ask me whether I'm a 'mama's girl' or a 'papa's girl.' I'm nobody's girl. My brother clings to our parents; I'm the one shoving them out the door.”

--Hayden Panettiere

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE will know whether Inday Sara Carpio is an independent woman or a “papa’s girl” on or before November 15, the deadline for the substitution of candidates in the May 9, 2022 Philippine election.

If she will substitute for PDP-Laban presidential candidate Bato dela Rosa as most political observers are anticipating, there will be no question that Mayor Carpio is also under the beck and call of her daddy Digong, just like Senator Bato and Senator Bong Go and other political duckpins in the Duterte administration.

If she becomes presidential candidate Carpio on November 15 after a repeated denial, daddy Digong’s face will be etched on her political face forever. 

If she will ignore the sirens, who charm the winds and lure nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices, and continue with her “commitment” to run for reelection in Davao City, Mayor Carpio will not only gain my respect, I will also campaign for her if she decides to run for president in the future.

Credibility is non-negotiable.

And Mayor Carpio still has it now.

 

-o0o-

 

The Doubting Thomases, who think the Duterte father and daughter are only using Messieurs Bato and Go as smokescreens for their political zarzuela or the daughter’s presidential aspirations, will eat their words once Mayor Carpio will not show up in the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-designated area for the filing of substitution on or before November 15.

That means Mayor Carpio isn’t only credible but is also reliable and someone who has the palabra de honor.

But if she “changes her mind” in the eleventh hour (just like what daddy Digong did in 2016) because “only fools don’t change their minds” as her would be defense and substitute for Senator Bato as anticipated by most political observers, that splendid “credibility” will instantly burst like bubbles.

The voters can sometimes be stupid, but they don’t forget.

How can they forget Mayor Carpio’s heroic soliloquy that she “isn’t interested to run for president” because she is “more interested” to seek reelection for city mayor?

 

-o0o-

 

“Tops the survey” press release campaign tactic by some candidates will have no match versus the “trolls” or those who leave intentionally provocative or offensive messages on the internet or social media in order to get attention.

Trolls are reportedly being paid by moneyed politicians with more emphasis on destroying their rivals than to promoting the paying politicians. 

The use of trolls became effective when Mr. Duterte won the presidency in 2016.

Mr. Duterte became even more invincible and popular when he occupied the Malacanang allegedly because he had been buttressed by the trolls.  

While “(name of politician or candidate) tops the survey” press release has been a traditional election strategy to condition the people’s minds, trolls mislead and misinform the people.

More people nowadays are reportedly spending time in the social media platforms than those reading, watching, and listening to the news, music and entertainment in the mainstream media.

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

  

 

Public office is a public trust, not a cookie jar

“No man should be in public office who can’t make more money in private  life.”

--Thomas Dewey

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NO one will admit that he wants to be part of government chiefly because, if given the opportunity, he will enrich himself—especially if he holds a powerful elective and even appointive position.

They are always “motivated by a strong desire to serve the people and improve their lives.”

They always “hate graft and corruption in government and we will eradicate it and help the poor” if elected or appointed.

Any position in government can be a source of temptation. 

Many honest characters who enter the government service sometimes end up as rapacious grafters if not plunderers.

As the saying goes, no one walks a saint in public service. 

From sheep to wolves; from worms to snakes; from goats to elephants; from fish to crocodiles and sharks.

 

-o0o-

 

But most candidates in the election, in order to convince the voters, always pride themselves to be paragons of public service; that they are sincere and “willing to make an ultimate sacrifice for the people.”

They will keep their cards close to their chest and will not reveal their malevolent hidden agenda.

Once they are in power, they forget the fundamental reason why they are there in the first place. 

They steal left and right like there is no next lunar eclipse and demand 10 to 15 percent from shady contractors and suppliers.

From thousands, they are tempted to go higher in their money-making schemes at the expense of the taxpayers.

Once the opportunity presents itself, they will stop at nothing until they steal millions.

Let us remind them that a public office is a public trust, not a cookie jar.

That they cannot escape from the karmic justice.

 

-o0o-

 

 

IF there is a Poison Ivy, an allergenic Asian and Eastern North American flowering plant in the genus Toxicodendron, there’s also a “Poison Isko.”

The former is a plant, the latter is a politician—a traditional one pretending to be political rock star.

“Poison Isko” used to be an icon in the local government because of his head-turning and trailblazing track record as mayor of the country’s capital city. 

But this was before he shocked his admirers when he launched his presidential bid. 

People thought he was the Real McCoy in Manila City; that he will never abandon Manila after he has started to bring it back to its old glory step by step no matter how tempting was the prodding from the false prophets who had mesmerized him with misleading and obnoxious adulations that caused his head to swell.

As a result, he has been labeled as a poisonous object in next year’s presidential election.

He will “poison” the candidacy not of Vice President Leni Robredo, but of Bongbong Marcos because he admires Bongbong’s father, the late dictator President Ferdinand Marcos, and he had announced it for all the world to know.

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

Vote for the lunatics

 

“What can you do against the lunatic who is more intelligent than yourself, who gives your arguments a fair hearing and then simply persists in his lunacy?”

—George Orwell

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

DURING the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy (COC) on October 1-8 for the May 9, 2022 Philippine election, we saw how characters with terrible levels of mental deformity were allowed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to file their COCs like they were normal persons.

They grabbed headlines and were the center of attraction.

It’s because of the loopholes in our electoral system. 

In our decrepit system, even the bloodsuckers and voodoo practitioners can run for president—and “get away with it.”

While we laughed at the nuisance candidates who were in a mad scramble to beat the filing of COC, the world laughed at us.

People around the world monitored what’s going on in the Philippines with or without the election—and how we allowed rascals and weirdos to join the election.

The joke is actually on us normal people, not with the COC document-toting clowns and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-type poll applicants. 

It’s only in the Philippines where lunatics and characters with delusions of grandeur managed (or were allowed?) to join the electoral process as candidates.

We laughed while listening to them justifying their COCs before a national TV and other media platforms, but we haven’t done anything to correct this international shame, which had occurred like old TCM channel movies for several elections in the past.

 

-o0o-

 

We strongly push for a legislation to require every election candidate to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation or examination before their Certificates of Candidacy (COC) can be approved by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Those who are found to be unfit should be rejected right away.

The primary qualifications shouldn’t be just a college degree for higher offices, but more specifically stability of mental health for the candidates.

A person who holds a false belief has delusion. If he is an election candidate, he will contradict reality or what is commonly considered true. 

The strength of a delusion is based on how much the person believes it.

As we had emphasized in the past, no candidate thinks he will lose in the Philippine election.

If he loses fair and square, he thinks he was robbed. 

He doesn’t believe he will lose and his sick mind has conditioned him to only win. 

The caveat is he’ll be a pain in the ass for the entire nation if he loses. He will file a protest and create a mayhem once his followers believe his false fantasy hook, line, and sinker.

 

-o0o-

 

Health authorities admit delusions of grandeur can be difficult to identify “because the person having them believes the delusion to be true.”

Also, delusions can be hard to distinguish from what is called an “overvalued idea,” or a belief a person has that isn’t totally accurate, but isn’t exactly a delusion, either, according to Healthline.

A delusion of grandeur specifically is a person’s belief that they are someone other than who they are, such as a supernatural figure or a celebrity. 

A delusion of grandeur may also be a belief that they have special abilities, possessions, or powers.

Delusions are generally the result of a mental health disorder, explained Healthline.

However, not all people with delusions meet the full diagnostic criteria for any mental health disorder.

Many types of mental health disorders classified as psychotic disorders can lead to delusions. Healthline said these include: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, dementia, delirium, major depressive disorder with psychotic features.

 

-o0o-

 

Psychotic disorders can change a person’s sense of reality. 

They may be unable to tell what is real and what is not.

Healthline has identified four main characteristics of delusion:

The person having the belief believes it to be true, even when the existing norm and other people know it to be untrue.

The person having the delusion will not listen to any other viewpoints about the belief and will not consider change when evidence challenges the delusion.

The content of the delusion is reportedly impossible or implausible for the delusion impacts the person’s daily life.

We personally notice these abnormal characteristics in at least four presidential candidates and in two vice presidential candidates. 

We will be flooded with names here if we will include those running for senator and candidates for the lower house, governor, vice governor, mayor, vice mayor and local council.

If the Comelec, or the legislature for that matter, can’t correct the loopholes in the qualification of candidates, time will come the Filipinos will elect public officials or local and national leaders who should be in the mental hospital, not in Malacanang, Capitol, City Hall.

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