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)

 

Just like war coverage

 

“You can’t get anywhere in life without taking risks.”

—Esme Bianco

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

REPORTERS who risk their lives and limbs covering the actual devastation of typhoons, fires and earthquakes are like reporting about the war in the battlefield.

There is a high level of risk and danger; the possibility of getting injured and maimed during the actual coverage is always clear and present.

When they leave their homes, there is a possibility that war correspondents may not be able to come home alive.

Just like the soldiers who are aware their other foot is in the cemetery when they mount their refiles and engage the enemy.

Reporters covering the calamities in the field could also suffer life-threatening injuries and even death. Mishaps always occur. Landslides and flying debris are as deadly as the stray bullets, bombs, and armalite ammunition.

I remember one incident in Pototan, Iloilo in 1987 where a radio reporter was electrocuted and died on the spot while his colleague was badly injured and lost his arm. While reporting “live” the antenna of the reporter’s walkie talkie touched a live wire connected to the electric post.

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 65 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2020 while doing their jobs.

The victims, however, weren’t hit by flying G.I. sheets or burnt and swept away by floods and landslides.

The were killed in 16 different countries during targeted attacks, bomb attacks and crossfire incidents. And this is another sordid story that saddens Filipino journalists.

 

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Why is the Philippine peso has been rapidly declining against the US dollar these past weeks?

Not only is the peso unusually weak over time, it is also now the weakest in ASEAN, economic analyst JC Punongbayan asserted.

In the past two years, other ASEAN currencies—like the Thai baht, Malaysian ringgit, and Singaporean dollar—have even strengthened significantly against the US dollar, he said.

Punongbayan stressed that this separation or “decoupling” of the peso from other ASEAN currencies suggests that factors peculiar to the Philippine economy are causing its weakness.

He said some analysts like to blame the interest rate hikes of the US Federal Reserve (simply called the Fed), which tend to attract investments into the US.

As investors in the Philippines haul off their investments to the US, investors exchange their pesos for dollars, flooding the local market with pesos and reducing its relative value.

In other words, Punongbayan explained, Fed rate hikes tend to weaken the peso.

“But this could hardly be the main reason behind the peso’s weakness today: the Fed rate has been rising since late 2016, yet other ASEAN currencies have managed to strengthen against the dollar,” he stressed.

“Hence, the peso’s decoupling must be due to factors peculiar to the Philippines. Here I elaborate on 3 likely reasons: a widening trade deficit, weak OFW remittances, and some degree of capital flight.”

The Economist’s Big Mac Index is based on the theory of purchasing power parity (PPP), which states that in the long run, the exchange rates of any two economies should move towards the rate that would equalize the prices of an identical basket of goods.

 

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THREE MAJOR REASONS WHY PEOPLE GET OLDER QUICKLY. ABC news has released a study made by experts listing three major reasons why some people are getting older quickly:

1. Smoking

2. Over exposed to sunlight

3. Divorce

Another study shows the average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade.

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

 

 

I ‘missed’ Liza Marcos in Broadway

 

“We are living in the excesses of freedom. Just take a look at 42nd Street and Broadway.”

—Will Durant

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

SOMEBODY had tipped this writer Philippine First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos would be in the Broadway to watch either “The Lion King” or “The Phantom of the Opera” on September 19, the night after she and Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. arrived in New York City on September 18 for the 77^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77).

“The Lion King” was at the Minskoff Theater on 200 W 45^th Street, while “The Phantom of the Opera” was at the Majestic Theater on 245 W 44^th Street.

Since September 18 was my birthday, I opted to be in the $281 per ticket “Phantom of the Opera” show, seen by 80 million people around the world and the longest running Broadway musical since its premiere 1986, on September 19.

The informant later said First Lady Araneta-Marcos “couldn’t make it” as she was book on September 21 for the “Into the Woods” show at the St. James Theater on 246 W 44^th Street.

I watched the “The Phantom of the Opera” show at 8 o’clock in the evening.

Liza Marcos watched the “Into the Woods” at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, according to the informant, who covered the UNGA77 for a Philippine network.

And never the twain shall meet.

 

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Anyway, I had a very good reason to be in the “The Phantom of the Opera” show.

I could have been part of history now and I may not anymore watch it in the future. The show will soon bid goodbye for good.

The longest-running show in Broadway history and, for many, a symbol of musical theater, will drop its famous chandelier for the last time in February, becoming the latest show to fall victim to the drop-off in audiences since the pandemic hit, according to the New York Times.

The closing is at once long-expected—no show runs forever, and this one’s grosses have been softening—but also startling, because “Phantom” had come to seem like a permanent part of the Broadway landscape, a period piece and a tourist magnet that stood apart from the vicissitudes of the commercial theater marketplace, explained the New York Times.

But in the year since Broadway returned from its damaging pandemic lockdown, the theatergoing audience has not fully rebounded, and “Phantom,” which came back strong last fall, has not been selling well enough to defray its high weekly running costs.

The show will commemorate its 35th anniversary in January, and then will play its final performance on Broadway on Feb. 18, according to a spokesman.

The cast, crew and orchestra were informed of the decision on September 16.

 

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The show will reportedly continue to run elsewhere: The London production, which is even older than the one in New York, closed in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, but then returned, with a smaller orchestra and other cost-lowering reconfigurations, a year later.

According to Michael Paulson, a new production opened last month in Australia, and the first Mandarin-language production is scheduled to open in China next year. Also: Antonio Banderas is working on a new Spanish-language production.

Over the years “Phantom” has become a fixture that has drawn enormous audiences around the world.

Since the first production opened in London in 1986, the show has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities around the world; it has been performed in 17 languages, and next year that number is expected to rise to 18, when the Mandarin production opens.

On Broadway, Paulson said, the show has been seen by 19.8 million people, and has grossed $1.3 billion, since opening, according to figures compiled by the Broadway League.

It grossed $867,997 during the week ending Sept. 11, which is decent but not good enough to sustain a run of a musical of this scale (with a large cast and large orchestra and elaborate set, all of which drive up running costs).

 

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Writer Isabel Catalan said since its premiere in 1986, Phantom of the Opera Broadway tickets have always sold out for several seasons in a row.

“The Phantom of the Opera” is one of the most successful Broadway musicals that has won 7 Tony Awards (including Best Musical of the Year) for its wonderful adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s popular novel.

Set in the 19th century at the Paris Opera House, it tells the story of a deformed man who hides in the cellars of the opera house and terrorizes the theater workers with his crimes.

The ghost falls in love with a young dancer named Christine, adopts her as his muse and teaches her to sing in order to become the star of the opera.

However, when he discovers that his love is impossible, he swears revenge.

Catalan said her favorite scene is the one in the boat, when the ghost leads Christine to his lair.

“It is full of intrigue and chemistry—simply sensational!”she stressed.

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

 

 

I wink at UN

 

“All countries, big or small, strong or weak, are equal members of the United Nations.”

—Nong Duc Manh

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I NEVER realized I would one day wink at New York City’s United Nations (UN) headquarters literally.

The “United Nations” I knew was a popular street in Ermita, Manila where we personally witnessed one morning sometime in November 1991 a rookie cop named Francis thrown a few meters away after being hit by a speeding car coming from the Taft Avenue.

Francis, 26, was the policeman driver assigned by then Manila Western Police District (WPD) chief, General Ernesto “Totoy” Diokno, to drive us visiting Iloilo journalists.    

While Francis grimaced in pain in the middle of the street and we quickly moved to check him, our colleague, the late Vicente “Danny Baby” Foz Jr. of dyRP Radyo Tagring shouted, “Dali e-shooti nio camera si Francis (hurry, take a photograph of Francis).”

Broadcaster Arsenio “Kamlon” Ang of dyRI Radyo Agong ribbed him: “Ka gago sa imo, bal an mo na gid nga naga haplak na si Francis sa tunga dalan mga shooting-shooting pa sa utok mo (Francis is already sprawled out on the street and you still thought of taking a photograph?).

To make the long story short, we rushed Francis to the nearby Manila Doctors Hospital also located on United Nations in Ermita. He survived.

 

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Going back to the real United Nations. When Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali became the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 1, 1992, for a five-year term, I saw anew on television that tall and magnificent UN headquarters located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

Designed by a board of architects led by Wallace Harrison and built by the architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz, with final projects developed by Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier, the complex, a modern architecture, is a sight to behold and built at a cost of $65 million on September 14, 1948.

One day, I will visit this place, I told myself then.

Not only did I visit the place seven years ago, the UN headquarters on East 42^nd Street also became my “neighbor” in the workplace since last year, or after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every Monday morning, I winked at the imposing 155.3 meters (510 feet) long structure on the East side of the Turtle Bay as I passed by on my way to the Grand Central before taking the subway train to the Queens.

I can’t count how many “selfies” I made in that historic structure lined by Members States’ flags and connects the Conference Building with the General Assembly Building. It’s a gigantic but amazing structure.

 

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When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, I paused for a while outside the UN headquarters one morning in March.

Thinking Vladimir Putin’s flag wasn’t there, out of curiosity I checked and saw the flags of both Ukraine and Russia in different places.

Of course I saw the colorful and stunning Philippine flag middle on the right side.

It’s so inspiring and delightful to see our Philippine flag flying high among the awesome Members States’ flags.

I learned that the Russian Federation succeeded to the Soviet Union’s seat, including its permanent membership on the Security Council in the United Nations after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, which originally co-founded the UN in 1945, thus it’s still scandalously in the powerful Security Council despite its refusal to halt the carnage in Ukraine.

At the 77^th UN General Assembly that unwrapped on September 13, 2022 under the theme, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges,” I noticed the vicinity once again teeming with activities as dignitaries and diplomats from around the world, including Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in town for the mammoth gathering of the main policy-making organ of the Organization. Comprising all Member States, the UN General Assembly provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations.

The theme stems from the recognition that the world is at a critical moment in the history of the United Nations due to complex and interconnected crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, humanitarian challenges of unprecedented nature, a tipping point in climate change as well as growing concerns about threats to the global economy.

The General Assembly therefore “finds it necessary” to find and focus on joint solutions to these crises and build a more sustainable and resilient world for all and for the generations to come.

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressed the general debate of the 77th Session of the General Assembly of the UN on September 20, 2022. The UNGA77 will last until September 26 2022.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All eyes, ears will be on Bongbong as UN speaker

 

“It’s the right and also the responsibility of member states to express their views. And my role as the present of the General Assembly is not to comment on this. I’m here to protect and respect the rules.”

—Miroslav Lajcak

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

BECAUSE of his association with the controversial family, all eyes and ears will be on Philippine Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who will be among the speakers of the the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 77) on September 20, 2022 (US time).

Mr. Marcos Jr. is the son of the late former dictator, Ferdinand Sr., whose 20-year reign as Philippine president was by tainted by horrifying human rights violations committed mostly by the military during the dark years of Martial Law in the 70s.

The UN General Assembly has the power to censure states for violating UN Charter principles.

It can bar, for instance, countries from serving on UN panels and kick countries out of the UN Human Rights Council if they commit egregious human rights abuses.

Mr. Marcos Jr. will be watched closely both by critics and admirers of his father along with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister whose U.S. entry visa was in doubt for some time despite an agreement between the U.N. and the United States that requires the approval of visas “irrespective of the relations existing between the governments of the persons referred to” and the U.S. government.

 

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The only son of the late former President Marcos Sr., elected President in May this year, has earlier vowed to bring up “economic recovery, food security, and agricultural productivity” during his address.

He is also the agriculture secretary of the Philippines.

He said he was unfazed by the issues leveled against his family which happened before he became president.

The UNGA 77 also expects “heavy hitter” addresses from among many others, new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, French President Emmanuel Macron, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and new Kenyan President William Ruto.

The first Southeast Asian leader to speak during the General Debate and the first Filipino to speak at the podium since 2014, according to Philippine Consulate officials in New York, Mr. Marcos Jr. was allowed entry in the US on September 18, 2022 over a diplomatic immunity amid the existent contempt judgment against him and his mother, former First Lady Imelda, over a human rights class suit filed against the former President Ferdinand Sr.

 

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According to the UN, the order of speakers during the General Debate,  is made “based on the level of representation, preference and other criteria such as geographic balance.”

The UN General Assembly is the only universally representative body of the United Nations.

The other major bodies are the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.

As delineated in the Charter of the United Nations, the function of the General Assembly is to discuss, debate, and make recommendations on subjects pertaining to international peace and security, including development, disarmament, human rights, international law, and the peaceful arbitration of disputes between nations.

The UN General Assembly has been a forum for lofty declarations, sometimes audacious rhetoric, and rigorous debate over the world’s most vexing issues, including poverty, development, peace, and security since its inception.

As the most representative organ of the United Nations, the assembly holds a general debate in the organization’s New York headquarters from September to December and convenes special sessions at other times to address a range of issues.

 

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Mr. Marcos Jr. was with the controversial family that flew to Hawaii in 1986 during the People Power EDSA Revolution.

Despite electing a Marcos in the recent election, the delegation from the Philippine this year was still accorded diplomatic courtesy and was welcomed and accommodated.

In the 1960s, the assembly suspended the South African delegation from the United Nations because the country was practicing apartheid, in violation of Security Council resolutions and international law.

South Africa was readmitted in 1994, following its democratic transition.

In 1992, after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, an assembly resolution denied Serbia and Montenegro the automatic inheritance of the former Yugoslav seat, requiring them to reapply for UN membership and forgo participation in assembly deliberations.

Israel was barred for many years from serving on UN commissions and panels because the slots are allotted according to membership in the UN’s five regional groups.

Arab states had blocked Israel from membership in the Asia-Pacific Group, which includes other Middle Eastern states.

Israel was made a temporary member of the Western European and Others Group in 2000 by the United States and some European countries.

In 2012, the General Assembly voted 133–12, with 33 abstentions, to denounce the Syrian government for atrocities committed since the Syrian civil war started a year earlier.

In 2019, the General Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution condemning human rights abuses against Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar. It passed 134–9, with 28 abstentions.

The seventy-seventh General Assembly session in 2022 comes as countries continue to suffer from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

It is focused on confronting these global challenges; renewing attention on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty by 2030; and preparing a Pact for the Future, to be unveiled next year, that ensures the UN system can effectively confront future challenges.

“With multiple crises looming, nothing less than the credibility of the UN is at stake,” session President Csaba Korosi said ahead of the event.

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

 

 

The ‘queen’ and I

 

“I like a man who looks like a bad boy but knows how to treat a woman like a queen.”

—Candice Swanepoel

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I “LOST” my queen exactly a year ago. She didn’t die like United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II, who died in Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022 at 96.

Krisztina is still alive today. I “abandoned” her because of circumstances beyond my control; or, let’s put it this way: I could’ve controlled the circumstances but fate had another plans.

Krisztina was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1934, or eight years after Elizabeth II was born in Bruton, London.  

Three years ago, I met Krisztina, a half Hungarian and half German, in Brooklyn. Probably she’s one of the most beautiful and intelligent women I’ve met.

She used to tell me monarchy belongs in the past. “It has outlived its relevance,” the Brooklyn queen averred. “Governments all over the world should abolish it.”

Krisztina had been in London several times. She detests seeing tourists in mad scramble for a clear view in the gates of the Buckingham Palace, London’s royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom located in the City of Westminster.

The main purpose of these tourists is to wait for members of the Royal family to emerge like they are waiting, Krisztina said, for animals to come out in the forest and cheers.

 

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“It’s alright if this activity happened in the past or two hundred years ago. Monarchy was really relevant at that time and members of the Royal family were a sight to behold and more than celebrities, especially during the time of Queen Victoria,” Krisztina said.

“Today, the world has changed. The young generation can’t fully appreciate or understand why a certain family is given a special privilege, living in castles, and hailed as ‘royalties’. When the Romanovs were murdered, I thought it was a grim signal that monarchy didn’t belong in the new century.”

She was referring to the Russian Imperial Romanov family massacred by the local Bolshevik command with Lenin’s approval on July 17, 1918. The Tsar family was captured when the Bolshevik revolutionaries toppled the Romanov dynasty in February 1918.

Late on the night of July 16, 1918, Nicholas, Alexandra, their five children and four servants were ordered to dress quickly and go down to the cellar of the house in which they were being held.

 

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There, the family and servants were arranged in two rows for a photograph they were told was being taken to quell rumors that they had escaped, according to HISTORY.

Suddenly, a dozen armed men burst into the room and gunned down the imperial family in a hail of gunfire. Those who were still breathing when the smoked cleared were stabbed to death.

According to HISTORY, the remains of Nicholas, Alexandra and three of their children were excavated in a forest near Yekaterinburg in 1991 and positively identified two years later using DNA fingerprinting.

The Crown Prince Alexei and one Romanov daughter were not accounted for, fueling the persistent legend that Anastasia, the youngest Romanov daughter, had survived the execution of her family.

Of the several “Anastasias” that surfaced in Europe in the decade after the Russian Revolution, Anna Anderson, who died in the United States in 1984, was the most convincing.

In 1994, however, scientists used DNA to prove that Anna Anderson was not the czar’s daughter but a Polish woman named Franziska Schanzkowska.

 

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Krisztina, my queen, will forever be etched in my memory. She had tremendous influence in my transformation from a kibitzer to a big fan of old movies.

Because of Krisztina, I sometimes felt like I belong in the 40s and 50s; in three years she brought me down memory lanes while we watched and analyzed the films of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh of the Gone With The Wind; Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman of Casablanca; Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey of Adam’s Rib; Cary Grant and Grace Kelly of To Catch A Thief; Jimmy Stewart’s films with Kim Novak, Donna Reed Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Lucille Bell, Margaret Sullavan, Maureen O’Hara, among other leading ladies in those eras.

I became a fan of Turner Classic Movies (TCM), an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery because of my association with Krisztina.

TCM’s channel programming consists mainly of classic theatrically released feature film library. We are hooked on this channel.

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