‘Kiss of death’

“A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful.”

—Charles W. Pickering

By Alex P. Vidal

IF the angry emperor continues to tolerate graft and corruption in his administration, kill or order the police to commit murder in the name of law enforcement, curse and bully people he doesn’t like, including women, his endorsement of the administration candidates would be a “kiss of death.”

No candidate would be blessed in his political career if he was endorsed by a leader who didn’t even spare God from his embarrassing, unprovoked and dangerous curses.

It’s a malas or dimalas (a bad luck).

Basta bastos baba, bastos utok (he who is ill-mannered in his words is ill-mannered in his mind), the late former senator Roding Ganzon once remarked.

Even his own daughter is hesitant to run for the highest office because she must’ve realized that her father is a “heavy baggage” or a liability during the campaign.

He caused the destruction of a once-splendid political party with his interference and power play that pitted party mates against each other in a squalid skirmish.

He “placed” a bunch of incompetent and suspected clowns in the upper and lower chambers of the legislature and made the Lower House a stamping pad by making the speaker kowtow to his dictatorial wishes.

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In six years, he became known worldwide for sending fears to the hearts of the people with his unconventional iron-fist style that victimized mostly ordinary characters wearing the shorts and slippers.

He corrosively badmouthed enemies and weaklings left and right and received resounding accolades from his fanatics who seemed couldn’t distinguish what is right and wrong, what is legal and illegal, what is presidential and unpresidential behavior.   

To compound the matter, he appeared to have tolerated graft and corruption and defended the thieves and rascals who made billions of pesos at the expense of the taxpayers in various “sweetheart” deals while the people are losing their hopes and their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Filipinos aren’t stupid to endure and tolerate a bad leader for an extended period of time.

Everything has its limits. Every bad behavior will not only be repudiated but should be dealt with accordingly.

The right time is on election day.

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THE TUNNEL I FEAR MOST. Untappedcities has just released a feature about Untapped New York, which revealed the 10 secrets of Lincoln Tunnel, the tunnel connecting New York City and New Jersey.

This is the same tunnel I mentioned in my past articles that gave me real goosebumps or the tunnel in the United States that I am so scared to cross since 2015, but, which I couldn’t avoid when I traveled from one state to another.

The article mentioned that the “opening to traffic for the first time in 1937, the Lincoln Tunnel connecting Weehawken, New Jersey to Midtown Manhattan was hailed as the next great engineering triumph.”

The New Deal’s Public Works Administration reportedly provided funds for its construction in 1934, fresh off the success of the northern Holland Tunnel, the first mechanically ventilated underwater automobile tunnel to be built under the Hudson River.

“A second tube was built shortly after the Lincoln Tunnel’s first, with a third requested due to increasing traffic built in the late ’50s.

To this day, the three tunnels service hundreds of thousands of cars and buses coming in and out of New York City,” it explained. “Many commuters today write it off as a nuisance, but like many old things in the city, the Lincoln Tunnel has its share of secrets.”

Untapped New York Insiders were invited to a special virtual talk at 12 p.m. on November 23, 2021 with Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers as he drives them through the secrets and marvels of NYC’s infamous pieces of infrastructure.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not endorse Manny Pacquiao

“I’m not exactly the endorsement people are seeking.”

—Jack Abramoff

By Alex P. Vidal

SOME of our friends misinterpreted the recent article I wrote entitled “Ingrato”, where I criticized Chavit Singson and Jayke Joson, two of Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s former bosom friends who turned his enemies, to be an endorsement of his presidential bid in the Philippine election on May 9, 2022.

One of them is Las Vegas-based Republican party factotum Raleigh, who ribbed me: “Didn’t I inform you only in August that Pacquiao’s campaign team was hard-pressed to raise funds for his candidacy here in Vegas because he’s hard to sell in the Pinoy community? And you are now endorsing him?”

“Your endorsement of Pacquiao means you have become his fanatic outside boxing?” bewailed a Sacramento-based Trump loyalist who fled the Philippines in 2001 as a political refugee.

I never endorsed Pacquiao for president in that article.

I wrote the article only to defend him from ingrates who badmouthed him because he was no longer active in boxing (and isn’t anymore a lucrative prizefighter); and it happened when he is running for president against the administration candidate.

I needed to express my own point of view as a moral obligation because I know both Singson and Joson benefited a lot from Pacquiao during the retired boxer’s heydays, and I thought they should be the last persons to mimic Cassius and Brutus when push comes to shove.

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I made it clear from the beginning or since rumors made the rounds that Pacquiao was eyeing the presidency of the Philippines (that was way back in 2008 when he was still active in professional boxing) that I was against Pacquiao as a boxing icon joining the dirty world of politics.

That stand still holds until today.

I have covered the retired boxer’s biggest fights in the United States since 2007 and met some of the most prominent and controversial characters who surrounded and bilked him, including some Good Samaritans whose intentions were purely to provide him moral and spiritual support and nothing else.

Some of them also became my good friends; in fact, many Team Pacquiao insiders became my sympathizers and even supporters during the turbulent moments of my legal tiff against Freddie Roach in California 12 years ago.

I was prompted to expose Singson and Joson in my recent article after watching their videos on Youtube where they separately impeached the former boxer’s reputation at the time when their former benefactor needed a moral support as a presidential timber, now being poleaxed by political tormentors in the mainstream and social media.

I thought it was inappropriate for the two to abandon a friend “when he needed them most” and to humiliate Pacquiao in public without taking into consideration their past joyful moments where they once literally ate on Pacquiao’s plates and benefited politically and financially from the former boxer’s popularity.

I just couldn’t keep silent.

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AFTER Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas, we expect Iloilo governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. to follow suit in the endorsement of Vice President Leni Robredo for president in the May 9, 2022 election.

It’s not really difficult to read between the lines.

When it comes to decency, straight shooting and intelligent choices, we can always count on the Ilonggo leaders.

This is very possible judging from the recent statement made by former Iloilo governor, Arthur “Art” Sr., who expressed displeasure that the election law allows the last-minute substitution tactic, which is being exploited and employed by other political parties that field presidential aspirants.

We know which political party or camp has been a consistent advocate of last-minute substitution.

We know who are the political allies of Robredo supporter, Senator Franklin “Frank” Drilon, in the city and province of Iloilo.

If this will materialize, Robredo and her pink phenomenon will be a force to reckon with in Western Visayas, not Bongbong Marcos.

We also expect the other Ilonggo constellation, the Bacolod and Negros electorate across the sea, to join forces with the solid Iloilo.

History is being made.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 a complete detail 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.

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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.

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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.

Let’s dive in.

“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.

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)

 

Pink brings my memory back to res vs yellow

“Pink isn’t just a color, it’s an attitude!” — Miley Cyrus

By Alex P. Vidal

I WITNESSED the yellow phenomenon during the February 7, 1986 snap election when Cory Aquino of UNIDO-PDP-Laban ended President Ferdinand Marcos’ reigns in a stunning upset that shocked the world.

When President Marcos landed in the makeshift stage, where the Iloilo Sports Complex in La Paz district now stands adjacent the former West Visayas State College (now University) in January during the campaign, I was allowed to stay onstage because I wore a red jacket.

There, I had the privilege to shake President Marcos’ hand after he alighted from the chopper; members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) weren’t strict.

Later, another chopper, carrying showbiz personalities led by Richard Gomez, Nadia Montenegro, Janice de Belen, Lloyd Samartino landed.

I helped facilitate the screaming fans’ signing of autographs with the showbiz visitors.

That was my brief shot with fame, if I may call it.

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The program was short and lasted only for about 15 minutes.

President Marcos left shortly after former Assemblyman Salvador “Buddy” Britanico, then deputy minister of the Department of Education and Sports Development (DECS), confirmed that the WVSC was now the WVSU.

Red, as official color of President Marcos’ campaign, was overwhelming—and enticing.

We thought it was a symbol of victory and dominance for President Marcos and the powerful KBL party.

We thought Mrs. Aquino’s opposition party that adopted the yellow color from yellow ribbon, the symbol of Ninoy’s legacy and enduring narrative of his heroism and faith in a people “worth dying for”, was no match to Mr. Marcos’ red spectacle.

“Marcos, Marcos, Marcos pa rin!” was the deafening chant of pro-Marcos minions clad in red shirts, caps, bags, among other campaign materials.

 

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I am embarrassed to admit that I was biased for the red color during the 1986 snap election; I was probably convinced (or brainwashed?) by KBL’s effective propaganda machine that Tita Cory’s yellow color was synonymous to an “attempt by the opposition party to allow the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to take over the reigns of the government if Cory Aquino wins.”

I was so naive and stupid to believe the canard hook, line, and sinker.

We had been brainwashed and hoodwinked into believing that red color was the movie’s important character and yellow color was the contrabida.

As history has shown, Ninoy Aquino’s widow wasn’t declared the winner despite garnering 7,502,601 (NAMFREL) votes against the late dictator’s 6,787,556 (NAMFREL) votes.

Mr. Marcos insisted he won the race and celebrated in Malacanang with his loyalists after being sworn in to serve for another term after 20 years.

Thus the EDSA Revolution intervened and kicked the entire Marcos family out of Malacanang to Hawaii.

 

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When Vice President Leni Robredo adopted pink as her campaign’s official color, my memory brought me back during the 1986 snap election while listening to her speech before she filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for president in the May 9, 2022 election.

The sudden onrush of pink color that cascaded in the streets in the form of streamers, placards, T-shirts, masks, paints in the vehicles and residential houses, social media profiles, etcetera was staggering and breathtaking.

I thought history was repeated again. Tita Cory’s yellow in 1986 and VP Leni’s pink in 2022.

Was it a coincidence that both were ordinary wives and mothers who lost their husbands tragically and they rose to prominence astronomically in the moments when the Philippines was in need of an icon and redemption from a nightmarish leadership?

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

 

 

 

 

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 level 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 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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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)

 

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 servethe 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 oftemptation.

Many honest characters who enter the government servicesometimes 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.

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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 eclipseand 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.

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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 governmentbecause 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 obnoxiousadulations 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)