'La lang

Ang daming nakakalito sa bayan ko.

Na-convict ng plunder ang dating pangulong si Estrada. Kumbaga, napatunayan na nagnakaw siya. Pero sa lahat na magnanakaw, siya lang ang hindi sinungaling. Not guilty kasi siya sa kasong perjury.

Magulo, no?

May explanation ang mga abogado, pero ang hirap ipaintindi sa mga tao.

Ngayon naman, may imbestigasyon sa Senado tungkol sa sinasabing maanomalyang National Broadband deal. Sabit daw ang ilang matataas na opisyal ng gobyerno sa kontrata (wala daw kontrata o) sa kompanyang ZTE.

Ay, ang daming kailangang intindihin. Ano ba yang broadband? Ano ba ang kanilang mga kanta? Hehehe. Ano naman, aber, ang ibig sabihin ng ZTE.

Hirap ng walang magawa dahil hilo sa kakainom ng kape at kakayosi. Parang dinuduyan ang utak mo ng love songs ni Jose Mari Chan habang pinagtatawanan ng isang kaibigan.

'Di mo malaman kung baduy ka talaga o napag-tripan lang ng kaibigan. Nakakalito. Buhay nga naman.

Sa kabilang banda, salamat sa kape at yosi, kusang nahihilo ka na lang at di na makapag-isip kung ano ang dapat iisipin. Kaya heto, para may magawa, magsusulat ng blog entry habang umaalingawngaw ang boses ni Senadora Madrigal na pilit igisa ang DOTC secretary na si Leandro Mendoza.

Wow, OK sa tripping.

Ang aming kabataan

Got this in my e-mail. I'm posting it here with comments dahil hindi applicable sa bayan namin ang ilan sa mga entries.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950's, 60's and 70's !

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. (sioktong ang inumin)

Hindi umiinom nanay ko (paminsan-minsan lang kung may matamis na tuba sa umaga pagkababa ng manananggot sa sanggutan sa likod ng kubo namin). Hindi rin siya nagyoyosi.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, fish from a can (brand :ligo ) , and didn't get tested for diabetes.

'Di ako nakakita ng blue cheese sa bayan namin, o kahit anumang cheese noong bata pa ako. Ang aspirin ay ipinapainum sa amin kapag may lagnat kami. Di pa uso yata noon ang dengue. Tama, may Ligo sardines na noon pero nakakain lang kami kapag may special occassion, pangsahog sa Udong na noodles.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints, pati na yung laruang kabayu-kabayuhan.

Wala kaming crib at kabayu-kabayuan e.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, sometimes wala ngang preno yung bisikleta.

Wala nga kaming medicine e. Meron kaming altar, nandon lahat kasama na ang orchid na ang tawag ay pangadlaw na nakababad sa tubig - gamot sa lahat na sakit.

Yup, may bike kami, walang brake.

As children, we would ride in car with no seat belts or air bags – hanggang ngayon naman, di ba ? (jeep )

Walang kotse sa bayan namin noong bata pa ako.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. (maykaya kayo pare !)

Nakikisakay kami sa truck (wala ring pick-up sa bayan ko).

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle (minsan straight from the faucet)

Wala kaming garden hose, pero umiinom kami ng tubig mula sa balon o kaya sa water pump, walang faucet sa bayan ko noon.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. Or contacted hepatitis.

Tama, lagi akong nakikiinom kasi wala akong pambili ng softdrink.

We ate rice with tinunaw na purico (dahil ubos na ang star margarine) , nutribuns na galing kay macoy and drank sopdrinks with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight kasi nga .....

Yong kanin sinasabawan namin ng kape na gawa sa singangag na mais at binubudburan namin ng asin o kaya asukal. Ang purico pang-prito lang. May nutribun na noon at napakabango nito, inspirasyon namin noon na pumasok.

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso , habulan taguan….

Hindi talaga kami umuuwi hanggang di masigawan ng nanay. Uuwi lang kami kung sobrang dilim na dahil nakakatakot tumawid sa niyugan at sa pilapilan.

No one was able to reach us all day (di uso ang celfon , walang beepers). And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our trolleys or slides out of scraps and then ride down the street, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

Wala kaming trolley. Tumatalon-talon lang kami sa umpok ng mga dayami at doon na rin kami nagi-slide. Marami-rami pa rin akong remembrance sa mga sugat na nakuha ko sa kasasakay ng bike na walang brake.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms....... ...WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents . The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words…..masakit ba ? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,,,,ang sasabihin sa iyo…..beh buti nga !

We play in the dirt , wash our hands a little and ate with our barehands…we were not afraid of getting worms in our stomachs.

We have to live with homemade guns – gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband , sumpit , tirador at kung ano ano pa na puedeng makasakit…..pero walang nagrereklamo.

May baril-barilan din kami na gawa sa "palwa" sa saging.

made up games with sticks (syatong) and cans (tumbang preso) and although we were told it would happen, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay….paminsan minsan may nabubukulan.

We r ode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Sigaw o sipol lang kami. Minsan pag trip talaga, binabato namin ang bahay, hahaha.

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Walang sumasama ang loob.

Basebal ang uso sa amin noong panahon ko.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tignan kung ayos lang ang bata….hindi para makialam.

This generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and managers ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

call for blood donation

Just got this text message:

Nino Coronel's daughter batu in icu. fresh type A+ blood needed asap for the platelets. Pls. contact Heart Center rm 336 and donate. the situation is critical. Nino is Miriam and Sheila coronel's brother.

Books and music

I only got three books from this year's National Book Fair last Saturday.

I bought the latest edition of Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat" from PowerBooks although I haven't finished reading the book's "Release 2.0."

Now I'm in Chapter 2 of "Release 3.0."

I also got a discounted copy of John Grisham's "The Innocent Man," which I haven't read although I know a friend of mine has a hardbound copy since last year.

Thanks to Father Toots of the Carmelites, I got my "review copy" of "Fired from Within," a book that tackles the "spirituality of the social movement." (I'm excited to immediately plunge myself into reading it.)

I missed a lot of things (and people) in this year's fair. As expected, the big book shops and publishing houses dominated the five-day event. There were few giveaways. Time and NewsWeek were not even distributing free copies this year. (At least when I was there on Saturday.)

A lecture on the writings of Virgilio Almario was still "standing room only." I had to stay outside the door of the lecture room to listen to snippets of wisdom from the speakers. Rio Alma of course was there later in the afternoon to speak before the students who were brought (by the busloads) by their teachers.

There were no more familiar faces unlike before. I saw a party-list representative, a political opposition spokesman, one or two young writers, and hundreds of children and students, some wearing their school uniform, ushered by their teachers.

I missed the freebies, the small publishing houses offering cheap, sometimes second-hand books, friends and colleagues who used to congregate at the fair during its weekend run.

On Sunday, I dropped by my favorite mall on the corner of EDSA and North Avenue in Quezon City. I chanced upon Jose Marie Chan who was on a rare mall tour for his latest album (the first in six years) "Love Letters and Other Souvenirs."

I had to buy the CD for a seat to listen to the songwriter/singer of "Christmas in Our Hearts," a song that became my favorite since I first heard it the first time several years ago. The CD of the song is one of the best Christmas gifts of all time I got. (Baduy na kung baduy, a dear friend gave it to me last Christmas.)

'News Media Coverage of the 2007 National Elections'

At last I got my copy of CMFR's latest study, "News Media Coverage of the 2007 National Elections."

Thanks, guys. I know, I know, this is my second copy. I gave the first copy to my boss. I hope you will be sending other media executives their own copies.

You would be happy to know that there's a temporary stoppage (at least five minutes) of work every time we in the newsroom receive a copy of CMFR publications, especially the PJR Reports.

There is always a moment of silence, then ohhhs and ahhhhs, when editors and deskpersons scan the Reports. Your "star and kalabasa" ratings section always gets the desk's attention and, I believe, is the most read part of the publication.

I hope your latest study will get the same attention from journalists, especially from media top guys.

I scanned the book and was impressed by the diligence you had in making the study. (The annexes are more reader-friendly compared to the annexes of the 2004 report, which were mostly statistics.)

Of course, there were some minor data that your researchers might have overlooked, but I'm sure the study will inspire journalists and media executives in planning and implementing future coverage.

Tama na muna ang pambobola, babasahin ko pa ang buong libro.

'no pain, no gain'

I woke up sore all over. My feet were aching, My legs too. I did not want to leave the comfort of my bed. But, to hell, let me experience more.

I did it again early in the morning. I did three rounds in just an hour. (No, I'm not talking about sex here.)

I ran, I walked, while Buklod was playing on my second-hand Nano ipod. (I know, I know, it has only 2Gigs, pero mababaw lang kaligayahan ko. Aside from classical music and alternative songs, wala naman akong alam na ibang awitin.)

I'm planning to make five rounds tomorrow.

At last I did it

Yup, I did it. I know my dear friend would be happy to know that I did it.

I woke up at 7 a.m. drove to the academic oval for a jog and a dose of fresh air. I lasted more than an hour, after which I had a cone of durian ice cream.

The last time I jogged around the campus was with a friend who ran a few meters and declared that she had enough. She then started a leisurely stroll before deciding that she was already tired and had enough exercise.

Great baby!

war, bomb explosions, what's next?

A bomb has just exploded in Zamboanga City's Plaza Pershing while an assault against Abu Sayyaf bandits in nearby Basilan island is ongoing.

What's next?

The bishop of Basilan has already signified his support for the military operation.

The military has been rearing to go to war to avenge the death of their comrades.

Some journalists are covering the conflict from afar.

What's the picture on the ground. What are the stories of the soldiers in the front line? What's happening inside the huts and homes of Muslim and Christian farmers caught in the middle of the firefight?

These are stories that need to be written.

Pagkatapos ng bagyo

Dumaan din ang bagyo. Sana naanod na lahat na kitikiti at lamok na may dengue.

Dumaan na nga ang bagyo, pero mas malakas naman na bagyo ang kinakaharap ng mga tao sa Basilan.

Hindi tubig ang bumabaha doon. Dugo. Hindi ulan ang pumapatak doon. Bomba at tingga.

Kailan kaya matatapos ang gera sa Basilan? Kailan kaya mananahimik ang kagubatan doon?

Fun with Neil Gaiman

After enjoying Neil Gaiman's "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Neverwhere" several months ago, I've started just this afternoon "American Gods."

I have only read the first chapter and aside from getting excited, I'm laughing my head off. The story about a man being swallowed by a woman's vagina was "too Filipino" a joke.

"This is what he sees:

"He is inside her to the chest, and as he stares at this in disbelief and wonder she rests both hands upon his shoulders and puts gentle pressure on his body.

"He slips further inside her."

"... He feels the lips of her vulva tight around his upper chest and back, constricting and enveloping him...."

"...Her labia pull slickly across his face, and his eyes slip into darkness."

I miss a dear friend who used to laugh with me when we come across books we love. Wherever you are, I will share Neil Gaiman with you someday.

it's over

to all those who prayed for my daughter's recovery, thank you very much.

she is already out of the hospital after her blood pressure normalized and her platelets count stabilized at 180 early today.

thank you very much to all who wished her well.

dengue

thanks to ms i and to all the friends who prayed for ms s' immediate recovery. i'm touched by all your prayers. thanks too to my muslim friends in marawi, iligan, basilan and sulu who offered their prayers.

my dear daughter is still in the hospital trying to make her platelets count rise to normal. her blood pressure has already started to go back to normal with the help of the supplementation of intravenous fluids.

she started to have fever tuesday last week. by wednesday and thursday her temperature reached 45 degrees. i looked for rashes on her body. there was none. i looked for blood in her urine and stool. there was none. she said she just feel sleepy but had no headache. she had no appetite but she did vomit even once. i thought it was just an ordinary fever.

the fever was gone on saturday. we even went around the university of the philippines on sunday for a walk. on sunday afternoon she complained that her feet were itching. in the evening the rashes came out. it was good that i brought her immediately to the hospital. her blood pressure and platelets count were already very low.

everybody's prone to dengue. alfie, a kci member, stayed in the hospital for two weeks before he recovered from the virus. a three-year old daughter of a friend died of the virus. joega's daughter was hospitalized for a week.

there's no medicine or vaccine against the virus. what the doctors do is just monitor the blood pressure, get blood samples twice a day to check the platelets count, feed the patient with intravenous fluid if one is not eating, and that's it. there's nothing that can be done but wait.

mobile blogging

this is a test blog from a nokia 5700 done from the er of st luke's hospital while waiting for ms s cbc

When things seem fine, something has to come up. This i learned from being a journalist.

So when i was all set to fly to the visayas, my dear s has to be rushed to the hospital.

I've been trying to post this entry for the fifth time to prove that even in the midst of unpredictable moments one can do and learn something new.

Let's see if this will work, baby.

Thanks Matthew, Stacy

Two of the most accessible people at the US Embassy here in Manila will finish their tour of duty in the Philippines this month.

Matthew Lussenhop, First Secretary and Embassy spokesman, and Stacy MacTaggert, who has been described also as Embassy spokesman in some news reports (Sorry Stacy, you forgot to give me your card so I don’t know your official designation), are going back to Washington for, well, more job.

Mat and Stacy have been very accessible to the media during their short stint in the country. I remembered greeting Matthew a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year even as I have to quiz him late in the night about the whereabouts of the US Marine who was accused of raping a Filipino woman in Subic.

I remembered teasing Mat during a welcome dinner for him three years ago if he was that tough to face the Philippine media. He just smiled and said he's ready to learn.

A friend, who was with me at the dinner, told Mat that every US Embassy information officer will leave the Philippines with an unforgettable experience - like the departure of the US Bases in 1991, the plot to kill the Pope and the US President during the Apec summit in 1997, the kidnapping of American nationals, the war against the Abu Sayyaf, etc.

Mat said he hopes there would be no such incidents during his tour of duty. Unfortunately for him there was the Subic Rape case issue.

It’s a tough job for Mat and Stacy especially when working with critical media practitioners in the country who are not that easy to please and who rejoice in digging every juicy detail especially when a story involves Americans.

Nice job, guys. Thanks for being such good sports! Good luck in your next assignment.

'Learning from Harry'

Good will always triumph over evil, ika nga.

Isa lamang 'yan sa mga mensahe ng nobela ni J.K. Rowling tungkol sa buhay ng isang batang ang pangalan ay Harry Potter.

Katatapos ko lang basahin ang ika-pito at huling aklat ng tinaguriang Harry Potter series. Sampung taon ko ring sinubaybayan ang kwento ng batang may angking kapangyarihan ng mahika.

Subalit, higit sa mga pagsubok na kinaharap ni Harry Potter at sa mga natuklasan niyang sikreto sa buhay habang nasa Hogwarts, nakagiliwan ko ring pag-aralan ang buhay ng iba't-ibang mga tauhan sa aklat.

Pilit kong inintindi at inabangan ang paglalahad ng buhay ni Tom Marvolo Riddle na sa kalauna'y naging si Lord Voldemort. Bakit siya naging masama? Sabi nga ng isang akda: "It is difficult to know how much 'nature' rather than 'nurture' contributed to Riddle's personality."

Isipin nyo nga naman, pinatay ni Tom Riddle ang kanyang ama na si Tom Riddle Sr. at ang kanyang lolo't lola na si Thomas at Mary Riddle. Bakit niya nagawa ito?

Ambisyon at kasakiman sa kapangyarihan ang nagtulak kay Tom, mga katangiang makikita natin sa maraming tao sa ating lipunan kung hindi man sa pamahalaan.

Gusto ni Tom Riddle na maging guro ng "Defense Against the Dark Arts" sa Hogwarts, pero hindi siya nagtagumpay. Gusto niyang maging "immortal" at maghari sa sanlibutan subalit nahadlangan ang ambisyon niya ng isang batang ang hangad lamang ay hanapin ang sarili at gawin ang tama.

Isa rin sa mga tauhang may natatanging misyon sa buhay si Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Ano ang mga sikretong dala niya hanggang sa hukay? Anong klaseng tao ang gumagamit ng kapwa matupad lamang ang gusto niyang makamit o mangyari.

Sino naman si Severus Snape? Isa ba talaga siyang masamang tao o biktima lamang ng pag-ibig? Napakaganda ng "love story" ni Snape na pati si Harry Potter ay namangha. Meron pa kayang mga Severus Snape sa ating paligid na handang mag-alay ng lahat sa ngalan ng pag-ibig?

Maraming aral na makukuha sa pagsusubaybay sa buhay ni Harry Potter. Alam kong liban sa akin, at kay Pat na nagpahiram sa akin ng "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," marami pa ang "nabaliw" sa kakaabang kung ano ang mangyayari kay Harry at kay Voldemort.

Sa mga 'di nakabasa ng libro, sana napanood n'yo ang pelikula.

Sana liban sa "adventure," may matutunan din tayo sa kwento. Baka kasi ma-take over na tayo ng mga kampon ni Lord Voldemort at pamumunuan na tayo ng "Death Eaters" kung hindi tayo maging mapagmatyag.

Busy days

I'm busy these days. I'm busy reading the latest Harry Potter book. I'm busy attending meetings and sharing ideas and experiences to people who want to listen.

How I wish I will have more time just hanging out with friends, or watching a movie late in the evening, or sharing a few rounds of beer with colleagues.

A friend of mine once said it was my choice, that I could have more time if I want to. Sometimes I wish she was right. Sometimes I wish that I could close my eyes and ears to what's going on around me. I wish that I am not in the business of receiving and sharing information.

How I wish that wealth is shared equitably in this world, that people can just spend time reading Harry Potter books late in the evening without worrying that one has to wake up early in the morning to rush to the office.

I imagined what if I did not leave my hometown, what if I did not dream of getting an education here in Manila. What if I stayed home and continued what I did best when I was young – chopping wood in the mountains, fetching water, planting rice, taking care of farm animals and climbing coconut trees for copra.

Life would have been different. I would have not known Harry Potter and his magical world. I would have not known how difficult it is to drive a car in Metro Manila. I would have not trusted people who later in life would have turn out to be the opposite of what they pretend to be.

Would life be simpler? Maybe not. Maybe I would have ended drinking tuba in the morning and in the afternoon, attending bayles and going home to my little hut in the wee hours of the morning under the waning light of the full moon.

There are no ifs and buts in life. Maybe the friend of mine was right. Life is what we make of it. So, my apologies for not updating my blog these days. I have to finish reading the latest Harry Potter book to have more time to scan the growing pile of New Yorker, Time and Newsweek on my desk.

Iwasto ang mali

Tagal ko na palang 'di nakapag-post dito. Next time, please also try my GMANews.TV blog for updates.

Siguro narinig n'yo na ang balita tungkol sa mga librong mali ang laman (lalo na ang Ingles) pero ipinamahagi pa rin ng Department of Education sa mga estudyante sa elementarya.

Heto ang ilan sa mga nakakatawang pagkakamali. Sige nga, subukan nyo ngang itama:

* Stop playing in your computer now.
* Be in the peak of health.
* The typhoon is moving in a northeasternly direction.
* Around the pool is an orientally-designed porch.
* I have seen some orchids in our neighbor’s botanical gardens.
* Some plants are self-planters. They plant their own seeds.
* I’m capable of being the best me I can.
* The city’s voice is soft like solitudes.
* I dipped my tired feet into a basin of water to soothe the ache and fret.
* Do animals move only when the wind blows? What animals don’t move when there is no wind but move when the wind blows?
* Take me to the water breaks.
* Rizal made himself famous as a writer.
* Stars seem to twinkle because they are very far away. There are dwarf stars. They are like people.
* We celebrate in February People Power. In April, we recall the Death March, Bataan’s fall. May is a month of cold showers. July is a month to remember our American friends forever. We remember a birthday in August, Quezon’s so well-loved and famous.
* You should always address the envelop and leave it open.
* The children felt the bridge under them falling.
* He found his friend clowning himself around.
* Sometimes the elephant becomes angry with Kim for fooling the animal around.
* God wants me for a sunbeam to shine for Him each day.
* Kiosk: a somewhat similar structure open at one or more sides used as a bandstand.
* He seemed to be waiting for someone, not a blood relation, much less a bad blood.
* In bullfighting, the bulls are not the ones which fight with each other. It is very dangerous to face a bull that has been played with.
* “Here’s for you!” the guard said while hitting Basilio.
* The bamboo whirled till it spun like a top then stood tall and graceful as a queen but the hardwood tree hit the wind with its bark.
* Our hopes and dreams are like fleeting birds at night. People are not made to float like a bird.
* Galileo invented a magnifying telescope to study the moon.
* We grow our hogs in our own farms so you’re sure to get meat that is grown.
* As the campers trek through the trail at the rainboat they’ll stop now and then. They had huffs and puffs.
* The farmer is hopeful that someday he will reap with joy.
* The high flagpole could be seen easily. During windy days, the flag flies so high it doesn’t drop. The national anthem sounds so high that we cannot reach the pitch.
* The daily policeman reports to his post in the morning. He stands straight watching the vehicles go by. Those who stop late for the red light are apprehended.
* The chicken was dressed. They stripped off her feathers, served her quite bare and everyone poked at her breast.
* Open door on back of camera, place film and close camera door.
* Choke: stop breath by blocking the windpipe. The baby was choke from eating biscuits.
* The bat licks itself like a cat; after washing up, it flies away.
* Not all mountains are made by wrinkles in the ground.
* God’s footsteps bulged the mountains up. God like morning bending over her baby kneeled down in the dust.
* Because you made a fool of me, you’ll get the greatest wrath. I’m afraid of the wrath of the stem.
* The lakes widdled down in the hollows of the ground.
* The hen walked coquetly.
* When he smells something foul, it makes him squirmish.
* The potato pursued a disapproving lip.
* Look at the sky at night. You see the moon and the stars. Then you see lightning flashes and you hear thunder before the downpour of rain. Why is the sky? And why is the sky?

Kapatirang Claretiano

Ilang saglit sa CDO, hapunan sa Manolo Fortich

Ang sarap ng steak sa Manolo Fortich sa Bukidnon. Ang kapal ng karne pero ang lambot. Siguro dahil pinya lang ang kinakain ng mga baka doon.

Ang ganda pa rin sa Mindanao, kahit na meron nang SM sa Cagayan de Oro. Malamig pa rin ang hangin, malayo pa rin ang naaabot ng mga mata habang bumibiyahe sa highway.

Masaya sa CDO lalo na gabi ng Biyernes at Sabado. Meron silang night market. Nakabili pa nga ako ng short pants at baseball cap sa ukay-ukay. May live band din at kainan at inuman. Sa isang piano bar naman ako nagpalipas ng oras.

Nakakalungkot lang na mukhang dumarami ang mga batang prosti at bugaw sa lansangan, lalo na malapit sa mga hotel at inn. Mukhang malaking problema itong dapat harapin ng local government at ng mga pulis.

Hindi nagdadala ng condom ang mga prosti sa CDO. Minsan daw kasi bigla na lang nagtsi-check ang mga pulis at hinuhuli ang mga batang babaeng may tinatagong condom.

Mukhang walang matandang prosti sa CDO. Panay mga bata. Sabi nga, 'di sila makapandaya na estudyante lang sila, karamihan kasi ay mukhang mga "pupil" lang.

Marami na ring dumadayong turista sa CDO. Sumisikat na ang river rafting at entry point na rin ang siyudad papuntang Camiguin, Iligan, Bukidnon at mga malalapit na mga bayan.

Ang swerte ni Bedol

Natapos din ang paghahanap kay Lintang Bedol, ang elections supervisor sa Maguindanao na ipina-aresto ng Comelec dahil sa hindi pagpapakita sa canvassing ng resulta ng eleksyon.

Nakita si Bedol sa Davao nitong nakalipas na linggo. Hindi naman daw siya sumuko, hindi naman daw nahuli.

Baka nga naman nakasalubong lang niya ang mga pulis na naghanap sa kanya at sumama na lang siyang kusa dahil gusto niyang mamasyal sa Maynila.

"Not guilty" ang sagot ni Bedol sa bintang na "indirect contempt" dahil sa hindi niya pagpapakita sa canvassing noong Mayo. Pansamantala siyang pinakawalan ng Comelec nitong Martes. Magastos naman kasi kung patuloy na maninirahan si Bedol sa hotel sa Maynila. P2,200 hanggang P2,700 ang bayad sa isang kwarto bawat gabi doon.

Comelec ang magbabayad sa kwarto ni Bedol. Sila kasi ang nagpahuli sa kanya. Sabi naman ng PNP, kung 'di kaya ng Comelec bayaran ang hotel, sila na lang daw ang sasagot sa gastos. PNP kasi ang humuli kay Bedol.

Swerte ni Bedol. Nakalibre siya ng tulog sa hotel at ng pamasahe sa eroplano mula Davao papuntang Maynila. Marami pa siyang badigard.

Naalala ko tuloy ang isang manunulat na hinuli dahil sa demandang libel. Kinuha siya sa kanyang opisina sa Ortigas, isinakay sa taxi papuntang Pasig kung saan ang istasyon ng pulis, nang bumaba na sa sasakyan, siya ang pinagbayad ng pulis ng pamasahe.

Pasensya na raw, sabi ng pulis, wala silang pera. Malas lang ng reporter. Siya na nga ang hinuli, siya pa ang pinagbayad ng pamasahe. Kung alam lang niya na siya ang magbabayad, sana nag-jeep na lang sila o kaya'y nag-traysikel.

Swerte talaga ni Bedol.

Pero, teka, papaano kaya siya uuwi sa kanila? May dala kayang pamasahe ang mama? O baka naman may bahay siya dito sa Maynila.