One can easily unmask the sinister plan of Duterte’s supporters who may be the most religious among the flock, but are the most rabid when it comes to voicing out their hatred toward the Marcoses. They apply for a permit to hold a prayer rally vigil, but the truth is, what they have in mind is to turn it into an indignation rally to demand the resignation of the President so that the Vice-President may quickly take over.
But they have done it better than the yellowlifes who used to be accompanied by nuns and priests during their past rallies. Now they feature sexy dancers to excite the libido of the menfolk in the audience.
But let’s not be too quick to judge as they could be nuns in the guise of dancers. It has now reached the point where ad hominem attacks are focused on the physical appearance of their targets. And then comes the oft-repeated "bangag" tag on Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
But tell me, when comparing the two opposing leaders – Bongbong and Rody, which one among these two talks and behaves like one?
Marcos’ utterances are dignified and presidential while Duterte’s vitriol and angry tongue always gets the better of him. He certainly needs an anger management consultant like VP Sara, but that would probably make things worse given the fact that the latter has been seen punching an officer of the law.
But check who attends these rallies? They are packs of Marcos haters led by leaders who were not given presidential appointments or whose terms in previous public offices were no longer extended by the Marcos administration. They’re a mixture of mediocre balimbings-turned-sour grapes.
And where are impostor Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s four million followers? Like him, they should come out in the open and throw their support to a close ally of their “appointed Son of God” here on planet Earth.
Uranus would be a more apropos place for him to con would-be believers.
Genie in a bottle
Digong Duterte was walking along the beach when he stumbled upon a genie’s lamp. He picked it up and rubbed it and lo and behold, a genie appeared. Digong was amazed and asked if he got the usual three wishes.
The genie said, “No sir. Due to the political bickering caused by your rabid supporters, the ad hominem against the Marcoses, and the proliferation of mediocre vloggers supporting you, I can only grant you one wish. So what will it be?”
“I want to be remembered for bringing decency in Malacañang, instead of other stuff like my ‘gentleman’s agreement,’ the EJKs, the jet-ski promise, my complete trust and confidence with Secretary Duque, and lasting peace in Mindanao. See this PH map? I want the Marcos Loyalists and the Dutertards to stop fighting with each other.”
The genie looked at the Philippine map and exclaimed, “Oh, but these Filipinos have been fighting each other since the Dutertards demanded for Marcos to step down so that your daughter Sara may take over.”
“I’m good, but I’m not that good, understand I don’t think it can be done. Make another wish please.”
Digong thought for a minute there and then said, “You know, the Marcos Loyalists don’t like the Vice-President. They think she’s rude and is in a hurry to be President. They think she’s tactless and should step down from the cabinet. Can you fix that?”
The genie let out a long sigh and said, “Lemme see that map again!”
Original Pasayenio
I am a Pasayenio. My family lived for the longest time in Villaruel street. In there was the compound composed of four houses. Right next to our house stood an imposing tree visible miles away. It probably served as a landmark for travelling pilgrims, looking for a place to stay for the night.
It was also perhaps a humble abode for a local "capre" smoking his favorite Churchills. The gate was often manned by Mang Paeng a stolid yet kindhearted man who would intercept any one entering the compound – including stray cats attracted with the aroma of tuyo in the frying pan.
Our neighbors were good families, “buena familias,” as my grandmother would say. And to name a few were the Roxases, the Lopezes, the Zuluagas, the Gamalindas, the Camposes, the Rufinos and the Pardos.
The Gamalindas rented our house when we moved to another city. They lived in it until a huge fire in the seventies decimated it to the ground.
At the corner of Villaruel and Luna streets stood the beautiful Monterey Apartments, a sprawling coterie of quaint and cozy units. Down the road along Luna was the Nawasa office with a water fountain in the middle. And nearby was the Swanky Motel that had a shortcut passage leading to Taft Avenue.
Further down the road towards Manila was the Manila Sanitarium Hospital run by the sabadistas from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
The street corner on the other side was a sari-sari store owned by Aling Tinay, and trips to her store were always a treat for me for it meant I would be enjoying a bottle of Choco-Vim and thereafter feast on Choc-Nuts.
On Leveriza street stood a huge house which took the shape of a ship’s front end. That belonged to a certain Admiral Tomas Cloma. I am sure you know what he was famous for. He would go on to establish the Philippine Maritime Institute (PMI).
Cartimar shopping center was a stone’s throw away. There, one would find PX goods which included Banlon shirts, Munsingwear, Grand Slam, Hush Puppies, and Bally shoes and not the Marikina Valley shoes.
There, one could also find exotic pets from the pet stores across like the musang or the wild cat, turtles and lovebirds.
But the Pasay I knew then from my boyhood days is not the Pasay I have discovered recently today. It has now evolved into a haven for karaoke fanatics belting out their favorite OPMs. The streets, seemingly more narrow now, are now slowly disappearing and giving way for the tricycle terminals and the carinderias.
But whatever the city has now become, Pasay will always be what it is to me. It is home and a haven of my boyhood memories.
Motorcycle madness
It takes a very patient person to tolerate the madness that occurs every day on our thoroughfares involving motorcyclists who are definitely the most reckless drivers I have ever seen.
Day in and day out, one will surely encounter a mindless rider who will disregard safety precautions so that he can simply just get ahead of the rest of the pack.
In short, he will come face to face with the risk of life and limb just to accomplish his task at hand. So common now are motorcycle accidents on our roads that they are no longer news.
Statistics show that in Metro Manila alone, between 7-10 lives are claimed each day from reckless driving habits from these motorcycle riders. And that’s the reported news, so there are more fatalities daily.
The LTO must be stricter in the issuance of driving permits and licenses, and the agency must often check on the durability of crash helmets if they pass the standards for safety.
Time was when we did not have too many of these road menace as we do today. They have taken over from our PUJs the title "Kings of the road."
READ MORE:
Comments