Despite repeated statements disavowing any political color to the occasion, the Iglesia ni Cristo’s prayer rally in Luneta the other day was a clear message to President Noynoy Aquino that they are a force to be reckoned with. As a Spy Bits insider source put it, “No words were necessary to convey the meaning of the gathering since the INC will just let the thing speak for itself.” Everyone saw how the dedicated members from all parts of Metro Manila and several provinces in Luzon trooped to the venue in answer to their leadership’s call for a grand evangelical mission.
The usual traffic became even more horrendous both on the northbound and southbound sections, with the gridlock reaching as far as the South Superhighway and the NLEX, creating bottlenecks in Commonwealth Avenue (where the INC headquarters is located), EDSA, Roxas Boulevard and other streets leading to the Quirino Grandstand. Filipinos from all walks of life – from business executives to ordinary commuters – were all stuck in traffic with many having to endure the heat as long stretches of roads began to resemble parking lots.
Among the thousands who were inconvenienced by the grand rally was a young accountant working for one of the universities along the U-Belt who was stuck for four hours coming from Quezon City, while a businessman on his way to a meeting in Makati had to sit it out for more than three hours. The same thing was also experienced by commuters and motorists in Davao where a simultaneous prayer rally was also held, with hundreds of vehicles ferrying INC members from the provinces of Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur stalling traffic along major roads leading to Quimpo Boulevard.
According to the same inside source, the INC leadership was allegedly unhappy over the fact that several “concessions” being expected have not been made by the administration, hence the show of force last Tuesday as a subtle reminder that the group is in a position to influence the outcome of the elections. The three million-strong Iglesia ni Cristo is one of the most wooed groups during elections because of the perception that the religious group votes as a solid bloc.
Whether the turnout at the grand evangelical mission will affect the decision of the senator-judges on the ongoing Corona impeachment trial or not is now the big question. Remember, six of the current senators will be running for re-election – which is why no matter how both the administration and the INC may couch it, one cannot really discount the fact that the prayer rally has political undertones.
Post Office revival
Our friend Gemma Cruz Araneta who happens to be the vice president of the city of Manila’s Historical and Heritage Commission informed us that a group is interested in transforming the Manila Central Post Office into a first-class hotel. The group currently engaged in negotiations with the government represents the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore, which was also originally a general post office building, also known as the Fullerton Building, before its redevelopment into a luxury five-star hotel located at the Central Business District near the mouth of the Singapore River.
The historic Fullerton Building was named in honor of Robert Fullerton, Singapore’s governor from 1826 to 1829, and was used as a post office and even a hospital during the Second World War. In 1997, a Hong Kong based group acquired the building and spent over $300 million for its redevelopment into a hotel along with a commercial complex, with the restoration project taking almost three years to complete. Today, the 400-room Fullerton Singapore has become one of the most recognized and awarded hotels, landing in Travel + Leisure’s 500 World Best Hotels list for 2011.
The neo-classical Manila Post Office building designed by Juan Arellano certainly offers a lot of potential considering its location at the heart of the historic Intramuros district. We were told that aside from redeveloping the old building, the Fullerton group is also looking at other improvements that could be made on the surrounding areas – something that could very well jive with Mayor Lim’s vision to restore Manila to its former glory. Unfortunate as this may sound, the Post Office may just become another white elephant in this day and age of advanced information technology with the “snail mail” fast becoming a thing of the past. In any case, reviving an old building and turning it into a classy hotel will be productive not only for Manila but the Philippines.
Doomsday bill
Alarmed by the continuing global financial crisis compounded by the violence that’s happening in Syria and Egypt, a Wyoming legislator has filed a “doomsday bill” meant to protect the state in case catastrophes of national or worldwide proportions occur. Specifically, the bill calls for Wyoming to issue its own currency in case the US dollar collapses and becomes of little or no value – something which many Americans are getting increasingly concerned with. Despite reports of improved job prospects coupled with lowered unemployment rates, there are fears that the road to economic recovery will continue to be rough for Americans, especially since the International Monetary Fund predicted that the US economy will be overtaken by China in five years.
Critics have thumbed down the doomsday bill as something out of a sci-fi movie because it also proposes, among other things, the purchase of the state’s own aircraft carrier and drafting Wyoming residents for its own military force. The bill has been doomed, though – with 30 legislators thumbing it down against the 27 who wanted to go for it when it went through a vote at the Wyoming state’s House of Representatives. It was just a vote shy of the 31 needed to pass it.
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Email: mailto:spybits08@yahoo.com.