Corona bet: Guilty or not guilty

Even as we write this column, Filipino bookies are busy collecting bets on the outcome of the Corona impeachment trial: acquittal or conviction? Oddsmakers certainly had their hands full calculating the outcome and trying to predict how each senator-judge will vote. Some are betting 2:1 that the outcome will be guilty, basing predictions on, ironically, the testimony of Chief Justice Renato Corona himself. On the other hand, odds are 2:1 that it will be an acquittal with only eight votes needed to get Corona off the hook.

Not that this is surprising, because many Filipinos love to play the “game of chance.” As a matter of fact, almost anything can trigger the Filipino itch for gambling – with bets placed on the ending numbers for basketball games, or the round when Manny Pacquiao will knock his opponent out cold. According to a paper by De La Salle University economics professors Marvin Castell and Joel Tanchuco, gambling is a “habitual and pervasive social activity,” with Filipinos “from the humblest barrios to the most affluent villages” known to engage in this activity.

Egyptian actor and compulsive gambler Omar Sharif once described gambling as a form of entertainment – which is very apt, since the impeachment is a political exercise as well as a numbers game. And in this country, politics and entertainment have become one and the same.

Price not for sale

Despite the lower than expected results of GMA 7’s first quarter earnings which showed a 27 percent drop compared to the same period last year, analysts from Maybank ATR Kim Eng are confident that the Kapuso network will be able to improve sales and catch up in the succeeding quarters.

The drop is attributed to the sliding airtime revenues of five percent to P2.7 billion, with a lot of companies holding back on their ad spending due to continuing global financial uncertainties. International revenues were also nearly flat, although GMA’s flagship overseas channel, “GMA Pinoy TV” increased its subscription by 10 percent for a total of over 302,000 subscribers. 

Judging from the earlier statements of GMA chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon who said he would consider selling the network and sign with his “eyes closed” for the price of P100 billion, it certainly looks like TV5 chairman Manny Pangilinan’s interest in acquiring the network is no longer feasible. MVP had offered P48 billion earlier – but according to insiders, the P100 billion asking price quoted by Gozon is “presyong hindi ibenebenta” – a clear indication that the network is not up for sale.

Australia’s biggest brothel

It looks like the green light is on for the construction of Australia’s biggest brothel in Sydney after the property owners won an initial court approval – much to the chagrin of the local government who had fought against the $12 million, three-storey extension to an existing “sex den.” All that is needed for the construction to commence is a plan on how to limit the number of customers who would be accommodated in the pleasure den.

Called the “Stiletto proposal,” the plan calls for the erection of 40 working rooms, 21 waiting rooms and a 24-vehicle basement parking lot. Members of the “Scarlet Alliance,” which represents Australian sex workers, are certainly happy with the initial ruling, calling it a victory for “industry workers,” many of whom are being forced to work illegally because the local government has been strict in granting licenses to brothel operators.

Although Australia has liberal rules, the opposition to pleasure places has been growing over the years from politicians and anti-sex industry groups. Brothel operators and supporters are proposing a so-called licensing model wherein the details about a health worker including health information will be recorded – but this was received with skepticism, with many saying this will never work because the women will not want their names getting into government lists and police registers. For sure, certain patrons of known legal prostitution dens will also not want to have their names (or photos) plastered all over the papers. 

Is Singapore’s Lee losing his touch?

The recent loss of Singapore’s ruling party candidate in the special elections held in Hougang could be an indication that Lee Kwan Yew’s son and current Prime Minister Lee Hsein Long is losing the confidence of the people. In last year’s general elections, the ruling People’s Action Party posted the smallest margin of victory since the city-state gained independence in 1965 – a signal that citizens were not too happy with the way the younger Lee had been running the country, observers noted.

Recent surveys have shown that residents are very concerned with the high cost of living as well as immigration issues, with locals resenting the growing influx of foreigners. Data from the Singapore Ministry of Manpower showed that of the 122,600 jobs created last year, 84,000 or around 70 percent were filled by foreigners – not surprisingly a sore point among locals who have been complaining about such issues as housing, transportation and employment.

Observers say Lee Hsien Long may not have the same touch his father had – with the younger Lee’s government facing a lot of pressure to calm voters without necessarily disrupting the entry of talented foreigners whose contribution to the labor pool has been deemed expedient. Foreign workers make up one third of Singapore’s 5.2 million population, and despite stricter immigration policies plus increased property taxes for non-Singaporeans, the inflow of overseas workers has continued to increase by an average of 7.5 percent in the last two years.

Clearly, the younger Lee has to reinvent himself and change the way his party has been running government.

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