We can!

It's been 13 days since the Big E, the aftershocks have somewhat abated and everything is slowly and I hope surely, Cebuanos are going back to their normal routine.

However, I'm still mentally jittery. The other Sunday, I was all dressed up for a very early morning ride when a very strong jolt snapped just before 5AM. I suddenly lost my desire to ride and stayed put.

I talked to a few friends who were out on the road with their bicycles when it happened. A group from Lapulapu was right in the middle of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and he described what happened as, "scary" when he felt the bridged swayed and the roads rocking in all directions. Another friend was experienced the tremor in Naga and the first thing he noticed was the peopled rushing away from their homes and the electric posts moving like car window wipers. Another cyclist was unfortunate, as he was descending at a high speed from the top of Uling in Naga, the earthquake caused him to lose control of his machine and he crashed. Fortunately, except for a few facial bruises, he was fine.

While most of us thought that it was the end of the world, I can only imagine what went on the collective psyches of the folks living on the eastern side of Bohol. I have friends and classmates who lost a lot.

While the damage and suffering was obvious, what was more obvious was the way the government bungled the distribution of the relief good. Every time a disaster occurs, it's always the private sector that's on ground zero first while the government is still pussyfooting, probably waiting for the media.

As for that tussle between a local government official and the Red Cross, it's my opinion that it was nothing but a pissing contest and they deserved each other. However, the Red Cross should get the bulls-eye since I believe that this is not their first experience with local leaders in times of disasters. They should have taken the high road since the suffering people should come first, not their ego's nor their donors.

In the end, I always believed that this is just a small bump in the road to normalcy for Boholanos. We are a resilient people and if we can thrive in the desert sands and in the chill of the North Pole, then I see no reason why we can be back and be better!

No Takers For Horner

Six week after he won the VueltaaEspana, Chris Horner is still without a team.  While Horner, in an interview last week, said that he was not worried, I am concerned.

At 42 years old, I don't think his age is a major concern nor is his past but short acquaintance with Lance Armstrong. I don't even think it has to do with his biologic passport, which some people believed shows that he doped.

I think it has all to do with business. A Grand Tour winner usually gets a 7-figure deal but the teams want Horner less than that and they're using all of these factors to get him cheap. Horner is a smart man and I know he understands all that. Methinks he'll be aiming for a 2-year deal at the least for US$1.5 mil and get the same amount from endorsements.