Jueteng vs. wire tap scandal

Blurb: 'The jueteng issue is important but not of the same caliber. The wire tap controversy is easy to resolve - send the tapes to the US Federal Bureau or Britain's Scotland Yard for analysis. Tapos na ang kuwento.'

Peter Wallace of the Wallace Business Forum gives his opinion on the talk-of-the-town topic - the tale of the tapes - the PGMA administration must clear up particularly on the (wire-tapped) tapes allegedly proving poll fraud since they present very serious accusations on her legitimacy. The jueteng issue is important but not of the same caliber. The wire tap controversy is easy to resolve - send the tapes to the US Federal Bureau or Britain's Scotland Yard for analysis. Tapos na ang kuwento.

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My friend Dra. Fernandez is sick and tired of our tv newscasts - she says most of them are about crime - brawls, robberies, violence, rape, etc. These should be minimized or not mentioned at all. News should be more of morale-lifting values, like this piece. "Cebu Customs District Collector Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang removed two spot-checkers and reviewers and charged them with graft before the office of the Visayas Ombudsman."

Today's news is about the big increase in income (billions) of the Bureau of Customs since January because of the improved anti-smuggling efforts of the Bureau. Happy news indeed.

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More happy news from the Energy Department-the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) for buses plying the streets of Manila and maybe soon in Cebu. Filipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. opened last week the country's first ever CNG mother refueling station in Batangas to supply the initial fleet of Manila's 200 buses.

The move will help the country to cope with the skyrocketing oil prices and will aim to reduce pollution in the metropolis. The threshold price for CNG has been set at P14.52 per liter, compared to prevailing diesel rates of P27 to P28 per liter. Maybe we can have finally an efficient, cheap public transport in the near future.

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American writer Frank Murray, a member of New York Academy of Sciences, is in the country to write a book on the use of ampalaya in diabetes. The Philippine vegetable has been proven as a safe and natural remedy for diabetes. The book hopes to educate Americans on the merits of the vegetable as a natural alternative to diabetes control.

Herbcare Corp., maker of Charantia Ampalaya Food Supplement, is assisting Mr. Murray in gathering materials for his book. The ampalaya is expected to gain attention in the US with the introduction last year of Charantea product marketed locally but under a different name.

Ampalaya is not only nutritious but also a traditional home remedy for many illnesses, particularly diabetes, to the scientific citation of its properties that lower blood sugar.