On back scratching

"Prisoner Escapes Thru Old Well" — Headline. See? If there's a well, there's a way ... for escaping.

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Mayor Tom O has warned hospitals and universities that don't pay taxes to City Hall that they will be deprived of the basic services of the city government. What Tom O was saying is: "If you don't scratch my back I won't scratch yours."

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A nursing student complained to me (Wow, ha!) that a truck that passed by near her while Colon was all water, had her dress all wet. This didn't get a splash in the media.

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A Richard Tong Jr. of Mandaue City e-mailed to clarify a statement he had made on the swine flu. I didn't carry his statement. Anyway, he made it clear that it was a slip of the Tong.

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The famous Douglas Quijano, manager of many well-known and successful showbiz stars, has passed away. Dougblas once visited our editorial office. That was years ago when TF still had its feet on the ground.

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When I say TF still had its feet on the ground, I mean just that. Not figuratively. Because back then our building was all ground floor. No second and third floors like now.

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An e-mail from my good friend Ben Ypil, he who once held the post of spokesman for Transco, says he's enjoying his apo-stolic mission in Indiana, USA, where he is on vacation. His apo Rafael is now four months old and is growing well under his apo-stolic care.

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Another e-mail, this time from Esmeralda Guzon: "I read your column about Pandanggo sa Ilaw. I was there when the Filipiniana show was held in New York ... The Ilaw of the dancers were not lighted because the organizers did not have a permit from the N.Y. fire dept." (Thank you, Ma'am, for the info. -- JVJ)

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News about GMA running for Congress in 2010 has been getting good plays in the press. Said one political analyst: "This is an indication that the Con-Ass will push through and the Cha-Cha will come to pass." And then what?

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I have my own analysis — so simple that even a fifth grader could understand — but let's not go ahead of the story. Suffice it to say that we seem to be headed towards another form of government.

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