Where wearing trousers is a crime

A woman journalist was convicted for “an act of indecency” in Sudan. For stripping in public? No. For wearing trousers.

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The journalist was to be flogged with 40 lashes. But because of an international outcry, the court lowered the sentence to just a fine of $200 or about 9,600 pesos.

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But the journalist refused to pay the fine, arguing that wearing trousers is not indecent. She said if the court would restitute the original penalty of 40 lashes, she would take it.

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Perhaps, the Sudanese judge would tremble if he knows that in Cebu there are more women wearing trousers than those wearing dress or bistida ... Some young girls here today don’t anymore know what a bistida is.

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Before I got immobilized, sort of, by my spinal injury I used to spend hours in Colon just for fun. Once I sat inside Dinghow Dimsum (now Dimsum Break) and watched people pass by. I observed that nine out of 10 women passing by wore pants or trousers.

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I saw an old woman, about 80, in maong pants. The little girl with her, maybe her apo, was also wearing maong jeans. They were an interesting study of an old generation Cebuana and a young generation Cebuana caught in maong culture.

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The only woman I knew who did not wear maong trousers was my wife. Bistida gyud siya. Palda y blusa sometimes. I wore the trousers in our family!

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Georgia Osmeña, Mayor Tomas’ youngest sister — therefore Serging O’s youngest daughter — is running for city mayor. She, herself, made the announcement. She has been quoted as saying: “It’s go, go, go ... to city hall.”

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I don’t know if Georgia is 100 percent serious in her mayoralty bid. If she is, then Vice Mayor Mike Rama won’t be walking in the park ... He’ll have to contend with the Sergingistas. Or so some knowledgeable political observers feel.

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The Sergingistas are the original “Bisa’g Unsaon.” They are Osmeñistas, too, but they bow only to one Osmeña — Serging. And Georgia, many observers say, look up to Serging, her father, as her role model.

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Tom O has been non-committal yet. People are watching. That is, watching if the statement “blood is thicker than water” still holds.

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To Georgia: No, I’m not going to be a hermit. It’s just that I’m too sick and I prefer to watch the world go by from my little room. Good luck.

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