Pit Senyor Sto. Niño!

Early dawn today… baring any unexpected typhoons, the sacred statue of the Holy Child Jesus, which we call the Sto. Niño de Cebu will be taken from the St. Joseph’s Parish in Mandaue City and taken aboard a yacht for the fluvial parade from Mandaue City to the Port of Cebu City and back to the Sto. Niño Basilica. Devotees from all walks of life would line up along the shoreline in Mandaue Reclamation and the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) to look at the fluvial parade joined by hundreds of boats.

Later in the afternoon, millions of devotees will join the annual procession and millions more will line up the streets of Cebu City to see one of the most solemn processions in the country. This is the exact opposite to the riotous Black Nazarene procession. Tomorrow, Sunday, the Sinulog Parade that culaminates the week-long Sinulog Festival begins. This is where all the fun and merriment begins as it is dubbed as the largest festival in Asia. So if you’re making plans to come to Cebu at this time, then you’re too late as all the hotels are fully booked already. Anyway Pit Senyor to you all!

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Next week, once again, Filipinos would be given a ringside seat to another political circus with the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. We’ve written many articles about this, but what takes the cake are two official reports that was published in The STAR. First was that the Commission on Audit (COA) cleared the SC of any irregularities, which of course Malacañang wasn’t buying. The other was the report of Ms. Malou Mangahas of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) that the accusers of CJ Corona did not give their SALNs. So this case could very well be over before it has even started! What a shame!

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Did we say that justice in this country has been excruciatingly slow? Sixteen years ago, we learned about the “suicide” of Ensign Philip Andrew Pestaño on board a Navy ship. But we have known this Cebuano family well enough that we just can’t believe that he would commit “suicide.” Hence we didn’t buy that official yarn those Philippine Navy investigators sold to the public and eventually parroted by the Sandiganbayan that it was a suicide.

So we were taken by surprise that 16 years later, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales reversed the May 2010 decision of the Sandiganbayan. Well at least the Pestaño family will have another chance to get justice for their beloved son Philip Andrew and more importantly, those Navy officers who lied to the world that his death was not a murder and covered their dastardly deed with a huge lie calling it suicide, should now be on the dock and hopefully they will be tried in court and properly given the sentence they deserve.

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When we wrote about the new Tourism slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”, it got a lot of comments from many of our readers, and yes I always answer these comments. But this one was good enough to be shared with our readers. So here’s that letter in full.

“Mr. Avila, I agree with you that WOW Philippines was a good slogan, good enough in fact to go up against Incredible India and Malaysia Truly Asia. So why the change? Just because it did not sit well with the new administration so it was scrapped. Ganyan ba talaga sila? Anything that they don’t like must be replaced with a new one, never mind if they copy it from other countries? It’s more fun in the Philippines, sabi nila. Is it?

Does it really follow? Does it do justice? When there is kidnapping, hostage taking and other drug related incidents can you truly say, it’s more fun in the Philippines? Pagkatapos ng mga bagyo, baha at landslide, paano mo sasabihin with conviction that, it’s more fun in the Philippines?

Don’t get me wrong, I love this country so much in fact that we have brought our foreign friends to Camiguin and Bukidnon after staying in Cagayan de Oro for a few days to prove to them that Mindanao is one of the safest places to visit, media is just making it dangerous because of their exaggerated reports. These friends of ours were so grateful that when they heard about what Sendong did to CDO they donated money for the victims. Is that not goodwill to the nth degree? That’s why it pains me now that our tourism industry just can’t seem to get it.

Why change something when it is working well? I believe there is a saying that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I am not sure if this is correct basta I know that it was to this effect. Seguro nga you are right in saying, kasi payback time na kaya kailangan palitan para naman kumita ang iba. What a farce! What kind of reasoning is that? Sana nga, this works. I hope that the people of the tourism office make this work kasi di natin alam kung ilang milyones and budget nito at kung sino ang mga beneficiaries ditto. Regards MM Belen.”

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