The day Hizzoner blew his top

The headline said: “P-Noy to China: Pull Out Ships From Shoal.” Gutsy words. But it would’ve been more gutsy had P-Noy added: “Or else.”

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Two Elementary school pupils — a boy and a girl — were caught lips to lips kissing inside a classroom in a public school in Metro Manila. That’s sex- education, self-help style.

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I heard someone says on tv: “Politicians by nature, always change their mind.” I like politicians who change their mind. The Spaniards say: “Wise people change their minds, fools never do.”

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It was reported that there are some 500,000 (that’s half a million) manholes in Metro Manila. Many of these have disappeared. That’s the reason why the Metro goes underwater when it rains in torrents.

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It has been discovered that many of the Manila manholes have been covered with asphalt (making them part of the road) and some are clogged with all kinds of garbage including construction materials like steel bars, hollow blocks, etc.

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 “Kumusta man ang manholes ta dinhi sa Cebu?” asked my friend Teddy H. who also heard of the report on the clogged up manholes in Manila. It occurred to him, as it did to me, that our manholes here must be badly clogged up too, the reason why flashfloods occur during a heavy rain.

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GMA-7 said with pride that it leads ABS-CBN in nationwide ratings. Less than 48 hours later, ABS-CBN came up with its claim that it leads (also) in the nationwide tv ratings. Now... who really leads who?

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I saw an angry Mayor Mike Rama on tv last Friday night. He was mad at a city councilor. Someone with me watching the TV news said it was the first time he saw Mike R. in angry mood. “It’s that kind of mood I want to see my Mayor in when someone tries to take his ‘goodness’ for granted,” he said.

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OVERHEARD. A taxi driver was heard telling fellow drivers over pungko-pungko lunch “Maypa si Lolong (ang buaya) nakahatag dungog sa Pinas isip labing dako nga buaya sa kalibutan ... Maynalang wa makahunahuna sa pagdagan para senador si Lolong.”