Speaking of surveys and world rankings

 Two years ago, a European magazine gave us the No. 1 ranking among the world’s happy people. “Filipinos laugh even in the face of adversity,” it said.

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 Yes, indeed, we just laugh off insults like being called the most corrupt nation in Asia. OK lang. No problem.

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 Last week, a TV report said we were No. 7 in the list of the world’s happy people. Not anymore No.1. But we still laugh it off. No. 7 being a lucky number.

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 Personally, I’m not worried about our drop in the list of happy people. As long as I keep seeing our people laughing and flashing the “V” sign even when their houses are being washed away by floods and landslide.

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 Speaking of surveys and rankings, it says here (in this Philstar article written by Lawrence Agcaoili) that Pinoys are the longest TV viewers in Asia.

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 “Tinoud na,” says Mrs. Margie T. “How many times nga napaig ang among linong-ag kay ang kusinera nalingaw sa teleserye.”

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 I heard a reader say that he’s not taking sides with his own kumpare who is running for an elective post in 2013. Why? “Wa nay saping kumpareha,” he said. “Patay bitok ta kun mao nay paluyuhan ta.”

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 My friend Teddy H. calls that reader a political jukebox. He won’t support a candidate who can’t drop a coin in the slot.

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 Tom O’s black T-shirt is marked “Tommy Mayor” (see TF photo, Page 1, July 4/12). That makes the obvious very obvious, isn’t that? Simply put, Tom O is running for mayor and his followers swear he’ll beat Mike R. out of his mayoral perch. But as my mother used to tell me: “Man proposes, God disposes.”

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OVERHEARD. A woman playing mahjong whispered to a fellow mahjong player: “Kanang imong ama, hibaw na ka? Pulos peke alahas ana...nagdahom nga denowin (genuine) kanang mga hinatag sa iyang lalaking hasler. Hehe.”