Remember the Basilica

"DOLE Employees To Get P10K Bonus From Noy" -- Headline. Some DOLE out this. Isn't it Noy Temiong?

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The Global Parliamentarians, in celebrating International Anti-Corruption Day recently, said: "Corruption is a crime against humanity." The corrupt must be saying: "Mao ba? Bahala na."

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This news item here says a man poisoned his partner in a Hong Kong condo after discovering that the partner was a transvestite. As the Cebuano gag song warns" "Dili tanang guwapo laki."

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Joseph Brimstone, an American freelance journalist of my acquaintance, said in a travel article he wrote for a UK magazine: "At first I was amused...Everyone in Manila called me Joe...How come they knew my name (nickname)?" He didn't know until I told him that in Phl every white man is Joe. From G.I. Joe, the American soldier whom the common Pinoys have learned to idolize during the Liberation.

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Joe Brimstone was co-founder of the now defunct Trade Journal Writers Association of America (later changed to Trade Journalists Association of America) of which I was a member. The association was composed mostly of freelance journalists from many parts of the world. It was doing very well until the Internet came along and virtually stole the freelance journalists' market.

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Speaker Sonny Belmonte has advised Manny Pacquiao not to take his tax woes lightly. The same advice was also given to Pacman by other well-meaning friends. He has to listen to such advice unless he's ready, willing and able to take a wallop stronger than what he got from Juan Marquez.

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Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez has lamented what he claimed was lack of national government concern after the devastation of Tacloban by super typhoon Yolanda. That's Hizzoner's take. Take it, don't leave it. He's been on the ground all the time.

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Town mayors from Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu and other Visayan provinces have also expressed lament. They griped that they were not attended to by the national government as all attention were concentrated on Tacloban. That's their own take. And they're also on the ground, they say.

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OVERHEARD. There's so much talk about Tacloban and the alleged lack of concern shown by the national government. Said a Sto. Niño devotee: "Gilalisan nila ang kuwang kunong pagtagad sa Tacloban ni Mar Roxas ug PNoy. Kumosta naman sad ang pagrehab sa Basilica?" Another devotee: "Basig tua na lang sa Tacloban ang ilang atensyon ha. Unya kalimtan na lang ang Basilica."