Manay Kris

I heard someone say on radio: "May pag balhinon ang Colon night market sa buntag." It was the second time I heard a suggestion to that effect.

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The opposition says PNoy can be implicated in the Disbursement Acceleration Program funds anomaly. A PNoy supporter says: "Sha-DAP:"

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"Laughter fights stress," says this article here. Yes, let's laugh to get rid of stress. Too bad, to some people to laugh is a stressful exercise.

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Pope Francis has named Boholano Archbishop Bernardino Cleopas Auza as the Vatican ambassador to the United Nations. He is the first Filipino to be named permanent Vatican envoy to the UN. He comes from Talibon and is proud to be called Bol-anon. I join all Bol-anons in wishing the good archbishop God's blessings.

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Lucrecio "Manay Kris" Relatado, one of my best friends, has passed away. He was 78. When our editor Quennie B. texted me about Kris' passing, I was not only shocked, I shed a tear.

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Kris, to repeat, was my best friend. And he was some kind of a media hero to me. He was poor but he managed to survive and even support some kids through his meager but honest earnings as a multi-media person (print, broadcast, movie, stage).

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I say Kris was some kind of a hero to me because that's how I look at my media colleagues who have never given the press, our profession, an ugly name despite the rough sailing we go through.

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Kris was the first entertainment/showbiz columnist/reporter of Banat News. I invited him to join the fledgling tabloid with unclear emolument. He accepted the invite and with my daughter Arlene whom I paid peanuts worked on the fun section, filling the full spread (two pages) with entertainment stories every issue.

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The National Buntis Day was marked recently with Metro Manila as the center of the celebration. I think we are the only country in the world with this kind of celebration. Well, dapat lang. To honor the thousands of Buntis, married and not married, in our midst.

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OVERHEARD. Fraternity hazings during neophyte initiations continue to be a problem. A number of neophytes are still getting beaten to death. Said one mother of a college student: "Naa bay eskuylahan dinhi sa ato nga way frat hazing? Anha ko ipa-enrol mga bata ko bisan bulok nga eskul." Replied another Mom: "Anha lang ipa-enrol ang bata mo sa seminaryo." First Mom: "Tuod no. Pero wa ganahi mopari mga boys ko."