Jack The Scribbler

From thedailytribute.com

Is President Benigno Aquino III Southeast Asia’s George W. Bush?

Far from it.

Although Dubya was caught unaware when a plane crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, it took him just a few minutes to compose himself.

Not so with this other presidential son.

It took the popular Philippine President three hours to react to the bloodbath, a Manila Times editorial on Wednesday entitled “Who’s in charge?” said.

“And when the President did face the news cameras at around 12 in the morning of August 24 [a full twelve hours after the incident was reported] he couldn’t say exactly how many died during the incident, and even blamed the media for their faithful coverage of the event,” the editorial said.

It continued to say that “[t]his was the President’s first national crisis — the blame for which he can no longer pin on his predecessor — and the government appears to be fumbling all over.”

“Why did it take a full three hours before the Palace could respond to the crisis? Where was the much-touted Presidential Communications Group, which supposedly included a unit that could respond real-time using the latest IT?” the editorial asked.

Who knows? Was the communications group too busy tweeting?

Some folks who have gone away and taken holidays in the Big Apple have nothing but fondness for the city that never sleeps.

This is not surprising.

After all, besides being one of the world’s financial capitals, the city has something for everyone — literally.

While Broadway shows and museum exhibits are among the city’s many tourist attractions, New York features establishments so specialized and esoteric that not even the most parochial-minded Manhattanites — who believe that Times Square is the center of the universe — know that these exist.

Despite being temporarily incapacitated by the September 11 attacks, the city and its residents have moved on, showing the world that its sense of community remains unshakable.

To further emphasize that the city will not be content to rest on its laurels, Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2006 unveiled an ambitious plan during the US’s Earth Day celebrations.

Besides vowing to plant a million more trees in the said metropolis, Bloomberg said his administration will impose fees on cars during rush hour, a plan which aims to cut emissions and reduce traffic congestion.

Moreover, the mayor, famous for establishing a financial news service bearing his name, said his administration will raise an estimated $30 billion to improve mass transit.

Although the city’s legislature has already pooh-poohed Bloomberg’s programs, it is at least nice to know that the mayor cares enough about New York to actually even spend time thinking about such plans.

Unfortunately, this is not exactly something which Metro Manila city officials are famous for.

Although many well-intentioned experts have long proposed programs to make the metropolis a little bit livable — to use the term loosely — appeals for urban renewal and upgraded infrastructure have either fallen on deaf ears or rarely strayed beyond the confines of the drawing board.

For instance, even as far back as four years ago, has any Metro Manila resident heard of programs with real, practical benefits to improve city living?

Save for painting the whole metropolis pink and implementing a program called “Metro Guapo” — ask yourself, is that even world-class? Seriously, Metro Guapo? — no such programs for Metro Manila (except for cities such as Makati) exist.

And let’s not get started on traffic regulations across the whole megacity — they vary across the metropolis’ 16 cities and municipalities.

So unless we choose local and national leaders with coherent, sensible platforms on May 10, our small town blues aren’t going to fade away very soon.

———————
Text above was salvaged from an editorial I once proposed to write more than four years ago when I was working as a deskperson for a newspaper.

From And the Credit Goes to Dept. Rebus of I (heart) New York designed by Milton Glaser from Wikipedia.

I’m sorry sir, that it had come to this.
If I had any kind of influence, I would gladly use it to have the blacklist against you revoked.
I would have wanted a multi-awarded actor such as yourself to visit our capital and appreciate its charms, which includes the stench of cockroaches.
Or at least that’s according to Claire Danes who made that remarkable, if brave observation fifteen years ago.
Of the world’s many poor, underdeveloped capitals that stank to high heavens, she had to choose to visit Manila, thereby forcing her to take in the powerful scent of the city’s armpit districts.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t pleasant.

Alec Baldwin on a block of Monterrey cheese as conceptualized and created by an artist named Rakka on Flickr.com who has been gracious enough to allow use of his/her work. For more of the artist's work, please click on the photo.

However, Manila’s City Council felt differently about the whole matter.
Just days after Ms. Danes reportedly embarrassed the Philippine capital, the body issued a resolution that banned the actress from Manila.
While the move was hailed by all manner of lobbyists, sycophants, and self-proclaimed patriots, the order didn’t do anyone any good. Like most laws in this country, the resolution only showed the public that council members were indeed hard at work, protecting the nation’s pride and integrity at the expense of the truth. After Manila’s supposed assault on her olfactory senses (and her critical faculties), little was heard from Ms. Danes.
I’m sure the actress was hardly interested about ever coming back to the Philippines, a sentiment shared to this day by little brown Americans headed for — or currently living in — North America and various parts of the world.
Thankfully, ever since that incident, progress has arrived in Manila and in the country in general.
Fifteen years after Ms. Danes showed that she was right on the nose, the city and its offended residents have moved on.
No longer does Manila carry the stench that so repelled Ms. Danes, although on hot summer nights, it retains a slight hint of piss and sweat, making beggars and street people long for the good, old days.
Meanwhile, its residents have discovered the wonders of perfume, which many of them use in cloying amounts.
Indeed, many Filipinos may live in hovels, earn starvation wages, encounter regular police harassment, suffer from daily hunger, but we do smell good (and our prepaid cellphones have enough credit to send a text message to say that we’ll be late).
After all, looking and smelling good is a matter of national priority and cultural pride, besides making babies and allowing ourselves to be raped by US servicemen so that we could get US visas.
During the past decade and a half, many Filipinos have also been  introduced to the internet, a vast computer network developed by former US vice president Al Gore.
Faster and easier access to information — false, factual, and trivial — have made many of them more small-minded and parochial, jingoistic and oversensitive.
When you cracked that joke about Filipina mail order brides on US television, the whole country heard it via YouTube and read all about it through their email inboxes.
Naturally, they were appalled and disgusted at your remark, even though they cared little for Filipinas who dreamed of marrying foreign males they hardly ever knew.
In any case, the remark earned you a ban from the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration.
You’re in good company.
After Danes, a Hong Kong-based journalist was also banned for telling the truth.
In his column, Mr. Chip Tsao called the Philippines “a nation of servants,” a piece of information that was factually accurate.
Except that it wasn’t something that enhanced our exalted sense of self.
I guess you very well know by now that Filipinos take everything seriously, save for political and economic reform.
This is the reason why it might take awhile before you can get the ban lifted.
In the meantime, let me just say that as a Filipino who is obviously in the minority, I apologize. I am so sorry that you had to be prompted to say you were sorry.

N. B. Good luck with having kids. And send my regards to Ms. Basinger. That is, if you’re still on good terms.