Drifting Thoughts 04

Last Saturday, I was supposed to go out with some DS people for a rare bonding session. It was to be held somewhere in Pasig, in an area I'm not familiar with. I was to test my "pathfinder" skills: the ability to go to an unfamiliar place primarily by using a map and, only if no other choice, asking the locals. Pasig was a notoriously difficult place for me, having been lost there twice, so I "cheated" by exploring the environs with my officemates when we had a lunch out the day before. Besides, the stakes were high this time since instead of just me, I had to accompany a friend going there (although I'd prefer getting lost with good company than getting lost alone). Well all these came to naught when the arbitrary quorum wasn't reached and the activity was cancelled.

All was not lost however for my need to attend a get-together and to practice my path-finding skills. On that Saturday I did get to know of another gathering, this time with my course-mates, over at Quezon Avenue. All I needed to know was the general area starting from the MRT station. I found the destination after a long-distance walk, and had more than enough time to reward my efforts with a halo-halo and to still get restless by waiting for the others.

Our gathering was a sort of sending-off for two of our friends (a third one was absent) who'll be working overseas for a year. After a tasteless dinner at a place that's more apt for a drinking session, we sang until our throats (or just mine) felt sore at the nearby videoke and then made some celebrity sightings at Starbucks-ABS CBN (with no TV for a year, I really had no idea they are celebs; all of them looked ordinary to me).

On the way home at three in the morning, I passed by sidewalk vendors sleeping soundly while their wares are still on display. It was good to know that none among the passers-by picked up those unguarded items. Dear reader, cling on to this sign of hope while continuing with this entry.

-oOo-

Behold the editorial cartoon of the Inquirer last May 3. Were they merely being naive about military stuff, giving the Air Force a good-natured ribbing about its clunky widow-makers, or, now that the military has been somewhat humbled, were they displaying their anti-military bravado, which is reasonably fashionable nowadays? (By the way, the cartoon was badly drawn since the punch line would be read first; better if the kid and the general switch places.)

Let's get the facts straight. Back in the Vietnam War, the US Air Force has suffered Huey crashes from the hands of the Vietcong. How did the guerillas pull it off? Rocket-propelled grenades? Snipers? A well-aimed shot may work, but why waste precious ammunition when one can just lay a web of wires along the path of a low-flying helicopter a la Spiderman? Yup, these flying babies are vulnerable to things that can snag its whirling blades--dramatically reducing their lifting power or tragically diverting them towards a collision course. And yes, the pilots won't notice a menacing wire or string until it's right in front of them. In fact I was actually surprised that a Philippine Air Force official admitted that their Hueys have been "disabled" before by Mindanao rebels using the lowly kite.

More than the issue of antiquated military hardware due to corruption and incompetence, the media has overlooked the issue of safety. And when I mean safety, I do not just mean saving a soldier's life, I mean saving the lives of the flying public as well as those down below. You see, aside from helicopters the lowly kite may also get sucked into one of the engines of a 737 and jeopardize its take-off. It's a very probable scenario; since, like in Cebu, kites are being flown in the vicinity of airports, and while this is prohibited, the rule isn't being enforced. Why didn't the media hyped things up by emphasizing this more troubling possibility? They might be merely ignorant about these things. Or, given the election fever nowadays, are they more attracted to the chance of criticizing the corrupt and incompetent military, and by association, the administration? Unfortunately, the Air Force officer didn't help dispel the impression of incompetence, at least in PR skills, when he himself did not raise this safety issue when he was being interviewed.

-oOo-

Well, look what the Supreme Court has forced the Comelec to reveal: party-list nominees who are identified with the administration, and more than that, have spotty reputations.

The left is not exactly immaculate on the party-list issue. First, they also enjoy government funding in the form of pork barrel. Second, they have the support of the largest private army in this country: the NPA. Lastly, like any traditional politician, they want to horde party-list votes by attacking all the other parties they can discredit. Suddenly being pro-administration or even moderate or neutral is a mortal sin.

Considering that these leftist groups and the administration have been doing attacks and counter-attacks with each other, it would be better to just cancel out the parties identified with the two. One would still find more meaningful parties that are not that obnoxious or notorious but rather silently fulfilling their role in truly representing the marginalized.

-oOo-

Recent developments have troubled my home city. A Comelec Division had ruled on a complaint back in 2004 regarding Mayor Robredo's citizenship. It's an old, overused, futile attack against Robredo, but this time the camp of Luis Villafuerte managed to pull it off.

For the complete coverage, I present Willy Priles's blog. Focus links: Historical Background, Family Drama, Foreboding (see the last part), The Watershed Event. (There's supposed to be an entry where Willy speculates on the election plans A and B of both Villafuerte and Robredo, but I can't find it anymore. Is it deleted?)

I have long been planning to go home this summer. Having missed the opportunity during the unusually long Holy Week break, I suppose the election weekend would be a good alternative since the horde of travelers will not be that massive. But I never expect to come home to this summer tempest. Curiously though, this scandal had strengthened my desire to go back to Naga--perhaps due to the youthful "foolishness" of wanting to be where the action is.

I reply to this madness with a picture originally taken by Randy Villaflor, posted online by Willy, and crudely edited in MS Paint by yours truly: