Theres The Rub
by Conrado de Quiros
from Philippine Daily Inquirer
My thoughts rampage like a flood.

My mother always made it a point not to rent a place in Manila that was home to floods. She had known floods before, and stout of heart as she was, she dreaded them like the Plague.
One flooding in particular she could not forget. That was the one wrought by Typhoon “Trix” on Naga City. It drove us out of the tiny place we were renting there to a neighbor’s house, a thing that devastated more my …

KONTING PANANAW
by Lito Banayo
from ABANTE
Sadyang nakapanlulumo ang nangyari sa Kalakhang Maynila at sa mga karatig na lalawigan noong Sabado ng umaga. Isipin na lang natin kung gaano pa kalaki ang naging trahedya kung ito’y nangyari nang gabi imbes na umaga. Sa maraming mga naka-ekspiryensya ng lagim ni Ondoy, pare-parehong namangha sa bilis ng pag-akyat ng tubig-baha. Isipin mo kung nangyari ang ganito habang natutulog ang mga pamilya, lalo na mga batang paslit at matatandang may karamdaman. Pasalamat na lang tayo sa Panginoong Diyos at araw nang mangyari ang pagsalanta …

I received this commentary from Billy Esposo which was forwarded to him from an unnamed source.  It’s an interesting observation of what could have been the cause of the massive flooding in the Marikina, Pasig, and Cainta area. — Perry Diaz
  
Do we need Noah’s Ark or an expose on the Manggahan floodway?
As analyzed by some experts who said there’s a more plausible reason to the latest calamity, the administration, DPWH and Pagasa have as usual, hanged the disaster to nature and not to greed and inefficiency.
Ask some civil engineers if …

by Antonio C. Abaya
 from Standard Today
It was a case of too much rain too soon. In just 15 hours, some 411 millimeters fell, exceeding the September average of 391 millimeters, and beating the weather bureau’s one-day record of 331 millimeters set in 1967. (Manila Standard Today, Sept. 28.)
And, strictly speaking, Typhoon Ondoy was not even a typhoon, only a tropical storm with winds of only 85 kph when it made landfall on the eastern coast of Luzon. But what it did in its counter-clockwise spin was suck monsoon rains from the …

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from The Philippine Star
In the Old Testament account of The Great Flood, people laughed and derided Noah for building a gigantic ark. Noah, of course, had the last laugh when The Great Flood came to pass.
One big lesson we Filipinos should learn from last Saturday’s experience with Tropical Storm Ondoy is that it is high time Filipino neighborhoods (especially in those areas that are prone to flooding) start cooperating and provide for their own survival water crafts in anticipation of similar and even …

by Lito Banayo
from MALAYA

Because I write articles three times a week here and twice a week for Abante, my writing chores end on Thursday when I file my Friday article. My weekend really begins Friday and ends Sunday. I normally write my Tuesday column either on Monday morning or Sunday afternoon. This was partly written on Friday afternoon, as I had planned to be out-of-town from Saturday.
A lot of jokes happened over this past weekend. The biggest joke, cruel at that, happened all day Saturday, well past the wee hours …

Manuel F. Almario
from Philippine Daily Inquirer
In his essay, “Why we are where we Are (PDI, 8-29-01),” Mr. Roberto Tiglao blamed “communist and separatist insurgencies” and people power for why the Philippines was “derailed” while her neighbors got richer. Mr. Tiglao was blaming the symptom for the disease. He was saying that a stomach ache was the cause of the appendicitis, or that the Katipunan Revolution was the reason for the poverty and oppression of Filipinos during nearly four centuries of Spanish rule.
In explaining his thesis, Tiglao starts from the Industrial …

by Rey O. Arcilla
from MALAYA
AS of this writing (September 28), not a peep has been heard from Ms. Gloria Arroyo on Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo’s announcement he will support Noynoy Aquino.
However, if her mouthpieces had her authority to say that Romulo should resign for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is “out of delicadeza,” then the next move should be Romulo’s. (Even Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile advised Romulo to resign from his post.)
So far, Romulo has not uttered a word. Arroyo even allowed him to proceed …

PerryScope
by Perry Diaz
Now that Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gilbert” Teodoro Jr has been selected by the Executive Committee of Lakas-Kampi-CMD (PaLaKa) as their party’s presidential candidate, the battle royale between Teodoro and Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III begins. Teodoro and Aquino are second cousins and belong to the rich and powerful Cojuangco clan of Tarlac.
I had an opportunity to talk to Teodoro in 2003 during the State Dinner at Malacanang Palace honoring then President George W. Bush during his State Visit. I was seated next to him and we chatted for …

To My Kababayans:

             Typhoon Ondoy is the worst typhoon that hit the Philippines in 40 years!  I urge  the Global Filipinos to bring out the best in the themselves and help our kababayans in any they can. 
             Now is the time, once again, to show our compassion to our distressed kababayans.  They need our help! 
             Let’s keep the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ alive!
Perry Diaz
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To all our Kababayans:
 
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