Balitang Kutsero
by Perry Diaz
When Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s five-year-old granddaughter Marie Angelique — Mikey’s daughter — was asked by reporters what her Christmas wish was, she said, “I wish that my ‘lola’ (grandmother), I mean… I hope she’ll be President forever!” Makes one wonder if that was wishful thinking or self-fulfilling prophecy?
Now, that wouldn’t sit well with the eight presidential wannabes who are spending billions of pesos and thousands of hours only to see Lola Gloria keep the presidency for life!
My investigative reporter James Macaquecquec immediately called his “Deep Truth” informer …

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from  The Philippine Star

Another year ends today and what a year it was. We Filipinos went through some exhilarating peaks and depressing deep valleys during this outgoing year.
To celebrate what we hope to be the incoming year of political and economic emancipation, let us feast today on some of the holiday season’s jokes posted by Loi Reyes Landicho, also known as The Professional Heckler, on his award winning website (http://professionalheckler. wordpress.com/).
When you stumble into the website of Loi Reyes Landicho, you’ll likely find …

Theres The Rub
by Conrado de Quiros
from Philippine Daily Inquirer

DEATH and resurrection. That’s the story of the year that was.

The death was literal enough. The year saw the deaths of many musicians in particular. Most of them in the prime of their lives, felled by disease, notably cancer, a scourge that has spread as fast as its social counterpart. Must be the diet, the pollution, and the stress, the three horsemen of the urban apocalypse. Some of them were very good friends of mine, not least Susan Fernandez, whose passing an …

I wonder why would the five-year old granddaughter of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo say that.   Was it wishful thinking or self-perpetuating prophecy?
– Perry Diaz

‘I wish lola will be President forever!’
by Lawrence de Guzman
from Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—To be president forever is the Christmas wish of one of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s granddaughters for her grandmother.
“I wish that my lola, I mean … I hope she’ll be President forever!” 5-year-old Marie Angelique said on Sunday in Baguio, the abs-cbnnews website reported on Monday.
Marie Angelique, daughter of Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, gave the answer when …

Dispatches from the Enchanted Kingdom
by Manuel Buencamino
from Business Mirror
My young son asked me what happens after we die. I told him we get buried under a bunch of dirt and worms eat our bodies. I guess I should have told him the truth—that most of us go to hell and burn eternally—but I didn’t want to upset him.—Deep thoughts by Jack Handey
Last Thursday, while reading this newspaper, I came across a curious “how-to” advertisement from “Joy,” the toilet paper that stays “Strong even when wet.”
On the advertisement’s upper left corner, …

by Paolo Romero and Marvin Sy
from The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines – Damning critics and political opponents, President Arroyo did the unthinkable in the remaining months of her nine-year rule: declare martial law and run for congresswoman, reportedly with hopes of one day serving as prime minister.
Ending months of speculation on her political plans for 2010, Mrs. Arroyo on Nov. 30 announced in a government radio interview that she was running for a congressional seat in Pampanga because public service is “emblazoned” in her genes.
Her move, though the subject of …

This is a classic scenario in the Philippines where the alleged mastermind was somewhere else when the crime was committed. It is no wonder that the mastermind of a political crime is rarely convicted of the crime.
Former ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan’s alibi is his claim that he and Congressmen Yusop Jikiri and Munir Abison and other political leaders of Sulu “were in  Malacañang on Nov. 23 to discuss with Ms Arroyo how to resolve the electoral conflicts in the province.” 
I would really be surprised if the Ampatuans were convicted of the Maguindanao …

by Erick San Juan
 
“Truth shall set us free!”,  but if this so-called “truth” by the climate change alarmists is being supported by lies and not based on real scientific studies, it will become gospel truth through repetition alone. This is where the corporate media comes in, constantly bombarding the public with lies, thus creating fear and panic. We can’t blame those who are truly misguided and not seeking for truth, just being contented with what the media feeds them everyday.
That is why we are trying our very best through print …

PerryScope
by Perry Diaz
Like in a game of chess, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is now playing the end game of her nine years of tumultuous — and scandalous — presidency. Indeed, her adroit chessmanship in the art of Machiavellian politics has earned her the scornful enmity of the people. Her recent net satisfaction rating of -38 is the lowest since 1986 in the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship.
With six months left in her presidency, how is she going to play the end game? Is she going to end it with …

ON DISTANT SHORE
by Val G. Abelgas

Last July 4, our neighborhood in Santa Fe Springs, California had its usual Fourth of July celebration. Tents were up and tables and garden chairs were set up on the front lawns of our neighborhood. Families held barbecue parties. Men drank beer. Women chattered. One family played volleyball. Another played table tennis. Kids ran all over. It was one festive sight.
As dusk started to set, people put out their fireworks. Whistle without bomb. Tiny firecrackers. Small rockets. Sparklers held by small kids. Small fireworks that …