Editorial: Who Needs A Lunch With Kenney?

Who needs a lunch with Kenney? I was invited by the US Embassy for Thanksgiving Lunch. They faxed the invitation last week, but since I was so busy then, never had the chance to browse the invitation.

Benny…whoever, from the Embassy phoned me the other day and asked for a confirmation of my attendance and since I am busy with work, told the good guy if our publisher, Maritess Fernandez could take my place and he said okay, just send over the fax reply and we did.

An hour later, the Embassy phoned our publisher and asked a confirmation. Then a day passed, somebody from the US Embassy called her up again and told her that she cannot attend the lunch because the invitation was for me…gee!

Sad thing here is that our publisher approves stories the articles and photos that go out of the newspaper and our website…too bad she cannot attend the lunch with Ambassador Kristie Kenney even is she is our publisher!

Well, there goes the Embassy. Who needs a lunch with Kenney anyway?
You know covering the Americans in Mindanao is really difficult as a Filipino journalist. They usually discriminate and favor foreign press more than the locals, yet the Filipino journalists – video and photographers and writers – get to do all the dirty jobs.

Americans, military and embassy people, who usually invite local journalists to cover their events whether in Basilan island or far-flung Jolo island, never really feed the boys. Hell with the boys whether they go hungry or nuts, except if you are with the BBC or CNN or Fox News…they get front seats on the dining table with matching service vehicles.

Ask a Filipino journalist in Zamboanga City or Jolo if they had the same experience as their foreign counterparts and they will tell you shit! Local journalists are herded on trucks.

US guys think local journalists can just be taken for granted…many of the local boys write for international news agencies, international newspapers, and Manila broadsheets and tabloids.

What’s good about the local journalists is that they have their strong determination to write the truth just like this piece of mine or piece of shit to others. Funny, US guys and Filipinos working for them, although not all (to be fair), try hard to put their propaganda ahead of us. You write something they don’t like, they curse you like a witch doctor.

In Jolo island, US troops will tell you not to take photos or videos of them, holy cow! The soldiers are in public places and seen by people and they don’t want any pictures…dude, cover your face like a Ku Klux Klan and don’t get out of your shells.

How many local journalists were pursued by US troops while doing their jobs? How many were harassed by US soldiers? How many were threatened with bodily harm by these soldiers right in their own country? How many had their faces in front of a barrel of US soldiers just because journalists were only doing their job?

OPINION

THAT DAMN OPINION! By Al Jacinto

Manny Pacquiao finalmente decidía lanzar su sombrero en la arena política local - en ciudad de General Santos.

Manny está intentando ganar la raza del Congreso! Realmente no puedo leer cuál está en el jefe de Pacquiao. Primero, él dijo que él funcionaría para las elecciones en General Santos del alcalde; y entonces él cambió de puesto su foco a Manila; y entonces como candidato del Congreso en Cotabato del sur; y entonces endosa el Atienzas en Manila otra vez; y entonces endosa a Luis Singson, su ídolo! Y entonces endosa el grupo PBA de la lista del partido.

Mi pregunta quién endosa la voluntad Manny después.

Manny se parece ser confundido en lo que él realmente desea hacer; hay a muchos cocineros en la cocina; hay demasiada gente que dice a Manny lo que él debe hacer. Cuál es siguiente para Manny? Quizá como presidente de las Filipinas, quién sabe?

Manny guarda en decir que él necesita funcionar para el Congreso y ganar e introducir los leyes que ayudarán a elevar el estándar la vida de millones de Filipinos pobres - - cubierta, la salud y la educación - ésas ser lo que los sueños de Manny de alcanzar cuando él finalmente gana uno de su batalla importante en vida - el Congreso!

Con dinero, diez de millones en sus cajas, Manny puede ayudar seguramente a los pobres aunque que él es un ciudadano privado. Él ha estado dando el dinero a los pobres en General Santos bien, pero hay otras maneras de ayudar al menos afortunado - las escuelas, los centros de la salud y los complejos de viviendas - si él es realmente sincero.

El boxeo es diferente de hacer leyes. Y tenemos muchos políticos que no sepan nada, solamente elecciones ganadas debido a renombre, dinero sucio, el engaño y mil más razones! Espero que Manny componga su mente y no funcione en las elecciones de Mayo.

EDITORYAL: Ang Simula ng Pangangampanya!

NAGSIMULA NA ANG KAMPANYA ng mga pulitiko para sa halalan sa Mayo. Katakut-takot na pambobola ang maririnig mula sa mga taong ito at siguradong babaha ng salapi upang makumbinsi ang maraming Pilipino na sila’y ihalal.

Ngunit malamang na itodo ng mga pulitiko ang pamumudmod ng pera kung malapit na ang eleksyon – hindi lamang sa mga botante, kundi sa mga opisyal ng barangay, ng lunsod, bayan at lalawigan na kung saan ay may mga kaalyado ito – para masigurong makuha nila ang boto!

Isang damakmak na pangako sa mga Pilipino ang maririnig at kung anu-anong pambobola at kasinungalingan ang siguradong ilalabas ng mga herodes. Kawawang Pinoy at marami na naman ang maloloko.

And matindi ngayon ay ang inaasahang kaguluhan at pandaraya sa pagitan ng mga magkakatungaling pulitiko – administrasyon man o oposisyon, kaliwa o kanan!

Sa Mindanao ay talamak ang dayaan nuong halalan ng 2004, pero giit pa rin ng Malakanyang na malinis at may mga dayuhang observers pa. Eh, ang tanong ay nasaan ba ang mga observers na iyan? Nagpunta ba sila sa Maguindanao o Lanao, nagtungo ba ang kanilang grupo sa Sulu o Tawi-Tawi o kaya ay sa Basilan?

Grabe! Ang masasabi ko lang ay sobrang bulok ang naging halalan at talamak sa pandaraya, mula sa botohan hanggang sa bilangan! Sa Sulu lamang na kung saan ako ay na-assign upang mag-cover ng halalan nuong 2004 ay halos hindi ako nakatulog dahil sa aking mga nasaksihan.

Sa bayan ng Maimbung ako noon naglagi at doon ay saksi ako sa bilihan ng boto, sa palitan ng mga election IDs, sa pagpayag ng mga bantay na maka-boto ang menor-de-edad at ang lantarang kawalang-hiyaan ng mga may hawak ng balota.

Mahirap ipaliwanag, subalit hindi ko maubos-maisip kung bakit naganap ang ganoong mga bagay. Sa Islam ay ipinagbabawal ang masama, ngunit bakit nanaig ito sa Sulu, sa Mindanao? Sa mga nakita kong balota sa Maimbung ay nakasulat na ang mga pangalan ng ibat-ibang pulitiko.

Dalawang-daang piso naman ang bayad sa bawat Badjao na bumuto sa isang kandidato – wow! Eh, daan-daang mga Badjao na hindi marunong sumulat ang nag-unahan sa paglalagay ng kanilang thumbmarks kahit hindi alam kung ano ang mga pinagbabasa, basta ang mahalaga ay makuha ang salaping maipambibili ng 10 kilong bigas at isda.

Minsan naisip ko tuloy na huminto na lamang sa pagsusulat dahil sa mga kabuktutan ng lipunan aking ginagalawan, ngunit mamamatay naman sa gutom ang aking pamilya at hindi makakapag-aral ang aking mga anak. At kung mangyayari ito ay baka mapabilang na rin kaming lahat sa kabulukan nitong lipunan.

Hanggang kailan kaya ang ganitong uri ng lipunan, ang ganitong uri ng gawain. Mabuti na lamang at isa akong ateyista, walang kinikilalang panginoon o diyos at kung hindi ay malamang naitakwil ko na ang lahat ng mga santong kilala sa mundo!

Hanggang kailan magtitiis ang mga mamamayan upang makamit ang tunay na pagbabago...hanggang kailan? (Al Jacinto)

That Damn Opinion! by Al Jacinto

Pasonanca - a posh, uphill village in Zamboanga City, continues to draw huge crowds every day because of its magnifiscent view and cool climate and rows of restaurants.

The area is also site of a new Christmas leisure park of the Southern City Colleges (SCC) where children and the old enjoy the shows nightly. Foreigners dressed up like Santa Claus and posed for souvenir pictures with kids, but some local media personalities covering the shows were disgusted over how several staff members of the organizers allegedly insulted them, they tell us.

They say one reporter even showed a press identification card to one SCC staff while escorting excited children to pose for photographs with Santa Claus, but had been turned away after taking the ID and spoke with other staff. And worse, some of the SCC staff instead allowed their friends and children and other people pose for pictures with Santa.

Poor children! They just stood there crying while other adults who had thinkings of a child take every opportunity to flash their big mouth, I mean, big grin, with Santa, who was unware of the whole situation.

Wow, some people really are social climber and opportunists. No wonder there are many morons around.

This also happened to other civilians who complained about similarly unfair treatment allegedly by unidentified SCC staff. Organizers or representatives of the event were not immediately available to make a comment.

-oOo-

So, what else is new? Pasonanca village, where bungalows have mushroomed and wealthy families dine and drink, is really catching up. Now, workers are sweating down their balls even at night to rush up the asphalting of a portion of a concrete road that had little cracks, while many villages, like Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina, have nothing, but dilapidated roads and of course, poor Muslims!

Development projects in Zamboanga City are mostly concentrated in downtown area, the seat of political power, and most importantly, it is perhaps the only place in Zamboanga where people can see what politicians brag about.

But there are projects, alright! And elections are near, alright!