By Mortz C. Ortigoza
 |
| Moro Rebels Chairman Nur Misuari |
A lot of Filipinos were agog recently about
the front cover of the male FHM magazine and its headliner the voluptuous
actress Alice Dixon. According to what I read, that particular issue of FHM
vanished in the market like hot cake because of the poses of the divorcee half
American actress who used to work as real estate broker in the U.S.
What made a lot of younger women turn green with
envy was Alice Dixon was already 44 years old – an age, just like in boxing,
considered as old and over the hill.
Ano kaya ang sekreto ni Alice, siya ay 44 na pero sexy pa rin. Si comedienne Eugene Domingo
ay mas bata pa sa kanya pero mukhang matanda na?
 |
| Former Police General Pol Bataoil |
***
I was watching recently the evening news of GMA-7 TV. Its reporter said
that the driver and conductor of the "killer" bus Don Mariano receive
P1,200, P1000 a day as pay or P36,000 or P30,000, respectively, a month if they
don't take their weekend leave. Manila bus drivers receive much higher pay than
a public school principal whose lowest pay is P28, 000 a month.
Years ago in a conversation with a driver of an
air-conditioned Victory Liner from Manila to Dagupan City, he told me
that he and the conductor receive that pay in a twice a day hair raising
trips ( one trip is six- hour ride) a day. He rued however that many folks
considered their work as less prestigious than say a P19, 000 a month new
public school teacher or a rookie policeman.
***
Air conditioned bus drivers are even accused of indulging in illegal drugs Shabu so they can fight
sleepiness.
The driver of the Don Mariano that crashed at the
railings of the SkyWay in Manila and fell like an accordion into a van in a
highway downstairs was suspected to have dozed off. Probably he was not into
shabu as some of his counterparts have been accused to use.
His common law wife (live-in partner) said his
husband parked his bus at midnight but he was asked by the owner to drive it at
five am the following day.
Kulang sa tulog, and many of these drivers in
Manila face this same dilemma.
***
The brewing conflicts among claimant countries in
some islets in the Far East Asia bode well for the military industries of the
United States and Europe.
Look at the $240 billion shopping lists of Japan
for a four years military hardware streak:
To buttress its maritime and defense capability
around the disputed islets, the Abe administration, according to Philippine
Daily Inquirer December 18 issue, announced recently to buy $240 billion
new military hardware in a five-year span starting next year that include
five submarines, three drones, 52 amphibious vehicles, 17 Osprey hybrid
choppers, and others.
The Philippines is part of the queue too in the
arms purchase as it modesty prepares its defense on the saber rattling Mainland
China in the South China Sea. The Aquino administration is going to
purchase the following: One squadron of T-50 jets from South Korea, frigates
from Italy, attack helicopters, C-130 cargo planes, to name a few that cost hundreds of billions of pesos from our
coffer.
The more Asia countries rearms, the more employment
for the Americans, Europeans, and the Koreans .
***
Pangasinan Congressman Pol Bataoil told recently
broadcaster Ruel Camba in his program that the former considered Maguindanao
and Cotabato Provinces as his second home after Pangasinan.
The solon told Ruel that I was with Brig. General
Ademar Tomaro (PMA ’82), Maguindanao Governor Toto Mangudadato, and former
Governor Manny Pinol in Maguindanao recently.
He said he talked with Brig. General Tomaro who
used my phone when I was there two weeks ago.
When he was a major and the chief of Cotabato City
Metro District Command, Bataoil said he was involved in a tension filled
negotiation with MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari when the latter sneaked in a bay in
the city with thousands of his armed to the teeth troops.
“I introduced myself to him as a major and the
chief of the Metrodiscom. I told him that he could not parade his troops in the
city since it would cause tension among the residents there”.
Batoil said that my fellow Ilonggo general, dubbed
by his PMA Mistah Generals Vic Castro and Sonny Versoza as the member of the
Buldog (Delta) Company at the PMA, then Captain Tomaro was just around the
corner with his tanks ready to turn Misuari into mincemeat if he would persist
on his desire to show boat his troops without an imprimatur from the national
government.
(Send comment to totomortz@yahoo.com)
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