Mga echosera ng taon 2011!

The year is almost over. It's time for my annual countdown. Let's start with the people who made the news this year - yung mga Echosera ng 2011!

1. Piolo Pascual

There's really nothing much more to say, after KC had said her piece. Aired on "The Buzz", KC Concepcion had cried her heart out to the public and to Boy Abunda on her relationship with Papa Piolo. Confirming to the world - in not so many words - the "man" that Piolo isn't. Of course, ABS-CBN has been mum about this and hopefully, as time heals all wounds, the public will keep quiet or quietly drift away from the issue of Piolo's gender. After all, girls, boys and gays shriek over Piolo with or without clothes on. Without any doubt, this hunkaloid wins hands down for the title of Queer...errr..Queen of all ka-echosan this year! Bow!

2. KC Concepcion

If there's anything that zaps a woman's ire most is not the fact that her better half has slept with another woman. It's the fact that her male lover sleeps with men! But her revelation over prime time talk show did not catch the public as a surprise. In short, many knew (or suspected) all along that her beau swung both ways. For someone who was schooled in Paris and has both beauty and brains, it was maniacal on her part to have dreamt that her prince charming would end up being a graceful princess. KC should have just done a Carmina Villaroel. In the midst of the gayness of Rustom, Carmina stood her ground, kept quiet, slowly drifted from the relationship and found eternal happiness in a real man - Zoren Legaspi. KC should provide closure to this matter. Walk away from the bad experience my dear and next time, remember to listen to your gay friends. You were warned!

3. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

In between her alleged "rare" illnesses and the alleged election sabotage during her term as president of the Republic of the Philippines, the "taray" bulilit was at it again. First, was her attempt to leave the country because of her medical illness. Then when she couldn't get a dramatic exit, it had to be another form of drama at St. Luke's Global. The controversy had created a greater rift in the already troubled relationship between the executive and judiciary. As the real-life drama of GMA's "hospital arrest" unfolded, no one was as interested in the travails of the ex-president because no one really gave a damn of what happened to her, except her few staunch supporters (mostly in the Supreme Court) and the people who need to repay back her largesse during her term in office.

4. Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona

No supreme court justice has hogged the limelight as much as the midnight appointee of Ate Glue, in SC Justice Renato Corona. Corona had served as GMAs chief of staff when she was Vice President. He was then appointed SC associate justice in GMAs term and eventually got the plum position as Chief right before the term of GMA ended. With so many decisions in FAVOR of GMA during her term and even after her term in office, it makes the judiciary look scornfully wrong when it comes to deciding on matters of law, especially expediting a request from your former boss to resolve. Even Erap had his day in court and was not treated kindly by the judiciary. And while the Supreme Court justices insist that there is autonomy between the executive and judiciary, there smacks doubt among the citizens of this country on the rationality of decisions being forked out from the magistrates of the high court at the way they're swinging their decisions in favor of the "little girl that should be put to sleep" .

5. Court Administrator Midas Marquez



He was never even famous. No one even knew who he was. But no one in the Supreme Court has been more showbiz than the youngest court administrator called Midas Marquez. The gay columnists are after the "cutie" who's been the controversial spokesperson of the supreme court justices in their riveting decisions regarding the fate of GMA. Midas has had his day (not in court) guesting in various TV shows and, of all places, in Ricky Lo's column in the Philippine Star. Now we all know that the Midas sleeps in boxers, wears large t-shirts and underwear, and size 10 shoes (no it's not the size of his dick), works 15 hours a day, spends weekend at home, doesn't have time for other women, has two children already in high school, hardly goes on vacation, brings his work home, has a satisfactory sex life with his wife...uhmmm...not really a place and an interview for someone who's supposed to be respected by the courts in the land. It's quite obvious that the public nor the press did not react kindly to the falling off of the microphone in an interview, rousing suspicions on his sexual orientation as well. (click on the video above and judge for yourself)

6. Mo Twister

No greater wrath than a man who loses his baby because his lover wanted an abortion. And blabbermouth Mo Twister had been most vocal and viral about the abortion of Rhian Ramos on their baby. With GMA 7 taking sides to this "reproductive health" saga, they're ready to throw the book on Mo Twister. And Rhian has taken the vile side of castigating Mo (even if the guy is really worthless) at the accusations of the abortion. DJ Mo has decided to pack up his bags and leave. He has announced to the world that he is going back to New York City where he has a job waiting for him and he would start life anew. But the airwaves can't seem to keep the tongues wagging and Mo, well...the guy isn't even leaving YET! He says he will still stay in the Philippines to get this controversial issue straightened out. While we are truly, deeply, and emphatically sorry for his loss, we'd like to see him keep his words - LEAVE! MOVE ON! GET A NEW LIFE! And stop stalking Rhian! She has decided to move on - I hope you get the picture Mo!

7. Rhian Ramos

There's no denial in the alleged YouTube video of ex-boyfriend Mo Twister claiming that she's had an abortion. On GMA news, it was just a sobbing Rhian claiming that she's been harassed by the video of Mo. And since there's no word about it from her end, there must be some truth to it. As to why GMA 7 isn't even investigating this allegation of Mo on what Rhian did, and the fact that GMA 7 people are even up in arms to defend Rhian on this, doesn't really speak well of the network condoning murder in the name of showbiz! It cannot be denied that GMA 7 has also produced the most number of stars from their stable that had a child out of wedlock or teen pregnancy. Jenelyn Mercado was the most recent, until of course, this Rhian Ramos scandal. There should be some boundaries defining the thin line of decency in showbiz. And abortion just cuts it right in the middle.


8. Anabelle Rama

Child labor abuse and oral defamation. That's what the big-mouth mother of Richard, Raymond and Ruffa Gutierrez is now facing. She is accused of subjecting the kids of former TV star(?) Nadia Montenegro to grueling hours on camera and time away from school. Now that the case is in court, the verbal abuse of Anabelle caught live on television shows a woman with no education at all - angry and scorned at the world that she thinks owes her big time for her contribution to entertainment. It would be thrilling to see Anabelle behind bars this time and I wonder what the Gutierrez family would say when this verbally abusive woman (?) is finally brought to justice. This woman literally takes home the message "you can take a boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy". [Ang hampas lupa, bihisan mo man ng ginto, eh hampas lupa pa din]

9. Nora Aunor

"Walang himala!!!....kundi sa Pilipinas". And what other country has an open arm policy to has-beens but the Philippines? There is a soft spot for La Aunor. Most probably half the people in the Philippines (except the aging population) have forgotten about the singing lass who rose from poverty to riches and dragged herself into exile, changed her sexual orientation and oh yes, finally decided to come back to the Philippines because there was no work available to her in America. Give it to MVPs TV5 for flying back La Aunor to make a series of TV shows for the network. But the country is a softie for Pinoys who've left and come back to rebuild their lives - Billy Joe Crawford, Gabby Concepcion, Geneva Cruz, to name a few. Last we heard was that the TV series of Ate Guy didn't click, which means that La Aunor would probably have been better off in the US, doing a real-life "Bona" (in this movie she plays an abused housemaid) there. Seriously, in this day and age of Justin Beibers and Lady Gagas, the younger generation can't fathom why La Aunor even became - Superstar!

10. Ramgen Bautista

I saved the last not as the least but as the worst. I have never even heard about this guy Ramgen until he died. When I heard about his death, my household help were abuzz. I asked who died? When they said it was Ramgen-someone, I asked again - who? I mean, I don't even know the guy, but my household help who are rabid TV addicts tell me that he's a new find of the network --- tadaahhhhh - GMA 7. No surprise there. It seems that GMA 7 knows how to pick out these lackeys and I should give them a pat in the back for being able to select these kind of entertainers. Over the next few weeks, the whole Bautista household's (including the life and times of Ramon Revilla, Sr) dirty linen are washed in public! From the schizophrenic mother, to the abusive Ramgen (who's not a good boy as GMA 7 would project after all), to the household fights, locking up the food supply of the younger siblings and financial woes because of the spending spree of Ramgen and mother...a story unfolds each day making the plot thicken the real-life telenovela with more drama and decadent violence! The real life story of this guy Ramgen is actually more interesting than the career of this wannabe-starlet. Somebody should get to the mother and buy the rights to the movie quickly while she is still lucid! This murder is a family affair.

Stupid

For the past two weeks, I have been giving lectures either for a postgraduate course or a medical society. The travel from my house or any place of origin to the lecture venue has been, for choice of a better word, STRESSFUL.


From the Magallanes area, my travel to the Philippine Heart Center took me 2 hrs and 15 mins. From C5 to Tiendesitas, for the Pasig Medical Society's lecture, it also took me 2 hrs. It took longer to traverse EDSA or C5 than a plane ride from Manila to Hong Kong or Davao. The travel time was close to going to Saigon!

If you live in Manila, you need to really extend your patience...and this is a virtue I sorely lack. Believe me when I say that I understand what road rage is all about, but yes, there is no reason for one to drive in Metro Manila if one is hot tempered.

I probably will never understand how government officials in our country think. Perhaps for lack of a more appropriate word, my observations during these long road trips traversing less than 15 km for 2 hours had me deducing that the better, kinder and gentler term to call those responsible for traffic in Metro Manila - STUPID!

1. It's 5 pm and the buses that traverse EDSA are not even half full. I was telling my driver how many buses there are on the right lane and how empty many of them were. All the people are queuing at the MRT stations and the buses are just lazily jockeying for the few passengers. Why can we not reduce the number of buses plying EDSA and put a certain time clock for those going to Monumento or Novaliches or Project 4 or wherever their final destination is? And these passengers are willing to travel 2-3 hours? What the? They have nothing to do with their lives rather than sit in a f*ck*ng bus the whole day and inhaling all that pollution? Dang! There has got to be some order put on the roads. The Philippines is one of the countries in the world with the highest road accidents - both fatal and nonfatal! And our government officials simply lack the balls to implement what is the overall good of the people. They will listen to Claire de la Fuente and her gang of bus owners that the jobs will be lost if they cut down on the buses on EDSA. Diyos mio! What about the lost time and among the greater majority who travel from North to South and vice versa? Vaya con Dios na lang ba?

2. Then you add the several thousands of motorcycles that ride shotgun and gungho along EDSA as well - swerving in and around the cars and our having to avoid them so as not to get into an accident. Once these motorcycles hit your car, they'll run away and you'll never even see their tiny plate numbers (which are not even lighted at night). There goes your car and there you can only curse to high heavens. Whoever allowed these imbeciles to ply the streets of Metro Manila without a care in the world about someone else's vehicle, I will never know. But I only pray and hope that he or she rolls over and dies - now!

3. On my way to Tiendesitas, I noticed that there are several elevated pedestrian walkways along C5. Of course, while there are warnings in the middle of the road that you can eventually die from playing tag with the vehicles on the road, the people that live around the area will somehow take the shorter road - to death. And when you get into an accident, the driver of the vehicle is charged with homicide due to negligence. Negligence my ass! Eh bawal nga tumawid noh!

Why does the local government spend millions of pesos to build an elevated pedestrian lane connecting one squatters area to another squatters area? I really don't see the logic. They are squatters! They're not supposed to even be there in the first place. In the second place, none of them actually pay taxes to the government. They have no contribution whatsoever to the coffers of the government. Why waste taxpayers money to build the elevated pedestrian lane for them? Gosh! It does not take rocket science to realize how stupid these lawmakers think! Spend the money to relocate them! You look out of the palatial homes in Serendra and you will appreciate a perfect view of the squatters community!

I have a better suggestion. In all the practicality of PNoy and whatever his do good attitude is, he should just make a presidential decree that any driver that runs over someone who is jaywalking or who rides a public vehicle in the NO LOADING and UNLOADING zone will get a prize for running over these idiots. Beyond his no wang wangs on the road - like reward us with P100,000 per person that we send to the next world. Let's see if anyone is even willing to violate the law. And those vendors that criss-cross the streets peddling their water, cigarettes, biscuits, red bull or whatever - puhleez - get them out of the road! Someone told me that it would be a violation of human rights to have this decree. What right? Tell me, what right did we violate? The right to life? What about the driver's right to life? While avoiding these idiots who disobey traffic rules and regulations, we end up swerving and hitting our cars somewhere else and injuring ourselves and others. So who is responsible for our loss of life because some lame brained squatter darted from point A to point B and we tried to avoid having to run the idiot over?

While my driver is busy maneuvering the slow drive, I open the newspaper and get to read the column of Mon Tulfo in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He wrote about Bong and Lilia Pineda, alleged jueteng operators in Pampanga. Of course, Tulfo was defending the husband and wife tandem and saying that according to them, jueteng (an illegal numbers small town lottery) provides jobs to close to 100,000 people and that Bong and Lilia readily provide financial support to many of the poor in need. So my heart bleeds out to them. But this is an idiotic frame of thinking considering that we have people like Tulfo who justify the means to an end that is immoral and a source of corruption! If this is the logic behind Tulfo and the Pinedas or other jueteng operators, well eat my ass - why don't we just make it legal? Let's also justify prostitution, smoking, selling illegal drugs, selling fake DVDs and replicated designer bags and all that crap as legal. After all, they will give the same reason - that it's a source of livelihood. Gosh, you can really smell stupidity a mile away and the fact that the Inquirer even has Tulfo as a columnist who writes something like this is unimaginably debasing for a newspaper of this caliber.

I guess the Filipinos in the Philippines will always be the Banana Republic we deserve to be, considering the idiots that not only work for the government, but the stupid ones who defend what is not only immorally but logically wrong.

There can be no ORDER in CHAOS! And we are heading for a major disaster at the rate we're not handling the situation on the traffic problem.

Only in the Philippines!

[Photo by rewshearer from trekearth.com]

Bitching 101 - Today's Headlines

My friend once told me that the best way to get depressed is to stress oneself. And the best stressor is the Philippine newspaper, in general, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer in particular.

I classify newspapers in the Philippines into two categories - the legitimate newspapers and the tabloids. The former are made up of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), the Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, and then there are others (Business World, Manila Standard). Then there are the tabloids. These are a sleazy bunch of newspapers that have nothing but gore and sex on the headlines. The latter are the staple reading materials of drivers, lackeys, and the average Pinoy who has nothing better to do than read smut in his spare time.

On my way to work, I have this newsboy that runs up to my car to bring me my daily fix of horror or stressor stories for the day. My favorite section of the newspaper is always the OP/Ed (Opinion and Editorial) page. Any my favorite columnist is Conrado de Quiros. I like his acerbic tongue. Then the business section is second on the list, where I try to follow the foreign exchange market and the Philippine economy (as if I understand this part of the business sector in the country). Finally, I browse through the entertainment section to find out who is slapping who in local showbiz. Unless of course the headline reads that some dwarf in the palace has turned into stone, the other news events are usually lopsided. Lopsided based on what is to the interest of the mediamen and not necessarily on the nation (but that's my opinion).

In today's PDI, the front page hits were:

"Earthquake shatters Haiti" - so why was this the headline? When Ondoy devastated Metro Manila, did Haiti even blink to make this as headline in their newspaper? Duh? And PDI ran a whole story on the political history of Haiti. Through the courtesy of PDI, now I know that the Philippines even has a peace keeping mission among our police officials in Haiti. What the?!?!!? Why not just send them to Maguindanao? My golly gee wow!! Can't understand why we need to be sending our Pulis Patola to Haiti, when they can't even catch Ivler in Manila! OMG!!!

Ampatuan Massacre: Andal Jr fired first, says witness - and we are obsessive compulsive over the this saga of murder/massacre/greed/money/Muslims/guns/terror. If this were made into a movie, it would probably in the proportion of the Saw series. I only follow the news about what's happening. What makes me puke are the lawyers of the Ampatuans. Noted for their high profile cases, the Fortun law firm seems to be cash strapped that taking on the Ampatuans side is a sign of desperation. Of course, as CHR head Lilia de Lima points out, until proven guilty, the Ampatuans are just suspects. According to Atty Fortun, his clients can't speak nor understand Filipino or Tagalog or English. In the last interview of ABS-CBN the other day with Andal Jr., the guy could speak AND understand Filipino and Tagalog and English and Taglish. Either the lawyer is a dump or a liar. As they say, all lawyers are good at the latter. But the plot thickens. And like all telenovelas, this will probably drag on...until either boredom sets in, or the series is canned and everyone forgets.

JPE urged to quit post for smooth transition - the guy who has lasted all of the other presidents should retire. Enough said. I've always made my point - NOBODY after 65 should lead a nation. There are people younger and with more experience and less corrupt who should be given the chance. Statistics shows a positive correlation with years in office and graft and corruption - the longer you stay in public office, the higher the probability of practicing graft and corruption. JPE - retire already - you can drag Erap into exile for all we care!

'Diyos at Bayan' my slogan, Bro. Eddie tells Noynoy - puwede ba? Eddie V should be reminded that he is no Moses and that the Philippines is no Egypt. God is not on his side and can we for once stop using God's name in vain? Damn these Pinoys who always use God God God and Jesus Jesus Jesus for all the things we do right and wrong. Everyone has the right to use God's name because God is no one's property. Combining God with country is not Eddie V's own idea. The American presidents were actually the first to use this catch-phrase. Tinagalog lang ni Brother Eddie. This nuisance candidate should just take a rod and staff and curse Malacanan and the dwarf in the palace. But unless he can show to the people that he is the deliverance sent by heaven, he should just shut up.

Interestingly are other news but not necessarily headliners.

LTO stops tagging vehicles - too much fuss about the RFID (radio frequency ID). While I have no objections to this added scam of the LTO, they should be able to produce CR (certificate of registration) first. It's been over 1 month that the LTO has not released the CR of my car. Their reason - no paper. Walang papel!!!! Anak ng pating!!! Anong klaseng buhay naman meron tayo? May sticker para sa bagong raket pero walang papel para sa basic requirements ng kotse? Sanamagan talaga itong bansang ito! Grabe!! If I were the president, all these non-performing government employees will be reassigned to Maguindanao for life!

Ang Ladlad: Bishops assail SC ruling on gay party - Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez told the Church-owned Radio Veritas his adamance to the idea of partly list representative "Ang Ladlad", saying that it's a very dangerous move. According the Varquez, "There's a big possibility that they will push for immoral bills. They are already in favor of pre-marital sex and for sure they will push for same-sex marriage. That's why they should not be allowed in the party-list elections". My take? These are big IFs and BUTs. Varquez should look at his compatriots in robes and not forget that the Vatican had to pay off so many people for sexual crimes committed by the priests. He who has no fault, should cast the first stone. Was that not part of the bible or did Varquez come from a different religion? I personally believe that there should be no representation anymore for the gay group. After all, we are well represented already. Even in Church.

Talent show faces censors' sanction - "Showtime" has been banned for 20 days after Rosanna Roces shot back at Vice Ganda during it's January 4, 2010 program with apparently cussing words.
The exchange went like this:
VG (to RR): Pagkatapos mong makipaghiwalay, hinete agad ang ipinalit mo (After splitting up, you quickly replaced him with a horserace jockey).
RR (to VG): Walanghiya ka talaga, hayop ka, demonyo ka. Wag kang ganon, nangbubuko ka ever. Di ka naman maganda. Vice Ganda lang ang pangalan mo. (You're shameless, a beast, a demon. Don't do that. You're revealing things. You're not even beautiful. It just happens to be your name).
So what was wrong with this? RR was telling the truth. VG is not beautiful. The better description of VG is actually the animal that the horsejockey rides. And they were cuss words? I hear them on the various telenovelas in Primetime where slapping, shouting, hair-pulling, water throwing, murder and sex are the basic themes (and attires). Gimme a break. Somebody should just put MTRCB chair Marissa Laguardia in a room and show her the basics of censorship. It should also be a rule that the prude and stupid should just join the convent.



A FINE DAY

Fill in the blanks:
1. BOO_S
2. _ _ NDOM
3. F_ _K
4. P_N_S
5. PU_S_

Answers:
1. BOOKS
2. RANDOM
3. FORK
4. PANTS
5. PULSE

If you had a different answer, you must be on the same wavelength as Laguardia. Pervert!