In previous years, the observance of Philippine Independence Day usually involved the hosting of a program for overseas Filipino workers in Taipei and other cities hosting OFWs. There would usually be a formal reception to which Taiwanese officials, business people, and prominent Filipino residents were invited.
With the election fever over or behind us, newly elected Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap”’ Estrada should fulfill his campaign promise to bring back the lost glory of Manila and make it on a par with the advanced Southeast Asian cities.
Please allow me to react to Erika Sauler’s article about the A.H. Lacson sculpture (Metro, Inquirer, 4/21/13). The current Manila City administration’s neglect of and indifference to the apparently abandoned statue (or what remains of it) of the late Arsenio H. Lacson along Roxas Boulevard is actually a reflection of the sorry state of politics in this country and the harsh realities associated with it.
It was the turn of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim to answer questions from journalists at the Kapihan sa Manila at the Diamond Hotel last Monday after former President Joseph Estrada, his rival in the mayoralty race, criticized him and his city administration at the same breakfast forum the Monday before.
I was born in Manila, went to college there, and studied law there. I am now making a living there as well. I thought that I had conquered the city and that I had nothing to fear as I am a true-blue Manila girl… up until that day.
Former President Joseph Estrada, mayoral candidate for Manila, was criticizing his rival, Mayor Alfredo Lim, and the Manila police for not being able to curb criminality in the city during the Kapihan sa Manila forum at the Diamond Hotel last Monday when I got a note that a former Manila cop wanted to respond to all of Erap’s criticisms of the police. I told him to come forward.
Last June, the Philippine delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council was an embarrassing no-show during an important vote on human rights abuses in Syria. Last week, the delegates stayed in their seats only to vote against a council resolution promoting human rights in Sri Lanka. Maybe they should have stayed home, too. [...]
Erap says his run in Manila will be his last hurrah. “I was born in Manila, I first became a famous actor in Manila, so my career has come full circle. This is my last hurrah.” He owes it to the poor, he says, for being there for him throughout his public life, even well after he was ousted as president. “The poor did not leave me and supported me all the way. I am returning the favor.”
The “morning face-off” last Tuesday between Manila Mayor Fred Lim and deposed President Joseph Estrada, on ABS-CBN, plumbed a new low in political discourse. Indeed, to call it “discourse” is to drain the word of almost all meaning.
A day after election candidates in Manila signed a “peace covenant,” reelectionist Mayor Alfredo Lim declared war on reelectionist Vice Mayor Francisco Domagoso and five councilors by having them arrested. Their alleged crime: engaging in “illegal gambling” by sponsoring a bingo game that drew some 500 people in the Blumentritt area.
There is an offer from a Korean consortium to build a $4-billion financial center in Manila’s Port Area, with a 63-story tower, the tallest in the Philippines. While still under construction, which is expected to take four to five years, it will need thousands of construction workers, thus easing the unemployment crisis. When finished, it will need 150,000 more employees in its various offices.
Erap had some very interesting things to say last weekend. His political sortie in Manila, he said, would be his last. “This is my last hurrah. No more, no way.”
