Back to basics

By Gonzalo Duque

HELLO there! Well, we are back after almost a month of absence.

Unlike before, I did not purposely write my column when I was out, yes, in the US unlike what I used to do before. Why? Because I wanted to savor the feel of being absent for a while. Now I found out this to be true: absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Had I sent my columns on a regular basis while I was away, then you wouldn’t have missed me, you wouldn’t have missed this column particularly.

Maybe, some of my favorite subjects (you bet, Boy Rayos, the clown-cilors!) were happy when I took a vacation from this corner. Hindi naman.  I wish to remind them that I did miss them, the clown-cilors, nay, councilors, no, not the fireworks, not the feud, fact is, there was none strictly, what I missed was the thrill of dialogue on community issues.

 I know deep in their hearts, in the hearts of our councilors, that I meant them no harm except to keep the fires of democracy and lively dialogue alive and kicking.

Let me stress: I am also grateful to them. They are nice and easy, that is to say, we can debate without being disagreeable, right, Vice Mayor  Alvin, Councilors Joey Netu, Vlad Mata, Alex de V, and my cumpadre Chito?

For instance, the Sanggunian has finally acted on my favorite peeve, what I have deplored here — the need to regulate the activities of school fraternities. So, thank you, thank you, gentlemen and ladies.

Did I fail to mention Councilor Jojo Guadiz? Well, maybe, because this curly son of the late Judge and former Councilor (not clown-cilor) Lory Guadiz has always acted with decorum, sorry if in Ermin’s eyes, he is the Numero Onor Onor.  Maybe, before, but now no more.

Jojo is not only a lawyer-councilor, but a scholar, former student editor, and therefore his actuations are expected to be above par.

As for cumpadre Chito, I wish to greet him belated Happy birthday. He too is a thinking councilor just like Michael F, Farah Decano, and who else? Well, sorry if I missed some names. I was still grappling with the jet lag when I sat down to write this column.

It’s nice to be back, guys and gals, back to basics.

*        *        *

The hottest issue in Manila and everywhere, in the whole archipelago is the alleged flip-flopping attitude of our beloved President GMA vis-a-vis the Nursing Exam leakage scandal.

I already made my point clear as crystal that appeared on page one of this newspapers last week. I am sad that due to incompetent advisers, our beloved president was confused for a while on what to say about the matter.

I have suggested a win-win solution which the Punch front-paged last week.  Let’s wait for the Court of Appeals to hand down its decision.

As of this writing, the President changed her mind (again!), but, hopefully, for the final  act.  She now favors a partial retake in response to public clamor.

Executive Sec. Ed Ermita spoke accurately for the President: “The President is not insensitive to what has been heard and read when the issue came about and, therefore directed the Department of Labor and Employment, to review the proposed order he submitted last Wednesday in the light of the protest got.”

PRC officials have said there was no need for a retake as the grades of  the examinees had been recomputed, skipping the answers to the test portions that  were marred by the leakage.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/)

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