President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo accepted the invitation of Egypt President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak to the 15th Non-Aligned Meeting (NAM). She will bring home the bacon… or whatever is halal.
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The summit venue, Sharm el Sheikh, is the Riviera of the Middle East. But it is a working visit and the red carpet for a state visit will roll also out for her.
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Lest political opposition jump in to chastise PGMA for overspending, Government can save on airfare. She has earned enough frequent flier air miles.
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As Head of State, she will be among the first to speak. As Vice President for Asia, she speaks for the largest grouping in this 118-member body.
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PGMA will also follow through gains made on her recent visit to Cairo in May. A DFA senior official said that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed al Aboul even wrote his colleagues to support RP’s bid for OIC . (That’s Organization of Islamic Countries, not “officer-in-charge’).
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An economist, she can address the frisson on world economy and put forward the Chiang Mai Initiative on liquidity payment among ASEAN + 3, hopefully for the ears of the still cash rich members of NAM like Saudi Arabia and the oil sheiks.
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She can speak authoritatively on climate change from the lessons of the Coral Triangle Initiative - a paradoxical triangle of 6 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste) – to save the ocean.
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Environment is like a Girard-Perregaux watch, you do not own it, you only take care of it for the next generation.
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UAAP opens this Sunday 11 July with Ateneo Blue Eagles vs De La Salle Archers. The Araneta Coliseum will be packed to the rafters, but Colombia Consul General Jorge Araneta still won’t make as much money as the scalpers.
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San Miguel levels Ginebra 2-2 for the Motolite PBA Fiesta Championship Cup. The competition between the two sister companies is intoxicating.
It looks like a Venus vs Serena Williams Sisters Act.
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OFW Mildred Perez did us proud in returning HK$178,000 and several checks she discovered in a trash bin. The grateful Hong Kong company rewarded her with a bag of cookies. Surely not just the ordinary kind… perhaps, fortune cookies?
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Non sequitur: Hiked LPG gas prices don't mean hiked bread prices because pan de sal is baked in pugon.
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Mayor Alfredo Lim gave the traditional Key to the City of Manila to visiting Beijing Mayor Liu Qi. In Beijing, that key is large enough only for a hotel. China’s version of the Manila Hotel could accommodate the populace of Taguig.
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QC leads Metro cities with 6,485 road accidents, followed by Makati (2,698) and Manila (1,188). Too many scantily-clad billboards.
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Bureau of Customs misses June target by R5 million shortfall. C’mon guys, turn those pockets inside out and cough up more to Juan dela Cruz.
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There’s the old saw about a newly hired security guard at the Customs South Harbor who worked without collecting his paycheck. When told that he should collect his paycheck which accumulated at the cashier over three months, he was surprised, “Wow! May pwesto na, may sweldo pa!”
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Metro Bank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña presented to Malacañang 10 Outstanding Policemen in Service 2009. My candidate for 2010 is the new 6’4” BOH (Badge of Honor) RoboCop. Batteries included, and, on word of honor, walang lagay.
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Mylene Abira, president of Phil Robotic Olympics, said that RP won 7 gold medals, 2 silvers and 1 bronze in World Robotics Olympics. Winners are the Institute for Technology & Humanities in Tanauan and the Grace Christian High School in QC. Our robots are better than our athletes.
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Old Balara Village chairperson Beda Torre Ocampo petitioned the Supreme Court Associate Justice Renato Corona to issue TRO vs DPWH building a major highway over the aqueduct. They can walk on water, but not drive over it.
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If Megawati can’t make a comeback in Indonesian politics, she can try pushing her brand name in power and energy business.
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Feedback: jaz@mb.com.ph