Below the Line
Pat Boone or Elvis?
Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed’s scuba cabinet meeting underwater dramatized the threat of global warming to the lowest-lying nation.
It passed a declaration for the world to cut CO2 emissions.
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I hope countries don’t sign “Love Letters in the Sand” at the December UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Staying Pat is no Boon.
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Elvis said “It’s Now or Never...” or until the next flood?
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Manny V Pangilian designated chief coordinator for international relief. International donors’ confidence in the private sector is inversely proportional to confidence in government.
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Presidential economic spokesman Gary Olivar assured full transparency in the UN World Food Program aid for victims of “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”
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APRES MOI. Malacañang gave the go-signal to move squatters from waterways. PGMA orders extreme Metro Manila makeover. Ricky Reyes or Vicky Belo?
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Wait till you hear the bleeding hearts on human rights and mayors facing 2010 elections….
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When he guested at the tv show of Jun Urbano aka Mr. Shooli, Fr. James B Reuter, SJ, narrated the tragic conditions of the homeless who live under the bridge... the poorest of the poor “bridge people.” Mr. Shooli was so moved and concluded, “Yes, Father, government must do more for these ‘bridge people...’ government must build more bridges!”
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Turn adversity to advantage now, in the aftermath of “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.” Later, we are back to the inertia of rest and business-as-usual.
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Time for Gina Lopez’s Kapit-bisig sa Pasig, Meloto’s GK (preferably adapting Jun Palafox’s high-rise), and bold measures... even if it means realigning the registry of voters who must move out of harm’s way in Metro Manila.
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Instead of putting up Disneyland lights, mayors should spend to relocate squatters.
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Mayor Jun Bernabe shows the way in relocating squatters at La Huerta hazardous waterways to elsewhere in his Parañaque district. That’s enlightened self-interest.
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Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago filed Senate Bill No. 3483 penalizing waterway intrusions by “indiscriminate” construction of subdivisions and housing units, condominium buildings, etc. Tiene cojones!
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Sen. Loren Legarda avoided the blame game in seeking solutions at the post-mortem on floods. But she pinned Napocor president Tampinco on an interim protocol for flood warning before the dam releases waters. An interagency meeting under DoE will come up with an updated protocol by November 30.
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Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes was silent witness at the senate hearing and let Napocor, Pagasa and UP academics do all the talking. Enervon or EnerGo?
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Foreign & space. The European Space Agency credited India’s Chandrayaan 1 space probe for discovering collisions between solar particles and lunar dust to generate water. Columbus discovered America, but the ”real Indians” found water in the moon for paleface astronauts.
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President Barack Obama signed a $7.5 billion dollar aid package for Pakistan after the US Congress placated Islamabad over a rider to cement civilian control in nuclear-facilities and a call to rein in the anti-Indian militant movements Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi accepted sleight-of-hand assurance that there were no imposed conditions or infringement on Pakistani sovereignty. Feedback: jaz@mb.com.ph


