The choice of this year’s National Artists has exploded into a firestorm that could inflict lasting damage on the administration.

It will be well for Malacañang to sound a retreat and appease the critics.

***

The brouhaha was triggered by a shoddy attempt by the Palace to remove some names from the list prepared by the nominating committee and substituting the names of its favored candidates.

A crude maneuver, to say the least.

***

The artistic community led by prominent National Artists staged a protest rally at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in Intramuros to denounce Palace interference in the selection process for this year’s National Artist awards.

Something tells me it will happen again next year and the year after.

***

Malacañang dropped the name of a nominee submitted by the NCCA and the Cultural Center of the Philippines and submitted its own list of candidates, something that was never done before.

The dagdag bawas mentality.

***

The Cultural Center has joined the artistic community in protesting Palace interference.

It must be serious. Heads will roll. Later.

***

The nominees and the critics have joined the fracas by calling each other names and jumping at each other’s throat.

The sideshow is more interesting than the main event.

***

Noynoy and Kris Aquino are Merry-Go-Round Floro L. Mercenebeing inveigled to run for public office. They were very much in the public eye during the national mourning for Cory Aquino.

They will be ruined by politics at an early age – they should resist the temptation.

***

The massive outpouring of grief over the death of Cory Aquino has dampened the enthusiasm of proponents of Charter change.

People Power reared its ugly head again.

***

Bangko Sentral plans to put the portrait of Cory on the R500 bill to join the portrait of husband Ninoy.

It will be most apropos.

***

Four honor guards from the PNP and the AFP have become heroes of sorts for standing guard over the bier of Cory for hours straight during the journey from the Manila Cathedral to the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque.

They earned the respect and admiration of the people and obtained honors for their organizations.

Good soldiers.

***

Three officials of Davao City were suspended by the Ombudsman for demolishing a park named after the father of Speaker Nograles. They were identified as henchmen of Mayor Rod Duterte.

Politics.

***

POEA is discouraging Filipino women from going into entertainment jobs in Turkey because of reported abuses by employers.

If you insist on going, you are on your own.

***

Bill will prohibit the public from holding mass action in front of the houses of public officials accused of misdeeds.

If you violate this rule, we will charge you with vagrancy.

***

27 million Filipinos are living below the poverty line. 18 million are experiencing hunger. 12 million are unemployed and underemployed.

Frightening figures for any president.

***

GMA does not feel threatened by the vast multitudes that attended the mourning and burial of Cory Aquino.

But there is an implied threat of protest and discontent that could explode any time.

***

Child obesity is now America’s worst health problem. The culprit: Non-stop watching on TV and drinking tons of sugar-rich soda.

The problem is not confined to America but to almost all countries around the world.