Marked for Mar

With the one-year ban on the appointment of losing candidates expiring yesterday, the much anticipated entry of Mar Roxas as Chief of Staff is right on the mark. Our Palace insider tells us that this early, some people are getting nervous with the power Mar will have with the President who virtually spelled out the role of his former running mate as presidential alter ego who can “speak with” various groups wishing to dialogue with P-Noy. And if one were to read beyond that, it will not be farfetched to conclude that perhaps Mar would also be in a position to “speak for” the President himself – a privilege that not many can claim.

Obviously, those who have been so used to having the ear of the president will be feeling more than a bit insecure, our Spy Bits source commented. People will be carefully watching how Mar will play out (and play with, we suppose) the potential intrigues that are obviously inevitable at the center of power. Political analysts are already concluding that the Liberal Party head’s impending appointment as Chief of Staff will create a “hydra” similar to what is happening with the three-headed Communications Group. This is a possibility that Palace advisers have anticipated, which is why they already crafted posthaste an administrative order that will define and delineate the tasks and responsibilities of Mar Roxas - to avoid a potential collision course within the Cabinet.

There is no doubt Mar Roxas has the full trust and confidence of P-Noy - and no question he will be a very powerful figure, if not “the most powerful,” in the Aquino administration.

Who’s afraid of Hillary Clinton?

The photograph of US President Barack Obama and his national security team as they watched the Bin Laden operation unfold in Abbottabad has become iconic not so much for the company of macho men huddled in the situation room, but for the hand-clasped-over-mouth vision of State Secretary Hillary Clinton. As it turned out, the presence of Hillary may have been too much for an ultra-conservative Hasidic newspaper in Brooklyn which photoshopped Clinton out of the picture. The intentional omission created an uproar, with a popular women’s blogsite named “Jezebel” sarcastically commenting that the “presence of a woman in... counter-terrorism efforts was too much for the... editors to handle.”

If anything, the edited photo revealed that even in this day and age, and in America at that, newspaper people can still display outdated notions and backward beliefs. A lot has also been said about her expression and how it holds the photo together – but it may have been caused not so much by extreme emotion but by her attempt to suppress an allergic cough. One thing is for sure: Hillary Clinton is a very strong character who can hold her own among the toughest of men. Some say that like most Filipina women, she is even more macho than her husband Bill - known to be “macho-nurin.”

Albania’s Topi made ‘tupi’

It seems the back-patting and celebratory high-fives by local tobacco lobbyists may have been premature when news came out that Albanian president Bamir Topi issued a decree rejecting an excise tax proposal using a strip stamp system via a concessionary agreement with Sicpa Securities. As it turns out, the Albanian Parliament promptly rejected the president’s rejection via a unanimous 73-0 vote during a plenary session, saying that Topi’s arguments against the proposal were flawed. 

Edmond Spaho, the head of the Parliamentary Commission on the Economy, said the law satisfied every requirement under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and does not discriminate against local products; neither does it violate existing international agreements entered into by Albania. The new fiscal stamps law will apply to all tobacco products, fermented and distilled products of alcohol and beer destined for the local market whether imported or produced locally, as well as pharmaceutical products – all with the intention to protect consumers against counterfeiting.

Even if the president refuses to again sign the new law, it will still take effect 30 days from the time it was sent to him by Parliament, sources disclosed. It would seem that in Albania, President Topi was made “tupi” by Parliament. Incidentally, Albania just held its local elections, with the results being determined to see if the Balkan state is now ready to achieve a candidate status with the European Union after a series of political crises that have marred the country’s 20-year democracy.

Spy tidbits

— The “Proudly Green” La Salle Committee will be holding a press conference noon today at the Peking Garden, Greenbelt 5 in Makati to disclose plans for La Salle’s upcoming 100th anniversary celebrations slated in June. Manny Blanco who is part of the organizing committee said the celebrations will be highlighted by the stage presentation of “Proudly Green – The Musical” directed by La Salle alumnus Fritz Ynfante with music from well-loved productions like “Les Miserables” and lyrics written by Addie Peña, another Green alumnus . A timeline AVP will also be featured as well as a memorabilia section – something that will make the Greens go down memory lane. La Sallites can contact Manny Blanco at 818-3021. (Disclosure: This columnist went to both La Salle and Ateneo.)

— Hawaiian Airlines continues to soar with April traffic registering a 17.2-percent increase as the airline expanded its flying. The airline also transported 2.4 percent more passengers compared to last year’s figures for the same period. This is something that should not be so surprising considering the airline’s continued innovations for passengers, such as the redesigned ticket lobbies with state-of-the-art technology that has revolutionized the check-in process with every passenger able to check – himself in with ease for any scheduled interisland, mainland or international flight via Hawaiian Airlines. (Disclosure: I’m a board member of the local Hawaiian Air GSA.)

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