Pacquiao is back in the running

"Political candidates," says a newspaper reader in a letter to the editor, "are masters of pretension." In this connection let me quote someone who said: "The only good in pretending is the fun we get out of fooling ourselves that we fool somebody."

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One thing I like about senatorial candidate Prospero Pichay is he never pretends to be a cabbage. He tells everyone he's Pichay pro Pinoy.

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Manny Pacquiao has flipped-flopped. He's back in the fight for congressman in General Santos City. God bless him. And God bless the people of GenSan too.

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"Politics is an expensive profession," said a political science professor in a Manila university. Will Rogers agrees. According to him, "politics is so expensive it takes a lot of money just to get beat with it."

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Last Friday I wrote about the complaint of a resident of Aboitiz Lan's Riza subdivision in Consolacion, Cebu. The complaint was about the alleged "excessive" membership dues collected by the subdivision's homeowners association. Another resident confirmed what I wrote but added: "Kuwang pa ang imong gisuwat."

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She said they are made to pay more than what the residents in first class subdivisions are paying, although Briza, a middle-class subdivision, has less amenities. Indeed, if homeowners associations in first class subdivisions could make do with from P250 to P500 why can't Briza do the same. "There are less amenities (no swimming pool) for the association to maintain or upkeep," the resident said.

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The Mactan Heritage Foundation says: "Stop putting a hyphen in the name Lapulapu. It's not necessary. It only makes the name fishy and silly!" For many years, no one has come up with the specific answer to the question posed by many: "Should Lapulapu be hyphenated?" I hope that Mactan Heritage Foundation has solved the confusion.

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Someone sent me a literature on Jellinek's disease (a stylish name for alcoholism) which I found interesting and informative. Let me lift some portions:

Alcoholism is responsible for:

* 50 percent of all auto fatalities

* 80 percent of all home violence

* 30 percent of all suicides

* 60 percent of all child abuse

* 65 percent of all drownings.

It is estimated that when a woman contracts the disease, her husband leaves her in nine out of 10 cases; when a man contracts it, his wife leaves in one out of 10 cases.

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