Tow away the overnight parkers

Dr. Hayden Kho’s mother said on TV that her son is a good son. She is a good mother, too.

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Why don’t the towing company boys prove their usefulness by towing the scores of motor vehicles parking overnight on the streetsides? They’re leaving them alone.

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Maybe they know that many of the cars parked along the streetsides at night are owned by people who can tow them to court if angered.

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“The fightingest Asian politicians are the Filipinos,” M.D. Singh, a Singaporean journalist once said. Years later, he was proven right — by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel.

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I’m having fun reading stories about the exchange of barbs between Senators Enrile and Pimentel. No holds barred. Reminds me of two women fish vendors who fought like, well, like politicians.

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Dr. Porferio Nathan Jr., a UK-based Cebuano lecturer on Asian geography and cultures said in an e-mail to this column: “Been reading you for years ... So you’re still around, I’m glad.” In Cebuano that means: “Buhi pa diay ka?”

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Dr. Nathan talked lengthily about the barong tagalog. He said: “Barong tagalog is the national costume of the Philippines. But I dare say some barong tagalog worn by Pinoys in the UK and other countries of the world are plain long-sleeved white shirts that are just like the shirts worn by some people in the public market place ... Such kind of attire does not give a good image of our country and are sometimes unaccepted as formal wear.”

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Dr. Nathan adds: “The national costume should be presentable and classy like the traditional barong made of jusi or piña cloth with beautifully embroidered designs. This is the kind of barong tagalog that has elicited praise from many non-Pinoys including Queen Elizabeth.”

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Dr. Nathan is right. Our national costume to be hailed and respected by people in other countries must have some kind of class. Like our national flag, our national costume is the symbol of our nation and must be tailored and worn in a manner that would draw respect from other people of the world.

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To R.L. Malvar: Thank you for your 16-page article on the “coming end of the world.” It’s interesting but it’s too long for the space alloted to my column.

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