The right to suffer

Non-residents of the city are banned at the CCMC, says the news. Comment overheard in a PUJ: "Mga taga siyudad lang dunay katungod mag-antus dihang ospitala."

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City outsiders who've been calling the CCMC a "Mona Lisa Hospital" now have no reason to gripe. The hospital now has nothing to do with them and vice versa.

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A young priest was shot dead by a still unidentified killer in a gasoline station. Had he been wearing his "sotana" his fate could have been different. Or so I like to believe.

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A cigarette smoker was shot and killed in a ping-pong hall by a man who could not stand the smoke getting into his eyes. See? How many times have smokers been told that smoking is hazardous to your health?

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Everyone seems to be running for health these days. Even some amputees do. Me, I'm running away from these running events. They make me feel sad. Sad because I have run out of steam. I told my good friend Raffy Uytiepo the spirit is willing but the flesh sneers: Shut up!

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Since I got this slipped disc that had my walking impaired, I just have to content myself with watching those green-shirted Milo runners enjoy the fun. I am green with envy.

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My friend James Belasco ("B as in beauty," he says) has invited me to the blessing of his food court "Come or else ..." he said. Or else I'd face a contempt of food court rap.

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An LTO agent nabbed a mediaman for violation of the law requiring motorbike riders to wear crash helmet. The mediaman (who was actually wearing helmet but his backrider wasn't) asked the LTO agent: "Pila man multa?" The LTO man did not answer but later said: "Hibaw ko pila pero di tika sultian."

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I could sense the seething tide of anger when the mediaman wrote about this incident in his column in Banat News last Monday (last week), July 6/09. And who won't see red under such "maltreatment" by an arrogant government agent?

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The mediaman I'm referring to here is John Rey Saavedra, associate editor of Banat News, and my trusted lieutenant in this newspaper's Bisaya sister daily. John is now thinking of going to the Ombudsman to let the lump off his chest.

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