Do not be afraid

Terrorist Osama bin Laden’s dead body dumped into the sea. Like what some people do with a dead rat.

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 This dumping of a dead man’s body into the sea, isn’t this contrary to environmental rules, Sir Tony Oposa?

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 Manny Pacquiao is now the richest lawmaker. The BIR says he’s the first billionaire in Congress. He earned his wealth not by talking with his mouth in Congress but with his fists on the ring.

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 But it’s not only Manny Pacquiao who owns an expensive mansion in America. There are some others. You know who they are.

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 Commenting on the terrorist kingpin’s death, a professor who calls himself a “political-economic psychologist” says: “Our security experts’ reaction to the death of bin Laden is uncalled for.”

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 “They are afraid the terrorist remnants would retaliate,” he said. “Let us not be afraid, the Bible tells us.” He said for all we know the terrorists, including the pesky Abu Sayyaf, are now as scared stiff as our security people are.

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 “We must now— right now — show them we are not afraid,” this professor said. “Wa man gani ta mahadlok sa buhi pa ang ilang inspirasyon.”

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 “Kon magpakita tag kahadlok basin og ila ning gamiton nga weapon batok kanato,” said the professor who is from Davao but of Cebuano parentage.

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 I read somewhere that the DepEd is stepping up the language program for our teachers. If a new foreign language is to be taught to our teachers, I suggest Bahasa Indonesia-Malaysia be given some space. Bahasa is almost similar to Tagalog, Cebuano and Ilonggo.

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 “If Pinoys can speak Bahasa,” says Sir. M. Sutadi, an Indonesian geography teacher, “the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei will be united under one common language.”

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 When I took part in the Asean exchange of journalists program, I observed that most of the journalists in the program could understand each other even if they could not speak English like the Filipinos in the group. They spoke a common language, Bahasa.

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 There was a slew of healing stories during the Holy Week. One of the stories shared with me told of a healer (arbulario) who owns an ambulance. Neighbors seriously ill are taken by the arbulario to the hosptial on board his ambulance whose driver was heard saying: “Mas dako man makuwarta ni manoy kon gamiton ang ambulance kaysa anha ra sa iyang bay tambalan ang pasyante.”

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He said if the patient is treated in the house, “walay cash madawat si Manoy. Mga utanon lang ug manok bisaya.”