Rated R: Reckless

The MTRCB or Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is apparently clueless or unaware of a practice inside moviehouses that has recently caught the eye and the ire of several parents. Several parents have complained of the shock and fright experienced by their children/minors who unexpectedly saw trailers of a “horror movie”. While the MTRCB does a good job of rating and regulating movies to ensure that children and minors are not exposed to films for adults, there seems to be no system or rule regarding movie trailers. You could be out to watch Avengers with your kids or grand kids but there is no avoiding film trailers that feature inappropriate language, sexy scenes and worst of all, scare and disturbing stuff. This matter has to be addressed by the MTRCB immediately before the matter causes real harm or gets out of hand. 

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Congratulations to the executives at the MMDA for wisely withdrawing or suspending their Provincial Bus Ban on EDSA. It goes to show that the bosses at MMDA know when not to push a bad idea. The only problem I have with the MMDA announcement is that it is “incomplete” or presents a problem. The MMDA announced that there will no longer be a ban on provincial buses on EDSA, but they will push on with the closure of bus terminals on EDSA. So where are the passengers suppose to get off if MMDA did not clarify the matter. Does the lifting of the ban also mean that buses can now load or unload on EDSA? I obviously did not get the memo and I’m sure that some enterprising or corrupt individuals will soon make money out of this lack of communication or clarification.

There is certainly no need for provincial bus terminals on EDSA as long as we have PROPER designated bus stops for provincial buses. MMDA executives cannot deny the fact that more than half of the buses coming into Metro Manila from nearby provinces are full of “commuters” going to work. These people should not be inconvenienced and delayed because of complicated or commercially driven interests. We simply need to assign PROPER bus stops and let them load and unload in key points. They are NOT competing with city buses because they don’t get passengers from inside the Metro. Is it possible that the ban on provincial buses is actually the handiwork of certain city bus operators who could make a killing if provincial bus commuters were forced to get off at “city limits” and take a city bus? Maybe the scheme is not just about bringing business to privately owned terminals, maybe it was always about  city buses making more money from passengers?

A political analyst recently told a group of diners that the Philippine election will be decided on May 12, 2019, Sunday and not on May 13, the day of the actual elections. He of course is referring to the age-old practice of vote buying in the Philippines when millions of pesos exchange hands a few days before the elections. The truth of the matter is that a lot of money has already exchanged hands similar to what is now the big news in the province of Cavite where supporters of Jonvic Remulla were “caught” with envelopes, T-shirts, etc. allegedly intended to be given to “supporters”.

The matter has apparently become a cause of concern for the Remulla clan that has several other family members running for public office. This would explain why Jonvic Remulla shifted from being cool and indifferent to the reports to actually holding a press conference to head off the negative effects of the incident. The question is: will a press conference kill the fire considering it is public knowledge that money has long been distributed province wide?

As early as last April, media people have already received reports on how money was being distributed. One source tells media that when rallies or campaign forums are organized, there are people who distribute or give ballers or bracelets to supporters and attendees of the rallies. After the event, the participants are led to nearby “kubols” or huts where they show their “proof of participation” and are given P200. When word got out about the “giveaways,” subsequent organizers eventually made sure that participants don’t see the face of the people giving the money. All you had to do was to stick your arm with the baller or bracelet in a small window or hole and someone at the other end will place P200 in your hand!

An anonymous texter had tipped me off about the practice that was being done in Tanza, Trece Martires, Indang and Amadeo, all in Cavite. Unfortunately I could not confirm it since Caviteños believe that “what happens in Cavite stays in Cavite.” But as it turned out, certain reporters picked up the story when actual videos were recorded in the case of the supporters of Jonvic Remulla.

We can call it participation fee, we can call it vote buying, but the truth of the matter is that people go to rallies because they are supporters or because there is free food, entertainment and 200 pesos participation fee. The real vote buying will take place through the barangay captains who have become the “brokers” for votes in the last two elections. Authorities have long belittled barangay captains in the country, but I am sure that if the BIR and the anti-money laundering authorities carefully investigated several barangay captains, they might be surprised how much money and assets many of them have, assets that cannot be justified by their salaries.

Now that a scandal has broken out, the question is, how will it affect the outcome of elections in Cavite? Will Jonvic Remulla end up becoming a sacrificial goat so his relatives can carry on, or will it all be just another day in Cavite?

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