Charity begins at home, right?

The COA report says five lawmakers gave 'pork' to themselves. So what? Isn't the government promoting the virtue of self-help?

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Those five lawmakers were only trying to keep alive an almost similar virtue that says: "Charity begins at home."

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As a diehard fan of Gilas Pilipinas I foresee the Nationals doing good in the FIBA World Cup in Spain next month. But a killjoy says: "Yes, if we can bring to Spain the home crowd that rooted hoarse for Gilas at the MOA."

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The "home crowd" of some 20,000 or so was the "sixth man" in the Gilas Pilipinas team. It inspired and powered the Nationals to victory. Even the Korean coach has made an observation to this effect.

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It says here that two handsome movie actors have come out of the closet and confessed they're gay. Haha! Didn't one singer say: "Di tanang laki guwapo. Di tanang guwapo laki."

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A freelance news correspondent asked advice from me on what to call a person who is not white. He said he was told by a Manila magazine editor not to call an American or European who is not white "colored or black or Negro or African." He said some of the stories he had filed wherein he wrote those "types of persons" were rejected.

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He said he argued with the editor over this issue and since then not a single story he had filed was accepted. I remember what the famous (or infamous?) Doroy Valencia once said to me: "Never argue with an editor, he'll always have the last say."

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The M/V St. Thomas Aquinas was said to be 40 years old. "What ship do we have that's younger than that?" I heard a radio listener ask in reaction to a radio announcer's claim. He went on: "I think all the ships in our sea transport system are like my cellphone–recon, not brand-new."

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OVERHEARD. "Pope Francis expressed his grief for the victims and families of the M/V Thomas Aquinas sea tragedy," according to a news report. A member of a Catholic ladies organization said: "Way laing lider og laing relihiyon ang mipagawas sa ilang pahasubo." Replied a Born-Again wife: "Ay sus, pakitang tawo ra na oi." Reply: "Inyong lider-lider nakahimo niana bisan pakitang tawo lang?" Another non-Catholic in the group commented: "Wa man na sa Bibliya. Basta wa sa Bibliya kontra na sa Ginoo."