MANGKOKOLUM!

CHILDREN need a lot of time, even coaxed to stomp, romp, frolic. Enjoy, gambol, spill out those brimming wellsprings of adrenaline in themselves— let ‘em play to their heart’s content. If not, as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reported recently, they may not become fully adjusted physically, socially, and emotionally. The report noted that in today’s world of overstressed parents and overworked children, too meager time was left for old-fashioned unstructured play. In 1907, prolific plant breeder and genius Luther Burbank plied out the same counsel: “Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water-bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud-turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in, water-lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hay-fields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of his education. “By...

HIGH-TENSION wires allow smooth flow of high-voltage electricity. Wires of low tensile strength cannot. Let surge high-voltage current in low-tension wire—that would trigger a power trip. The insulator sizzles, the wire melts, there’s power outage. The sparks fly starting a blaze that may raze an entire squatters’ colony—faulty house wiring is the usual culprit in fires of that sort. High-tension wire for high-voltage current. Low-tension wire for low-voltage juice. A lesson in appropriate wiring can wisen us. Maybe we can better appreciate such precious lessons in wiring. Haul ‘em Charter change proponents, trussing all like turkeys and hanging ‘em up there in power transmission lines as baseload power is beefed up by a few thousand more kilowatts. See those stack of steaks sizzle but we’d like ‘em well done. That’ll be a sight too enlightening to behold—but don’t hold ‘em, huh? Liken the 1987 Charter to the wiring schemata of a house in which we dwell. It took a gathering topnotch br...

LEFT-OVER foam roughly spelled out the name “ELY” after erstwhile PJI chair Bobby T. Capco took a long swig off his bottle, then pointed to the quaint suds spell. Haunting suds thought, that’s what we suspected it was and if Bobby had his drink in a can, we’d appropriately call it taunting can thought. The late Eleazar Lopez, our regular beer buddy qua patron and advisor probably wanted to join us for a drink, so I poured out a frothy libation around our favorite drinking table at Estaya’s, the group’s usual hang-out. Small place, an eatery that takes pride in old-fashioned home cooking that draws a motley crowd from nearby government and customs brokerage offices at lunchtime. Off-hours, Estaya’s turns into a beer joint where we regularly repair to awaiting late-breakers that may call for a rematting of our paper’s city edition. A newsman’s routine can be like that of a lurking assassin out to waylay every lay along the way—yeah, good things come to those who wait in ambush. When our ...

TO the chagrin and shock of political supporters, extant Virginia governer Mark R. Warner announced that he won’t be in the running for the U.S. presidency in 2008. A run for the White House would be too much interference for his family life, he reasoned. After a weekend with his wife, three daughters and an octogenarian father, it must have dawned on him that he isn’t yet ripe or crusty enough for the goriest of bloodsports—a try at the presidential throne. People who believe in Warner’s competence and political savvy are aghast, saying that they have deeply and emotionally invested in him. Too, they cite that except for Warner, “there’s nobody in the United States better positioned to be president”—and that includes extant First Lady and Sen. Hillary R. Clinton. It appears that this family man has weighed his choices and chances before that decision to pull out of contention: “"I bring a real desire to learn. I think I bring a tremendous curiosity. I think I bring a willingness ...

FABULOUS ‘50s, what a grand time it was. ‘Twas nitty-gritty rebuilding time for the nation from the rubble and ruins left in the wake of World War II. Remember? Two pesos equals a dollar. Minimum pay was P8 a day and that amount can sustain a family of six. Then, a decent-sized oil painting by a Vicente Manansala, a Hernando R. Ocampo, a Cesar Legaspi, even that movie set designer qua gadabout poet of the brush Carlos “Botong” Francisco fetched for P5—what lush opulence such works in oil and canvas would lend to a drab wall! A pesky urban legend of sorts from the ‘50s refused to fade away in certain local art circles. It’s about Botong Francisco. In a fit of generosity and just maybe all he had on his person was a rolled-up mural-size canvas on which the typical Botong pastorale had been painted, he gave that away in exchange for a meal. Even then, that artwork was worth more than a few lavish dinners— thrown in with a few magnums of Armagnac, hand-rolled and brandy-dipped Havanas, and...

NORTH Korea finally capped its taunts at the US a clutch of years back with a test nuclear blast. That ought to have been done in this neck of the woods during the small hours of New Year’s Day for Filipinoise who opt to start any year with lots of noise and air pollution. North Korea’s Kim Jong Il can taunt some more, flaunt his nation’s nuclear arsenal—which isn’t that formidable—and hurl jeers at George W. Bush, tempt him into an invasion, a surgical strike, outright abduction or any similar act of aggression. Noblesse oblige but Bush won’t oblige him. Unlike Iraq’s largely untapped reserves of oil, there isn’t a drop of sweet crude that can be dug in North Korean soil, that’s why. Besides, Bush loathes broccoli and it is likely he won’t ever try to stuff himself with kimchi . North Korea can crow about its nuclear weaponry but the country still stays dirt-poor, nearly dependent on South Korea’s generosity to keep their population off the breadline. Unlike a devastated Iraq which c...

FILIPINO painter Antipas “Biboy” Delotavo’s Itak sa Dibdib ni Mang Juan (Bolo on Old Man Juan’s Chest) depicts a glum, wiry old man bowed before a portion of a billboard for a popular softdrink. The brand name has a stretched out capital C about to be stuck like a blood-soaked kukri knife into the man’s chest. That’s brutal vignette. Seething yet subtle visual commentary, too. Indian photographer Sharad Haksar blew up his snapshot of colorful pitchers lined up in front of a hand pump before a wall painted with an advertising pitch for a soft-drink, “Drink …… The blown up picture was mounted as a billboard in Chennai city in southern India wracked with drought in summer months. Apparently, it takes seven liters of water to crank out a one liter bottle of the popular softdrink. Which can be outright mass murder of people in drought-prone areas. On top of that ironic dig at the softdrink multinational, local papers played up news about Indian farmers routinely spraying their fields with ...

ONE bloke auctioned off his soul on e-Bay and got a niggardly $57 for it, paid for by a journalist who likely wanted to humor the soul-seller. A fetching virgo intacta from China plunked down her virginity on the electronic block. She wanted to raise money to pay her way through college. The last bid was at $100,000 before the auction was called off. Probably priggish netizens deemed such a market transaction unpalatable or a bit of hymen like that was way too steep. It would be within the bounds of good taste to sell a modest spread of real estate in Pasay City—a house and lot within a family compound wracked by squabble. Any anthropologist with more than modest means might be interested in a property like that—a patch of urban lot with a shoebox of a house that a workmate of mine calls home. Sadly, it has turned into a battleground. Maybe a combat zone of sorts that has strained familial ties and reared the ugly side of emerging systems of values in the megalopolis. The workmate ough...

SO someone’s on watch over me. Could be an Orwellian petty Big Brother with terminal brain dysfunction and a huge penis envy. Maybe an honest-to-goodness brother’s keeper. Barely a month after wading through the various sites plied on the intranet of a global firm, I began receiving via snail and electronic mails a gamut of reading materials-- trade journals, slim manuals, tracts, the works. Officemates wondered why I was getting such bulk of printed matter from the mails. Some reads were outright Greek—say, evaluation of geological strata that can point up presence or build-up of natural gas and crude oil. A few were too technicalese to chew through—uh, prevailing wind directions and other climatic factors in ambient air quality, long-term impact of tetra-ethyl lead on groundwater purity, recommended fuels to generate higher kiln temperatures for firing stoneware pottery… Who’d stew his neurons on that? I sure also feasted on vital statistics— sabi nga’y ang hindi lumingon sa butas na...

MATAGAL ding kinimkim sa puson ang naghuhuramentadong pagnanasa kay Merle Fernandez sapul masilayan ang kanyang nakatiwangwang na alindog— that doesn’t translate as clueless dog in rear entry coition —sa pelikulang Uhaw mula panulat ni Mars Ravelo. Hangad po ng pitak na ito ng sandamakmak ding bihis at paulit-ulit na gayak sa naturang katha kaysa walang latoy na pakikipagsapalaran ni Darna . Mas likas at kapani-paniwala kasi ang pakikipagdaupang-ari kaysa mahirap paniwalaang pakikipagsapalaran na tinambakang tila Payatas ng sangkaterbang computer generated images . Palaging hinihimod ng tingin maging sa bumabahang panaginip— read: downpouring wet dream -- ang mga burol, parang, singit at sulok ng hubad na lunan ng katawang inangkin na sa isipan, naging bahagi ng marikit na dekadang 1970. Ginagamit nga pala ang katagang ‘marikit’ kaugnay ng pagpapaliyab sa siga, pagsisindi ng apoy sa pagluluto. May pahiwatig ng pagliliwanag at paliwanag sa karimlan. May pagpukaw sa init at alinsangan. ...

ELY S. Lopez the late broadcaster would have reveled and rollicked in song at the current antics of Malacañang denizens, he’d probably be laughing all the way to a calaboose for having wicked fun at their expense. An off-key soap opera soprano, Lopez would have cackled out tunes with barbed lyrics often lashed like a manta tail to torment an asuwang , to discomfit the current Palace top tenant. He’d rebel? Nope, he would have revelled at the discomfort he causes to Ale Baba and Plenty Thieves. “ Sa Russia may Moscow. Sa China may Macau. Sa Pilipinas marami magnanakaw ,” he’d intone and cap it off with a villainous chuckle. He’d likely wonder aloud why it is taking ages for the Supreme Court to ply out a ruling on various challenges hurled at such unpalatable figures as 464 and 1017—the former sewed off shut the mouths of any government factotum or official haled to public hearings, the latter declared a state of national emergency after an alleged emergency. Such a state or statement o...

Refreshing whinny HOW refreshing, the whinny of a packhorse unloaded of everything! Nearly 7 of every 10 Filipinos, a recent Pulse Asia survey found out, want the foremost Malacañang tenant to quit. The survey findings didn’t exactly say that three per 10 want her to stick it out, probably like the proverbial sore thumb. Survey findings represent a prevailing mood, a sinking feeling, maybe a cross-eyed perspective of a cross-section of the Filipino populace— a mere 1,200 survey respondents out of a teeming 85 million. Malacañang can totally ignore or twit these surveys. Even throw out the counsel of that ancient war strategist Sima on what it takes to be a sound leader— “it’s about listening to a multitude of voices across the land.” Maybe, just maybe, voices across the land can be sounded out through surveys. Palace denizens need not lend an ear to such a tumult. Why, after hearing an earful of the infamous “Hello Garci” chit-chat which isn’t admissible as court evidence, it has be...

LUMABAY lang ang mga sanga ng nag-iisang puno ng talong matapos ang kahitikan ng pamumunga. Bago nito lubusang maliliman ang sampilas na banig ng humahalimuyak na kintsay. Lubusan ding nakinabang sa kintsay na laging kalahok sa lomi’t pancit guisado. Madalas pa ngang maawitan ni Mrs. Silvia P. Quirino ng Ginebra San Miguel ang mga naturang kintsay-- pangunahing sangkap naman sa isang lutuing Hunan o Szechuan yata na tampok ang tofu o bean curd . Karaniwan nang may lima o anim na bunga ang punong talong. Labis na sa amin ang ganoong dami. Mahilab kasi sa sukat: dalawang dangkal ang karaniwang haba, truncheon ang taba— sabihin man sa Italy na poor man’s meat ang talong, talagang magsasawa rin sa paulit-ulit na pagsulpot nito sa hapag kainan. Talagang kikiliti sa pihikang panlasa ang lutuin mula Armenia at Greece, ang moussaka —sapin-saping sinibak na talong, keso, at giniling na karne ng kordero, butter, aciete de oliva , at samut-saring rekado’t pampalasa na niluto ng 35-40 minuto sa ...

GAWK up there and see. See two heavenly bodies seem to be on a retreat—quicksilver Mercury and jovial Jupiter. Mercury’s pullback move on March 3 can cause communications, floppy disks and commutes to go awry until the 25th and until then we’ll likely be missing some quick thinking, wit, iron-clad logic and sane reasoning. Jupiter’s backing up that began March 5 lasts a mere four months—we’ll sure miss the energies that bring good luck, higher learning, and great wealth. The biggest planet rules expansion, leaders and finances. Never mind if those leaders go into pratfalls and pitfalls during a backward Jupiter, which also rules thinkers— the Department of Justice top honcho did say his men are still keeping tabs on media people who won’t pull their punches at Palace denizens, did he not? Credit such lapse on whatever Mercury and Jupiter rules to both planets’ backward move. We’d opt for that view. It’s impolite to say there can be senile consistency to lapses in mental synapses. Let’s...

ONLY six out of every 1,000 elementary school graduates are prepared to enter high school. That sad fact surfaced in the 2004 High School Readiness Test plied by the Department of Education. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that those numbers might turn up less bleak this time. On March 9 and 15, nearly three million first and second year public high school students nationwide will troop to test centers for DepEd assessment tests to gauge their competencies. Thank goodness, test results won’t reflect in the students’ grades. Per capita spending for education is placed at P7,700 per student each year compared to, say, New Zealand or the US of A which spends the equivalent of P125,500 per student/year. In 2004, Sen. Manuel B. Villar, Jr. cited that the Philippines “allots only 3.2% of its gross domestic product for education. It is the third lowest compared to other Asian countries: Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 5%, Hong Kong 4.1%, Japan 3.6%, China 2.2% and Indonesia 1.3%. “Even as a perce...

WHEN the nation’s top cop hurled a threat to take over the operations of newspapers that won’t bow-wow-wow to government standards of reportage during a national emergency, a lot of grizzled editors wished that he made good his threats. Why, we and readers at large could use some of the flinty operatives in the force—preferably those fully versed in tactical interrogation and extracting confessions from felons—to break news from certain beats. We expect ‘em tough cops to bring gung-ho freshness, maybe a few gallons of raw blood to reportage. Readers can expect the more ruthless cops to turn up more sense and sanity in, say, entertainment news. Let ‘em cops grill those stars and celebrities, sock ‘em with tough and gritty questions—enough of lies and nonsense that clutter a lot of entertainment news. “Sa presinto ka na lang magpaliwanag!” Isn’t that refreshing to hear as a star is handcuffed and hauled off for an interview? Boy, we’d like ‘em cops versed in tactical interrogation to ha...

SIFT out politics, shift to serene gardening for those readings of signs in the heavens—so we set out to do just that. Two days before a new moon-- perfect time for sowing seeds. The moon grows in size, so does the lunar tug on bodies of water. That includes a pull on water content of seeds and the gray matter, nearly 75% water as a child’s body is. Call it lunacy, maybe a subtle passage of inner tides that touch off monthly flow in women, a bit of fattening in crabs, attempts at moonlighting to augment lousy take-home pay or Malacañang minions turning jumpy and jittery. Why, the gag order of sorts on media including the invocation for a state of national emergency was plied when there wasn’t any wee whit of a moon above—actions that could be touched off by PMS, or post menopausal syndrome. Call it whatever but a waxing moon sure effects a subtle pull on anything that packs water, including spittle to expend on policy pronouncements and bladder. From gray matter to groin matters. Or as...

KABILANG yata kami sa natutuwa sa ulat ukol sa nagbabantang sungit ng panahon— iyong ulan na may kasabwat na mga kulog at kidlat. Lalo na kapag tuloy lang ang banta. Inaasahang hahagupit ang buhos ng La Niña ngayong tag-araw. Tinatayang dalawang buwan ang singkad. Maulap. Maulan. Karaniwang sa mga dakong hilagang silangan ng kapuluan, mga bahaging nakaharap sa Pacific Ocean , nakalilim sa anino ng mga kawing na bundok Sierra Madre. Doon karaniwang nagsusungit ang panahon. “Masungit” ang nakagawiang taguri sa tila alkitrang dagim sa papawirin—na nauuwi sa bayo ng bagyo’t baha. Pero kailangan ng madalas na hilamos ng ulan at lamukos ng unos sa Sierra Madre. Para may makalap na tubig na itutustos na 90% ng pangangailangan sa tubig ng Metro Manila at patubig sa mahigit 5,000 ektarya ng gulayan at palayan sa ilang lalawigan ng Gitnang Luzon. Kabuhayan ang katumbas ng “masungit” na panahon. Magugunitang may ilang taon na dumanas ang Metro Manila ng tagtuyot at kakapusan sa tubig. Kulang sa t...

PITO sa bawat 10 lalaki sa Asia ang madalas na mas malata pa sa kutsinta ang batuta— kahit nakatutok sa pinagmulang lungga, nanatiling salanta. Iniulat sa bansa na umaabot sa 300,000 ang reseta ng mga doktor bilang panlunas sa nanlalambot na singkapan ng kalalakihan. Ikinumpisal man ng karamihan sa kalalakihan ang lupaypay na lagay ng kanilang kasarian, matindi pa rin ang halihaw ng katanungan— kaya ba ng kanilang bulsa ang halaga ng Viagra (higit na kilala sa tawag na Sildenafil Citrate, ang asul na saklolo ng mga mahilig na lolo)? Pansinin na ang talagang kinasasabikang bahagi ng katawan ng lalaki sa dakong ibaba ng baywang -- ang bukol ng paldong bulsa. Humagulgol: 100 mg pildoras, P738. 50 mg=P578 (mas mahal pa kaysa samputok na pakikipagdaupang-ari sa mga mapupulot na pokpok sa Quezon Avenue, Cubao o Avenida.) Kapsulang 25 mg, lalantak ng P370 sa bulsa. Karaniwang sinusuri muna ng doctor ang kanilang pasyente bago lapatan ng angkop na bulto ng Viagra. Delikado kasing isabay ang Vi...

N AKAGILIWAN din namin ang papugak-pugak na alagwa ng awit ng katotong Eleazar Somera Lopez sa kanyang palatuntunan sa 774 khz. Kung hindi daplis na tula, tiyak na sapol na tuya. Ganoon ang katangian ng mga patama ng Java— naibansag sa kanya ng isang kasama sa hanapbuhay at kabungguang bote. Walang nangahas bumuntot sa ganoong kasistehan sa panunuligsa’t paglalahad ng kuro-kuro. Ni hindi timplado sa lamig o nakatono ang boses na parang humahagod sa likuran o kumakalikot-nanunuot sa hinaharap na masarap. Parang nasunod ang tagubilin ni Bono ng U2 sa matinong awitin, “ All you need is three chords and the truth .” Walang mahugot na sinuman ang 774 khz para punuan ang naiwang guwang sa himpapawid ni Java. Naikumpisal sa kanya noon na kabilang ako sa isang pangkat ng mga pusakal na alaskador kontra rehimeng Marcos, ang Los Enemigos . Tahasang mga kaaway ang katuturan niyon. Mga yawah. Nakasungkit minsan ang pangkat ng gawad mula Catholic Citizen’s Mass Media Award— award-winning na mga p...