If Loren returns to the Senate…

By Herbert L. Vego

 

DOES Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda intend to go back to the Senate?

When we asked our friend and political analyst Joe Escartin about it, he expressed no doubt about her winning in the 2022 senatorial race.

There was a tinge of lament that showed through Joe’s face, though, believing that she would leave a political vacuum unless a dynamic alternative replaces her in the House.

“Loren is hulog ng langit,” Joe opined.  “While her initial development interventions have focused on infrastructure growth, she has successfully pipelined programs that empower Antiqueños to participate in economic development. She ended Antique’s political lethargy and rescued the province from three decades of political and economic marginalization. Whoever replaces her must adopt her vision for a progressive Antique.”

“Among the known political stakeholders in Antique, I believe that  Atty. Cornelio Aldon would be the best choice to replace Cong. Loren. Unfortunately, we have yet to see Kune say ‘yes’ to the challenge.

“Is he waiting for a groundswell of support? Did I hear somebody putting up an Aldon for Antique (A4A) machinery?”

Well, Joe,  Atty. Kune has indeed been a familiar name in Antique politics.  But the problem is that he has not yet endeared himself to the electorate, and that’s because he did not pursue his ambition to run for either governor or congressman in 2019.

There goes the proverb, “He who vacillates is lost.”

-oOo-

SHOCKING! Almost half of the entire global workforce must have lost their livelihoods because of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), some 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy are in danger of not regaining their lost livelihoods. The informal economy refers to labor where the workers don’t pay tax, such as restaurant staff, cleaners, and street vendors.

The ILO forecast is based on the devastating impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has infected 34 million people globally and killed a million of them, according to the World Health Organization.

Methinks that the consequential shutdown of economies must have done more harm than the dreaded virus.

“Mamamatay kami sa gutom,” we have heard the job-deprived people say again and again.

But then, who cares? The WHO keeps no record of people who have died of hunger and lockdown-related diseases.

-oOo-

NINE months was what it took for this Filipino-American to bring to life a 427-page novel that has just been released in the United States. Entitled Vampires of Portlandia, it’s about a family of Filipino aswangs living in Portland, Oregon.

The author, Jason Tanamor, has never come to the Philippines. But his parents who come home to Manila from time to time must have been among his sources of horrifying tales about the self-effacing Filipino vampires from different provinces of our country.

But while he did a lot of research on the deaded aswangs, Jason opted to portray them as unwilling victims of circumstances.

“The vampires are just like you and I; they just happen to be aswangs,” Tanamor wrote.

With his novel, Tanamor hopes to capture the attention of people fascinated with zombie stories.

His novel is all about a family of Filipino witches who migrate to Portland, Oregon, hoping to live normally. They are not the vicious monsters we usually encounter in folklores.

“My main hope is to just tell an entertaining story and give people an inside look into a culture that is highly underrepresented,” the author shared.

Tanamor has authored two other novels, Anonymous and Drama Dolls. He is also a journalist who has interviewed American celebrities, including former US President Barack Obama.

-oOo-

WE heard a broadcaster comment on why Enrique Razon Jr., as chairman of the  MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), could not fail in his mission to brighten up Iloilo City – literally and figuratively.

“He is now the third richest Filipino,” the broadcaster said. “He is willing to spend billions of pesos in investment in Iloilo.”

We are not surprised; he has kept himself within the top five in Forbes Philippines’ list in as many years.

The broadcaster cited the November 14, 2018 issue of the Philippine Star where columnist Neil Honeyman wrote that Razon had offered to buy Panay Electric Co. (PECO) for P6 billion, but was turned down.

If that was what motivated Razon to establish MORE Power that eventually edged out PECO in the race for the new franchise, then the new company is kicking off from the starting point for much less. Its modernization budget for the next three years is P1.9 billion, plus more thereafter.

Razon’s family has been with the ports industry since his grandfather went into the port business in 1916, which his father later rebuilt after World War II. It is now known as the International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI).

Razon also owns Bloomberry Resorts Corp., a hospitality firm which owns Solaire Resort and Casino.

While both Bloomberry and ICTSI are expected to suffer substantial declines in revenue through 2020 because of the pandemic, Razon believes that corporate profits should not be allowed to become a primary focus.

“The whole thing is unprecedented; so we’re not even calculating that,” he told a reporter of a business magazine. “I think more important are the concerns of the people, feeding the people.”

Amen? That makes me wonder whether Brother Mike has already fed his fanatic flock.