JOEY3 LIVE

One of my most prized possessions is a picture of myself with former President Cory Aquino. Anyone who has ever been to my Makati office knows what I’m talking about. It’s the first thing you see when you enter my room.

Like the overwhelming majority of the Filipino people, I have been extremely saddened by the health condition of Cory. A couple of years ago, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She is now fighting for her life at the Makati Medical Center .

Anyone who has ever faced this dread disease knows how painful radiation therapy and chemotherapy are. For the lucky ones, their cancer can go into remission and they can live longer.

I know of no other person who is more deserving of a miraculous cure and recovery than Cory Aquino. We, the Filipino people, owe so much to this brave widow of the late Senator Ninoy Aquino.
As our first woman president, she did us all proud. She was never involved in any scandal and everything she did, all her official acts, were done with the hopes of improving the lot of our people, especially the poor.

Of all our past presidents, she was the one who received the greatest accolades from the international community. She restored our democracy, and left office when her time came, never even seeking to extend her term, even for a second.

After leaving Malacanang, she played the role of stateswoman to the hilt.

We all know her to be a deeply religious woman. Her faith in the Lord is absolute. I am praying to God to let her stay with us for a few more years. Now, more than ever, we need her as a moral beacon and as a constant reminder to those who would abuse their power and position for personal gain.

God bless Cory Aquino.

There is no doubt that the sudden death of Michael Jackson was the biggest news of the world this week. I’m sad, of course. All of us baby boomers grew up with his music.

I’m a big fan of his music. He may have had his shortcomings as a person, but he was definitely a genius where music is concerned. I can’t even think of just one favorite Michael Jackson song since he had so many great ones.

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Not that he needs it, but allow me to add my voice to the growing number of supporters of UP Professor Randy David, who says he will run against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should she run for congressman in her Pampanga district next year.

I have nothing but the highest respect for Professor David, who also writes a column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

I may not have gone to UP but everyone I know who did speaks highly of David. He is a genuine nationalist who offers common sense solutions to the problems besetting our nation. He is also a proud Pampangueno, which is why he refuses to believe his provincemates will tolerate the nonsensical plan of Mrs. Arroyo to stay in power by first seeking a congressional seat, then leading the way to a shift to a parliamentary form of government where she can be prime minister.

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One of the things we learn in school is that there are five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These are the same five stages that one undergoes upon learning that death is imminent.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is revealing to the Filipino people all these five signs as she faces the absolute certainty that her days in power are fast coming to an end.

A few months ago she was in total denial. She still believed that her hold on power was permanent and that a way would be found to let her stay in Malacanang beyond 2010.

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In 1969, when Ferdinand Marcos was running for reelection, photos were released that supposedly showed a nude Imelda Marcos. Those photos were fake, of course. But some people believed them to be real, possibly costing Marcos some votes.
 
In retaliation, more nude photos surfaced. This time, they were photos of Minnie Osmena, daughter of Serging Osmena and Marcos’s opponent in the ’69 polls.

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There was a time when I started to hate browsing through our newspapers because all I seemed to read were bad news. A daily dose of crime, corruption, violence, scandals and the like is enough to make any man swear off newspapers.

Thankfully, every so often, we also read good news concerning Filipinos. This week, a new sports heroine was born in the person of Rubilen Amit, winner of the first Women’s World 10 Ball Championship.

Rubilen is not really a newcomer, or an unknown. She has been competing for the past few years, but winning this crown is her biggest achievement to-date. On her way to the title, she defeated the well-known “Black Widow” Jeannette Lee, a talented player who’s been featured in many men’s magazines because she is tall, slim and attractive like your typical supermodel. Lee got her name for her habit of wearing black dresses when she competes.

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If the most recent statistics are correct, there are now more than 50 million cell phone users in the Philippines . That’s more than one out of two Filipinos, although this might not be absolutely correct since many Pinoys have more than one cell phone, while others have deactivated theirs.
 
Still, 50 million is a lot of cell phones and there is little doubt that the majority of users are our youth (age 40 and below). In fact, I don’t know of any young adult who does not have a cell phone.

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I’m no fortune teller, but based on the SWS and Pulse Asia surveys, it’s becoming very clear that, divided or not, an opposition candidate will win the presidency next year.
 
The most recent survey shows more of the same. If elections were held today, there would be a five way logjam for the top among Senators Manny Villar, Chiz Escudero, Mar Roxas, former President Erap Estrada, and Vice President Noli de Castro.

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The sudden rise in the number of swine flu cases in the country should now be considered a warning signal to the general public. As of this writing, the number stands at 21 confirmed cases and it’s safe to say that the number is likely to go up. Thankfully, there have been no fatalities, and if the health department handles the situation properly, this statistic will hold.
 
With school opening this week, the biggest concern will be to make sure that our student population is not exposed. In other countries like Japan , a single confirmed case of swine flu was enough to result in the closure of numerous schools in the general area where the disease was detected.

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Had enough of the Halili-Kho-Belo sex tapes scandal? I know I have, yet this story is far from dead.

The public in general and local media in particular seem to have a morbid obsession with scandals of this nature. A friend asked me if I thought this would mean the end of their careers. My answer is, it depends.

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