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Stella Arnaldo's Manila Standard column

"Heard and Overheard"

Who’s gonna clean the toilet?!

While the public is riveted to the ongoing drama at the Senate and Lower House regarding allegations against Senator Ping Lacson and the supposed collusion between the military and the Abu Sayyaf group, Cabinet secretaries are quietly making their moves to ensure their appointments are confirmed by the Commission on Appointments.

But things aren’t going so smoothly it seems for this Cabinet secretary who holds office in Quezon City. A source close to a powerful member of the CA said that the latter, a congressman, got the go-signal from Ms. Arroyo to drop said Cabinet secretary during a dinner he had with Madam President last Thursday.

According to the source, that congressman, who hails from a province down South, told the President that the Cabinet secretary will definitely not pass approval of the CA. The President supposedly responded, “Really? Well, it’s your job (congressman’s name),” which the congressman apparently took as a tacit approval to dump the Cabinet secretary.

While our source did not say for what reason, we surmise it is because of some laws he had authored in his earlier incarnation as a legislator, which may have affected the income of the congressman and some of his colleagues. (Of course, we can’t say for sure if the income was legitimate or not.)

Deliberations by the CA on the Cabinet appointments have been scheduled after the Congress’ two-week recess.

***
This foreign diplomat really has such a bad reputation in the circles he moves around. So it was not really a surprise that he took a very high-handed attitude with an officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs recently.

The diplomat has yet to apologize for cussing our local boy in colorful four-letter words, we hear, and as such should be taken to task for his unforgiveable boorish behavior. No Filipino should be treated rudely by foreigners in his own land.

Unfortunately, the DFA chief refuses to take the cudgels for our boy and instead would take it on the chin like all subservient government officials. (Is he afraid of getting his US visa canceled?)

While this diplomat’s government berates the Philippines for not following international laws and rules, he isn’t about to be tied down by local procedures and regulations. At this exclusive chi-chi club in Makati, for example, he habitually brings his bodyguards inside when the club rules specifically say that such aides have to stay at a waiting shed built exclusively for them. This diplomat’s bodyguards are usually posted near the washrooms close to the elevators.

We just hope an honest-to-goodness ambassador is appointed to this embassy soon. Fortunately for us, this barbarian will soon be leaving to become ambassador to Nepal. It’s party time!

***
No wonder this government official can’t do his job properly. Word has it, he is rarely found in his office and instead holds court every day at a posh country club in a suburban area of the metropolis.

After a round of golf, our sources say, he then plays the popular masa card game called tong-its. It is said that he practically grew up in this country club where he used to be an employee. As such, his heart belongs to the club and has practically made it his second home.
As our favorite reporter says, “Who’s gonna clean the toilet?!”

***
Speaking of scum, there are moves by certain legislators to have the Clean Air Act amended to allow the use of incinerators.

According to environmental groups, there is no need to amend the law. The Clean Air Act does allow the use of incinerators specially by hospitals to get rid of toxic waste and hazardous waste. Only, there are strict emission controls that have to be followed (Section 20) to ensure no toxic fumes leak out to the environment.

It is actually the Solid Waste Management Act which bans the use of incinerators. It’s homework time, girls!

***
This artist is certainly very lucky to have a generous husband. A little birdie told me that her wealthy but much, much, much older lover will be building her very own theater within the Star City complex (duh!) where she can mount her thespic productions.

What is strange is that she would have had her own theater, literally, already built and operational, if only she accepted the offer of the Arroyo administration to head the Cultural Center of the Philippines. But hey, who are we to argue? What’s millions of pesos to her rich husband anyway?

Besides, the 800-seat theater is supposed to be the first-of-its-kind in the country, of “world-class” proportions, according to our birdie, and designed by Hollywood consultants. Trust us, the artist’s husband did not spare any expense to build this Taj Mahal for his love who some say is considered already over-the-hill as far as her art is concerned. Oh wow!
This we gotta see.

***
It was a very quiet Saturday for me with my cellphone switched off in sympathy for those protesting the proposed text cuts by cellphone providers. Like many others, I survived it and couldn’t understand why some couldn’t live that day without texting or calling.

Definitely the cellphone providers did not lose much revenue that day, but certainly the protestors have made their voices heard. We just hope the cellphone providers were listening and act positively.

Like the others, all we want is good service first, e.g. no dropped calls, better interconnection, faster WAP access, quicker sending and receiving of messages, etc., before rates are raised, or in this case, text message allocations are cut.

’Til then we are told, hearings on the case versus the cellphone providers filed by Net activist Gerry Kaimo and company will continue on Sept. 5 and 6.

***
When things don’t work, we have to move on. As much as I tried to support this local e-mail service provider because of its very Pinoy design and because a friend put it up, I am no longer satisfied with its service.

For the past weeks I have been unable to access my e-mails and as such I am closing that mailbox for good.
For comments, questions, suggestions, reactions — violent or otherwise — e-mail chicharon65@yahoo.com,
my new addy. And no press releases, please!

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