THE stray bullet that nearly killed an eight-year-old proves some trigger-happy machos still can’t control themselves from firing shots on Christmas and New Year’s Eves. Most often, they do it to enjoy the perverse high of feeling the gun’s power.

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The kids expected me to buy some fireworks last Christmas Eve but I decided to conserve whatever money I had left for the long weekend. My wife thought the banks would be open on the 24th and thus failed to withdraw her reserve pang-Christmas budget. I’d rather have food at the table than a few minutes of merry explosions.

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The relative silence at the house—the other guys bought some triangles—made me sensitive to the lack of explosions at the subdivision compared to past Christmas Eves. It seems many of our neighbors too decided not to buy the traditional fireworks.

When the budget is tight, people prefer the Noche Buena and gifts for their loved ones and friends. I don’t know though if they will still scrimp on fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Still, I wish everybody a happy New Year.

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Lakas-Kampi candidate Gilbert Teodoro should not be too happy with the rise of his ratings in the latest surveys. A 100-percent increase at least lifts him from the bottom. But this is not enough to give him a shot at the top. He has not yet hit 10 percent. Liberal Party bet Noynoy Aquino is still way ahead at over 45 percent from his closest rival Sen. Manny Villar.

If Teodoro cannot bring his ratings to a respectable 20 percent plus in the next months, expect the local politicians now supporting him to begin scouting for alternatives.

Villar, for instance, had expected Gov. Gwen Garcia to go NP.

This was the reason the Nacionalistas did not put up rival provincial candidates to One Cebu. But if Teodoro’s chances remain nil as Election Day approaches, shifting to a more winnable candidate is a political option. One Cebu might find it difficult to have an unfriendly president sitting in Malacañang after the May 2010 polls.

As of the moment, I heard some One Cebu mayors have already made deals with other presidential camps as long as they support Governor Garcia and her congressional allies. After all, the governor is not also going straight Lakas-Kampi.

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On the vice presidential race, Sen. Mar Roxas has expressed confidence that he will maintain his slight lead over NP’s Sen. Loren Legarda. Between the two, Roxas had maintained moral ascendancy by deciding what was best for the country and the Liberal Party when he withdrew from the presidential race.

Legarda, on the other hand, actively sought endorsements as vice presidential bet from other political parties when the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) bet Chiz Escudero stepped aside. She eventually settled to tandem with Villar whom she once lambasted for being corrupt.

Nevertheless, Legarda gained political points with her anti-climate change advocacy. I think this is the reason for her rise in the surveys. However, as far as Cebu is concerned, I believe she had to issue a clear stand on the controversial construction of coal-fired plants in Naga and Toledo Cities.

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Mayor Val Chiong remains cautious after the Supreme Court (SC) decided to reverse a decision on legal questions about Naga’s cityhood status. The other side could still seek reconsideration, he said.

Still, I find the chance of SC reversing itself again practically nil. It will not be good for the High Court to say it made a mistake on the issue twice.

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National Press Club Cebu and Cebu Federation of Beat Reporters (CFBJ) distributed over a hundred gift packs containing rice and other goods, a hundred pack lunches and candies to homeless individuals and families last Dec. 24 during our “Bundles of Joy Caravan.”

Eliciting smiles from the city’s homeless made our Christmas.

Nevertheless, I hope members of the Cebu media will not forget the homeless until the next Christmas when we intend to conduct a bigger caravan.

My point: as members of media we are in the position to call the attention of politicians to address the plight of powerless people like the homeless in Cebu City and address the social causes that led to their being in the streets. These people, many of who don’t vote, are not within the political radar of those running for offices. At most, they only get attention when the issue gets to cleaning up the sidewalks of vagrants.

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