Covington: Happy Valentine's

INTRODUCING the latest way Davao's election hopefuls are circumventing Comelec's rules and regs (Thou shalt not campaign until February 9 [National posts] or March 26 [Local government]): by posting, all over the city, election propaganda disguised as seasonal greetings.

It's called cheating. Hoping to steal a march on their political rivals by bending and ignoring the nation's rules and ordinances and the message is clear -- if voted in, these worthies will run the city in exactly the same way, by bending and ignoring the law.

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Is it any wonder that we hoi-polloi are not so law-abiding? When we see our supposed betters not caring a hoot about the rules and regs?

And why doesn't Comelec have someone with backbone to expel these lawbreakers from the voting lists? Can't to that whimper Comelec, hiding beneath their desks. Can't rock the boat and besides, there'd be no-one left to run.

On Sunday Gilbert Teodoro (You know Gibo -- he's on every utility pole between here and Carmen) was trying to tell us that medical tourism is the way forward; that it is a "potential revenue-generating mechanism that would provide more resources for health care".

Ah, doesn't work like that, does it Gilbert? Hospitals tend to spend any extra income on fancy new kit and then, purely because they can brag about this new kit, increase their charges and who does that benefit? The shareholders of the hospital. Ummm... the shareholders of the hospital. Ummm...

To succeed in the medical tourism business Gilbert you have to possess or build hospitals to cater for the trade.

The eastern European countries are doing quite well and India is catching up, but listen to this Gilbert -- there's Indian medical tourism hospitals which boast their own five-star chefs and kitchens serving up daily five or six national a la carte menus -- Asian, European, Halal, Middle Eastern, etc, etc. They pull in the trade and still miles cheaper than the USA. Can you think of a local hospital offering these same amenities Gilbert? And why do you think all these Filipino 'names' and celebrities scuttle off to foreign climes when they're ill?

You've got this round the wrong way Gilbert -- invest first and then reap the benefits, not the other way about.

I liked Friday's headline: "Women representatives in peace negotiation panels pushed" -- presumably because of their gentle mothering qualities.

I know that where I live you can hear the cat-fights a couple of blocks away and how about the delicate flowers we see on TV news contributing to various police blotters, laying into their boyfriends/customers/husbands/pimps? Here's a left hook (Ouf) and a right (Aaargh) and a kick in the... (Yarooooo!).

Ladies on the peace panel? Why not?