Monday, October 08, 2007 Mongaya: Many expected a knockout By Anol Mongaya Panahom
A NEIGHBOR, who joined the pro-Manny Pacquiao crowd watching a pay-per-view telecast at the Talisay City complex, felt let down when the Pacman failed to knock out Marco Antonio Barrera yesterday. Many shared the same sentiment, he said, adding that the fight was mere justification for earning more money for the promoters.
But then, Superbalita sports editor Jun Migallen said this sentiment could only come from people who are not into boxing. Contrary to Erik Morales who failed in trying to slug it out with Pacquiao, he said Barrera counterpunched even as he tried to evade the Pacman’s punches. Barrera succeeded in surviving Pacman’s continued onslaught.
Still, what counts for ordinary Filipinos is the Pacman’s victory.
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Talisay Mayor Soc Fernandez should rein and prevent his stepson from committing trouble. We can’t always trust everything to prayers, sir. And if ever the guy goes overboard again, please lang, ayaw na intawn duphi.
*** One cannot expect local police to solve the so-called drive-by shootings after their failure to solve the two-year-old vigilante-style killings in Metro Cebu. The vigilantes also emerged because the police failed to curb the rise in petty crimes.
What then are local lawmen good for? Pagpagwapo ug pagpadako sa ... kuno, a kibitzer quipped.
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Customs insiders are amused at the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). In what was seen as a move to solve the existence of factions at the main office asking for particular “tara,” PASG chairman Antonio Villar issued a memorandum centralizing at his office the request for alerts on suspected illegal shipments.
However, the local PASG continued to officially ask customs officials for the scanning of selected container vans. Pareho lang na. The local PASG has found a way around Villar’s memo.
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While auto dealers targeted their campaign against smuggled cars at the Land Transportation Office (LTO), we found out the other week that most of the vehicles registered at the local LTO were multicabs and trucks.
Another customs insider put in his two cents worth over some beer this weekend. He pointed out that many of the luxury cars registered were actually stolen vehicles. Luxury cars stolen in various areas in the country allegedly find their way to Cebu for registration.
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The poisoning of 37 Madridejos kids last week should make us think twice about the cheap products flooding our economy from China. It seems the Chinese economic juggernaut came about because of the neglect of safety and quality.
In theory, imposing quality should be easy for China, which is under the dictatorship of the Chinese communist party.
In practice however, the current economic policy in China apparently unleashed unbridled capitalism that even giant companies in the vaunted capitalist superpower, the US, found the China price challenge and accompanying low quality daunting.
I think our leaders must now put in place protection policies on the entry of Chinese products to ensure quality and safety. Complete free trade should not be allowed.
(Check out “In Between Columns” at anol.blogs.friendster.com/anols_blog)
