Bzzzzz: Employees union and plan for MCWD; Duterte Halloween masks

Screenshot from amazon.com
Screenshot from amazon.com

PEOPLE talk about...

[1] MCWD EMPLOYEES UNION OPPOSING PRIVATIZATION OF WATER DISTRICT. That means the union is against a board of directors, and the mayor who appoints them, that will push for takeover of MCWD by a private company. The rumor has been that the termination of the old board is aimed to implement the privatization plan, which has long been talked about, kicked around, and shelved, then tossed back recently to the table.

Then mayor Tomas Osmeña reportedly sided with the union, thus junking during his long term as chief executive the plan to privatize the water district.

How much of a factor has union been in the failure of MCWD to meet consumers' demand for water in the LGUs under its franchise? The union may be an important element in assessing MWCD's problem.

[2] US PRESIDENT TRUMP BEING BOOED AT THE WORLD SERIES GAME. Late-night show host Stephen Colbert called it Trump's national humiliation, saying it was "sweet to watch." Enhancing the embarrassment was the repeated "Lock him up!" chant directed at the president, following the boos. Trump on many occasions before prompted his audience to shout "Lock her up," referring to his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. Since he assumed office, Trump has been known to select, through organizers, the people who pack his rallies, particularly those who are within camera range.

The Washington Nationals vs Houston Astros game Sunday night (October 29 in PH) drew a cross-section of voters among baseball fans.

No shipment to PH

If you see Halloween adult masks featuring the face of President Rodrigo Duterte, they must have been among the few sent to the country by Filipinos abroad or brought here by balikbayans. The marketing entity called Caili's company said it is not shipping masks to the Philippines.

Those could be reproductions in paper or some other material; the design is available online and may be easily reproduced.

Each latex mask is priced ex-supplier at #32.99 or about P1,684 (as of Wednesday, October 30 rate of exchange). It shows the face of Duterte "with dark-lidded eyes and slightly opened mouth."

Is it bad or good for Du30?

At Caili's company, which is the known manufacturer of the Duterte masks, only the face of Duterte, among country leaders, has been produced for marketing, especially during Halloween.

The President has been lumped by Time magazine with "strongmen" leaders of the world but only Duterte has a mask made after him. Other Caili's masks use faces of vampires, ghouls, monsters, and devils. Only Duterte looks like a regular human being.

Duterte has arrived, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. It shows he is an international celebrity. As a Halloween mask, is Duterte's face scary? "He scares criminals," Panelo said.

Other mask producers have peddled masks with faces of Putin, Trump, Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Kim Jong Un, and Richard Nixon.

The common element is being famous. Some are best-sellers and for which, like other hot items in the market, repeat orders are made.

Critics of Duterte cannot immediately say that he is being ridiculed or demeaned by the mask. Common usage of the mask, usually determined in post-sale studies, will reveal whether it is good or bad for his public image. Some adult masks are used to hide faces in a robbery or murder job. Others are used to scare children during Halloween or, in other occasions, to put kids to sleep.

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