Of course there are other reports and issues in the news today. But I am sure that for basketball fans, it didn’t matter who won the speakership of the House of Representatives. But the Los Angeles Lakers again won the championship in the 2020 series of the NBA games. I am sure the team was further inspired by the thought of their former lead man, Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash together with his young daughter earlier this year. Wherever he is now, I am sure Kobe was smiling down at his team as they trounced the Miami Heat with the score of 106-93. I can imagine him clapping his hands and calling out “Well done, Boys!”
***
The NBA finals kept my interest longer than the struggle in the House of Representatives over the speakership that the majority of the members wanted to wrest from Alan Peter Cayetano and pass it on to Lord Alan Velasco. Well, Cayetano has done his turn, and perhaps his fellows in Congress wanted a change. Let us see how Velasco will fare. He was sworn in immediately after the voting, so will he be the one now to take care of the budget preparation? I know the president wants that business over and done with on time, so that is the challenge for Velasco.
***
Meanwhile there are only about 20 days before the U.S. election and why does Donald Trump seem so confident, despite the fact that he had been rendered helpless for a few days by the mischievous COVID 19? Now he keeps on bragging about his health condition, that, of course, is intended to assure Americans that he is good for another term. In the meantime, how much hay did his rival, Joe Biden, gather while Trump was out of the running and in the hospital? If he hadn’t made the most of that time, then good old Joe will have nobody to blame but his own self.
***
The United States is now looking over the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and many believe she would be a shoo-in for the position. However, what others find negative about her is that she is a devout Catholic and they know what her stand would be against abortion. I hope, though, that she gets the post, being a learned and experienced public servant. I am sure, too, that she will not compromise her religious beliefs just to be able to get a high position in government.
***
Have you noticed that while the news, especially on TV, always focuses on the European countries and the U.S., especially when it comes to coverage of coronavirus cases, but hardly ever report on those in Asia? Maybe I watch the wrong channels? The U.S. the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, and the rest constantly have statistics on the number of cases, of transmission and all that, but hardly anything about Asian countries. Our local media networks do not seem too eager to release such stats, or is the acquisition of such not facilitated for them? Or maybe their motto is “What you don’t know won’t hurt you”?
**
It is alarming to see the reports that as of Saturday, the Coronavirus had already taken a toll of 187 in our province and city. Despite that, it is hard to understand why some residents, and officials even, are trying to the thwart the efforts of our local officials to prevent transmissions of the virus by requiring tests for everyone, especially those who are in business and deal with a lot of people all day long. In some cases, however, it could be ignorance, so I hope there are no victims who would rather consult a “siruhano” than undergo swab tests. Yes, even in this day and age, there are still people who think that way, believe it or not.
***
I hope our doctors of medicine will be more persuasive in convincing people to undergo vaccinations because that could be the only way transmission of this disease could be forestalled, or even completely vanquished. But a joke going around these days is that many doctors no longer go to their clinics, also for fear of catching the virus from some patient. And who can blame them? Is there such a method as “virtual consultation” already? I hope some enterprising docs will think of that, and let their patients know so they do not have to come face to face, and avoid infection.
***
Of course it may not matter much to us whoever wins in the coming U.S. election since neither Trump nor Joe Biden are known to be sympathizers – also not hostile, of course – of our country, but they must not ignore us, either, because of their interests in Southeast Asia. But perhaps we are the ones interested because so many of our people want to go to their country, and, millions are already there living comfortable lives. And we can be proud of many of them who are now occupying even managerial positions in big companies. And I speak from personal knowledge because I have cousins who are managers of hotels and other enterprises, and nieces who are bank officers and even managers. You can trust Pinoys to “blown wherever they are planted”.*
