Sizzling March, in more ways than one

March, the sunniest of the summer months, fairly sizzled forth starting with former Senate President Jovito Salonga demanding in behalf of Kilosbayan that Merceditas Gutierrez resign from her Ombudsman post. This was in light of allegations regarding her “inability” to resolve big cases like the fertilizer multimillion dollar fund scam, and the not-so-secret bidding in World Bank-assisted projects. Gutierrez, in a GMA7 interview, implied that this heat was generated due to a case against former Bukidnon Rep. Congressman Nereus Acosta.

Trials start, trials end. Francis Magalona, the man celebrated for his eclectic mix of Western music genres injected with patriotic prose, succumbed to leukemia which he had been fighting off since August 2008. After he announced his illness in Eat Bulaga through a text message, a blood donation drive ensued. He performed with Ely Buendia on Eat Bulaga on 25 October 2008, after recovering somewhat. After three chemotherapy cycles, the Master Rapper looked well in December. As remissions are sometimes temporary, especially in cancer cases, The Man from Manila passed away on 6 March 2009, perhaps contemplating how great it must be to chat with Jose Rizal.

With the death of an icon comes the rebirth, or shall we say, the birth of a star – BB Gandanghari – known formerly as Rustom Padilla, brother to Robin Padilla and Carmina Villaroel’s ex-husband. Preferring to be addressed with female pronouns, BB also revealed that she did not have any plans to go under the knife, and that her body responded to her mind when she discovered that Rustom was dead and in his place was a woman. She had dreams of gay marriage being legalized but this seems to have been delayed with the recognition of the Ang Ladlad political party being recently declined.

In between the cycle of death and life there is the paranormal, and the ghosts of the Bubby Dacer-Emmanuel Corbito slaying have come back from the dead to haunt Panfilo Lacson through the medium that is former Police Senior Superintendent Mancao. An affidavit shown to Tony Calvento revealed that Mancao was allegedly a witness when Lacson ordered the hit on Dacer and former police intelligence chief Reynaldo Berroya. Lacson dismissed this as another smear campaign attempting to destroy his credibility as a crusader against corruption.

Just before the Lenten season, the Senate approved the budget for poll automation in 2009, adding that it must "guarantee transparency and accuracy in the selection of the relevant technology of the voting machines to be used for the May 10, 2010 automated national and local elections." Francis Escudero suggested that the Commission on Elections first make sure that it has removed all the flying and ghost voters from its list first.

The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that the Philippines was the sixth most dangerous country for journalists. Later in the year, after the Maguindanao Massacre, it claimed the number one spot, unseating Iraq and making journalists, with or without Lenten-recharged charmed medallions, want to come there all the more.

Last and definitely not the least, the month of March 2009 leaves Filipinos here and abroad foaming at the mouth as Hong Kong Magazine writer Chip Tsao stated in his 27 March column that he talked down to his Filipina domestic helper and threatened to fire her should war break out between China and the Philippines because of the Spratly controversy. Tsao also suggested that the Filipinos must not bite the hand that feeds them, namely Hong Kong. Legislators were dumbfounded, and reacted in varying degrees of disgust, among them Francis Escudero, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino B. Biazon. The issue ended with HK magazine issuing a public apology whilst stating that Tsao’s column was meant to be satirical. Immigration Commisioner Marcelo Libanan replied by blacklisting Tsao from the Philippines.

Photos:

“when you are engulfed in flames...” by Lori Greig, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

“goodbye francis” by Joe, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

"BB Gandanghari" by Richard Grimaldo. Taken during a photo shoot with Yes! Magazine. Some rights reserved.

"Panfilo Lacson" taken from Wikipilipinas.org.

Photo by Noemi L. Dado. Some rights reserved.

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