Monday, September 29, 2008

Quickies

I dont know when the mainstreaming of the Ateneo-La Salle UAAP rivalry began but when two morning shows, Umagang Kay Ganda and Unang Hirit, whose audience probably dont go to Ateneo nor La Salle, go whole hog celebrating Ateneo's victory in the recent UAAP finals, you know something's up. Unfortunately I dont know what it is, neither do I care to find out, although I suppose it has something to do with the Pinoy penchant for living vicariously through whoever's on TV or on the society pages of newspapers. It's like wearing a Brasil or Italia t-shirt -- you imagine yourself Brasilian or Italian. Mang Pandoy's grandkids can imagine themselves to be studying at the Ateneo by rooting for Chris Tiu et al..

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First things first: I am for giving the citizen a choice of birth control methods and for that choice to be available. I believe it is a good thing and our citizens want it. I believe that this lack of choice leads to abortions, usually unsafe ones, and abortion is a greater evil than artificially preventing conception.

The Reproductive Health Bill sponsored in the House (HB 5043) has this clause under Section 21, Prohibited Acts:
e) Any person who maliciously engages in disinformation about the intent or provisions of this Act.
with the concomitant penalties (imprisonment of up to 6 months, fines of up to 50,000 pesos, or both).

I dont know, but I find this creepy. I dont know if this type of 'gag order' is typical of bills submitted to Congress, but if it is, it's offensive. It's so... Marcos. Any person who maliciously engages in disinformation about the intent or provisions of this Act... And who gets to determine what 'malicious disinformation' is? Imagine if this bill passes as is, all subsequent bills will have it. AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE 2010 ELECTIONS AND AN EXTENSION OF PRESIDENT ARROYO'S TERM... with that malicious disinformation clause is enough to give one nightmares. Im a bit disappointed with the sponsors for finding it necessary to include this, especially with Rep. Baraquel, who I think is hot. There are other provisions of the bill I find objectionable as well, but not as objectionable as this 'malicious disinformation' thing.

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Another thing Im disappointed in is the lack of t-shirts of all-around opening up in this recent trip to Nanjing. Theyre gone, I tell you! My notebook has one single, solitary entry, and not a very god one at that. It's as if the Nanjing local government hired consultants to edit all T-shirts in English, correcting them for grammar and clarity. Im sure they still exist but not in the numbers they were in last summer.

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The wife has informed me that DNA results are back from overseas and my brother-in-law has been positively identified.