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City residents expressed alarm
yesterday as Army troops started
patrolling poor neighborhoods in
Metro Manila. The AFP explained
the soldiers were engaged in
community work.—The Times
THE Armed Forces announced
yesterday it has expanded its troop deployment to Metro Manila’s
upscale subdivisions, including Forbes Park, Bel Air, Dasmarinas
Village, Urdaneta Village and the Ayala-Alabang villages.
“Just as in the poor
neighborhoods, we want to know the problems in Bel Air and other
villages. Rich subdivisions also have problems that need looking
into.” the army spokesman said.
Some of the problems, he said,
are pot sessions, extravagant lifestyles, and high-stakes gambling.
“This is also an immersion
program prior to the soldiers going to Mindanao. You can call this
proactive R&R.”
The soldiers were ordered to wear
barong Tagalog, polo barong and shirt and ties when making their
rounds. They hid their riot guns in designer attaché cases.
Part of their duties was to visit
mansions and discuss the NPA insurgency with anyone who cared to
listen.
But several village millionaires
protested the soldiers were talking to their maids, drivers and
gardeners. “They are organizing the househelp against us,” one
villager said.
They complained many maids and
socialites found the visitors cute and handsome. They have asked the
national capital police command to withdraw the troops.
Leftist organizations have joined
hands with the villagers and have demonstrated for the troops’
ouster. “Sa usapang ito ay magka-pamilya kami,” a militant said.
The army spokesman said the rich
have to be involved in the national life. “They live an
air-conditioned, isolated life. They don’t know what’s going on
in the country, especially in Mindanao.
“It’s also in the name of
fairness. We don’t want the poor to say we are picking on them.”
Captain
America dead!
IT’S hard to believe but one of
the world’s most venerable comicbook heroes is dead. The
publishers of Marvel Comics have killed (sob) Captain America.
He was one of the greatest, along
with Superman, Batman, Spideman, Iron Man, the Submariner, Green
Hornet and Plastic Man.
Captain America was the masked
avenger who defended the oppressed in his red, white and blue stars
and striped costume. In peace and war he fought underworld bosses
and world dictators.
In the last episode of the
comicbook bearing his name, the US government starts requiring
superheroes to register their services. Washington decides to curb
vigilantism after supervillains and superheroes fought during a
reality show, accidentally killing hundreds of civilians. The public
begins to compare the heroes to weapons of mass destruction that
must be controlled.
The registration divides the
superhero community. It’s an erosion of civil liberties, Captain
America complains. Iron Man thinks registration is good for society.
When the factions fight, they cause more mayhem.
Captain America takes his cause
to court. While on the courthouse steps, he is felled by an
assassin’s bullets.
A superhero since 1941 is dead.
Bow your heads and pray God will be more merciful to Spiderman.
Ahon Pinoy
VOTERS will write history in the
May 14 election if they send representation for the overseas workers
to the House. Since the party-list system began, the OFWs have
failed to gain a voice in the 250-member Congress.
This is an anomaly because there
are between seven to 8 million Filipinos working abroad, according
to information from the Departments of Labor and Foreign Affairs. In
addition, at least two to 3 million are residing overseas as
immigrants, expatriates and permanent residents.
The workers remit an average of
$8 billion to $10 billion a year and are prized by at least 150
nations for their contributions to country development. They have
launched thousands of small and medium businesses and have boosted
consumer spending. They are our consistent gold medal winners.
.Ahon Pinoy seeks to represent
the 7 million workers and their families in the Fourteenth Congress.
Ahon says it will work with the Senate, the executive, foreign
governments and the private sector to protect and expand workers’
benefits and rights through lobbying and legislation.
Helping former OFWs start small
businesses is a priority of Ahon Pinoy.
It seeks to strengthen the
national association of overseas workers for a larger voice in the
national life. Ahon believes there is a better way to use the huge
remittances to optimize benefits for OFWs.
The party-list group promises to
reform the Overseas Voting Act and the Dual Citizenship Law to
enable Filipinos overseas to participate fully in the political and
economic spheres.
Ahon recognizes the minuses of
overseas work and their impact on families. Its agenda calls for
overcoming the social costs of migration, strengthening family ties
and helping the spouses and children of OFWs enjoy wider access to
education, healthcare, housing and jobs.
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