Digest RHEE-ports by RHEE Fer HORTALEZA

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she hoped to “break the back” of the communist insurgency in the Philippines by the end of her term in 2010. Others, however, hope to “break the term” of GMA before 2010!

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‘Bill seeks life term for sex with the dead’ - newshead. What? No life term, too, for sex with a ‘dead’ weapon? Hehehe….

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GMA visited China. No, she didn’t go there to ask the Chinese why Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Saplan Lim - who is half-Filipino and half-Chinese - seemingly does not like her!

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‘Pinoys asked to be heroes for the nation’ - newshead. Well, that should be the case; but what is actually happening now, is that many Pinoys are ‘terrors’ of the nation or, worse, ‘errors’ of the nation!

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The bulk of the 17,000 new nurses in the leakage-tainted nursing board exam finally took their oaths. Those who were ordered to retake the examinations are now nursing woes, nursing grudges, nursing hatred and nursing wounds.

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‘Pangasinan Comelec ready for 2007 elections’ - newshead. I hope it doesn’t mean ‘ready’ to cheat, ha?

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Celebrities are allegedly more in love with themselves than the average person is. Hmmm, that makes me just an average person, I suppose.

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‘Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging’ - newshead. Out there, there are corrupt politicians and public officials whose sentence to suffer this same fate has been adroitly avoided by them.

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One can only understand the downcast feeling that enveloped Vice Governor Oscar B. Lambino in relation to certain developments lately that manifested to him the harsh or cruel realities of this animal called politics.

Touted earlier by many quarters as the logical occupant of the gubernatorial chair come the 2007 elections. OBL has been beset lately by occurrences that ostensibly dampen his chances to become the province’s next governor - especially because he has become ineligible to run for a fourth term as vice governor.

Indeed, he is the most logical ’successor’ to Victor E. Agbayani’s throne, as VEA himself becomes ineligible to run for the same position next year. And why not? Oscar should be given an Oscar for his fierce loyalty to his governor - devotedly becoming Victor’s partner for nearly a decade.

One cannot blame OBL for presuming, nay, expecting that he would be helped in turn by Agbayani, in his bid for the top post. But what is happening now is that Victor apparently has other things in mind - like opting to have his wife Jamie run for the position he currently holds! Oh, but didn’t Oscar know that in politics, there are no permanent friends - only permanent interests?

Anyway, at a time when everything seemed bleak for his chances (especially because his colleagues perceive him as a ‘poor politician who can’t spend much for his candidacy), OBL’s spirits suddenly rose when, weeks ago, the proud kingmaker of Pangasinan - Biskeg na Pangasinan top brass Antonio ‘Bebot’ A. Villar, Jr. - purportedly egged him to run, with no less than Bebot’s wife - Sto. Tomas Mayor Vivien ‘Jojo’ O. Villar, as Oscar’s runningmate. This Villar statement was reportedly heard by some other people at the time.

And so, word leaked out in the media that a Lambino-Villar tandem will fight it out with all other partnership for the two top posts. No one questioned that report which was published or aimed in the media.

Last week, however, Oscar was surprised, nay, shocked to see a copy of an unsigned press relase with no letterhead whatsoever stating that Bebot Villar is denying that his wife will run alongside Oscar. That was a bitter pill to swallow for OBL. The insinuation was that he was a liar! And the unmarked news item was distributed right in his own turf (the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall) by no less than a known Villar underling - making the matter even more dismaying for OBL!

Anyway, Oscar is not sulking this time, believing, perhaps, that the road to the governorship is paved with trials, ungentlemanly gestures, lies, display of power at every turn and cracked values; andn he should not be some sort of crybaby with a negative or defeatist attitude.

And why, indeed, should he go to a dark and lonely corner and weep? If Vivien Villar couldn’t be his partner, is it the end of the world? Aren’t there other personalities - even much, much better than Vivien - who can strike up a team-to-beat partnership? OBL may be ‘poor’ when compared to the other affluent aspirants; but his record of service from the executive branch as longtime Malasiqui mayor and the legislative branch as presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is quite sterling.

Waiting at the wings are dependable persons like SP Member John Agerico B. Rosario of the fourth district or SPM Marlyn Primicias Agabas of the sixth district or even SP Angel G. Baniqued of hte third district! Or maybe, tested public servant, Dr. Jesus D. Canto of the Region I Medical Center, actually hailing from western Pangasinan, can be it! Political pundits say, though, that one very good tandem would be Oscar for governor and Jamie Manzano Agbayanio for the vice governorship instead. After all, didn’t Victor start serving the provicne as vice governor when democracy was ‘restored’?

OBL’s bottomline - in the eyes of many - is, of course: Who is afraid of Bebot Villar?