Just as cars need fuel to make them run, writers need energy to make them write.

It could be the sense of urgency made by a deadline. It could also be something that they wanted to complain about or something profound that they wanted to share.

But more often than not, the energy produced by extreme emotion is what brings fingers to keyboard, thoughts to screen.

In my case, I now write in order to cope with a sense of loss. I am hoping that the act of bearing one’s heart and translating it into the written word could somehow help alleviate the pain of losing a loved one.

Today is my father’s 61^st birthday. But he passed away about 2 months ago; on September 12 to be exact, a day after my birthday. To say that I am devastated would be an understatement.

The last time I said “I love you” to papa was when I was in 2^nd year high school. We just had our spiritual retreat and I guess I got carried away. I remember my father saying “I love you” back. But it was halfhearted. And I can tell that it was awkward for him.

He was not the “I love you” type.

He was also not the hugging type.

The last time I hugged my father was when I found him, already cold, at the funeral parlor. It was awkward for me. I tried to cry.. but for some reason, I couldn’t. I guess it was because he still looked so alive at the time. It was as if he was only sleeping and I still couldn’t believe that he was gone. But that moment will forever be seared in my mind.

It took the wake of my father to make me realize how important it is to receive visits from friends and family. I went to wakes of my friends’ loved ones before and I never really understood why it seemed such a big deal to them that I came. I mean, it only took a few minutes of my time.

Now I know. During the wake, I felt so tired. Grief took its toll on me, as it also did on mama, my younger brother and sisters. I felt isolated form the outside world because it was only me, my father and my immediate family.

When a couple of my friends paid a visit, I was taken aback by the deep sense of gratitude that I felt. Their visit gave me a brief respite from the pain. They gave me a sense of normalcy. It was like finding an air bubble inside a capsized boat.

I also took some perverse pleasure in seeing some of our relatives shed tears for papa. I guess there is truth in the saying, “Misery loves company.”

But the real ordeal began after the burial. We no longer had friends and relatives around to help distract us from our sense of loss. We were left to fend for ourselves.

My father meant a lot of things to the many people whose lives he touched.

He was the caring husband who always worried whenever my mother was out of the house for too long. Papa would rather do the household chores than let my mother do it…even when he felt weak.

He was the protective father who would stay up late in the evening just so he could drive my younger brother to work. He would also drive my sisters’ cars whenever they needed someone to do so.

He was the doting grandfather who took care of his grandchildren. He helped them prepare for school, cooked them their favorite food and nursed them when they were sick. To his grandkids, he was..is..the best lolo in the world. How I wish he stayed around long enough to see my newly born daughter.

He was the all-around handyman who accomplished all the repair work and home improvements around their house in Cavite. Almost single-handedly, he also constructed the entire balcony of the second floor. He already started constructing a third floor but he never got to finish it.

With the many roles that he took on, Papa left this big hole in our lives that I don’t know how to fill. I walk around and often feel this hole…this large hole inside of me. It is hard to move on and pick up the pieces. One minute I can function normally and the next, I suddenly break down. I started to doubt my sanity.

My mother, my younger brother and two sisters got to spend my father’s last hour with him. I didn’t. I received the news of his passing while I was still on my way to see him.  

I constantly wish that he could somehow manifest himself to me so that I could see for myself how he is doing. I think about what he is doing at the moment and wonder if he could see me. I am hoping that he has forgiven me for not being there with him in his last hour. How I wish I was there in every hour that he needed me.

 Happy Birthday Pa. Miss you so much.

Of course, most of our teachers at the time followed the principal’s lead. Needless to say, there was a very low tolerance level for poor academic performance and misbehavior. The slightest misstep merited swift punishment. I wish I could say that I rose up to the challenge and graduated head of the class. Up to now, I still don’t how I graduated from St. Paul Makati. Much less live to tell about it.

Other than misbehavior and low grades, we were also reprimanded if our teachers found out that parents or someone else did our homework or projects for us. But most of us still got away with it. Especially with those annual “parol” projects that my mom seemed to enjoy doing anyway, though she took pains not to show it to me. But I’m proud to say that I did most of my projects and assignments, whenever I was inclined to do them anyway.

High school was pretty much the same thing. Since I attended Don Bosco Makati, we had technical subjects on top of the usual high school curriculum. I moved on from woven baskets and hand stitched wallets to wooden shoeshine boxes, drafting assignments and creating steel hammers with knurled handles. Still, I managed to do all my assignments and projects on my own. It was not as if I had any choice; my mom didn’t know the first thing about isometric drawings or operating a lathe machine anyway.

In the years since, the involvement of parents in their kids’ school activities has been given additional emphasis by the educational system. As a parent, I applaud this initiative because it strengthens the bond between parent and child even further. However, there are cases where schools have begun to abuse this initiative by shifting the primary responsibility of educating the child from teacher to parent. It is now hard to distinguish where the duties of the teacher end and where the responsibilities of the parent begin.

A case in point is the school attended by my kids. In a recent PTA conference, when I asked one of the teachers about my daughter’s relative poor performance during the first quarter, she implied that it was because we, the parents, didn’t give her enough support with her assignments and projects. It seems that some of her projects were given poor grades because we didn’t help her enough. At the very least, I was bemused by the response. In my time, we were given failing marks if the projects we submitted were too pretty for us to do it alone and obviously had someone else do it for us.

It was then that I began to seriously question the logic behind paying the exorbitant school fees if, at the end of the day, parents would be so heavily relied upon to school their child.

This train of thought is further reinforced whenever my kids ask for help with assignments and upcoming tests which obviously were not discussed exhaustively at class beforehand. It seems that the teacher would just set the topics, discuss it offhandedly, schedule a quiz about it the next day and leave the parents the more challenging task of making the kids thoroughly understand the lesson.

This is hard enough with having a parent staying full time at home. It’s almost impossible to do so in an economy where both parents work just to pay the aforementioned exorbitant school fees.

Moreover, most parents are simply not equipped to provide the increased support role dumped on them by the present educational system. Teaching is a discipline and a science in itself. Mastery of the subject and adequate knowledge of child psychology is required.

It is foolhardy to assume that all parents are naturally prepared to take on such a daunting responsibility. It is more foolish to think that parents love their children any less because they couldn’t teach them effectively. Tempers are often tested and the poor child is in a worst state than ever before mainly because the parents don’t know any better and have vented their frustrations on the poor student. Cases where parents cannot teach their child mainly because they themselves do not know the subject matter itself are all too common. The end result? A student who no longer has any enthusiasm for learning.

Most importantly, I question what we are ultimately teaching the child if we do not reward assignments or projects done on their own. If we continue along this route, we are effectively killing the child’s spirit of independence. If our educational system persists on this deranged arrangement, we are robbing our children of the pride that goes with having done something on their own, the pride that goes with having achieved something through their own devices. If I were a member of the faculty, I would rather have a crooked woven basket submitted to me any day than something so elaborately done that it couldn’t possibly have been made by my student. Reward effort and you nurture pride in oneself. Reward dependence and you may foster a generation of losers. Mainly because they wouldn’t know how to do anything significant by themselves.

Even the honorable congressmen from Mindanao, all 59 of them, joined the clamor to end the conflict in Basilan and Sulu; saying that it was a case of overkill and that they would only support an offensive by special operations troops against specific Abu Sayyaf targets.

But it seems that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has grown weary of trying to resolve the Abu Sayyaf issue on the peace negotiating table. The MILF has been dragging its collective feet during the peace process, giving them ample time to recruit, train and arm more members. The July 10 killing of 14 Philippine Marines, 10 of which was beheaded, provided the Philippine government the justification it needed to launch an all-out offensive against the Abu Sayyaf. And rightfully so.

Cagayan de Oro representative Rufus Rodriguez said in a recent interview that the military does not need to use aircraft and navy ships to bombard the Abu Sayyaf into submission. Indiscriminate bombing could only lead to more loss of civilian lives and needless destruction of key infrastructures. Congressman Rodriguez further pointed out that the rebels are jungle warriors and and such, special operations teams are a more viable solution to the problem.

The death of 2Lt Charlie Anthony Camelon, a fresh graduate from the Philippine Military Academy, was cited as another reason why experienced soldiers are needed to effectively combat the Muslim extremists.

But if the debacle in the Ungkaya Pukan battle serves as any indication, the military would be justified in conducting a scorched earth policy against the Abu Sayyaf. I personally don’t think that special ops teams going head to head against the Abu Sayyaf is a better solution if only because they have the overwhelming advantage of knowing the terrain intimately. In Ungkaya Pukan, the rebels were exchanging gunfire against government troops from higher ground. In the words of Basilan Mayor Joel Maturan, the marines were essentially “sitting ducks” during the encounter.

If only the marines at the time had adequate artillery and close air support, things could have turned out differently. And in order to do so, an adequate communications net is vital. Communications capability still leaves much to be desired for the government troops waging war in Mindanao for some time now. Incidents of aircraft conducting bombing runs without ground coordination due to lack of communications gear is not uncommon. Only after returning to base would the pilot know if he achieved his objective or not. There were even cases where close air support helicopters fired on hapless government troops, mistaking them for the enemy because the ground troops could not contact the pilot.

The military then, needs to put its act together. It is vital that a fully capable communications net is established for all government troops and make sure the different branches of service, the army, the navy and the air force coordinate with each other on ever operational aspect. The CMO campaign launched by the government to win over the hearts and minds of the Mindanao populace has been effective thus far and has been instrumental in the capture and neutralization of Abu Sayyaf leaders.

The death of 2Lt Camelon as well as the other marines may have been a tragedy but the prospect of losing one’s life is, after all, part and parcel of being a marine. Congressman Rodriguez may have a point about having only experienced troops combat the Abu Sayyaf head on but then again, how the heck could one attain battlefield experience otherwise?

Granted. The body bags are piling up. No thanks to the lack of logistical support and tactical errors made by combat commanders. The call to investigate anomalies committed in the ongoing conflict has already been made by Senators Rodolfo Biazon, Antonio Trillanes and Francis Escudero. And the time for that will come soon enough.

For now, it is time to bring the fight to the Abu Sayyaf and bring an end to this menace. The burden of laying down arms and initiating peace talks should now lie on their shoulders.

Memo from CEO to Manager:

Today at 11 o’clock there will be a total eclipse of the sun. This is when the sun disappears behind the moon for two minutes. As this is something that cannot be seen every day, time will be allowed for employees to view the eclipse in the parking lot. Staff should meet in the lot at ten to eleven, when I will deliver a short speech introducing the eclipse, and giving some background information. Safety goggles will be made available at a small cost.

Memo from Manager to Department Head:

Today at ten to eleven, all staff should meet in the car park. This will be followed by a total eclipse of the sun, which will appear for two minutes. For a moderate cost, this will be made safe with goggles. The CEO will deliver a short speech beforehand to give us all some information. This not something that can be seen everyday.

Memo from Dept. Head to Floor Manager:

The CEO will today deliver a short speech to make the sun disappear for two minutes in the form of an eclipse. This is something that cannot be seen every day, so staff will meet in the car park at ten or eleven. This will be safe, if you pay a moderate cost.

Memo from Floor Manager to Supervisor:

Ten or eleven staff are to go to the car park, where the CEO will eclipse the sun for two minutes. This doesn’t happen every day. It will be safe, and as usual it will cost you.

Memo from Supervisor to Staff:

Some staff will go to the car park today to see the CEO disappear. It is a pity, this doesn’t happen everyday.

You may find this funny but miscommunication is a phenomenon that has not only reduced work productivity but also affected the credibility of more than a few managers and left dozens of workers out in the cold line of unemployment. Several books have already been published on dealing with miscommunication issues and seminars are regularly conducted to teach both workers and management the value of open communication in the workplace.

But at the end of the day, there really is one thing to do to resolve miscommunication and perhaps avoid it altogether.

If you want to say something, just say it.

And say it immediately. Don’t wait a single moment more than is necessary. This goes for both management and rank and file.

If you think that your boss doesn’t like your work or worse, doesn’t like you at all, then secure a meeting to thresh out your differences and learn where you stand.

If you don’t agree with your manager’s leadership style, get your message across as diplomatically as you can. But if you feel that doing so would lead to a suspension or even dismissal from work, then your boss is vindictive and not worth your time and effort. Say your piece. But only after you’ve secured another job. Remember Jerry Maguire?But if you still decide to stay, keep quiet and be an ass kisser instead, then you deserve each other.

If you’re a manager or supervisor and you don’t like your worker’s output, then relay your critique as soon as possible. Cut through the chase and minimize the bullshit. If you have an urge to spread your complaints about a particular subordinate to the rest of the world, contain it.

As the manager, you should give your subordinate the courtesy of communicating your observations directly to him. Few can diminish a manager’s credibility more than letting a worker get the news from someone else. Or worse, receive word that he was being let go from out of the blue. Just like what happened to top ranked billiard player Alex Pagulayan who was ousted recently from the Guinness 9-Ball Pool Tour for unprofessional conduct.

In a letter explaining his side (printed in the August 8, 2007 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer), Pagulayan expressed his surprise at the decision made by the Billiard and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP). The basis of the decision was during Pagulayan’s semifinal match of the Singapore Leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Pool Tour against Ibrahim Bin Amir of Malaysia.

The BSCP alleged that Pagulayan was constantly talking during the match and was distracting his opponent in order to win the game. Pagulayan was flabbergasted because he remembered that BSCP President Ernesto Fajardo was there at the time and even talked to him after the match.

Pagulayan said in the letter that Fajardo never called his attention to his alleged misconduct and that even his opponent, Amir, did not lodge a complaint against him. Besides, Pagulayan normally talked to himself during a match, especially during the tough games, to steady his nerves and that he was not the only top ranked billiard player with this habit.

But still, Pagulayan is one of the lucky ones. Because of his skill and talent, he won’t run short of other pool tours to compete in. For the rest of us who have to work regularly and don’t expect any windfall of thousands of dollars like Pagulayan, we contend with miscommunication everyday and as such, have to learn how to deal with it. So keep things simple.

If you have something to say, just say it.

Britney Spears. Paris Hilton. Nicole Richie. Lindsay Lohan. In the last two weeks alone, these young American popstars have been the stuff of both gossip columns and police reports for their high profile involvement with alcohol, drugs and brushes with the law.

It all started shortly after the death of another controversial star, Anna Nicole Smith, last February. After months of wild partying, popstar Britney Spears visited a hairdressing salon in Los Angeles and shaved herself bald as onlookers watched in shock. The bald star then went to a tattoo parlor nearby where she had a pair of pink and red lips tattooed on her wrist along with a cross on her hip.

Not long after, Paris Hilton, already a veteran of gossip tabloids at a ripe old age of 26, got herself into trouble when she was caught driving at 70 mph in a 35 mph zone with a suspended driver’s license. This was her second infraction in a month and she was sentenced to serve 45 days of jailtime. Paris ultimately was released after 22 days and she appeared on Larry King Live, where she vowed to embark on a “new beginning.” However, Paris has reentered the wild party circuit only after a brief hiatus.

And just last week, Paris’ friend and “The Simple Life” co-star Nicole Richie, who is pregnant, was sentenced to four days in jail on drunk driving charges.

Last and by far in worst trouble is Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan who was arrested last week on drunk driving charges and drug possession while on a wild car chase. She was allegedly chasing the mother of her personal assistant. The arrest occurred just five days after Lindsay was booked in connection with a May drunk driving charge. Lindsay immediately booked herself in a rehab facility and emerged a few days later sporting an alcohol monitor on her ankle. But Lindsay could still face serious jail time if convicted.

Not to be outdone, Britney Spears did it again last week. During a photo shoot with OK! magazine, Britney spurned the stylist and hair and make-up team, complaining that the clothes they had provided weren’t short, sexy or tight enough, grumbled incoherently that the ceiling was about to cave in on her, ordered fried chicken and then wiped her greasy fingers on a Gucci gown, raced to the toilet on several occasions, leaving the door open for the public to see, let her Yorkshire terrier pup throw up on the floor and using a $6,700 gown to wipe up the mess, then finally abandoned the shoot altogether, along with her entourage while still wearing $15,000 worth of designer clothing.

It is now painfully obvious that there is an emerging trend of girls behaving badly in young Hollywood. Where the misadventures of “former” young men such as Macaulay Culkin, the two Coreys, Feldman and Haim, and Robert Downey Jr. used to hog the spotlight, it is now young girls like Britney and Lindsay who are the new faces of troubled young stars. The Hollywood men who got into trouble recently, like Mel Gibson with his anti-semitic remarks and David Hasselhoff and his struggle with sobriety, could hardly be called young anymore.

Hollywood has always had its share of troubled young stars. From the rat pack of Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., to Rob Lowe and the motley brat pack crew, and now the bratz pack consisting of Britney, Paris, Nicole and Lindsay.

Twenty something millionaires left on their own and constantly hounded by fame are usually disasters waiting to happen. Immaturity and the means to get whatever they want is always a potent mix. The parents themselves are helpless because they themselves kowtow to the family breadwinner. The club scene exacerbates the already volatile situation further by promoting wild behavior and providing partygoers ready access to drugs and alcohol.

Teenage alcoholism and drug use in America is now at record highs. The much publicized misadventures of these young pop stars certainly does not help alleviate the situation. Whether they go on to redeem themselves, as former wild child Drew Barrymore has done, remains to be seen. But if all continues to go downhill for them, the worry that another episode similar to what happened to River Phoenix may not be too far fetched.

I didn’t pray, even during the tough times because I didn’t believe in it. But I was not short of foul words to say to the Lord whenever life took a turn for the worst.

But one day, I received an invitation from my wife’s aunt to go to a Marriage Encounter Weekend in Antipolo City. Normally I would have given a vague answer like, “I’ll try” or “We’ll see.” But for some reason, I said, “Sure! We’ll go!”

Up to that point, my wife and I considered our relationship to be average. I didn’t stay out late on drinking sprees and she never nagged. Both if us thought that what we had was as good as it got. And that going to a Marriage Encounter weekend was the last thing we needed.

But still, up to the time that we were about to head for Antipolo and despite the sudden downpour that worsened the already entangled Friday night traffic, the thought of backing out never crossed our minds.

Needles to say, it was the best decision that we ever made.

During the M.E. Weekend, we heard from couples who went through various difficulties in life and survived literally on hope and prayer. There was one testimony where a wife learned that she contracted STD from her husband; another about a husband who flatly told his wife that he didn’t love her anymore because he fell head over heels with an office mate. There was this famous movie director who left his wife and family for a young movie star. And there was this case where the husband already had the gun cocked and was seconds away from committing suicide because of financial troubles.

These were horror stories straight from the pages of their lives. And yet, there they were, standing before us and very much in love with another. I couldn’t believe it! They just went through the most trying times in their lives. Why are they still together?

A lesser person would have just backed out and even pressed the trigger of the gun shoved against his temple.

But what healed them was prayer. At the lowest point of their lives, where they did the best that they could and still fell short, these troubled souls decided to seek God’s help and prayed together. They didn’t ask for a million pesos to miraculously appear on their doorsteps or that God strike dead the other woman. They just asked to be relieved of the burden that they were carrying. They prayed to have the strength to get through their ordeal. They prayed for God’s guidance in their everyday lives.

These people, who serve as testaments to the power of prayer, taught us that prayer is not only for the difficult times, but also for the abundant periods in our lives. We pray to thank the Lord for all the blessings. We pray to thank the Lord for staying with us through thick and thin.

Praying as a couple and as a family serves not only to strengthen our relationship with God but with each other as well.

Prayer has immensely improved my relationship with my wife. Though we are now experiencing a great trial in our lives, prayer has kept both of us positive and upbeat. We have learned to accept our misfortunes as part of God’s plan for us.

The fact that we are still able to eat three times a day and our children are still able to go to a good school is proof that our prayers are being answered.

Praying has made us see the many small miracles happening in our lives. We may not have won the jackpot prize at the lottery but still, much needed funds would come at the last minute from friends and family which God uses as His instruments.

We may despair in the midst of all our trials but prayer keeps us aware that God wouldn’t let us have a problem that we couldn’t solve.

Just as an athlete goes through a grueling training regimen to increase his chances of winning in a tournament, so does God makes us go through the tough challenges in life so that we can emerge stronger and more able to succeed in the great tournament of life.

Just always do the best that you can in everything you do. The rest, pray and leave it in God’s hands. He will not let you down.

Fully confident of their stature as the biggest public transportation vehicles on the road, the buses do swerve outside their designated loading and unloading spaces, knowing full well that any vehicle foolish enough to pass alongside would do everything in its power to avoid these lumbering beasts of EDSA.

One particular area along EDSA where these buses do the most harm is at the southbound lane right before the Magallanes overpass. All the buses are provided with a fenced loading and unloading area. But as soon as these monsters sate their appetite for passengers, they take a sharp left into incoming traffic on their way to either Alabang or Baclaran.

Since the days of the Love Bus, the DM (or Demonyo Magmaneho, as we used to call them) and the JD lines, these behemoths were usually the root cause of heavy traffic along EDSA. But they don’t cause logjams just because of their size. Not at all. They cause traffic jams because they have to compete with each other to get the most number of passengers. Bus drivers and conductors receive their pay based on commission. Therefore, more passengers, higher pay.This dilemma is not exclusive to the Philippines. In Latin America, the ‘penny wars’, in which different transport systems compete for passengers by cutting each other in traffic lanes or violating traffic laws, are also responsible for traffic congestion, pollution, and a dangerous atmosphere for drivers and pedestrians.

In countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, the government subsidizes the cost of maintaining and operating public bus transportation systems. Bus drivers are compensated with a fixed rate and therefore are under no pressure to collect as many passengers as he could. The buses follow a route schedule and passengers just proceed to the designated terminals with minimum fuss and bother.

If our government could adopt similar public transport systems, it would certainly improve the traffic situation not only along EDSA but in other major thoroughfares of Metro Manila. But it takes strong political will.

In 2004, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso practically overhauled an ineffective public transport system overnight by establishing a US $49 million bus rapid transit to alleviate traffic congestion and pollution in the city. It has become so effective that it is now being rapidly expanded.

Do we then have a Governor Sutiyoso who can take concrete steps towards improving our public bus transportation nightmare? Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando may be the closest comparison that we could find but does he have the clout to make it happen? That remains to be seen.

And using Mininova and Limewire, we still manage to keep up to speed with the rest of the couch potato world by downloading the latest episodes of Lost, Prisonbreak, Heroes and CSI to my PC. I’ve noticed that an hour long American TV show actually averages about 45 minutes. Which means that 15 minutes is allotted for commercial breaks.

But here in the Philippines, I’d be surprised if an hour-long show could last 30 minutes! I timed one of those cheesy 30 minute primetime series and it turned out that it was only for about 15 minutes.

And the two top TV networks in the country, ABS-CBN 2 and GMA 7 are the biggest culprits. More often than not, their TV shows run past their scheduled time slots because of commercial overload.

Eventually, I found out that there is a system to this madness. I discovered it when I was flipping through the channels one day using my trusty remote. I came across a movie that I liked which was being aired on a local network. It turned out later that the movie not being dubbed to Tagalog was the network’s only redeeming feature.

In the opening scenes, the commercial breaks were brief and infrequent. But as the movie progressed, the commercial breaks grew exponentially. And when I was finally hooked and eager to see the closing twist, the commercials came in 3 minute intervals and lasted for 10 minutes. Lo and behold, an hour and a half movie lasted for almost three hours.

And don’t get me started on special events, such as boxing matches!

I still remember the time when I was 18 years old and Mike Tyson was the reigning heavyweight champ. He was scheduled to fight Michael Spinks, who hasn’t yet lost a title fight in his erstwhile illustrious career. We didn’t have cable and the internet then so we had no other option but to wait it out. We saw the actual fight at 3 in the afternoon. It was scheduled to start at 9 in the morning. In between, we were bombarded by commercials ranging from animal feed to rubbing alcohol. And the fight was over in scarcely more than a minute when Tyson knocked out Spinks in the first round. I had to restrain my father from throwing a beer bottle at our TV set.

Now with our countryman Manny Pacquiao holding sway over the boxing world, the situation continues to go downhill. It has come to the point that those who can afford to pay 500 pesos watch his fight live in movie houses just to avoid the torrent of commercials if they watched the same fight on TV.

Watching the season ender of our local version of Big Brother recently reminded me of the Tyson-Spinks bout and this time around, I had to restrain myself from throwing a beer bottle at our TV set.

The problem has worsened to the point that even cable shows are starting to be inundated with commercials. My cable provider is Sky Cable, which is owned by the Lopez family, who also owns ABS – CBN. Apparently, they’re not content with the earnings they get from cable subscriptions. They also had to earn from placing ads in convenient time spots in the cable programming. But correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t freedom from TV commercials supposed to be one of the come-ons of cable TV?

And would you believe that DVDs and VCDs distributed locally also have commercials running as soon as you insert the discs?

Where does this leave us viewers? Much as we would like to boycott our local networks, we can’t. For most of our countrymen, the siren calls of Kris, Piolo and Marian are too powerful to ignore. Just to see them for five minutes on the tube, the viewing public is willing to endure 10 minutes of advertisements. So people power is clearly not the answer.

Perhaps the best thing to do is to make an appeal to our policymakers to create a law to regulate the advertisements inserted in TV. Sure, commercials are the lifeblood of the TV industry but this is already too much. TV networks are milking us, the televiewers ( without whom they wouldn’t have existed in the first place), for all we’re worth. We need to see an end to this practice.

Trillanes may have been referring to another senatorial aspirant, Mike Defensor, who conceded defeat shortly into the tabulation and said, “I concede so as to enjoin my allies and friends who may want, in their desire to have me win, commit acts inimical to the essence of democracy and fair play in an electoral battle. I concede because I love my family and I want my children to learn that there is honor in defeat.”

Zubiri immediately went on air and flustered, “The gentleman from Caloocan is maligning my reputation. Being a senator does not give him the right to go on air and cast accusations without evidence. It shows his immaturity.” Zubiri went on to tell Webb that he has been in the politics for nine years, that he is not afraid of anyone and that he is strongly considering suing Trillanes if the gentleman from Callocan does not go on air and apologize.

Zubiri is currently locked in a tight battle for the last position in the senatorial race against Trillanes’ Genuine Opposition party mate, Koko Pimentel.

It’s hard not to admire a man like Trillanes who’s virtually unafraid to call a spade a spade. He is not a polished politician, which the public loves and does not hesitate to say what is on his mind.

But slinging accusations without substantiation of any kind is more of a liability rather than an asset for any public servant, more so for a person enjoying the stature of senator.

Prudence therefore, should be made a better virtue than rashness or impulsiveness. The former shows character, the latter indicates vindictiveness.

When former Congressman Alan Peter Cayetano’s accusation of the President keeping secret Swiss Bank accounts blew up in his face, he adamantly refused to apologize and insisted that he was right, even though the evidence said otherwise. And now, we reward him with a Senate seat.

We say that the results of the election show our desire for change. But is it change for the better? If we continue to reward people for rebellion, we become a nation of rebels. We become just another justification of why democracy doesn’t work.

But as time went on and the reality that it all was fake and fabricated sank in, I lost interest. Except, that is, on those few instances when the wrestling divas were on and I had the television all by my lonesome. And of course, during those not so few occasions when tragedy strikes the wrestling world, as it did last Monday, June 25, when police discovered the bodies of Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and son Daniel in their Fayetteville, Georgia home.

As the investigation eventually uncovered, Benoit strangled his wife Nancy and then Daniel, placed a bible by their side, sent confusing text messages to friends and co-workers, then hanged himself. Several anabolic steroids were discovered around the home and police traced the drugs to Benoit’s personal doctor, Dr Phil Astin who is, as police stated, “just a person of interest.”

Anabolic steroids are said to cause paranoia, depressions and violent outbursts known as “roid rage.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that it was steroids that drove Benoit off the cliff. I mean, a sane person wouldn’t do what Benoit did.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is downplaying steroids as the culprit, even stating that Benoit was checked and cleared for steroids recently. But looking at Benoit and the other behemoths of pro wrestling, it’s hard to believe that they did not rely on chemical enhancers. An alleged illegal steroid distribution network apparently counts several WWE athletes as frequent customers.

The Benoit family tragedy is not the first in the wrestling world and most probably won’t be the last. A vast majority of wrestlers who died tragically did not even reach the age of 40 and all were attributed to drug use. And so, to paraphrase the popular commercial, “Don’t try this at home… or anywhere else.”