2008 fearless forecasts (1): Mar, Korina to wed with complicated strings attached

(With this we start a series of fearless forecasts for 2008, conclusions from a multi-disciplinary team of astrologists, card-readers, psychics, political scientists, economists, psychologists, physicists, astronomers, archaeologists, microbiologists whom we brought together in a series of Delphi sessions. As usual, we assert that the burden of proof lies with those who disagree with us).

The political consultants of Senator Mar Roxas have long concluded that his romantic involvement with Korina Sanchez is a winner with respect to his chances of bagging the presidency in 2001. For one, they say, it gives him mass appeal. For another, it ‘lays to rest’ doubts about his being a ‘real man.’ We don’t buy that crap, but our experts say the couple will wed late next year, but with a web of complicated strings contained in a prenuptial agreement.

In brief, the two major condition is: If the costs of feigning romance and intimacy outweigh the trappings of political power for Roxas and the influence to be derived by Sanchez, the two will embark on a ‘no-contest’ annulment, with each throwing the charge of psychological incapacity against the other. Our resident psychologist says the case should be a no brainer for the judge, since, she says, the marriage vows are irrefutable proof of psychological incapacity.

Our disappearing civil liberties, or why some liberties are greater than others, especially if you have been forced to disappear

by Onionista

Speaking with her now legendary candor and sincerity, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she was sorry about the sorry plight of reporters who had been cuffed and bussed off to Bicutan for ‘processing.’ “I am sorry,” said she as her nose glowed even with the bright lights in the Malacanang press briefing room. Just a few hours later, around 20 million Filipinos were placed under house arrest in Metro Manila and adjacent regions with what former UP law dean Raul Pangalangan said was an unconstitutional 12-5 a.m. curfew. The streets of the capital were eerier than on Good Fridays in a country dominated by nominally devout Catholics. Only the lord, if there is a lord, knows how many agogo dancers, carnappers, akyat-bahay gangsters, hotblooded teenagers, restless and bored husbands, matronas and their dance attorneys, balut vendors, wanderlustful congressmen had their freedom of movement curtailed, with dire consequences not only for the formal and informal sectors of the economy, but also on the freedom-seeking human spirit.

The ubiquitous checkpoints prompted a variation of the second law of cartoon physics: Any body in motion will tend to remain in motion until a checkpoint appears, in which case kotong will have to be paid for the body to regain its momentum. If no kotong is paid, the body will disappear until a writ of amparo makes it reappear.

More recently, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) subpoenaed Maria Ressa of ABS-CBN to investigate the network’s alleged involvement in Oplan Peninsula. The subpoena was served after Malacañang, taking liberties with the word ‘dialogue’ proposed a meeting between the PNP/AFP and the press. Ressa has reportedly sent a conciliatory text message to interior and local government secretary Ronnie Puno: go fuck and talk

Forum: Sex, politics, and the Filipino

In this roundtable discussion, frequently asked questions (FAQs-in this case no one would fault you for pronouncing it fuck you) about Filipino sexuality, PTO commissioned Dolly Carvajal to discuss with Margie Holmes and Dr. Aidan No persistent myths about sexuality in the Philippines. The discussion was held in our backyard during lunch break over the weekend.

Dolly: Let me dispense with the easy questions first. Is masturbation immoral? Will you grow hair at the back of your hands? Will you go to hell?

Dr. No: No. Those beliefs were first popularized by Rep. Teddyboy Locsin in the nineties. He has long since clarified that he was only joking and that he was taunted by his granddad. Hell, no. Have you seen his hands?
Dolly: But the Vatican…

Dr. No: No. Just interview the laundrywomen in the Vatican…

Margie: It depends on your perception of hell.

Dr. No: No, Margie, think about this. If young boys and girls thought they’d go to hell by overdoing it, they’d overdo it even more, don’t you think?

Margie: I guess you’re right.

VP’s baseball caps key to smooth transition in RP leadership–leaked CIA report

by Old Spice

A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report, a copy of which was obtained by TPO recently, concluded that vice president Noli de Castro’s baseball caps are crucial for a smooth constitutional transition in the Philippines. TPO reached US ambassador Kristie Kenney for comment and to verify the provenance of the document, titled “Symbols and the impending political implosion in the Philippine: A policy brief.” She had us escorted out of the embassy grounds.

The report’s key finding is based on a survey with corresponding analysis conducted by the Social Weather Stations in late October and commissioned by the intelligence agency. The survey asked a nationwide random sample of 5,000 voting-age Filipinos a series of questions on GMA, de Castro and speaker Jose de Venecia. Only the vice president had a positive net trust rating, 35%, against GMA’s -80% and JdV’s -60%. Only in the Visayas did GMA get a positive net rating (5%).

UP physics prof offers Filipino time machine to Rolex in impeachment bid

With hardly any chance the House majority leadership would allow a fortified impeachment bid against GMA, the only ray of hope now appears to be UP professor Joey Magpantay’s prototype Filipino Time Machine (FTM), with which, he assures us, we will never be late again. If talks succeed between Rolex Suplico and Magpantay, Rolex, Adel Tamano, and Harry Roque, with impeachment documents in hand, will be transported back to the Batasan to moments just before Ruel Pulido and Rep. Edgardo San Luis filed the original complaint before the chamber’s secretary general.

But a few delicate technical and financial issues need to be addressed. The strange contraption requires 1 gigawatt of electric power, almost 8% of the total in the entire Luzon grid. There would have to be proper coordination with the Wholesale Elecricity Spot Market (WESM), the National Transmission Company (NTC), National Power Corporation (NPC) and Meralco. Otherwise, the surge in demand as Joey flicks the switch at his backyard in the UP campus would cause voltage instability and even massive brownouts throughout Luzon.

Next hurdle is, who would foot the bill? Joey says it will take about one hour for the intrepid trio be atomized, sucked into the space-time vortex, and reconstituted, amended, and verified, at the targetted place. TPO calculations suggest that with 1 gigawatt for 60 minutes, at the wholesale time of use (TOU) rates of NPC of about P5 per kilowatthour, the electricity bill would amount to at least P5 million. The Black and White movement, we were told, is now passing the hat.

The most difficult problem, however, remains. The space-time pinpoint mechanism is not precise. Any little voltage and frequency perturbations might transport Suplico, Tamano, and Roque to Iloilo, Batac, or Taipei, and if things really get fouled up, back to the time of ex-presidents Diosdado Macapagal or Ferdinand Marcos.

Magpantay waxes optimistic that in due time and with scale economies, he might be able to offer the service to anyone willing to pay P1 million to be transported to better times. “How about if all the rest of our countrymen who can no longer endure the indignities of Arroyo want to time-travel as one?” we asked. “That is possible,” Joey said, but “the copper and coal required to pull that off could trigger a world economic crisis.”

Just before deadline we interviewed Rolex:

TPO: Que hora es segun tu reloj?

Rolex: Lo siento. No tengo reloj.

The investigation of citizens above suspicion

An undercover team of probers has finally published its report on the Glorietta blast.

They reviewed more than 200 hours of footage from CCTVs and listened to even more voluminous court-authorized wiretaps (post-blast). They interviewed hundreds of witnesses, mostly mall workers. They traced the whereabouts of the unlikely suspects. They interviewed waiters and servers for clues about the suspects’ diets in the past few months:

Re: subject A: In an Italian restaurant in Cubao. Ordered pizza and pasta. Waiters complained about sweet smell after guest left.

Re: subject B: Seen at the fresh produce section of Rustans Katipunan. Broccoli, assorted peppers, saffron, sweet potatos.

Re: subject C: espied at a tiangge eating sinigang sa misu and ten sticks of adidas.

Re: the week prior to blast. The footage showed the suspects entering mall, one by one, going down stairs into basement. Ten minutes each. All left in a huff.

The major finding:

Conspiracy to leave fecal matter and wind in basement . NSA bert gonzales, AFP cos H. Esperon, DILG secretary R. Puno, palace mouth Ignacio Bunye. Mr. and Mrs. Arroyo.

Respectfully submitted for appropriate action.

Sgd. J.L. Trintignant

Team leader

The full report was provided to Senator Trillanes by his moles in the team. That is why he wants a full-scale Senate investigation.

Note: The only audible words in the wiretaps remotely related to the blast from the conversations were: ‘farting is such sweet sorrow’.