James Taylor's political stand
IDIDN'T know James Taylor was coming to the country. If I had known, I would have broken my last piggy bank to pay for my plane fare and ticket to his concert in Manila. I am a huge fan of the five-time Grammy Award winner. How could one who was old enough to appreciate music in the seventies not be a fan? Who is above fifty who has not at least hummed “You've Got a Friend”?
As it turned out, it was just as well that I didn't know or I would have been extremely disappointed. Taylor has canceled the Manila leg of his Pacific tour. He announced it on Facebook. He said:
"I've been eagerly looking forward to playing for my Philippine audience since we added Manila to our tour of the Pacific this coming February. So it saddens me to cancel our concert there. I don't think of my music as being particularly political but sometimes one is called upon to make a political stand.
"The scourge of addiction is a worldwide problem and does serious harm, not only to the addict but to our society. For a sovereign nation to prosecute and punish, under the law, those responsible for the illegal trade in drug is, of course, understandable, even commendable; but recent reports from the Philippines of summary executions of suspected offenders without trial or judicial process are deeply concerning and unacceptable to anyone who loves the rule of law."
Taylor's decision to skip Manila is unfortunate but it is, to use his own word, understandable. Each person has his own unique way of processing information and, thereafter, making a decision and we have to respect that even if we disagree with the result.
I expected Sen. Tito Sotoo to say something of that sort so I was shocked to learn that all he could say was, in typical Iskul Bukol fashion, "User ka ba?" What a dumb thing to say especially for someone who traces his roots to Cebu. Sotto is definitely out of Taylor's depth and I'm not talking about their singing.
What makes Sotto's one-liner particularly offensive is that he parroted the knee-jerk reaction of administration supporters to expressions of concern over the way the war against drugs has taken. When no less than a senator of the Republic validates an otherwise inane remark by repeating it, it is disturbing.
I would have found it less disconcerting, even amusing, if, in replying to Taylor, he just plagiarized another popular song, this time by the British artist, Cat Stevens: “There's no more time to make a change/Just relax, take it easy/You are old, that's your fault/There's so much you still have to know.”
When we discussed the city's garbage disposal problem on Frankahay Ta last Tuesday, lawyer Vicente “Enteng” Espina texted our co-anchor, Ely Espinoza: Why don't we just contract out garbage collection?
Enteng hit the jackpot. Yesterday, City Hall officials led by Mayor Tomas Osmeña's executive assistant, Bimbo Fernandez, were talking about it. And if plans do not miscarry, meaning if the majority councilors who are allied with Team Rama, would allow him, Osmeña himself will appear before the council to discuss the proposal.
Fernandez disclosed that they have already found the "service providers" who are willing to haul the city's garbage to a legitimate dump site to be chosen by the latter. The only hurdle now is how to fast track the engagement of the services of any or all of these companies without running afoul of the procurement law.
But with the mayor and the council now ready to sit down and talk, that should not be a problem anymore. I'm sure the law has provisions for an emergency purchase, which the hiring of a private garbage hauler certainly is under the circumstances. Let's get this thing done as quickly as we can, ladies and gentlemen.
Taylor’s decision to skip Manila is unfortunate but understandable