“The circus goes on…” is how mainstream media the world over conduct their affairs. Because of the globalization of news and information by the western conglomerates’ control of international news and wire services, you can’t find anything of serious note about news anymore. That’s why a certain Web site now refers to headlines as “headlies” (omitting the “n”) to highlight the sorry state of today’s sensationalized news. Reading local mainstream media gives much of the same problem; although it feels more like “headlice” as we are further impelled to scratch our heads out of sheer exasperation. Take the “headlice” of our local newspapers, which have become the stuff of the two major networks: The “Hayden Cam” scandal and its many variations.
This saga, involving Hayden Kho and a handful of his sexploits like Katrina Halili and Maricar Reyes, has been kept alive for over a week now by some media-manic legislators, prodded along by our sensation-stalking media. I didn’t even want to touch on the subject and add to the prevailing inanities even when a PR man sought me for a favorable comment for Ms. Halili. As I have always maintained, this is not a subject for legislators like Bong Revilla to pore over because this is simply a ridiculous sensational story. That was, until I got wind of Bohol politicians jumping into the act by declaring Kho persona non grata and Sen. Alan Cayetano saying Kho shouldn’t be allowed anywhere in the country. By stepping on the fundamental right of citizen Kho to be presumed innocent, these characters have obviously gone too far.
For instance, I ask the Bohol Board Members: Why don’t you seek out the corrupt and proven evils like Joc-joc Bolante or Chavit Singson to be declared persona non grata in your province? Likewise, Sen. Alan Cayetano, for uttering such a statement that is patently violative of a citizen’s basic rights, has shown that he doesn’t deserve to be considered seriously as a senator of the Republic (not that a lot of them should). As for this “pabling” senator-son of the former senator who, by his own admission, has sired more children by as many wives, what right does he have to moralize about Kho’s amorous adventures when he himself is known to have gallivanted with some of those who had their trysts with Kho?
In a real sense, Kho is also a victim in this series of scandals. Take that dermatologist cum cosmetic surgeon, whose face on those huge billboards my driver likens to a drag queen’s: Is she paying Kho’s salary (or allowance, as some report) for his medical expertise or for other services? As for Ms. Halili, isn’t she getting the most out of this imbroglio, as this is desperately-needed publicity for her sagging career and reputation? But, as always, in a damaged entertainment-driven culture such as ours, may other quarters have cashed in on this controversy. Thanks to Hayden and his sex partners, pirated DVD hawkers can now fetch up to P1,000 per video. Thanks to them, too, mainstream dailies have had an easy week of “headlies” to distract the nation from its miseries--from the 73-percent fall of coconut exports from the same period last year to the 1.2-percent Q1 contraction of the economy.
Meanwhile, the other “headlice” that continue to paste over other really significant news revolve around the H1N1 panic being fanned by the global health institutions and media. What is not being reported that is very vital for all to know is that there is a raging debate among members of the World Health Organization (WHO) itself about the manner in which its alerts are being made. Dr. Margaret Chan, a former Hong Kong health minister elected to head the WHO in 2006, is announcing alert levels based on where and how many countries have found cases of infections. But there are other representatives there, like those from China and other Asian countries, who have instead proposed that alert levels be based on the severity of the virus and not simply the spread. Even though H1N1 has been shown to be far less severe than first projected, a global panic still ensued, which immediately sent vaccine sales through the roof.
My serious indignation over such manufactured flu panics may seem an over-reaction to some, but the naïve obviously do not know the extent to which western powers would go into pressuring target countries. Mexico , for instance, lost $2.5 billion in economic activity (or 0.3 percent of its GDP) during the few weeks of the H1N1 panic, with its tourism suffering the most, just as it was being hit by the drugs war and US border issues. Strangely enough, the swine flu scare also coincided with the visit of Obama. Was it just a gimmick to accentuate the panic over the spread of the virus? Speculations aside, Dr. Leonard Horowitz, a doctor-advocate of natural healing, believes that this whole episode was designed by laboratories such as Novavax to sell its stock of vaccines. You can view his exposé, complete with names and details of Big Pharma experiments, on YouTube.
The last item I have space for in this porno-circus is the Lakas-Kampi merger which is as corrupt and lewd as any political-porno can be. As President Estrada asserts, this pair has always been in coitus--in exploiting and oppressing the Filipino people and the nation’s rich resources. And as they wish to prolong their ecstasy, we are sure to be subjected to the biggest porno act yet: The 2010 elections, starring Jose Melo and the computer voting that’s designed to fail, all in furtherance of the Lakas-Kampi screw job!
(Tune in to 1098AM, Sulong Pilipinismo, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Monday with Atty. Alan Paguia, Wednesday with former Mayor Jun Simon, Friday with UMDJ’s Ver Eustaquio / Teachers for National Transformation [New], 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday; Talk News TV, Destiny Cable, Channel 3, 8:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday on “Hello Garci Whistleblowers;” also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
