MANILA, Philippines - When the Child Angel of the Las Piñas "Salubong" lifted the veil... instead of the Risen Christ was the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Niño. Again, Christmas one-ups Easter.
* * *
Azkal Phil denies love child rumor in Iloilo... Too Young to be a Husband.
* * *
WHAT'S IN A NAME? When People Power sent off the strongman in 1986, our Embassy in New Delhi fired off a one-sentence dispatch: "When the dust has settled, the best way to honor the memory of the man who began it all is to re-name MIA "Ninoy Aquino Airport."
* * *
Our diplomats do not have monopoly of the idea. There was universal acclaim from throughout the country, and the thought could have spontaneously erupted in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
* * *
And so it came to pass that MIA was renamed the "Ninoy Aquino International Airport"... which became "NAIA" for short.
* * *
Which is the best and shortest way to forget the memory of the man we wanted to honor.
* * *
Of course, my generation still knows "NAIA" stands for "Ninoy Aquino International Airport." But I wonder if our children know it.
* * *
Certainly, our grandchildren would not remember.
* * *
And verily, even today nine out of 10 arriving tourists don't have a clue who "NAIA" is.
* * *
Our penchant for acronyms can get the better of us. You may still know who's EDSA... but can you tell me what ESCOLTA stands for?
* * *
The French call theirs "Charles de Gaulle" airport, (not CdG).
* * *
Yes, the John F. Kennedy International Airport or the "JFK" is a vast improvement over "Idlewild International Airport" because Americans and the world were mesmerized by "JFK" and the Camelot years. (But try calling it "JFKIA" and they'd think it was a garage).
* * *
BTW, the best monument for Ninoy Aquino is still a bronze outline of him like in a detective's whodunit... on the tarmac where he fell. The patch must be hallowed ground.
* * *
$150,000 NANNY. Brad Pit and Angelina Jollie need a nanny for their 3 biological kids + 3 adopted kids. Must be discreet, preferably speaks 2 languages + one of child.
* * *