Kamote, Kalabaw

In "Balakubak", a segment of Nuts Entertainment (aired 4 Aug 07), Joey de Leon, Janno Gibbs, and Anjo Yllana interviewed Ryan Agoncillo. The three men asked Ryan if he would allow Piolo Pascual to be his best man in his wedding or to be one of the godfathers of his child. Ryan answered "no" for the reason that he is Catholic and Piolo is a Christian. In that statement, Ryan made it sound that he is not a Christian, or in general, that Catholics are not Christians. Catholics are 100% Christians. In fact, the Catholics are the very first Christians. Christ's disciples, beginning from his apostles, were the early Christians. Years after, they called themselves Katolikos or Catholics. To correct Ryan, he should have said "I'm a Catholic Christian while Piolo is a non-Catholic Christian.

I watched the movie "Ouija" (GMA Films / Viva Films) the other day. TV ads and news said that people were talking about it. Indeed, it was a box office hit and was graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board. But, I want to find out for myself. The movie deserves 3 stars. A portion of the movie that stands out was the fast-paced series of non-stop suspense, horror, and thrill of ghost-haunting the lead characters. Cinematography and sound were also good. The acting of Judy Ann Santos, Jolina Magdangal, and Iza Calzado were good. The beginning was also good. I didn't have to wait long for the suspenseful scene. What I don't like is the inconsistent application of color. Color of some scenes were severely saturated. I don't know if that was intentional; nevertheless, it wasn't good for me. (Maybe Viva Films should purchase new equipment.) Another thing that I didn't like was the glamorous make-up of the lead actresses in scenes where star-material make-up was no

Reporter's Notebook (GMA7) featured yesterday the plight of some OFW's in Dubai. One story is about a young woman raped by her employer. She reported this to the authority but she was jailed instead. Another story is about a woman who had to accept jail sentence for giving birth to her child before she could go back to the Philippines. Some of them were victims of illegal recruitment. At the Philippine Consulate's office, many Filipinos file complaints. [Reporter's Notebook: Dubai, by Maki Pulido and Jiggy Manicad, GMA7] Their stories are sad but I wish they had been wiser. Why mortgage your properties and leave your family just to work abroad with a meager salary and live in the same poor condition, if not fatal end? If I were a lawmaker, I would not allow Filipino women to work in a foreign country as domestic helpers.

Olongapo's Grannies Last Monday, I-Witness (GMA7) featured a few women who used to offer "extra personal services" to the American servicemen who spent long nights at the pre-Subic-base Olongapo's red district. These women, now in their 80's, now work either as sidewalk vendors or beggars. These women recalled how happy their lives were living the American dream with their apple-of-the-eye American soldiers. Unfortunately for them, a law had to close (in the late 80's) the Subic Base and send the American soldiers back to USA leaving these women and their Fil-Am children with foiled American dream. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo then must have agreed with this law. The red district turned into ash-gray ghost town, drying a river, and burying a few towns. Today, that district has risen from its ashes into a family-oriented chain of fastfoods and restaurants. I can't help but feel sad for these elderly women. Not because of their chosen lifestyle in the 1940&#