He asked, "Who’s Afraid of Con-Ass?" and called the nationwide protest actions as "overreactions."

He went on to further state that that the Con-Ass can later be scrapped if the Senate doesn’t endorse it or if the people don’t ratify a constitutional change.

The columnist obviously does not know the pulse of his fellow Filipinos. Filipinos are not rallying against the Con-Ass because they fear it. They’re rallying against it because they’re angry.

Filipinos are angry because of this brazen act of allies of PGMA in the Lower House. Costitutional change may be good. It’s the timing that sucks as it’s less than a year before nationwide elections.

Filipinos are angry because Con-Ass congressmen are toying with the sensibilities of Filipinos. They’re counting on the complacency and, hopefully, the stupidity of Filipinos.

Filipinos are angry because the Con-Ass move can only point to machinations by PGMA. Otherwise, she could have told her allies not to proceed with it. This can only mean that PGMA wants to extend her term.

Besides, if the Con-Ass can be killed later, why wait for that time? Just like an unwanted weed in your garden, you’d like to nip it in the bud and not wait for it to grow and choke your good plants.

Alas, for some people, weeds apparently grow in their brains.

That’s the plan of Tourism Sec. Ace Durano, to make Cebu the tourism hub of the country. It’s a good plan owing to the fact that Cebu is a really beautiful and friendly place.

Tourists can land here as Cebu has one of the most modern airports in the country. They can spend time in leisure or business here and then visit neighboring provinces because there are various modes of transportation available.

However, the Department of Tourism must work hand-in-hand with other government agencies, especially law enforcement, to make sure foreign visitors come for the reason they state. This will ensure that foreign crime syndicates will not ply their illegal trades here.

The more nefarious illegal trades are human trafficking and illegal recruiting. Both can come under seemingly legal means. Yet, there are too many stories of Philippine citizens, especially our women, left stranded and even beaten up in other countries. What’s worse is our government oftentimes doesn’t exert enough effort towards helping them.

So, bring in the tourists! However, we must let them know that they’re stepping into a country that will welcome them, but will prosecute them relentlessly if they step out of line.

Vice-mayor Mike Rama is too nice, that’s his problem. He’s a people-pleaser and this doesn’t make for a good leader.

If you’re going to try to please everyone, what will happen is you’re going to be indecisive and compromising. I believe this is what Mayor Tommy Osmeña and several barangay captains saw.

It wasn’t just about "sleeping with the enemy" as Mayor Osmeña described Rama’s association with Gov. Gwen Garcia. What Rama did was to give Gov Gwen a foothold into the affairs of Cebu city.

If Rama becomes mayor, it isn’t far-fetched to see Gov Gwen railroading him at the expense of Cebu city’s inter-independence. And Gov Gwen will do it because she’s a strong woman. We might just see Cebu city enslaved to Capitol.

Although it’s painful to watch how Mayor Tommy is treating Mike, sometimes pain –especially for the vice-mayor– can be a wake-up call. I don’t think Mike Rama will be a good mayor. With his character, he’ll be better off serving the public in a private capacity. Perhaps in this way, he can even be a silent king-maker.

Love him or hate him, Mayor Tommy Osmeña says it as he sees it.

Asked about the recent Ms. Cebu controversy stirred up by the Burdens, the mayor answered, "This is the most over-exposed, ridiculous issue I’ve ever seen in all my years as mayor."

Indeed. It was a classic example of someone making a mountain out of a molehill (not small hill, Mr. Columnist; please get your idioms right), exacerbated by media falling over themselves to try to get a scoop and a wimpy acting mayor who should have nipped it in the bud but didn’t.

Mayor Osmeña also said that the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) shouldn’t have apologized since it was the fault of only one person, Bruce Bollozas, who gave the wrong name to the emcee.

Right again. Yet, some quarters even ventured out to discredit the judges of the beauty pageant and question their integrity. One even went as far as hinting that Kris Tiffany Janson is a niece of then acting Mayor Mike Rama, which is why he delayed on acting on the matter. There was a delay because Vice-mayor Rama is a wimp, period.

As expected, Dr. Rowena Burden, who stirred up this brouhaha, took offense at the mayor’s statements, saying that the mayor’s administration can better deal with them professionally. I can only surmise that this means everybody was kowtowing to her complaints and Mayor Tommy just wasn’t.

So I hope this issue is finally put to rest. As I stated in a previous post, Kimberley Burden should have accepted Bollozos’ apology and remained in the Ms. Cebu court. She would have stood out. Instead, she acted like a spoiled brat by causing this pointless furor with the complicity of her mother.

Mayor Osmeña may have an acerbic tongue, but at times it’s much better than pussyfooting around.

I can almost hear it: Ring announcer Michael Buffer, in introducing Manny Pacquiao, saying, “Doctooorrrr Mannyyyy Pacmaaaannnn Pacquiao!”

I know of no other boxer who entered the ring carrying a doctorate degree, even if it was honorary. Manny Pacquiao will hold that distinction when he enters the ring against Ricky Hatton. He was recently conferred an honorary doctorate degree in humanities by the Southwestern University.

Many have rolled their eyes at Manny’s conferment, implying that a doctorate degree shouldn’t be given to a boxer because boxers have nothing in their heads. This isn’t fair to the Pacman.

For one thing, Manny Pacquiao is a great boxer because he’s a smart boxer. He just doesn’t charge his opponent when the bell rings and brawls, hoping to God that a lucky punch will knock his opponent down. He moves, he calculates, he times his jabs and punches.

The Pacman is also a smart investor. Many Filipino boxers before him have thrown away their careers along with their prize money upon being crowned champions. Not so with Pacquiao. He invests his money. And one way he invests is he trains hard for his bouts. Again, other champion boxers climb up the ring wearing merely their pride and fame and then get knocked out into retirement and oblivion.

Manny Pacquiao is smart. He rose up from poverty doing what he does best. He’s a legitimate professional in a legitimate sport. I believe he deserves the honor Southwestern University bestowed upon him.

He may not be articulate in the English language, but this doesn’t mean he’s stupid. I know of at least two congressmen who are Ateneans, speak flawless Ateneo English, but have done more stupid things than Manny Pacquiao.

Southwestern University is being very smart in not conferring anything on them.