Juan de la Cruz: ‘Farewell, Pepe’

Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 17:45:28 +0000

ROLLY G. REYES

THE twin blasts in Jolo were not about religion. The church was targeted to make it appear like they were. It was notably a political move, occurring just right after the plebiscite that confirmed the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s (BOL) rejection. They want to make it look like ‘religion’ to widen support among the rest of the Muslims who voted in its favor. Whether IS inspired it or not, it was about territorial muscle-flexing.

The Abus are bandits and like the Mautes, will kill fellow Muslims who get in their way. Lasting peace will make all of them irrelevant as progress will deprive them of new recruits. They bombed the church to scare Christians away and leave the place alone to themselves. When the motive is territorial, it becomes political.

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I was invited as one of the resource persons at an Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) forum, with the topic “Is China Friend or Foe?” I learned so much from the other panelists like Gen. Victor Corpus and Herman Tiu Laurel. An eye opener was the validation that China is militarily capable of retaliating when attacked by any country, including the United States. My gratitude for the privilege and opportunity to be part of the discussion to my APCU friends Secretary Raul Lambino, Dr. Rene Velasco and Jeffrey Ng.

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The House of Representatives passed on third and final reading last Tuesday a proposed measure legalizing the use and research of medical marijuana in the country. House Bill 6517, or the Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, seeks to provide “compassionate and right of access to medical cannabis and expanding research into its medicinal properties.” I am a firm believer in the health benefits of this plant especially if given to children and adults suffering from insurmountable ailments.

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I read in one of the dailies that Takeda Pharmaceutical Company of Japan announced that an experimental dengue vaccine appears to be safe and effective at preventing all four types of the mosquito-borne disease, meeting the main goal of the Japanese drug maker’s late-stage clinical trial.

It was reported that Takeda collected blood samples from 20,000 children aged 4 to 16 from Asia and Latin America who participated in the Phase III TIDES trial. The study looked at the vaccine’s safety and efficacy both in children who had been exposed to dengue and those who had not.

It quickly reminded me of Sanofi which did not collect blood samples from all subjects prior to beginning its trials. By the time the company confirmed the safety risk in 2017, the vaccine had already been used on more than 800,000 schoolchildren in the Philippines.

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It is really quite difficult to detect all forms of terrorist threat at any given time and place. Even First World countries with hefty investments in surveillance and intelligence-gathering infrastructure succumb to these violent attacks.

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The initial phase of the Manila Bay clean-up drive was praised by Filipinos because of the clutter-free coastline. The changed environment was a result of the clean-up drive launched last January 27 where different government workers and volunteers under the Manila Bay rehabilitation program participated. It has been dubbed the “Battle for Manila Bay,” and is being run by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, with the cooperation of different government agencies.

This is the gist of what I said in my previous article:

“Sure, the Manila Bay clean-up is good as the first step but it will take a concerted effort of all. All tributaries connected with the bay should contribute in the rehab. Pasig River, Laguna Lake, and even coastal provinces like Cavite, Bulacan, Bataan and Zambales. All Metro Manila cities and municipalities should stop dumping waste and start dredging operations. Public and private sectors including residents should practice correct waste management and efficient drainage system in place to achieve the desired objective. An expensive endeavor but cost-effective in the long run.”

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Musicians and music enthusiasts mourned the passing of Filipino rock icon Joseph “Pepe” Smith who was a member of the Juan de la Cruz Band, considered pioneers of Pinoy rock music. Smith passed away in the early hours of January 28, at the age of 71.

But who is Pepe Smith? Smith, (born Joseph William Feliciano Smith), gained fame as a pioneer of the Pinoy Rock genre in the 1970s with the Juan de la Cruz Band. His hit songs include “Himig Natin,” “Balong Malalim,” “Beep Beep,” and “Titser’s Enemy No. 1.”

Smith learned to play the drums by about age 9, and formed his first rock band at age 11, in 1959. This group, composed of friends from the Kamuning district, was first called The Blue Jazzers, later The Villains, then The Surfers. Smith became a rock sensation in Manila as the drummer and lead vocal of the Eddie Reyes and the Downbeats band, imitating Mick Jagger which earned him the title “Mick Jagger of the Philippines.”

In December 1970, Smith joined the seminal Pinoy rock group Juan de la Cruz Band along with Wally Gonzales (guitar) and Mike Hanopol (bass). The band had some earlier line-ups, but this trio was the classic one. It became a quartet a few years later with the addition of Edmon “Bosyo” Fortuno, on drums, when Smith decided to play guitar instead.

Among their first exposures was the 1970 Antipolo Rock Music Festival, a concert similar to Woodstock, attended by thousands.

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This is my idea of a good smartphone: three days of battery life, 6.1 (diagonal) LCD display, three cameras with built-in stabilization, depth control, auto HDR with F1.2 opening, fingerprint, face and voice recognition to unlock, light and ultrathin, water and dust resistant, touchless screen gesture, gorilla glass with synthetic diamond coat, dual sim, memory card slot, both micro usb and lightning slots for charging, retina display, faster bionic chip, lifetime warranty on service and 3-year warranty on parts.

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Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.

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