“As per usual, trouble comes in several directions at once.” –“ Lirael” by Garth Nix

Some of the victims of last weekend’s tragedy in the Iloilo Strait were warned by relatives and other “concerned” individuals to not take the trip due to bad weather conditions. While the victims likely did not listen because they already had tickets or were in the pre-departure area, shouldn’t the Philippine Coast Guard have stopped the boats from sailing? Passengers would just obey and trust the captain and the crew (the same way airplane passengers obey and trust flight attendants and pilots).
By dismissing warnings of imminent danger, one allows themselves to be governed by “Murphy’s Law,” which refers to the old adage: “Anything that can be wrong will go wrong (and usually at the worst time).”
An example of Murphy’s Law suggests telling a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he’ll believe you; tell him a bench is coated in wet paint and he will touch it to check.
Former Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino, Jr. was warned not to return to the Philippines due to threats to his life. Despite using the pseudonym “Marcial Bonifacio” on his return, he was still murdered.
Anybody can be subject to Murphy’s Law. According to a physicist, while the mathematic probability behind the theory is tremendously complex, the common form—“Everything that can go wrong will”—is fairly accurate and more than sufficient.
“[Murphy’s Law] is certainly very real and can even be measured qualitatively,” the physicist insisted. “However, it cannot be anticipated or taken into account.”
“We can only wait for terrible, unfortunate things to happen and hope that they won’t be too bad,” they added.

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Following his passing, friends and admirers of the former Iloilo City Mayor Mansueto ‘Mansing’ Malabor say his “shocking” loss to Raul Gonzalez, Jr. in the 2004 race for Iloilo City lone district congressman may have been a “blessing in disguise.” Some say, had he gone to Congress, Malabor, who was 73 year old at the time, would not have the fire in his belly to sustain congressional activities.
His forte was in the local government, where he was very effective as a “homebody” chief executive.
Malabor loved to hobnob with “ordinary people” and got himself “loaded” with City Hall work.
Additionally, as a lawyer, many of his friends and supporters thought lawmaking wasn’t his “real world.”
Gonzalez himself did not last at the post after he was blasted to bits in a stunning upset loss to now-Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas in 2010.
At the time, members of Congress were being slammed and ridiculed for being enamored to scandalous “pork barrel” funds.
Malabor, who retired from politics with a solid reputation and clean name in public service, was spared from jeers and humiliation inflicted on “tongressmen.”

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Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ