“True, it’s not over till it’s over. And even when it’s over, it just begins again.” –Kate McGahan

The final hymn has yet to be played but, with their recent win at the Supreme Court, which halted a lower court’s decision to declare portions of the More Electric and Power Corporation’s franchise void and unconstitutional, it looks like More Power will close 2019 with a major edge over their rival, the Panay Electric Company (PECO). However, PECO surely has several aces up their sleeve and, after their major setback, they are expected to return to the drawing board and prepare for their next showdown.
The more PECO is wounded, the more emboldened they are to assemble for a bigger battle.
Despite having seized the superior position, More Power is not sleeping on their victory and are expected to tighten their grip with the decision.
Electricity consumers will continue to watch this thriller into 2020.

***
Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) spokesperson, Police Lt. Colonel Joem Malong, called the report claiming several students in the Western Visayas had been abducted by a group of men from Manila “fake news;” however, “wrong information” is different from “fake news.”
Since the abduction story was false, it was a “wrong story”—or wrong information.
It can only be called “fake news” if it was announced as a legitimate news item. If it came from unreliable and unverified sources and spread only through cafes, barber shops, and in casual conversation, it’s “wrong information.”
The story about the abduction was not vetted as a news item—it never met the basic news tenets of who, what, why, when, and how—and it shouldn’t be called “fake news.” Maybe it can be considered “kotso-kotso (gossip)” or “himu-himu estorya (fabricated story).”

***
The splendid performance by athletes from the Philippines at the ongoing Southeast Asian Games and the pomp and glory of the opening ceremonies are different cases. Filipinos should be proud, there is no problem with that but, the alleged corruption by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who also serves as Philippines Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee chair, is another story.
The public should not be too overwhelmed by the success of the Philippines in the games and the splendor of the programs and parades that they become deaf and blind to the some P6 billion in taxpayer money should needs to be accounted for (only when all the athletes have gone home to their respective countries and the games were over).

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