sing!

I was in Singapore on two occasions in a span of a month this summer. The first one was for the inaugural Southeast Asian Film Festival where Limbunan was invited as its closing film. I flew in four weeks later for the Asia On The Edge Conference.

Wall graffiti along Queen Street.

An inflatable bunny in front of the Singapore Art Museum on Bras Basah Road.

Esplanade.

A sumptuous bowl of laksa. Yummy!

An old Peranakan window.

Pinoy filmmaker Sherad Anthony Sanchez and film programmer Philip Cheah of Singapore crossing the street.

my new idol

Time and again, heroes emerge in our midst. People who do the daring. People who go against the odds (sometimes even against the law) to do the right thing.  In my city, we have found a new hero. It's none other than our own mayor Sara Duterte who in a moment of boldness berated and punched a court sheriff who could not even extend her the courtesy of waiting as she had requested. Shanties were about to be demolished, but she was still in another part of town to give relief goods to flood-stricken families. She requested that the demolition should not proceed without her. That way she could assure the affected families that the city government would take care of them. But when she arrived in the area, there was already a ruckus because the court sheriff, armed with a court order, would not wait.

Now public opinion is divided. We are always told not to put the law in our own hands. Mayor Duterte, a public official and also a lawyer, just did that. Some quarters are calling for her head to roll. A large section of her constituency see her as a hero. Aside from suspension, she might also face disbarment.

But she can be assured that, because of her act of gallantry, her people will rally behind her.