Politics. PGMA passes the torch to Gibo. It comes with a hot seat.

* * *

Gibo bid farewell to PMA cadets before resigning to run. Out-of-office, will the uniforms still vote him?

* * *

Over 350,000 land jobs under gov’t emergency employment plans. Like father, like daughter: Former President Diosdado Macapagal had Emergency Employment Administration (EEA) cleaning weeds off Intramuros.

* * *

Mikee upbeat on Noynoy’s bid. Not the presidential son, but the equestrienne Jaworski nee Cojuangco.

* * *

Presidential political adviser and Lakas-Kampi-CMD secretary general Abriel Claudio downplayed defections, “Those not chosen or will imminently not be chosen will naturally seek shelter with other political parties or other presidential bets.” Really? Many are called but few remain “chosen.”

* * *

Diplomacy. Palace official on Hillary Clinton visit: “VFA ‘not a pressing issue.” Guess who is pressing Malacañang to say that?

* * *

Okay. Since the President and the State Secretary are both mothers, they can make motherhood statements.

* * *

Fauna. Malaysia to double tiger population by next year. RP increased its crocodile population... nearly 10 percent more in Congress and 500 percent in Lacoste.

* * *

Agri tech. Presidentiable Sen Manny Villar lauded IRRI rice variety “sub1 or submarine rice” which can withstand floods for weeks. Is this the same variety discovered by the scientist Yu su-mei of Institute of Molecular Biology at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica?

* * *

What if El Niño drought strikes? IRRI also introduced the “aerobic rice” that can grow in mountainous area without irrigation.

* * *

It isn’t true that farmers must perform aerobics when planting the variety!

* * *

Trade disputes. The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) attributes disappearance of refined sugar to DTI’s P38 per kilo price ceiling without considering existing mill gate price of raw sugar.

* * *

But a sweet young thing isn’t worried because she has her Sugar Daddy…

* * *

If King Canute can’t peg sugar prices without making it disappear, how can we be assured of ‘‘fair price’’ supply from Big 3 Oil?

* * *

Assigning selected areas with ‘‘price freeze’’ or ‘‘discount prices’’ is one of the most laughable solution… like announcing prices in newspapers. Remember the cynical vendor’s riposte, “Sa diario na lang kayo bumili.”

* * *

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to testify as amicus curiae on oil price hike. As amicus of ‘‘Big 3 Oil’’ or of the motoring public?

* * *

Ambassador Manuel AJ Teehankee filed with Geneva World Trade Organization RP cigarette tax dispute with Thailand. How about a win-win solution: our Vice for their Rice?

Feedback: jaz@mb.com.ph