THERE’S this spot on TV of Sharon Cuneta saying something like - okay, if this is what it takes for you to give to typhoon victims, I'll do it, I'll beg.

What the...! The premise of this spot is that you haven't given and don't want to because you're callous and don't realize the gravity of the situation. So to make you realize just that, here I am, me, the megastar, begging.

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One, there has been an outpouring of generosity from all over the country from people of all walks of life for the victims of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Two, these people did not need their consciences stricken with such a psychological ploy as the above-described TV spot uses. Any and every Tomas, Pepe, and Pilar, Inc. with half a brain and less of a heart, solo or corporate, gave and continues to do so from the sheer goodness of their human nature in tune with the tremendous suffering and calamity brought about by said typhoons.

Three, strictly technical, it's the wrong concept for the situation. It's gratuitous, to say the least, so-called good intentions notwithstanding.

As a matter of fact, there has been such an outpouring of generosity not only from within our country borders, but from beyond, too, to the point that any and all organizations involved in relief work have or should be flooded with millions of dollars in goods and millions in cash, too, to support their efforts.

And now we hear about the DSWD hoarding relief goods. This reminds me of a similar situation of more than a decade ago. After the July, 1990 earthquake that hit Baguio, there was a similar outpouring of generosity from the national and international communities. It was then that I spoke with an American officer in charge of shuttling in all of these goods by chopper into John Hay. Said he, "We brought in enough food to feed the whole town for a month." It was to the consternation of many of us then that we never saw a single can of American corned beef, when that was far, far from all that was brought in...

News reports have also taken to using the Ilocano word "pitak" like it was part of the Tagalog language, i.e., "... Sinabi ng mga residente ng Little Kibungan sa Benguet na peligroso sa kanila ang pitak na babagsak mula sa taas na budok kung sakali mang bumagyo ulit." It's like when "dugyut" found its way into Swardspeak - "Ang dugyut ng blocking mo." So now, "pitak" is Tagalog, too. Such is the life of a language. It is and should be dynamic.

Bringing to mind some Tagalog words that have also been English for the longest time now: boonies, from boondocks, both from the original: "bundok". And then there's manila with a small m, used before words like envelope and hemp and rope. Once meaning made in Manila.

Now meaning a brown envelope, hemp, and rope, be they manila or not.
On this week's final note, another little smidget of news about the Baguio City market sari-sari section. More? It seems to not stop, all the controversy. Latest in, the seeming manipulation of stall numbers and which stalls are awarded to whom. I'm looking at all of these emails about the situation and the DSWD hoarding news seems to pale beside them.

Everything's all about "ops." Oops.