THE Filipino nation has another reason to celebrate—the recent victory of boxer Nonito Donaire Jr., who retained his flyweight crown against a dangerous South African challenger. While Donaire has not yet attained the super status of Manny Pacquiao, nonetheless, this victory should make us all proud.

As far as I’m concerned, news stories like this, when a countryman prevails over a foreigner in a contest of brains or brawn, is worth much better rating in the front pages of local dailies than a headline about the return of Joc-Joc Bolante. You see, it has been my long-time view that achievements of our compatriots are what we should consider better news because it makes us all stand taller, makes our country better-looking than what critics, including some in the media, want to depict as ugly and miserable, always emphasizing the bad news over the good which they wrongly believe is the selling point of their paper or broadcast network. Even the fourth-place finish of our young mathematics students who competed against the best in the world should rate larger print in our broad and scandal sheets, much better than talking about long-concluded Senate investigations which are more like political zar-zuela than “in aid of legislation.”

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I would like to thank the very powerful newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which I often suspect does not know how to inquire about the true facts of the news items it writes about, presenting stories that are more like fiction rather than fact. I thank the PDI for three things: 1) for always making me the villain in its editorials, but at least spelling my name correctly; 2) for that lead story in its front page which quoted me falsely as saying that “inmates kill each other.” These twisted reports exemplify what it proudly announces that it is the “No. 1 newspaper in readership”; 3) for editorializing me when I commented that the words of Archbishop Angel Lagdameo and four others bordered on seditious utterances. For the education of the PDI, may I point out that the following Penal Code provisions, if we strictly apply the law known as crimes against public order, aptly cover the violations committed by the good prelates, particularly Article 138 penalizing the crime of “inciting to rebellion or insurrection”; and Article 142, “inciting to sedition.” This jurisprudence can be invoked to prosecute the prelates, although I emphasize that we have no plans whatsoever of charging them. The only reason I make mention of this matter is to underline the fact that I know the provisions of the Revised Penal Code better than some editorial writers of the PDI. However, if they need further enlightenment, I am willing to sit down with them or with anybody to discuss whether the statements of the good prelates, taken in their entire context, are in violation of these laws.

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It seems that bus drivers learn the hard way. Another bus company was grounded after figuring in a serious road accident in the North Luzon Expressway, killing six and seriously injuring some 50 other passengers last weekend. We support the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for its quick response and warning other bus companies to closely monitor the quality of their bus drivers, their state of health and their attitudes, which reflect on their psychological makeup. This last accident was totally unnecessary, and the lives of the hapless passenger-victims were wasted due to arrogance and recklessness of some drivers.

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By the time this column gets into print, we would probably be reading headlines saying that a new American president has been elected. That fast, considering that elections were held barely 24 hours ago. Personally, I believe John McCain is the better man for the US presidency, but as things now stand, a black president may be sitting in the White House by January. Now, that is democracy. But, as you can see, the almost one-sided support of the media for Barack Obama may have tilted the balance against McCain.

It is funny, though, that Americans, who are suffering from a great financial meltdown which has affected the whole world, raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Obama to propel his campaign, while McCain had to contend with funding support from the federal government. This extravagant use of funds by Democrats is a major factor in McCain’s difficulty to keep up with Obama’s surge. But it also shows that Americans, including lobby groups and financial giants who fund electoral campaigns, have plenty of money to spare, although ordinary Americans are struggling to survive. One thing salutary in the event of an Obama victory is that racism will finally be laid to rest in the once-upon-a-time white supremacist America, manifesting for the whole world to see that the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. was not in vain.

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