Dick Gordon: The Medium Is The Message

redcross

We cannot deny that Sen. Richard Gordon has done monumental things in developing Philippine tourism. His “Wow,Philippines!” and the miracle that is the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority will forever be his legacy.

Extending the “Wow!” campaign for cheap mileage by subtly putting it on Red Cross vehicles, though, makes Gordon just about as petty as your basic Barangay Captain who puts his name on Barangay patrol multi-cabs and tricycles that don’t belong to him.

With this  (probably) unintended consequence: because the Red Cross is usually dispatched to calamity areas and war zones, the general message seems to be “Wow! A disaster involving horrible loss of life!”

It isn’t so much that the Red Cross cares, the hidden political ad suggests, but because calamities are incredibly exciting.

Dick Gordon, you are not Batman

Anyone who has spent any amount of time around Senator Richard Gordon knows four basic facts about him:

1. That he was the youngest delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

2. That his father was assassinated, and that he eventually nailed the guy who did it.

3. That he is an Upsilonian, (just like his fraternity brothers Senators Joker Arroyo and Francis Pangilinan, who have the parliamentary courtesy not to acknowledge the blatant name-dropping in mentioning it in speeches everyday.)

4. He turned Subic into the economic powerhouse that it is today.

Never in his rambling privilege speeches has he ever mentioned that he served in the military, or has ever been in the line of fire, except, I guess, politically.

Which does not stop him from from single-handedly rescuing Red Cross volunteer Mary Jean Lacaba, or acting like some debonair billionaire vigilante (at least, on the phone.)

read more »

More like Armed Pansies of Pansyland, amirite?

We are a warrior culture, prayer warriors, at any rate, judging  from our Hail Mary play to save the three International Committee of the Red Cross volunteers kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf: a call for prayers, and an appeal from the Pope.

And, really, there’s nothing wrong with that. God-fearing as we are, we will turn to God when all else fails. But what the real issue here is this: Why did all else fail?

read more »