President Bush has announced an increase in U.S. troops to be sent to Iraq by the end of January or even earlier. He announced the deployment of another 21,500 soldiers in addition to the 130,000 U.S. troops already there. This is perceived as Bush’s last chance to present a winning strategy after four years of bloody conflict which has cost 3,000 American lives and the American taxpayer around US$400 billion. In the face of rising public opinion against the war, Bush did a mea culpa and admitted strategic mistakes but maintains that the way out is to bring more in. Although he said that American commitment is “not open-ended” and that the Iraqi government will be able to assume all security concerns by November, history says otherwise.

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Today is the 400th feast day of the Black Nazarene – the patron saint of Quiapo District in Manila. The Black Nazarene is a venerated figure of Christ the Nazarene carrying the cross on which he would be crucified, devotion to which is a centuries-old tradition in the Philippines. It is so called because the life-sized figure is black, in contrast to most images of Christ which show a Caucasian male. It was brought to the country from Mexico in 1606 and was supposedly turned black in a fire in which only the figure survived. Mexico also has a religious tradition of portraying Jesus as a black (or at least brown) man and the Black Nazarene may just be an extension of this tradition.

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I love foot massages. A good foot or body rub, given at the right time by a properly trained masseur, has kept me sane during many a crazy period in my life. As writer and massage aficionado Butch Dalisay said in a recent column (Philippine Star, 30 August 2006) entitled “You Kneaded Me”: “I often think of heaven as a place where you can get free foot, back, and scalp massages for eternity”. Amen to that, brother.

So it was with some delight that I read a piece on Procter & Gamble’s Manila office wherein foot massages are a part of office protocol. Apparently, the new P & G Philippines President, Mr. James “Jim” M. Lafferty, has implemented a new policy which might just revolutionize the concept of worker benefits. Every Tuesday and Thursday, employees and guests who care to may now have free foot massages during meetings at the P & G offices in Ayala Avenue’s 6750 Building.

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As expected, the Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) provided the legal fig leaf for the continued stay of Marine Cpl. Daniel Smith, convicted rapist, in the U.S. Embassy compound while his appeal is pending.

Smith was the subject of a recent diplomatic tug-of-war between Philippine judicial authorities and the U.S. over his detention in a local jail. Bowing to American pressure, he was subsequently handed over to embassy officials by the Arroyo government.

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Done! And the timing was perfect too, just before the new year.

Near midnight Friday, December 29, US Marine Cpl. Daniel Smith, convicted rapist, was spirited out of the Makati City jail and surrendered to the custody of US embassy authorities. It was the start of the new year’s weekend and all interested parties were out partying. The Philippine and US governments, taking advantage of the prevailing holiday mood, made the switch quietly and efficiently. By the time the press and the public learned about it, Smith was safe in the loving embrace of Uncle Sam, at least for the time being.

Nicole, supposed rape victim, was properly outraged, calling President Arroyo a shameless back-stabber for giving in to US demands. Malacanang justified the move as an “executive decision”, thus allowing the Chief Executive to enter into an agreement with the US authorities that Smith be returned to American custody pending appeal of his conviction.

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