Edu Manzano’s Wrong Move

The 2010 Election proved to be a machine of surprises as more and politician and politician wannabes make their tango of political union and divorce. One of the recent surprises is the proclamation of the Filipino veteran actor Edu Manzano as the running mate of the presidential aspirant Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.

It seems that the Lakas – Kampi – CMD is getting desperate to have a vice-presidential candidate before the end of the filing of candidacy for the next election. No popular politician wants to stake their chances with an administration candidate and Gibo, who is not known in the far flung provinces, needed a popular personality who will catapult his ratings. Loren Legarda does not be an administration candidate and teamed up with Manny Villar instead. Vilma Santos and Bong Revilla also shrugged the possibility of being the vice president of Gibo. There are more personalities who are being courted to be Gibo’s partner, but the speculation ended when Edu was announced as Teodoro’s running mate.

President Gloria Arroyo and the men in Malacanang expect that Edu will give the much needed boost in Teodoro’s candidacy. Edu Manzano is a respected actor and does not have too much controversy that may weigh him during the elections. He is also looked upon as an intelligent actor, which contrasts former president Ejercito Estrada’s barumbado and ill-educated personality. This characteristic of Edu Manzano sits well with the image being projected by the handlers of Gilbert Teodoro as a wise and intelligent leader that will ease the country’s problems.

There is something with being the running mate of Gibo that caused the former potential running mates to shun the offer of Gibo’s handler. That something is the political death. Anyone who is seen as joining forces with the candidates of the present administration are viewed as corrupt and the future protector of the evil President Gloria Arroyo. Running as vice-president under Gilbert Teodoro is just the same as political suicide.

Edu Manzano made a wrong decision in that respect. In the past, the public adore him as a talented and respectable actor. Now, he will be as tainted as Gilbert Teodoro and his popularity will not be enough to gloss over the stain of being associated with the present administration.

Edu Manzano should have opted to run for lower electoral post like mayor or governor. In that way, he could learn to run the government. He should have studied Vilma Santos’ political strategies that propelled her into a respectable politician (as perceived by the public).

It is too late for Edu Manzano to turn back now. The best thing that he could do is to make the most out of his candidacy and prove to the people that he will not be infected by the corruption plague that is prevalent with the present administration.

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Metro Manila Traffic Menace

The situation is always the same every night I go home from my office in Binondo, Manila to Commonwealth Avenue area. Heavy traffic starts at Lawton Area, then to Quiapo Church going to Quezon Boulevard underpass. The ordeal does not end there since I still have to undergo the traffic from the whole stretch of Espanya Boulevard and Quezon Avenue until the underpass in front of Hi Top Supermart. The ordeal is the same everyday and it makes me think that the Metro Manila Development Authority and the city governments of Manila and Quezon are not doing their jobs to ease the daily traffic problems on these areas.

My ordeal is just one of the hundreds of ordeals that the Filipino people experience in Metro Manila. Every city had its own traffic problems and every city government seems to be useless when dealing with those problems.

The unbearable traffic in the Metro always gives me this thought that this is the way the government or the society rewards the workers and employees who are working hard in keeping the gears of the economy moving. Imagine the ordeal of the Filipino workers, who are already tired of working eight hours straight, face every single day in being trapped by heavy traffic on their way home. Instead of having an early rest, there they are wasting their time because of the worthless traffic schemes of the government.

Our government should create new schemes in easing traffic in the Metro. The MMDA and the city governments should cooperate with one another so as to create unified and comprehensive traffic solutions. The LTO and the LTFRB should also lend a hand in reducing this problem to bearable levels.

Continue the PUV Reduction

LTFRB’s program of removing old and dilapidated Public Utility Vehicles (PUV) on the streets of Metro Manila should be continued. We already have numerous public buses that are running without any passengers. Bus and jeepney operators usually keep their PUVs as long as it can operate even though they are very old. Stopping the renewal of franchise to these kinds of PUVs will greatly ease the traffic in Metro Manila, simply because the drivers of public transport sector are the most disobedient of all the drivers. Old and dilapidated PUVs also produce large amount of smoke that pollutes our air and have the tendency to have engine failure that usually leads to the blocking of the roads and creating heavier traffic.

MMDA should also continue catching all colorum PUVs. Removing them in our streets will also reduce traffic and increase the profit of legitimate PUV drivers and operators.

Clean and Organize the Sidewalks

Another cause of traffic is the invasion of sidewalks and even the streets by illegal vendors. Because of this, the pedestrians are forced to walk on the streets, hence blocking the steady flow of vehicle traffic. MMDAs street clearing operations must be continued. However, MMDAs work is still inadequate since city governments coddle these vendors and give them a go signal to place their stores there.

A larger problem is the needs of the ambulant, who usually are members of the urban poor that do not have other means of livelihood. The MMDA and the city governments should develop a creative solution to this problem. MMDAs clearing operations will never be enough because these people will always sell on the streets. I propose a solution for this problem in my article Let’s Mind the Vendors.

No matter what the solution is, the government should organize and clean the sidewalks so as to ease the traffic in the Metro.

Innovate Better Solutions

Bayani Fernando’s major solution to traffic is the erection of pink fences and the placing of U-turn slots. However, these things that he cooked up were not all encompassing solutions and caused more harm than good in some parts of the Metro. The Pink fences in Cubao area is ugly to look at and somehow adds up to the traffic woes on that area. The pink fences on other parts of EDSA and Commonwealth Avenue caused many accidents because they are almost invisible during the night. MMDA’s U-turn slots worked well in Commonwealth Avenue but brought heavier traffic in Quezon Avenue.

Pink fences not on appropriate places should be removed because they cause accidents and are just stolen to be sold to junkshops. The elevated U-turn along C-5 at the corner of Kalayaan Avenue is a good innovation in solving some traffic problems. Bayani should keep in mind that not all areas in Metro can have the same traffic solution. I believe that he should remove the U-turn in Quezon Avenue and think of better solution for the traffic there.

Remove all Corrupt Traffic Enforcers

Another problem is the corrupt traffic enforcers of the city governments and the MMDA who tolerate traffic violations in exchange of money. These same traffic enforcers tolerate the ambulant vendors in exchange of tongs or bribes from every ambulant vendor, as the case in Litex area along Commonwealth Avenue.

The ranks of traffic policemen should be cleaned and corrupt traffic enforcers should be replaced by people who are clean and never tolerate traffic violations in their area.
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These are just few of the more solutions to the traffic problems of Metro Manila. There are more solutions out there that are more creative and more comprehensive than the ones outlined here. I just hope that the government and the Filipino people work together to ease our traffic problems. I am very tired of waiting every night to reach my destination just because of traffic.

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Miriam the Foul Mouth

There are many ways to highlight an idea or a point in an argument and an excellent statesman will not have a hard time to express those ideas fluently and without resorting to histrionics. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago once again failed in that respect and let her mouth utter unnecessary bad words within the halls of the Philippine Senate.

The issue on road user’s tax is indeed an issue where many of us will feel anger. The misuse of the Road User’s Tax and the plundering of the motorists money by the Ebdane brothers is another evidence of corruption of the present administration. Everyone have the right to be hate and be angry with corruption. Everyone have the right to demand an explanation on why our roads are dilapidated despite the millions of pesos collected from vehicle owners every year. However, not every one of us has the privilege to say bad words especially our Senators.

I approve of Senator Santiago’s works in exposing the inconsistencies on the use of the Road User’s Tax. The time is right for the corruption within the Road Board to be exposed so that the Filipino people will see how their money is being used. However, I disapprove of her swearing during her privilege speech. As a respected member of the Senate, she must never utter such things in the Senate. Her swearing makes me think that she is resorting to dramatics in her expose so that she will catch the attention of the public. Miriam Santiago went for media mileage instead of going after the truth.

The Ebdane brothers are right, none of them will land in jail because of their plunderers activity. Miriam Santiago’s expose will be just expose within the series of dramatic exposes that were already shown in the Senate. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s foul mouthing is a proof of this.

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Ako Mismo, Ano na Mismo?

I have been thinking, what did happen to the star studded and much talked about social renewal program known as “Ako Mismo?”

What did happen after the launching of their website? All I remember about Ako Mismo is the dog tags that were given away to the public. The dog tags, which are either genuine or imitation, are now just being sold by street vendors all throughout the Metro. As I see it, Ako Mismo failed to captivate the public in changing their ways of life.

Yeah, it is cool to place your pledge on the online wall in the Ako Mismo website. It is cool to wear those dog tags and make yourself think that you are doing something good for the country. It is nice to see Angel Locsin, Chris Tiu, Ely Buendia, and other celebrities making a pledge publicly. What is not cool is the lack of depth of Ako Mismo.

Ako Mismo is just like our politicians, full of sloganeering but lacking a valid platform. This is the reason why the popularity of Ako Mismo died out. If the backers of Ako Mismo crafted better plans and development on the programs then even if the popularity died out, there will be a substantial group of people who will remain with Ako Mismo and make a difference in this country.

The backers of Ako Mismo did not sustain the hype and public’s attention. In the end, Ako Mismo was forgotten by the short memory of the Filipino People like the many issues, scandals, and similar programs that came and went through the years.

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Chiz Escudero’s Chizzy Surprise

Many people were surprised at the sudden announcement of Senator Chiz Escudero that he is leaving the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). The young senator implied that he is leaving the party so as not to be tied up by restrictions imposed by NPC. He also added that his party should only be the ones composed of the Filipino People.

It is a dilemma for a leader with conviction to be a part of a political party that has no clear stand on the issues rocking the country. The NPC is a political party that has “no guts,” so to speak. It is not clear if the NPC is a pro-administration coalition or in the camp of the opposition. Because of this, the NPC can coalesce either with the groups allied with President Arroyo or join the opposition, based on what may become more profitable after the 2010 Presidential Elections.

NPC’s lack of clear stand on the many political issues works well for Danding Cojuangco, NPC’s founder. Danding is both a business tycoon and proprietor of the NPC. This set – up of NPC is a sign that the political party is just a business venture of a single businessman and not a genuine political party that is guided by clear ideologies. It is understandable why NPC chose to be “fence sitter” on political issues. Danding Cojuangco, as a “switik” businessman, is just making sure that he can maximize his profit and influence on the next administration. He does not want to irritate the possible winners of the presidential race and lose his influence on the next president. Business-wise, it is logical to court all presidential aspirants, either in the administration or in the opposition.

If the current set – up works well with Danding, it is not so with Chiz Escudero. His stands on political issues in the country are incompatible with that of Danding’s. NPC is just being a heavy baggage that mars the convictions of the senator. Chiz Escudero, as a leader with guts, experienced dilemma in staying with the gutless political party.

Chiz Escudero’s departure from NPC is admirable. It only means that he can sacrifice many things for the sake of his ideologies. However, we are yet to know his true convictions in the days to come. But, nonetheless, Chiz gets a “thumb’s up” from me.

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A Worthless Profesor

I couldn’t be helped but feel indignant about what I heard about one of my sister’s professor in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). According to her, one of her professor did not want to give them the final exam in his subject because no one passes in his exams. However, he assured his students that they will pass his subject but should not expect a grade higher than point 2 on their class cards. Apparently, he has no valid reasons for his style of grading the students.

What a mockery of the teaching profession! That PUP professor is unprofessional. Not giving a grade above point 2 just because of whim is unreasonable. What if a student really deserves a grade of point 1, will s/he not earn it? The way I see it, that professor is being unreasonable so that he could say that he is an excellent and a terror professor. He is one of those second rate professor who just want to terrorize there students.

There are many things that I am hearing about PUP that I do not like and this is one of those. There is indeed a shortage of lecturers and professors in state colleges and universities, but keeping a professor like him in PUP is not a solution. Professor like him adds to the woes of public education in the Philippines. Instead of imparting their knowledge to the next generation, they are just wasting time by mediocre style of teaching and grading students. The students did not get any useful knowledge from him and the taxpayers’ money was wasted. PUP should clean the ranks of its faculty starting with this professor. Now that the University of the Philippines stop being affordable to the poor yet bright Filipino students, PUP is well positioned for the title of being the genuine people’s university. Mediocre and worthless professor like my sister’s professor should be removed from being a stumbling block for this goal.

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Erap Again in 2010?

Former President Joseph Ejercito “Erap” Estrada just declared that he is joining the 2010 Presidential Elections. Erap teamed up with Makati Mayor and United Opposition chief Jejomar Binay. They did the declaration in Tondo, Manila so that Erap could show that he is one with the masses and still loved by them.

Mel Tiangco interviewed Erap after his declaration and asked why is does he want to come back to Malacanan Palace if he has so many painful memories there? He answered that he is coming back to continue his work for the masses. He even mentioned that nothing was proven for the 6 years of his trial on the case of plunder. Nothing was proven because he is not really a thief and did not steal the people’s money during his stint as president of the Philippines.

Many questions also abounds Erap’s plan to run again for presidency. Is it legal for him to run again despite that fact that he was convicted of plunder and the condition of the pardon granted to him said that he will not run for any political position in the government? Will the Erap magic, which gave him a landslide victory in 1998 Presidential Election, work again in 2010? How will the Dacer – Corbito murder case affect his bid for presidency?

Legality of Erap’s Bid

The decision is now with the supreme justices once someone raises the issue to the Supreme Court. However, prominent lawyers and retired justices said that there is no legal impediment for Erap to run again as president in 2010 Elections. The constitution only said that incumbent president and presidents that finished their six-year term are barred from running in a presidential election. Erap was ousted almost three years to his term. President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo used this interpretation when she ran in the previous presidential election. Thus, there is no reason for this interpretation not to be used on Erap’s bid in 2010.

Erap may only be barred by the condition of the pardon granted by PGMA when he convicted and imprisoned because of his plunder case. The condition of the pardon says that Erap should not run in the elections that will occur after he accepted being pardoned.

Weakened Magic

Erap is hoping that he will win again by the same landslide vote that he received in the past. That is a grim possibility, however, since Erap’s magic had already faded through the years. The people’s fancy with showbiz actors and actresses had already died out and many became cynical in voting for a candidate just because he/she is just an “artista” (showbiz artist). Many artistas turned politicians failed to deliver their promises and they just copied the trapos (traditional politicians) in the end. Popularity of being an artista is not bankable in the 2010 elections.

Another factor for the weakened magic is Erap’s poor performance while he is Malacanan. Many of his escapades and midnight drinking sessions during his stint as president were already made public and placed negative impressions on the middle class people and the segments of the people below the poverty line. His all-out war against all secessionist groups in Mindanao also lessened the support of the Filipino Muslims for him. The fragmentation of the opposition also helped diminished the so-called Erap magic and many of his former supporters had already focused their attention to other opposition candidates like Noynoy, Chiz Escudero, and Manny Villar.

Erap is still popular but his popularity will not transform into votes in the 2010 elections. Erap’s magic is feeble.

What If He Won?

If Erap returned as president in 2010, he must make sure that the vice president is his ally. If not, then he will experience another repeat of what happened to him during EDSA 2. The then Vice President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo was gripped with the desire for power and joined the crowd calling for his ouster.

Erap’s vice president will find plenty of opportunity to oust him since questions of legality of his presidency will hound him for the rest of his term. The Dacer – Corbito murder case can also be used by an enterprising vice president to cause his ouster.

Erap may also fall again because of his own doing because he still not fully capable of leading a nation, much less the Philippines that has many problems. If he continues his old habit of wine, women, and gambling – then he is doomed for another impeachment proceeding.

What He Should Have Done

The opposition is very fragmented and Erap’s declaration made it more fragmented. It would have been better if Erap just worked for the unity of the opposition groups. His declaration only helps PGMA and her cohorts in their plan of using just machinery in the 2010 elections. Erap working in the background could have been better than Erap fighting it head on.
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Information for this article came from GMA Network’s news program “24 Oras” and the Philippine Star.

Remove the Trash, Kill the Rats

After the flood, the plague came to wreak havoc to the people affected by Typhoon Ondoy.  The plague came by the name of leptospirosis.

The back to back attack of the flood and leptospirosis is the end result of the waste mismanagement and blatant throwing of garbage to the streets and waterways. The flood is partly caused by the drainage system rendered useless by garbage. On the other hand, leptospirosis is caused by rats that live on garbage. According to doctors and epidemiologists, leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that comes from the urine of animals like rats. Human contracted this disease by drinking and absorbing leptospirosis infected water through cuts and wounds.

As of yesterday’s news, about 89 had already perished due to leptospirosis and more than 1,000 people became infected of the bacteria. Most of the people who contracted the bacterial infection came from flood affected areas in Metro Manila and CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon provinces). Public hospitals already had their hands full in treating the victims of leptospirosis. Even the private hospitals, spearheaded by the Private Hospital Association of the Philippines (PHAP) offered their facilities to avert further deaths. More leptospirosis cases are expected from flooded areas in Northern Luzon.

The sudden rise of leptospirosis cases and deaths only points to one thing and that is our continued wasteful lifestyle. The magnitude of the flood and leptospirosis would not have been profound if we implemented a zero waste lifestyle. The reduction of waste generated from the homes, commercial, and industrial will be translated to the reduction of flood and the reduction of the proliferation of rats and other pesky rodents in our neighborhood.

The rats in Metro Manila are larger than the regular field rats in the provinces. Some even say that the rats in Metro Manila are larger than cats and the feline creatures are afraid to hunt these vicious pests. These pesky rodents are usually seen plying on sewers and esteros and a whole colony of them live amongst the informal settlers that do not have proper waste collection schemes. Thus, it is not surprising if the Metro Manilans are experiencing the onslaught brought about by leptospirosis.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the public hospitals are working overtime to arrest the leptospirosis epidemic. However, their works are not enough and will not avert the future leptospirosis epidemics. The government and various sectors are now working to prevent the disasters that befell the country from ever happening again, I do hope that their plans also contains plans that will avert widespread epidemics caused by garbage like the leptospirosis.

The onslaught of leptospirosis only signifies that now is the time to initiate the zero-waste lifestyle in our country. Ondoy’s fury brought not only the garbage back to our homes but also shared to us, humans, the illness that Mother Nature is experiencing because of our wasteful lives. Let us reduce waste and make this country clean and green again.

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Some information on this blog post was obtained from GMA Network’s news program “24 Oras” and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Related Article:

Awareness for Leptospirosis – After Ondoy and Pepeng in SilkenHut’s World.

Filipina: Cleaning Woman

I heard yesterday morning from a morning TV show that the Italians just added the word Filipina to their vocabulary. For the Italians, the meaning (or connotation) of Filipina is “cleaning woman” that is the woman who is hired to tend and clean the house.

I know that many Filipinos here and abroad who will be rabid again and will rant against the Italians. It is not farfetched to think that there will be bloggers out there calling for the boycott of Italian goods as long as they keep the Filipina to mean as “cleaning woman.” Based on the reactions on the events like these, many people will bring exaggerated emotions and comments just to show how nationalistic they are, which contrarily shows how “pikon” and narrow-minded many of us are.

Degenerating the meaning of the word Filipina to a mere cleaning woman is disheartening to us, Filipino people. The Filipina, the women we love and respect were given this bad image. It is especially sad for us that our mothers, sisters, and wives were collectively lumped into one category: the cleaning woman.

However, this should not warrant us to react foolishly; rather this is the opportunity for all of us to show the world that the Filipina is much more than just a cleaning woman. We could not force our ideal perception of the Filipina to the international community, as long as we are not doing our best to create a society that truly respects and loves them.

As long as we have a country that forces our mothers and sisters to go to other countries to become an OFW, we will always receive tarnished images such as the one given by the Italians, just recently.

So instead of just ranting, I do hope that the Italians’ new vocabulary will inspire us to make this nation a better place so that the Filipina does not have to go abroad and work as a cleaning woman.

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Lessons from Typhoon Ondoy

Just weeks after typhoon Ondoy visited the country, many of the Metro Manila folks are back to their old habit, which is the blatant disregard of the proper disposal of garbage. Citizens of Metro Manila are back at placing their garbage anywhere. A good example is the whole length of Commonwealth Avenue. People living around this thoroughfare, as well as the illegal street vendors, continue heaping their garbage on the avenue. Heaps of garbage can be found at Litex Area, around Manggahan Area (infront of Commonwealth High School), and Luzon Area (near the Tandang Sora flyover). The situation is could also be found in many parts of Metro Manila and it is not farfetched to say that the people of Metro Manila still learned the lesson brought by Ondoy.

The continued improper disposal of garbage is just one of the many instances that show that the tragedy brought about by Ondoy will be repeated. The unwanted habit shows that we are not yet ready to give up the old ways and develop new ones that will enable us to be safe from future calamities. In normal times, the Filipino forgets the Bayanihan spirit and reverts back to the “Kanya kanya” mentality of factionalism and selfishness.

A Change of Lifestyle

The tragedy brought about by Ondoy was aggravated by current lifestyle of the Filipino people. Our society espouses a wasteful system in the name of mass consumption and profit. The garbage returned to us by the flood only reminds us how wasteful our society is. Our society does not promote environmentally friendly lifestyle, but promotes a system that produces garbage at rate that will fill our landfills in short span of time.

The media, the government, and the private sector should join forces in changing the Filipino mindset. We Filipinos should realize that it is our fault that tragedies like Ondoy happen in our country. Because of our apathy, we neglect our environment and elect people that inefficient in protecting the public from calamity.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Ondoy fulfilled our saying: “Basura mo babalik sa iyo” (Your trash will return to you). The flood dumped our garbage back to our communities. It as if Mother Nature is telling us to that she already had enough of our trash.

Because of this, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the local government units are hard pressed in removing all the garbage in communities and commercial areas. In few weeks time, MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando and his crew will be done in making our homes garbage free. However, the question is what will happen if another Ondoy visit us and return our trash to us again? Is removing garbage from our homes enough to avert this tragedy? The answer is a resounding “NO!”

Now is the time to consider that we have limited space that could be used as landfills for our garbage. Metro Manilans should think that the people in the provinces hate accepting their waste. Now is the time to start practicing the mantra of “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.” To minimize the amount of garbage in the Metro, we should REDUCE that garbage being produced in our homes and offices. This entails a change in lifestyle that fosters “waste-less” living. We should also REUSE things that are could still be used instead of sending them to the trash. Unwanted books can be donated to public schools, old clothes could be sent to orphanages, etc. We should also RECYCLE our trash that could not be reused. Thus, instead of sending paper, bottles, and plastics to the landfill, it is much better to recycle those things into other useful things.

An Efficient and Accountable Government

Another lesson left to us by Ondoy is for us to demand a government that is efficient to answer our needs. The performance of NDCC shows us that the government is neglecting the safety of the public. Now is the time for us to demand the things that are due to us.

What we need is a government that is always ready in time of calamities. Ondoy is telling us that we should demand more things from present administration and the members of the Senate and Congress. We are paying taxes, yet they do not have the funds in times of great need.

Expect the Unexpected, Prepare for the Worst

Typhoon Ondoy became deadly because many people were unprepared during his onslaught. Ondoy is teaching us to be always ready for the possible calamities that will strike us. Thus, we should prepare ourselves for the worst things that can happen. We should prepare ourselves from flooding, earthquakes, and typhoons. We should always have a kit that contains medicine, canned food, flashlights, transistor radio and other important things.

Truthfully, Ondoy is pale in comparison to other calamities that may have strike us during that time. What if an earthquake occurred instead of Ondoy? That is a possibility that will cause greater damage than a typhoon. Thus, we should always prepare for calamities. Let us stop thinking that the government or other people will be there to save us.

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