…to offer sympathy, prayers, and support to the victims of the recent explosion at Glorietta 2. But first:

• A big F.U. to the perpetrators! Things like the Rizal Day bombings, the firebombing of SuperFerry 14, and the Valentine’s Day bombings cannot bring a nation down.

• Another F.U. to the bloggers and “pundits” who are invoking callous accusations of Wag the Dog against the administration. (I don’t like GMA and have never voted for her, but conspiracy theories do no good at all.)

• A big frown to all those blowing this thing out of proportion. It is a tragic incident, but don’t pander to the fear that this will deal a blow to the economy or erase the gains the Filipinos have achieved (despite the bungling of the administration and the opposition). Filipinos (in spite of our failings) are a great people and are survivors. We go through typhoons, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, bombings, coup d’états, and presidential scandals almost as if it’s a fact of life. We’ll weather this. Just live your life as before and strive for the best!

And now let’s go back to that silence.