THE one good thing about the Arroyo administration is its penchant for prolonged holidays and extended weekends. No other president has declared so many vacations, and even changed previously proclaimed public holidays to other dates, just to make this possible. And why are we saying that this is good? This is so because a week's holiday each year can dramatically reduce stress and the risk of heart attacks. A vacation, according to surveys, not of the SWS, is good for body and soul.

On the other hand, what's bad for the present dispensation is the unabated and unsolved murder of activists and militants, and journalists as well. The Melo commission tasked to investigate these despicable human rights violations, appears to be going nowhere. Until and unless some light is shed on these extra-judicial killings, the administration is always held suspect. What about the ugly? Well, one can easily find them in the numerous diggings made by the contractor undertaking the concreting of city streets. Some of these diggings are filled with murky and foul-smelling water. And the worst part of it is that the contractor keeps on digging canals rather than finishing first and filling up these gigantic holes.

We are even informed that there have been instances of commuters and motorists falling into these holes. Whatever happened to them, we don't know. But what we do know is that there must be an end to this ugliness soon enough, so that everyone can heave a sigh of relief. By the way, one more good thing before we go. Bohol is now second to Boracay as a tourist destination. It seems that we have overtaken Cebu . All the more important to wipe out the ugliness in our midst. Gospel quote: “Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave Matthew 20:27 .