On February 15, 2006, at precisely 1845hrs,+8 GMT, my celphone rings. And lo and behold, who might it be? Why it's former Manila Councilor, Kim Atienza, dropping a line to clarify the issues surrounding last week's post, SURREAL IN THE CITY. My, my. Word really gets around quickly in the blogosphere. And my suspicions were confirmed. Apparently, the organizers of the MOSCHINO event at Plaza Sulayman put the image of his face on the poster without his knowledge, which is why they were removed just a few days later. Rats. I was hoping for something more salacious. Actually, the rest of the phone call went on rather uneventfully, it was only talk of TV stations and our recollections of the old Blue Cafe in Malate. But when the topic turned to the political implications of having ones face slathered on posters everywere, things got a little juicier. So, you heard it here and you heard it fresh. Kim said he is NOT running for public office. The actual quote: "I am not running for public office." Not in the next elections. Not ever. So he says. He said that he would rather continue his animal advocacy on television and get back to his artsy roots. Actual quote: "I want to continue my animal show on television and get back to my artist roots." Hmmm. To this I say "good for you, dude." and I intend to see him keep his word. Because in fairness, the man does talk intelligently about animals and this country could stand to have someone out there talk about wildlife and the humane treatment of domestic pets on a national level. And at the end of the day, when it comes to animals, I too would prefer the reticulated ones in the grass compared to the political ones in City Hall.Animalandia, 6am, Magandang Umaga Bayan, ABS-CBN
