Hail the truly triumphant in war and peace

The call of the moment is for renewal, to move on and forgive, refuse to be vindictive, don’t be buried in bitterness, doubts and assorted intrigues.

The victory of Iraqi forces over IS jihadists in Mosul calls for a great celebration, not only for Iraq and the US, but for the whole world that has never ceased to pray and fight for peace. It was a victory over brutality, terrorism and darkness.

Out in Brisbane, Jeff Horn, whose capture of the WBO world welterweight championship was a big subject of controversy, has called for calm. His family has been subjected to vicious attacks on social media, but he refused to hit back. He has instead gone out of his way to pay due respect to Manny Pacquiao, the well-loved fighting senator whose crown Horn took away in a bloody and brutal combat in Brisbane on July 2.

“It was an absolute honor fighting a legend. You have my ultimate respect,” Horn wrote in his social media account.

This sparkling move, like it or not, should be counted as a clear triumphant shot, scored well ahead of yesterday’s announcement by the WBO that the five independent judges who were tasked to re-score the Battle of Brisbane have confirmed Horn’s victory.

It’s the season for forgiveness, and my dear friend, the vivacious international concert pianist Leonor Kilayko of Bacolod, has shrugged off assorted intrigues. She instead responded with love and kindness. She’s staging 2017 Piano Contest Leonor Kilayko, Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, at Abelardo Hall Auditorium and Minihall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

Madam Leonor says the event will be an occasion “to achieve excellence in performance, discover the best and support their artistic development.”

To be held in cooperation with Keyboard of the UP College of Music and Steinway Boutique Manila, the competition is open to pianists of all nationalities aged 18 to 25. E-mail: [email protected].

It could take forever to beat monster pollution in the metropolis. But out in Mandaluyong, educator Dondon Castillo, head of the city’s Anti Smoke Belching Unit (ASBU), takes great pride in a glowing commendation from Mayor Menchie Abalos, herself a deserving recipient of various awards and commendations for her energetic and effective concerned leadership.

Castillo has been singled out for upgrade of service beyond the expected. Other than the apprehension of violators, he has been proactively going to different barangays to disseminate educational information about the harmful effects of air pollution.

Castillo said: “Taxpayers expect highly from us, public servants, thus we must value their trust by being always courteous honest, competent and respectable.”