Meet Your Candidates (Friends) : Ronnie Puno's V.I.P.

Upon his recent return from a trip to the United States which was the subject of much media speculation, Interior Secretary Ronaldo V. Puno moved quickly to quash rumors there was a sinister purpose behind his purported visit to join the wedding of his youngest daughter.

Puno said he had to take a two-hour drive to West Virginia to visit a VIP, who turned out to be a Very Important Puppy—a chocolate brown Labrador he named Magnus Portis (named after the running back of the Washington Redskins).

West Virginia is one of the few places where one can find chocolate Labradors. Labradors are usually black or yellow in color. Fortis is a very rare chocolate brown Labrador, whom he hand carried from West Virginia to San Francisco.

Labradors are known to be intelligent, obedient, energetic, and extremely loyal. It is the most popular breed of dog in the world. It is no wonder why so many people love to have a Labrador dog for their family.

Puno loves dogs, and if the studies are proven right, the dogs he own very much resemble his own personality.

In an online questionnaire, Prof Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire, asked almost 2,500 people about their characters and those of their pets. He found that dog owners share traits such as happiness, intelligence, independence and a sense of humor with their pets.

Most dog owners are cheerful and playful because dogs, as a whole, are mostly happy and playful. There are a few exceptions, but there was still a correlation between the dog owner´s and their dog´s personalities.

We basically choose a breed of dog that represents and complements our personalities. Owners also pick out dogs that fit the family dynamics. As humans, we are naturally attracted to people and animals that are similar to ourselves. Humans gravitate toward the familiar. It is only natural then to pick out a dog that is similar to us and will fit well in the family structure.

Puno´s friends say this is why he was able to serve three presidents so effectively and continues to enjoy good relations with each of them even if the three – Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Joseph Estrada and Gloria Arroyo – aren´t exactly the best of friends.

As Puno noted in an article published in a leading daily broadsheet, he has been loyal to only one president at a time – and hence could not be considered a balimbing.

In the event that he becomes vice president next year, Puno´s loyalty (a trait sadly lacking in a country which had to invent a word to describe turncoatism) should be a plus factor that would serve well whoever is elected President in the 2010 elections.

Like his Labrador, Ronnie is intelligent and is regarded as the best political strategist in the country, having successfully managed the campaigns to put the country´s last three elected presidents in Malacañang—FVR in 1992, Erap in 1998 and GMA in 2004. This is thus another trait that Ronnie shares with Labradors—and which will be of great help to the country´s next President, whoever he or she will be.

More of Magnus Fortis from YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSRRMt5zRE

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