SIX MONTHS INTO EARLY RETIREMENT, I am back in California state service as a “retarded” annuitant or retired “irritant,” take your pick–to work on a project for Arnold’s army.

This gig through June is with Mr. Schwarzenneger’s energy advisers. My Job is to help make his energy policies crystal clear to the electorate, I mean the people. After a bruising first term, Conan the Republican has announced he’ll run again for governor of the Golden State.

Mother nature has been fickle here for late. The calendar says winter, but the weather’s been spring-like, confusing the flowers to bloom ahead of time.

Anyway, kababayans hungry for news from home come up to me in parks, at the bus stop, in restaurants, etc. The hottest item on their plate is, you’ll never guess it–Manny Pacquiao and his expanding posse of admirers.

The one member of Manny’s planet who seems to cause all the curiosity is someone named Joe Ramos.

Mr. Ramos does not cook Manny’s meals, clean his plate, drive his car or make his bed when the Pacman arrives in Los Angeles.

According to news reports and column items, he is supposed to be the Filipino champion’s interpreter. As Pacquiao’s purse has expanded of late, so ha Joe’s clout in Manny’s camp.

On payday after his triumph over Erik Morales in their encore fight, Pacquiao rewarded Joe with a kingly sum of $50,000.

Such a windfall makes Joe one of, if not the highest paid interpreters on the planet.

The American Interpreters Association estimates there are 12,000 to 15,000 interpreters and translators in the United States. Many of them earn $30,000 to $60,000 annually–making Joe’s one-time paycheck something to shoot for in their lifetime.

But the sporting world knows that Manny has been freelancing, been doing his own interpreting. He has taken excessive lilberties with the King’s language of late.

Meantime, where has Joe been, sleeping on post, or doing other chores?

I can almost hear, an editor friend should he get the chance to confront Mr. Ramos.

The friend’s query would be short and sweet: “Joe,ano ba talaga ang agimat mo?” (Joe, what sort of talisman have you got?)

Well we would rather leave the Ramos followup to other interested parties, gossips columnists included.

Sports Note: Is it really necessary to impose the WBC international superfeatherweight title on a bankable fighter like Pacquiao? Is he aware that each time he comes out to box sporting that belt, the WBC deducts a substantive sum as sanction fee? A friend in the know says this is one of the greatest perfidies since the sale of the Brooklyn Bridge more than once by con artists in various eras.