November 2006 – Page 5 – ellen tordesillas

Survival at all cost

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2006

The resignation of Defense Secretary Avelino “Nonong” Cruz Jr. signals a situation more destructive and dangerous than the bickerings over the People’s Initiative that was junked by the Supreme Court as fraudulent.

Reliable sources said Cruz felt he was losing control over the armed forces to members of the cabinet who want to use the military for the Arroyo administration to survive at all cost.

Cruz is aware of the strong sentiments among military officers about being used in the cheating operations as what happened in the 2004 elections and he feels “he could no longer guarantee to officers that the military will be insulated” from electoral fraud that Malacañang operators would be perpetrating in the 2007 elections.

P500M ‘Bolantic’ caper caused PNOC chief to quit

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2006

From Malaya:

BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR

EDUARDO Mañalac yesterday said he resigned as president of the Philippine National Oil Co. because he feared he would be turned by the Palace into a Jocelyn “Joc Joc” Bolante for the May mid-term elections.

Bolante, former agriculture undersecretary, was tagged by a Senate investigation as the architect of the diversion of P728 million for fertilizers to the campaign chest of President Arroyo last 2004. He is detained in a Wisconsin detention facility over problems with his US visa.

Mañalac, in a radio interview, said he was pressured by Planning Secretary Romulo Neri to come up with P500 million to finance a nationwide program to plant jatropha, a shrub whose fruits yield a substitute for diesel.

Cruz feared use of AFP in poll fraud

Published by Ellen on November 6, 2006

Why Nonong Cruz resigned, according to Malaya:

BY VICTOR REYES AND DENNIS GADIL

DEFENSE Secretary Avelino “Nonong” Cruz decided to resign because he could “no longer guarantee” that the military would not be used to cheat in the mid-term elections in May, a defense official said yesterday.

The official said Cruz planned to tender his resignation in December, but the Supreme Court junking of the people’s initiative to amend the 1987 forced his hand.

Cruz handed over his resignation paper, which takes effect Nov. 30, to Arroyo on Sunday. He did not say why he was tendering his irrevocable resignation.

More equal than others

Published by Ellen on November 5, 2006

The incident between Luli Arroyo and Immigration officer Edgardo Padlan underscored the accepted reality in this world that men and women may be born equal but there are those who are more equal than others.

At Bank of the Philippine Islands and its sister-banks, BPI Family Banks, they have a special lane for “Preferred Clients”. One time, at the BPI Family Alabang-Zapote branch, the line at the counter for ordinary clients was very long. One depositor transferred to the shorter line of “Preferred Clients”.

As expected, he was told to go back to where he belonged. He didn’t take it kindly and berated the teller for discriminating against small depositors.

Nonong Cruz resigns

Published by Ellen on November 5, 2006

Breaking news:

Defense Secretary Avelino “Nonong” Cruz, Jr. tendered his “irrevocable” resignation today effective Nov. 30, 2006.

His two- sentence resignation letter:

“I hereby tender my irrevocable resignation effective Nov. 30, 2006.

“Thank you for the opportunity to be of service to the nation.”

Cruz personally handed his resignation letter to Arroyo in a one-on-one meeting with her this morning.

Mahilig sumingit

Published by Ellen on November 4, 2006

Siguro matagal na dito sa Pilipinas ‘yung Koreano na sumingit sa pila sa immigration sa NAIA na ikinagalit ni Luli Arroyo.

(Ang paliwanag ni Edgar Padlan, mahuhuli na sa kanyang flight ang Koreano at may policy yata sila na sa mga ganyang sitwasyon, uunahin ang namimiligro maiwan ng flight. )

Uso kasi ang singitan dito sa Pilipinas. Hindi marunong sumunod ang Pilipino sa pila.

Arroyo government’s new business: Filipino kidneys for sale

Published by Ellen on November 4, 2006

A non-government health organization slams the Arroyo government for making sale of kidneys part of a government program to promote medical tourism.The Health Alliance for Democracy, the national organization of doctors and allied health professionals, workers, and students, is disturbed by pronouncements by Health Undersecretary Jade Del Mundo that “the cost of a kidney should be from P150,000 to at least P200,000”.

Del Mundo heads Medical Tourism, the new program of the Arroyo government.

Miriam as SC chief?

Published by Ellen on November 3, 2006

Sen. Miriam Santiago is among those being considered for the position of Supreme Court chief justive which will be vacated when Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban retires on Dec. 7, 2006.

Senate Majority Floorleader Francis Pangilinan, ex-oficio member of the Judicial Bar Council (JBC) confirmed the inclusion of the name of Santiago, known as an ally of Gloria Arroyo. She was nominated by the Young Lawyers Association of the Philippines. Others in the list are Supreme Court justices Reynato Puno, Leonardo Quisumbing, Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, and Antonio Carpio.

Santiago has not been shy about her interest for the position of Supreme Court justice. Last year, she threatened to cut the budget of the JBC, which screens nominees for the Supreme Court, when the body refused to extend its deadline to accommodate her late nomination.

Canada to launch “GREAT” Women

Published by Ellen on November 2, 2006

Filipino women may soon find themselves more economically-stable as the Canadian government, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has committed to provide more than PhP 315 million in grant support to the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) for a project that will contribute to women’s economic empowerment.

The 5-year Gender Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women) project will start this month and run until 2011. The project aims to support and promote the economic well-being of women, by having several government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and others, review their policies and guidelines that will create a more accessible and friendlier business environment for women.

There will also be partnerships among local government units, civil society, and the private sector, on how to enhance women’s participation in micro-enterprises in pump-priming the local economy.

How Mike Arroyo treats guest journalists

Published by Ellen on November 2, 2006

(The following column by Federico D. Pascual Jr. appeared in Philippine Star today.)

Mike’s throwing weight around hurts President

HONG KONG (Via PLDT) – Do not let the dateline fool you. Yes, I am in the former British colony all right, but only at the airport tarmac unable to set foot literally on this special administrative region of China.

The “Via PLDT” means I have been using PLDT facilities. Its WeRoam wireless card in my laptop enables me to send-receive email, surf the net, update my ManilaMail website, and do other communication tricks, from any point in the world reached by radio signals of Smart and its co-operators.

Seated on this Philippine Airlines Airbus 330, I am tapping away at my IBM laptop-tablet as Chinese workers clean and resupply this erstwhile presidential plane coded PR 001.

Month: November 2006