June 2009 – ellen tordesillas

Convergence of anti-Con Ass voices

Published by Ellen on June 30, 2009

1) Bibeth Orteza and daughter,Sara 2) Harry Roque and his Constitutionbal Law students (UP) 3. UP Law student Michelle Chua-Puyo takes a stand against Con-Ass with her baby in her womb .

1) Manileño contingent 2) Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila against Con-Ass 3) Among those leading the march: Mayor Fred Lim, PLM President Adel Tamano, Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, Kabataan Party Rep. Mon Palatino.

1) Protest march became a torch parade when darkness started to set in 2) This young boy asked me to take his picture 3) Precy Lopez-Psinakis, Gina de Venecia, Harry Roque and other members of the Concerned Citizens Movement

Cha-Cha protesters start countdown

by JP Lopez
Malaya

STUDENTS and young professionals led by the Movement of the Youth for Empowerment, Reform, Advocacy and Progress (myERAP), a group aligned with President Joseph Estrada, yesterday served a symbolic “notice of eviction” to President Arroyo near Malacañang.

Ma-Honduras kaya tayo?

Published by Ellen on June 29, 2009

Kung nabasa ni Gloria Arroyo ang nangyari sa Honduras kahapon, dapat manginig siya sa takot. Dapat rin simulan na niya ang pag-empake at kung malasin siya baka hindi na siya umabot sa Hunyo 2010.

Sa balita kahapon na ang presidente ng Honduras na si Manuel Zelaya ay pinatalsik sa isang military coup. Dinala daw ng eroplano ng military sa bayan ng Costa Rica si Zelaya.

Matatapos na raw ang termino ni Zelaya at ayon sa kanilang Constitution, hindi na siya pwedeng tumakbo. Pinipilit niyang palitan ang Constitution at marami ang pumapalag kasama na ang military.

Army ousts Honduras president in vote dispute

Published by Ellen on June 28, 2009

This should send shivers down Gloria Arroyo’s spine.

by Mica Rosenberg Mica Rosenberg

Tegucigalpa (Reuters) – The Honduran army ousted President Manuel Zelaya and threw him out of the country on Sunday in Central America’s first military coup since the Cold War, after he upset the army by trying to win re-election.

U.S. President Barack Obama expressed deep concern after troops came for Zelaya, an ally of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, at dawn and took him away from his residence.

A military plane flew Zelaya to Costa Rica and CNN’s Spanish-language channel said he had asked for asylum there.

Writing songs with my friend Michael

Published by Ellen on June 28, 2009

This, so far, is the best tribute I’ve read about Michael Jackson. It appeared in The Huffington Post .

by Gotham Chopra

When I was in my second year of college living on campus (at Columbia in NYC) with 4 suite mates, every time the phone rang, there was a race to answer it. Everyone wanted to be the guy to hear the “hello” on the other side just in case it was my friend Michael Jackson calling.

Most of those days, Michael was holed up on top of the Four Seasons, roughly 60 blocks away from where I lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan just near Harlem. I’d happily drift downtown, gain clearance from security downstairs who knew I was allowed free access to Michael’s suite, take the elevator all the way up and start ordering room service and watch movies on Mike’s tab.

Eventually, Michael and I would get down to work. He was working on a new album and asked me to help him write lyrics for songs. It was an informal relationship – I’d wander downtown with a backpack full of dictionaries, and thesauri, and rhyming books. Michael would hum songs and talk about what he wanted to say with the song and we’d try and marry our skillsets and come up with something. We came up with great stuff. Michael swore me to secrecy those days. I happily complied.

Good news, sad news

Published by Ellen on June 28, 2009

Even as we applauded this year’s awardees of the Jaime V. Ongpin Excellence in Journalism , we were dismayed to hear that this may be the last awards for investigative and explanatory reports.

But we are glad to know that the Canadian government will continue with its Marshall McLuhan fellowship that is usually given to the top prize winner.

Founded in memory of Canadian media guru, Marshall Mc Luhan (“The medium is the message” and “The global village”) the fellowship sends the journalist on a two-week speaking tour of Canada and arranges speaking engagements in the Philippines.

Sana

Published by Ellen on June 27, 2009

Sa Martes, magkakaroon ng martsang protesta kontra Con-Ass sa Manila.

Sa halip na matagalang rally sa isang lugar, martsa naman ang gagawin ng mga lumalaban sa balak ni Arroyo na pagpalawig ng kanyang panatili sa kapangyarihan sa pamamagitan ng illegal na Constituent Assembly.

Ang martsa ay manggagaling sa dalawang parte ng Metro Manila alas-kuatro ng hapon. Mayroong magsisimula sa Quezon City welcome Rotonda and meron din na manggagaling sa Vito Cruz, Manila. Magkikita-kita sa Liwasang Bonifacio mga alas-sais ng hapon. Magkakaroon ng maigsing konsyerto ng mga makabayang awitin.

Watching Iran sizzle

Published by Ellen on June 25, 2009

I’m observing the protests in Iran in awe and with envy.

The protests that have shaken Iran’s theocratic government stemmed from accusations that the June 12 election was a result of “massive and systematic fraud” perpetrated by the winning re-electionist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A government council tasked to investigate the complaints admitted that in some 50 constituencies there were more votes cast than there were registered voters.

The government has clamped down on street and internet protests. The two-week unrest has injured hundreds of people tear -gassed and pummeled by policemen.

VERA Files win top prize in 2009 JVO Awards

Published by Ellen on June 25, 2009

]

Caption: PCIJ’s Roel Landingin and VERA Files Diosa Labiste, winners of the 2009 JVO excellence in investigative reporting ward.

VERA Files trustees Yvonne Chua and Luz Rimban, and contributor Diosa Labiste won top prize (Award of Distinction) at the 2009 Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) for their investigative report “Quedancor swine program another fertilizer scam.”

Roel Landingin of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism won the other Award of Distinction for his series “Aid inflow sparks scandals for GMA.”

Labiste, a community journalist based in Iloilo City, was also named Marshall McLuhan Awardee at ceremonies held at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City. Labiste is the first community journalist to be named McLuhan Fellow since the awards were given out in 1995.

Kahit pumalya ang eleksyon, hindi pa rin pwede si GMA

Published by Ellen on June 24, 2009

Kahit anong emrgency na sitwasyon ang mangyari, bumaha man o kung ano man, hindi pwedeng hindi bababa si Gloria Arroyo sa Malacañang paglampas ng 12 ng hapon ng Hunyo 30, 2010, sabi ng eksperto sa Constitution na si Edwin Lacierda.

“Come hell or high water, Gloria arroyo cannot be caretaker president when her term ends noon of June 30, 2010,” sabi ni Lacierda sa programang “Strictly Politics” ni Pia Hontiveros sa ANC kung saan pinag-usapan ang kinatatakutan na failure of elections sa May 10, 2010.

Dati kasi pinapalutang ni National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales ang ideya na “caretaker” president daw si Arroyo hanggang magkaroon ng bagong president? Hindi na nakuntento sa siyam na taon sa Malacañang, ang pinakamahaba na pag-upo ng isang presidente na hindi naman binoto ng taumbayan (maliban kay Ferdinand Marcos).

Are the congressmen getting the message?

Published by Ellen on June 24, 2009

In the wake of the death of an employee of the House of Representatives who had AH1N1, Dennis Garcia posted this on his Facebook wall:

Inquirer’s headline also delivers a wallop: Swine flu grips House of pork

Flu closes House for the week; 1st RP fatality worked as committee staffer
Malaya

Month: June 2009