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Month: June 2010

Happy Father’s day!

I first saw this moving video in Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV Facebook. It’s titled “What is that?” It has been viewed over 2 million times.

Ang pangmatagalan na salot ng raket nina Mary Ann Maslog sa textbooks

Nagkataon naman na school opening ngayon dito sa Pilipinas at nahuli itong si Mary Ann Maslog na nasangkot noon sa anomalya sa textbooks sa public schools.

Tamang-tamang paala-ala sa taumbayan ang malaking perwisyo ng kurakukutan sa textbook sa edukasyon ng mga Pilipinong mag-aaral at sa hinaharap ng bansa.

Ni-report ng VERA Files noong Biyernes na nahuli na si Maslog, na ngayon ay Mary Ann Smith sa Seattle. Bago nun, noong Miyerkoles, ni-report ng VERA Files na wanted si Mary Ann sa Amerika at dito sa Pilipinas sa dami nyang kaso ng panloloko.

Vera Files wins Rotary Club of Manila award for New Media

An inspiration for VERA Files
An inspiration for VERA Files
The Rotary Club of Manila yesterday awarded VERA Files a special citation for outstanding reporting under the New Media category.

“For its exhaustive investigative reports on the Assets and Liabilities of government officials, particularly of the President and the First Gentleman, highlighting the people’s right to information,” the citation read.

This is the first time that the 91-year old organization has included New media in its annual journalism awards.

RCM also gave two other special citation: a book award for Maritess Vitug for her book, “Shadow of Doubt, probing the Supreme Court”, and Mindanao Gold Daily for the regional newspaper award.

It’s the second award received by VERA Files, which started in March 2008. The first was the 2009 Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) for its investigative report “Quedancor swine program another fertilizer scam” written by Yvonne Chua and Luz Rimban, and contributor Diosa Labiste, who won top prize (Award of Distinction) and a Marshall McLuhan fellowship.

The winners for 2010 RCM Institutional Journalism awards:

*Philippine Daily Inquirer, newspaper of the year
*DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, radio station of the year

Noynoy vows review of Magdalo soldiers’ cases

by Kris Bayos
Manila Bulletin

Although President-elect Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III believes that detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the other Magdalo soldiers involved in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege are not guilty of coup d’etat and rebellion, he cannot promise them executive clemency.

A known sympathizer of Trillanes and ally of Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Aquino said he will respect the proceedings against the Magdalo soldiers at the Makati Regional Trial Court.

“The court is a co-equal branch of the executive. As such, mere executive action is not enough to solve the case. There is a process that has to be undergone, which we should respect,” he said in reaction to the suggestion of Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel for the next administration to intervene in the Magdalo soldiers’ cases.

The foreign secretary’s bloopers

These past years while Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, the career foreign service officers kept quiet about his boo-boos because one can’t separate him from the department and from the government. His embarrassing foul-ups were also their embarrassment.

In regional meeting, reporters covering the events wondered why the Philippines is represented by senior officials in morning ministerial meetings. It’s basic courtesy to other ministers that a country sends someone of the same rank in those meetings. But Romulo, even if he is in that event, wakes up late in the morning, he skips morning meetings.

A DFA source also said that the Philippines conducts few side bilateral meetings during Asean and APEC meetings because Romulo does not make himself available. “No foreign minister would agree to have a bilateral with a Philippine senior official,” said a foreign official, who asked not to be named for obvious reason. But for those trips, Romulo collects expensive per diem.

Tonyboy C. gave P100M to Aquino campaign

by Gerard Naval
Malaya

Former telecommunication mogul Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco was the biggest contributor to the candidacy of his nephew, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, with a donation of P100 million.

Cojuangco, a cousin of Aquino’s mother the late President Corazon Aquino, was president of Philippine Long Distance Co. before he sold the family holdings to the First Pacific Group represented by Manny Pangilinan.

He was also president and chief executive officer ABC-5/TV5 before it was recently bought also by Pangilinan.

President-elect Aquino listed 96 people who gave cash donations ranging from P50,000 to P100 million.

Natablan na rin

Mabuti naman at nagresign raw si Efraim Genuino bilang chairman ng Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation o PAGCOR na magiging epektibo sa Hunyo 30.

Natablan na rin.

Nagulat ang sambayanang Pilipino ng madiskubre pagkatapos ng eleksyun na itinalaga pala ni Gloria Arroyo si Genuino noong Marso 9 na
chairman hanggang 2011 kasama ang apat pa na miyembro ng board.

Marami ang naniniwala na lampas ng Marso 10 ang pagtalaga kina Genuino ngunit pineke lang ang petsa ng appointment para maka-iwas sa pagbabawal ng batas.