By Ellen Tordesillas
Photos and video by MARIO IGNACIO
People go to the gym for a variety of reasons.
One overweight male journalist thought it was the best place to ogle at shapely beauties. He later realized, as he was sweating and panting, that there are less strenuous ways to indulge in girl-watching.
Vanessa Agdon, a group exercise instructor at Fitness First Southmall and Alabang, said you get most of your efforts in a gym than when you do it on your own without the guidance of experts.
A friend who listened to President Aquino’s speech at the 114th Philippine Independence Day celebration at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan yesterday called me up confused about a historical event he cited.
The President started his speech recalling last year’s Independence Day celebration in Kawit, Cavite:
“Noon pong nakaraang taon, nagtipon tayo sa Kawit, Cavite, sa balkonahe ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo kung saan unang iwinagayway ang ating bandila. Doon, unang kumumpas ang martsang Lupang Hinirang, sabay sa pintig ng puso ng mga rebolusyunaryong Pilipinong, sa wakas, ay kalag na sa tanikala ng mga dayuhan. Doon, unang pinasinayaan ang karapatang makapamuhay nang malaya at nagsasarili ang bansang Pilipinas.”
She issued her own statement: “Together, let us pray for Manny’s immediate recovery and return to form. During your next fights, and during the challenges that will undoubtedly come your way in the future, you can certainly count on us to stand by you. Manny is still our one and only People’s Champ; and we are proud of him.”
As a number of journalists remarked, “Feeling.”
What do we care about Valte’s views on anything. We would be interested on the President’s reaction. She is not even the spokesman (who would have the right to issue his own statement).
As deputy presidential spokesman, Valte is supposed to release or read the President’s statement. The public is not interested on her thoughts or feeling about matters of national concern.
Aquino arrived yesterday from the United States and United Kingdom, so I suppose he still has to shake off his jet lag. That would explain his lack of reaction to an event that is of interest to Filipinos not only here but all over the world.
As what happened on the conviction of Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona when Valte beat him by a day in issuing a statement on such an important happening, we expect a statement from him later.
The latest survey by Pulse Asia on the senatorial preferences for the May 2013 elections shows that five in the top 12 will likely be in the Aquino administration ticket which would be composed of Liberal Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, and Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino.
They are re-electionists NPC’s Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Loren Legarda, who are in the top two in the survey; NP’s Alan Peter Cayetano (3); independent Antonio Trillanes IV (9), and Rep. Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara (12).
NP’s Rep. Cynthia Villar is in number 14, which is not a bad position. With a good media strategy and grass roots organization, there’s a good chance for her to make it in the Senate. Her husband, Manny Villar, is on his last term.
Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas is number five in the survey, which is good position if all he wants is to return to the Senate.
Former President Joseph Estrada said the United Nationalist Alliance will tackle Monday the letter-request to him of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III for the Binay-led UNA to drop former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri from the senatorial slate of the coalition for 2013.
In a letter to Estrada dated May 21, 2012 and obtained by www.interaksyon.com on Thursday, Pimentel said he cannot run with Zubiri in the same senatorial ticket for various strong reasons and cited his basis for seeking the exclusion of Zubiri—who sat for four years on the Senate seat that Pimentel should have had for six years— from the UNA ticket.
Zubiri had resigned last year from the Senate, citing “principles” after it became clear that Pimentel was about to be upheld as rightful winner by the electoral tribunal.
I find this reminder from the author Max Ehrmann appropriate for my experience at NAIA 3 last May 15, when my friend, Marilyn Robles, and I went to Boracay.
We took Cebu Pacific . As the usual airport procedures, we had our bags go through the X-ray machine, loaded them in the trolley and proceeded to the check-in counter. We each had three bags: one for check-in, and two to be hand- carried.
I did the following story for VERA Files
The real beauty of Ballet Manila’s latest project bringing together eleven international ballet stars in a once-in-a-lifetime production is that it will benefit talented Filipino students in public schools who dream of becoming ballet dancers.
On Friday and Saturday (June 8 and 9), at 7:30 p.m.,American Ballet Theatre’s Paloma Herrera and Maxim Beloserkovsky, The Royal Ballet’s David Makhateli and Natalia Kremen, Mariinsky Theatre’s Daria Pavlenko and Yevgeny Ivanchenko, English National Ballet’s Dmitri Gruzdev, Kremlin Ballet’s Aleksandra Timofeeva, Norwegian National Ballet’s Yoel Carreno and Yolanda Correa Frias, and the Philippines’ own Lisa Macuja-Elizalde will perform in a grand production, dubbed “World Stars of Ballet,” at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City.
That case was meant to be dismissed.
No amount of lamentations by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes will cover the glaring incompetence in the handling of that case.
This turn of events should make President Aquino re-assess the quality of his legal teams at the Department of Justice and the Commission on Elections.
Gloria Arroyo must be made accountable for the many crimes she has committed against the Filipino people but a strong case must be built against her.
We condemn her perversion of the law to suit her interest when she was in power.To use the same deplorable tactic, even if it is on her, would make the current administration no better than hers and negate the people’s desire for genuine reforms in governance.
Kaya lang, kung pipirma siya ng waiver para sa kanyang bank deposits, kailangan din gawin ng lahat na miyembro ng kanyang cabinet.
Ang hiningi nga ni Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano , lahat: COA, Comelec, BIR, Customs, judges, governors, mayors, barangay captains, congressmen, senators.
Diyan magkaka-problema. Ay kung may miyembro siya ng cabinet na may hindi mapaliwanag na kayamanan? Di magkaproblema pa siya.
Kaya sinabi niya na hindi ngayon ang tamang panahon para ipatupad niya ang kanyang pangako noong kampanya na mapirma siya ng waiver o pahintulot para makita ng iba ang laman ng kanyang mga bank accounts.
Kailangan mabigyan niya ang kanyang mga opsiyal ng tamang panahon para ayusin ang kanilang kayamanan.
Pero despalinghado ang pagpaliwanag ni Presidential deputy spokesman Abigail Valte.