Month: July 2014

Mauled cabbie won’t file case vs TV host

Published by Ellen on July 30, 2014

Daniel Marsh and taxi driver Edward Villanueva reconciling in Wanted sa Radyo. Photo from Lionheartv.net — Daniel Marsh and taxi driver Edward Villanueva reconciling in Wanted sa Radyo.Photo from Lionheartv.net

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS, VERA Files

The taxi driver mauled by a TV5 host has decided not to press charges after the latter apologized.

TJ Ballega Villanueva, son of cabbie Edward Villanueva, 49, of World Taxi, said his father and Irish-Filipino Daniel Marsh, one of the hosts of TV5’s documentary-style reality show “Juan Direction,” met on Monday at Raffy Tulfo’s “Wanted sa Radyo” program.

The young Villanueva said in a text message that they went to TV 5 on Monday after the network asked them to give a statement.

“Sa ‘Wanted sa Radyo,’ humarap po sa amin si Daniel. On air o ay hindi siya totally nag-sorry kay Papa, pero off- the- air po ay niyakap at naghingi ng ‘Sorry’ kay Papa. Humingi din po siya ng paumanhin sa akin bilang anak ni Papa sa ginawa niya (In ‘Wanted sa Radyo’ Daniel faced us. On air, he did not exactly say ‘sorry’ to my father, but off-the–air, he embraced my father and apologized. He also apologized to me for what he did).”

After guesting in ‘Wanted sa Radyo,’TJ posted in Facebook that the family, on the advice of friends and the church, decided not to file a case against Marsh and to leave everything to God.

BJMP displaces sick detainees to make room for Gigi and Janet

Published by Ellen on July 29, 2014

While everybody was trying to recover from the emotional performance of President Aquino in his 5th State-of-the-Nation address Monday night, pork barrel queen Janet Napoles was brought to Camp Bagong Diwa jail of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Bicutan,Taguig.

Reports said Napoles arrived at Bicutan from Fort Sto. Domingo, a police camp in Sta. Rosa City , Laguna at 11:15 p.m.

Napoles has been charged with graft, plunder and serious illegal detention in connection with the misuse of the multi-billion Priority Development Assistance involving three senators – Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, members of their staff and other personalities.

She joined at the BJMP co-accused Atty. Gigi Reyes, former chief-of-staff of Enrile.

Aquino accepts SC decision on DAP, submits supplemental budget

Published by Ellen on July 29, 2014

By Ellen T.Tordesillas, VERA Files

President Aquino asked Congress approval of a supplemental budget Malacanang is submitting in what many see as compliance to the Supreme Court ruling of the Disbursement Acceleration Program as unconstitutional, a departure from his earlier combative stance.

Related story:

People’s SONA: Boss ‘fires’ PNoy

In his 5th State of the Nation Address Monday, President Aquino said they had had to suspend a number of projects “to make certain that we remain in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision on the Disbursement Acceleration Program, or DAP.”

“This is why: We are proposing the passage of a supplemental budget for 2014, so that the implementation of our programs and projects need not be compromised,” he said.

Aquino pays tribute to Abad’s creative genius

Published by Ellen on July 27, 2014

The speech of President Aquino during 75th anniversary of the Department of Budget and Management on April 25, 2011 has become relevant amid the controversy generated by the Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP, the brainchild of Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad that got unqualified support from President Aquino.

This is what Aquino said:

Mark Aug. 2 – 10 for Cine Malaya film festival

Published by Ellen on July 25, 2014

The much-awaited Cine Malaya festival, a showcase of intelligent and sensible movies by Filipino filmmakers, will be on Aug 2-10 in CCP Theaters and Ayala Cinemas in Metro Manila.

There are 11 films participating. I have marked on my schedule “Hari ng Tondo” by Carlos Siguion-Reyna. Script by Bibeth Orteza.

A grandfather played by Robert Arevalo finds out he lost his fortune the day his granddaughter (Cris Villonco) told him her wedding is not pushing through and his grandson (Rafa Siguion-Reyna) disclosed he is not graduating from college – again.

The patriarch, thinking that his grandchildren’s’ lack of direction in life is due to their sheltered upbringing, he decided to bring them to Tondo, his birthplace.

The Tondo visit not only made an impact on the Forbes Park- bred youngsters but also to the old man who found out that Tondo is no longer the same place as the one he grew up in.

Also starring: Eric Quizon, Aiza Seguerra, Gian Magdangal, Ciara Sotto.

Other CineMalaya entries: “Hustisya” by Joel Lamangan, starring Nora Aunor; “Kasal” by Joselito Altarejos,starring Polo Ravales; “The Janitor” by Michael Tuviera, starring: Dennis Trillo, Richard Gomez, Irma Adlawan;

Dani Girl musical, nice respite from DAP

Published by Ellen on July 24, 2014

President Aquino has used every opportunity to justify to the public the billions of pesos that he diverted to finance the Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP, several projects under it were declared by Supreme Court unconstitutional.

The latest was last Wednesday in Batangas during the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Apolinario Mabini, the brains of the Philippine revolution.

His arguments are warped and many times dishonest.

We expect more of that when he delivers his 5th State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday. It would be another stressful activity for those who have enough of Malacañang’s bewildering arguments for DAP.

TV host mauls taxi driver; no money for P78 fare

Published by Ellen on July 24, 2014

By Ellen T. Tordesillas, VERA Files

A TV show host, who said he had no money to pay the P78.50 fare, mauled a taxi driver Wednesday morning in front of a Mandaluyong condominium.

Cabbie Edward Villanueva, 49, of World Taxi, said Daniel Marsh, one of the hosts of “Juan Direction,” a weekly documentary-style reality show, mauled him and damaged his cab when he insisted that the host pay the P78.50 fare reflected in the taximeter.

VERA Files tried to get Marsh side by text and call, but he did not reply.

http://www.abs-cbn.com/updates/072414-VIDEO-Daniel-Marsh-ng-Juan-Direction-inereklamo-ng-isang-taxi-driver-ng-pambubulabog?scid=40DF3254-B345-493F-BD71-9E9EF5B27C9E

Villanueva said Marsh got into his cab a little past 5 a.m. outside the Prive Luxury Club at The Fort in Taguig and directed him to go to the Tivoli Garden Residences in Mandaluyong.

On their way to Tivoli, the driver said Marsh, who was tipsy, was complaining that he lost his wallet at the club.

Health workers: Philippine health care is very sick

Published by Ellen on July 22, 2014

The wealth of a nation is its people.

It goes without saying that a healthy population is a prerequisite for a country to progress.Healthy citizens live longer and are more productive.

Stem cell research and many more in DBM list belie urgent reason for DAP

Published by Ellen on July 21, 2014

When a combative President Aquino addressed the nation Monday last week defending his Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP which had been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, he made it appear that the projects funded by DAP were cases that bordered between life and death.

To underscore the purported urgent nature of the DAP projects, Aquino shared a text message he got: “On this note, allow me to share a text message I received in the last week. It reads: “The politicians are making fiesta regarding DAP; but to our simple non-legalistic mind, it is like a motorist who parked in a ‘no parking zone’ because he had to rush to save the life of an accident victim, which has more value. I’m praying hard that these people will see the good of the people rather than their own ambition.”

“To this I replied: I think the situation now is similar to what you mentioned, and it might be even worse. I am after all being arrested for parking in an area that up to now hasn’t yet been declared a no-parking zone. Is this reasonable?”

Aquino’s DAP: lethal mix of ignorance and arrogance

Published by Ellen on July 15, 2014

President Aquino takes on the Supreme Court.

President Aquino’s belligerent stand against the Supreme Court’s decision declaring his pet initiative, the Disbursement Acceleration Program, unconstitutional was not at all surprising considering his defense of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Jr. last Friday.

Reading and listening to his speech was not only appalling. It was disturbing.

It showed the lethal combination of ignorance and arrogance.

The issue is his usurpation of Congress’ power of the purse which is a violation of the Constitution and he talked about parking zones!