Month: August 2014

Magdalo Rep scores neglect of PH-occupied territories in Spratlys

Published by Ellen on August 28, 2014

In the power point presentation Rep. Ashley Acedillo of the Magdalo Party showed last Wednesday, he compared the massive fortification and expansion of the Chinese of their occupied reefs in the disputed Spratlys area in the South China with the miserable state of the islands and reefs occupied by the Philippines.

Acedillo, in a privilege speech titled “Our country is in grave danger,”questioned what seems to be a government policy of benign neglect in our occupied territories in Spratlys.

“With an Air Force that can’t protect our air space and a Navy that can’t protect our maritime interest, claimant countries have accelerated their creeping occupation of our islands,” said Acedillo, formerly an Air Force Officer who was detained for seven years for rebelling against Gloria Arroyo in what was known as “The Oakwood Mutiny.”

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: A fad for a good cause

Published by Ellen on August 26, 2014

Movie Director Joey Reyes accepting ALS Ice Bucket challenge of Melvin Mangada. He challenged actor Manny Castañeda and PR practitioner Girlie Rodis/ — Movie Director Joey Reyes accepting ALS Ice Bucket challenge of Melvin Mangada. He challenged actor Manny Castañeda and PR practitioner Girlie Rodis.

Today’s fad is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis described in a website on ALS as “a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.”

A friend who has a member of the family afflicted with ALS likened the patient to “a vegetable.”

Learn your body repair schedule

Published by Ellen on August 24, 2014

On weekend outings, it takes a lot of will power not to overeat.

The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay (where our group, VERA Files, held a writeshop on human trafficking last weekend) helps guests enjoy their vacation the healthy way.

Their breakfast buffet offers nutritious drinks: There’s one for cleansing: a greenish concoction of red apple,Lemon, celery stalk, carrot, parsley stem, cucumber and ginger.

There is another one for those who want to lose weight. A mixture of carrots, cucumber, cabbage and orange. For diabetics, they a combination of carrot, celery, and green apple juice.

Filipina human rights activist refused entry in India

Published by Ellen on August 21, 2014

What’s wrong with working for a world where no one becomes a desaparecido?

Apparently some people in India have a problem with that because Mary Aileen Diez Bacalso, secretary general of Asian Federation Against involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), was refused admission into India last Sunday and was sent back on the same Thai Airways plane which brought her to Mumbai.

Bacalso said when she asked why she was barred from entering India, an immigration official replied, “You should know.”

Bacalso is widely recognized for her work against forced disappearances. Last year she was awarded by the Argentinian government the Emilio Mignone International Human Rights Prize “in recognition of her work against enforced disappearance in Asia and the world. “

5 possible reasons why PNoy floated Chacha and term extension

Published by Ellen on August 17, 2014

Faced with overwhelming opposition to a Charter Change to allow President Aquino to extend his term beyond 2016, Malacañang has backtracked and assured the public that he is not supporting changes in the Constitution in the last two years of his presidency.

Press Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte can resort to all kinds of spins but it is on record (TV5’s interview Aug. 13 interview) that Aquino said he was open to charter change to clip the powers of the Supreme Court and to another term.
But why did Aquino float it in the first place?

We can think of five possible reasons:

Listen to your mother

Published by Ellen on August 14, 2014

The outpouring of grief that catapulted Noynoy Aquino to the presidency.

Had former President Cory Aquino not died on Aug. 1, 2009, her son, Benigno Aquino III would not be in Malacañang today.

At the time of Cory’s death, nine months before the May 2010 presidential elections, Noynoy Aquino, who had an unremarkable record as legislator (9 years as representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac and three years as senator), was not in anybody’s mind for the highest position in the land.

He was catapulted to the presidency by the people’s sympathy for his mother.

He owes his presidency to his mother.

Aquino satisfaction rating plunge: The calm before the storm

Published by Ellen on August 13, 2014

Take note that the Social Weather Stations survey showing a 16- point plunge in net satisfaction for the Aquino administration was conducted on June 27 – 30, 2014.

From 45 percent last March, satisfaction for general performance of the Aquino administration dropped to 29 percent in the June survey.

This was before the July 1 Supreme Court unanimous decision declaring the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP unconstitutional.

This was before Aquino went ballistic against the Supreme Court insisting on his own interpretation of the Constitution deliberately ignoring that under our system of government the final arbiter when it comes to legal issues is the Supreme Court.

11 facts that render allegations of bribery vs Harry Roque ridiculous

Published by Ellen on August 10, 2014

Harry Roque with relatives of the victims. Photo by Lito Ocampo, CMFR.

The murderous Ampatuans must be enjoying the spectacle of the prosecutors in the Maguindanao massacre destroying each other.

Atty. Nena Santos, representing 25 of the of the 58 who were killed in a massacre in a secluded hill in Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009, has alleged that government and fellow private prosecutor Harry Roque, of having been bribed by the Ampatuans to lose the case.

Santos represents Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, husband of victim Genalyn Mangudadatu and political rival of the Ampatuan family.

It will be recalled that Genalyn, accompanied by family members, political associates and members of media were abducted while on their way to file the candidacy of Mangudadatu for governor against Andal Ampatuan Jr, son of the then incumbent, Andal Ampatuan Sr. They were brought to a secluded hill and killed by Andal Jr and his henchmen. Of the 58 killed, 34 were media workers, earning for the Philippines the reputation of one of the most dangerous places for journalists.

Thoughts of a lawyer’s wife on the latest Ampatuan massacre controversy

Published by Ellen on August 8, 2014

By Mylah Reyes Roque

Today, I write about the man I am married to but who I barely talk about or refer to in the social media – not that I actively engage in it in the first place. My friends know of course that my husband is the lawyer and law professor Harry Roque, who is also a private prosecutor in the Ampatuan trial. I don’t mention this in Facebook but I don’t hide it either. He is “public”; I on the other hand am happy to keep and remain with my small circle of friends. He maintains a blog, is active on Twitter and has two Facebook accounts, one active and one “unable to accept any more friends.” My Facebook, on the other hand, has just slightly over 500 friends and I use twitter only to check on #mmda and #walangpasok.

So for the first time I break my quiet as regards Harry.

Harry, or a person identified with a cell phone number corresponding to his, is being accused of accepting P10 million and a car from the Ampatuans to sell out his clients in the Ampatuan trial. The accusation comes from an alleged informant of another private prosecutor. The information is based on handwritten entries in somebody’s notebook. This prosecutor refuses to fully identify the informant but she made a public announcement anyway. The alleged informant also accuses some of Harry’s clients of accepting payment from the Ampatuans. These stories about payoffs to the victims are an old hat. Yesterday, the demolition job was on the fiscals and justice undersecretary. Today Harry is the one accused of being on the take. One can keep trying to throw mud but it won’t always stick.

Aquino sisters wanted Abad out; Hyatt 10 came to his rescue

Published by Ellen on August 7, 2014

The Aquino sisters attend the birthday party of Vice President Jojo Binay.

From our always reliable source : A few days after the Supreme Court declared parts of the Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP unconstitutional last July 1, the three presidential sisters- Ballsy Cruz, Pinky Abellada, and Kris Aquino (Viel Dee didn’t join them) talked with the President to let go of Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.

As we all know by now, DAP– the issue that has shaken the otherwise Teflon presidency of Benigno Aquino III–was the brainchild of Abad.

The Supreme Court’s vote was unanimous (13-0) stunning Malacañang who had thought it would be 7-6 in their favor.