Month: February 2016

‘Talk to Mayor’

Published by Ellen on February 28, 2016

Mayor appropriates parking slot for PWD. Photo from ASTIG.PH

Going the rounds in Facebook is a post by Candy Chan in Astig.Ph about a vehicle by a mayor that was parked in a slot reserved for Persons with Disabilities at Bay 4 of NAIA3. When the security guard called the attention of the man who came out of the driver seat, he insolently replied, “Kausapin mo si Mayor (Talk to the Mayor.)

The incident happened more than two months ago, Dec. 19. We are re-telling the incident because we have not seen any report who was the mayor who violated the law, Republic Act No. 7277 known as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, and if he and his driver were made accountable for their misdeed.

As related by ASTIG.PH complete with pictures, a certain HJ was waiting at MIAA Bay 5 when a black Toyota Fortuner with plate number VRB 202 marked Mayor parked right next to the sign that indicated the space was reserved for PWDs.

Dominant thoughts re Edsa One: We wasted it

Published by Ellen on February 25, 2016

The Edsa jump. Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce-Enrile jubillant as they announced defections of Marcos people to the rebels' side. — The Edsa jump. Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce-Enrile jubillant as they announced defections of Marcos people to the rebels’ side.

Edsa30 celebration has revived memories of that important event in our history as a freedom-loving people.

From the recollections, one can glean a deep sense of disappointment, of our failure not to have used our regained freedom into building genuine democracy- wherein people would have the opportunities to pursue their dreams of a better life.

Mark Lopez shared his insights of EDSA One in Facebook: “I was 17 when EDSA 1 happened and my family and I were there, together with the millions who want change. It was surreal and it was indeed a triumphant moment when news of Marcos family fleeing was confirmed. In the immediate aftermath, all I could think of was that our country will now be on the cusp of true progress and development. Of course the foremost celebration was for the reinstatement of democracy and freedom to be a Filipino.

“”Thirty years after, I now cringe at what went by after EDSA1. I really don’t know what it is in our psyche that we continue to celebrate democracy but we also embraced mediocrity, especially in governance.

“We may be free, but we are still slaves to indifference, to corruption, and to greed. Do we really deserve this?”

EDSA30

Published by Ellen on February 24, 2016

It has been 30 years since that one shining moment in Philippine history when the people came together to put an end to tyranny.

Rebel soldier reading Malaya. Photo by Joe Galvez.

As Che Francisco, a colleague in Ang Pahayagang Malaya, remarked , “Parang kelan lang.”

On this day, Feb. 24, we, in Malaya were covering the fast-changing events non-stop. I was sleeping in the office. Malaya editors were working in a safe house as rumors were swirling about raids of newspapers unfriendly to Marcos.

In the evening after the editorial work, we would go to Camp Crame where Fidel V. Ramos, then the chief of the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police and then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce-Enrile, were holding fort together with the rebel soldiers and police officers after they declared on Feb. 22 that they were breaking away from then President Ferdinand Marcos who had been in power for 20 years.

Grace Poe took the first presidential debate

Published by Ellen on February 21, 2016

Candidates: Jejomar Binay,Miriam Santiago, Rodrigo Duterte,Grace Poe,Mar Roxas

The winner of the first Comelec-sponsored debates of presidential candidates organized with GMA-7 and Philippine Daily Inquirer based on my monitoring of social media and exchange of notes with friends was Grace Poe.

It’s not a scientific survey, of course.

Political analyst and De La Salle University Professor Richard Heydarian summed up the performance of the candidates as:

Pacquiao’s ‘abhorrent’ remarks could be blessing in disguise

Published by Ellen on February 18, 2016

Two days after boxing icon Manny Pacquiao rebuked same sex couples as worse than animals, shoe giant Nike dropped him as endorser.

That was fast.

Observers said that was an easy decision for Nike because Pacquiao, 37, is at the sunset of his career after losing in two major fights: the one against Floyd Mayweather in May 2015 and earlier, in December 2013, to Juan Manuel Marquez. He says his April 9 fight with Timothy Bradley would be his last, although he has said it before with his other fights and went on to do more.

Nike’s announcement: “We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent. Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao.”
It’s a knockout punch for Pacquiao whose endorsements make up the bulk of his boxing earnings. His camp is worried, we are told, that other sponsors might follow Nike.

Social media raises demand for honesty from candidates

Published by Ellen on February 16, 2016

Two stories that generated passionate exchanges in social media the past days underscore how new media is being used to demand transparency and honesty from candidates and their staff in the campaign for the May elections.

The first story was about the shoes of Brian Llamanzares, son of presidential candidate Grace Poe of the Partido Galing at Puso and the other was the Instagram post of Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, who is the spokesman of the Aquino administration’s Liberal Party, whose standard bearer is Mar Roxas.

The story about the Llamanzares’ shoes was a scoop by the online media Rappler. Brian posted what seemed at first as a harmless photo until someone with a keen eye on sports shoes at Rappler noticed that the 23-year old, who once worked with CNN Philippines, was wearing a limited edition 2015 Nike Mag10 Back to the Future II Marty McFly.

That shoes sold for $19,999 equivalent to almost P900,000 in Philippine pesos. Nearly a million pesos for a pair of shoes.

Why so expensive?

As explained by a blogger Rod Magaru, “last September of 2011, a total of 1,500 pairs of Nike Mag10 were auctioned on eBay with the intention of donating its proceeds to Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Disease Research. They added 10 more pairs in a deluxe package and they were able to sell everything on that year.”

Layoffs of OFWs in Saudi not due to oil price slump: labor attaches

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2016

Filipinos in Saudi renew their passports. Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

Despite decline in global oil prices, the Saudi labor market remains stable for Filipino workers. The reported retrenchments are not due to the oil price slump in recent months, according to assessment of Saudi-based labor attaches and diplomats of the situation in the Middle East kingdom that hosts some 800,000 OFWS.

The positive assessment should calm the fears of massive retrenchment in Saudi due to the plunge of oil prices. In fact, last week Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz expressed concerns of a possible displacement some 1.5 million Filipinos classified as temporary workers in the Middle East as the global oil glut is expected to continue in the coming months with the recent lifting of the sanctions on oil-producer Iran.

A report on the OFW situation in Saudi said, the retrenchments, particularly to the employees of the Middle East construction giant Saudi Binladen Group (SBG), “are hardly traceable to declining oil prices.”

Candidates define campaign in kick-off rallies

Published by Ellen on February 12, 2016

If only the evidence of corruption against Vice President Jojo Binay were not overwhelming, I would consider voting for him in the May election simply because of his promise that those earning P30,000 a month (annual income of P360,000) and below will be exempted from paying income tax.

Kim Henares’ BIR is really a heavy cross for freelance workers who are not earning a lot.

When I was a fulltime employee of Ang Pahayagang Malaya, filing of income tax returns was taken care of by the office accountant. Since my retirement from the newspaper, I have been doing freelance work. I have to do my own filing with the BIR. It’s so stressful.

I was compelled to register as “single proprietor” with the BIR because companies I deal with require receipts. With or without income, I have to file a monthly percentage tax. Then I have to file the quarterly tax, then the annual income tax return and renewal of annual registration every January.

It’s like my life now is devoted to filing something with the BIR every month. It has happened a number of times that I missed filing the monthly percentage tax and the quarterly income tax. Even just a one day delay, I had to pay P1,000.

Ang bigat.

Lacierda may yet get his dream of becoming foreign secretary

Published by Ellen on February 9, 2016

The resignation of Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, four months before the end of the Aquino administration, may yet pave the way for Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda to realize his dream of becoming foreign secretary.

Not many know Lacierda’s desire to be head of the much-coveted cabinet position. It was Mar Roxas, the presidential candidate of President Aquino and the Liberal party, who told an ambassador that Lacierda would be his foreign secretary.

Roxas, the envoy recalled, presented Lacierda to him: “Here’s your future boss.”

The envoy was taken aback, he replied, “I won’t be with the DFA anymore by that time.”

Funny. The envoy’s reply sounded like “I’m thankful I won’t be there when that disaster happens in the DFA.”

The envoy was thinking that it would happen after 2016 and assuming that Roxas would succeed Aquino.But that possibility doesn’t seem very likely because in the many surveys conducted of the presidential race for the May 2016 elections, Roxas has never topped one.

Water source crucial in determining status of Itu Aba (2)

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2016

Personnel measure the girth of trees on Taiping Island. Photo from Taiwan's Foreign ministry. — Personnel measure the girth of trees on Taiping Island. Photo from Taiwan’s Foreign ministry.

(Conclusion)

The issue of whether Itu Aba (also known by its Chinese name “Taiping” and Philippine name “Ligaw”) is an island or a rock has become a battle of experts.

In the hearing at The Hague last Nov 30 on the Philippine suit against China’s nine-dash-line and constructions in submerged maritime features in the Spratlys, the American lawyer of the Philippines, Paul Reichler, presented a 1994 study which was the result of a botanical expedition funded by the Republic of China (Taiwan)’s Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.

Reichler quoted from the study which stated: “The underground water is salty and unusable for drinking.”