Category: General

Gifts from two people I admire who have recently departed

Published by Ellen on August 5, 2018

A twide-a-month gathering of friends of eminent writer Carmen Guerrero Nakpil at Havana Restaurant.

I have received three gifts from two persons I truly admire which have become even more meaningful now.
One is a black cashmere blouse and another is a pair of black leather gloves which came from Mrs. Carmen Guerrero Nakpil.

The third item is a silver rosary blessed by the Pope from Ambassador Jun Lozada.

We were in Portland, Seattle on Nov. 4, 1993 to cover the first summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation at the Tillicum Village in Blake Island, Washington State the next day. I was part of the Malacañang Press Corps and the president then was Fidel V. Ramos.

DOM

Published by Ellen on June 5, 2018

Screengrab from ABS-CBN video. RTVM Malacanang has removed this part from its video of the event.

I have a question to those who think that there was nothing wrong in President Duterte kissing Bea Kim, a Filipina married to a Korean during his meeting with the Filipino community in South Korea in Seoul last Sunday: Is it still okay with you if Duterte would do the same to your wife or daughter?

I was scandalized by what Duterte did. I felt sad listening to Kim saying, “Iyung kiss, parang twist lang iyun, pampakilig sa mga audience.(That kiss, that was just to tease the audience.) “

I found offensive Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque justification: “That is very accepted in the culture of Filipinos.”

Actress Mae Paner pointed out, “In the Filipino culture, women are held with respect. What he did to Kim showed his low regard of women, even the way he gestured her to kiss him.”

Kadiri

Published by Ellen on May 31, 2018

Kadiri means disgusting, despicable, contemptible, detestable, abominable.

That describes what former congressman and now undersecretary of labor Jacinto “Jing” Paras did to Rep. Tom Villarin (Akbayan partylist).

Screengrab from CCTV footage. Photo from Inquirer.

In a press interview about the complaint for theft he filed against Paras last Monday at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, Villarin related:

What the best and the worst place in the world for a Muslim woman?

Published by Ellen on March 19, 2018

I asked this question to Dr. Aziza al Hibri in a round-table discussion together with former Sen. Edgardo Angara, Philippine Star columnist and Carol P. Araullo who writes for Businessworld.

“Home”, was Dr. Al Hibri’s answer.

“Your home can be a paradise or hell depending on how the husband understands your dignity, your rights, and your value,” she said.

She said there are communities who believes that the man is the head of the family and they can strike the wife.

Al Hibri, the first Muslim woman to become a law professor in the United States and is professor emeritus of law at the University of Richmond, is the founder of Karamah, a Washington-DC based organization of American Muslim lawyers and law faculty focused on human rights and gender issues in the Muslim world.

SM needs a heart

Published by Ellen on December 20, 2017

This can yet be the best Christmas story.

SM patriarch Henry Sy, the richest man in the country with a net worth of $20.3 billion can revise the narrative of his life – born to a poor family in Xiamen, in the Fujian province of China, he and his family came to the Philippines in search of a better life. From a small shoe store in Quiapo, Manila in the 1950s, his business grew into a multi-billion empire. He king of shopping banks, into banking, and real estate. His SM Investments, earned $6.7 billion in revenue in 2016, according to Forbes Magazine.

On his 93rd birthday on Dec. 25, he can do something that humankind will remember him for- visit former employee Paul Matthew Tanglao, 21, ask for his forgiveness for putting him into a miserable situation, rehire him or help him become financially stable.

Also, have all employees of SM, especially the supervisor of Save More Sta. Ana, undergo a training on kindness and humanness.

Why do supermarkets charge for plastic bags

Published by Ellen on December 13, 2017

When I complained about the removal of water stations where customers can have free water in SM Food Courts, another issue was raised by UP Professor Roland Simbulan about mall giant SM: plastic bags being sold in supermarkets.

Simbulan said: “The SM Supermarkets have actually made more money out of the ban on the use of plastic bags. They have been selling plastic bags to customers for two pesos each, whereas before the ban on plastic bags, these were given free to customers. We cannot also say that Robinson’s supermarkets are any better for they have also been selling plastic bags.”

Simbulan’s comment generated a number of reactions which simply shows that taking care of our environment which is being subjected to so much abuse (disposal of plastic products has become a major problem) is an emotional issue.

Here are some of the letters I got:

SM explains pullout of water stations in Food Courts

Published by Ellen on December 7, 2017

We got a letter from Mr. Steven T. Tan, senior vice president of SM Supermalls, in reply to our complaint about their discontinuation of providing free drinking water in their Food Courts both through water stations and concessionaires.

We learned that “SM Cares,” a division of SM Foundation Inc. that handles the corporate social responsibility programs of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. has a project with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to facilitate access to clean water of schools and households in remote areas of the country. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of SM bottled water goes to UNICEF Philippines for Project WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene).

We asked if Project Wash was the reason for the pullout of water stations in Foodcourt in order to compel customer to buy SM bottled water, the only brand being sold there.

We found it unconscionable and hypocritical. That was shared by one Facebooker, Icee G Sze, who commented: “Ask the customers to buy the expensive water and give some to charity and take the credit! Pure greed!” This was seconded by journalist Carlos Conde who said: “Pipigain talaga ang mga consumers.”

No free water in SM Food court gives a lie to ‘SM Cares’

Published by Ellen on December 5, 2017

“SM Cares” is supposedly the social conscience of SM, the mall giant.

Its website says SM Cares, a division of SM Foundation Inc., is the group that handles the corporate social responsibility programs of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. It was launched in 2004 to organize the sustainability efforts into a comprehensive program that tackles a wide range of initiatives.

Fine. I have a friend who has a son with autism who participates in SM’s yearly Angels’ Walk. I’ve read about their housing projects for those left homeless by the 2013 super typhoon Yolanda.

Antique’s pride proudly proclaim ‘Antiqueño Ako!’

Published by Ellen on November 3, 2017

Photos from Melvin de la Serna’s Facebook page

Visayan short story writer Teodulfo A. Naranjo is turning 80 this year and he has one wish: to read more stories by Antique’s young writers.

“Gusto ko magsulat ang mga bata para may mabasa ako (I want young people to write so there;s something I can read),” he said after he received his “Antiqueño Award” from the Rotary Club of Antique last Saturday in a dignified ceremony at Villa del Carmen in San Jose, Antique.

He said he is concerned about the younger generation “nga ang interes ay puro lang cellphone (who are more preoccupied with cellphones)”

Short story writer Teodulfo A. Naranjo receives his
“Antiqueño Ako” award.

Norman Sison

Published by Ellen on March 27, 2016

Norman in a Philippine revolutionary army uniform. At the Lopez museum

I haven’t bid Norman goodbye properly and I feel bad about it.

Norman is a very good writer and it was a privilege for VERA Files to have him as one of our writers.

When young writers inquire about contributing feature stories for VERA Files, a group that publishes in- depth and feature stories, I always tell them to check out articles by Norman, Pablo Tariman, Babeth Lolarga, and Winnie Velasquez as examples of good writing.

It’s good writing if once you’ve started with the first paragraph, you continue reading until you get to the last sentence. It’s a good article if you learned something new– an information or a perspective of an issue.