Category: Malaya

Aquino and the beetle experiment

Published by Ellen on November 3, 2013

"Hindi tayo pareho. Hindi kami nagnakaw, at hindi kami magnanakaw." — “Hindi tayo pareho. Hindi kami nagnakaw, at hindi kami magnanakaw.”

President Aquino wants the public to believe that he and his team are God’s gift to democracy. That they can do no wrong. Corruption in government is confined to some members of the political opposition. His men are like him : upright, honest and candidates for sainthood.

That’s the essense of Aquino’s televised ranting last Wednesday.

Apparently, Aquino and his team have sensed the public indignation over misuse of pork barrel funds, intended in principle for the poor but ended up in public officials pockets. If everything is going well, why would he make changes in his communication setup. He enjoyed high approval ratings with the condescending Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda (aligned with Mar Roxas faction) assisted by Abigail Valte and Communications strategist Ricky Carandang as his mouthpieces. Why then the need to bring in the unassuming Press Secretary Sonny Coloma, aligned with the 2010 election Samar group that supported Vice President Jojo Binay?

Think about this when you go to the cemetery

Published by Ellen on November 1, 2013

A visit to the cemetery, which many of us will undertake starting tomorrow for our annual observance of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2) should humble us.

As France Charles de Gaulle famously said, “The cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.”

Any sense of self-importance should be erased by De Gaulle’s reminder.

The much- respected Haydee Yorac, said the same when she was battling cancer and resigned to face her creator. She was confident that there will be no dearth of Filipinos who will continue her crusade for truth and justice. She consoled people,””No one is indispensable.”

Embarrassing findings on concrete blocks in Bajo de Masinloc

Published by Ellen on October 29, 2013

A closer look at the concrete blocks from the air.

Retired Philippine Navy Commodore Rex Robles had very serious doubts about the concrete blocks in Bajo de Masinloc as foundations for structures similar to what the Chinese did in Mischief Reef when he first saw the photos presented by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin during a budget congressional hearing last Sept. 3.

“Those blocks did not look like the beginnings of underwater build up,” said Robles, who had taken up advanced engineering courses.

Robles’ doubts have been proven correct because further investigation by the military showed that those concrete blocks, numbering 75 scattered within the 120-square-kilometer strategically important shoal, were not put by the Chinese, but by the Americans, who were in nearby Subic naval Base for more than 80 years until 1991, when the Philippine Senate junked the RP-US Military Bases Agreement.

Empowering barangays

Published by Ellen on October 23, 2013

Candidates for barangay council campaign at BF Resort in las Piñas.

I have seen some campaigners for candidates running for positions in the barangay elections on Monday but in Metro Manila, the Oct. 28 elections does not have the hoopla of the congressional, senatorial and presidential elections.

But it’s a different matter in the provinces, especially in the barrios, where the environment is much more intimate and emotions are much more intense.

Philippine Star reported that a total of 6,195 barangays or 14.74 percent of the 42,028 barangays nationwide were declared by the Philippine National Police as election watchlist areas .

Using calamity an excuse for another calamity

Published by Ellen on October 20, 2013

Aquino inspecting damage in Bohol. Photo by Malacañang. — Aquino inspecting damage in Bohol. Malacañang photo.

One week after the 7.2 magnitude tremblor that shook Bohol, Cebu and other parts of Central Visayas, many are still unaccounted for.

Heart rending is the report about the missing five children playing by the waterfall, which has also been obliterated by landslides that followed the quake.

There may still be areas, isolated by the destruction of roads and bridges that are still to be reached by rescuers and people who are bringing assistance.

Aquino still in deep slumber despite wake up call

Published by Ellen on October 17, 2013

Mahar Mangahas commented on this column in my FB wall:

“Ellen, the SWS report about the 2013Q2 rating of the ADMINISTRATION was NOT a recycled piece; it was simply the final release from the 2013Q2 SWS survey. It is different from the SWS report on the 2013Q2 rating of the PERSONAL PERFORMANCE OF PNoy, which was released much earlier. Our report last week on the 2013Q3 personal rating of Pnoy was the first of a series from the third quarter survey; more will follow in due course, including the rating of the Administration (not the person) again. http://www.sws.org.ph/pr20130923.htm

“Ellen, here is the earlier SWS report about the 2nd quarter rating of PNoy, that you claimed was “recycled.” SWS does not do recycling; publicity is not our occupation.
http://www.sws.org.ph/pr20130729.htm”

Now we know why the three-month old survey of the Social Weather Station showing a high public satisfaction for the Aquino administration was recycled last Sept. 19.

At the height of the pork barrel/Janet Napoles scandal and the bungling of the Zamboanga conflict involving the Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front, the SWS survey conducted June 28-30 and was reported about in July was released again and was carried by major media outlets.

What to do during an earthquake

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2013

Before and after earthquake photos of centuries-old Loboc church in Bohol. Yahoo photo.

Let’s pray for those who were affected by the earthquake that shook the Visayas and Mindanao yesterday.

Renato Solidum, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said more aftershocks could happen in the coming weeks.

I’m reprinting here guidelines from the “Disaster Preparedness and First Aid” handbook prepared by the Senate Committee on Climate Change chaired by Sen. Loren Legarda. The guidelines were provided by the Phivolcs.

Azerbaijan oil fuels Nobel Peace prize; Filipino part of winning group

Published by Ellen on October 13, 2013

OPCW Director-Gneral Ahmet Uzumcu in a presscon oct 9 in The Hague on their winning the Nobel Prize.

A Filipino is a member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which won the highly prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for this year.

His name is Franz Ontal, head of the inspector training of the United Nations-backed chemical weapons international watchdog, which oversaw the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons.

Ontal is from Negros Occidental. An article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer said studied in La Salle Bacolod where he completed his undergraduate course in biology. He immigrated to the United States in the 1980s and worked in New York where he held jobs related to medical services. In 2005, he joined the OPWC in The Hague. Netherlands first as a medic for the chemical weapons inspector and disposal teams. He now holds the position of head of inspector training.

Human rights violations by CHR officials

Published by Ellen on October 9, 2013

The human rights protector is the human rights violator.

This is deplorable. Officials of an agency tasked to protect the Filipino citizens’ human rights are being accused of human rights violations.

VERA Files’ Jonathan De Santos reported last week that two former employees of the Commission on Human Rights filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against Commissioners Cecilia Rachel “Coco” Quisumbing and Norberto Dela Cruz for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Quisumbing is also accused of bribery.

Megan Young’s victory: a much welcome break

Published by Ellen on September 29, 2013

Megan Young’s winning the Miss World title is welcome break from all the depressing news that we have been getting the past months.

We so wanted something pleasant after months of pork barrel stories exposing the insatiable greed of Napoles and our public officials. The Zamboanga stories, despite the government’s declaration of ‘Mission Accomplished” are heartbreaking and emotionally draining.

Megan Young provided a lovely respite. And we thank her for that.

We deserve a break.

That’s what those who watched ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert of the music from Disney movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Tarzan, Little Mermaid, Mulan, Alladin and others at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last Saturday felt .

For two hours, we forgot about pork barrel and Zamboanga and traveled to as far away as South Africa and China under the baton of the ebullient Gerard Salonga with actress and TV personality Nikki Gil as our journey guide.
We just wished the screen was bigger for the excerpts from Disney’s animated films.