Malaya – Page 55 – ellen tordesillas

Living within one’s means

Published by Ellen on October 6, 2008

The $700 billion bailout package to save the economy of the world’s only superpower is too staggering to comprehend for the ordinary Filipino whose main concern is coping with the rising prices of basic necessities including the shrinking pan de sal.

But whether it’s in the billions of dollars or in the meager Philippine pesos and centavos, the US financial crisis has again reminded us of the folly of a materialistic society and the virtue of living within one’s means.

In an article in the Inquirer, former Economic Planning Secretary Cielito Habito tried to make understandable to non- financial wizards the problem facing the Americans, which has sent shivers all over the world. He said, “Put simply, the plan would permit US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to buy from troubled US financial institutions, using taxpayers’ money, up to $700 billion worth of the so-called ‘toxic mortgages’ or failed subprime loans.

Questions on economy for Arroyo

Published by Ellen on October 2, 2008

Last Wednesday, I wrote about the press conference of Gloria Arroyo with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines that Malacañang press office was working out. It was supposed to have been yesterday.

Malacañang informed Focap that Arroyo would not answer political questions. She would only answer questions “pertaining to the economy and how the current US financial crisis is affecting the Philippines and other Asian countries,” Press Undersecretary Martin Crisostomo said.

Focap did not agree to the restrictions. Malacañang postponed the presscon giving as an excuse Press Secretary Jesus Dureza “not feeling well.” But Dureza was well enough to moderate yesterday’s presscon of the economic managers with the very cooperative Malacañang press corps.

Standing up to Gloria

Published by Ellen on September 30, 2008

Gloria Arroyo is used to having her way with the Malacañang Press Corps that she thinks she can impose the same control with all members of media, even the foreign media.

A week ago, Malacañang invited members of the Foreign Correspondents of the Philippines to an exclusive press conference in Malacañang on October 2, at 11 a.m. More than 50 Focap members signed on for the Arroyo’s first presscon in more than a year.

Last Monday, Press Undersecretary Martin Crisostomo notified Focap that it was “all systems go for the October 2 press briefing with PGMA.”

However, he set a condition: “The President will NOT entertain political questions, but will answer other questions, including those specifically pertaining to the economy and how the current US financial crisis is affecting the Philippines and other Asian countries.”

Breastfeeding gets a boost

Published by Ellen on September 29, 2008

Once again something good is coming out of a bad thing.

The upside in this tainted-milk-from-China disaster is that women are realizing the merits of breastfeeding.

This is good because breastfeeding was becoming a vanishing practice here in the Philippines. In a forum last year, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said studies show that less and less Filipino mothers are breastfeeding because of the power of false, malicious claims being peddled by multinational milk companies.

Warning from Nature

Published by Ellen on September 25, 2008

Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura and Senator Loren Legarda led the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of housing units for typhoon victims. Looking on are Antique Governor Salvacion Perez and other provincial government officials.

Very seldom does our province, Antique, merit mention in national TV and newspapers.

But three days ago, Antique was in the early evening news . It was about two persons who drowned when their banca capsized in the rampaging waters of Kangaranan river. The next day, there was another story about families in the coastal town of Belison evacuating to higher grounds.

Worrisome omens

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2008

Let’s help Lorelei Fajardo, deputy presidential spokes-person, understand where the fear that Gloria Arroyo will ferociously hold on to power even after June 30, 2010 is coming from.

Fajardo said, “The President intends to vacate her office when her term ends in 2010, and does not know where such fear-mongering is coming from.”

Let’s remind Fajardo that on Dec. 30, 2002, Arroyo pledged before the statue of Jose Rizal that she would not run in 2004. Ten months later, on Oct. 5, 2003, she said without blinking an eye, “I will run for President in May 2004.”

As we all know, not only did Arroyo run in 2004; she cheated and stole the presidency.

Trillanes quotes Miriam

Published by Ellen on September 21, 2008

An officer and a gentleman, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, is courteous to Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Last Sept. 3, the detained senator filed a resolution questioning Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s meddling in Senate processes by presiding the Senate Technical Working Group on Philippine Baseline Bills on Aug. 14, 2008 in Malacañang.

Trillanes, who is one of the five senators who have filed a bill delineating the country’s archipelagic baseline, said Ermita’s role as presiding officer of a Senate committee meeting is a clear violation of the constitutionally enshrined principle of separation of powers of the three branches of government.

“Secretary Ermita’s actions effectively undermined the independence of the Senate as an institution,” he said.

Danny Lim and Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2008

Last Saturday, as Bicolanos celebrated the feast of the Virgin of Peñafrancia something stirred the curiosity of those who joined the “traslacion”, the procession transferring Ina, as they call image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia , from the basilica to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Naga City.

Around the city, there were several streamers that proclaimed “Viva la Virgen de Peñafrancia”. Below was the name and photo of Brig. Gen. Danny Lim, who is now in detention for allegedly planning to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo in February 2006 following the expose of the Hello Garci tapes and in November 2007 following more scandals the most bewildering of which is the NBN/ZTE deal.

Ermita’s Sabah memo

Published by Ellen on September 11, 2008

When Gloria Arroyo’s “special envoys” to Malaysia, minus National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, met with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, did they also discuss Sabah?

I’m curious because last Aug. 20, two weeks after the aborted signing of the Malaysian-brokered Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita issued Memorandum Circular 612 titled “Guidelines on Matters Pertaining to North Borneo (Sabah)”

The memo gives four instructions:

Tour of hope

Published by Ellen on September 9, 2008

As you are reading this, a Filipina is dying of cervi-cal cancer. And what a waste because cervical cancer can be prevented.

Biking enthusiasts will go on a tour for a cause from Vigan to Subic from Sept. 13 to Sept. 17 to raise awareness and funds for the prevention and control of cervical cancer in the Philippines.

At the launching of “Tour of Hope” last week, Dr. Cecilia Llave, head of the Philippine General Hospital Cancer Institute, gave an overview of the cervical cancer situation in the Philippines.

She said every eight minutes a Filipina dies of cancer.

Category: Malaya