ellen tordesillas – Page 10 – Making life worth living.

‘Possession’ or ‘position’ controversy turns ludicrous

Published by Ellen on July 27, 2019

This is becoming ludicrous.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s explanation of the President’s declaration of his helplessness about the situation in the West Philippine Sea because China is “in possession” of disputed geographical features in the area has made the mess messier.

Carpio is now suggesting that the President disown the statement of his spokesman and chief presidential counsel.

This all started when the President said in his State-of-the-Nation address last Monday that “You know, I cannot go there even to bring the Coast Guard to drive them away. China also claims the property and he is in possession. ‘Yan ang problema. Sila ‘yung in possession and claiming all the resources there as an owner. We are claiming the same, but we are not in the position because of that fiasco noong dalawang nag-standoff doon during the time of my predecessor si Albert, ambassador.”

Duterte’s SONA speech on West Philippine Sea made matters worse for PH

Published by Ellen on July 23, 2019

President Duterte delivers his 4th State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 22, 2019. Malacañang photo by Rey Baniquet.

Riding on an 85 percent approval rating, President Duterte probably thought he could convince Filipinos about the wisdom of his much-criticized policy towards China in the matter of the country’s territorial claim in the South China Sea. He devoted a lot of time on the issue of West Philippine Sea in his State of the Nation address Monday.

Now his top two security officials – Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon are doing damage control- issuing clarification about the President’s explanation. They are now blaming the President’s pronunciation of the word “position.” They said it’s not “possession” as everybody heard the President say last Monday.

Here’s the problematic portion of Duterte’s statement on West Philippine Sea:

Banaag blames ‘copy and paste’ re PCOO’s drug 2017 drug figures

Published by Ellen on July 21, 2019

If the objective of the #Real Numbers press conference last Thursday organized by the Presidential Communications Operations Office was to clarify about the conflicting numbers related to President Duterte’s drug war, it left us more confused.

Communication Assistant Secretary Marie Banaag. 2018 file photo.

Communications Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael-Banaag repeated her earlier press statements that Homicide cases under investigation (HCUIs) are “not at all” related to the war on drugs or anti-illegal drug operations.

It’s difficult to believe her assertion because in the Duterte government’s 2017 Accomplishment Report, under the section “Fighting Illegal Drugs,” it listed 3,967 “drug personalities who died in anti-drug operations” from July 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017 and 16,355 “homicides under investigation” from July 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017.

Floy Quintos pays tribute to the quiet courage of Junel Insigne

Published by Ellen on June 23, 2019

The captain and cook of fishing boat Gem-Ver with Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol in a press conference.

Writer Floy Quintos wrote this poem after he watched Junel Insigne, captain of the fishing boat Gem-Ver, which was rammed by a Chinese fishing boat midnight of June 9, beside Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol in a press conference June 19.

Insigne, who had insisted the ramming by the Chinese vessel was intentional and denounced the Chinese for abandoning them in the high seas near Recto Bank at midnight, became unsure of what happened during the press conference with Piñol.

Insigne also apologized to President Duterte for thinking that the ”invitation” which he declined came from Malacañang.

Some ridiculed Insigne. Some pitied him. Some were enraged.

Quintos sensed something deep in the forlorn demeanor of Insigne which inspired him to write this searing piece:

A test in finding sanity amid Duterte’s incoherence

Published by Ellen on June 18, 2019

President Duterte talks about the sinking of Filipino fishing boat by Chinese vessel during during the 121st Philippine Navy Anniversary at the Naval Base Heracleo Alano in Cavite City on June 17, 2019. Malacañang photo by Simeon Celi, Jr.

President Duterte dismissed what happened in Reed Bank on June 9 where a Chinese fishing boat “Yuemaobinyu 42212” rammed a Philippine fishing boat, F/B Gimver 1 which threw the 22 Filipino fishermen into the waters in the darkness of the night until they were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing boat, as just a “maritime incident.”

“Banggaan lang ng barko ‘yan,” Duterte said at the121ST anniversary of the Philippine at Sangley Sangley Point in Cavite City, Monday, finally breaking his eight-day silence that has riled up concerned citizens over what many perceive as his subservience to China.

Yet he also said he does not want to issue a statement “because there is no investigation and there is no result.”

I’m reproducing here portions of his speech about the incident. This is a test in finding sanity amid the incoherence:

Why is there a Chinese military vessel in Reed Bank?

Published by Ellen on June 17, 2019

Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio believes that it was not a collision of fishing vessels that happened on June 9 in Reed Bank (Philippine name: Recto Bank; Chinese name: Liyue Tan), 80 nautical miles off Palawan and within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.
It was a Chinese militia ship ramming a Philippine fishing vessel.

“China’s maritime militia vessels have reinforced steel hulls purposely for ramming fishing vessels of other coastal states. No other coastal state has fishing vessels purposely designed for ramming other fishing vessels. Captains of ordinary Chinese fishing vessels do not engage in ramming for fear of inflicting damage to their own vessels. It is thus highly likely that a Chinese maritime militia vessel rammed the Filipino fishing vessel F/B Gimver 1,” Carpio said in a statement.

The statement from Chinese Embassy in Manila insisted that it was “a Chinese fishing boat from Guangdong Province, China” and identified it as “Yuemaobinyu 42212.”

Kinaray-a writing contest

Published by Ellen on June 13, 2019

For those who have roots in Antique or those from the Visayas who can write in Kinaray-a, this should be of interest to you.

Dungug Kinaray-a Inc. is now accepting entries for this year’s Padya Dungug Kinaray-a.

Kinaray-a is the language spoken mostly in West Visayas. It is the language in the province of Antique.

Dungug Kinaray-a Inc. is a non-profit organization composed of Kinaray-a writers, scholars, and advocates ( I am a member) for the preservation and promotion of the Kinaray-a language and literature.

How intelligent is the government’s intelligence report?

Published by Ellen on June 11, 2019

The arrest of Davao-based journalist Margarita Valle last Sunday which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity puts into a question how intelligent is this so-called intelligence report which is the basis for the actions of government authorities including the country’s chief executive, President Duterte.

Valle, 61, a columnist of online publication Davao Today, was arrested at Laguindingan Airport in Cagayan de Oro,Misamis Oriental by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Western Mindanao, while waiting for her flight to Davao City at about 10:30 a.m. She just came from a training workshop with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in Cagayan de Oro City.

She was released about 10 p.m. after being held incommunicado. A report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Col. Tom Tuzon, director of the CIDG in the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9) admitting that the arrest of Valles was a mistake.

Sagot ko sa sinabi ni Duterte na may kanser ako at nanghihingi ng pera

Published by Ellen on June 8, 2019

SAGOT NI ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS TUNGKOL SA SINABI NI PANGULONG DUTERTE NA SIYA AY MAY KANSER AT NANGHIHINGI SIYA NG PERA

Nagugulantang ako sa mga maling impormasyun na pinagsasabi Pangulong Duterte tungkol sa akin.

Para sa tamang kaalaman ni Duterte ito ang totoo:

1.Wala na akong kanser. Matagal na akong gumaling sa sakit na kanser. Taong 2003 pa.

2.Kahit noong ginagamot ang aking kanser, hindi ako humingi ng pera sa ibang tao. Ang tumulong sa akin ay si Jake Macasaet, ang yumaong publisher ng Ang Pahayagang Malaya, kung saan ako nagtatrabaho noon at hanggang ngayon ay may kolum.

Cervical cancer-free PH by 2040

Published by Ellen on June 8, 2019

From the presentation of Dr. Clarito Cairo.

The Department of Health is aiming high: By 2040 they want a cervical cancer-free Philippines.

That means there no more new cervical cancer cases that number about 7,000 a year.

That means thousands of husbands would be spared of the grief of losing a wife, of children losing a mother, of parents losing a daughter, of kins losing a sister or aunt.

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