ellen tordesillas – Page 103 – Making life worth living.

Erlinda Basilio expected to be named ambassador to China

Published by Ellen on December 3, 2012

Erlinda Basilio3 — Calm demeanor masks toughness

President Benigno S. Aquino III is expected to name Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda Basilio as ambassador to China, reliable sources at the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Malacanang said last Friday the President would announce Monday the new ambassador to China who will replace Sonia Brady,71, who suffered a stroke in Beijing last August.

Malacanang, however, made no such announcement, preoccupied it was with monitoring typhoon “Pablo.”

DFA sources said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario submitted to the President three names, all career officers, for the post that is considered the most challenging in Philippine foreign affairs today.

Basilio has always been in the list of candidates for ambassador to China after Aquino family friend Domingo Lee withdrew from the position he was nominated for (he was never confirmed by the Commission on Appointments) in the wake of the standoff at the Panatag shoal, also known as Scarborough shoal, 123 nautical miles off Zambales in Central Luzon. But she has made herself valuable as undersecretary for policy in the home office.

Preparing media for the 2013 elections

Published by Ellen on December 2, 2012

In six months, we will have the midterm national elections.

The May 13, 2013 elections will be the first national, automated, and synchronized (including the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao) elections under the Aquino administration.

VERA Files, a group composed of veteran journalists that produces in-depth articles on current issues and conducts training for journalists, last week held a training-seminar for 18 journalists from different parts of the country.

The training seminar was supported by the Embassy of Canada through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. Benoit Girouard, second secretary in the Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Section of the Canadian Embassy, stressed the importance of a free, honest, responsible and independent media in a democracy.

Nakakalalake

Published by Ellen on December 2, 2012

Limang buhay ang nasira dahil lamang sa yabang.

“Nakakalalake.” Yan ang sabi ng pulis ng dahilan ng pagpatay sa isang Amerikanong Marines, si GeorgeAnikow, 41 taong gulang ng apat na lalaki na nakilalang sina Jose Alfonzo Abastillas, 24; Crispin Chong Dela Paz, 28; Osric Malabanan Cabrera, 27; at Galicano Salas Datu III,22.

Konting sagutan. Ang nagpainit ng ulo talaga ng apat ay ang pagtapik ni Anikow ng kanilang sasakyan na silver na Volvo. (Ano ba ang sa Volvo na naging brutal ang nakasakay kapag ito ay natapik? Di ba Volvo na berde ang kotse ni Robert Blair Carabuena, ang nambugbug sa MMDA traffic aide na si Saturnino Fabros? Di ba ang pagtapik din ni Fabros ng kanya nagwala si Carabuena?)

Nakakulong na ngayon itong apat. Murder ang kaso ng mga ito. Makalaya man sila balang araw, nagkawindang-windang na ang kanilang buhay. Kababata pa nila. Nakapag-aral at may kaya. Ito si Datu, nag-aaral pa sa La Salle.

Dahil lamang sa gustong patunayan ang pagkalalake. Ano ba yung “nakalalake.”

Maguindanao massacre on our mind

Published by Ellen on November 25, 2012

Cagayan de Oro from Froilan Gallardo — The media community in Cagayan de Oro. Photo from Froilan Gallardo’s FB

The 2009 Maguindanao massacre and the sad fact that justice continues to elude the victims were foremost in the minds of the delegates to the 9th Spectrum Fellowship National Campus Journalism conference held at Mambukal resort in Negros Occidental.

The Spectrum is the official student media corps of the University of St La Salle. There were about 60 participants in the conference coming not only from De La Salle but also from Far Eastern University, University of Sto. Tomas and University of San Agustin in Iloilo City.

They had an interesting range of topics. I came on the second day (Friday) and I caught up with the lectures of Ernie Sarmiento, formerly chief photographer of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, on photojournalism ethics, Philippine Star columnist Cito Beltran on opinion writing, GMA-7 (Iloilo)’s Rexcel Sorza on social media ethics, and RA Rivera on connecting through video.

PH should face up to the reality ‘When China rules the world’

Published by Ellen on November 22, 2012

Martin Jacques and Sen. Alan Cayetano, one of the sponsors of the forum.

While President Aquino was making waves in the summit of Asean leaders and their dialogue partners in Cambodia with his statement urging the United States to speak up on the South China Sea conflict which was anathema to China, visiting journalist and China expert, Martin Jacques, was telling a rapt audience at the Manila Intercon, “I don’t think it would serve the Philippine well to think that the United States will help” in the territorial conflict with China.

“I am not arguing that the Philippines give up its claims, but a way has to be found to deal with these questions, a way that does not involve derailing or poisoining its relationship with China because it will not get anywhere,” he said.

Jacques is the author of the 2009 bestseller, When China Rules the World, which asserts that “by 2027 China will overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy, and by 2050 its economy will be twice as large as that of the United States.”

Aquino living up to the role of U.S. dummy

Published by Ellen on November 20, 2012

Aquino in Cambodia for asean summit — Aquino in 2012 Asean and dialogue partners summit in Cambodia

In a United States-written script, President Aquino performed his role very well as the American dummy in Southeast Asia at the 21st Asean summit in Cambodia.

In a speech before leaders belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the group’s dialogue partners that included the United States and China, Aquino urged the U.S. to be involved in the South China Sea dispute.

Parts of the speech:“It is especially vital to have the world’s largest national economy involved in the discussions considering the interconnectedness of our current milieu…

“Each one of our nations has a stake in the stability of Southeast Asia. The United States understands this and, for this reason, has chosen to work with us to ensure the peace and continuous advancement of our region.”

The Inquirer reported that Aquino said the US presence at the Asean summits “adds a special dimension to our regional discussions particularly on issues that have far-reaching political and economic implications.”

Aquino berating media is becoming boring

Published by Ellen on November 15, 2012

3rd SonaB — Berating media has become a habit for Aquino.

Why am I not surprised that the Freedom of Information bill in the House of Representatives has been declared dead in the 15th Congress by press freedom advocates?

Simple: President Aquino does not support it.

Despite the fact that he was product of media hype, he does not understand the role of media in governance and in strengthening democracy. Although he said when he was campaigning for the presidency in 2010 that he was going to support the FOI bill, he never included it among his administration’s priority measures.

Look back to his statements the past two years:

In Oct. 2011, before Southeast Asian leaders, Aquino said: “You know, having a freedom of information act sounds so good and noble but at the same time—I think you’ll notice that here in this country—there’s a tendency of getting information and not really utilizing it for the proper purposes.”

Three years after, justice remains elusive to Maguindanao massacre victims

Published by Ellen on November 13, 2012

massacre photo with backhoe — A most heinous crime

Talk of perfect timing.

Eleven days before the third anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre that killed 58 people, 32 of them members of media, the Supreme Court granted the petition of the primary accused – former mayor Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr to ban live broadcast of the trial.

It’s another step backward for transparency,an attribute of a working democracy.

Ampatuan told the high court that its June 2011 decision penned by then Associate Justice, now Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio-Morales live coverage of the trial deprived him of his rights to due process, equal protection, presumption of innocence, and to be shielded from degrading psychological punishment.

VFA does not say PH can be dumping site of US wastes

Published by Ellen on November 11, 2012

The lawyers of Glenn Defense Marine Asia better look for a justification much more astounding than the Visiting Forces Agreement for the dumping of toxic waste in Philippine waters by their client, Malaysian firm Glenn Defense Marine Asia.

Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chair of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and acknowledged expert on international law, and Loren Legarda, chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations and co-chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee on the VFA, are calling for an investigation of the dumping in Subic Bay of Glenn Defense of toxic wastes from a US navy ship, Emory Land last month.

It has been reported that Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chair Roberto Garcia is investigating the incident and is asking Glenn Defense side on the illegal act.

Problem with comments posting

Published by Ellen on November 11, 2012

There’s something wrong again with this blog. Comments are not posted. I’m contacting my blog administrator. Please bear with me in this latest technical glitch.…

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