ellen tordesillas – Page 155 – Making life worth living.

Thoughts on 25 years after 1986 People Power

Published by Ellen on February 23, 2011

We are commemorating the 1986 People Power revolution, many refer to as EDSA 1.

If we refer to EDSA I and EDSA 2 as a gathering of people on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, that long stretch of road from Pasay City to Caloocan City, I would agree that’s accurate. Then we should also call the assembly of masses in the last days of April 2001 that culminated in the assault of Malacanang on May 1, 2001 EDSA 3. The crowd in April 2001 was definitely bigger than the civil society groups that ousted an elected president, Joseph Estrada, in Jan 2001 and installed in Malacanang Gloria Arroyo that turned out to be worse than Estrada in corruption and perversion of the law.

Ombudsman still running after NBN-ZTE star witness

Published by Ellen on February 21, 2011

Whistleblower Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada could be the perfect example of how, in this country, people like him who dare spill the beans on wrongdoing get punished, not rewarded. It is a practice that he said must change under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

Three years after he faced the Senate as star witness exposing the corruption-ridden contract for a national broadband network, Lozada still faces a slew of lawsuits while the people he has accused of making millions of pesos in commissions have mostly escaped sanctions.

“Masigasig sila sa kakahabol sa kaso ko, eh (They’re determined to pursue the cases against me),” said Lozada, who still faces a P19.5-million malversation case related to the jathropa project of the Philippine Forest Corp. which he used to head. He also faces a graft case allegedly for the anomalous purchase of motor vehicles, fencing materials and other equipment worth P15 million.

Spratlys in exchange for free freedom of drug mules?

Published by Ellen on February 20, 2011

I’m trying hard to understand why reason seem to have left the Aquino government in the case of the Filipinos who are in China’s death row for drug trafficking.

Aquino sent Vice President Jejomar Binay to Beijing last week to appeal to the leadership to spare the lives of Ramon Credo, 42, Sally Villanueva, 32, and Elizabeth Batain, 38, who were scheduled to be executed by lethal injection today.

The three were sentenced to death for smuggling 4 kilograms to 6.8 kilograms of heroin to in 2008. They were originally five but diplomatic sources said further investigations showed that the two had minor roles in the drug syndicate than the three.

Romulo in UN would be a disaster

Published by Ellen on February 17, 2011

The removal of Alberto Romulo as foreign secretary (to be replaced by former Ambassador to the U.S. Albert del Rosario), the first cabinet change in the nine-month old Aquino administration, is supposed to signal long-delayed reforms in the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is dampened, however, by reports that Romulo would be named the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations.

President Aquino is not confirming Romulo’s UN assignment. All he said was, “Bert Romulo is not a stranger to me. So, he still has contributions that he can make. It’s always the details that tie us up.”

The UN job is one of the positions being floated to be Romulo’s “golden parachute”, a term used in the corporate world of a clause in an executive’s contract specifying that he would be receiving large benefits in the event that employment is terminated or the company is sold.

There is no such thing as a golden parachute for government officials but they are entitled to the usual retirement benefits.

Statement of Sen. Panfilo Lacson on ‘pabaon’

Published by Ellen on February 16, 2011

Following statement was sent by Sen. Panfilo Lacson. I have verified it to be his statement.

No welcome, no send off

When I took over the helm of the Philippine National Police in November 1999,I was told that there was P40M per year in “commander’s reserve” at the exclusive disposal of the C,PNP. I was never interested. I instructed my Director for Comptrollership, then Police Director, now Congressman Romeo Acop of Antipolo City to treat that reserved fund as part and parcel of the general fund for personnel welfare and other operational activities of the command.

The monthly gas allowance for the C, PNP was equivalent to the consumption of 50 vehicles or more even if allowed to run 24 hours a day. Mindful of complaints that police cars often ran out of gas, I ordered the excess allowance downloaded to front line units.

I was likewise presented with a high limit credit card with the information that I could swipe it both for personal and official purposes. Again, I asked my office administrative officer, then Chief Insp. Asper Cabula to return the credit card with clear instructions not to activate it.

Alberto Romulo out, Albert del Rosario in at the DFA

Published by Ellen on February 16, 2011

Foreign Affairs Secretary Romulo has cleared his office at the Department of Foreign Affairs, a source said. A Malacanang source said former Ambassador to the…

Arroyo should be nervous as search for truth continues

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2011

There’s a saying in Tagalog “umiikot ang puwit” which means jittery; feeling uneasy and nervous.

The decision of the Supreme Court allowing the House of Representatives to proceed with the impeachment proceeding against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez should make not only Gutierrez nervous but her patrons, the former occupants of Malacañang.

The Supreme Court justices are supposed not to be influenced by public opinion but they would not be human not to be affected by the public outrage over the plea bargain agreement entered into by the Ombudsman with former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.

Fear grips Bangued amid killings; minors’ hand seen

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2011

By Luz Rimban and Artha Kira Paredes VERA Files BANGUED, Abra.—A spate of killings here has left at least five people dead in a span…

Pasalamat ni Capt. Dante Langkit

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2011

Nakatanggap ako kahapon ng text galing kay dating Army Capt. Dante Langkit, isa sa napawalang sala noong Lunes sa court martial na naglilitis ng mutiny pag-aklas daw laban kay Gloria Arroyo noong Pebrero 2006 pagkatapos mabulgar na nandaya siya noong 2004 na eleksyun gamit ang military.

Sobra apat na taon ding nakakulong si Langkit. Nakalabas siya kasama ang kapwa niyang akusado nang naalis na sa Malacañang si Gloria Arroyo. Pinayagan siyang lumabas din noong kampanya dahil tumakbo siya bilang gubernador ng Kalinga. Natalo siya.

Ito ang kanyang text para sa amin ni Charmaine Deogracias ng NHK TV: “ Thank you for your support. All through the times of our ordeal you were there. In fact it was in those times that we came to know one another. You were one of the very few whose presence we felt.

“Those moments were bleak as though the right things which we believed in as basically right and noble for our country were not right after all. Our older brothers became our executioners and PMA was silent when we were unjustly incarcerated.

6 Scout Rangers acquitted of mutiny charges but not Miranda, Lim, Querubin

Published by Ellen on February 14, 2011

The court martial hearing the case of remaining nine officers accused of committing mutiny against Gloria Arroyo in February 2006 denied “for lack of merit” the motion to dismiss by retired Marine Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Col. Ariel Querubin.

Not acquitted

The court however acquitted Scout Rangers Maj. Jason Aquino, former Capt. Dante Langkit, Captains Montano Almodovar, Isagani Criste, Joey Fontiveros, and James Sababan.

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