ellen tordesillas – Page 169 – Making life worth living.

Gusto ni Navera baluktot pa rin

Published by Ellen on October 17, 2010

Ang tapang naman ng apog nitong si Senior State Prosecutor, Juan Pedro Navera magreklamo sa desisyun ni Pangulong Aquino na magbigay ng amnestiya sa mga sundalong nanindigan sa illegal na administrasyon ni Gloria Arroyo.

Kasama sa nabigyan ng amnestiya si Senador Antonio Trillanes IV na hanggang ngayon ay nakakulong pa. Mga 300 na opisyal at enlisted men ang sakop ng amnestiya kasama na rin sina Maj.Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig.Gen. Danilo Lim, at Col. Ariel Querubin.

Ang amnestiya ay magpawalang halaga kung sakaling magdesisyun sa Oktubre 28 si Judge Oscar Pimentel na “guilty” sina Trillanes at mga lider ng Magdalo ng “kudeta” sa nangyari noong Hulyo 27, 2003 sa Oakwood Hotel sa Makati kung saan binulgar nila corruption sa military kasama na ang pagbenta ng mga armas at bala sa kalaban na siyang ginagamit para patayin sila.

Hinaing at hiling ng isang ina

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2010

Ito ay tungkol sa pag-uusap ng ina ni Melchor Fulgencio, na diumano ay umamin na siya ang nag rape kay “Florence”, ang nurse sa Maguindanao at Councilor ng South Upi na si Linda Erese.

Si Fulgencio ay miyembro ng Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit na nagtatrabaho sa isang kumpanya na pag-aari ng Koreano sa Mindanao. Sa pag-amin daw ni Fulgencio sabi ng Director General Raul Bacalzo, hepe ng Philippine National Police na solved na raw ang kaso ni “Florence” (hindi niya totoong pangalan).

Sabi naman ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima na siyang namumuno ng imbestigasyon ng kaso, “Hindi pa at marami pang hindi nagtutugma sa mga kuwento tungkol sa nangyari,” sabi ni de Lima.

Sumulat sa akin ang aking kaibigan sa Maguindanao at ikinuwento niya ang pagbisita ni Erese sa bahay ni Fulgencio na kilala sa kanilang lugar na “Boy” kung saan doon din nakatira ang kanyang 116 taong gulang na ina, si Nanay Tansing.

Wala ako sa posisyon para magsabi kung inosente si Fulgencio o hindi.

Queen Annie sings for her Prince Richard

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2010

By Elizabeth Lolarga VERA Files Richard Merk, jazz singer, comic singing host and owner of Merk’s Bar and Bistro at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati…

“Hello Garci” in Truth Commission list to be investigated

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2010

The Truth Commission has in its initial list 23 cases that they will investigate including the “Hello Garci” scandal that exposed the direct role of Gloria Arroyo and the military in tampering with the results of the 2004 elections in her favor.

The “Hello Garci” scandal put in doubt the legitimacy of the Arroyo presidency.

At least two major corruption scandals – the P728 million fertilizer scam and the$329 million NBN-ZTE deal – were linked to the 2004 elections anomaly.

The Truth Commission was created by President Aquino by Executive Order No. 1 to “primarily seek and find the truth on, and toward this end, investigate reports of graft and corruption of such scale and magnitude that shock and offend the moral and ethical sensibilities of the people.”

Here’s ABS-CBN’s report:

DFA in a mess; two ambassadors refuse to return home

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2010

DFA statement:

On Tiglao:The DFA confirms the non-extension of the tour of duty of Ambassador Tiglao in Greece. He has been notified of it.

On Benedicto:President Aquino signed the nomination of Francisco Benedicto as Philippine ambassador to Beijing. The nomination paper will be submitted to the Commission on Appointment, and he will come home for the confirmation hearing once Congress resumes session.

Update: Yesterday afternoon (Oct. 14) Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo called up Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello and told him that Tiglao will not be retained as ambassador to Greece. Akbayan members in Greece are among those protesting the Romulo’s tolerance of Tiglao in Athens despite lack of legal authority.

While President Aquino expressed concerned over decision of the Supreme Court favoring the midnight appointments of Gloria Arroyo, his secretary of foreign affairs is condoning, even supporting, the illegal stay of Arroyo’s appointees in their foreign posts.

The other day, members of the Filipino community in Greece staged a rally in front of the Philippine Embassy in Athens protesting the continued stay of former ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao in his post.

Francisco Benedicto, also refuses to return to Manila holding on to the appointment signed by Arroyo as basis for his continued stay in Beijing.

It’s a mess out there at the DFA and the foreign secretary either encourages it as in the case of Tiglao or clueless as in the case of Benedicto.

It must be recalled that there was a controversy over the extension of the stay in their posts of 21 political ambassadors appointed by Arroyo after June 30, 2010. Since all political appointees are co-terminus with the appointing power, it goes without saying that when Arroyo’s term ended noon of June 30, 2010, they no longer had any legal authority as of 12:01 of June 30, 2010.

Aquino laments SC action favoring Arroyo midnight appointees

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2010

Statement of President Aquino on the Issuance of a Status Quo Ante Order Regarding Executive Order No. 2
by the Supreme Court

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued a Status Quo Ante Order granting the motion of Bai Omera Dianalan-Lucman. She was one of four people who filed petitions before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of Executive Order No. 2, but the Supreme Court only acted on Lucman.

We issued Executive Order No. 2 recalling, withdrawing, or revoking midnight appointments, because the previous administration had exceeded and abused the limits of its powers to appoint.

We had to issue EO2 because there were people who accepted illegal appointments. By knowingly accepting illegal appointments, they became part of a conspiracy to impede and to thwart, our people’s clamor for a return to good governance.

We put in their place people who shared our aims. Our appointees allowed us to discover questionable deals, which we immediately stopped. For instance, our appointees uncovered close to a billion pesos worth of anomalous contracts that had been entered into during the past administration. We have cancelled those contracts and saved the government hundreds of millions of pesos.

Sunshine after a storm

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2010

Statement of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV:

I would like to express my profound gratitude to President Noynoy Aquino for yesterday’s amnesty proclamation. This act of magnanimity is also clear indication of his sincere desire to attain unity and peace for our country.
I thank, as well, all those who moved and prayed for this amnesty to happen.
To all of you, I am forever indebted.

Maybe this is what sunshine after a storm is all about.

President Aquino yesterday signed a proclamation granting amnesty to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other soldiers who dared stand up to corruption and abuse of power by Gloria Arroyo, who was never elected to the position of power she held for nine years.

Trillanes remains in detention at Camp Crame and is prevented from serving fully the people who elected him to the Senate in 2007.

Some three hundred officers and enlisted men stand to benefit from the long-awaited proclamation. It covers those who were involved in the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the 2006 alleged plan to withdraw support from Arroyo following the “Hello Garci” expose, the Bonifacio Marine standoff in February 2006 and the Manila Peninsula siege in November 2007.

De Lima won’t make it easy for those who want her position

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2010

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has admitted she thought of resigning.

That would have meant surrender to those who want her position to those who are lusting for it. De Lima has decided she will not grant those people their wish.

She has been persuaded not to resign even as the decision of the President to disregard the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee on the Aug. 23 hostage debacle that she headed was something that was not easy for her to take.

De Lima said IIRC members knew that they were a recommendatory body but she could not help commenting that she did not agree with the exoneration of recently retired chief of the Philippine National Police Jesus Verzosa.

“Although he has retired already and even if it’s not in the [hostage crisis] manual, the IIRC believes that as chief PNP he should have monitored the hostage crisis continually and intervened when the situation became problematic,” de Lima said in a TV interview.

Aquino grants amnesty to Trillanes and other soldiers who rebelled against Arroyo

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2010

President Aquino grants amnesty to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and all the other soldiers charged for standing up to Gloria Arroyo.

Concurrence of both houses of Congress is expected to follow in the coming days. Some 160 members of the House of Representatives and 17 senators have earlier signed separate resolutions urging the President to grant amnesty to the rebel soldiers. They are expected to concur with the proclamation.

The proclamation also approves the re-integration of the service of enlisted men. Officers are not covered by the re-integration.

Proclamation No. 50:

Pinoy protesters in Greece demand ouster of Amb. Tiglao

Published by Ellen on October 11, 2010

Funny. Tiglao said he is on leave. How can he be on leave when his appointment by Gloria Arroyo expired on June 31, 2010. PNoy was fooled by Romulo to extend services of Arroyo’s 21 political ambassadors including Tiglao up to Sept. 30, 2010. The Union of Foreign Service Officers said the extension was illegal because a non-existent appointment can’t be extended.

While most of the 21 political ambassadors of Arroyo have finally returned Sept. 30, Tiglao remains in Athens, continuing to occupy the ambassador’s residence. What his legal personality in Greece now? I am told Romulo is lobbying with Malacañang to extend services of Tiglao, who is one of Gloria Arroyo’s most trusted men.

From GMA News online:

Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Greece staged a protest in front of the Philippine Embassy in Athens Sunday to demand the removal of Ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao, whom they accused of dismal performance and a lavish lifestyle.

In a news release, Athens-based Filipino organization Kasapi Hellas urged President Benigno Aquino III not to re-appoint Tiglao, saying he has not done much to assist Filipinos in Greece.

“(Tiglao) has nothing to show in terms of performance after more than four years… (He) has overstayed his ‘tourist visa’ in Greece and must go home immediately,” the group said.

Reached by phone in Athens, Tiglao declined to comment on the allegations and demands of the protesters, saying he was on leave and the matter was “sensitive.”

In the brief telephone interview with GMANews.TV, Tiglao dismissed the protesters as a “small group” that had no permit to stage a picket in front of the Embassy.

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