ellen tordesillas – Page 23 – Making life worth living.

Roque is best adviser to Duterte on joint exploration with China

Published by Ellen on March 9, 2018

Pres. Duterte congratulates Harry Roque as his spokesperson

It’s good that President Duterte has Harry Roque with him as he seems to have been convinced by China to start the joint exploration in Reed Bank also known as Recto Bank – an undertaking that China had been wanting to do and had been generous with its enticement to the Philippine government.

In an interview with Karen Davila in ANC’s Headstart, Roque, presidential spokesperson, said the cooperation with China will be taking off from “the result of a joint maritime seismic exploration agreement. This will now actually entail joint exploration and possible exploitation of natural resources.”

“We have gone beyond determining if there are resources” and “The only issue is now, is it commercially viable,” he said.

Roque and Davila were talking about the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking or JMSU entered into by the Philippines, China and Vietnam on March 14, 2005.

Again, the risks of joint exploration in PH EEZ

Published by Ellen on March 7, 2018

A day after President Duterte talked about” joint exploration” and “co-ownership” with the Chinese last Feb. 28 in Marawi City, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was with Karen Davila in ANC’s Headstart.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque talks about joint exploration in PH EEZ with China in Headstart hosted by Karen Davila

Davila was following up this statement by Duterte: “Ngayon offer nila joint exploration, di parang co-ownership. Parang dalawa tayong may-ari niyan. Eh,di mas maganda,yan kaysa away. (Now their offer is joint exploration which is like co-ownership. It’s like both of us are owners. That good, better than fighting.)”

And the people laughed

Published by Ellen on March 4, 2018

The audience laughed at Pres. Duterte’s boast of having two families in a speech in Dingle, Iloilo Feb. 22. Malacañang photos.

March 8 is International Women’s Day to highlight the achievement of women in all fields – social, economic, cultural and political.

In the Philippines, where women have long proven their worth, they are still subjected to a lot of disrespect. And this is from no less than the President himself.

Last Feb. 22, in his speech at the 6th Regional Community Defense Group Ground, Camp General Adriano Hernandez, Dingle, Iloilo last Feb. 22, Duterte talked about the difficulty of maintaining two families with the salary he is getting as President.

Enjoy the Sara-Panty feud but don’t get diverted from the real issue

Published by Ellen on February 26, 2018

As we watch and enjoy the ongoing war between House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, let us make sure that we are clear that this is a “battle of the snakes” (with apologies to the snake) as one Facebooker said.

Sara, the pretty and feisty daughter of the President has been scoring against the uncouth and ugly Alvarez.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte extends his hand to his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who showed a gesture of respect upon his father’s arrival at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang, Davao City for his attendance to the oath taking ceremony of the newly installed officers and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Davao City Chapter on September 30, 2017. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Duterte does not understand media’s role in a democracy

Published by Ellen on February 24, 2018

Pres. Duterte rants about Rappler while Pia Ranada asks questions in a press conference. Video grab from RTVM.

Of the many things that Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said to justify the banning of Rappler and its reporter Pia Ranada in Malacañang premises, one thing stood out that reflected President Duterte ’s misunderstanding of the role of media in a democracy.

Roque said: “Nag-isyu na ang Presidente ng order na hindi pupuwede si Pia [sa Malacañang] (The President has issued the order that Pia is not allowed in Malacanang.),”

The reason?

An interesting profile of a troll

Published by Ellen on February 18, 2018

Cover image of the study “Architects of Networked Disinformation-Behind the Scenes of Troll Accounts and Fake News Production in the Philippines,

In the session on the study “Architects of Networked Disinformation: Behind the Scenes of Troll Accounts and Fake News Production in the Philippines,” by scholars Jonathan C. Ong and Jason Vincent A.Cabañes, during the Democracy and Disinformation Conference last Feb. 13, writer Marian Pastor Roces made special mention of the part about the profile of an anonymous influencer who was a transgender.

The transgender influencer went by the name Georgina, 28 and a digital marketer with a computer engineering degree from one of the leading national universities.

Tension in Taiwan Strait

Published by Ellen on February 18, 2018

It’s not only in the disputed waters of South China Sea that China is flexing its muscle. It is also making troubling moves in Taiwan Strait.

But the big difference is, while the Philippine leadership acquiesces with nary a whimper amid China’s militarization of the seven reefs it had transformed into artificial islands in the disputed waters of Spratlys, Taiwan is protesting what it says is China’s violation of a 2015 agreement not to use the flight route that divides them.

A statement from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines states: “On Jan. 4, Taiwan government protested mainland China’s unilateral launch the northbound M503 flight route in the Taiwan Strait and the W121, W122, and W123 east-west extension routes.

Ombudsman: Probe vs Duterte can be refiled

Published by Ellen on February 16, 2018

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. From Ombudsman’s FB page

Read carefully the reply of the Office of the Ombudsman to the announcement of Solicitor General Jose Calida Tuesday that the investigation on the plunder case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has been terminated.

The letter sliced through Calida’s mediocrity while assuring the public that Malacañang has not succeeded in quashing the issue of President Duterte’s undeclared wealth.

The plunder case has not been dismissed. This is important. What Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang said in his Feb. 12 letter to Calida was “the investigation on the complaint entitled ‘Antonio F. Trillanes IV v Rodrigo Roa Duterte’ and docketed as FF-M-16-0161 was already closed and terminated” upon recommendation by Deputy Ombudsman Cyril E. Ramos on 29 November 2017.”

“By rule, ‘[a] closed and terminated field investigation is without prejudice to the refiling of a complaint with new or additional evidence,’” the Ombudsman said.

SIM registration- risks outweigh benefits: FMA

Published by Ellen on February 7, 2018

I had always batted for registration of cellphone SIM (subscriber identity module) to get rid of mobile phone scammers and bullies.

My belief has been challenged by the briefing paper of the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA)(Briefing Paper – SIM Card Registration – FINAL(1)) which states that based on their studies of actual experiences of other countries where SIM is registered, the risks outweighs the perceived benefits.

Duterte’s ‘garbage’ continues to stink

Published by Ellen on February 6, 2018

Pres. Duterte, speaks at the 2017 Anti-Corruption Summit 2017. Malacañang photo by Ruji Abat.

When then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte dismissed as “garbage” the exposé of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV during last two weeks of the election campaign about his bank deposits with the Bank of Philippine Islands, Julia Vargas branch, he thought probably that was the end of it.

Duterte was leading the surveys in the contest that he eventually won convincingly.

With the powers of the presidency, Duterte has been effective in crushing most of political his enemies. His devoted mob has been successful in spreading chaos in cyberspace.

But as one sage said, “Truth is always like oil in water; no matter how much of water you add, it always floats on top.”

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