ellen tordesillas – Page 285 – Making life worth living.

Seditious

Published by Ellen on October 30, 2008

The Webster dictionary defines “seditious” as “tending to cause discontent among the people; fostering the spirit of rebellion.”

I think Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez was barking up the wrong tree when he said that the pronouncements of Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines ; Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz;Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas; Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon, and Legazpi Bishop Emeritus Jose Sorra at a press conference last Tuesday were “seditious.”

I checked again what the five bishops said. Their statements were mostly on graft and corruption which they said were the “biggest culprit and major cause of the our nation’s poverty and hunger.”

Magmatyag, magbantay

Published by Ellen on October 29, 2008

Napuyat ako sa kakahintay kay Joc-Joc Bolante, ang matalik na kaibigan ni Mike Arroyo na dumating noong Martes ng gabi mula sa dalawang taong pagkakulong sa Estado Unidos.

Hindi na ako nakipagsiksikan sa loob ng NAIA dahil bawat media entity, isang reporter lang ang kailangan. May reporter naman kami doon sa loob, kaya doon ako sa mga concerned citizens na gustong hikayatin si Bolante na magsabi ng totoo.

Hindi namin nasilayan si Bolante dahil alam naman natin lahat na pagkatapos ma-turn over siya ng Bureau of Immigration at National Bureau of Invesitgation kay Senate Deputy Sergeant-at-arms Jaime Dimacale, isinakay siya sa naghihintay na ambulansya papuntang St. Luke’s Hospital.

Gonzalez says bishops’ call for new government now “seditious”

Published by Ellen on October 29, 2008

Gonzalez: Lagdameo’s ‘seditious’ call not the stand of CBCP

by Evangeline de Vera
Malaya

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday hit back at the leaders of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines who on Tuesday called for a change in government for what they said was rampant corruption in government.

Gonzalez said Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, treaded on thin ice with his utterance of “seditious” statements calling on the laity to take communal action in preparing for a new government.

“Strictly speaking, those are seditious (statements),” Gonzalez said.

Bishops call for GMA’s ouster

Published by Ellen on October 28, 2008

That was one great statement that the Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, released yesterday. He practically called for the ouster of Gloria Arroyo.

Not in 2010 but now.

In a statement he read flanked by four other progressive-thinking bishops namely, Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz, Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas, Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon, and Legazpi Bishop Emeritus Jose Sorra, Lagdameo said: “The time to start radical reforms is now. The time for moral regeneration is now. The time to conquer complacency, cynicism and apathy and to prove that we matured from our political disappointments is now. The time to prepare a new government is now. ”

Kanino natatakot si Bolante?

Published by Ellen on October 27, 2008

ABS-CBN photo of Bolante upon arrival at the NAIA1 Oct. 28, 2008

Click here for more of Bolante photos and ABS-CBN’s account of Bolante’s arrival

Click here for Inquirer’s account on Bolante’s arrival

GMA-7’s report

Maintriga ang mga tanong ng abogadong si Harry Roque kung bakit ayaw na ayaw ni Joc-joc Bolante, dating undersecretary ng agriculture, na umuwi dito sa Pilipinas.

Biruin mong minabuti niyang magpakulong sa Amerika kaysa umuwi dito sa Pilipinas samantalang kaibigan naman niya ang mga nakaupo sa Malacañang. Sabi ni Harry, na siya talagang nagpursige na maibalik si Bolante sito sa Pilipinas, kung tungkol sa paggamit ng P728 million sa kampanya ni Arroyo noong 2004 na eleksyon na dapat ay pambili ng abono na gagamiting ng mga magsasaka sa patanim ng palay, alam naman ng lahat yan.

Kung si dating Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano nga hindi nagalaw dahil sa lakas ng prutekta ng Malacañang, hindi ba kampante si Bolante na prutektahan din siya ng kanyang mga kaibigan sa Malacañang? Bakit takot siya umuwi dito? Kung hindi pa siya idiniport ng Amerika, ayqaw niya talaga bumalik sa Pilipinas.

Villar orders arrest of Bolante

Published by Ellen on October 27, 2008

Breaking news:

Senate President Manuel Villar has ordered the arrest of former Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He is expected to arrive tomorrow late evening, Northwest Airlines flight 71.

Villar’s statement:

I issued an instruction to Gen. Jose Balajadia Jr., the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, to implement the arrest warrant issued by the Senate in December 2005 against former Agriculture Usec. Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante for the failure to attend the public hearings of the Committees on Agriculture and Food and Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) on the P728 million Fertlizer Fund Scam.

The arrest order, which I signed as vice chairman of the Agriculture Committee, is still valid. To argue that the citation for contempt or arrest order approved by the Senate had lapsed automatically with the adjournment sine die of the 13th Congress would result in an absurd situation where a person held in contempt would just ignore and evade the Senate order until the adjournment of the session.

Personnel from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms will be dispatched at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I. They have a specific instruction to arrest Bolante on sight and bring him to the Senate.

Government ignores legal issues, pushes Diwalwal projects

Published by Ellen on October 27, 2008

By Ellen Tordesillas and Chit Estella
Vera Files

Government is pushing through with plans to parcel out the controversial gold rush site in Diwalwal, Compostela Valley province to various foreign mining companies, despite the tangle of unresolved legal issues that are threatening to fuel a potentially explosive situation.

On Oct. 14, government accepted letters of intent from mining firms to develop the Upper Ulip-Paraiso portion of Diwalwal consisting of 1,600 hectares. On top of this, there is an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the government and the Chinese firm Zhongxing Technology Equipment (ZTE) to explore and mine a still undisclosed part of Diwalwal

Rotarian to Rotarian

Published by Ellen on October 26, 2008

Please find in comments the statement of Prof. Harry Roque on Bolante’s return. .

When former Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” comes back this week, he will have the rare opportunity to help in the cause of truth, justice and democracy in the country.

He can take up the challenge and tell the truth how he executed the crime of stealing from the poor farmers at least P728 million alloted to buy fertilizer and using the money to underwrite the vote buying and cheating of Gloria Arroyo in the 2004 elections. By doing so, he will help in cleansing the system of corrupt elements. He would be doing the Filipino people great service.

Or he can continue hiding in the darkness of the crime. In so doing, he will always be living in fear because as long as he is there, he will always be a threat to the masterminds and their accomplices.

Paano kung kumanta si De la Paz?

Published by Ellen on October 25, 2008

Sa hearing tungkol sa Euro generals na isinagawa ng Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs na pinangungunahan ni Sen. Miriam Santiago, maraming binanggit na batas at order ni Gloria Arroyo na nilabag raw ng Philippine National Police sa kanilang delegasyon sa Interpol conference sa Russia.

Isa na doon ang order ni Arroyo na tigilan na ang pagaaral, training of pagdalo sa mga conference sa ibang bansa maliban lamang kung ito ay hindi gastos ng pamahalaan.

Sa 77th Interpol conference sa Russia 17 ang dumalo galing sa Pilipinas. Tatlo galing sa Bureu of Immigration, lima galing sa National Bureau of Investigation, at siyam ang galing sa PNP. Gastos lahat ng sambayanang Pilipino.

Yano’s “no action”

Published by Ellen on October 23, 2008

Last Monday, Trial Judge Advocate Col. Feliciano Loy told the court martial trying the 28 officers accused of mutiny in connection with the February 2006 alleged plan to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo following the revelation of the “Hello Garci” tapes, that had AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano approved their recommendation, the accused would have been very happy.

That was unusual because as head of the prosecution panel, it’s Loy’s job to make life difficult for the accused. And he performed that job well in the almost three years of trying the case, which is now in the pre-trial stage. The minor cases of conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman and conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline have been dropped after two years without arraignment of the accused.

But it turned out that beneath Loy’s belligerent demeanor is a desire to correct injustice brought on the officers who only did what they have sworn to do as a soldier.

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