ellen tordesillas – Page 34 – Making life worth living.

The curse of the mistresses

Published by Ellen on April 5, 2017

House Speaker Pantalon Alvarez brings with him Jennifer Vicencio in an official trip - President Duterte's state visit to Laos. Instagram photo by Rep. Rodolfo Farinas (front). — House Speaker Pantalon Alvarez brings with him Jennifer Vicencio in an official trip – President Duterte’s state visit to Laos. Instagram photo by Rep. Rodolfo Farinas (front).

When news reports about the feud between House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr. was brought into open and was traced to the quarrel of the Davao lawmakers’ mistresses, my initial reaction was to suggest that they be given a copy of Jullie Yap’s book, “Etiquette for Mistresses.”

But I realized that Jullie’s pieces of advice are not applicable because the scandal is not a feud between the wife and the mistress. It’s a squabble between mistresses.

Jennifer Vicencio (Alvarez’ mistress) and Cathy Binag (Floirendo’s mistress) are a different breed of mistresses. They quarrel over privileges they feel they are entitled to because of their partners’ government position.

What the Chinese ship did in Benham Rise

Published by Ellen on April 2, 2017

Xiang Yang Hong 03, the research vessel that conducted a survey in Benham Rise last year docked in Xiamen.Photo from China Ocean News.

Benham Rise, a 13-million-hectare undersea region off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora which the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) approved in 2009 as part of the Philippine’s extended continental shelf (350 nautical miles from the shores), came into the consciousness of many Filipinos recently with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed early March that Chinese ships had been spotted in the area last year for about three months.

China did not deny it. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said their “vessels for marine research did sail across relevant waters to the northeast of Luzon, the Philippines last year, exercising navigation freedoms and the right to innocent passage only, without conducting any other activities or operations.”

Last week, a Chinese newsletter, China Ocean News, carried a news item about what was accomplished by its survey ship, Xiang yang hong 03. It belied what the Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the ship’s activity was limited to innocent passage.

Lascañas says Duterte paid him using Davao City’s ‘ghost” employees

Published by Ellen on April 2, 2017

Lascañas on ghost employees from VERA Files on Vimeo.

By Ellen T. Tordesillas
VERA Files

In the business of death, self-confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas had reaped a ghastly reward: He became a “ghost” employee of the Davao City Hall, whose paycheck got a boost from the salaries of other “ghost” employees.

Lascañas, who retired in December with the rank of senior police officer 3, said in an interview with VERA Files that he received P68,000 every month from the Davao City government as a member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS). The amount, he said, was pooled from 10 to 12 ghost employees whose salaries ranged from P5,000 to P7,000 a month.

Duterte foreign policy direction ‘confusing’: security analysts

Published by Ellen on March 26, 2017

At the roundtable forum on Renato de Castro’s paper on “The Role of America’s Alliances in the Philippines’ Balancing Policy on China: From the Aquino to the Duterte Administration” last Friday sponsored by Stratbase ADR Institute, former senator and defense secretary Orlando Mercado related that to counter China’s occupation of Mischief Reef (Panganiban in Filipino and Meiji in Chinese) , 130 nautical miles off Palawan, in 1995 they decided to ground the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, just 26 nautical miles away.

Knowing that China was also eyeing Scarborough Shoal also known as Panatag and Bajo de Masinloc (Huangyan to the Chinese), they also grounded BRP Benguet not so far away from the protruding rock, 124 nautical miles from Zambales.

BRP Benguet, pulled out of Scarborough Shoal during Gloria Arroyo's administration — BRP Benguet, pulled out of Scarborough Shoal during Gloria Arroyo’s administration

This was in 1999, during the presidency of Joseph Estrada. Mischief Reef was occupied by China during the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos.

Pakiusap kay Wanda Teo: Kausapin mo ang Pangulo

Published by Ellen on March 26, 2017

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo:Maling paki-usap

Parang naawa din naman ako kay Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo.

Hindi ka naman pwedeng magalit dahil mabait naman siyang naki-usap sa media. Despalinghado lang ang paki-usap.

Noong isang linggo sa Bangkok naki-usap si Teo sa media na i-tone down o bawasan ang pag-report tungkol sa extra-judicial killings o ang mga walang pakundangang pagpatay kahit hindi dumaan sa proseso ng batas ang mga napatay.

Yun din ang paki-usap niya kay Vice President Leni Robredo na nagbigay ng mensade sa pamamagitan ng video sa isang miting ng United Nations sa Vienna na kinukundena ang patayan kunektado sa giyera ni Pangulong Duterte laban sa droga.

When silence means consent

Published by Ellen on March 24, 2017

March 22 presscon of China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying. — March 22 presscon of China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying.

China has denied that they are building an environmental monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal which they call “Huangyan Dao” as reported by Reuters last week based on a news report in the Chinese language newspaper Hainan Daily.

The reply of China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying to the question about the Department of Foreign Affairs’ inquiry on the reported monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal , also known as Panatag Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, was categorical:” There is no such a thing.”

She said, “We have checked with relevant authorities that the recent reports about building an environmental monitoring station on Huangyan Dao are false.”

Alejano to Duterte: ‘May I borrow your jetski?’

Published by Ellen on March 21, 2017

Pres. Duterte takes a swipe at critics before Filipino community in Myanmar, March 19, 2017. Malacanang photo by Marcelino Pascua.

Not surprisingly, President Duterte resorted to incoherent rant when asked about the plan of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano to file a supplemental impeachment complaint to include developments in Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise.
This happened in a press conference in Myanmar Monday where Duterte was on a state visit.

Duterte said, “Well for what? If he (Alejano) wants to fight with China, he can lead. I would be glad to send him as the first batch of delegation of Filipinos who want to take the Spratly Islands and all of those they occupied now. Sige. Siya ang mauna.(Go ahead. He should go first). It would be a slaughter for the Filipinos to do that.
‘Yung kanyang tapang-tapangan, huwag munang. (His acting brave, don’t) Do not compare me with you. You are all cowards. Alam ninyo nakita ‘yung kagitingan ninyo noong nag-mutiny kaya mga walang hiya kayo. (You know we have seen your “bravery” when you staged a mutiny. You are shameless.)”

He continued fulminating more about the protest actions that Alejano together with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the Magdalo group did against Gloria Arroyo when they were young military officers in July 2003 (Oakwood mutiny) and in November 2007 (Manila Pen siege) which were irrelevant to the question about China’s activities in Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise.

Carpio tells Duterte what to do re China in Scarborough Shoal

Published by Ellen on March 19, 2017

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio reminded Sunday President Duterte of his “constitutional duty” to the Filipino people to defend the country’s national territory and suggested to him four ways he can do it as regards the reported China’s plans to set up an environmental monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal.

This is after the President said he cannot stop China from what it is doing unless he declared war against the behemoth neighbour which he is not willing to do.

In a press conference at the Davao City International Airport, Duterte was asked about a news report that China is planning to build a radar station in Scarborough shoal, 124 nautical miles from Zambales in Luzon.

Impeachment vs Duterte ‘in the larger scheme of things’

Published by Ellen on March 17, 2017

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano files the first impeachment complaint against Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

There are things that you do knowing that its chance of success is not high but you do it because you know it’s the right thing.

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano filed Thursday an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte. It’s the first against the President who was elected with 16 million votes and enjoys high trust and satisfaction rating nine months into his presidency.

The complaint alleged committed culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Justice Carpio’s Benham Rise 101

Published by Ellen on March 15, 2017

Where is Benham Rise ? From the video of Oceana Philippines

The notes of Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio on Benham Rise is very useful as the 13-million-hectare undersea region east of Luzon is in the news with the disclosure last week by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana that Chinese survey ships have been spotted in the area last year.

Filipinos are familiar with Scarborough o Panatag Shoal , Pag-asa island and other features in the disputed Spratlys in the South China Sea but, Benham Rise?

It seems that even President Duterte is not familiar with Benham Rise based on his answer to GMATV’s Joseph Morong’s question last Monday night.

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