ellen tordesillas – Page 51 – Making life worth living.

Pacquiao’s ‘abhorrent’ remarks could be blessing in disguise

Published by Ellen on February 18, 2016

Two days after boxing icon Manny Pacquiao rebuked same sex couples as worse than animals, shoe giant Nike dropped him as endorser.

That was fast.

Observers said that was an easy decision for Nike because Pacquiao, 37, is at the sunset of his career after losing in two major fights: the one against Floyd Mayweather in May 2015 and earlier, in December 2013, to Juan Manuel Marquez. He says his April 9 fight with Timothy Bradley would be his last, although he has said it before with his other fights and went on to do more.

Nike’s announcement: “We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent. Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao.”
It’s a knockout punch for Pacquiao whose endorsements make up the bulk of his boxing earnings. His camp is worried, we are told, that other sponsors might follow Nike.

Social media raises demand for honesty from candidates

Published by Ellen on February 16, 2016

Two stories that generated passionate exchanges in social media the past days underscore how new media is being used to demand transparency and honesty from candidates and their staff in the campaign for the May elections.

The first story was about the shoes of Brian Llamanzares, son of presidential candidate Grace Poe of the Partido Galing at Puso and the other was the Instagram post of Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, who is the spokesman of the Aquino administration’s Liberal Party, whose standard bearer is Mar Roxas.

The story about the Llamanzares’ shoes was a scoop by the online media Rappler. Brian posted what seemed at first as a harmless photo until someone with a keen eye on sports shoes at Rappler noticed that the 23-year old, who once worked with CNN Philippines, was wearing a limited edition 2015 Nike Mag10 Back to the Future II Marty McFly.

That shoes sold for $19,999 equivalent to almost P900,000 in Philippine pesos. Nearly a million pesos for a pair of shoes.

Why so expensive?

As explained by a blogger Rod Magaru, “last September of 2011, a total of 1,500 pairs of Nike Mag10 were auctioned on eBay with the intention of donating its proceeds to Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Disease Research. They added 10 more pairs in a deluxe package and they were able to sell everything on that year.”

Layoffs of OFWs in Saudi not due to oil price slump: labor attaches

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2016

Filipinos in Saudi renew their passports. Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

Despite decline in global oil prices, the Saudi labor market remains stable for Filipino workers. The reported retrenchments are not due to the oil price slump in recent months, according to assessment of Saudi-based labor attaches and diplomats of the situation in the Middle East kingdom that hosts some 800,000 OFWS.

The positive assessment should calm the fears of massive retrenchment in Saudi due to the plunge of oil prices. In fact, last week Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz expressed concerns of a possible displacement some 1.5 million Filipinos classified as temporary workers in the Middle East as the global oil glut is expected to continue in the coming months with the recent lifting of the sanctions on oil-producer Iran.

A report on the OFW situation in Saudi said, the retrenchments, particularly to the employees of the Middle East construction giant Saudi Binladen Group (SBG), “are hardly traceable to declining oil prices.”

Candidates define campaign in kick-off rallies

Published by Ellen on February 12, 2016

If only the evidence of corruption against Vice President Jojo Binay were not overwhelming, I would consider voting for him in the May election simply because of his promise that those earning P30,000 a month (annual income of P360,000) and below will be exempted from paying income tax.

Kim Henares’ BIR is really a heavy cross for freelance workers who are not earning a lot.

When I was a fulltime employee of Ang Pahayagang Malaya, filing of income tax returns was taken care of by the office accountant. Since my retirement from the newspaper, I have been doing freelance work. I have to do my own filing with the BIR. It’s so stressful.

I was compelled to register as “single proprietor” with the BIR because companies I deal with require receipts. With or without income, I have to file a monthly percentage tax. Then I have to file the quarterly tax, then the annual income tax return and renewal of annual registration every January.

It’s like my life now is devoted to filing something with the BIR every month. It has happened a number of times that I missed filing the monthly percentage tax and the quarterly income tax. Even just a one day delay, I had to pay P1,000.

Ang bigat.

Lacierda may yet get his dream of becoming foreign secretary

Published by Ellen on February 9, 2016

The resignation of Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, four months before the end of the Aquino administration, may yet pave the way for Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda to realize his dream of becoming foreign secretary.

Not many know Lacierda’s desire to be head of the much-coveted cabinet position. It was Mar Roxas, the presidential candidate of President Aquino and the Liberal party, who told an ambassador that Lacierda would be his foreign secretary.

Roxas, the envoy recalled, presented Lacierda to him: “Here’s your future boss.”

The envoy was taken aback, he replied, “I won’t be with the DFA anymore by that time.”

Funny. The envoy’s reply sounded like “I’m thankful I won’t be there when that disaster happens in the DFA.”

The envoy was thinking that it would happen after 2016 and assuming that Roxas would succeed Aquino.But that possibility doesn’t seem very likely because in the many surveys conducted of the presidential race for the May 2016 elections, Roxas has never topped one.

Water source crucial in determining status of Itu Aba (2)

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2016

Personnel measure the girth of trees on Taiping Island. Photo from Taiwan's Foreign ministry. — Personnel measure the girth of trees on Taiping Island. Photo from Taiwan’s Foreign ministry.

(Conclusion)

The issue of whether Itu Aba (also known by its Chinese name “Taiping” and Philippine name “Ligaw”) is an island or a rock has become a battle of experts.

In the hearing at The Hague last Nov 30 on the Philippine suit against China’s nine-dash-line and constructions in submerged maritime features in the Spratlys, the American lawyer of the Philippines, Paul Reichler, presented a 1994 study which was the result of a botanical expedition funded by the Republic of China (Taiwan)’s Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.

Reichler quoted from the study which stated: “The underground water is salty and unusable for drinking.”

Water source crucial in determining status of Itu Aba (1)

Published by Ellen on February 5, 2016

Is the water coming from the grounds of Itu Aba (Chinese name: Taiping; Philippine name: Ligaw) suitable for drinking?
The answer to this question is crucial in determining whether Itu Aba is an island or a rock.

The determination of Itu Aba’s feature- whether a rock or an island- is important in establishing the extent of the Philippine’s territory and coverage of its sovereignty.

Itu Aba, occupied by Taiwan, is the biggest feature in the Spratlys in South China Sea which is being claimed wholly by China and Taiwan and partly by Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS defines an island as “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide.”

The Junjun Binay libel case vs Trillanes

Published by Ellen on February 2, 2016

Former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay: "Allegations besmirched my good name." — Former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay: “Allegations besmirched my good name.”

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. He said he will continue exposing the truth about the Binays.

Telling the truth does not make one immune from libel suits.

Last Monday, Judge Dina Pestano Teves of the Makati Regional Trial Court 142, released the warrant of arrest for Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV after finding probable cause in the suit filed by former Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr.

Trillanes, who is running for vice president as an independent candidate in the coming May election, is in Washington D.C. for the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event hosted by members of the United States Congress and organized by a Christian Fellowship Foundation attended by some 3,500 guests from all over the world. The U.S. president usually attends the event held every first Thursday of February.

But the senator sent his reaction to the news about the warrant of arrest for him. “If the Binay family believes that I can be intimidated and threatened from exposing them, they are badly mistaken. I will do everything I can to make sure that plunderers will not rule this country again”, he said.

Ball is now with the people after Senate ends Binay probe

Published by Ellen on January 28, 2016

Senators Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes IV, Alan Cayetano at the final hearing, Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on Makati anomalies. Photo from DZRH.

Now that the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee has wrapped up its hearings on the alleged anomalies in Makati under the watch of the Binays, the ball is now with the Ombudsman and the Filipino people.

In his opening statement at the beginning of the 25th and last hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee Tuesday, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as chair, assured the public that “the legislative ideas based on the evidence we have gathered as well as our findings on the two resolutions shall be forthcoming. Just to remind everyone, the subcommittee’s proceedings were undertaken in aid of legislation.”

This is to debunk criticisms of the year-long investigation as primarily a vehicle to destroy Vice President Jojo Binay, who is a presidential candidate in the 2016 elections.

The Marine who said ‘No’

Published by Ellen on January 26, 2016

This article was first published on January 18, 2009. We are re-posting this as Lt. Col Ferdinand Marcelino is again in the news after he was arrested in a drug bust operation last Jan. 21. Marcelino says his presence in the shabu den was a legal operation. His lawyer said it was a “frameup”

By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files

THE soldier who stirred a hornet’s nest by accusing Department of Justice officials of bribery in the so-called “Alabang Boys” case could have been a millionaire by now.

Marine Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino, chief of the Special Enforcement Service of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, has experienced being bribed by smugglers, politicians and drug dealers in his 14-year career as a military officer.

But Marcelino, who belongs to the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1994, said he has made it a point to give back the thick envelopes stuffed with cash, and was not even curious enough to count the money and see how much he is worth.

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