Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas, whose allies in the Commission on Election delivered the strongest blow against Poe, has gained from it a little because he is now in a statistical tie with Poe and another candidate, Rodrigo Duterte. But it doesn’t bring him closer to the presidency because Binay is pulling away.
By helping destroy Poe, Roxas is delivering the presidency to Binay.
The military’s spokesman even said from where the American troops would be based in the Philippines, it would take a shorter distance to the South China Sea where China has done massive reclamations around the reefs and rocks they occupy.
As if the American troops based in the Philippines would simply and quickly rush to the Spratlys and battle with Chinese Navy if China clash with the Philippine Navy in the disputed waters.
It would be good to refer to the Senate hearing in on EDCA in December 2014 when Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was compelled to tell the public what EDCA is really about upon incisive questioning by Sen. Miriam Santiago, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
The reply of China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying to the question whether China plans to declare an air defense identification zone over parts of the South China Sea, after commercial aircrafts conducted two test flights in Fiery Cross Reef, was most unsettling.
She didn’t confirm nor did she deny the plan.
She said: “As for whether or not China will set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the decision will be made based on a full assessment of the security situation and our needs. We believe that the overall situation in the South China Sea is stable.”
What then if the situation in the South China Sea, whole or parts of it are being claimed by China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, becomes unstable?
I’d like to share here fellowship opportunities – two for journalists and two for students.
Please take note of the deadlines for the submission of applications.
The Jefferson Fellowships offer print and broadcast journalists from the United States, Asia and the Pacific Islands the unique opportunity to gain on-the-ground perspectives and build international networks to enhance their reporting through an intensive one-week education and dialogue seminar at the East-West Center in Honolulu followed by two weeks of study tour travel in the Asia Pacific-U.S. region.
The theme of this year’s Jefferson Fellowships Program is “The Future of Growth in Asia Pacific” and fellows will be travelling to Honolulu, Hawaii; Beijing & Guiyang, China; Tokyo & Fukuoka-Kitakyushu, Japan.
Fellowship Dates: April 30-May 22, 2016
Last Saturday, I took a Ceres bus to Iloilo from our province in Antique to take my flight back to Manila.
As I was gathering my baggage upon arriving at the bus terminal in Iloilo, I couldn’t find the box containing foodstuff (adobong manok, suman, saba na saging, rootcrops) that neighbors went out of their way to obtain and prepare for Manila relatives.
There were no more passengers left and I looked all over the bus but I couldn’t find the box. I was sure it was loaded in the bus together with my two bags. So I asked the conductor, “Sa diin tana ang akon box? May higot nga yellow nga straw.” (Where’s my box? The one tied with yellow-colored straw.) That’s in the Kinaray-a language of Antique.
The conductor helped me look all over the bus. We couldn’t find it. He tried looking at the rear and side compartments. No box.
He took one last look inside the bus and he found it under the last seat. I thanked him profusely.
He accepted it with relief saying they felt responsible for every piece of baggage loaded in the bus. Then he remarked. “’Box’ man ikaw nga’box’. Karton gali ang imo ginasagap. (You keep on saying ‘box’ when you are looking for a ‘karton.’)”
Text and photos Maria Feona Imperial
VERA Files
(First of two parts)
Movies featuring the country’s most popular stars—including presidential sister Kris Aquino, comedian Vice Ganda, screen favorites John Lloyd Cruz and Jennylyn Mercado, and young love team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza—are likely to make the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival another smash hit, possibly raking in much more than last year’s almost P1 billion earnings.
But government auditors and MMFF critics say proceeds from the festival, in dwindling amounts, are not reaching their intended beneficiaries on time, and that an accounting of the festival proceeds is long overdue.
MMFF officials, on the other hand, say the festival is a private undertaking not covered by government audit rules and regulations, even if it is run by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The main issue is the amusement tax collected from Metro Manila theater owners who screen only MMFF entries for 10 days from Dec. 25 until Jan. 5. For that period, the local government units waive amusement taxes in favor of movie industry beneficiaries.
I have only three items in my Christmas wish list.
First, may the sick be healed. May they be given the strength to cope
with the trials they are going through.
battling cancer. She has conquered cancer of the breast and she is now
battling tumor in her lungs. She is a very brave girl.
Another special mention is my boss, Malaya publisher Jake Macasaet who
suffered a stroke recently. Remarkably, he has recovered his speech
and is now back to his trademark “SOB”s against hypocrites.
He is undergoing daily physical therapy.
If the fight is three-way – Rodrigo Duterte, Jojo Binay and Roxas, Duterte will win.
If it’s between Binay and Roxas, Binay will win.
If it’s between Duterte and Roxas, Duterte will win.
He should take a look at the latest nationwide survey by the Magdalo Group conducted last Dec. 9- 11 among 2,914 respondents. It has a margin of error of 1.8 percent.
VERA Files, a group I’m part of (we produce in-depth stories on subjects that matter) will be conducting a training for journalists on Road Safety.
Following is VERA Files’ announcement of the Road Safety Journalism Fellowship:
Road crashes are among the leading causes of death in the Philippines.
The 2015 World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety estimates 10,379 fatalities in the country a year, half of them motorcycle riders, followed by pedestrians.
Tama. Huwag na yung mga presidential debate na yan. Sampalan na lang. Mas exciting pa.
Sino kaya ang pwede mag-organisa nito. Hindi siguro mahirap maghanap ng sponsor dahil sigurado maraming manonood nito.
Sa isang korner ay ang Liberal Party presidential candidate na si Mar Roxas at sa kabilang korner naman si Rodrigo Duterte, ang kandidato ng PDP-Laban.
Pwedeng gawing so MOA Arena. Hindi pwede sa Araneta Colisuem at pag-aari yan ng pamilya ng nanay ni Roxas. Magkakaroon ng hometown decision.
Kunin na judges ay ang tatlo pang kandidato sa pagka-presidente na sina Grace Poe, Jojo Binay at Roy Señeres. Ang referee si Miriam Santiago, isa ring presidential candidate.