ellen tordesillas – Page 52 – Making life worth living.

China not ruling out South China Sea ADIZ

Published by Ellen on January 10, 2016

Crew members of the two aircraft that landed in Fiery Cross Reef pose for a souvenir photo.From Xinhua.

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?

Scholarship opportunities

Published by Ellen on January 9, 2016

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

Grounding lessons

Published by Ellen on January 5, 2016

A book on the rise of Kinaray-a language by Alex de los Santos.

Second day of the year 2016, I was pulled to the ground – a much needed lesson, courtesy of a bus conductor.

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.’)”

Beneficiaries seek accounting of MMFF funds

Published by Ellen on December 24, 2015

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.

My Christmas wish list

Published by Ellen on December 24, 2015

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.

Special mention in my list is the healing of my niece Rachelle who is
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.

It still won’t be Roxas even if Comelec eliminates Poe

Published by Ellen on December 18, 2015

If Pres. Aquino believes the strategy that if Mar Roxas’ lawyers in Comelec succeeds in eliminating Grace Poe from the presidential race, the presidency would be an easy clinch for his anointed, he is dreaming.

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.

Road Safety Journalism Fellowship

Published by Ellen on December 15, 2015

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.

Sampalan match: Mar vs Duterte

Published by Ellen on December 15, 2015

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.

The inconvenient truth in convenience stores

Published by Ellen on December 13, 2015

There’s a petition at Change.org initiated by the Philippine College of Physicians, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance, PH and Philippine Medical Association directed at the owners of three convenience stores to remove cigarettes from their stocks in branches near the schools.

The petition cites Section 10 of Republic Act No. 9211 (Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003) which clearly states: “The sale or distribution of tobacco products is prohibited within one hundred (100) meters from any point of the perimeter of a school, public playground or other facility frequently particularly by minors.”

Health officials led by Secretary Janette Garin, Undersecretary for Technical Services Vicente Y. Belisario and Undersecretary for Health Regulations Kenneth Y. Hartigan-Go had written way back in July the owners of 7-eleven (Jose Victor Pardo), MiniStop (Robina Y. Gokongwei-Pe) and Family Mart (Anthony T. Huang) asking for their cooperation in enforcing the law.

Sorry for the general statement about education in the provinces

Published by Ellen on December 11, 2015

I made a terrible mistake in my column last Monday.

In my article on Ronald Gadayan, the NAIA janitor who returned to the owner a pouch he found while he was cleaning the departure area in September 2012 containing some P2.4 million cash and valuables, I wrote about his concern about his children’s education.

Being a contractual employee at NAIA, he only earns P481 a day. He has three children, ages 12, 10 and 6. His wife is looking for a job to augment their income.

His children go to a public school in Bulacan. He said he is worried about his children’s future education and asked Education Secretary Armin Luistro for assistance. He said the education secretary told him that his children cannot qualify for scholarship because they are not “matalino.”

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