ellen tordesillas – Page 73 – Making life worth living.

Mark Aug. 2 – 10 for Cine Malaya film festival

Published by Ellen on July 25, 2014

The much-awaited Cine Malaya festival, a showcase of intelligent and sensible movies by Filipino filmmakers, will be on Aug 2-10 in CCP Theaters and Ayala Cinemas in Metro Manila.

There are 11 films participating. I have marked on my schedule “Hari ng Tondo” by Carlos Siguion-Reyna. Script by Bibeth Orteza.

A grandfather played by Robert Arevalo finds out he lost his fortune the day his granddaughter (Cris Villonco) told him her wedding is not pushing through and his grandson (Rafa Siguion-Reyna) disclosed he is not graduating from college – again.

The patriarch, thinking that his grandchildren’s’ lack of direction in life is due to their sheltered upbringing, he decided to bring them to Tondo, his birthplace.

The Tondo visit not only made an impact on the Forbes Park- bred youngsters but also to the old man who found out that Tondo is no longer the same place as the one he grew up in.

Also starring: Eric Quizon, Aiza Seguerra, Gian Magdangal, Ciara Sotto.

Other CineMalaya entries: “Hustisya” by Joel Lamangan, starring Nora Aunor; “Kasal” by Joselito Altarejos,starring Polo Ravales; “The Janitor” by Michael Tuviera, starring: Dennis Trillo, Richard Gomez, Irma Adlawan;

Dani Girl musical, nice respite from DAP

Published by Ellen on July 24, 2014

President Aquino has used every opportunity to justify to the public the billions of pesos that he diverted to finance the Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP, several projects under it were declared by Supreme Court unconstitutional.

The latest was last Wednesday in Batangas during the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Apolinario Mabini, the brains of the Philippine revolution.

His arguments are warped and many times dishonest.

We expect more of that when he delivers his 5th State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday. It would be another stressful activity for those who have enough of Malacañang’s bewildering arguments for DAP.

TV host mauls taxi driver; no money for P78 fare

Published by Ellen on July 24, 2014

By Ellen T. Tordesillas, VERA Files

A TV show host, who said he had no money to pay the P78.50 fare, mauled a taxi driver Wednesday morning in front of a Mandaluyong condominium.

Cabbie Edward Villanueva, 49, of World Taxi, said Daniel Marsh, one of the hosts of “Juan Direction,” a weekly documentary-style reality show, mauled him and damaged his cab when he insisted that the host pay the P78.50 fare reflected in the taximeter.

VERA Files tried to get Marsh side by text and call, but he did not reply.

http://www.abs-cbn.com/updates/072414-VIDEO-Daniel-Marsh-ng-Juan-Direction-inereklamo-ng-isang-taxi-driver-ng-pambubulabog?scid=40DF3254-B345-493F-BD71-9E9EF5B27C9E

Villanueva said Marsh got into his cab a little past 5 a.m. outside the Prive Luxury Club at The Fort in Taguig and directed him to go to the Tivoli Garden Residences in Mandaluyong.

On their way to Tivoli, the driver said Marsh, who was tipsy, was complaining that he lost his wallet at the club.

Health workers: Philippine health care is very sick

Published by Ellen on July 22, 2014

The wealth of a nation is its people.

It goes without saying that a healthy population is a prerequisite for a country to progress.Healthy citizens live longer and are more productive.

Stem cell research and many more in DBM list belie urgent reason for DAP

Published by Ellen on July 21, 2014

When a combative President Aquino addressed the nation Monday last week defending his Disbursement Accelerated Program or DAP which had been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, he made it appear that the projects funded by DAP were cases that bordered between life and death.

To underscore the purported urgent nature of the DAP projects, Aquino shared a text message he got: “On this note, allow me to share a text message I received in the last week. It reads: “The politicians are making fiesta regarding DAP; but to our simple non-legalistic mind, it is like a motorist who parked in a ‘no parking zone’ because he had to rush to save the life of an accident victim, which has more value. I’m praying hard that these people will see the good of the people rather than their own ambition.”

“To this I replied: I think the situation now is similar to what you mentioned, and it might be even worse. I am after all being arrested for parking in an area that up to now hasn’t yet been declared a no-parking zone. Is this reasonable?”

Aquino’s DAP: lethal mix of ignorance and arrogance

Published by Ellen on July 15, 2014

President Aquino takes on the Supreme Court.

President Aquino’s belligerent stand against the Supreme Court’s decision declaring his pet initiative, the Disbursement Acceleration Program, unconstitutional was not at all surprising considering his defense of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Jr. last Friday.

Reading and listening to his speech was not only appalling. It was disturbing.

It showed the lethal combination of ignorance and arrogance.

The issue is his usurpation of Congress’ power of the purse which is a violation of the Constitution and he talked about parking zones!

Aquino’s DAP doctrine: good intentions superior to Constitution

Published by Ellen on July 13, 2014

Finally, President Aquino will speak to the people of the Philippines on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP today (July 14),Malacañang announced.

Today is exactly two weeks after the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision declared as unconstitutional Aquino and his Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad pet project.

Malacañang sources said Aquino was stunned by the voting (13-0. Not even his appointees especially Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno sided with him!) he threw tantrums. He wants to wage war against the Supreme Court justices.

Wonder no more why House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. wants an investigation on the Judiciary Development Fund being administered by the Supreme Court.

Last Friday Aquino gave the public a preview of what he is going to say today. During the cabinet meeting on the 2015 budget, Aquino announced that he was rejecting the resignation of Abad. “I have decided not to accept his resignation. To accept his resignation is to assign to him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing right by our people is wrong.”

Yesterday Abad, who was silent the past two weeks issued a statement taking responsibility for the illegal DAP which was the reason, he said, he tendered his resignation. But there was no apology or remorse for making a mockery of the budget process with the juggling of P374 billion.

Ayun sa doktrina ni PNoy, basta maganda ang intensyun, walang batas-batas

Published by Ellen on July 12, 2014

Basta tama ang intensyun ko, walang mali. Anong unconstitutional?

Ngayon na klaro na ang doktrina ng Tuwid na Daan galing mismo kay Pangulong Aquino, pwede na natin gawin ang gusto natin gawin, basta lang maganda ang intensyun, pasado lahat yan.

Sa cabinet meeting noong Biyernes, inanunsyo ni Aquino na hindi niya tatanggapin ang resignation na inihain ni Budget Secretary Butch Abad kahit sinimplang sila ng malakas (13-0, unanimous, walang nag-disagree) ng Supreme Court sa hindi naayon sa Constitution na Disbursement Acceleration Fund o DAP.

What’s wrong with the picture?

Published by Ellen on July 12, 2014

The picture we are referring to is that of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas hoisting a sack of NFA rice residue during an inspection of a rice warehouse in Muntinlupa.

Some say that picture, which has gone viral, is photoshopped. We had the photo analyzed by professional photographers and they said it’s genuine, not digitally tampered with.

They explained that the reason Roxas hoisting of the sack looked effortless was because the content as indicated in the sack was not regular rice but “broken rice residue” or darak used for animal feed.

Acts of kindness to the fallen

Published by Ellen on July 6, 2014

Lawyer Edward Serapio, former presidential counsel during the Estrada administration, once told me when he was under detention in Camp Crame in connection with Estrada’s plunder case way back in 2001, that he was so grateful for the wife of then Philippine National Police head Leandro Mendoza serving him coffee when he surrendered early in the morning at the White House, the PNP chief’s residence.

Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile surrenders. From Yahoo.ph

One can imagine Serapio’s level of stress at that moment and he said Mrs. Mendoza’s act of kindness did a lot to calm him down. He said he’ll never forget it.

Yesterday, Sen. Juan Ponce- Enrile thanked the PNP for treating him kindly, allowing him to stay at the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame upon his surrender last Friday and allowing him to have his check up at the Asian Eye Institute in Makati the next day.

At this time when the popular sentiment is to throw stones at all those accused in the plunder of people’s money (Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla et al), any act kindness to those who are down is the true essence of humanity.

It is not about the guilt of the accused. It is humaneness.

While we should be vigilant that justice is obtained in the pork barrel scam, we should also be conscious of the danger that in pursuing justice, we become hardened and lose our sense of humanity. That would be a tragedy.

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