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I’m Ellen Tordesillas, a journalist.

I will be posting in this blog my columns in Malaya, articles by VERA Files, as well as materials relevant to strengthening democracy and making life worth living.

Malaya is a daily (except Sunday) newspaper in English that has a courageous history in the Filipinos' fight against tyranny.

VERA Files is composed of veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues.

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Ellen
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Tag: Arthur Carandang

Malacañang’s dismissal of Carandang raises more questions

Published by Ellen on August 2, 2018

If truth is not on your side, suppress it.

That is what Malacañang is doing in the case of the undeclared wealth of President Duterte which was exposed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV way back in April 2016, less than two weeks before the May 9 elections.

Last Monday, July 30, Malacañang released the order signed by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea dismissing Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang from service after Palace investigation found the latter “liable for graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust.”

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang

If AMLAC didn’t send Ombudsman bank documents, what did Carandang leak?

Published by Ellen on January 31, 2018

There is something that defies common sense in the suspension by Malacanang of Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang for supposedly leaking to media confidential and alleged false information on President Rodrigo Duterte’s bank accounts September last year.

The “leak” was an interview of Carandang by reporters checking on the progress of the plunder case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with the Office of the Ombudsman in May 2016.

Trillanes attached a bunch of bank documents showing deposits of Pres. Duterte and daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, Davao City mayor, in BPI and other banks in hundreds of millions, much, much more than the amount disclosed by the two in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth when they were Davao City mayor and vice mayor respectively.