October 2010 – Page 2 – ellen tordesillas

Bagong imbestigasyon ang hinihingi ni Lacson

Published by Ellen on October 23, 2010

Hindi humihingi ang mga abogado ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson ng special treatment sa kanilang kliyente sa kanilang gustong magkaroon ng panibagong imbestigasyon sa kasong pagpatay sa public relations man na si Bubby Dacer at ang kanyang driver na si Emmanuel Corbito.

Ang hinihingi lang ni Lacson ay maayos na pagpatupad ng batas. Hindi naman lingid sa lahat kung paano at kung bakit gusto talaga ni Gloria Arroyo at ng kanyang asawang si Mike si Lacson. Sa lahat naman kasi na kritiko ni Arroyo si Lacson ang pinakadelikado dahil matinik magkahalungkat ng baho ng mag-asawang naglapastangan ng bansa ng siyam
na taon.

Siyempre hindi mapatawad ni Mike Arroyo si Lacson sa pagbulgar na alias Jose Pidal pala siya. Nabulgar na rin tuloy ang tungkol kay Vicky Toh.

Discovering Antique’s beautiful heritage

Published by Ellen on October 21, 2010

There is never a lack of something to discover in Antique, my province.

I arrived in San Jose, the capital town, yesterday for the Binirayan
conference on culture and heritage organized by the Datu Lubay Center at the Pinnacle Suites.

Checking in at Pinnacle Suites was a pleasant surprise. It’s a boutique hotel, clean, tastefully furnished with rooms more spacious than other San Jose hotels. And surprise, it has wifi!

It is owned by the Liao family who also owns Susana Marketing that sells construction and housing materials.

Nanay Tansing’s simple wish

Published by Ellen on October 20, 2010

(I have posted my Abante column on this topic earlier. This is the one I wrote for Malaya.)

I got this letter from a friend in Maguindanao. This relates the visit of South Upi Councilor Linda Erese to the mother of Melchor Fulgencio, the 52 year old construction worker and member of the CAFGU, the civilian unit of the military assisting them in its anti-insurgency drive.

Fulgencio has confessed to the crime of raping Florence (not her real name) the nurse. Because of this confession, Philippine National Police Chief Bacalzo declared the case solved. Florence has regained consciousness but she couldn’t remember anything of the heinous crime done to her.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who heads the task force to look into this deplorable incident contradicted Bacalzo’s pronouncement and said she will loo into the circumstance of Fulgencio’s “confession.”

Morong 45 na!

Published by Ellen on October 19, 2010

May nanganak na naman kahapon ang isa sa mga health workers na kabilang sa Morong 43 na ngayon ay nakakulong pa rin sa Camp Bagong Diwa sa Bicutan.

Nanganak kahapon si Ma. Mercedes Castro sa Philippine General Hospital. Maselan ang kanyang pagpanganak kaya sa pamagitan ng caesarean section. Kaya kahit sila ay nagdurusa sa kulungan, Masaya sila sa bagong buhay na naisilang.

Noong Hulyo, nanganak rin si Judilyn Oliveros at hanggang ngayon ay naka-hospital arrest pa rin siya.

The gall of Navera

Published by Ellen on October 17, 2010

The temerity of Juan Pedro Navera,senior state prosecutor, to complain about the decision of President Aquino to grant amnesty to some 300 military officers and soldiers that stood up against Gloria Arroyo show that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is presiding over an organization, many of whose personnel have still a mindset of impunity that characterized the Arroyo administration.

This is a serious challenge to President Aquino’s reform agenda especially in the area of anti-corruption. This is as problematic as the issue with an Arroyo loyalists-dominated Supreme Court.

A newspaper report quoted Navera as saying that his seven years of hard work to convict the Magdalo officers and soldiers have come to nought with the issuance of the President of Proclamation 50 giving amnesty to military officers who were allegedly involved the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the reported plan to withdraw support from Arroyo following the “Hello Garci” expose in February 2006 and the Manila Peninsula seige.

Gusto ni Navera baluktot pa rin

Published by Ellen on October 17, 2010

Ang tapang naman ng apog nitong si Senior State Prosecutor, Juan Pedro Navera magreklamo sa desisyun ni Pangulong Aquino na magbigay ng amnestiya sa mga sundalong nanindigan sa illegal na administrasyon ni Gloria Arroyo.

Kasama sa nabigyan ng amnestiya si Senador Antonio Trillanes IV na hanggang ngayon ay nakakulong pa. Mga 300 na opisyal at enlisted men ang sakop ng amnestiya kasama na rin sina Maj.Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig.Gen. Danilo Lim, at Col. Ariel Querubin.

Ang amnestiya ay magpawalang halaga kung sakaling magdesisyun sa Oktubre 28 si Judge Oscar Pimentel na “guilty” sina Trillanes at mga lider ng Magdalo ng “kudeta” sa nangyari noong Hulyo 27, 2003 sa Oakwood Hotel sa Makati kung saan binulgar nila corruption sa military kasama na ang pagbenta ng mga armas at bala sa kalaban na siyang ginagamit para patayin sila.

Hinaing at hiling ng isang ina

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2010

Ito ay tungkol sa pag-uusap ng ina ni Melchor Fulgencio, na diumano ay umamin na siya ang nag rape kay “Florence”, ang nurse sa Maguindanao at Councilor ng South Upi na si Linda Erese.

Si Fulgencio ay miyembro ng Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit na nagtatrabaho sa isang kumpanya na pag-aari ng Koreano sa Mindanao. Sa pag-amin daw ni Fulgencio sabi ng Director General Raul Bacalzo, hepe ng Philippine National Police na solved na raw ang kaso ni “Florence” (hindi niya totoong pangalan).

Sabi naman ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima na siyang namumuno ng imbestigasyon ng kaso, “Hindi pa at marami pang hindi nagtutugma sa mga kuwento tungkol sa nangyari,” sabi ni de Lima.

Sumulat sa akin ang aking kaibigan sa Maguindanao at ikinuwento niya ang pagbisita ni Erese sa bahay ni Fulgencio na kilala sa kanilang lugar na “Boy” kung saan doon din nakatira ang kanyang 116 taong gulang na ina, si Nanay Tansing.

Wala ako sa posisyon para magsabi kung inosente si Fulgencio o hindi.

Queen Annie sings for her Prince Richard

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2010

By Elizabeth Lolarga VERA Files Richard Merk, jazz singer, comic singing host and owner of Merk’s Bar and Bistro at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati…

“Hello Garci” in Truth Commission list to be investigated

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2010

The Truth Commission has in its initial list 23 cases that they will investigate including the “Hello Garci” scandal that exposed the direct role of Gloria Arroyo and the military in tampering with the results of the 2004 elections in her favor.

The “Hello Garci” scandal put in doubt the legitimacy of the Arroyo presidency.

At least two major corruption scandals – the P728 million fertilizer scam and the$329 million NBN-ZTE deal – were linked to the 2004 elections anomaly.

The Truth Commission was created by President Aquino by Executive Order No. 1 to “primarily seek and find the truth on, and toward this end, investigate reports of graft and corruption of such scale and magnitude that shock and offend the moral and ethical sensibilities of the people.”

Here’s ABS-CBN’s report:

DFA in a mess; two ambassadors refuse to return home

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2010

DFA statement:

On Tiglao:The DFA confirms the non-extension of the tour of duty of Ambassador Tiglao in Greece. He has been notified of it.

On Benedicto:President Aquino signed the nomination of Francisco Benedicto as Philippine ambassador to Beijing. The nomination paper will be submitted to the Commission on Appointment, and he will come home for the confirmation hearing once Congress resumes session.

Update: Yesterday afternoon (Oct. 14) Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo called up Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello and told him that Tiglao will not be retained as ambassador to Greece. Akbayan members in Greece are among those protesting the Romulo’s tolerance of Tiglao in Athens despite lack of legal authority.

While President Aquino expressed concerned over decision of the Supreme Court favoring the midnight appointments of Gloria Arroyo, his secretary of foreign affairs is condoning, even supporting, the illegal stay of Arroyo’s appointees in their foreign posts.

The other day, members of the Filipino community in Greece staged a rally in front of the Philippine Embassy in Athens protesting the continued stay of former ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao in his post.

Francisco Benedicto, also refuses to return to Manila holding on to the appointment signed by Arroyo as basis for his continued stay in Beijing.

It’s a mess out there at the DFA and the foreign secretary either encourages it as in the case of Tiglao or clueless as in the case of Benedicto.

It must be recalled that there was a controversy over the extension of the stay in their posts of 21 political ambassadors appointed by Arroyo after June 30, 2010. Since all political appointees are co-terminus with the appointing power, it goes without saying that when Arroyo’s term ended noon of June 30, 2010, they no longer had any legal authority as of 12:01 of June 30, 2010.

Month: October 2010