Ellen – Page 115 – ellen tordesillas

The advantage of having De Lima as CJ: she will also be SC spokesperson

Published by Ellen on July 3, 2012

Based on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s account of how she transitioned from being a “reluctant” nominee for Supreme Court chief justice to one who will be a “unifying force” in the judiciary, it happened after her meeting with President Aquino.

It is presumed that unlike Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares who decided to stay put at the Bureau of Internal Revenue after she was told that it is important that the reforms she has introduced in the agency have to sustained, De Lima was encouraged by the President.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said De Lima told him that the President’s encouragement consisted of “It’s up to you, you make your decision.”

Lacierda also said whatever decision De Lima makes, the President will respect it.

P100 million to combat human trafficking

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2012

DCIM100HPDVC — De Lima with Human trafficking victim

Amidst stories of Filipinos being lured by syndicates to a life of misery and degradation, here’s a silver lining:

Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad has granted the request of the Department of Justice for P100 million for the 2013 operations of the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking.

There were fears earlier that the DBM would only give IACAT P40 million which is even P10 million less.

Justice Undersecretary Jovy Salazar, who is in-charge of IACAT, said “The IACAT 2013 budget approval is a recognition and acknowledgment of the importance of what we do for the most vulnerable members of our society. We are truly grateful and up to the challenge.”

Hindi “fun” pagdating sa NAIA1

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2012

Interaksyon NAIA 1 photo — Interaksyon file photo

Hindi na bago itong reklamo ngunit uulitin ko na naman dito dahil ganun pa rin ang sitwasyun sa arrival sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport 1. Nakakadismaya na nakakainis. Sobra isang oras kaming nakapila sa Immigration noong Sabado ng gabi.

Hindi bale ako dahil tatlo at kalahati oras lang ang biyahe mula Seoul. Ang marami sa mga nakapila ay galing pa ng Amerika at ang iba ay galing Middle East at Europe na humigit-kumulang 14 oras ang biyahe. Siyempre pagod na sila. May mga bata na umiiyak.

It’s not fun arriving in the Philippines via NAIA1.

Ang dalawang J na namamayagpag sa Korea

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2012

Jessica Torralba Kang showing Amb Cruz her insurance agent license.

SEOUL,Korea – Nagkita kami ng ating ambassador sa Korea na si Luis T. Cruz at ilan sa kaniyang mga kasamahan sa embassy. Dumalo kasi ako dito sa seminar ng Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) tungkol sa relasyon ng human rights at internet.

Siyempre kuwentuhan ng kalagayan ng mga Pilipino dito sa Korea na karamihan ay nagtatrabaho sa mga factories. Ngunit ang marami din ay ang mga Pilipino na dito na talaga naninirahan. Umaabot sila ng 6,000 at marami sa kanila ay asawa ng mga Koreano.

Maraming success stories ng mga Pilipino dito sa Korea. Dalawa sa mga kuwento na yun ay sina Jessica Torralba Kang at Jasmine Lee. Parehong “J”.

Nakita ko sa Facebook ang litrato ni Jessica na pinapakita kay Ambassador Cruz ang kanyang lisensya bilang pinakaunang immigrant na nakakuha ng Insurance Agent Certification in South Korea. Nagtatrabaho si Jessica sa Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd.

More funds needed in fight vs human traffickers

Published by Ellen on June 29, 2012

Relatives of victims of human trafficking from MigranteB — Relatives of victims of human trafficking. Thanks to Migrante for photo.

Okay, the Philippines has evaded going back on the Watch List of the United States Department of State’s monitoring of Trafficking of Persons.

Considering that the government has intensified export of Filipino workers overseas because it cannot provide jobs for them, continuing to avoid going back in the Watch List is a consolation, however small because the ideal situation is that there should be jobs available for Filipinos in the country so that the father or mother, son or daughter does not need to be far away from his or her family in a strange environment just to earn a living.

Official rumor mongering

Published by Ellen on June 26, 2012

Why are high government officials so eager to release unverified information that later turn out to be false?

Spreading false information is not funny at all. Worse, it is coming from official sources.

Last Sunday, Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, released to media the information that a Chinese vessel rammed a Philippine fishing boat, Axl John, last June 20 on the waters near Bolinao, Pangasinan.

Four of the eight fishermen aboard Axl John were rescued but one later died. Four are still missing.

How sure was Ramos that it was a Chinese vessel? He said that was according to the fishermen who saw the markings on the ship. Apparently the name was not written in Roman alphabet which Filipinos are familiar with.

Lessons from Scarborough shoal standoff

Published by Ellen on June 24, 2012

Adverse weather situation provided a face-saving exit for both the Philippines and China in the more than two-month standoff over Scarborough shoal, also referred to as Panatag shoal or Bajo de Masinloc by Filipinos and Huangyan island by the Chinese.

President Aquino said there would be no need to send back Philippine ships to Scarborough shoal if no vessel from other countries would be seen during aerial reconnaissance that the Philippine Air Force would be regularly doing.

But before that, careful not to be seen as the one who blinked first, Filipino and Chinese officials issued statements that were both conciliatory and contradictory.

Okay ba para senador si Jun Lozada?

Published by Ellen on June 24, 2012

lozada4 — Thinking of going into the political arena

Sa survey ng Pulse Asia ng mga tsansa ng mga gustong tumakbo para senador sa 2013, nakasama ang pangalan ni Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada,Jr., ang star witness sa $329 NBN/ZTE deal.

Pang 32-40 ang kanyang ranking. Sa mga 1,200 na tinanong, 56 percent ay kilala si Lozada. At 5.8 per cent sa mga tinanong ay boboto sa kanya.

Medyo malayo sa Magic 12 na kinabibilangan halos ng mga re-electionist o pangalan ng mga kilalang pulitiko. Ngunit pwede pa naman trabahuhin dahil may 11 na buwan pa bago eleksyun.

Kahit na isinama ang kanyang pangalan sa pagpipilian, hindi naman talaga kasi sa isip ng mga tao na tatakbo siya para Senado dahil wala naman siyang sinabing interesado siya.

Dati kasi, noong 2010, inisip niya noon tumakbo. Gusto niya noon independent kasama ang ilang kandidato na ayaw sumali sa tradisyunal na partido katulad ng Liberal Party at Nacionalista Party.

Mas mataas pa kaysa National Artist ang parangal kay Dolphy

Published by Ellen on June 23, 2012

Kasama sa pagdasal para kay Dolphy ay ang panawagan ng marami niyang kaibigan at tagahanga na ibigay sa kanya ang National Artist Award o Orden ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, ang pinakamataas na pagkilala ng kontribusyon ng isang Pilipino sa larangan ng Sining na binibigay ng pamahalaan.

Wala namang tutol diyan dahil sang-ayon naman ang lahat sa kontribusyon ni Dolphy sa pagpasaya ng sambayanang Pilipino. Kaya lang may proseso ang National Artist award at hindi naman tama na i-short cut dahil lang sa delikado ngayon ang lagay ni Dolphy.

Sa tamang panahon, maaring ibigay yan ay Dolphy na walang bahid ng paboritismo at anomalya katulad ng nangyari noong panahon ni Gloria Arroyo para kay Carlos Caparas at kay Cecille Alvarez.

The Philippines as global competitor

Published by Ellen on June 21, 2012

Author: Ellen