Ellen – Page 312 – ellen tordesillas

Surplus of airports amid food deficit

Published by Ellen on May 20, 2008

Gloria is in Panglao, Bohol today, one of the provinces that she posted an unbelievable win in the 2004 elections. She has announced building an international airport there. Read this piece on the folly of that project.

By Ernesto M. Pernia
Philippine Daily Inquirer

International airports are a humdrum topic until one realizes that we have too many of them, yet we do not have enough food, power, water and other basic needs. The subject comes to mind because another international airport is to break ground this month in Panglao Island, Bohol. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself is scheduled to preside over the ceremony.

The project was first conceptualized more than 20 years back when hardly anyone even dreamed that the island would become a world-renowned tourist attraction. With the typical on-again, off-again manner of government planning, not too many people paid attention to the project. Of late, however, it’s been rushed supposedly so that it can be completed in two years, before the end of the President’s and the provincial governor’s term in 2010.

Bigay bawi

Published by Ellen on May 19, 2008

Latest as of May 21, 2008: Tuloy na naman ang fare hike. Click here for Inquirer’s story.

Latest: Binawi na naman. Click here for story on “Fare increases deferred.”

Noong isang linggo, pinaglandakan ni Gloria Arroyo ang P20 na dagdag sa minimum wage. Kahapon naman inaprubahan ang pagtaas ng singil sa pamasahe ng 50 sentimos sa jeepney at P1 sa mga bus.

Ano ito, binigay ng kaliwang kamay, binawi ng kanang kamay? Ang masakit pa nito, mas malaki ang binawi kaysa binigay. Nagpapatunay na puro lang talaga pang propaganda ang ginagawa nitong pekeng administrasyon. Dahil hindi na nila alam kung paano bigyan ng maayos at totoong solusyon ang problema ng kahirapan dito sa Pilipinas Kaya ang ginagawa, lokohan na lang.

Idiot’s guide to GAA

Published by Ellen on May 18, 2008

To my fellow idiots when it comes to numbers, there’s hope in understanding the voluminous national budget referred to by lawmakers and bureaucrats as the General Appropriations Act.

Yesterday, I attended a briefing conducted by the bright guys behind the Center for National Budget: Joseph Ranola, Bingo P. Dejaresco III, Resty Maglalang, Domingo Teope, Victor Tirol, Jr.

The group has broken down the intimidating GAA into short primers and analyses for easier reading. The main publication is the “Guidebook to Effective and Transparent National Budget Legislation”.

We know that all through these years Malacañang, in connivance with legislators have been giving the people a bad deal. For how do you explain P3.81 trillion (that’s twelve zeros) debt, the interest payment alone eats up one third of our budget. How did we sink in debt?

Esperon as peace adviser; Dureza, press secretary

Published by Ellen on May 18, 2008

Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza is going to Malacañang as press secretary to replace Ignacio Bunye has been rewarded a lucrative position as member of the Monetary Board.

Dureza will be replaced by former Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon under whose term reports of extra-judicial killings by the military increased.

Sen. Jamby Madrigal, chair of the Senate Committee on Peace, issued the following statement:

Babalik at babalik ang hindi nabayarang kasalanan

Published by Ellen on May 17, 2008

Napansin nyo ba ang posters sa mga poste sa Metro Manila na nagsasabi, “Suportahan si Presidente, Ibagsak ang presyo ng kuryente.”

Mukhang malaki ang pondo nitong kampanya laban sa Meralco. Ngunit mukhang ang gumawa nito ay hindi nakihalubilo sa taumbayan. Mukhang doon lang sa kanyang airconditioned na upisina na bayad ng Malacañang kung hindi man mismo sa Malacañang.

Lopez, Pidal, Rolex

Published by Ellen on May 17, 2008

by Lito Banayo
Malaya

Their paths will always cross. Across generations of their family even.

Mariano Arroyo used to be the appointed governor of Iloilo back when we were yet to be a commonwealth of the Americans. Together with a Chinese rice trader named Sualoy, he introduced jueteng into his province. And what a hit it made with the timawas who bet daily on the numbers game. Such that the illegal numbers racket hit the pages of a local newspaper published by Benito Lopez, who turned it into a crusade.

With Yano, there’s hope

Published by Ellen on May 15, 2008

One good thing going for the new Armed Forces chief, Alexander Yano, is that he succeeds Gen. Hermogenes Esperon.

No one could do worse to the military establishment that what Esperon had done – bringing to the pits the reputation of the military establishment with his alleged participation in the 2004 elections fraud and for bullying those who chose to hold on to their principles of truth and justice.

The optimism that greeted Yano’s assumption of the highest military position is amazing. It should warm his heart. But it’s also an awesome challenge considering the damage that Esperon had done not only to the morale of the personnel but also to the personal lives of many of the officers and enlisted men.

Kabaliwan

Published by Ellen on May 14, 2008

Dalawang reports sa mga dyaryo kahapon ang nagpapatunay ng kasabihan na “Whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make him mad.” Sa tagalog, “Ang gustong parusahan o sirain ng mga Diyos, ginagawa munang baliw.”

Ang mga reports na aking tinutukoy ay ang tungkol sa Meralco at kay Archbishop Oscar Cruz ng Lingayen-Dagupan.

‘Tanay boys’ rule out seeking pardon

Published by Ellen on May 14, 2008

Photos taken after the hearing Tuesday. The court martial panel instructed the prosecution to review the cases again and see if they could recommend to the new chief of staff “nolle prosequi” or will not pursue further the cases.

Everybody was in high spirits expecting fairer treatment under the new chief of staff. Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano.