Foreign Affairs – Page 45 – ellen tordesillas

Arroyo’s team to US: more than 70

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2008

Inquirer’s Christine Avendaño reported that in Arroyo’s trip to the United States this week, she is bringing along more than 70 people, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

As in every foreign junket of Gloria Arroyo, the Filipino people become million of dollars poorer with all the expenses in airplane fare, hotel, food, allowances.

It was only last June that Gloria Arroyo was in the U.S. with more than 60 congressmen while the Filipino people were reeling from the lashing of typhoon Frank. Former ambassador to the U.S. Ernesto Maceda gave an idea the expenses incurred in a presidential foreign trip.

Here’s Maceda’s estimate based on an “official party” of more than 20:

Another flip-flop: Arroyo will push through with US trip

Published by Ellen on September 17, 2008

From GMNANews online:

Two weeks after announcing the cancellation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s trip to the United States later this month, Malacañang on Wednesday confirmed that the US trip will push through after all.

In an interview, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said Arroyo will leave for the US to address the United Nations Millenium Development Goals review on September 23. In the review, the Philippines is expected to report its compliance to the eight international development objectives.

Dureza said President Arroyo will also hold bilateral meetings in New York and meet with the Organization of Islamic Conference to express her gratitude for its support for the peace process in Mindanao.

Leksyon sa nangyari sa Thailand

Published by Ellen on September 13, 2008

Noong una nainggit ako mga taga-Thailand na napa-talsik nila ang kanilang bagong prime minister na si Samak Sundaravej na ang kasalanan lamang ay tumanggap siya ng bayad sa kanyang televised cooking show habang siya’y prime minister.

Sinabi ng Constitutional Court ng Thailand na lumabag si Samak ng batas na nagbabawal sa mga opisyal ng pamahalaan na tumanggap ng pera sa pribadong kumpanya. Wow! Ganoon sila ka istrikto.
Kung dito sa Pilipinas yan baka wala ni isang opisyal ang matira sa gobyerno.

Si Justice Jose Sabio Jr. umamin na tumanggap ng P300,000 kay Francis de Borja bilang pasalamat sa isang kasong nadesisyunan niya pabor sa pamilya ni de Borja, hindi tinangal.

The Maldanas incident

Published by Ellen on September 13, 2008

Under the topic, “Ermita’s Sabah memo”, one of our regulars here, Sulbatz, recalled the story of the Maldanas incident which happened on Sept 26, 1985. I tried to google the Maldanas incident but I only found one line in http://www.usssatyr.com/now.htm

I found two items in yahoo.com. One was a 1994 Inquirer article after the Abu Sayyaf first made its existence public in the Ipil massacre. The article stressed the sensitivity of the Maldanas incident. “Ramos warned against issuing statements blaming the Lahad Datu- Maldanas (Siluag) incident on the Malaysian Armed Forces. Without high-level diplomatic talks on the incident, it could have become a full-blown conflict.” (http://www.nisat.org/blackmarket/asia/Southeast_Asia/Philippines/94.07.31-Abu%20Sayyaf%20Weapons%20Capabilities-%20Foreign%20Supporters%20Listed.html)

The other item is a comment in http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=9598.0. It said “On Sept 26, 1985, 4 foreign gunboats and 3 helicopters attacked the Maldanas islet in Sibutu islands. Initially, Malaysia was blamed it being suggested the attack was in retaliation for a Moro pirate raid on Lahad Datu in Sabah. The Malaysians protested their innocence and subsequently it was felt that the raid came from Vietnam or China in an attempt to spoil relations between the 2 countries.” ( source : Air Wars and Aircraft, 1990)”

I’m glad that Sulbatz shared with us this inside story from an officer’s first hand account:

Ermita’s Sabah memo

Published by Ellen on September 11, 2008

When Gloria Arroyo’s “special envoys” to Malaysia, minus National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, met with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, did they also discuss Sabah?

I’m curious because last Aug. 20, two weeks after the aborted signing of the Malaysian-brokered Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita issued Memorandum Circular 612 titled “Guidelines on Matters Pertaining to North Borneo (Sabah)”

The memo gives four instructions:

Pakistan’s Musharraf announces resignation

Published by Ellen on August 18, 2008

Whatever you say of Musharraf, he still has dignity left in him which you cannot say of Gloria Arroyo.

ISLAMABAD (Agence France Presse) — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced in a televised address to the nation Monday that he had decided to resign after nine years in power to avoid the threat of impeachment.

The former army chief, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, was under huge pressure from the governing coalition to step down before it launched the first impeachment proceedings in Pakistan’s 61-year history.

“After viewing the situation and consulting legal advisers and political allies, with their advice I have decided to resign,” a grim-faced Musharraf said, backed by Pakistani flags and a portrait of the country’s founder.

A country not even his own

Published by Ellen on August 17, 2008

Last month,Meralco chair Oscar Lopez said in a forum that with what is happening now to his family in relation to the ruling power, it’s as though Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship had not ended.

Lopez said this following attempts by Gloria Arroyo’s avid supporter, Winston Garcia, president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System, to takeover Meralco, the Lopez family’s flagship firm.

This early, MILF is talking about US military bases in BJE

Published by Ellen on August 10, 2008

US, Philippines weigh new military marriage
Asian Times

By Fabio Scarpello

COTABATO CITY, Southern Philippines – More than 15 years after the US was forced to close its military bases in the Philippines by nationalist politicians, there are growing indications that Washington is angling to re-establish a permanent military presence here – though US diplomats strenuously deny the speculation.

The United States’ behind-the-scenes role in mediating a peace deal between the Philippine government and a group of Islamic rebels and its assistance to the Philippine armed forces in chasing down another rebellious Islamic organization has, for many Filipinos, lent credence to growing speculation that the US has designs on establishing new bases on the country’s southern island of Mindanao.

Disempowering the people

Published by Ellen on July 17, 2008

Once again, it is the words of the “Great Dissenter,” as Chief Justice Reynato Puno is called these days, that captured the real issue in the petition of Akbayan for full disclosure of the terms of JPEPA which the Supreme Court rejected in a 10-4 vote.

JPEPA stands for Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement which is awaiting ratification by the Senate.

In his dissenting opinion, Puno said: “We elevated the right to information to constitutional stature not without reason. In a democracy, debate – by the people directly or through their representatives in Congress – is a discussion of and by the informed and not an exchange of surpluses of ignorance.

Illusion of U.S support

Published by Ellen on July 13, 2008

Gloria Arroyo’s issuance of Executive Order 731 two weeks before her trip to the United States last month gives credence to talks that she was anticipating trouble that would be caused by soaring gas prices and she sought the support of U.S. President Bush in case she would have to resort to measures akin to martial law..

E.O. 731, issued June 7, 2008 but made public only last week is titled “Activating and Reorganizing the Energy Operations Board into the Energy Contingency Task Force Under the National Food and Energy Council”. It is based on the premise that “global clouds on the horizon are driving the cost of oil and food.”

Category: Foreign Affairs