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Made for TV campaign rallies

Published by Ellen on February 10, 2013

Benigno Aquino III in Mindoro — Aquino campaigning in Mindoro 2010

Election campaign is non-stop, all-season in the Philippines. But officially, for the May election, it starts tomorrow, Feb. 12.

For the opening salvo, the administration’s Team PNoy will have its proclamation rally at the Plaza Miranda while the United Nationalist Alliance will have theirs in Cebu.

Although campaign rallies have lessened their importance as a vote- getting vehicle with the dominance of television and radio as sources of information on elections, barrio folks still look forward to them more as an entertainment show.

Campaign rallies usually feature entertainers. A rally of candidates for national positions (senators in this mid-term election) usually have movie and TV stars to attract a crowd. The masses enjoy free shows. It’s a balm to their weary body after a whole day of toil in the rice fields.

On the part of campaign organizers, campaign rallies are more of photo opportunities for them to show a big crowd on national TV hoping to create a bandwagon.

Arthur Espiritu soars in ‘The Poet Speaks’

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2013

Text and photos by Elizabeth Lolarga, VERA Files The sixth of this month will linger long in the head and hearts, like the “last song…

Why is Aquino not helping Jun Lozada

Published by Ellen on February 7, 2013

Lozada’s friends wonder if Aquino’s attitude could have something to do with Lozada not consenting to his request in February 2008 for him (Aquino, who was then senator) to fetch the former in Hongkong, where he was told by then Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to hide so he could not testify in the Senate investigation of the NBN/ZTE deal.

It would have been a chance for Aquino, who had a lackluster record as senator, to shine.

Jun Lozada, Cory Aquino and the nuns — President Cory Aquino spearheaded the “Mass for Truth and Accountability” in support of Jun Lozada in 2008.

While waiting for the arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division to be served to Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, the government’s star witness in the NBN/ZTE plunder case against Gloria Arroyo, members of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines wrote Police Chief Alan Purisima requesting, among others,to make sure that “no untoward incident” would happen.

The nuns must be thinking of last month’s incident in Batangas when Fernando Morales , allegedly linked with Vic Siman who was among those killed in the Atimonan massacre, was killed while policemen were serving his arrest warrant for illegal possession of firearms.

Morales was in his underwear and was dragged out of his house at 1:30 a.m.

The arrest warrant for Lozada had nothing to do with NBN/ZTE. It’s for his alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for allegedly awarding the leasehold right of a 6,599 hectare land to his brother Jose Orlando Lozada when he was still president of the Philippine Forest Corporation, a government-owned corporation.

The weakest link in the Megamall heist

Published by Ellen on February 6, 2013

By Ace Esmeralda,VERA Files

A shop in Megamall after the robbery. Photo by Rio Ribaya from Yahoo.

Many things don’t fit in the statements of the police on the Jan. 26 Megamall robbery.

As of this writing, the Mandaluyong police have claimed to have “identified” two of the six suspects in the robbery. But in reality, they don’t have the two suspects’ names and addresses yet. What they have are cartographic sketches that matched the images captured by the CCTV and confirmed by the sales ladies of The Jeweler and F&C Jewelry stores. Ironically, the police were quick to tag the Martilyo (Hammer) Gang as suspects without knowing that pipe wrenches were used to smash the glass displays and that they haven’t identified by name and other personal details any of the robbers.

How did it happen?

At around 6:56 p.m. of that Saturday, the first of the six suspects entered the mall thru a supermarket entrance where the security guards on duty were performing their mandatory and required bag check and frisking. Five others were seen thru CCTV review to have entered the same door, seconds apart each other.

Lozada finds no support from Aquino

Published by Ellen on February 5, 2013

Jun Lozada in a Palm Sunday mass — Jun Lozada attending a Palm Sunday mass while under the protection of the nuns.

For Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, star witness in NBN/ZTE deal, one of the biggest scandals in the Arroyo administration, it’s like he and his family are back to where they were exactly five years ago when he was abducted by police officers and he had to seek refuge with the nuns.

They were informed by members of the Pasig City Police that the Sandigan Bayan has issued an arrest warrant for Lozada in connection with a graft case filed by Erwin Santos, the current president of Philippines Forest Corporation , and Arroyo’s hatchet man when the former was a resource person in the Senate investigation on the anomalous $320 million telecommunications.

It’s disturbing. So alarming that today (Feb.6), members of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines are meeting with some members of the Aquino cabinet at the Department of Justice at 9 a.m.on Lozada’s situation. Would Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda be there? Lacierda was the lawyer of Lozada when they were still working to bring down Gloria Arroyo.

After China snub, what now?

Published by Ellen on February 3, 2013

By Romel R. Bagares Just as pundits have predicted, China soon announced it is not taking part in the arbitration proceedings initiated by the Philippines…

Veteran diplomat’s advice to PH re UN case vs China: ‘Stop off-tangent remarks’

Published by Ellen on February 2, 2013

By LauroL.Baja, Jr., VERA Files

The Philippines has finally brought to the compulsory dispute mechanism of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) its conflict with China over some areas in the West Philippine Sea. Finally, because many believe that this action should have been done before 25 August 2006, when China declared “it does not accept any of the procedure provided for in section 2 of Part V of the Convention referred to in paragraph (a) (b) and (c) of Article 298 of the Convention.”

Be that as it may, we should accept and support the wisdom and circumstances which led the Philippines to file the case with the Arbitral Tribunal. Views on why only now, why the Arbitral Tribunal, and why file it all, should now focus on how best to contend with China’s possible defense that the dispute is subject to its reservations.

Update: China opposes taking sea disputes to UN

That we filed the case is not yet an achievement and we should be fully prepared and persevere just in case proceedings start.

A Master Class by a world-class Filipino

Published by Ellen on February 1, 2013

Arthur Espiritu1 — Arthur Espiritu in a CCP Master Class

By Charmaine Deogracias, VERA Files

When the Cultural Center of the Philippines launched master classes last year as part of their artist education program, it was honored by no less than world-class Filipino artist, Arthur Espiritu. Not only was it CCP’s first voice masterclass offer, it was also a rare first to have a tenor conduct a masterclass.

A voice master class which is an expert’s one-on-one coaching session with advanced students in performance and technique, is most often conducted by sopranos. But for the Philippines and the Filipino artists, Espiritu gamely trained students from different conservatories who were mostly sopranos.

Melissa Corazon Mantaring, Head of Music Division of the Performing Arts of CCP’s Artist Training said it was a privilege and an honor that a sought-after,internationally-renowned tenor took time out to train the country’s potential opera singers in their first master class for voice.

‘I am PGH’ and other interesting events

Published by Ellen on January 31, 2013

A noble project was launched last week and three noteworthy events are coming up next week.

Last Wednesday, “I am PGH” was launched to raise money for P100 million endowment fund for the PGH Medical Foundation that helps indigent patients of the Philippine General Hospital.

Photos by Bing Basit

On Sunday, Feb. 3, there will be a “Takbo para kay Sta. Teresa”starting at 6 a.m at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Shrine Parish on Broadway, Quezon City.

China’s occupation of Bajo de Masinloc gave PH no choice but go to U.N.

Published by Ellen on January 27, 2013

Two of three Chinese fishing vessels at Bajo de Masinloc

So far, all that Beijing has said of the Philippines’ suit asking the United Nations to declare as illegal its nine-dash-line map is that it “will complicate the issue.”

China reiterated its earlier denunciation of the Philippines’ “illegal occupation” of some islands in the South China Sea, referred to in the Philippines as “West Philippine Sea.”

Sources with contact in Beijing said China’s Foreign Ministry was “stunned” that the Philippines pushed through what they have been talking about for almost two years now.

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