ellen tordesillas – Page 134 – Making life worth living.

Thanks Manny Pacquiao for a hassle-free Sunday morning

Published by Ellen on November 13, 2011

pacquiao-marquez by reuters steve marcus — Thanks to Abs-Cbn online for Reuters' Steve Marcus photo

Boxing is too brutal a spectator sport for me but I’m thankful for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight yesterday.

No, I didn’t watch the third encounter of our very own Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. But I enjoyed the free-flowing traffic because almost everybody was glued to television starting early morning. I left Las Piñas 7: 30 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. breakfast meeting with friends at Italianni’s at Greenbelt 2.

I took the bus and made it to Makati in less than an hour!

There was a little problem though because Italianni’s was reserved for those who wanted to watch the fight so we transferred to Mary Grace, where we had a delightful breakfast of bangus and Vigan langgonisa concluded by hot chocolate and ensaimada.

Paano gumamit ng malong at iba pa mula kay Aliah Dimaporo

Published by Ellen on November 12, 2011

Inimbita kami noong isang buwan ni Rep. Aliah Dimaporo para sa isang “getting-to-know you” na tanghalian.

Tinanggap ko kaagad ang imbitasyun dahil bumoto siya para sa amnesty sa mga sundalong lumaban kay Gloria Arroyo kahit na siya ay miyembro ng Lakas-NUCD ni Arroyo. Lalo pa ang kanyang Nanay, si Rep. Imelda Dimaporo ng unang distrito ng Lanao del Norte ay bumuto laban sa amnesty para sa mga rebeldeng sundalo.

Hindi ko siya masyadong nakita noon dahil umalis siya kaagad pagkatapos niya napaliwanag ang kanyang boto. Nilalagnat pala siya noon, sabi niya.

Sa litrato, tinuturuan kami dito ni Aliah paano gumamit ng malong.Parang patadyong din sa amin sa Antique.

Sumulat ang aking kaibigan na si Gypsy Baldovino, ang media officer ni Rep. Gina de Venecia, na kasama namin sa pananghalian sa bahay ng mga magulang ni Aliah tungkol sa okasyun.

Ito ang sinulat ni Gypsy:

Not taxpayers’ money for Arroyo’s treatment

Published by Ellen on November 10, 2011

Aquino announcing travel ban on GMA — Offering taxpayers money for Gloria Arroyo's treatment

President Aquino should thank Gloria Arroyo for rejecting his offer to bring in medical specialists to examine her or else that would have created another round of controversy on the source of funds for that undertaking.

GMA in contraption — Photo by Belna Cabasan. From Stella Arnaldo's wall.

In his press conference Wednesday, where Aquino affirmed the decision of the Department of Justice not to allow Arroyo to leave the country, he offered to bring in the medical specialists that his predecessor is supposed to be consulting abroad.

Malaya: GMA now a battle of spin;contortionists seek to project high ground
http://www.malaya.com.ph/nov11/news1.html

“If necessary, we are prepared to answer the financial aspect of treating Ms Arroyo,” Aquino said.

Let’s not allow Arroyo to rob us of our humanity

Published by Ellen on November 8, 2011

Update: DOJ bars Arroyo from travel

Gloria Arroyo Nov 2011A — Gloria Arroyo's latest photo released by her lawyers to media Wednesday.

It’s no secret that I’m not an admirer of Gloria Arroyo and her husband, Mike.

I remain firm in my stand that she should be made accountable for the crimes that she has done to the Filipino people, foremost of which is the stealing of the presidency in 2001 and in 2004.

Invoking the primacy of national interest over individual rights, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima Tuesday slammed the door on Arroyo’s plan to seek medical treatment abroad.

“My order is a denial of the request for an allow-departure order (ADO),” De Lima announced at a news briefing.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/90633/arroyo-barred-from-travel

The damage caused by her destruction of democratic institutions just to keep her hold on power deeply affected the mindset of the public. It will take many years to rebuild those institutions which took several administrations to build.

But I’m for allowing her to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The Philippine Constitution guarantees the right of every Filipino citizen to travel. Sec. 6 of the Bill of Rights states: “The liberty of abode and of changing the same within the limits prescribed by law shall not be impaired except upon lawful order of the court. Neither shall the right to travel be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health as may be provided by law.”

Bring China’s 9-dash line to UN: Justice Carpio

Published by Ellen on November 6, 2011

The Philippine claim on the islands in the South China Sea , now being called West Philippine Sea by Philippine authorities, could have been stronger had past administrations been more decisive about asserting our claims in the area that is being claimed wholly by China and Taiwan and partially by, aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In a speech of Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio at the 50th anniversary celebration of Ateneo de Davao University last Oct. 29 on “The Rule of Law as the Great Equalizer’, he mentioned two instances when the Philippines could have done something but did not to strengthen the Philippine claim over the area that spans hundreds of thousands square kilometers including 53 islets.

Justice Carpio’s speech in full:

The Rule of Law as the Great Equalizer by Justice Carpio

The first time was right after the Philippines became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982 and the other one was before China opted out in 2006 from the compulsory dispute settlement mechanism of UNCLOS.

Binawi ang ban ng OFW sa 41 na bansa

Published by Ellen on November 5, 2011

Heto na naman. Pumalpak si Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz sa pag-anunsyo na may ban sa pagpadala ng manggagawang Pilipino sa 41 na bansang hindi pumirma sa kasunduan sa Pilipinas para protektahan ang mga Pilipino na nagtatrabaho doon.

Ngayon, hindi niya alam kung paano babawiin dahil sa masamang reaksyun ng mga bansang apektado. Sabi niya pansamantala daw ang ban hanggang makapag-comply ang ibang bansa. Nahihibang ba siya> Magku-comply ang Saudi Arabia, Korea at iba pang bansa sa kagustuhan ng Pilipinas?

Sabi naman ng ibang opisyal, wala naman talagang ban.

Noong Biernes, sabi na ni Baldoz, ipagpaliban daw ang ban.

The amazing Ramon Revilla Sr

Published by Ellen on November 3, 2011

Update: Ramona flees to Hongkong

Former actor and senator Ramon Revilla, Jr. is truly an amazing person.

News reports about the quarrel over the P1 million family monthly allowance from the padre de familia as the motive behind the Oct. 28 murder of 23-year old Ramgen Jose Bautista made me more in awe of the 84–year old Revilla Sr, Jose Acuña Bautista in real life.

Results of police investigation, which the Revilla family finds “unbelievable”, reveal that Ramgen was murdered by killers hired by his 18-year brother, Ramon Jose, with his 22-year old sister Ramona as accomplice.

The police said their information came from Ramgen’s girlfriend, Janelle Manahan, who was also shot in the face and is still in critical condition in the hospital and from the hired killers who were arrested two days after Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla (Jose Marie Mortel Bautista in real life) put up a P500,000 reward for the arrest of the killers.

Dennis Garcia’s art exhibit and Max Soliven’s biography

Published by Ellen on November 1, 2011

Just perfect after the long holidays are two events next week: Rakenrol, the first art exhibit of Dennis Garcia and the launching of the book “Maximo V. Soliven: The Man and the Journalist” by Nelson Navarro.

Rakenrol will be open on November 8 at 6 p.m and will run until Nov. 22 at the Galerie One Workshop, Suite 324, LRI Design Plaza, Nicanor Garcia St., Bel Air II, Makati City.

Rakenrol will showcase another facet of the genius that is Dennis Garcia.

We all know Dennis as the musician. He was part of the trailblazing Pinoy pop-rock band of the 70’s -“Hotdog”- that delighted us with such hits “Bongga Ka ’Day”, “Annie Batungbakal” and the iconic,” Manila, Manila”.

Dennis went into advertising after Hotdog members went their separate ways. He did stints in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur,Singapore, Jakarta and Guam. Every now and then Hotdog members would get together for SRO reunion concerts in Manila.

Dennis is active in New Media, sharing gems for the mind with Facebook friends. He has a blog “Chubibo” where political irreverence has become an art. He writes a Friday column in the country’s number one tabloid, Abante.

Rakenrol, Dennis wrote, is part of his bucket list.

Paano ma-enjoy ng mga Ligot ang kanilang pera?

Published by Ellen on November 1, 2011

Sana hindi na tuluyan sumama sa mga kaluluwa ang pinaghahanap na dating military comptroller retired Maj. Gen. Jacinto Ligot at ang kanyang asawang si Erlinda.

Update:
Days after they were reported missing, former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot and his wife Erlinda appeared before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) on Wednesday to post a P150,000 bail
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/02/11/ligots-show-post-bail

Kawawa naman sana sila kaya lang parang mas pinapahalagahan naman nila ang perang kanilang ninakaw kaysa ang kanilang pangalan at katahimikan. Kaya ayan,marami nga silang pera, tago na tago naman sila.

Nag-isyu noong isang linggo ng warrant of arrest ang Court of Tax Appeals sa mag-asawang Ligot para sa isinampang kaso ng Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Sinisingil ng BIR ng P153.3 million sa buwis ang mga Ligot kasama na doon ang interes at multa sa hindi nila pagdeklara ng kanilang kinita noong 2003.

Umaasa si Justice Secretary Leila de Lima na magpapakita na ang mag-asawang Ligot sa korte at magpiyansa ng P20,000. Kayang-kaya naman nila yan.

Giving meaning to suffering

Published by Ellen on October 30, 2011

agony in the garden — Agony in the garden

One of my favorite quotes on life and death is from the cartoon character Bugs Bunny passed on to me by fellow journalist Minnie Cadeliña.

From Bugs Bunny’s treasure chest of wisdom: “Don’t take life too seriously. After all, nobody has come out of it alive.”

Death is a sure destination for all of us. It’s a question of when and how for each and every one of us.

Another wise advice is from Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple Inc., whose time finally came last Oct. 5.

In his speech at Stanford University in June 2005, a year after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Jobs, the inventor life-changing gadgets, called death “the single best invention of Life.”

Here’s what Jobs shared: “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

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