ellen tordesillas – Page 260 – Making life worth living.

Ampatuan held briefly at LA airport; ARMM Sol Gen says visa ‘not cancelled’

Published by Ellen on May 5, 2009

Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) “encountered difficulties” with his United States visa and was held briefly when he arrived at the Los Angeles airport (LAX) with his family on April 26.

But ARMM Solicitor General Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi denied reports Ampatuan’s visa was canceled and that he was questioned for allegedly bringing with him $6 million.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin told VERA Files on Monday that the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles “did not disclose the reason for Ampatuans being held up in immigration.”

Judge Lorredo to Defensor: drop case vs Lozada if you don’t want to get sick like Mike Arroyo

Published by Ellen on May 4, 2009

Updated: Dehydrated Lozada rushed to hospital. Update: Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Lorredo’s remarks are “extraneous” and that he should stick to the merits of…

Ang mas mabigat na problema

Published by Ellen on May 4, 2009

May kumpirmado ng biktima ang A(H1N1) o swine flu sa Hongkong kaya lalong itinaas ng Department of Health at National Disaster Coordinating Council ang alerto.

Ang biktima ay 25-taong gulang na lalaki. Galing daw sa Mexico, ang sentro ngayon nitong epidemic (pandemic na nga ang sabi ng iba opisyal. Ibig sabihin, pangkalahatang mundo na) na dumaan sa Shanghai. Mabuti pa naman daw siya ng nasa Shanghai siya ngunit nang dumating sa Hongkong ay nagkaroon siya ng lagnat.

Kaya praning na praning ang mga opisyal ng Hongkong dahil noong 2003, nang umatake ang SARS, tinamaan din sila at 229 ang namatay doon.

No urgency in foreign service for Yano and Luna

Published by Ellen on May 3, 2009

The more General Alexander Yano and Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna justified their acceptance of ambassadorial assignment in exchange for early retirement from the Armed Forces, the more that they are unmasked as no better than the other amply-rewarded Gloria Arroyo generals.

Until last Friday , Yano and Luna were the two highest officials of the AFP. Yano agreed to cut short his term as AFP chief for 44 days and turned over the reins of the AFP to Gen. Victor Ibrado. Arroyo announced that she has named him ambassador to Brunei.

Luna, who is still due tor retire in September, also agreed for an early retirement and was named ambassador to Netherlands.

Masama ba ang humiling na magka- swine flu ang mga congressman sa Las Vegas?

Published by Ellen on May 2, 2009

Ano pa ba ang magagawa nating mamamayan sa mga halos 50 na walanghiyang congressman na nasa Las Vegas ngayon para manood ng Pacquiao-Hatton fight sa gitna ng kahirapan ng sambayanang Pilipino?

May isang namatay na sa swine flu sa Nevada.

Sinulat ko sa Facebook ang aking muni-muni, “Masama ba kung hilingin ko na sana magkaroon ng swine flu ang mga congressman na nandun sa Las Vegas para manood ng laban ni Pacquiao?”

Why the Olalias are not in Bantayog ng mga Bayani

Published by Ellen on May 1, 2009

by Chit Estela VERA Files On the long black granite wall on the grounds of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani are 185 names of heroes…

Making a statement

Published by Ellen on April 30, 2009

Check out Lito Banayo’s column in Malaya: ‘Baligtad na ang mundo’

Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, a star witness in the $329 mil-lion NBN/ZTE deal, could have easily posted P6,000 bail in the perjury case filed by Gloria Arroyo’s former chief of staff, Mike Defensor to avoid arrest.

But he did not, as a sign of protest. “This is the only way I can mount a protest that is not against the law,” he said.

Lozada is now confined in a small room, non-airconditioned at the second floor of the Manila Police headquarters on UN Avenue. Judge Emmanuel Lorredo of the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 26 who issued the arrest warrant suddenly went on leave yesterday so the arraignment was re-scheduled on May 7.

Ang bagong direksyon ng Magdalo

Published by Ellen on April 29, 2009

Sa aking pag-uusap sa marami sa mga batang opisyal ng military na nakasama sa grupong Magdalo, nakikita ko and sinsero nilang pagmamahal sa bayan.

Napansin ko rin na malawak silang mag-isip at matatalino sila. Maari sigurong sabihin natin na nagkulang sila sa aspeto ng operasyon sa kanilang ginawang panindigan laban sa administrasyong Arroyo, ngunit handa silang magsakripisyo para sa ina-akala nilang tama.

Hindi naman lahat. Dahil mayroon din naman mga bumaligtad at mukhang namang ina-alagaan sila ng husto ng pamahalaang Arroyo.

Tale of the absurd

Published by Ellen on April 28, 2009

When the story first came out last week about a group of Magdalo soldiers arrested while on a shooting training in Clark, I had a hunch paranoia got the better of government authorities again and that the activity might have something to do with job in war-torn foreign countries.

I had done some stories on private armies providing security for contractors servicing the United States military and their allies in Iraq and Afghanistan like Blackwater and DynCorp and I know that they have applied for permission to use some parts of the former US bases, Clark and Subic, for training their personnel.

Since the job was security in a hostile environment, those companies prefer applicants with military and police training. It was not a surprise to me the soldiers were Magdalo members.

Swine flu, swine scam

Published by Ellen on April 27, 2009

Iwasan daw muna ang magbeso-beso, sabi ni Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap dahil sa swine flu na umaatake ngayon sa Mexico.

Sa mga report kahapon sobra isang libo na ang natamaan ng swine flu sa Mexico at 81 na ang patay. Dahil sa bago itong virus na galing daw sa mga baboy, wala pang gamot para talaga duon. Mga gamot na gamit dati sa bird flu ang ginagamit ngunit mukhang hindi masyado raw umuubra.

Pinagbawal na muna raw ang pag-angkat ng mga baboy sa Mexico at sa United States. Sabi ni Yap hindi naman daw apektado ang mga baboy natin dito sa Pilipinas at basta lutuin lang daw ng husto, okay lang.

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