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Gloria Arroyo as foreign secretary?

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2016

Former President Gloria Arroyo being interviewed by ABS-CBN upon arrival in Germany Sept. is husband Mike Arroyo.

So traumatized and demoralized are the foreign service corps – with the damage control operation that they have to perform every time President Duterte curses other governments and international institutions plus the impending appointments of retired generals to ambassadorial posts – that many like the idea of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the next foreign secretary.

That’s the rumor in the diplomatic circle and all are in agreement that Arroyo, as former president, definitely has a better grasp of foreign relations compared to Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, Jr.

One story going around in the DFA was the briefing given to Yasay in his first week at the DFA on human rights. After a lengthy briefing, Yasay asked: “Are we for or against human rights.”

Those in the room were flabbergasted, we were told.

Truth cannot be killed

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2016

Edgar Matobato swears to tell the truth nothing but the truth at the Senate hearing. Sept. 15, 2016.

If the allies of President Duterte in the Senate think that the public will never know the truth in the testimony of Edgar Matobato, self-confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, now that Sen. Leila de Lima has been ousted as chair of the committee on justice and human rights, they should be reminded that truth always finds its way to come out.

Not now, maybe. Sometimes, it takes a more circuitous route, but it will come out.

One of the stories Matobato narrated in his testimony last week was the alleged order of then Davao City mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte to kill the bodyguards of former House Speaker Prospero Nograles who ran against Duterte’s daughter, Sara, for mayor in the 2010 elections.

Root of Malacanang’s communication problem: Pres. Duterte

Published by Ellen on September 18, 2016

We don’t have to enumerate bunglings by the Duterte communication team because Press Secretary Martin Andanar has admitted it.

“Tayo naman ay hindi perpekto ‘no, tayo’y nagkakamali din, pero Inaayos natin itong mga pagkakamali na ito (We are not perfect and we make mistakes. We are correcting our mistakes),” Andanar said in a radio interview.

At least he is humble enough to admit his mistakes which cannot be said of some communication officials of the previous president.

Andanar said in the current standard operating procedure for delivering the President’s messages it’s only Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella who will be speaking. Only if Abella is not available does he come in.

Sobrang galing ni Alan Cayetano

Published by Ellen on September 18, 2016

Unang lumabas ang column na ito sa Abante (http://www.abante.com.ph/prangkahan-sobrang-galing-ni-alan-cayetano.htm)

Bilib na talaga ako kay Sen. Alan Cayetano.

Biruin nyo walang naka-isip sa mga senador sa hearing ng Senado tungkol sa mga nangyayari na extra-judicial killings kunektado sa kampanya ni Pangulong Duterte na i-testing ang kredibilidad ng witness na si Edgar Matobato.

Sabi ni Matobato, dati daw siyang miyembro ng Davao Death Squad at marami siyang sinalihan na operasyon na pagpatay sa utos daw ni Duterte.

Sabi niya,may ilan sila pinatay na binalot nila ng “masking tape.”

‘Cutting off the nose to spite the face’

Published by Ellen on September 14, 2016

President Rodrigo Duterte shows images of the Bud Dajo massacre during his speech at the 2016 Metrobank Foundation's Outstanding Filipinos awarding ceremony in Malacañang.Photo by Rey Baniquet /PPD — President Rodrigo Duterte shows images of the Bud Dajo massacre during his speech at the 2016 Metrobank Foundation’s Outstanding Filipinos awarding ceremony in Malacañang.Photo by Rey Baniquet /PPD

There’s an expression in English,”Cutting off the nose to spite the face” which refers to a person’s self-destructive action as he hits back at someone he thinks had done him wrong but his needless action actually hurts him more than the object of his anger.

That appears to be what President Duterte is doing against U.S. President Obama after his disastrous performance at the 2016 Asean summit in Vientiane Laos last week.

That sad thing about it is that, it is not himself that he is hurting but the country. And it was he who unnecessarily caused this series of snubs with his tirade against Obama in answer to a hypothetical question in a pre-departure for Asean summit press conference.

Duterte hints his best performance in int’l stage is yet to come

Published by Ellen on September 11, 2016

President Duterte gives a thumbs up for his performance in 2016 Asean.

President Duterte at first played coy when asked about his assessment of his debut in the international stage in the 2016 summit of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the 18-country East Asia Summit in Laos last week, upon his arrival from Jakarta where he proceeded after the Asean meetings saying it would be “self-serving.” But with little prodding he opened up, “I’m sure that if you’re a Filipino, you’d be proud of me.”

He said the only ones who would not be proud of what he did in Laos and Indonesia (where he proceeded for a state visit from Vientiane) are the “low-life sa press, iyong mga kolumnista, nothing is really too good to be true.”

“Pero hindi kayo napahiya (I did not embarrass you), I assure you, and everybody was clapping except for dalawa (two). But ah, bilib sila sa akin (they admired me),” he enthused. He declined to name who were the two.

Duterte was narrating the plenary session of the East Asia Summit last Thursday, Sep. 8. Participants in the East Asia Summit which follows the ASEAN summit are the 10 members of Asean namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam joined by dialogue partners Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and United States.

Duterte’s debut in the international stage a disaster

Published by Ellen on September 7, 2016

Duterte arrives in Asean summit venue in Vientiane, Laos. Malacanang photo. — Duterte arrives at the Asean summit venue in Vientiane, Laos. Malacanang photo.

Whatever one’s political leaning is, every Filipino wants to be proud of the President when he appears in the world stage.

He represents the Filipino people. His success is our success. His embarrassment is our embarrassment.

The 2016 Asean summit in Vientiane, Laos was President Duterte’s first official foreign trip. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the other world leaders, it was an opportunity for him to show the world his remarkable transition from city mayor to president of one of the Asia’s vibrant democracy.

As Philippine president, he had a prominent role in Laos Asean meeting because next year it will be the Philippines’ turn to host the summit of the 10-country regional grouping to be followed by meeting of leaders of ASEAN’s 10 dialogue partners which include China, Japan, South Korea , and the United States.

But he wasted that opportunity by his offensive remarks made on the eve of the summit directed to the leader of the world’s superpower whom he had not yet met in person and had not said anything bad about him.

The regrettable thing about it is that, those disgusting remarks were not warranted.

VERA Files, Reporters Without Borders Germany partner to monitor media ownership in PH

Published by Ellen on September 5, 2016

Lisa-Maria Kretschmer, head of Research & Project Coordinator of Reporters Without Borders Germany Media Ownership Monitor, explains the project they are undertaking with VERA Files in the Philippines. Beside her is LUZ Rimban, VERA Files trustee.

By YVETTE MORALES

VERA Files has partnered with Reporters ohne Grenzen, German section of Reporters sans frontières (Reporters without Borders, RSF) to embark on a three-month study of media ownership in the Philippines.

The Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) Philippines is part of RSF’s global project to study the extent of the concentration of media ownership, a prerequisite for securing freedom of the press and defending the diversity of opinions.

Vergel Santos, Chairman of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, who was one of the participants in the roundtable discussion held last week to kick-off the project, called the MOM a “terrific,” much-needed initiative that will open people’s eyes to the power behind the media organizations.

The President’s instructions under a State of Lawless Violence

Published by Ellen on September 4, 2016

President Duterte inspecting the Davao City night market -scene of the bombing Sept. 2 bombing.

We condemn the bombing at the Davao night market bombing last Friday which killed 14 people and injured more than 70.

We pray for strength for the families of those who died and were injured. We pray for justice for the victims and that includes all of the Filipino people.

Authorities are still investigating who are the perpetrators. Nothing definite yet except that the explosion was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

There are as many speculations as there are spokesmen. Early reports said the terrorist group, the Abu Sayyaf, had claimed responsibility only to be denied later.

Harry Roque will not be short of horror stories about Globe and Smart

Published by Ellen on September 4, 2016

Rep. Harry Roque delivering privilege speech.

This is a most welcome congressional inquiry.

Kabayan Party-list Representative Harry L. Roque, in a resolution filed last week said, “The House of Representatives requests the major telecommunication providers, Smart Telecommunications and Globe Telecommunications, to explain why the Filipino people are not receiving the quality of service that they deserve and, to show cause why they should have the privilege to keep their franchises despite the same.”

Roque said Section 20 of Republic Act 7925 provides all telecommunication users the right to reliable services and conforming to minimum standards set by the National Telecommunications Commission, regular and accurate billing, and thorough and prompt investigations and actions upon complaints.

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