ellen tordesillas – Page 49 – Making life worth living.

Road safety journalism award launched

Published by Ellen on April 21, 2016

By Jake Soriano, VERA Files

Journalist and VERA Files trustee Ellen Tordesillas announced on April 12 the launch of a new award to honor the best student work on road safety issues.

The Chit Estella Road Safety Journalism Award, named in honor of journalist Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan, will be given next year as a special category in the Philippine Journalism Research Conference (PJRC).

PJRC is an annual event organized by the Journalism Department of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Mass Communication.

The new special award expands the current Chit Estella Memorial Awards for Journalism Research, given at the PJRC, for the best student work in journalism research, special projects, and investigative journalism.

“It will be given to the most outstanding research paper or in-depth report, multiple formats allowed, on road safety by journalism or communication students,” said Tordesillas, during the closing program of the 2016 PJRC.

“VERA Files is offering to cover the cash prize and the trophy for this award. This is in addition to the yearly support it extends to the [PJRC],” she added.

The pits of Duterte’s vulgarity

Published by Ellen on April 17, 2016

The ghost of Jaqueline Hamill must have come back to haunt Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for disrespecting her even when she was dead after having been gang raped twenty-seven years ago.

Duterte refused to apologize over his statement captured in a 1989 video where he was regaling the audience about the hostage-taking incident in Davao prison. “Si Mayor dapat nauna (the Mayor should have been first [to rape her],” he said to the laughter of the audience.

Told that the video has gone viral, he said, “I am even willing to lose the presidency. Do not make me apologize for something which I did,” he said in an interview with reporters Sunday. He added that he said it “in the heat of anger” justifying it as macho talk: “Ganon ang mga lalaki magsalita. O putang ina naunahan mo pa ako, (That’s how a man speaks. Son of a bitch. You beat me to her. [Expletive.}That’s a cliche” he said.

He said, “”I am sorry in general…I am sorry to the Filipino people” while clarifying that he is not apologizing to a particular entity or person.

Duterte backtracking on 3-6 months promise to stop crime?

Published by Ellen on April 15, 2016

Now that more and more persons with credibility (among them Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV during the vice-presidential debate and much earlier former senator and now senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” Lacson) are questioning the sanity of his claim that he can rid the country of criminals, drug dealers and corrupt officials in three to six months, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is backtracking.

A Rappler report said in his rally in Taguig last Monday, Duterte’s line was, “Hindi ko talaga ma i-stop as in stop. For as long as there is society, and there are men and women and children in a society, there will always be crime.”

In his rally in Cainta the next day, he used another term: “Synonym ng suppression is stopping. Hindi ko talaga mai-stop as in stop.For as long as there is society, and there are men and women and children in a society there will always be crime. When I say ‘suppression,’ it’s really ‘stopping’.”

But he immediately reverted to the line that appealed to a deeply frustrated public.

Another deafening silence from the President on the Basilan tragedy

Published by Ellen on April 10, 2016

Caskets of the 23 soldiers killed at WestMinCom. Photo from the Facebook page of Zhast Omar Eting

Do we still have a President?

More than 20 Filipinos died Saturday in a clash between government forces and the terrorist group Abu Sayaf in Barangay Baguindan Tipo-Tipo in Basilan. And there’s not a word from the commander-in-chief of the country’s Armed Forces.

As I was writing this piece at 5 pm, Sunday, there was no statement from President Aquino. I texted his spokespersons but didn’t get any reply.

I opened the TV for the vice-presidential debate and I saw the President endorsing Mar Roxas as his successor and Leni Robredo as vice president in a Liberal Party advertisement.

Does the President know about the tragedy in Basilan?

Mas malutong ang putang ina mas malakas ang palakpak kay Duterte

Published by Ellen on April 9, 2016

(Lumabas itong kolum sa Abante: www.abante.com.ph)

CAA, Las Pinas. From FB page of Sahad Andal Jr

Kaya si Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ay mura ng mura dahil gustong-gusto yan ng mga tagahanga niya. Mas malutong ang “Putang Ina” mas malakas ang palakpak.

Nang sinundan namin ang kanyang rally noong Biyernes sa Parañaque, Las Piñas at Muntinlupa, nabingi ako sa sandamakmak na putang ina na narinig namin. Hindi lang putang ina ang bukambibig niya. Merong ulol, tanga, gaga (kay dating Justice Secretary Leila de Lima), bayot (kay Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas), buang.

Gustong-gusto ng mga tagahanga niya. Sigaw pa nila: “Mura pa more!”

PH authorities knew of Subi Reef lighthouse construction 5 years ago

Published by Ellen on April 7, 2016

Lighthouse on Subi Reef in South China Sea is not in use. Photo by Xing Guangli. Xinhua

China has started the operations of a lighthouse in Subi Reef, The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday.

Xinhua said the 55-meter high lighthouse contains technology to monitor passing ships.

The Philippines should be very concerned.

Stars with a heart put heartless governor to shame

Published by Ellen on April 7, 2016

Thanks to KilaBalita for the above video and photo below.

This Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza of Cotabato is really something.

I saw her on TV being interviewed on the bloody dispersal of the farmers rally in Kidapawan where at least two people died and many were injured and she expressed no sympathy. She was arrogant.

(Update: At the Senate hearing Thursday some of Mendoza’s arrogance was gone but she gave an impression of an unfeeling government official. She said she was the one who decided” “Police action na.”)

Gabriela Women’s Party 2nd Nominee Arlene Brosas is right when she said, “”Gov. Mendoza has shown no remorse and has even justified the massacre of the poor farmers. Her role in the bloody incident and her attitude afterwards has shown the she is clearly unfit for public service. She must leave and she should take her butcher North Cotabato Police Alexander Tagum with her.”

Published by Ellen on April 4, 2016

Mock poll voting for PWDs at Robinsobs Galleria. Photo by Feona Imperial for VERA Files.

When it was reported that voters could cast their votes in shopping malls this coming elections, I thought it was a good idea.

It’s like going to mass in a mall and proceed to the grocery and shopping afterwards.

I was thinking of the Department of Foreign Affairs putting up passport processing services in malls which remarkably made the application and renewal of passports easy.

My election-lawyer friend said transferring polling places is much more complicated than issuance of passports. I now see that voting in malls was not a well-thought- out idea.

Don’t forget ill persons who are not physically disabled

Published by Ellen on March 31, 2016

PWDs special registration. Photo by Mario Ignacio IV for VERA Files.

The law signed by President Aquino March 23 exempting persons with disabilities from the value-added tax is a whiff of balm in the current toxic (Philippines as money laundering center of the $81 million bank heist and the negative vibes of the election campaign) atmosphere.

The law, Republic Act No. 10754, which amends Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta for Persons with Disability”, exempts PWDs from the 12 percent VAT, on top of the 20 percent discount they are currently entitled to under the Magna Carta.

The discount applies to transportation fees, medical and laboratory charges, cost of medicines, admission fees in cinemas and other leisure and amusement places, and funeral and burial services.

The House bill was sponsored by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, by Sen. Sonny Angara.
The PWDs now enjoy the same privileges as senior citizens, an attribute of a compassionate society.

Erap endorsement expected to get Mindanao for Poe

Published by Ellen on March 30, 2016

Grace Poe and Col. Ariel Querubin (ret), who she said she will appoint crime czar if she wins presidency.

It was almost midnight when Sen. Grace Poe made it to retired Col. Ariel Querubin’s birthday at the Clubhouse at Camp Aguinaldo last Monday. But she looked happy and energized.

She told the remaining few guests that she came from the proclamation rally of former President Joseph Estrada, who is running for re-election as Manila City mayor, at Plaza Miranda.

She related that Estrada called her up the night before to tell her that he had decided to endorse her.

At the Plaza Miranda rally, Estrada told the cheering crowd, “Mga kasama, mga kaibigan, palakpakan po natin ang aking inaanak, ang susunod na pangulo ng Pilipinas, walang iba kundi si Grace Poe.”

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