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Hold your applause

Published by Ellen on August 22, 2013

PNoy: all pork barrel misuse is during past administration. — PNoy: all pork barrel misuse was during past administration.

I will hold my applause until I see the results of the Aquino administration’s efforts to investigate the pork barrel scam which was triggered by the discovery of a Janet Napoles operations involving initially five opposition senators and has now spilled into the current administration’s territory.

President Aquino and the Senate leadership have shown that they are listening to passions online and on the ground by accommodating the call for a probe into the misuse of the multi-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund, commonly referred to as pork barrel.

After dismissing the Napoles-triggered pork barrel expose estimated to reach as high as P10 billion as not as massive as the P728 million fertilizer scam during the time of Gloria Arroyo, Aquino yesterday said he is open to the suggestion of Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano to tap former Sen. Panfilo Lacson as special independent investigator who will look into the alleged irregularities in the use of pork barrel funds by some senators.

Malacañang buys time on pork barrel scam

Published by Ellen on August 20, 2013

More than a month into the Janet Napoles pork barrel scandal that started with the involvement of five opposition five senators, the Aquino administration finds itself on the defensive.

After dismissing the Napoles-operated pork barrel scam estimated to reach P10 billion as paling in comparison to the P728 million fertilizer scam during the Arroyo administration (what kind of math is he using?), President Aquino last Monday rejected calls for the abolition of much- maligned practice saying that it can be used for the good of the people. “As in everything else, there are good uses, and bad uses. Perhaps the right thing to do is apply the appropriate punishment for the misuse, but support its good use especially in communities outside the National Capital Region,” he said.

Aquino’s stand dismayed many of his supporters who held on to his campaign promise of a reformist government bannered by the “Tuwid na Daan” slogan. Some of those are calling on everybody to join the “Million People March” to Rizal Park on Aug. 26, National Heroes Day, startijg at 9 a.m. to express their outrage over how the funds for the less fortunate have been flagrantly misused by persons elected to serve the people.

What the FAQs do not answer

Published by Ellen on August 19, 2013

DFA Asst. Secretary Carlos Sorreta and DND Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino.

As part of its hearts and minds campaign, the Philippine panel negotiating with the United States on increased access of American military in the country has come out with answers to frequently asked questions.

Both panels have agreed that the agreement they are negotiating will be titled “Increased Rotational Presence (IRP) Framework Agreement.

Their answers, however, lead to more questions because they are fond of using big words that make you wonder whether they are referring to a thing or a creature or whatever. They also give incomplete information which does not make for a truthful answer.

Examples:

Ask Napoles to spell ‘forty’

Published by Ellen on August 15, 2013

Retired Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin remembers that when Jenny Napoles, the pork barrel queen who is now a fugitive, wrote a check for forty thousand pesos for the interest of the money she owed his late first wife, Loretta (Cercenia), she didn’t know how to spell the word “forty.”

“Ano nga ang spelling ng forty (How is forty spelled?),” Querubin recalled Napoles asking him.

He spelled out F-O-R-T-Y to her.

“She probably was not sure if she would spell it with a “u” as in “four”, Querubin, a Medal of Valor Awardee, said.

Napoles’ being unsure how to spell “forty” (which shows that you need not be good in spelling to amass billions of money) is just a sidelight of Querubin’s unpleasant memory of Napoles, who borrowed money from his military doctor-wife, with a promise to pay it with a five percent interest, for an investment she was making in a shipyard business.

The transaction turned out to be traumatic for Querubin because after a day after a stressful meeting of his wife with Napoles on Aug. 18, 1994, the former died of “unexplained primary pulmonary hypertension.”

Aquino to visit China Sept. 3

Published by Ellen on August 13, 2013

By Tessa Jamandre,VERA Files

Presidet Aquino and Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2011.

President Aquino is going on a one-day trip to China on Sept. 3 in what is seen as an effort to end strained relations with China triggered by the standoff in Bajo de Masinloc in April last year.

The President has accepted China’s invitation to attend the 10th ASEAN-China Expo (CAEXPO) to be held in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, from Sept. 3 to 6, Malacañang and Department of Foreign Affairs sources said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will receive Aquino and the special envoys of the other nine ASEAN countries. Aquino will also attend a forum with Chinese businessmen.

US access talks: it’s PR

Published by Ellen on August 13, 2013

DND Asst Sec Raymund Jose Quilop, DFA Asst Sec Carlos Sorreta, DND Usec Pio Lorenzo Batino, Justice Usec FranciscoBaraan III.

In the media briefing last Monday announcing the start of the talks between the Philippines and the United States on “a possible framework of agreement on the increased rotational presence” of U.S military in the Philippines, the question that was repeatedly asked was, “What does the U.S. wants that the existing Visiting Forces Agreement does not cover?”

The VFA is an agreement between the Philippines and the United States regarding the treatment of U.S. Armed Forces Visiting the Philippines. It was signed in 1998 by Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon and U.S. Ambassador Thomas Hubbard and ratified by the Philippine Senate.

U.S to PH: stop anti-China rhetorics

Published by Ellen on August 11, 2013

Pres. Aquino greets Col. Stephen Neary, commander of the US Marines participating in 2011 Balikatan exercises.From Exercise Balikatan facebook.

Many , including high-ranking Philippine officials, like to think that increased presence of American military in the Philippines, which is a subject of talks between the two countries starting today, is a commitment by the Americans to defend the Philippines in case of an armed conflict in the West Philippine Sea, where a number of islands are being claimed wholly or partly by the Philippines, Brunei, China,Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Those who have taken these view will be disappointed because the U.S has taken a neutral position in the conflicting claims in the South China Sea (part of it is referred to as West Philippine Sea) and has always been consistent in urging for a peaceful resolution of the conflicting claims.

The Obama administration has decided to rebalance its military forces from Middle East to Asia, in what is seen by analysts as a move to contain China’s hegemony in the region.

PH will announce start of talks with US on increased military access tomorrow

Published by Ellen on August 11, 2013

By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files

Photo from AFP's Balikatan Exercise Facebook. — Photo from AFP’s Balikatan Exercise Facebook.

The Aquino government will announce tomorrow the start of the talks with the United States on providing increased access by American military personnel to Philippine facilities.

The briefing to be conducted by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will be held tomorrow at 9:30 a.m at the Patio Room of AFPCOC in Camp Aguinaldo.

Members of the panel will be composed of both foreign affairs and defense security experts. Head of the Philippine panel is Ambassador Carlos Sorreta.

The increase in US presence in the country is part of the US’ rebalancing security strategy termed “Pivot to Asia” which involves increasing military presence in Asia Pacific as it reduces its presence in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Lessons from Taiwan incident: minimize inflammatory remarks

Published by Ellen on August 8, 2013

Update:
Taiwanese Foreign Minister David Lin just announced the lifting of the ban on hiring of Filipino workers for Taiwan, MECO Representative Antonio Basilio said.

One lesson from the unfortunate May 9 incident in Balintang Channel that led to a strain in the otherwise robust relations with Taiwan is for government spokespersons to be careful with their statements.

They should learn to moderate their arrogance and avoid words that inflame the public. There’s no room for uncalled- for side remarks in a tense situation with another country. This is particularly true with Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

The politics of estimating crowds

Published by Ellen on August 5, 2013

Pope Francis July 28 mass in Copacabana beach. Photo by Mario Tama, Getty Images. From National Post online..

There is more to the size of the crowd than just numbers.

Associated Press ran a story of Pope Francis July 28 Copacabana mass that concluded his highly successful visit in Brazil. A native of Argentina, the Brazil visit that capped the 2014 World Youth day, was his first in Latin America.

Press reports, quoting official figures by Vatican, said the Copacabana mass was attended by three million.

The reports said, in the history of Papal visits, only the five million Philippine crowds at the Rizal park mass of Pope John Paul II in 1995 topped the number of assembled Catholics at the Copacabana beach.

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