Author: tonyo

Remembering Liliosa Hilao and martial law

Liliosa Hilao (right) was a scholar and activist, the first to be murdered under martial law. (Courtesy of WikiPilipinas)
Liliosa Hilao (right) was a scholar and activist, the first to be murdered under martial law. (Courtesy of WikiPilipinas)

37 years ago, Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law. It heralded the a reign of terror to cover up wholesale plunder by the Marcoses, his cronies and foreign interests that supported the dictatorship.

To mark this occasion, here is an Inquirer story on Liliosa Hilao, one of those who stood up against Marcos and his martial law. Let us never forget and always honor the memory of Liliosa and other heroes and martyrs who offered their lives so we would enjoy the freedom we oftentimes take for granted.

Read the profile on Liliosa here:

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Transcript: Mar Roxas accepts offer to be Noynoy Aquino’s runningmate

Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II (Courtesy of marroxas.com)
Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II (Courtesy of marroxas.com)

Sen. Mar Roxas has confirmed that he will play second fiddle to Liberal Party presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino to whom he gave way some weeks back.

In a press conference today, Roxas formally accepted the invitation to be Aquino’s runningmate and made the following remarks:

Maraming maraming salamat po. Magandang tanghali po. Maayong udto ka inyong tanan. Eid dun said, happy holidays to our Muslim brothers. Maraming salamat po.

Salamat Noynoy sa tiwalang pinagkaloob mo sa akin. Salamat sa napakalaking karangalan na maging kasama mo sa paglilingkod sa bayan. Thank you for this opportunity to work with you as we raise the banner of reform. Thank you for the privilege of joining you and all our kababayans in the fight for decency and integrity in public service, and for a government that puts the people’s interest first.

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Transcript: Noynoy Aquino announces Mar Roxas as his runningmate

Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (Courtesy of noynoyaquino.ph)
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (Courtesy of noynoyaquino.ph)

Senators Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas today announced their presidential and vice presidential team-up under the  Liberal Party at a press conference held at the Club Filipino in San Juan.

Here are Aquino’s remarks that formally announced Roxas as his running-mate:

Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat, lalo na kay Joker Arroyo. Sabi po kasi niya dati, ang partido po natin ay kakasya sa isang Volkswagen Beetle. Makiusap po ako sa kanya, kailangan po namin ng transportation. Pakihanda na ang  lahat ng Beetle sa Pilipinas.

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Breaking news: Gov’t spies found outside National Artist Bien Lumbera’s house in Quezon City

National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera (Photo courtesy of lumbera.ph)
National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera (Photo courtesy of lumbera.ph)

The family of National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera issued this statement this morning:

At around 6am, a group of men was seen taking photos of and asking information regarding National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera’s house in a subdivision in Quezon City. One of them was approached and apprehended by subdivision security officers. His companions fled as the man was being questioned. The man was found to be an enlisted AFP intelligence personnel and upon inspection of his military ID was identified as Corporal Guerrero Hannival Mosura Mondido of the Marines.

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Lakas-Kampi: Gloria now, Gibo next

President Arroyo swears in Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro
President Arroyo swears in Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro. Photo from Reuters/Malacanang via Daylife.

Besieged by internal problems and its principal hated by the public, the ruling Lakas-Kampi party has chosen Gilbert Teodoro, President Arroyo’s defense secretary, to be its standard-bearer in the 2010 elections.

In today’s vote, 45 Lakas-Kampi officials flushed Bayani Fernando’s presidential ambitions down the nearest pink urinal. The MMDA chair — infamously known for his pink urinals and pink walk bridges and for throwing gasoline at street vendors’ wares — got only five votes. Fernando has said he will bolt out of the ruling party if he were not chosen.

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Speech of Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro at Heritage Foundation

gatesgibo

Defense Secretary and presidential aspirant Gilbert Teodoro spoke September 10 before the conservative Heritage Foundation in the US.

According to the Heritage Foundation, “the United States has no closer relationship in Asia than that with the Philippines. The two countries are bound together by history, family, values, interests and treaty. Among other things, they are critical partners in the war on terror and in the maintenance of a regional balance that favors the forces of freedom. [Teodoro] is a quickly up-and-coming political leader.

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What is Gilbert Teodoro up to in Washington DC?

Teodoro with Ambassador Gaa and two US defense officials. Photo grabbed from Philippine Embassy website.
Teodoro with Ambassador Gaa and two US defense officials. Photo grabbed from Philippine Embassy website.

President Arroyo’s defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro is on a largely quiet mission in the United States, with the 2010 presidential contender scheduled to speak on “the US-Philippine alliance” in a forum organized by conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation.

The Philippine embassy has given clues on what he seeks to accomplish while in the US:

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Full text of Sen. Noynoy Aquino’s Sept. 2 statement

Youngest sister Kris and President Cory Aquino flank Sen. Noynoy Aquino in a 2007 political rally (Photo grabbed from noynoyaquino.ph)
Youngest sister Kris and President Cory Aquino flank Sen. Noynoy Aquino in a 2007 political rally (Photo grabbed from noynoyaquino.ph)

A day after Sen. Mar Roxas purportedly gave up his presidential ambitions in favor of the only son of former President Cory Aquino and former Sen. Ninoy Aquino, it was Sen. Noynoy Aquino‘s turn tonight to speak.

Here is a full transcript of the statement made by the younger Sen. Aquino at a press conference at Club Filipino:

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“Country above self”: Sen. Mar Roxas’ statement giving way to Sen. Noynoy Aquino

marroxas
Mar Roxas lights a candle at the tomb of former President Aquino whose son Noynoy he now vowed to support as Liberal Party presidential candidate. (Courtesy of MarRoxas.com)

PLEASE SEE UPDATES BELOW. Liberal Party President and Senator Mar Roxas II made the following “major and important announcement” tonight at the historic Club Filipino.

After months of being considered LP’s presidential candidate-in-waiting, Roxas formally gave way to partymate Senator Noynoy Aquino, son of former President Cory Aquino and former Sen.  Ninoy Aquino. Noynoy and other LP leaders joined Roxas at the press conference.

Roxas could not have chosen a better date to make this announcement as it falls exactly a month after the death of President Aquino who herself took her presidential oath of office at the same venue.

However, Roxas did not directly state that he is open to be Aquino’s runningmate or whether he will abandon plans to run for higher office and instead run for reelection as senator next year.

Following are excerpts of Sen. Roxas’ statement:

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DepEd-Manila wants Manila Science HS to be renamed as Pres. Cory High School

Manila Science High School official seal
MSHS official seal

The Manila Science High School Faculty and Employees Club has come out with a letter to Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim expressing strong opposition to plans to rename the country’s pilot science high school, even as they request that he verify and clarify the said plan.

“It has come to our knowledge that plans are underway to rename Manila Science High School to President Corazon C. Aquino Science High School as per news article written by Pat C. Santos in The Daily Tribune dated August 11, 2009. The alleged plan was practically validated, to the surprise and dismay of the entire Manila Science High School community, when two DepEd-Manila officials, Asst. Superintendent Mauro de Gulan and retired Asst. Superintendent Isabelita Santos, met with Mrs. Flora A. Valdez, our school head, on August 19 to discuss the matter,” said the group.

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Mobile and internet marketing, and Filipino consumers

IMMAP's Arthur Policarpio and MMA's Mike Wehrs formalize their group's partnership
IMMAP's Arthur Policarpio and MMA's Mike Wehrs formalize their group's partnership. (Photo courtesy of Digital Manila)

Top officials of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) today formally announced their partnership and launched the the MMA Philippines Local Council in a press conference during the 3rd Internet and Mobile Marketing Summit in Manila.

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Wanted: One million new, young voters for 2010

Calling 1 million new voters, take the pledge!
Calling 1 million new voters, take the pledge!

The deadline for new voter registration is fast approaching. But many have yet to get listed to ensure that they can vote in next year’s elections.

Enter Kabataan Partylist and the National Union of Students of the Philippines with their “Isang milyong kabataan, isang milyong panata” new voter registration drive to be launched on August 20. The target is obvious: 1 million new registered voters, mostly young people, on top of the measly 800,000 or so that have listed themselves up so far.

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First Filipino-made NatGeo docu ‘Asia’s Titanic’, a reminder of RP maritime safety issues

Asia's Titanic, first Filipino docu on NatGeo
Asia's Titanic, first Filipino docu on NatGeo

The National Geographic Channel held a special screening for media (including bloggers) of “Asia’s Titanic”, the first Filipino-made NatGeo-produced documentary, which tackled the infamous MV Dona Paz tragedy of 1987 — the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.

There is no Leonardo di Caprio or Kate Winslet to give star power to “Asia’s Titanic”. But the scarred faces, voices and tears of the survivors who the team of Laranas managed to interview and the simple reenactments are enough to give face to the periodic victims of such preventable tragedies. They are our poorest countrymen and women who travel the country from less prosperous provinces to the cities and vice versa especially during holidays when filial piety demands that they reunited with kith and kin they have left in search for jobs in the cities.

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Compaq Presario CQ40-310AU LCD problem solved!

Compaq Presario CQ40
Compaq Presario CQ40

[LOL UPDATE, Aug. 18:  HP called me up at home with this message — The notebook’s LCD has been replaced and the notebook is ready for pickup. But I already got it yesterday, right? LOL]

After a long 27-day wait, the HP Service Center in Makati City called me up this afternoon with good news I have long waited to hear: My notebook is ready for delivery and its busted LCD screen replaced. I told HP to ditch the delivery because I will instead pick it up this same afternoon, which I did and which made typing this post possible.

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Tribune report: Mayor Lim seeks to rename Manila Science High School

Photo courtesy of pixelplated
Photo courtesy of pixelplated

[UPDATE AS OF AUG. 27, 2009: THERE IS INDEED A PLAN! Click here to get more information.]

My former classmates and schoolmates and other alumni are shocked by a Daily Tribune news report that Mayor Alfredo Lim is allegedly taking steps to rename the historic and pioneering Manila Science High School, or MaSci, to President Cory Aquino High School as tribute to the former president.

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President Arroyo’s ‘simple dinner’

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is relentless in bringing shame to the country. Of late, many were shocked by US media reports that she and her party had at least two lavish dinners worth more than two million pesos while they were in New York and Washington DC. Malacanang has given the lamest and most insulting possible excuses and has even gone to the extent of hypocritically forming an anti-hunger task force amid the continuing outcry.

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