In defense of Grace Lee!

"VERAFILES uses “quotes” from the completely unreliable

DJ MO TWISTER

to support her article and then misquotes Grace Lee...

Shouldn't Mo Twister just get Ellen Tordesillas as her co-host?"

BY AMIEL AGUILAR CABANLIG

You would think that “JeJe-Journalists” would learn a lesson and want to better hone their craft!

Ellen Tordesillas seems to have a penchant to take a smidgen of misinformation and make mountains out of mole hills – specifically concerning her sensationalized report about Grace Lee “praying” to take PNoy to the marriage altar.

Tordesillas uses “quotes” from the completely unreliable DJ Mo Twister to support her article and then misquotes Grace Lee, mistaking a female co-host for the Korean DJ.

First of all, why would anyone believe what DJ Mo Twister has to say about the subject?

The very nature of the Good Times radio program is non-serious and full of controversy-inducing banter. Twister is known to stir gossip for the sake of garnering ratings and he is not to be considered as a “credible” or “dependable” source.

Then Tordesillas goes on to say that Grace Lee was offered a retinue of PSGs. This was according to unnamed source – again, where is the credibility here?

Instead of piecing together a reliable story, Tordesillas’ tabloidal report totally misrepresents Grace Lee and puts her in a negative light.

Shouldn’t Mo Twister just get Ellen Tordesillas as her co-host?

A very stern warning to the Fashion Pulis blog ...

The prosecution’s self-inflicted wounds

““Falsus in unum, falsus in omnibus” which means

“False in one thing, false in everything”? “

Written by : ATTY. DODO DULAY

(graphic from The Manila Standard)

Judging from their media pronouncements before the start of Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona’s impeachment trial, the House prosecution team probably thought they had an open-and-shut case against Corona. How they must have had a rude awakening when the impeachment trial got underway. What they thought would be a cakewalk turned out to be a series of embarrassing blunders and missteps that became quite painful to watch. And to think Corona’s defense team hadn’t even started presenting their evidence yet.

The start of trial proper on Day 2 began rather ominously. The viewing public expected the prosecution team to begin presenting its evidence on Article I of the impeachment complaint. But when asked to begin the presentation of its evidence, the prosecution represented by Rep. Elpidio Barzaga admitted they were not ready to present evidence on Article I but were ready on Article II regarding Corona’s failure to disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). Barzaga tried to salvage the day by arguing that he was ready to present certified true copies of titles and deeds of absolute sale as evidence. But without the official custodian testifying on these documents’ authenticity, these would be inadmissible as evidence. So when Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile asked if the prosecution would rather postpone or proceed with the presentation of evidence, Barzaga tried to wriggle out of embarrassment by saying that the prosecution was willing to postpone – and this is the clincher – “in order to accord the defense (the opportunity) to prepare for the proceedings.” Utang na loob pa ng defense.

As the trial went on, things went from bad to worse. When the prosecution presented its tenth witness, lawyer Noli Hernandez, who is a senior vice president of Megaworld, they were in for a big surprise. Instead of bolstering their case, Hernandez demolished the prosecution’s argument that Corona violated the canons of judicial ethics when he received a huge discount from Megaworld—for there was no discount but a necessary price reduction. Hernandez also denied that the P10-million price reduction it gave the Coronas for the Bellagio condominium unit was in exchange for favorable Supreme Court (SC) decisions involving Megaworld. Hernandez said the unit was water-damaged after a typhoon and the economic situation was not good in 2008, prompting the company to cut the price by about 40 percent. Although Corona wrote a decision in favor of Megaworld, Hernandez says this was four years before Corona bought the Bellagio unit. In fact, Hernandez adds that after Corona’s purchase of the Bellagio unit, Megaworld lost two cases before the SC which cost them some P47-million in monetary awards to their opponents.

Apparently, the prosecution violated the oft-quoted maxim of trial technique: Never ask a question to which you don’t already know the answer. That means don’t put your witness on the stand unless you know what he’s going to say ahead of time. Reacting to the unexpected testimony of their own witness, prosecution spokesman Rep. Miro Quimbo now says the Megaworld executive was not saying the exact truth. Isn’t that like calling their own witness a liar?

Poor fella. Nabansagan pang sinungaling.

And then came the finger-pointing. If you will recall, just days before the start of the impeachment trial, Rep. Miro Quimbo was all over the television, radio and newspaper claiming that Corona had 45 real estate properties. He even dared Corona to prepare the deed of donation for 45 real properties under his and his children’s names so the government can take hold of these once their ownership is proven. Thanks to the Internet, Quimbo’s words have been memorialized in cyberspace - permanently.

Fast forward to Day 11 of the impeachment trial. House lead prosecutor Rep. Niel Tupas, admits that Corona does not own 45 real estate properties and blames the erroneous media reports on the Land Registration Authority (LRA). “We just want to put on record that the 45 did not come from the prosecution. It was a letter.....”, Tupas said before being cut off due to loud groans from spectators inside the Senate. For his part, Quimbo says he does not recall saying any such thing. Both being lawyers, haven’t they come across the Latin phrase “Falsus in unum, falsus in omnibus” which means “False in one thing, false in everything”?

So after the dust has settled, what did Tupas have to say about all these? In a morning TV talk show, he was heard saying that what has happened is part of the strategy of Corona’s defense team to make them look like amateurs and unprepared. Is he serious?! Maybe someone should tell Tupas that they’re doing a great job on their own. Or maybe, as several cyber denizens have suggested, they should spend more time behind a book rather than in front of the cameras.

Grace Lee – who’s that girl?

(Written by : ED UY)

Love is definitely in the air and it looks like even President Benigno Aquino 3rd has taken a whiff of the romantic air or bitten by the love bug (again).

The country’s most eligible bachelor admitted on Wednesday that he is indeed dating Korean television and radio host Grace Lee.

When asked about the real score between him and Lee, the President coolly replied, “Well, we’re seeing each other.” But when asked to give a bit more details, Mr. Aquino was quick to invoke his right to privacy.

“Sa Constitution po natin may nakalagay na privacy, eh. Baka pwedeng mabahaginan din ako ng karapatan na yon under Article 3,” the 51-year-old bachelor said.

After the President’s confirmation, Lee likewise affirmed that she is indeed dating the Chief Executive during an interview with a noontime news program.

News of their date first spread after controversial radio disc jockey Mo Twister, revealed on his Twitter account that he was able to make Lee squeal on her date with the President.

President Aquino and Lee met during the inauguration of the Korea Electric Power Corp. power plant in Cebu. Lee was hosting the event and was complimented by the President as “gwapa” or beautiful before he delivered his speech.

But while the President only met the 29-year-old host last year, Lee has already amassed a lot of Filipino admirers in the past years.

Lee was even voted to no. 57 on FHM’s list of 100 Sexiest Women in the World in 2010, and a Facebook fan page soon followed asking the magazine to put Grace on the cover.

Though Lee has yet to appear on FHM’s cover, she did grace the pages of UNO magazine wearing an unbuttoned white polo dress and showing plenty of cleavage.

Lee was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the Philippines when she was 10 because of her father’s car import business. She finished high school at St. Paul’s College in Pasig City, and took up Communication Arts at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Lee reportedly worked at Malacañang as an official interpreter before becoming a TV and radio personality in 2007.

She landed her first Philippine TV hosting job as a segment host on the now defunct QTV 11’s lifestyle-magazine show The Sweet Life. Among her first assignments included featuring life in Korea and interviewing prominent Korean celebrities.

She later joined Magic 89.9’s morning radio show Good Times With Mo with Mo Twister and Mojo Jojo as a replacement for Andi-9.

Lee also serves as Manila correspondent for Yonhap Television News in Korea, and teaches at the Manila New Life Church’s Sunday school for preschool students.

She is now a guest segment anchor both for Balitanghali on GMA News TV on weekdays and 24 Oras Weekend Edition on GMA Network on Saturdays.

In a text message to The Manila Times, Tinnie Esguerra, ALV Talent Circuit PR Manager, which manages Lee’s career, describes the young host as pretty much the same as her on air personality.

“Grace has been with us since 2011 and she is pretty much what she projects as a TV/Radio personality and events host—articulate witty and outrageously funny to those who know her well.”

Esguerra also disclosed Lee’s new website www.dailydose.ph where she shares her musings on cooking, travel, entertainment, pop culture and other peculiar thought-provoking pleasantries. Like a proud mom, Grace talks passionately about her new “baby” every chance she gets—birth pains notwithstanding.

“It’s an idea that’s been brewing since late last year,” she explained in a press release from her management. “Friends have always been bugging me about starting my own blog, and I figured, ‘Why the heck not?’ Except that this is more than just self-indulgent writing.

“Aside from having that space for chronicling my daily thoughts, I thought that it would be cool to have a neat online portal where we can help small startup businesses advertise for free.

“Having been exposed to all these new media, I just find it cool to be able to share my passions and interests to the world. I love cooking and sharing recipes, and my mom used to own a Korean restaurant, and someday, I’d love to start my own. Through the website, I could do restaurant reviews as well and write about my travels.”

With all the attention she has been getting recently, however, it looks like her readers might be more interested on her thoughts and reviews about her future dates with the President.

Meatless Mondays in QC proposed

A Quezon City councilor wants the city hall’s 11,000 workers, and those from the city’s 142 barangays and public schools, to practice a meatless Monday to encourage the consumption of vegetables even once a week.

Councilor Jessica Castelo Daza of District 4, in a proposed resolution, has urged city employees to stay away from meat on Mondays.

She said she is pushing for a meatless Monday, or the so-called Luntiang Lunes, for health reasons over alarming studies that most Filipinos are meat-eaters and have the lowest capita intake of vegetables in the world.

She said there is a high prevalence of hypertension in adult Filipinos, and seven million Filipinos suffer from diabetes.

Less meat consumption would reduce the risk of various health problems, she added.

Scientific data suggest positive relationships between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for several chronic degenerative diseases and conditions, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and some types of cancer, she said, citing the results of a study conducted by the American Dietetic Association.

She said if every resident of Quezon City would live without a meat for a day in a week, the city could be able to help bring down carbon footprint and save precious resources, like trees, water and fossil fuel in just a year.

By Rio N. Araja

Environment department readies case vs ‘turtle-eaters’

The Environment department in Davao is building a case against the owner of a Korean vessel, its crew, and foreign missionaries onboard for dumping parts of a green sea turtle in a garbage bin in a wharf here.

The move came after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Davao Region was criticized for accepting the public apology of Hannah Parks, owner of the Korean vessel M/V Hannah Parks, during a press conference Tuesday, after some environmental groups and the City Agriculture Office reacted to the killing of the turtle.

DENR-Davao Regional Director Jim O. Sampulna admitted there obviously was a violation of Republic Act 9147, or Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001, although he said, based on the information gathered, the turtle was butchered in Palau.

“But since it (the killing) happened in Palau, which is outside the jurisdiction of the country, we demanded public apology but it does not mean that the issue was already close,” Sampulna said.

Parks denied they were the ones who caught and killed the turtle, saying it was given to them by the president of Palau during a visit sometime in October. The turtle was consumed and the remains were kept in a freezer as they started traveling to the Philippines in November last year.

“Those parts of the turtle were leftovers of what was butchered in Palau. We did not even know there were leftovers. We are here on a humanitarian mission and never meant to harm anything,” Parks said.

Sampulna said his office, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Division personnel and some members of the Maritime Group and Coast Guard are now conducting a thorough investigation on the incident.

Sampulna said they sent a letter to the management of TV5 network Friday, requesting for a copy of the video footage its crew took of the dumping of turtle’s parts at a bin in Sta. Ana pier.

The network was also asked to submit an affidavit and stand as witness to the case that the DENR will be filing.

The department is also calling on local residents who saw the actual throwing of the turtle’s head and indelible parts to come out and give their sworn statement about the incident.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Director Asis Perez, meanwhile, said the DENR should have conducted a thorough investigation before accepting the public apology, adding it is so easy for Parks to say that the turtle was caught and butchered in a foreign land.

Earlier, City Mayor Sara Duterte urged the City Council to pass a resolution declaring Parks, the vessel crew and the missionaries as persona non grata or unwelcome persons in the city.

“They should understand that we don't tolerate this (act) in our city. We have supported their visit so they should respect the city,” she said.

However, City Council assistant secretary Charito Santos said she hasn’t received any information yet whether the council intends to schedule a special session for the mayor’s request.

Green sea turtles are listed in Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Being included in Appendix 1 means a species is threatened with extinction and affected by trade.

Commercial trade in wild-caught specimens of these species is illegal (permitted only in exceptional licensed circumstances).

The Republic of Korea, Palau, and Indonesia, along with the Philippines, are among the 175 countries that are signatories to Cites.

By Jereco O. Paloma

PNoy, Grace Lee spotted "Making Beso" at the 112th Anniversary Gala Celebration of the Manila Bulletin

Following their admission that they are dating, President Benigno S. Aquino III and TV and radio personality Grace Lee crossed paths at the 112th anniversary celebration of the Manila Bulletin last night in Intramuros, Manila.

The President was the guest of honor at the occasion also attended by Lee, who writes a column in the Manila Bulletin’s Entertainment Section.

Lee, who is born of Korean parents but grew up in the Philippines, is also showbiz news presenter of GMA News TV’s noontime newscast “Balitanghali” and hosts a radio program.

The President was seated beside Manila Bulletin Chairman Dr. Emilio T. Yap and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma when Lee arrived in a red dress at the Penthouse of the Manila Bulletin at 6:45 p.m.

Aquino stood from his seat and pecked Lee on the cheek, offering her a seat.

The President stayed for a few more minutes chatting with the other VIPs attending the event while the other guests had their pictures taken with Lee.

Finally, Aquino stood from his seat with the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in tow.

He waited for Lee, going down with her on the elevator.

Both President Aquino and Lee had admitted on Wednesday that they are dating.

“Well, we’re seeing each other,” was the bachelor President’s reply when asked on the real score between him and Grace Lee.

He however did not disclose other details, invoking his right to privacy.

On Wednesday, Lee confirmed she is dating the Chief Executive in Balitanghali, wherein she presents the Starbites segment.

She said the country’s first-ever bachelor President is “very simple and truthful.”

By MADEL R. SABATER