Luli’s on the news again

“Harass me and you will probably end up on social media.”

―Steven Magee

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE first heard about Evangeline Lourdes “Luli” Arroyo-Bernas when she filed a sexual harassment case against now retired diplomat Jose Ampeso in 1996, one year after Luli’s mother, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was reelected as senator.

The case was one of the headline stories when Cebu-based Sun Star Daily was launched in Iloilo City that year.

Then-senator Arroyo, always loquacious in the company of media people and a regular visitor in Iloilo City, wouldn’t comment each time we asked about her daughter’s case.

Luli, then 16 and single, and Ampeso, then 46, met when the Philippines hosted the 1996 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Subic, where she served as volunteer.

She alleged that Ampeso, a married man, was under the influence of alcohol and made “inappropriate” remarks towards her.

Luli slapped Ampeso with an administrative case with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). It was dismissed two years later after the diplomat reportedly wrote a letter of apology in the presence of Mrs. Arroyo and her husband future First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo.

 

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We met Ampeso in Vancouver, Canada in 2011 several months after he assumed as consul general in the Philippine Consulate General, or three years before his scheduled retirement in 2014.

We had regular associations with Consul General Ampeso as active members of the Filipino community. When then Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista visited Canada for the first time, it was Ampeso who introduced me to the popular former showbiz child star-turned-politician in a dinner party.

To make the long story short, I had the opportunity and “privilege” to ask Ampeso in private about his alleged wickedness against Luli.

Literally under the spirit of Chivas Regal, Ampeso denied the allegations. He requested to “change the topic.”

We remember Luli’s predicament with Ampeso after the now ambassador to Austria and Slovakia was on the news again lately where she was criticized by Malacanang for posing with fugitive Harry Roque when the latter visited the Philippine Embassy in Vienna recently.

Roque, according to the Palace, had no right to be officially posing with the Philippine ambassador in the embassy because his passport had been canceled and he was now a fugitive facing a case for human trafficking.

Now 46, Luli who took the test to be a career diplomat where there were over 3,000 examinees in 2001 and was one of three who passed the test, was handpicked by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to be Philippine ambassador to Austria and Slovakia.

She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University.

 

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We were part of a small group of Filipino journalists invited to one of the most important events in the history of Philippine banking overseas on January 10, 2012, or 14 years ago.

It involved a corporate bank from the Philippines that “expanded” in the British Columbia in Canada to serve Filipino clients.

In that conference held at the River Rock Hotel in the City of Richmond, executives of the UnionBank of the Philippines led by then President and Chief Operating Officer Victor B. Valdepenas and Executive Vice President Genaro V. Lapez introduced their policies and mission before leaders of the Filipino-Canadian community and reiterated the bank's corporate vision and achievements in information technology.

As "enabler of the customers investment needs in the Philippines," the bank was prepared to assist on entrepreneurship opportunities, financial advice, and safe and reliable payments for beneficiaries or Philippine companies and organizations, according to Lapez.

Then the seventh largest private domestic universal bank in the Philippines, UnionBank had assets of P253 billion, deposits of P192 billion, and capital of P36 billion.

 

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The bank provided for their Canada-based Filipino clients a wide range of commercial, retail, and corporate banking products and services, including loan and deposit products, cash management services, credit and debit cards, treasury activities, and electronic banking.

According to Valdepenas, seated on our right side together with then Philippine Consul General in Vancouver Jose Ampeso, Aboitiz Equity Ventures or Aboitiz was the major shareholders among owner stakeholders with 43.3 percent shareholdings as of September 2011.

Aboitiz was one of the largest conglomerates with interests in power generation and distribution, banking and finance, transportation and food followed by the Social Security System (SSS) with 21.5 percent shareholdings as of September 2011.

The state agency managed the pension/social security fund of workers in private sector, wage earners as well as the self-employed.

Insular Life Assurance Company was third largest shareholder with 16.1 percent shareholdings as of September 2011.

It was reportedly the Philippines' leading and largest Filipino life insurance company with asset base of P72 billion as of 2010.

 

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MIDLIFE SUICIDE MORE COMMON. Rates are increasing among men and women ages 40 to 64. The current economic malaise could be a contributing factor. Warning signs: Acting highly pessimistic, hopeless or angry, increasing alcohol or drug use, making impulsive, out-of-character decisions, getting rid of previously prized possessions, talking about wanting to die, withdrawing from friends, family and society, mood changes.

BREAST-FEEDING LOWERS BREAST CANCER RISK before menopause for women with a family history of the disease. The duration of breast-feeding does not seem to matter. The lower risk applies only to breast cancer before menopause and only to women with a first-degree relative with breast cancer, says Dr. Alison M. Stuebe of the University of North Carolina.

SEX PICTURE. A group of students were shown picture of couples having sex. At the same time scientists recorded what part of the pictures the test subjects looked at first. The men more often looked at the women's faces, while the women tended to focus their attention on the genitals. Only women who were on the pill focused on the way the room was decorated. (Kinsey Institute)

A SINGLE STOOL TEST CAN DETECT CANCERS of the digestive tract. Currently, routine screening is done only on the colon--which means that many pancreatic, stomach, gallbladder and other gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are discovered only at an advanced stage.

HOT FLASHY REMEDY. When 454 postmenopausal women who suffered from moderate to severe hot flashes used estradiol (Evamist)--a spray-on product containing estrogen--or a placebo spray for 12 weeks, the estradiol group had an average of eight fewer hot flashes per day, compared with an average of four fewer hot flashes daily for the placebo group.

(The author, now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Ilonggos remember Puno’s two ‘mortal sins’

“Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.”

—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WHILE many of his contemporaries in political infamy are already into the dustbin of oblivion, Ronaldo “Ronnie” Puno is surprisingly still very much active today in national politics.

Now 77, Puno serves as Antipolo City first district representative and deputy speaker and is one of the chief allies of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as National Unity Party (NUP) stalwart.

Ilonggos in the “roaring 1990s” can never forget (and never forgive too?) Puno, the late former President Fidel V. Ramos’ (FVR) most trusted acolyte, for his alleged notorious role in the mysterious “Sulo Hotel Operations” which denied the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the pride of Iloilo, the presidency of the land in 1992. 

We referred to the 1990s as “roaring” because it was a period characterized by restored democracy, significant natural disasters, economic policy shifts (deregulation and privatization), and a burgeoning pop culture and music scene in the Philippines.

It more particularly was an era of change among Filipinos and a unique time of cultural and technological shifts for the "Batang 90s" generation.

Santiago, then 46, lost to 64-year-old FVR allegedly via “dagdag bawas” (adding and subtracting) she denounced as “wholesale electoral fraud” operated by Puno, et al inside the hotel located in Quezon City.

That’s Puno’s “mortal sin No. 1” to Ilonggos if the allegations were true.

 

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Puno’s “mortal sin No. 2” to Ilonggos came 15 years later or in 2007, when as secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, Puno “prematurely enforced” the dismissal order of the Office of the Ombudsman against then Iloilo governor Neil Tupas Sr. and board members Cecilia Capadosa and Domingo Oso Jr.

The order resulted into a violent standoff in the Iloilo provincial capitol on January 17, 2007 when Puno and then justice secretary, the late Raul Gonzalez ordered heavily armed police commandos to assault the capitol where Tupas, his family and supporters were holed up.

During its session on February 7, 2007 night, the Senate adopted the report prepared by the Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs and the Committee on Local Government stating that Puno and DILG undersecretary Wencelito Andanar should be censured for the incident.

The report said Puno and Andanar were aware of existing laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence that allow the three Iloilo officials to file an appeal.

It added: "They cannot pretend in not knowing the same. It would be tantamount to gross ignorance of the law for them not to know these landmark decisions. They know pretty well that there is still a period to appeal the said decisions and yet with haste they immediately implemented the same. Therefore, they deserve this censure.”

 

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The report also censured Gonzalez "for his unwarranted interference" in the investigation of the graft case against Tupas, the political rival of the justice secretary in Iloilo Province.

"As can be shown from the testimonies in the Senate hearing, the DOJ Secretary was shown to have an unwarranted interest in the case of Governor Tupas because he was even the one who announced on air from January 14 to 15, that the dismissal order against Governor Tupas was forthcoming," the report said.

"What is even more revolting is the fact that although it is not his mandate to investigate anti-graft complaints, he assumed the investigation of these cases. And even more repulsive is his vigorous denial of his involvement."

Then Senator Franlin Drilon, Tupas’ political allly, said the Senate investigation also determined that the Philippine National Police team that assaulted the Iloilo Provincial Capitol supposedly to implement the dismissal order against Tupas violated its own "rules of engagement" and utilized excessive force against unarmed civilians.

"It is evident that the PNP clearly did not adhere to its own Operational Procedures and Rules of Engagement as there was excessive use of force and violent enforcement of the dismissal orders for Governor Tupas as graphically captured on video and TV," the Senate report said.

"No doubt, there was an unwarranted use of the Regional Mobile Group for Crowd Control whose members committed highly offensive acts against civilians during their assault of the provincial capitol."

 

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DON'T LET OUR DOGS EAT THIS! Grapes and raisins have been shown to cause kidney failure in dogs. The toxic ingredient is unclear, but it is currently being studied in the veterinary community (a fungus is suspected). The number of grapes or raisins that may cause kidney failure is not exactly known, so any amount could potentially be dangerous.

WOMEN WITH MIGRAINES have lower breast cancer risk. Pre- and postmenopausal women who have a history of migraines have a 26 percent lower risk for breast cancer. Researchers aren't sure what the connection is, but both migraines and breast cancer are affected by the body's estrogen levels, says the University of Berkley Wellness Letter in New York City.

LAWS ON SEXUAL BEHAVIOR The United States has more laws governing sexual behavior than all of the European nations combined. The only legally sanctioned sexual act in the U.S. is private, heterosexual intercourse between married adults.

MENINGITIS VACCINE FOR KIDS BENEFITS THE ELDERLY, TOO. Since the meningitis vaccine was introduced in 2000 for children ages two months to two years, not only have meningitis cases declined by 64 percent among children, they also have dropped by 54 percent among people 65 and older. With fewer children spreading germs, fewer adults are getting the disease.

MIDLIFE SUICIDE MORE COMMON. Rates are increasing among men and women ages 40 to 64. The current economic malaise could be a contributing factor. Warning signs: Acting highly pessimistic, hopeless or angry, increasing alcohol or drug use, making impulsive, out-of-character decisions, getting rid of previously prized possessions, talking about wanting to die, withdrawing from friends, family and society, mood changes.

(The author, now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

The bad, ugly, evil are winning

“You don't always win your battles, but it's good to know you fought.”  

—John Greenleaf Whittier

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

AS we have predicted before the year 2025 ended, the bad, ugly, evil will win over the Marcos Jr. administration after the latter failed to deliver its promise to jail the former before Christmas Day.

Each passing day in 2026, it is becoming increasingly difficult to clobber the flood control project bloodsuckers who have apparently succeeded in not only delaying their prosecution but also silencing witnesses.

Each passing week in 2026, the chances of not being able to neutralize rabble rouser and political dimwit Harry Roque, not being able to locate and bring home billionaire fugitive Zaldy Co, and not being able to provide justice to families of the missing sabungeros  (now that Atong Ang’s whereabouts couldn’t be determined anymore pending issuance of his warrant of arrest), are getting immense lock, stock, and barrel.

Once the key witnesses are gone—or have recanted—all the major players, the hippopotamuses of the most scandalous and biggest-ever corruption in Philippine history, will end up laughing their way to the valley of freedom, joy and impunity.

Anywhere we look today, it seems all the odds are stacked against the Marcos Jr. administration, not to mention the series of defections and expressions of disenchantment and disgust by individuals from various sectors against the slow and “apathetic” Marcos Jr. administration.

 

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Since launching a Pyrrhic battle against the flood control project myrmidons in his “mahiya naman kayo” (have some shame, you all) SONA speech in July 2025, only the Lilliputian Sarah Discaya and lesser-known DPWH earthworms and cockroaches have been arrested and jailed.  

Because it is weak, indecisive, and slow, the Marcos Jr. administration is fast losing the moral ground to lead the campaign against massive graft and corruption in the Philippines.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. appears to be relying only on two laway (saliva) Remulla brothers, DILG boss Junvic and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin, who are career politicians by any stretch of the imagination, if not 2028 presidential wanna-bes.

The president has been showing signs he doesn’t have a solid backbone to reinforce his loud and angry soliloquy against graft and corruption.

He has no sense of urgency and his threats against the plunderers and grafters are not being taken seriously.

In fact, what’s shaping up is the reverse; it’s actually the Marcos Jr. administration that’s being peppered by enemy Molotovs left and right, not the other way around.

For the time being, enemies of the Marcos Jr. administration are silently mobilizing their forces like a pack wolves and flamethrowers of Genghis Khan.

 

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COFFEE PROTECTS THE LIVER. Dr. Arthur Kiatsky says among people who had developed chronic liver disease from heavy alcohol intake, those who drank one to three cups of coffee per day were about 40 percent less likely to develop cirrhosis (characterized by a scarred liver with diminished function) than those who did not drink coffee.

A BABY PICTURE CAN PROTECT OUR WALLET. In a recent study, 88 percent of people who found wallets with photos of a smiling baby returned them...compared with 53 percent of people who found wallets with a photo of a cute puppy...48 percent, a happy family...and 28 percent, a contented elderly couple, says Dr. Richard Wisemen of of the University of Hertfordshire, U.K.

CHEW NUTS LONGER TO FEEL FULLER. A recent finding shows that people who chewed a small number of almonds 40 times before swallowing them felt greater fullness after the snack and for longer than those who chewed the nuts 10 to 25 times before swallowing.

SAVING OUR PLANET. Let's feed the meter. Installing a water meter in our home is a great step forward. Once we start measuring our water usage, we will become more aware of waste and it will force us to think of ways to save water.

 

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SAVING OUR PLANET. Let's litter away. Let's keep litter, pet waste, and leaves out of street gutters and storm sewers that drain into natural water habitats. Pet wastes contain bacteria and viruses that can threaten fish, wildlife, and human health.

POTASSIUM PROMOTES HEARTH HEALTH. In a study of 2,974 men and women, those with the highest potassium-to-sodium ratios in theory urine were 50 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest ratios. Theory: Combining a higher intake of potassium with a lower intake of sodium seems to be more effective than either alone.

VERTIGO LINKED TO OSTEOPOROSIS. In a study of 441 men and women, those with osteoporosis were three times more likely to have benign positional vertigo (BPV), an inner ear disorder that causes dizziness, than those with normal bone density.

GREEK WORD. The word 'gymnasium' comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means to exercise naked, which often was done in ancient Greece.

FIRST BED SCENE. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime-time television were Fred and Wilma Flinstone.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

Gun ban, signal jamming: It’s simple common sense

“Our best theories are not only truer than common sense, they make more sense than common sense.”

—David Deutsch

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE uproar on gun ban and signal jamming during the Dinagyang Festival on January 24-25, 2026 shouldn’t confuse any Tom, Dick and Harry.

In fact, it shouldn’t be an issue anymore if some people who advocate them will use common sense or logic.

For gun ban, common sense tells us the Philippine National Police (PNP), headed by Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, was right when it recently approved its implementation, with the restriction taking effect from 12:01 a.m. on January 15 until 11:59 p.m. on January 25, during which the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence will be suspended, as part of security measures to prevent gun-related incidents.

Common sense tells us it’s dangerous to carry any pistol or deadly weapon for that matter when a large number of people gather for a religious and cultural festival and revelry thereafter.

A gun ban during mammoth public festivals will not only protect the civilian populace from trigger happy maniacs who might take advantage of the occasion by throwing their weight around but will also prevent crime from happening when a large number of tourists mix with locals and lawless elements masquerading as festival goers.

 

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As for signal jamming or the edict for corporate telecommunication companies to temporarily deny subscribers access during the highlights of the festival, it’s already considered a dead issue that kept on coming back each year like a Christmas caroler.

On several occasions in the past Dinagyang events, attempts from the PNP and other edgy sectors to request the City Hall to jam telecommunication signals have been met with overwhelming opposition and even derision from public.

The proposal was so unpopular and unwise that in the most recent Dinagyang celebrations, no one was thinking about it anymore; it has been nixed repeatedly by former Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas due to the widespread negative impact on local businesses, emergency services, and residents.

The need for uninterrupted mobile communication was deemed to far outweigh the security benefits of signal jamming.

If any numbskull will think of reviving the issue and presenting it anew to incumbent City Hall authorities, we’re sure Mayor Raisa Maria Lourdes Sarabia Treñas-Chu will downright thumb it down.

  

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Some of those who think Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz Defensor will run unopposed for Iloilo governor in 2028 to replace his brother, incumbent Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr., are jittery that his performance during the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio will give him more media mileage and ensure his win.

Ditto for those angling for Iloilo governor from other political clans who wish that no Defensor will run for the position in 2028.

The “bad” news is Rep. Defensor has been penciled to replace his brother, Gov. Defensor Jr., who is expected to run again for congressman in Rep. Defensor’s district.

Rep. Defensor is expected to be among the prosecutors in the vice president’s impeachment trial if it reaches the senate.

The House of Representatives is expected to impeach the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte after the one-year ban on initiating new impeachment proceedings expires on February 6, 2026.

 

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EATING FATTY FISH ONCE A WEEK lowers men's risk for heart failure. Fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, whitefish and char contain omega-3 fatty acids. One weekly three-ounce serving of any of these fish reduced heart failure risk by 12 percent, according to Dr. Emily Leviatan of Cardiovascular Medical Center in Boston.

BARBECUES SHOULD BE AT LEAST FOUR FEET from vinyl siding. Heat from grilling can melt the vinyl. If the siding is fairly new, it may cost $250 to $500 to replace the damaged area. But if it is older and we can't find replacement pieces, we may have to redo the whole side of the house at a cost of $2,500 or more, says remodeling expert Bill Keith.

AGRICULTURAL ROBOTS ARE ALREADY AMONG US:  mowing grass, spraying pesticides and monitoring crops. Instead of regularly dousing an entire apple orchard with chemicals, towed sensors find diseases or parasites with infrared sensors and cameras, and spray only the affected trees.

LET'S BEWARE INHALING A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER while swimming or bathing as it can sometimes lead to "dry drowning," in which water in the lungs reduces oxygen flow to the brain, causing loss of consciousness or even death. Dry drowning can occur up to 24 hours after being in water, according to a recent study by the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City.

ALCOHOL CAN RAISE PANCREATIC CANCER RISK. Consuming two or more drinks of any type of alcohol daily can raise risk for this cancer by 22 percent, says a study by the Georgetown University. One drink is 12 ounces of beer, four ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor. SELF DEFENSE: Men should have no more than two alcoholic beverages per day...women no more than one.

SAVING OUR PLANET. Let's oil our recycling. Let's make sure we recycle our motor oil rather than disposing of it. Oil can do serious damage to wildlife. Let's find a local recycling program or a garage that does it in bulk.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)