ER Ejercito Cries Political Harrasment on Graft Case

“Before I fought in politics in 2010, they paid 5 boatmen to file cases against me. I won against Joey Lina and Noynoy Aquino got mad at me.” -ER Ejercito

These are some of the words I heard during a presscon in Quezon City today with Governor Emilio Ramon ER Ejercito. News came out that Sandiganbayan guilty of graft for anomalous insurance plans when he was still Mayor of Pagsanjan, a progressive tourism town in Laguna. In an article published in news outlets, the said anti graft court sentenced him to prison for 6-8 years and said to perpetually disqualify him from holding any public office.

According to a statement by his legal counsel Atty. Larry Gadon, he is not disqualified and attributed this case to Noynoy Aquino loyalists. In the same paper, they claim he isn’t disqualified to run and that the Sandiganbayan decision is not final and executory. He has paid bail amounting to Php 30,600 and will be appealed at the Supreme Court, then says the social media fake news is black propaganda.

Here is their statement in full:

According to their statement, it was initially dismissed by the Ombudsman and reopened by the Sandiganbayan in 2016 to harass him during the elections on the same year. The Accident Protection Assistance Program was for tourists and boatmen who may get hurt while shooting the rapids of Pagsanjan Falls, of which they all say was part of their sustained rescue and assistance program for the local government of Pagsanjan.

The ruling came out on April 5, 2019 and included Mayor ER, former councilor Arlyn Lazaro - Torres, Terryl Gamit - Talabong, Kalahi Rabago, Erwin Sacluti, Gener Dimaranan and a certain private respondent Marilyn Bruel. They were charged with one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices act that has got an accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

This is certainly worrying for the Laguna folks who would be looking at this case closely.

Maine Mendoza, Drew Arellano and Nico Bolzico for SHELL

Today is a great day for news this good. Pilipinas Shell Corporation seem to be making their presence felt locally with heavy named celebrities Maine Mendoza, Drew Arellano and Nico Bolzico. In an effort to show how Filipinos relate their personal experiences in using their products, they chose the three to be the faces of their quality fuel products, some of which their formulations has been just launched last year.

Maine Mendoza is the brand ambassador for Shell FuelSave. It’s propreitary Dynaflex Technology is made to help improve engine efficiency, so you’re expected to run and get better with it in your system. For those who don’t know, Maine Mendoza’s own family owns several Shell Station dealerships. She says “My parents wanted to invest in a company with credibility and quality. We didn’t second guess doing it with Shell. I have always been practical, to go with smart options and Shell FuelSave made our cars/vans very fuel efficient. We took a franchise 20 years ago, I get to share more what I know about it. I love long drives, north to south, if not a beach, I just love driving. Sometimes we just want to take a break, I bring a lot of food. I use FuelSave for Eat Bulaga remote areas and it is sulit na, may savings pa! We will help bring more exciting news for our customers, Shell has good toilets, yun pa lang pwede na puntahan!”

Drew Arellano on the other had chooses Shell V-Power and says “This is a premium gasoline with boosted Dynaflex Technology. Just like Maines, it does the same job in engine performance and efficiency. I have never had problems since I started using it. I use it on my bikes, my car, my van for my family. They also support movements for road safety and environmental sustainability. I drive for work, I use it also for long rides and racing. I focus on the road because it makes me relaxed. It’s a no brainer. We are going to have to talk about car maintenance.”

Nico Bolzico adds “This is my most trusted fuel brand and I am impressed on how they partnered with Plastic Bank and Global Road Safety Partnership Philippines. Even in Argentina I have already used this and I would never compromise on quality because obviously this is world class! We see the people behind the brand and we are proud to be part of it. My Dad refuse to use other brands in Argentina, he doesn’t even understand it but when I told them about it they were very happy. It involves much more than business and I am glad I represent the brand. I drive for work and do it in North and South because of our farms. We count on Shell for business. I will share with you our work with Pilipinas Shell Foundation. We are also going to promote road safety, all those things with the best fuel company in the world!”

Mark Malabanan the Shell V-Power Brand Manager says “We have the best fuels for any kind of motorist. We chose them because they are living testaments to what we stand for as a brand. We have value to give to our customers. We are partners with the Philippines in nation building as we celebrate our 105th year in the country. Dynaflex Technology has friction reducing ingredients, you get the most out of every liter. You get to do more with less.”

Big and cleaner energy solutions, quality products and their advocacy to safety and social responsibility has made them who they are today. With their more relatable faces in frontlines, you will see more of them in advertising on TV, print and perhaps all their collaterals. Watch out for it online too!

We worked with celebrities but are very picky, and Maine, Drew and Nico, we are looking for brand ambassadors who attest to the brand and they do involve Shell.

7-Eleven Holds Tour in Central Luzon

I am so happy this happened, but they didn’t invite me ah!

Anyway, 7-Eleven just concluded their 7-Eleven Tour 2019 last April 7 at Clark Global City in Pampanga. The route took them all to the jungles of Subic, to the busy Clark roads, then Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and back. It was arduous but these cyclists aged 16-75 participated in 48 or 106 KM courses which took their turns at Floridablanca Pampanga and Tipo Zambales respectively.

Over 3,000 professional and recreational cyclists joined one of the largest bike events of the year, the 7-Eleven Tour 2019 which took place last April 7. The event saw elite and weekend cyclists bike from Clark Global City passing through Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), then to Subic and back. In 2 hours and 29 minutes, Mark John Galedo won the title with Michael Jan Farre and Rench Michael Bondoc following suit. He won the Php 20,000 grand prize.

7-Eleven came back from a 7 year hiatus and this event was made possible with their partners NLEX, SCTEX and Clark Global City. Their CEO Jose Victor Paterno says “We believe this tour would be a great venue for professional and also to discover the up and coming generation of cyclists in the Philippines. We hope they found a glimpse of the scenic beauty of Central Luzon and perhaps be inspired to bring honor and pride for our country.”

If you would want to know more about the event please visit Facebook.com/tour11 or Tour11.com. Photos from the tour are there too.

Next year, I should join.

Atom Araullo, Joyce Pring and Richard Heydarian for STAND FOR TRUTH

April 15 is going to be a little different. Next gen reporters will do STAND FOR TRUTH , all for 15 weeks. It is a program produced by GMA News and Public Affairs, funded by Youtube. They are an Innovation Fund Recepient.

This is promising as Richard Heydarian, Atom Araullo, Joyce Pring will be at the helm of the show. Field reporters include real young blood millennials, even Gen Z personalities namely Bhea Jeem Docyogen who is a proud Igorot and radio disc jockey from Baguio, Anthony Esguerra a smart reporter and fellow in New Media and Journalism at Ball State University, Indiana, USA, Asmarie Labao a former forester and DENR Information Officer from Marawi, Ardo Miravalles a Certified Public Account specializing in media and entertainment, Darwin Quirino a Communications Officer for Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Middle East and African Affairs, Manal Sugadol, a licensed English teacher and a former administrative assistant from Cotabato, Larize Lee a Filipino-Chinese and former GMA Artist Center Public Relations Executive, the youngest of which is 17yo Eduard Faraon who is a Senior High School campus journalist and Jerald Uy a former TV reporter, Road Safety Advocate and vlogger. These guys and gals are just starting, so stay tuned as they unfurl their work on GMA’s online properties.

Atom says “They have undergone training with stellar names in journalism even people behind the camera to make these stories. It was a very strong field, 150 submissions and we had to pick 10 from it. They are young but not naive reporters and I can’t want to see them evolve. I would say it would be a waste of talent if we do not maximize the story telling talent of these reporters and journalists. The platform becomes bigger and bigger, it is not just for this organization. Anyone can upload content but there are lots of potential. The format is evolving, we want it to be fresh and different from television, visual but it is a daily show.”

Richard Heydarian adds “I was inspired when they pitched this to me, I got to know these people, I am a teacher by heart and these guys and gals are the cream of the crop. We are now talking about how to make this a team, to make this a gold standard for the region. We have a tough battle, but very confident in the team, we can sync productions so we could get more. We do not want this to be seasonal, these things can work, we hope this goes beyond what we are doing today.”

Joyce Pring says “Right now I am trying to manage my time, from Unang Hirit to events, to hosting in the evening then Unang Hirit again (sometimes sleeps in the car), but I have personal block-offs for time for family and since I am covering music I’ll be in Saguijo one day and the Balloon Festival this afternoon. It is going to be my content, I get to talk to the people behind the bands and events I have to cover. It is not a set of tasks because this is ever evolving, we have a lot of stories to tell. We have youtube as partners, so the reach will be massive.”

The show starts this Monday on GMA News and Public Affairs online channels (GMA’s website and GMA’s Youtube channel) on April 15 at 8PM. You should watch it if you want to Stand for Truth.