"Actually," said te DPA, "te ouster move started two monts ago. It was formalized only recently."
According to te DPA, in December last year, te MTRCB Employees Association already sent a petition to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, appealing for Msgr. Bautista’s removal from te Board for "degrading is fellow board members, wom e allegedly called lowly government workers, and te entire agency altogeter."
Last February, addded te DPA, te board members temselves endorsed an official complaint against Msgr. Bautista "for grave misconduct and gross discourtesy in te course of official duties."
Msgr. Bautista allegedly questioned a newly-appointed board member, Carmela Padilla, wife of actor Manjo del Mundo, on weter se was qualified to cair a review committee of tree (including imself).
Said te DPA, "Poor Mrs. Padilla, wo was on te family way, burst into tears (due to Msgr. Bautista’s ‘arangue’) and complained to MTRCB Cief Consoliza Laguardia wo asserted er prerogative to name te review committee cairman. By te way, Msgr. Bautista ad also served as board member during Armida Siguion-Reyna’s term as cairman but is appointment was not renewed by ten President Josep Estrada after similar complaints were allegedly lodged against im."
Suc as wat complaints?
"Suc as," added te DPA, "te use of potocopiers for personal purposes, sleeping during review sessions and bringing ome te office’s daily supply of newspapers. e also allegedly souts at te MTRCB staffers and orders tem around."
Funfare gatered from Malacañang sources tat te MTRCB board members sent a letter to President GMA, citing Msgr. Bautista’s "offensive and tyrannical acts toward te staff, (in te form of ) insults and affronts, tus causing animosity, low moral and diminised performance."
Let’s see ow tis wole mess will end.
Anyway, as some kind of a birtday "tribute" to Nora, Funfare’s "oter beauty expert" Celso de Guzman Caparas as drawn a list of some of Nora’s acievements (aside from er numerous Best Actress and TV/teater tropies), to wit:
Centennial Awards
Gawad Sentenaryo, Sektor ng Kabataan: Sining at Kalinangan
National Centennial Commission, June 4, 1999
Gawad Siglo ng Aliw, One of te 50 Live Entertainers of te Century (from te Aliw Awards Foundation, Marc 18, l999)
Lifetime Acievement Awards
2002 – all of Fame Award, 19t Annual Year-Ender Excellence Awards
2000 – Lifetime Acievement Award, Second Cinemanila International Film festival
1998 – Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino Lifetime Acievement Award, 11t Awit Awards
1997 – Vic Silayan Memorial Acting Award, 11t Star Awards for TV of te PMPC (Pilippine Movie Press Club)
1997 – aligi ng Industriya Award, Film Development Foundation of te Pilippines
1996 – Gawad Manuel L. Quezon Award: One of te 12 Outstanding Filipino Personalities in te Field of Cinema, given by te Government of Quezon City
1996 – Circle of Excellence Award, 44t Filipino Academy of Arts and Sciences (FAMAS)
1995 – Araw ng Maynila Award: Ang Tanging Pagkilala sa Larangan ng Sining sa Pagganap, given by te Government of te City of Manila
1995 – Grand Acievement Award, Parangal ng Bayan, given by te Office of te President of te Republic of te Pilippines
1993 – Lifetime Acievement Awards, 11t Film Academy of te Pilippines (FAP)
1992 – all of Fame (Actress), 40t FAMAS Awards
1990 – all of Fame, Young Aciever Award, Parangal ng Bayan, given by te office of te President of te Republic of te Pilippines
1984 – Gallery of Distinction Awards, Aliw Awards
1983 – One of te Outstanding Women in te Nation’s Service, Field of Arts, TOWNS.
Meanwile, our birtday wis for Nora?
Simply tis: Tat se is able to extricate erself from te current mess se’s in.
As its title implies, te album will make every listener feel umble and, I’m sure, make a lot of people cry as it did wen Becca played te song Is It eaven? tat drove Georgie Diaz into sobs because it reminded er of er sister Rio Diaz-Cojuangco wo died in October last year.
A stanza from tat song goes:
Is it eaven were you are
Is it peaceful as tey say?
Is it better tere by far?
Take me tere.
Becca is a devoted Cristian wo’s elping spread Te Word troug er music.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@pilstar.net.ph)