Rappler Newscast | July 09, 2012

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The government’s new mining policy imposes a moratorium on new mining permits. | Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. wins both WBO and IBF super bantamweight titles.

Today at Rappler.

  • The government’s new mining policy imposes a moratorium on new mining permits.
  • Critics say the new mining policy threatens local autonomy.
  • Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. wins both WBO and IBF super bantamweight titles.


Story 1: MINING EO OUT
The Philippines is the 5th largest in the world in terms of mineral resources.
A heated debate rages between anti-mining advocates and large mining corporations.
On Monday, the much-awaited executive order on mining is out which defines the Aquino administration’s position on the debate.
Here are the key points.
On the revenue sharing scheme which is the most contentious aspect of the EO — the government will work to legislate a rationalized scheme.
Until a new mining law is passed, the EO imposes a moratorium on the approval of new mineral agreements.
Small scale mining activities will be limited to areas declared “Minahang Bayan.”
The EO bans the use of mercury in small scale mining.
Three types of areas will be added to the current no-go zones for mining: tourism destinations, agricultural lands and island ecosystems.
A Mining Industry Coordinating Council is created to implement the EO.
The EO also mandates national laws supercede local government ordinances.
All existing mining contracts, agreements and concessions approved before the effectivity of the EO are still considered valid.

Story 2: LOCAL GOVERNMENTS REJECT MINING EO
Local government officials and Catholic bishops reject Malacanang’s new policy on mining saying it threatens the autonomy of local governments.
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes says the policy is similar to past mining policies because everything will be dictated by the national government.
Section 12 of Executive Order 79 directs local governments to conform to regulations set by the national government.
Bastes fears the EO will infringe on local ordinances.
Some 40 governors, led by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, question the EO.
Ateneo School of Government Dean Antonio La Viña says the provision is -quote- “wrongly articulated and could be illegal.”
He adds, it should have urged harmonization of powers rather than supremacy.
Some local governments take positions on mining different from national laws, such as banning open-pit mining.
There is no national law banning local governments from creating their own mining policies.
But the new EO also limits powers of local governments over small-scale mining.
Local executives used to have full control on the mining areas and the companies allowed to operate.

Story 3: ASEAN URGED TO CREATE SOUTH CHINA SEA CODE OF CONDUCT
Cambodia’s premier calls on Southeast Asian nations to prioritize easing tensions with Beijing.
Prime minister Hun Sen urges delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to create a code of conduct with China over disputed waters.
Competing territorial claims in the South China Sea continue to fuel tensions among member countries.
Hun Sen says maintaining regional peace and security is indispensable for the prosperity of ASEAN.
China claims all of the South China Sea, but Taiwan and four ASEAN members also have claims in the waters.
Both Vietnam and the Philippines are accusing Beijing of aggressive behavior.
ASEAN is still discussing solutions without offending China, a major trade partner for many member states.

Story 4: 85 PERCENT OF ‘CORAL TRIANGLE’ REEFS IN DANGER
Destructive human activities threaten 85 percent of the reefs in Asia’s “Coral Triangle.”
A World Resources Institute report says pollution, overfishing and coastal development are to blame.
The report says that when these threats are combined with coral bleaching, the percent of reefs at risk increases to more than 90 percent.
Coral bleaching happens when corals expel the algae in their tissues, causing them to be more vulnerable to stress.
Asia’s Coral Triangle covers six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, The Solomon Islands, and East Timor.
It contains nearly 30 percent of the world’s reefs and more than 3,000 species of fish.
More than 130 million people living in the region depend on coral reefs for food, livelihood, and protection from waves during storms.
The six countries will use the report to make critical decisions to protect the reefs.

Story 5: MILF SUPPORTERS PARTICIPATE IN BANGSAMORO ASSEMBLY
Thousands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and supporters, trooped to Camp Darapanan, Maguindanao Saturday to participate in the Bangsamoro Leaders Assembly.
The mass gathering caused a 3-kilometer gridlock on the Davao-Cotabato highway as thousands of trucks and smaller vehicles waited to enter the dirt road leading to the MILF camp.
Many participants left their vehicles and hiked 4 kilometers.
Security was tight as MILF members guarded the camp and its boundaries.
Soldiers and policemen were also visible along highway, offering security, transportation and medical assistance.
The MILF expected around half a million people in the camp by Saturday.
The rebel group says the two-day assembly aims to strengthen solidarity among the Bangsamoro people.
Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces spokesperson Von Al-Haq says…
it’s the first time the assembly won’t be limited to MILF members.
Peace Adviser Teresita Deles and government peace panel chairman Marvic Leonen attended the event.
The last time the MILF held a similar assembly was in 2005, during its peace negotiations with the Arroyo administration.
The talks failed after a draft agreement angered politicians and Christian sectors. The Supreme Court eventually declared it unconstitutional.

Story 6: GMA7-TV5 DEAL PRICED AT P52.5B
The group of businessman Manny Pangilinan is reportedly close to sealing a deal to buy an 80% stake in GMA Network for an estimated P52.5 billion.
the Philippine Daily Inquirer cites -quote- “several sources familiar with the discussions.”
GMA Network did not deny nor confirm the report and says it is not the source of the information.
Pangilinan’s group Mediaquest Holdings Inc. is in the process of organizing bank financing.
Pangilinan earlier said the GMA-7 acquisition will likely be sealed this 2012.

Story 7: ‘MYSTERY WOMAN’ WITH KIM JONG-UN STIRS SPECULATION
A woman accompanying North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un stirs speculation in Seoul.
On Sunday, North Korea’s state television aired footage of a short-haired woman joining Jong-Un as he paid tribute to his late grandfather, Kim Il-Sung.
TV footage shows her walking next to the leader and bowing with him before a portrait of Il-Sung.
South Korean media reports suggest she is Jong-Un’s younger sister, who is believed to have studied in Switzerland in the 1990s.
A South Korean newspaper says she may be singer Hyon Song-Wol, who is rumored to be the leader’s lover.
But Yang Moo-Jin of Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies says there was “little chance” she may be Jong-Un’s partner.
Yang says past first ladies rarely made public appearances with leaders.
Seoul’s intelligence agency declined to comment.

Story 8: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 7, With a score of 93.10, Boracay is the world’s best island destination – beating Santorini in Greece and Bali in Indonesia.  
Based on a survey of American travel magazine Travel and Leisure, Boracay leaps from number 4 in 2011 to the top spot this year.

At number 8, It’s a historic Monday for Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she takes her seat as an elected official in parliament.
She will join other members of her party, the National League for Democracy, who transform from dissidents to mainstream political players.
The 67-year-old activist assumes office to help quote “confidence building with military representatives.”

At number 9, It’s the next best thing to being on Mars – that’s seeing a panoramic view of new tracks and an old impact crater on the Red Planet.
Over a period of 4 months, the panoramic camera Pancam mounted on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took a total of 817 images.
Scientists say the panoramic scene fuses together all the images shows a -quote- “spectacularly detailed view of the largest impact crater.”

And at number 10, 95-year-old Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine dies of renal failure in a Los Angeles hospital with his family by his side.
Borgnine won an Oscar in 1955 for his role as a shy butcher in love in the movie, “Marty.”
He was known for his supporting roles in comedies such as “McHale’s Navy” and dramas like the World War II film, “The Dirty Dozen.”
For the full top 10 visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’

Story 9: ‘INTERNET DOOMSDAY’ FOR MALWARE-INFECTED COMPUTERS
Internet doomsday may come for thousands of people with malware-infected computers when a government fix ends.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation operated replacement servers after malware known as DNS Changer infected computers around the world.
But these servers will shut down Monday, causing infected computers to lose Internet access.
Experts say about 300,000 computers are still infected as of June 11.
Around 69,000 of infected computers are in the United States, but more than a dozen countries are affected.


Story 10: SPORTS
Nonito Donaire Jr. wins both IBF and WBO super bantamweight titles in a unanimous decision over South African standout Jeffrey Mathebula.
Donaire retains the World Boxing Organization crown he won in February in a split decision over Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Vazquez.
He also captures Mathebula’s International Boxing Federation belt.
Donaire, popularly referred to as “The Next Manny Pacquiao” improves to 29-1 with 18 knockouts, winning his 28th straight fight in a streak dating back to 2001.
In Tennis, Roger Federer wins his seventh Wimbledon title and 17th Grand Slam crown shattering Andy Murray’s dream of ending Britain’s 76-year wait for an All England Club men’s champion.
Federer joins Pete Sampras and William Renshaw as a seven-time champion.
In women’s division, Serena Williams takes the Wimbledon title for the fifth time as the American subdues Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska to win in a dramatic final.
In Ultimate Fighting Championship, Brazilian fighter Anderson Silva defends his middleweight title belt as he knocks out American challenger Chael Sonnen in a much-anticipated rematch.
In local sports, PBA legend and former Senator Robert “Sonny” Jaworski retires his iconic number 7 Ginebra jersey in a historic ceremony in front of over 15,000 screaming fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

– Rappler.com

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