July 31, 2013 Edition

Government audit reports show that elected officials almost all the time choose which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) get a slice of their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Documents shown to Rappler reveal that these NGOs continued getting funds even after state auditors questioned their qualifications or the way they handled funds or both. Recently, a bagman turned whistleblower aired allegations that lawmakers’ funds were channelled to bogus NGOs linked to Janet Lim-Napoles. In exchange for ensuring which NGOs get the funds, lawmakers allegedly get commissions from the NGOs, former Napoles associate Benhur Luy said in an affidavit submitted to the justice department. Rappler takes a look at the pork barrel scam and the alleged players behind the controversy.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Manning convicted of espionage, faces 136 years in jail

American soldier Bradley Manning was found guilty of espionage on Tuesday, July 30, for leaking US government secrets, but he was cleared of the most serious charge that he willfully helped Al-Qaeda. The U.S. army private could face up to 136 years in jail for handing classified information to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website headed by Julian Assange. Tuesday’s verdict follows an exhaustive two-month court martial at the Fort Meade military base in Maryland, near the US capital. Manning’s sentencing, which could take up to another month of further court time, will begin Wednesday, August 1. Manning was working as an intelligence analyst near Baghdad when he was arrested more than three years ago, and he has been detained ever since.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Passengers arriving in Manila through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) 3 who want to take “white” taxis home can breathe a little easier now. Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) public affairs head Connie Bungag clarified that “white” taxis — regular metered taxis not accredited with the airport authority — are still allowed to enter the NAIA 3 departure area. They are, however, not allowed to make a queue. “If a taxi drops off a passenger [who’s departing], anyone can take it,” Bungag said in an interview with Rappler Wednesday, July 31. Bungag said there was miscommunication between the airport security guards and management. Passengers are not and will not barred from exiting through the departure area.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The nation’s capital is notorious for traffic grid lock. A city government initiated ban on buses without terminals in the city has somewhat eased traffic congestion but has also inconvenienced public commuters. Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno says that this new traffic management scheme is ‘experimental’ and may still change. “[Manila traffic]… is a cancer and we need drastic moves. I don’t think na dapat mabigla ang lahat kasi you know that… na tama yun,” Moreno said. (I don’t think people should be surprised with the changes because you know it’s the correct thing to do.) Moreno appealed to commuters to learn new routes and schedules because of the bus ban. He believes they will eventually benefit from it. The city may also soon crack down on jeepney drivers and sidecars.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) called for the suspension of licenses of doctors who mislead patients on the unproven curative claims of stem cell therapy. In a press conference held Tuesday, July 30, the PCP accused doctors — who do stem cell transplants that have no “proven indications” — of misleading the public. Proven indications refer to a clearly indicated therapeutic purpose backed up by a proper clinical trial. The PCP also criticizes what it calls the ‘exorbitant’ prices charged for stem cell treatments, despite the lack of clinical trials in the Philippines. The head of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) however says that stem cell therapy has curative benefits for a range of diseases, such as autism, dementia, Parkinsons, and diabetes. But the PCP wants the Department of Health to ensure first that these claims must be clinically tested. Stem cell therapy or regenerative medicine is a medical intervention that uses the body’s repair cells to replace old cells. It became controversial in the country after 3 politicians died allegedly due to botched treatments performed abroad.

Read the full story on Rappler:

Asian markets on Tuesday, July 30 mostly rebounded from the previous day’s losses on bargain buying in cautious trade ahead of a closely watched policy meeting at the Federal Reserve. With the focus on the US central bank, investors brushed off losses on Wall Street, while Japanese shares enjoyed a pick-up thanks to a weakening yen. Tokyo surged 1.53%, or 208.69 points to 13,869.82, snapping a 4-day losing streak that saw it give up 7.6%. Seoul added 0.9%, or 17.16 points, to close at 1,917.05 and Sydney was flat, edging up 0.87 points to 5,047.2. Shanghai added 0.7%, or 13.76 points, to end at 1,990.06 and Hong Kong advanced 0.48%, or 103.81 points, to 21,953.96. On Wall Street, the Dow fell 0.24%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.37% and the Nasdaq eased 0.39%.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators set an ambitious goal to reach an elusive peace deal within 9 months Tuesday, July 30, despite warnings of obstacles and provocations lying in wait ahead. Standing side-by-side with US Secretary of State John Kerry, officials from both sides said it was time to end their decades-old conflict. Both sides have agreed to meet again “within the next two weeks,” either in Israel or the Palestinian territories, to begin formal direct, bilateral negotiations, Kerry said. US officials praised the leadership and courage shown by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said no one was under any illusion the path ahead was going to be easy. The Obama administration’s last foray into the intractable Arab-Israeli conflict ended in failure, when talks launched in September 2010 collapsed just weeks later over continued Israeli settlement building.


Read the full story on Rappler.

Tech giant Google is now inviting the public to try out Google Glass, a wearable computer. It has sent out emails to existing Google Glass partners to invite a friend to try out the device. The catch, however, is testers need to be live in the United States, at least 18 years old, and are able to pick up Glass in San Francisco, New York, or Los Angeles. Many geeks have fawned over Glass with the hope that the device will be as ubiquitous as the cellphone. Others have bombed the clunky eyewear, saying that it will never catch on unless Google can make it look sleek and cool.

Read the full story on Mashable.

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes and his fellow national coaches believe that competing in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships will be no walk in the park. Speaking in a pre-tournament press conference on JUly 30, Reyes told media that every game will be tough. “It [FIBA Asia Championships] is really difficult. There is not going to be one easy game,” Reyes said. “Any team can beat any team.” Together with officials of Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and China, the Filipino mentor acknowledged the higher level of competition this time. “Aside from the quality of teams competing, there is also a tremendous quality of coaches. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a quality as high as this at our level,” added Reyes, who is handling the national team in the FIBA Asia Championship for the second time. Kazakhstan, on the other hand, recognizes the homecourt advantage Gilas has, noting that this basketball-crazy country with a population of more than 90 million would be hard to deal with on the court. “I think the Philippines is one of the teams to beat because of the quality of the team and the passion of the crowd,” Kazakhstan coach Matteo Boniciolli told reporters. “The passion of the more than 15,000 people in the arena will be great for the Philippines.”

Read the full story on Rappler:

The London Fire Brigade said Monday, July 29, it was facing a rising number of callouts for people trapped in handcuffs, blaming it on a best-selling erotic novel’s “Fifty Shades of Grey effect”. In the past three years the fire service has rescued 79 people unable to escape handcuffs, as well as nine men with rings stuck on their penises, one with his penis trapped in a toaster and another in a vacuum cleaner. “I don’t know whether it’s the Fifty Shades effect, but the number of incidents involving items like handcuffs seems to have gone up,” fire officer Dave Brown said in a statement. “I’m sure most people will be fifty shades of red by the time our crews arrive to free them.” British author EL James has sold more than 70 million copies of her erotic romance novels, a trilogy starting with the sado-masochistic tale “Fifty Shades of Grey”. The fire brigade urged those using handcuffs in the bedroom to “always keep the keys handy.”


Read the full story on Rappler.