October 2, 2014 Edition

More than 3,000 protesters gathered outside Leung Chun-ying’s office on October 2, chanting for the chief executive – seen by critics as a Beijing stooge – to step down. A student leader also vowed to step up Hong Kong’s huge pro-democracy protests – including a possible occupation of government offices – unless Leung  steps down within a day. Leung has faced mounting calls to step down and has been criticized for failing to engage with protesters, after their “Umbrella Revolution” campaign for unfettered universal suffrage sparked the biggest civil unrest in the semi-autonomous Chinese city for decades. Support for the movement has grown around the world.

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Texas health authorities were investigating a potential second US case of Ebola, in a person who was in close contact with a man diagnosed with the virus. The man, who is currently in serious condition, had traveled from Liberia to visit family in the Dallas area. Three ambulance workers who transported the man to the hospital have been tested for Ebola but their blood showed no evidence of the virus, according to the city’s Twitter account. The CDC has said it is monitoring a “handful” of people who were in close contact with the man during the several days when he showed symptoms of Ebola but had not yet been hospitalized.

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Reacting to President Benigno Aquino III’s criticism of the United Nations for giving Filipino troops “mission impossible,” the UN maintained that it “improved” the weapons of peacekeepers deployed to the Golan Heights. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon also remained non-committal on reviewing the mission’s mandate despite a firefight between Filipino peacekeepers and Syrian rebels, and the abduction of Fijian blue helmets in late August. Aquino said that the Philippines will not deploy troops to the Golan, pending a UN investigation into the 4-day standoff with the Syrian rebels. The UN could not say when the investigation will be concluded.

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Once again, the Office of the President came to the defense of embattled Philippine National Police chief Director-General Alan Purisima a day after he was grilled at the Senate over the gifts he accepted from “friends.” Purisima answered “truthfully” and with “candor” at the Senate hearing, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said. His assessment is in contrast with Senator Grace Poe who led the hearing, and who said she felt that Purisima only shared “partial truth.” Purisima said the funds for the construction of his official residence at Camp Crame were donated by contractors, and that he received a huge discount for his SUVs. The law prohibits public officials from accepting gifts.

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For a string of security lapses, US Secret Service director Julia Pierson resigned October 1. The resignation comes a day after Pierson endured a withering public grilling by lawmakers, who pronounced themselves baffled at failures by Secret Service agents, another of which saw an armed former felon get on an elevator with President Barack Obama. Pierson had been brought into the agency as a new broom after the reputation of its sharp-suited agents took a hit from drinking and prostitution scandals. But critics said the lives of the US president and his family are not safe due to several high-profile failures.

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Now they can probably walk the talk. By the end of President Benigno Aquino III’s term, at least 300 municipalities should receive assistance from the national government in planning for climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), according to Climate Change Commission vice chair Lucille Sering. The initiative is to be a major  undertaking of the commission. The Senate approved the agency’s proposed budget of P78.25 million (US$1.7 million*), which the House of Representatives approved on September 26. The budget will allow the Commission to provide technical assistance for the towns in crafting a Comprehensive Land Use Plan and map hazard-prone areas.

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Japan is offering new privileges for multiple-entry visas for Filipinos, Indonesians, and Vietnamese. They include the following: Visa validity extended to “up to 5 years”; for applicants living outside their countries origin, an opportunity “to apply at the diplomatic mission which has jurisdiction over their place of residence”; for single-entry visas, the application procedure “for participants of package tours that are handled by registered travel agencies” will also be simplified for the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Japan first announced its new visa policy on June 17, when the Japanese Foreign Ministry promised to loosen the requirements for multiple-entry visas, and to relax the requirements for single-entry tourist visas “to a quasi-exemption equivalent level when applied via specified travel agencies.”

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It’s sparking concern among doctors. An unusual respiratory virus has sickened more than 400 children across the United States. The nationwide outbreak of enterovirus D68 – which can cause wheezing and coughing – coincided with the hospitalization of 9 children due to limb weakness in Colorado since early August, and officials are investigating if there is any link between the two. In the meantime, experts are struggling to understand why so many young people – ranging in age from one to 18 – have fallen ill from the virus in the past two months.

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Filipinos view snacking as primarily a source of nutrition. And although they ate a wide variety of snacks in the past 30 days, a Nielsen survey showed that they prefer bread/sandwich above other snack choices, fresh fruit, and chocolate. On the other hand, Indonesians, Malaysians, Singaporeans, and Vietnamese rank enjoyment as the foremost reason for snacking, while 8 out of 10 Thai consumers snack to satisfy a craving. The survey said global consumers spent $374 billion on snack foods annually between 2013 and 2014, a year-over-year increase of 2%.

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The longtime underdogs are now at the center stage. It’s FEU Tamaraws against the NU Bulldogs in the UAAP finals, which begin on Saturday, October 4, at the Mall of Asia Arena. In back-to-back thrillers on Wednesday, October 2, the NU Bulldogs crushed the Ateneo Blue Eagles while FEU players beat defending champion De La Salle Green Archers. FEU and NU’s finals series will mark the first time since 1993 that the UAAP finals will not include either DLSU or the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Mac Belo, FEU’s new hero, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer that broke the hearts of De La Salle fans and gave FEU 67-64. In the Ateneo-NU game, the Blue Eagles’ Kiefer Ravena missed a layup that would have forced an overtime. It’s the NU’s first time in the finals since 1970.

Read the full story on FEU’s victory on Rappler.

Read the full story on the Ateneo-NU game on Rappler.