Rappler Newscast | November 6, 2012

Today on Rappler.

• A divided America votes on the heels of surveys that show a tie between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
• The European Union supports the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.
• PLDT Chair Manuel Pangilinan says rivals Globe and ABS-CBN are copycats.

Story 1: DEEPLY DIVIDED U.S. VOTES FOR NEXT LEADER
It’s election day in the United States.
Latest surveys indicate a statistical tie, with either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama favored by a single point.
Carmela Fonbuena reports.

It’s the immovable rock versus the unstoppable force.
President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are back in the all-important state Ohio on the final day of the campaign, making their closing arguments in one of the closest presidential elections in US history.
Obama is ahead in the polls, but the swing states could give the race to Romney, who has a difficult but possible path to the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the elections. Enthusiasm in the Republican voters could be the key. It now comes down to the groundwork.

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: When you see your neighbors tonight, or whenever you see them next, make sure you ask them: do you want to see four more years like the last four years?
BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE: Knock on some doors for me and make some calls and turn out. We will win Ohio. We’ll win this election.

How many of the Obama and Romney supporters will actually go out and vote?
This is Carmela Fonbuena, Rappler, Columbus, Ohio.

Story 2: US ELECTIONS: REACTIONS FROM FILIPINO COMMUNITY
Let’s check on the voting.
Former ABS-CBN reporter Aladin Bacolodan is in Maryland, USA.
He joins us live on election day.

Story 3: EU TO PH: WE SUPPORT PEACE IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
European Union leaders tell President Aquino the EU supports a rules-based approach in addressing maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Aquino meets with European Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on the sidelines of the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting in Vientiane, Laos.
Van Rompuy says Brussels firmly supports “a rules-based and peaceful resolution of disputes …in accordance with international law.”
He also congratulates the Philippines for the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and pledges more EU assistance on human rights, migration and the peace process in Mindanao.
In his address to Asian and European leaders, Aquino calls for enhanced economic ties between Asia and Europe.

Story 4: MVP: GLOBE, ABS-CBN ARE COPYCATS
TV5 and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan thinks his rivals may be taking a page out of his playbook.
ABS-CBN and Globe Telecom are pursuing a convergence strategy to pair TV content with the infrastructure of a telecommunications firm.

MANUEL PANGILINAN, PLDT CHAIRMAN: I guess where we have moved into the media space, they are moving to where we moved to. I don’t know why everyone wants to copy us.

At PLDT’s last annual stockholders’ meeting, Pangilinan says the company is moving towards leveraging rich media content.
Pangilinan hit an obstacle in his convergence plan this year, after acquisition talks with television GMA Network fell through.
Pangilinan says he will move forward by strengthening TV5.
PLDT and TV5 recently announced they will work together in the coverage of the 2013 elections.

Story 5: ALMENDRAS TO OVERSEE AQUINO PROJECTS ROADMAP
New Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras is in charge of a new office to oversee a roadmap of the government’s projects.
Almendras’s job description is detailed in Executive Order No 99, which Malacañang released on Tuesday.
The executive order clarifies his duties as the first Cabinet Secretary appointed by Aquino.
One of the Secretary’s key functions is to recommend a roadmap which aims to specify priorities and targets in the administration’s Social Contract with the Filipino People and Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016.
On Sunday, Almendras took his oath as Cabinet Secretary at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport before flying with Aquino to Laos for the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting.

Story 6: CUSTOMS MISSES OCTOBER RE VENUE GOAL
The Bureau of Customs collects 26.807 billion pesos in October, missing its revenue goal of 29.609 billion pesos for the month.
But this figure represents a 17.4 percent growth from its October 2011 collections, the second highest annual growth recorded this year.
Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon says the revenues grew from last year because of higher tax take from petroleum companies.
The agency aims to collect 347 billion pesos in 2012.
Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue are under pressure to boost collections as the Aquino administration promised no new taxes during its term.

Story 7: PSE MAIN INDEX HITS 25TH RECORD HIGH
In the stock market, the PSE index climbs to another record high on expectations of strong third-quarter financial results.
The PSE index closes Tuesday at a fresh all-time high of 5,473.61 — up by point-29 percent from Monday’s record close of 5,457.82.
This is the 25th record-high close for the Philippine stock market.  

Story 8: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 2, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is a Communist aristocrat with a pop star wife, but his views are a mystery, hidden behind Party secrecy and an enigmatic demeanor.
Xi is set to lead a country that went from being famine-wracked to the world’s 2nd largest economy with a growing diplomatic heft and military reach.
He will succeed President Hu Jintao as the general-secretary of the 82-million-strong Communist Party at its 18th congress.
The congress starts on Thursday, in the Great Hall of the People, on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
The heir apparent has been number two to Hu since 2008.

At number 5, the head of Russia’s powerful Orthodox Church will visit key Christian sites in Israel and the Palestinian territories from November 9 to 14.
Israel foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor says, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill’s trip is “the most important visit since Pope Benedict XVI.”
The patriarch is expected to tour Christian landmarks in Jerusalem, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and in the Israeli towns of Nazareth and Tiberias.
He will also visit the Yad Vashem memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem.
The Russian Orthodox Church is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches and has around 150 million followers worldwide.

At number 9, Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, one of the most acclaimed of his generation, is leaving the fashion house after 15 years at its helm.
Balenciaga gave no reason for the designer’s departure, but stressed it was “the fruit of a long reflection.”
Ghesquiere’s departure unleashes speculation over his next step when he leaves November 30, as well as succession issues at Balenciaga.
Ghesquiere put the house back on the fashion map after he took over as artistic director in 1997, over a decade following the death of influential Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga.

And at number 10, It is a widespread belief in Japan that character and temperament are linked to blood type.
The BBC reports “what’s your blood type?” is often a key question in everything from matchmaking to job applications.
Many dating agencies cater to blood types, and a whole industry of customized products has also sprung up.
According to popular belief in Japan, type As are sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but over-anxious.
Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn.
ABs are arty but mysterious and unpredictable, and type Bs are cheerful but eccentric, individualistic and selfish.

Story 9: MOOD METER AMUSED OVER US ELECTION PARODIES
Parodies of candidates Obama and Romney are all over the internet, unveiling a new arena in the war for hearts and minds of the electorate.
Josh Villanueva looks at the best ones online.

MoodMeter Amused.
The world is watching closely.
Endless bickering over campaign ads?
MoodMeter Annoyed.
But there’s a fun side to the US elections.
One of the most popular videos that hit one millions views is a spin on Gotye’s hit ‘Somebody that I used to know’.
Big name producers even weighed in.
‘The Avengers’ Director Joss Whedon released this satirical video.
Romney is portrayed as the man who will bring America “back to the path of the Zombie Apocalypse.”
Song and dance?
It’s no longer “only in the Philippines”.
And only in the alternate world of internet do the candidates debate singing Katy Perry’s Hot and Cold.
Aren’t they better off as rap artists?

ROMNEY: Y’all act like you’ve never seen a mormon before, George’s down on the floor. I’m not concerned about the very poor, got that wrong, sorry, that’s not what I meant…
OBAMA:  You didn’t build that…oh, oh, oh, you didn’t built that. Mitt Romney strikes me, so hard. Makes me feel like Shirley Sherrod.  Out of context, those words aren’t mine.  The private sector’s doing fine.

Will these videos win votes? Maybe yes, maybe no.
One thing’s sure, these laugh-out-loud, irreverent and creative productions certainly makes the elections bearable.
Josh Villanueva, Rappler, Manila.

– Rappler.com