Rappler Newscast | February 26, 2013

Story 1: SULTAN WANTS TALKS WITH AQUINO
Self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III wants to sit down with the governments of the Philippines and Malaysia before he tells his followers to leave Sabah.
The heirs of the sultan of Sulu and their followers sailed to Sabah February 12 to pursue their claim on the state.
In a press conference Tuesday, Kiram’s spokesman Abraham Idjirani says what is needed is a “mutual understanding.”
But he says the Filipinos defying Malaysian security forces will not leave the area until the sultan’s concerns are addressed.

ABRAHAM IDJIRANI, SPOKESMAN OF JAMALUL KIRAM III: They will stay there according to Datu Raja Muda unless otherwise something must be discussed thoroughly first between the government of Malaysia and the sultanate of Sulu with the kind intercession of the government of the Republic of the Philippines.

Kiram says his supporters would only lay down their arms if the Philippines and Malaysia agreed to negotiate terms for joint development of Sabah.
In a statement aired nationwide on Tuesday, President Benigno Aquino appeals to Kiram to end the standoff and sit down for a dialogue on the issue.

BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: And so this is my appeal to you: These are your people, and it behooves you to recall them. It must be clear to you that this small group of people will not succeed in addressing your grievances, and that there is no way that force can achieve your aims…If you are truly the leader of your people, you should be one with us in ordering your followers to return home peacefully.

Aquino adds the standoff will affect more than just those directly involved.

BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: The action of these people purporting to be your followers, endangers more than just their own lives. They also put at risk our countrymen peacefully engaged in their livelihood in Sabah.

The foreign affairs department sends its former ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns Jose Brillantes, to help coordinate a “peaceful and expeditious resolution of [the] issue in Lahad Datu.”

Story 2: AQUINO IN, ENRILE OUT OF MAGIC 12
Team PNoy candidates gain points over their rivals from the United Nationalist Alliance in the latest Social Weather Stations survey.
The survey, conducted from February 15 to 17 after the proclamation rallies, shows a 9-3 advantage in favor of Team PNoy.
President Benigno Aquino’s cousin Bam Aquino makes it to the Magic 12 for the first time, ranking 9-10 with 42% of survey respondents saying they will vote for him.
He ranked 15th in the January SWS survey.
UNA candidate Cagayan Rep Jack Enrile falls out of the Magic 12, ranking 13th with a 38% survey rating.
This is a slide from his 46% rating in the January survey where he ranked 8-9.
Sen Gringo Honasan emerges the biggest loser in the survey, dropping to rank 15 from his 5-6 rank in the January survey.
Replacing him in the Magic 12 is Aurora Rep Sonny Angara.
From UNA, only Nancy Binay enjoys an improvement in her ratings.
She is now the highest ranking UNA candidate.
From Rank 12 in the January survey, Binay now ranks 7th in the February survey.
Senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, and Alan Peter Cayetano – all from Team PNoy – remain the survey leaders although their ratings did not improve.
They are followed by Former Las Piñas Rep Cynthia Villar at fourth place, and former censors chief Grace Poe and Senator Koko Pimentel at 5th-6th place.
Rounding up the top 12 are Nancy Binay, Sen Antonio Trillanes, San Juan Rep JV Ejercito, Bam Aquino, Sonny Angara, and Migz Zubiri.

Story 3: BINAY ON SWS POLL: I CAN’T BELIEVE IT
Vice President Jejomar Binay questions the results of the SWS survey showing only 3 out of his 9 bets in the opposition UNA making it to the top 12.
A surprised Binay tells reporters he doesn’t believe the February 15-17 survey showing only his daughter, Nancy, San Juan Representative JV Ejercito, and resigned Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri in the top 12.
He says in Filipino, “How can I comment if I do not believe it?”
Binay says he is wondering why the SWS survey results greatly differed from other surveys.
He insists it does not reflect the ground support UNA gets from its sorties.

Story 4: TEAM PNOY’S CHALLENGES IN MINDANAO
Administration coalition Team PNoy heads to northern Mindanao on week 3 of the campaign period.
They stop at Misamis Oriental before heading to Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon.
Based on the 2010 votes, it’s opposition country.
But the results of the latest SWS survey are welcome news to President Aquino’s candidates.
Natashya Gutierrez files this video blog.

Spirits are high here among Team PNoy as the most recent results of the Social Weather stations Survey reveals 9 members of the coalition are in the Magic 12
Presidential cousin and social entrepreneur Bam Aquino is the biggest winner, rising 8 percentage points and cracking the magic 12 for the first time. From rank 15 in January, Aquino is now 9-10, something he says he is grateful for. He attributes the rise to his volunteers and the higher attention voters are giving to the track record of candidates.
Consistent top ranker Loren Legarda says she will continue pushing for her advocacies, and vowed to help other Team PNoy bets who have yet to make the top 12 including former senators Jun Magsaysay and Jamby Madrigal, and  former Akbayan rep Risa Hontiveros.
Magsaysay, who has not moved in rankings and remains at 16, says he is not discouraged by his failure to rise. He says he will work more to reach out towards the youth.
The survey results are welcomed, especially on the day the coalition visits Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro, both of which voted for former president Joseph Estrada and vice president Jejomar Binay in 2010. Both are stalwarts of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance.
But the crowd here shows little sign of the 2010 trend. Thousands of CDO supporters have come out to see the coalition, enthusiastic, energetic and decked in yellow.
Bets consider the survey and the crowd as a good sign — they say voters now understand what Aquino can do, something they hope will translate to votes for the coalition.
Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler Cagayan de Oro.

Story 5: DIOCESE DEFIES COMELEC ON TEAM PATAY POSTER
The Diocese of Bacolod continues to defy the Commission on Elections.
The poll body ordered the removal of the controversial “Team Patay, Team Buhay” tarpaulin in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral.
The Diocese argues the material is covered by the –quote “broader constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression and conscience.”
The Comelec gave the diocese until Monday to bring down the poster.
The lawyer of the Diocese of Bacolod says the main message of the tarpaulin is not about the May elections but about the rejection of the reproductive health law.
The giant tarpaulin lists senatorial candidates who favored the RH law.
The diocese is asking Catholics not to vote for them in the coming elections.

Story 6: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 3, Italy’s centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani wins a narrow victory in elections in the lower house of parliament.
Bersani’s coalition leads with 29.55% to the 29.18% for the bloc of Silvio Berlusconi.
The winner’s bonus gives the left a handy majority in the lower house, but the vote in the upper house remains inconclusive.
A majority in both chambers of parliament is needed to form a government.

At number 5, tax issues stop the first shipment of copper-gold concentrates from the Philippines’ first fully foreign-owned large scale mine.
Australian miner OceanaGold says its Didipio mine in Nueva Vizcaya province is covered by a 5-year tax exemption period under its Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement permit.
The tax bureau says the mine must pay a 2% excise tax when it started processing ores in December 2012.

At number 8, the Paris-based global newspaper International Herald Tribune will be rebranded as the International New York Times.
For a decade, the IHT has been the “global edition” of the New York Times in all but name.
The announcement is part of the parent firm’s larger plan to focus on its core brand and build its international presence, including online.

And at number 10, a study by Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp says Asians do not have enough savings to cover their day-to-day needs when they retire.
Retirement savings can only support them for another 9 to 12 years, but wealth managers say Asians expect to live 15 to 21 years more after retirement.
With longer life spans, financial planning is key so Asians can retire comfortably with around $40,000 per year.

Hongkong business district image via Shutterstock.