Rappler Newscast | May 23, 2013

Rappler.com

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DOJ drops online libel provision in cybercrime law. PH vows to defend its territory as Chinese ships circle Ayungin Reef. Drilon to UNA: concede.

Today on Rappler.

  • The justice department drops the online libel provision in a new version of the cybercrime law.
  • The Philippines vows to defend its territory as Chinese ships circle a reef occupied by Filipino marines.
  • Senator Drilon urges UNA to concede the elections UNA retorts you don’t tell us what to do.

Story 1: DOJ DROPS ONLINE LIBEL IN CYBERCRIME LAW
The Justice Department will remove online libel in its proposed version of the controversial Cybercrime Act.
At the 3rd Regional Cybercrime Conference Thursday, Justice Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy says the online libel provision is not included in the department’s “enhanced” version of the law.
The DOJ will endorse the proposed version in the next Congress in July.
The Supreme Court is also expected to decide on the law’s constitutionality in June.
Criminalizing online libel is one of the most contentious provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Sec 6 of the cybercrime law states the penalty for online libel is one degree higher than libel.
Ordinary libel is punishable with imprisonment from 6 months to 4 years.
Online libel gets a jail time of 6-12 years.
The online libel provision was not part of the original version drafted by the DOJ.
It was inserted by Sen. Tito Sotto in 2012, citing the case of celebrities who were victims of cyberbullying.
Many groups opposed the law, with 15 petitions filed against it at the Supreme Court.
In October 2012, the Supreme Court initially issued a 120-day temporary restraining order, which stopped the DOJ from implementing the law.
The High Court extended the TRO in February 2013.

Story 2: PH WARNS CHINA ON AYUNGIN: IT IS OURS
The Philippines vows to –quote– “defend what is ours” during a standoff involving a Chinese warship circling a reef occupied by Filipino marines.
On May 10, the Philippines protested the –quote– “provocative and illegal presence” of the Chinese warship near Ayungin Reef in the South China Sea.
China brushes off the complaint, saying the area is part of its territory.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin says, “As far as we are concerned, that place is ours. It’s not disputed… They already entered our territory.”
Gazmin says two Chinese Marine Surveillance ships and a frigate were spotted near the reef Wednesday, approximately 120 nautical miles from the town of Rizal, Palawan.
Gazmin says it is up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a diplomatic complaint with China.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez says, “No one should doubt the resolve of the Filipino people to defend what is ours in that area.”
Ayungin Reef lies within the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.
The reef is guarded by Philippine marines in a World War II-era ship grounded there in the late 1990s to serve as a base.
Gazmin says the soldiers in Ayungin will “fight for what is ours… up to the last soldier standing.”
But he dismisses talk of war with China.

Story 3: DRILON TO UNA: CONCEDE
Team PNoy campaign manager Sen Franklin Drilon asks opposition United Nationalist Alliance or UNA to concede the elections because it has “not questioned the result of 9-3 in favor of the ruling party.”
On Wednesday, UNA released a statement congratulating the winning senators but questioning the credibility of the elections.
Various election watchdogs and IT experts also questioned what seems to be pattern of a 60-30-10 win for Team PNoy bets in the national tally.
This means 60% votes for the administration’s bets, 30% for UNA’s candidates and 10% for independent bets.
Drilon says the accusations are baseless, noting senatorial surveys consistently predicted a 9-3 win for Team PNoy.
He adds, the 60-30-10 pattern was present even in local areas where LP bets lost.
Drilon blames UNA’s failure to concede as the reason “conspiracy theories” on the legitimacy of the elections are surfacing.
But UNA campaign manager Toby Tiangco fires back at Drilon, saying, “You don’t have the right to tell us what to do even if you think you will be the next Senate President.”
He adds, “We are not conceding. There is no need to concede.”

Story 4: DRILON, VILLAR AGREE ON COMMON BET FOR SENATE PRESIDENT
Sen Franklin Drilon says he and Nacionalista president Sen Manny Villar agree to support the ruling party’s bet for Senate president.
While Drilon did not identify the common bet, he makes obvious references to himself during a press conference at the Senate Thursday.
He says, “Senator Villar assured us the NP will continue to support the President and his legislative agenda, that there will be a common candidate of the coalition.”
Drilon is counting on the support of at least 12 LP members and administration allies, including 4 from the NP: Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Sonny Trillanes, and senator-elect Cynthia Villar.
Drilon needs 13 votes to clinch the post.
An LP source earlier told Rappler the ruling party is certain that Drilon will be the next Senate president.
Formal voting for Senate president will be on July 22, when the 16th Congress convenes.

Story 5: TEAM PNOY CELEBRATES 2013, LOOKS AHEAD TO 2016
Team PNoy celebrates its victory in the recent elections and makes plans to sustain public support for 2016.
Natashya Gutierrez reports.

The sweet taste of victory.
This is what President Aquino and his senatorial slate Team PNoy celebrate on Wednesday, May 22 at Club Filipino.
It’s the same where Aquino announced his coalition last October.
8 months later, they bask in their 9-3 win over the opposition UNA
A relaxed Aquino mingles with his senators-elect and other Liberal Party stalwarts.
To the ruling LP, this is more than a win. It’s an affirmation of public support for the administration.
They are relying on their coalition partners to continue helping them with their reforms.
Negotiations begin immediately.
The next day, Senator Franklin Drilon announces the LP and their coalition partner Nacionalista Party, agreed to support a common candidate for the Senate Presidency.
Team PNoy’s campaign manager doesn’t admit he is the common choice, but sources all say Drilon is expected to be the next Senate President.

FRANKLIN DRILON, SENATOR OF THE PHILIPPINES: I met with Sen. Manny Villar, the president of the Nacionalista Party and the Nacionalista Party will stay with the coalition contrary to all these speculations. Sen. Villar assured us that the NP will continue to support the President and his legislative agenda in the Senate, that there will be a common candidate of the coalition in the Senate.

With a Senate President and a new majority in the Senate allied with the administration, the LP trusts it will be able to push for the reforms Aquino wants.
The goal is to sustain the government’s popularity, so come 2016, voters will look to the candidate Aquino will endorse.
Interior Sec Mar Roxas’ name is floated, but it could be too early to tell.

BUTCH ABAD, BUDGET SECRETARY: Secretary Roxas himself said that what’s important is to make the administration of President Aquino successful so when the time comes that we have to find a replacement, the people won’t have a hard time to choose.

The LP is eyeing improvements in health and education, continued good governance and inclusive economic growth.
Will they successfully lay the groundwork for 2016?
The answer partly lies in the 16th Congress and whether after the victory party, newfound partners will keep their word.
Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler, Manila.

Story 6: EX-POLL EXEC BLAMES BRILLANTES FOR MESS
In an open letter circulated Wednesday, former poll commissioner Augusto Lagman blames Commission on Elections chair Sixto Brillantes for the problems in the conduct of the 2013 midterm polls.
Lagman, who served the poll body from April 2011 to 2012, issues the open letter after Brillantes slammed him for his constant criticism of the Comelec.
Lagman says the 2013 polls were messy and costly.
He says Brillantes ignored his recommendations about the automated elections.
Lagman says he suggested they bid out the project management of the automated polls because of the Comelec’s lack of IT-preparedness.
In the 2010 polls, most of the election preparations were shouldered by Smartmatic, the winning supplier of the ballot-counting machines.
Lagman says he suggested Filipino Systems Integrators for the Project Management Group to provide a check and balance in the implementation.
But the former poll commissioner says of the 2013 polls, “It was just Comelec and, to a large extent, Smartmatic that ran the election project.”
He adds, “A foreign group practically running Philippine elections – almost a repeat of the 2010 experience.”
Brillantes though dismisses Lagman’s tirades, saying the former poll commissioner “did not contribute anything” to the Comelec.

Story 7: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 4, Two men are arrested following an attack on a London man who was run over then hacked to death.
CNN reports that a video of the attack shows one of the attackers, who wielded a knife and meat cleaver, was making political statements before walking back to the victim.
Policemen fired at the attackers, wounding both.

At number 5, Al Jazeera reports the damage from the recent Oklahoma tornado could reach 2 billion US dollars.
On Monday, a powerful tornado struck an Oklahoma city suburb, killing 24 and destroying thousands of homes.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department says the 2-billion dollar figure is based on visual assessments of the disaster area, which stretches more than 27 kilometers.

And at number 7, An FBI agent shot a Florida man allegedly linked to one of the Boston bombing suspects.
27-year-old Ibragim Todashev was shot when he became violent while being interviewed by the FBI.
He was reportedly a friend of killed bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, with whom he shared an interest in mixed martial-arts fighting.
Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar were the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings in April that killed 3 people and wounded over 260 others.
Tamerlan died in a shootout with police while Dzhokhar was captured and still remains in custody.

– Rappler.com


Newscast production staff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / WRITER Lilibeth Frondoso
DIRECTOR Rupert Ambil
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER / PUBLISHER Rodneil Quiteles
  Dindin Reyes
HEAD WRITER / PROMPTER Katerina Francisco
MASTER EDITOR / PLAYBACK Vicente Roxas
  Exxon Ruebe
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / CAMERAMAN Charlie Salazar
  Adrian Portugal
  Francis Lopez
GRAPHICS Jessica Lazaro


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