SUMMARY
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Today on Rappler.
- On Independence Day, President Aquino says in the past it was outrage against the colonizers, today, it’s outrage against corruption.
- Jinggoy Estrada’s lawyer says the prosecution cannot prove the senator got P183 million in kickbacks.
- Actress Angelina Jolie urges governments to move from condemnation to action to stop rape in war.
AQUINO VOWS DUE PROCESS IN PORK SCAM CASES
In his speech, Aquino compares the anger of oppressed Filipinos during Spanish rule, with today’s public furor over the misuse of government funds.
Aquino says lessons from the past will ensure justice, as the nation is embroiled in the biggest corruption scandal in recent history.
He adds, “It is important to reflect on our history, especially now that we are treading the path towards reform and justice.”
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bong Revilla face plunder charges for allegedly conniving to pocket development funds in a scam orchestrated by Janet Lim Napoles.
Aquino says news about the scam first surfaced in early 2013, but the charges were only filed last week because the government followed due process.
The three senators maintain their innocence, and accuse the administration of selective justice.
In Naga City, the President commemorates the Quince Martires – the 15 martyrs from Bicol whose deaths contributed to the freedom of the province Camarines Sur from colonizers.
BENIGNO AQUINO, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: Sa pag-usad ng kasaysayan, ipinagtatanggol at patuloy nating nakakamit ang ating mga adhikain, ng ating mga ninuno. Patuloy na lumitaw ang mga bayani na magtataguyod ng iba’t ibang anyo ng kalayaan sa maraming bahagi ng bansa: ang mga marinong naka-istasyon sa Ayungin; si Jesse Robredo dito sa Naga; ang mga milyung-milyong Pilipinong nagtipon sa EDSA.
(In the course of history, we continue to defend and uphold the dreams of our forefathers. Now, heroes who uphold the various forms of freedom around the many parts of our country continue to emerge: The marines stationed at Ayungin; Jesse Robredo here in Naga; the millions of people who gathered in EDSA.)
Aquino reminds Filipinos to vote wisely in 2016 when he steps down from office – quote “in order to ensure what our ancestors have sacrificed will not be wasted.”
Aquino also takes a jab at those reported to be aspiring for higher office in 2016.
BENIGNO AQUINO, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: Hindi natin kailangan nang magaling bumigkas ng script, mahusay sumaway o kaya ay magaling kumanta. Pananagutan nating mag-iwan ng mas makatarungan at mas maunlad na Pilipinas kaysa sa ating dinatnan.
(We do not need those whose words are merely dictated by scripts, nor do we need talented dancers or fantastic singers. Instead, it is our duty to create a Philippines more just and prosperous than that which we have come to know.)
Aquino asks the public to use as inspiration the Filipino heroes who fought for independence over a century ago.
He says by doing so, they’re carving the administration’s “straight and narrow path.”
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
It’s the Philippines’ 116th Independence Day, and some Filipinos online commemorate it by tweeting alternate scenarios to events in history.
With the hashtag RP612FIC, netizens exercise their imagination.
Here are some of their tweets:
Andre Salvatierra or @shinkaide says, “In a sudden realization in the midst of successive defeats, Andres Bonifacio yells: “I said, nobody should check-in at Foursquare!”
Mabeth Costales says, “I DEMAND TRIAL BY COMBAT!” shouted Bonifacio. But not one Katipunero stepped up to be his champion.
And AJ Elicaño makes this quote of Tandang Sora: “I HAVE NEVER YELLED AT A GIRL LIKE THIS,” during the first and only episode of the Katipunan’s Next Top Rebel.
LAWYER: NO PROOF JINGGOY GOT P183M
Graft is one thing, but plunder is another.
She adds, the Ombudsman came up with the amount by mere computation based on the testimony of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy.
Abastillas says the computation is not enough to prove plunder, a non-bailable crime.
Echoing Estrada’s privilege speech last Wednesday, Abastillas says the amounts in Luy’s ledger do not reach P50 million, the threshold for plunder.
The lawyer says Estrada might have unknowingly chosen Janet Napoles’s fake NGOs as recipients of his pork barrel funds.
Commission on Audit Chair Grace Pulido-Tan earlier said her agency found Estrada did not just endorse the NGOs, but also guaranteed their legitimacy.
FILIPINOS SLAM CHINA FOR ‘FAULT IN YOUR MAPS’
Protesters carry posters bearing the likeness of promo materials from the novel-turned-blockbuster movie “The Fault in Our Stars.”
Up to 140 of them gather in front of China’s consulate in Makati to protest Beijing’s aggression in the disputed waters.
Akbayan Youth chair Rafaela David says, her group thought of the poster to denounce “the faulty map of China” covering the South China Sea.
China’s modern maps include the much-criticized 9-dash line, a demarcation mark it uses to claim virtually the entire South China Sea.
The Philippines claims parts of these waters as the West Philippine Sea.
It is pursuing a historic case before a United Nations tribunal challenging China’s vast claims.
Ironically, in a recent lecture, Philippine Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio used ancient Chinese maps – China’s favorite pieces of evidence – to debunk these territorial claims.
The ancient maps show a much smaller Chinese territory that excludes the West Philippine Sea.
VIETNAM TO PHILIPPINES: UNITED, WE WILL WIN
The Philippines finds an ally in Vietnam in challenging China’s claims over the South China Sea.
Tensions between Vietnam and China flare after Beijing sent an oil rig into disputed waters.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Truong Trieu Duong says Beijing’s recent acts also threaten the Philippines because the Asian superpower has now moved from words to actions.
TRUONG TRIEU DUONG, VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES: This is the very first act that China did to us. In the end, this is a very, very dangerous act, because maybe after this, China may do the same to other countries, including the Philippines.
Duong also says China wants to realize its dream of a 9-dash line.
He says the line is a “newly born idea” that “has been rejected by almost all countries.”
TRUONG TRIEU DUONG, VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR TO THE PHILIPPINES: This act, I think, has been carefully considered, carefully calculated, and is a very, very serious act for China to realize its dream of a 9-dash line. It’s different from other acts before… just claiming, you know, some islands, things like that. But here, it is claiming the whole South China Sea.
NEW DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: FROM JARGON TO ‘ACTION’
As the Philippines enters the rainy season, the country’s disaster response agency aims to better prepare for typhoons and floods by turning scientific jargon into practical steps.
Days before super typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan killed thousands in November 2013, local officials were warned about its devastating impact.
But not everyone understood the warnings.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or NDRRMC says its goal is to take scientific information and to create a template for how various local government units or LGUs should respond to specific situations.
NDRRMC chief Undersecretary Alexander Pama says the agency aims to build on and expand the capacities and resources of LGUs.
GLOBAL SUMMIT TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague co-chair the event which aims to raise awareness and discuss ways to end rape in war.
Jolie urges governments all over the world to move from condemnation to action in stopping what she calls “a preventable crime.”
The Hollywood actress says the summit is an avenue for people to unite behind the issue.
ANGELINA JOLIE, UN SPECIAL ENVOY: I am hopeful we can unite on this issue. This summit is a model of a new way for working together. This single issue is now a center point. It’s a beginning. There are many crimes we must confront together but let’s begin here, let’s expand from here.
THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
wRap #7: FOR $500M, GOOGLE BUYS SATELLITE IMAGING FIRM
Google announces plans to buy the satellite group Skybox Imaging for $500 million, in a move to improve mapping and other services using geospatial data.
Skybox says the company’s goal is “to revolutionize access to information about the changes happening across the surface of the Earth.”
Google says the satellites will keep its maps accurate with up-to-date imagery.
wRap #8: FIFA’S WOES: AIRPORT STRIKE, MAFIA TAG
Ground staff at Rio de Janeiro’s three airports plan to stage a 24-hour partial strike Thursday, the day Brazil hosts the opening match of the World Cup.
The workers promise to maintain 80% service, but the strike raises fears of delays, as thousands of football fans arrive for the opening match.
In London, the Sunday Times reports millions of dollars in bribes were paid to help Qatar secure hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.
This prompts a former chairman of England’s Football Association to say football governing body FIFA acts like a “mafia family.”
He adds, FIFA has a “decades-long tradition of bribes, bungs and corruption.”
wRap #10: EURO TAXI DRIVERS STAGE STRIKE AGAINST UBER
Private rent-a-car apps like Uber stir unrest among traditional taxi drivers in Europe.
Taxi drivers brought parts of London, Paris, Berlin and other European cities to a standstill Wednesday, as they protested the new apps which shook the industry.
Old-time cab drivers say Uber operates without a license in the cities where they’re accessed, unlike traditional cab drivers who go through training and screening.
Uber says the drivers belong to the “Dark Ages.”
For the full top 10 visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’
– Rappler.com
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