Rappler Newscast | September 2, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• The House of Representatives junks all 3 impeachment complaints against President Aquino.
• The Budget Department slashes the Commission on Audit’s budget for new offices and equipment.
• It’s make or break for Gilas Pilipinas against Puerto Rico.

 

IMPEACHMENT RAPS VS AQUINO DEAD
The House committee on justice junks all 3 impeachment complaints against President Benigno Aquino.
The first two complaints revolve around the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP, while the third stems from the defense deal with the United States.
The committee votes 54-4 to declare all complaints as insufficient in substance.
Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate, and Gabriela Representatives Emmi de Jesus and Luz Ilagan account for the 4 dissenting votes. All 4 belong to left-leaning groups.
Colmenares calls on his fellow legislators to let Aquino defend himself saying it’s not the committee’s role to lawyer for him.
Administration ally Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas hits back saying
the committee is just “protecting the unnecessary dragging of an impeachable official.”

 

AQUINO WANTS FULL REPORT ON GOLAN STANDOFF
President Benigno Aquino wants to know exactly what happened in the Golan Heights even as he commended the Filipino troops for their bravery.
On Thursday, Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front took Fijian peacekeepers hostage and surrounded encampments of Filipino peacekeepers.
The rebels demanded they surrender their firearms, but the Philippine troops refused.
That triggered a standoff, a 7-hour firefight and their eventual escape.
Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said the report will “guide future policy” and provide a “clearer perspective”…
on whether the command of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force or UNDOF put the Filipino troops in danger.
Coloma says the Philippines will “fulfill its commitment” to UNDOF, which means the Filipinos will complete their tour of duty. No decision has been made on future deployments.
In a related development, Fiji reveals the demands made by the Syrian rebels for the release of the hostages.
The Al-Nusra Front wants its organization removed from the United Nation’s list of terrorist organizations.
It also wants humanitarian aid sent to a small town outside Damascus which is an Al-Nusra stronghold.

 

COA DECRIES MASSIVE BUDGET CUT FOR 2015
From P838 million to a little over P400,000, the Budget Department or DBM slashes the 2015 capital outlay budget for the Commission on Audit.
In its proposed budget, COA asked for P838 million to construct satellite offices, build a database, and fund other projects crucial to the agency’s independence.
COA chair Grace Pulido Tan on Monday denounced her agency’s massive budget cut.
The lack of COA offices in provinces forces auditors to work in the government agencies they are auditing.
Tan says the set-up “erodes the COA’s independence.”
The Budget Department submitted a total budget of P8.16 billion for COA — 3.14% or P264.2 million lower than its 2014 budget.
A huge percentage of the budget will go to personnel services at P7.8 billion.
The state auditors released a special report in 2013 tagging 192 lawmakers in the misuse of about P6 billion worth of public funds.

 

BINAY CAMP ON ‘OVERPRICING’: WHY RELY ON POP-UP EXPERTS?
The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay hits Senator Antonio Trillanes for saying Makati City Hall 2 is “not world class.”
Binay’s men also called the construction experts Trillanes brought with him guesswork or pop-up experts.
Trillanes, Senator Koko Pimentel and construction experts inspected the controversial building Monday.
Binay spokespersons Lito Anzures and Jonvic Remulla say a competent court will decide whether the new building and other Makati projects are overpriced.
Anzures says the comments of the experts were off-tangent and did not address the issue of overpricing.
Remulla hits the experts for coming up with a conclusion without seeing the plans and blueprints.
The Senate is scheduled to hold another hearing on the allegedly overpriced building Thursday.
A plunder complaint was filed with the Ombudsman against Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, incumbent Makati Mayor Junjun Binay.
The older Binay was the sitting Makati mayor when the construction of the building started.
The Binay camp also questioned the need for a Senate probe because the complaint has already been filed before the Ombudsman.

 

COMELEC TO TRY TOUCHSCREEN VOTING IN 2016 POLLS
The Commission on Elections or Comelec will try touchscreen voting in the 2016 national elections.
This will be done using direct-recording electronic or DRE voting machines in select areas.
Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes says DRE machines would reduce lines in polling precincts.
Instead of shading ballots, voters will just press the images of their chosen candidates on the touchscreens.
The Comelec recommends the use of touchscreen machines in voting centers with a minimum of 20,000 registered voters.
But Brillantes says the DRE machines will not replace precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines.
With 80,000 precincts, Brillantes estimates the purchase of 800,000 DRE machines will cost a total of P55 billion.
On August 29, the Comelec en banc agreed to reuse PCOS machines, with DRE as secondary technology.

 

DAVAO POLICE CHIEF RELIEVED FROM POST
Davao City Police Office chief Vicente Danao is relieved from his post, weeks after his video circulated on social media.
The video shows him shouting and hitting his wife.
His wife took him to court — filing 4 counts of physical injuries and grave misconduct.
She has reportedly moved to the United States with their children.
Danao said it is a “private matter” and should be resolved by the family.
He added, it’s only normal for husbands and wives to fight.
Davao Councilor Leah Librado says relieving Danao is a “strong statement that no one is above the law.”
She says it also shows the city’s commitment to upholding the rights of women.
Still, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte calls the relief order an “exercise of hypocrisy.”
He says “Everybody knows that every couple on this planet will quarrel.”
Duterte wants Danao, his personal choice for the position, reinstated as police chief.

 

AMERICANS DETAINED IN N. KOREA APPEAL FOR HELP
Three US citizens held in North Korea plead for help in securing their release.
In an interview with CNN, American detainees Kenneth Bae, Jeffrey Fowle, and Matthew Miller say they’re treated well but still hope for their immediate release.
Bae says he’s been working 8 hours a day, 6 days a week at a labor camp but treated “as humanely as possible.”
Bae’s family fears he is being used as a bargaining chip by North Korea.
Robert King, the US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, tried to visit the North to secure Bae’s release twice,
but Pyongyang cancelled the visits at the last minute.
Bae, a tour operator, was arrested in November 2012, accused of being a militant Christian evangelist, and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor on charges of seeking to topple the regime.
Fowle was arrested in April after leaving a Bible in a hotel.
Miller was arrested also in April after he ripped up his visa at immigration and demanded asylum.
CNN reports all three men confirm signing statements admitting their guilt.

 

HONG KONG POLICE ARREST 22 PRO-DEMOCRACY PROTESTERS
Hong Kong police arrest at least 22 people for a series of protests targeting a senior Chinese official visiting the city.
Senior member of China’s parliament Li Fei is in Hong Kong to explain China’s controversial decision to dictate candidates for the city’s top post.
In response, pro-democracy activists embark on a new “era of civil disobedience”.
Protesters hounded Li’s visit and kept vigil outside the politician’s hotel.
In a statement, police say protesters “forcibly pushed the mills barriers, charged the police cordon line and dashed onto the carriageway.”
Officers made 19 arrests late Monday.
Eighteen of the protesters were arrested for “unlawful assembly.”
The other activist was arrested for obstructing a police officer.
Chinese authorities also demand Britain drop an inquiry into the progress of democratic reforms in Hong Kong, calling it a “highly inappropriate” interference in its affairs.

 

THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

 

KIEV WARNS OF ‘GREAT WAR’ WITH RUSSIA
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey on his Facebook page warns of “a great war… that Europe has not seen since World War II.”
This comes after Ukrainian forces surrendered an eastern airport to pro-Russian insurgents Monday.
Heletey vows to “immediately mount defenses against Russia, which is trying not only to secure positions
held by terrorists before but to advance on other territories of Ukraine.”

 

INDONESIA’S FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR JAILED
Indonesian official Ratu Atut Chosiyah, the country’s first woman governor goes to prison for 4 years for bribing a top judge over an election dispute.
She was arrested in 2013 for bribing former Constitutional Court justice Akil Mochtar to nullify a local election result.
Ratu’s family dominates wealthy Banten province on the main island of Java, controlling 5 of its 8 districts.
It is one of several local political dynasties that flourished since the 1998 downfall of dictator Suharto.

 

For the full top 10 visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’

 

APPLE, FBI INVESTIGATE MASSIVE CELEBRITY PHOTO HACK
Apple and the FBI probe the security of online data storage iCloud…
as hackers posted intimate pictures of dozens of celebrities across the Internet.
Anonymous online accounts boasted having nude images of female stars including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence and top model Kate Upton.
Reports suggest hackers ripped the private images from iCloud, making the breach potentially damaging to Apple.
Apple says “We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report.”
Representatives for Lawrence and Upton say they will file charges against anyone who posts the nude photos.
The scale of the breach became apparent Sunday when users of the 4chan message board began sharing the photos.

 

GILAS DETERMINED TO WIN NEXT TWO GAMES
After three consecutive losses, it’s make or break for Gilas Pilipinas at the 2014 FIBA World Cup Championships.
Rappler’s Rodneil Quiteles is in Sevilla, Spain and he files this report.

 

With two more games remaining…
Gilas Pilipinas needs to win both to stay in the running.
They say they put the heartbreaking loss to Argentina behind them…
and is focused on Puerto Rico.
Despite stand outs Renaldo Balkman and JJ Barea, Coach Chot Reyes says Gilas must be ready to stop everybody.

CHOT REYES, GILAS PILIPINAS COACH: What we’ve learned in this tournament is you can’t not prepare for anyone because you know, like last night, Mata just came out of nowhere and torched us so we just have to prepare and get ready to defend everyone because at this level.

 

Walang patapon e. (All the players are excellent.)

 

Everyone is really somebody you need to take care of.

 

Reigning PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo will be facing Balkman, a former PBA import and teammate.

 

Balkman was banned from the Philippine league after choking teammate Arwind Santos back in 2013.
Fajardo says that’s all in the past and they will be all business when they hit the court.

 

Naturalized center Andray Blatche says he could have done more to help the team.

 

ANDRAY BLATCHE, GILAS PILIPINAS CENTER: We have a plan of winning the next two games…
We have to win the next two games so we can advance.Tomorrow, there’s no holding back. Full throttle.

 

He is also aware of the adjustments he needs to make.

 

It’s tough.

 

I gotta do a better job at reading the defense and finding the open man.
He adds he’s knee is feeling better and can’t wait to get back on the court.

 

RODNEIL QUITELES, REPORTING: Gilas Pilipinas is more than ready. They are taking the tournament one game at a time and are determined to deliver a win for their legions of supporters. Despite three losses, the team’s battle cry remains the same.
Rodneil Quiteles, Rappler. Spain

 

– 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
	Marga Deona
MASTER EDITOR / PLAYBACK	Exxon Ruebe
	Emerald Hidalgo
	Jaene Zaplan
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / CAMERAMAN	Charlie Salazar
	Adrian Portugal
	Francis Lopez
	Naoki Mengua
GRAPHICS	Jessica Lazaro
	Raffy de Guzman