Rappler Newscast | June 7, 2012

Today on Rappler.

• Three familiar names are nominated to replace ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.
• Senator Koko Pimentel tells election coalition UNA drop Zubiri or lose me.
• And, Senator Pia Cayetano says the bottom line on the RH bill debate is Filipinos with a different view are entitled to the full exercise of their civil rights.

Story 1: ASPIRANTS TO CJ
Three familiar names outside the Supreme Court are nominated to replace ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.
JBC member Jose Mejia says Solicitor-General Francis Jardeleza, lawyer Katrina Legarda and former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar Villanueva are nominated to the post vacated by Corona on May 29.
Jardeleza applied for a seat in the Supreme Court in 2011 while Legarda and Villanueva were nominated to the high court in 2010 and 2008, respectively.
The JBC opened the applications and nominations for the Chief Justice post Wednesday.
It will only accept candidates until June 18.
A short list of names will go to President Aquino, who will select the next chief justice.
Earlier, the names of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares were floated as possible nominees.
Automatically nominated are the five most senior justices of the SC: Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Diosdado Peralta and Presbitero Velasco Jr.
In 2010, Legarda was nominated by then University of the Philippines Law Dean Marvic Leonen as associate justice.
In a previous interview with the JBC, Legarda, who specializes in family law said she deserved to be a member of the high court because she thinks “out of the box.”
A former deputy ombudsman for Luzon, Jardeleza told the JBC he was right for the post because he’s “independent” and lives “a very simple life.”
Before joining the government, Jardeleza was corporate laywer for San Miguel Corp. which is partly owned by the President’s uncle, Danding Cojuangco Jr. Prior to that, he was a partner at law firm ACCRA and another law firm.
The third nominee, Villanueva, is the former dean of the Ateneo Law School in Makati.
He is a certified public accountant with an academic background in commercial law.
Read Jardeleza and Villanueva’s profiles on Rappler.com.

Story 2: PIMENTEL WILL BOLT UNA?
Sen Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III would rather lose than run alongside -quote- “an election cheat.”
Pimentel says he is willing to leave Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance or UNA if the party includes resigned senator Juan Miguel Zubiri in its senatorial slate for 2013.
In his letter to his godfather, former President Joseph Estrada, which he released to the media. Pimentel says “I realize I need UNA’s help in order to win as senator in 2013.
But if UNA requires me to run with an electoral cheat, then I am prepared to lose.”
Pimentel adds – quote- “Zubiri tremendously enjoyed the benefits of a stolen office.”
Zubiri is a new member of Estrada’s party, the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino or PMP.
Pimentel is running for re-election in 2013.
He is the president of Binay’s PDP-Laban, another coalition partner under UNA. Pimentel’s objection stems from the 2007 electoral protest he filed against Zubiri.
Zubiri was proclaimed winner in 2007, but quit the Senate in August 2011 shortly before the Senate Electoral Tribunal ruled in favor of Pimentel.
Estrada tells a TV station Thursday, he will not drop Zubiri maintaining the resigned senator was not involved in the cheating in 2007.
Erap says Zubiri might have benefitted from the cheating of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but he had no knowledge of their plan.

Story 3: PIA CAYETANO ON RH BILL
Senator Pia Cayetano says she is eager for the RH bill to move forward, after the interpolation stage ended Tuesday in the Senate.
The senator tells Rappler about the fight to pass a groundbreaking piece of legislation bitterly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church.
CAYETANO: So I have to explain these things over and over again because a couple of my colleagues are against the fact that the state must pay for contraceptives. They feel that the people must pay for it. And they feel that if people understand what contraceptives can do for them in terms of family planning, then they should make that own responsible decision. So you’re telling me that this mother will set aside P3.00 for a condom? She won’t! She’ll feed her child.
While we are at this level of poverty wherein we still have a few million of people living at that level, they cannot pay for their own contraceptives. Unfortunately.
RESSA: And how do you answer the Church’s main points?
CAYETANO: Oh my answer has always been very consistent. Number one, we have the principle of separation of Church and State in our constitution.
That means that we recognize that even one Filipino who has a different view is entitled to the full exercise of his civil rights because he has views and beliefs that are different from another Filipino. And that means I cannot deprive all of you just because in one church, you don’t believe in it.

Story 4: WHO SHELVED THE RH BILL?
The sin tax bill passes Congress, but what happened to the RH bill?
Carmela Fonbuena tells us about the bills’ ever-constant detractors and erratic supporters.

Story 5: PNOY AT DOWNING ST / BBC
President Benigno Aquino III and British Prime Minister David Cameron agree to strengthen cooperation on the Mindanao peace process and the Philippines’ Public-Private Partnership Program or PPP.
Aquino and his Cabinet met with Cameron in 10 Downing Street Wednesday to discuss a host of issues ranging from politics, economy to cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Aquino invites Cameron to be the first incumbent British leader to visit the Philippines.
The two leaders also agree to hold the 3rd round of high-level talks between the UK and the Philippines in London this year.
President Aquino also grants an interview to state-owned media BBC.
Speaking to a global audience, Aquino explaines the two sides of political dynasties in the Philippines.
The interviewer asks Aquino, the son of 2 political icons, if Southeast Asia should aim for meritocracy rather than hereditary power?Aquino says families in politics usually tend to preserve their good name but adds he draws the line where there is a conscious attempt to have a monopoly of economic power. Aquino arrived in the US this morning for the second leg of his official trip.

Story 6: SIN TAX
Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima says Congress passing the sin tax bill is proof of the Aquino government’s political commitment to change. Purisima says it signifies the political will of this administration to institute needed reforms.
The bill will raise an additional 31 to 33 billion pesos in its first year of implementation, 85% of which will be allocated to universal healthcare.

Story 7: ABALOS VS MUPAS
Former Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos walks out of a Pasay court Thursday as he condems the decision of presiding judge Jesus Mupas on his co-accused Yogie Martirizar.
During the hearing on Abalos’ petition to post bail, Judge Mupas decides to hear Martirizar’s testimony both for the purposes of Abalos’ bail hearing and Martirizar’s own petition to be dropped from the case.
This angers Abalos.
He says under the circumstances, Martirizar’s testimony could not be used against her but only against him.
ABALOS: E kasi under the information sinasabi na siya ang nandaya, siya and nag-palsipika, nag-alter, hindi ba? So that would be the nature of her testimony kaya lang sasabihin niya, “Paano, utos ni Abalos.” So that testimony na ‘utos ni Abalos’ will be used against me assuming she is discharged as a witness, yung sinabi niyang ako ang nandaya, ako and nag-palsipika, ako and nag-alter, hindi pwedeng gamitin sa kanya

Story 8: GLOBAL STANDARD
A new Internet standard giving the global network more room to grow takes effect Wednesday – a move that users probably won’t notice.
Internet operators switch to a new standard called IPv6 that allows for trillions of “IP” numbers or addresses, up from the current 4.3 billion.
The move aims to ensure the Internet grows and connects more people and devices around the world.
Participants in include the four most visited websites in the world — Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Yahoo! says Internet Society.
Home Internet users will need to switch devices to be compatible with the new system but the full transition will take several years.
Old IPv4 devices and networks should continue to function as before.

Story 9: THE wRap
Let’s now look at Rappler’s “wRap” for today…
a list of the ten most important events around the world you shouldn’t miss.

At number 2, opposition activists report 100 were killed by Syrian pro-government forces in Hama.
This comes two weeks after the Houla massacre that killed more than 100 people.
The opposition says forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are behind the massacre.

At number 4, The United Nations says more than 600 child soldiers and sex slaves were abducted by Joseph Kony’s Lord Resistance Army over the past 2 years.
THE UN says most of them have children born of rape and have AIDS and other illnesses when they escape or are released.
Kony, who launched his rebellion in Uganda two decades ago, is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

At number 6, US Food and Drug Administration approves a new drug, Erivedge, that can fight two rare types of skin cancer.
Studies show the drug retards the growth of new tumors but also produces side effects such as loss of taste, hair loss and muscle cramps.

At number 9, Twitter unveils a new Twitterbird, Wednesday.
Twitters says -quote- starting today you’ll begin to notice a simplified Twitter bird.
A spokesman says the new trademark symbol -quote- grows out of love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry.

And at number 10, Social network LinkedIn says more than 6.4 million member accounts were breached and passwords reportedly stolen.
In a blog post, LinkedIn director Vincent Silveria says -quote- “We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts.”
He says passwords on compromised accounts are no longer valid.
For the full top 10, visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’

Story 10: OKC Thunder advances to the NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder reaches the NBA Finals with a 107 to 99 come-from-behind victory. Down 15 points at halftime, the Thunder rally behind young stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to stun the Spurs. 3-time scoring champion Durant leads his team with 34 points and 14 rebounds. The Oklahoma City Thunder was down 0-2 early in the 7-game series but got their act together to win 4 straight games over a 7-day period to capture the Western Conference title.

We leave you with images from the Rappler documentary: The Gospel of Manny Pacquiao by Patricia Evangelista.

– Rappler.com