Rappler Newscast | May 31, 2012

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona will NOT appeal his removal from office to the Supreme Court. | Defense lawyer Dennis Manalo says the decision to put the Omubdusman on the stand was made by Corona himself. | A court watchdog group says the impeachment of Renato Corona and Merceditas Gutierez, both vetted by the Judicial and Bar Council shows the weakness of the selection process.

Today on Rappler

  • Ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona will NOT appeal his removal from office to the Supreme Court.

MANALO: that decision was made by the Chief himself. That was a call that he made. He wanted us to call the Ombudsman and reveal what her basis is for saying that he has $12M– $10M in the letter.

  • Defense lawyer Dennis Manalo says the decision to put the Omubdusman on the stand was made by Corona himself.

VINCENT LAZATIN: It’s very difficult to make individual JBC members accountable for the decisions they were making 

  • And, a court watchdog group says the impeachment of Renato Corona and Merceditas Gutierez, both vetted by the Judicial and Bar Council shows the weakness of the selection process.

Story 1: CORONA WON’T APPEAL

Former Chief Justice Renato Corona will no longer appeal the impeachment verdict before the Supreme Court. Defense spokesperson Tranquil Salvador III says,”Corona believes this is a closed chapter of his life. He will be moving forward.” Defense counsels told media they need to find grave abuse of discretion in the proceedings to be able to ask the High Tribunal to intervene. Lawyers had mixed feelings about appealing the decision, acknowledging the possible backlash they would receive. On Wednesday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile warns Corona against going to the Supreme Court to question the senators’ verdict.He says, “If they want a constitutional crisis in this country, they will have one.” Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano thanks the defense for accepting the verdict. He says,”Thanks for averting a constitutional crisis. I choose to believe they are doing this for the country.”

Story 2: DENNIS MANALO

Defense lawyer Dennis Manalo says he came out of the Corona Trial believing stronger than ever in the innocence of Renato Corona. Manalo also reveals, the decision to call the Ombudsman to the witness stand came from Corona himself. He notes, history may turn out to be kinder to Corona. 

MANALO: That decision was made by the Chief himself. That was a call that he made. He wanted us to call the Ombudsman and reveal what her basis is for saying that he has $12M– $10M in the letter.

RESSA: Question from (atjoanajuana), do you think everything would be different if Corona did not take the witness stand?

MANALO: Oh, I think we would not even get a single vote. I truly believe that the CJ is an innocent man and there is, really here as I’ve said, no evidence at all that the CJ accepted the bribe, stole money from the gov’t coffers. There’s just no evidence about it.

RESSA: When Corona walked out of the impeachment court, what was the immediate reaction of the defense?

MANALO: I don’t know about the de – I know about Justice Cuevas because JC yelled at me.

RESSA: Yelled at you?

MANALO: He yelled at me. Sabi niya, “Dennis, pabalikin mo dito yan, habulin mo”… I’m not kidding! I saw him, y’know, whenever JC turns his head from the podium, I always expect that he would be looking at me. The chief would not appeal this and his message to us then was that the decision rendered last Tuesday will actually be a matter for history to decide whether it is wrong or right. JUMPCUT when the so-called EDSA 2 happened… and look how people judge it now. 

Story 3: JBC

What do Renato Corona and Merceditas Gutierrez have in common besides being impeached and being allies of Former President Gloria Arroyo? Both got the unanimous vote of the Judicial and Bar Council, the body that screens and nominates candidates to the judiciary and to the Office of the Ombudsman. Both Corona and Gutierrez, in the view of the 8 member-council, met the criteria of probity, integrity and independence. Transparency and Accountability Network executive director Vincent Lazatin says the impeachment of these officials highlights problems in the selection process mainly the JBC’s lack of transparency, noting the members vote in secret. He also wants the candidate’s interviews televised.

VINCENT LAZATIN: One of the problems we encountered was that the way the JBC voted was kept secret for a very long time. And therefore it was very difficult to hold individual JBC members accountable for the kinds of decisions they were making.  

Story 4: OMBUDSMAN GRENADE THREAT

Authorities find a grenade near the residence of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales in Muntinlupa City. In an intelligence report Wednesday, the Muntinlupa police says an M26 hand grenade was found inside a container near the gate of Morales’ house. A security guard said he noticed an unidentified person in front of the house. The person immediately left when the guard approached him. That was when he found the container. Police increased security around Morales’ house. Morales says, “It’s part of the risk. If it’s your time, it’s your time. I am just doing a job.”

Story 5: WHY PEOPLE LIE

Why do people lie?

Using a “matrix task” to determine what factors cause people to cheat. Behavior Economics professor Dan Ariely of Duke University in the United States says the following factors DO NOT affect a person’s decision to lie the amount of money at stake or the possibility of being caught. Ariely notes “The decisions have little to do with cost-benefit analysis and everything to do with the balancing act that people are constantly performing in their heads.”

The study also reveals that “very few people steal to a maximum degree but many good people cheat just a little here and there.”  Ariely says these small forms of lying and cheating are more dangerous, since behavior can spread and can “grease the psychological skid to larger ones”.

What, then, can minimize dishonest behavior?

Having “moral reminders,” such as the physical presence of an honor code, the Bible, or the Ten Commandments in the room, can decrease dishonesty drastically. Ethics lectures and trainings seem to have little to no effect on people. Dan Ariely’s new book is coming out next week.  It’s title – “The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie To Everyone–Especially Ourselves.”

Story 6: AIRLINE REFUNDS & REBOOKING

Starting June 15, domestic airlines will face suspension fees if they bump off passengers from an overbooked flight and reject refunds and re-booking of tickets. The Civil Aeronautics Board amends its 40-year old regulation after overwhelming consumer complaints against local airlines on no-refunds and no-rebooking rules of low-cost tickets. Airlines who violate will be fined 5,000 pesos multiplied by the number of passengers bumped off or denied boarding. The previous fine was 150 pesos. Local airlines are contesting the new rules and threatening to increase fares.

Story 7: PH GROWTH

Defying the expections of market players, economists, funding institutions and even the government itself the Philippine economy posted a surprising 6.4% growth in the first 3 months of 2012. This better-than-expected performance is largely due to strong services and industry sectors. The government also cites the increase in tourist arrivals, healthy appetite for real estate units and retail behind the growth. Remittances reach US$4.8 billion which boost consumer spending.

Story 8: 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 6… 5,000 anti-Thaksin protesters march in Bangkok to denounce a bill they say may open the door for the ousted premier’s return to Thailand. The government of Thaksin’s sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra wants to grant sweeping amnesty in the name of reconciliation. Royalists pushed Thaksin out of power in 2006.

At number 7, A UN-backed war crimes court sentences Liberia’s former president Charles Taylor to 50 years in jail. He was convicted on April 26 on all 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for aiding and abetting Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front during the country’s 1991-2001 civil war.  In return, Taylor was paid in quote- blood diamonds- mined by slave labor in rebel-controlled areas.

At number 9, High-profile entrepreneurs and investors say mobile-focused Internet startups will shine… despite Facebook’s disappointing stock market performance. They say Internet companies today are different from those in the late 1990s. Leaders of career-oriented social network LinkedIn stress the success or failure of a startup’s IPO means little to the viability of an enterprise. LinkedIn’s stock price doubled since its initial public offering a year ago.

And at number 10, The Vatican’s official newspaper is printing a special supplement for women for the first time in its 150-year history. The 4-page color supplement, which will appear every last Thursday of the month, aims to promote better understanding of the -quote- under-appreciated treasure of women in the Church.

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

– Rappler.com


Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!