Rappler Newscast | July 05, 2012

Today on Rappler.

• Zaldy Ampatuan becomes a defendant in the Maguindanao massacre case, after a decision by the Supreme Court.
• Philippine basketball player Don Allado retracts PBA game-fixing allegations.
• Peace Panel Chairman Marvic Leonen says he is cautiously optimistic a political settlement with the MILF will happen within the year.

Story 1: PH SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RULING ON MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE
It’s final, a prominent son of patriarch Andal Ampatuan Senior will not escape the charges against his father and brothers.
Former Maguindanao governor Ampatuan Senior, along with his son Unsay, are the main suspects in the Ampatuan massacre that killed 58 journalists and civilians.
Another son, former Autonomous Region Chairman Zaldy Ampatuan, is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a Court of Appeals ruling affirming a justice department decision including him in the case.
Zaldy claims he was in Manila when the massacre happened.
The department, now headed by Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, is ordering that Zaldy Ampatuan be reinstated in the murder case, arguing he was present during the planning of the massacre.
An April 2010 resolution of the DOJ under former secretary Alberto Agra, under then President Gloria Arroyo, absolved Zaldy from the massacre case.
The Maguindanao Massacre was meant to stop rival politician Esmael Mangudadatu from filing his candidacy.
Mangudadatu was running against Ampatuan Jr in the 2010 race for governor.

Story 2: PROSPECT FOR PEACE
Peace Panel Chairman Marvic Leonen says a final political settlement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front may not be far off.
Leonen says he hopes an agreement would be in place end of 2012.
The former dean of the UP College of Law says a key factor in negotiations is President Aquino.
MILF leaders are convinced Aquino is sincere.

MARIA RESSA: December last year it seemed like it was at another deadly impasse and then this year it switched dramatically. I know that  the President spoke with the head of the MILF as well and Chairman Murad. What’s changed now? Why are you in your words cautiously optimistic?
MARVIC LEONEN: Yes, first I think the meeting of the President with Murad August of last year this was almost a year ago…
RESSA: Yes
LEONEN: I think it solidified the impression of the MILF especially its leadership that the President is sincere. Sincere in the sense that he’s wanting an agreement this is not talk for the purposes of just keeping the talks going. They know that the President…will do what he promises and he will not promise something he will not do.
There has been no skirmish between the MILF and the Philippine government so far. Both sides agreed to leapfrog to the final part of the series which is to talk about the final political settlement. So starting last year the parties negotiated on the substantive points that will go into a final political settlement. And this is the…the MILF calls it the Bangsamoro question itself and the government accepts that frame, that we are going to solve the Bangsamoro question which will mean…
RESSA: Finally!
LEONEN: Finally hopefully. And well (unintelligible) agreement at the soonest possible time…

Story 3: AQUINO: NO REQUEST FOR US SPY PLANES
President Aquino denies reports the Philippines will ask the US to send spy planes to monitor disputed areas in the South China Sea.
He says the Philippines has not and will not yet request aerial surveillance.
But Aquino says “if the country lacks the capacity, the Philippines can approach the US to boost its situational awareness in the West Philippine Sea.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says the Philippines “should refrain from making provocative remarks” on the dispute.
Aquino says it’s not clear to him what provocative statements China’s referring to.
He adds, Lei should balance what he is saying with the truth.

Story 4: LP, NP & NPC ALLIANCE IN THE WORKS
President Aquino confirms his Liberal Party is creating an alliance with the Nacionalista Party and the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Aquino says the ruling party will likely end up working with NP headed by his rival in the 2010 polls, Senator Manny Villar.
The LP’s main adversary, Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, says it was also in talks with the NP and NPC.
NP has two candidates within the Magic 12 of the latest Pulse Asia senatorial survey:
Re-electionist Senator Alan Peter Cayetano who ranks 3-5 and former Las Piñas Rep Cynthia Villar at 11-21.
Another re-electionist who tops the survey is Senator Loren Legarda, who belongs to the NPC.
LP stalwart and Budget Secretary Butch Abad confirms the LP has been talking to both Senators Villar and Cayetano.
NP stalwart Cavite Representative Boying Remulla tells Rappler talks of an alliance between LP and NP are “looking good.”
But  Remulla notes bitter rivalries in the local level is a potential problem.
“It’s easy at the national level, what is problematic is the local level.”
There are areas where the NP and LP are bitter rivals, among them, Cavite and Taguig City.
LP’s candidate in Taguig City Dante Tiñga, filed an election protest against Mayor Laarni Cayetano, wife of Senator Cayetano.
In Imus, Cavite, LP candidate Emmanuel Maliksi and NP bet Homer Saquilayan clash in a series of acrimonious court battles for the mayor’s seat.

Story 5: ‘EUROGENERAL,’ WIFE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL
The Sandiganbayan allows retired National Police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz and his wife to travel to the US.
The couple is charged in the graft court for violating a Bangko Sentral circular.
The two were caught in Russia with undeclared cash amounting to 105 thousand euros — more than 5 million pesos — in 2008.
They are allowed to travel after posting travel bonds totaling 26,000 pesos for the former police official and 20,000 pesos for his wife.
Dela Paz also faces criminal charges for working in the Philippine National Police after the mandatory retirement age of 56.
The court says the prosecution raised no objections to the couple’s travel as long as conditions ensuring their return are met.
The Dela Paz couple will attend a wedding and an international conference.

Story 6: GOVERNMENT HELP SOUGHT FOR MISSING BATAAN LAWYER
Prominent Bataan lawyer Joe Frank Zuñiga is still missing.
The 54-year-old lawyer was last seen June 20 in Subic Freeport.
His car was found the next day in an isolated area in Zambales.
A witness claims he saw someone park the car and then board a white vehicle.
The family’s lawyer, Harry Roque, thinks the case is not a kidnapping for ransom.

HARRY ROQUE, LAWYER FOR ZUÑIGA FAMILY: I don’t think this is a kidnapping for ransom. I think this is an enforced disappearance which may be related to his work or it may be related to the fact that he is a church leader within the Methodist Church.

Zuñiga is the secretary of the Philippine Methodist Church, a breakaway group from the United Methodist Church.
He left the UMC after exposing alleged corruption in the organization.
Zuñiga’s family met with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima Wednesday.
De Lima promised to form a task force to search for the missing attorney.
The justice secretary says they will do their best to locate Zuñiga, but adds that there are currently no suspects.
Roque says this is the fourth case of a missing person this year.
He adds, the government must be vigilant in their response…
to enforced disappearances and cases of extra-legal killings.

ROQUE: The international community has already sent a very clear message that the Philippines needs to do a lot more in protecting and promoting in particular the right to life.

Story 7: ALLADO RETRACTS PBA GAME-FIXING ALLEGATIONS
A teary-eyed and apologetic Don Allado faces the media to take back his allegations that Philippine Basketball Association games are fixed.
PBA Commissioner Chito Salud holds a closed door meeting with Allado, his team’s headcoach, manager, and Allado’s father who is a PBA agent.
The Barako Bull center retracts the game-fixing statements he made on Twitter after a loss eliminating his team from the PBA Governor’s Cup.
He now says the PBA is the best league in Asia.

DON ALLADO: It was not my intention to bring the name of the PBA into all of this. My frustrations got the best of me. There is no game fixing in the PBA… there never was. The PBA, I consider, is my home. And I would never do anything to harm its name or its integrity. This is the best league in Asia.

Salud accepts Allado’s apology but slaps a 500-thousand peso fine and bans him from one conference.
The sanctions are final.

CHITO SALUD: I am happy to note that Don Allado has issued an apology. And I think that is a virtue… admission of fault where there is clearly fault is a virtue that everyone should nourish and nurture. While I laud his passion for the game, this kind of behavior cannot be tolerated.

Story 8: NBA: 2-TIME MVP STEVE NASH JOINS KOBE, LAKERS
2-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash joins forces with Kobe Bryant in the Los Angeles Lakers.
ESPN reports a 3-year, $25 million sign-and-trade deal will send the 38-year-old point guard from the Phoenix Suns to the L.A. Lakers.
In an earlier deal, 3-time All Star Deron Williams agrees to a 5-year, $98 million contract to stay with the Brooklyn Nets.
Williams announced his decision on Twitter with a link to the Nets’ logo.
The top 2 point guards in free agency are now off the market.
Contracts will officially be signed on July 11 when the league-wide moratorium for deals is lifted.

Story 9: HK LAWMAKERS TO OUST NEW LEADER
Hong Kong lawmakers seek to oust their new leader less than a week after he took office in the middle of the biggest demonstrations in the city in nearly a decade.
Around 400,000 people protested Sunday against new chief executive Leung Chun-ying.
Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho says he filed two legal cases with the High Court.
Leung allegedly made false statements during the election campaign.
He earlier said his house had no illegal improvement works — a controversial issue in Hong Kong.
But local media discovered his home in an upscale neighborhood has 6 illegal structures.
Leung apologized and quickly demolished them.
Ho claims Leung engaged in “illegal conduct” by making a “false and misleading statement.”
He asks the court to decide whether Leung was duly elected.

Story 10: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

At number 1, Standard & Poor upgrades its credit rating for the Philippines, bringing it one notch below investment grade – the highest in 9 years.
Its reason: an improving fiscal position and debt level. The government says this is the 8th positive ratings action under the Aquino administration.

At number 4 – Was Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat killed by Israel?
Many in the Arab world say Israel saw Arafat as an obstacle to peace between the two countries after decades of fighting. Israel denies this.
Arafat died in 2004 at a military hospital outside Paris.
His widow, who fears he was poisoned, requested an autopsy after a Swiss lab found a lethal radioactive isotope on Arafat’s belongings.

At number 5, an HIV home test will soon be out on the market.
The US Food and Drug Administration approves the OraQuick test, which uses a mouth swab and gives results in 20 to 40 minutes.
AIDS researchers call this a positive step forward in controlling the 30 year old epidemic.  

At number 6, a smaller, cheaper iPad may be in the works.
Apple’s component suppliers in Asia are preparing for mass production in September of what some are calling the ‘iPad mini.’
The tablet market has expanded with Amazon’s Kindle and Google’s Nexus 7, both cheaper than the $500 iPad.
Apple’s new tablet is expected to have a screen smaller than 8 inches compared to the iPad’s 9.7 inches.

And at number 7, are Filipinos writing anonymously for a journalism outsourcing company in the US? Apparently so.
Journatic, a local news content provider has offshore staff in the Philippines.
The company admits submitting fake bylines to some of its clients.
Editors of the Chicago Sun-Times and GateHouse Media say they would no longer use Journatic.
For the full top 10 visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’

Story 11: MAYAN APOCALYPSE DATE NOT ‘END OF DAYS’
For a long time, people thought December 21, 2012 meant the ‘end of days’ on the Mayan calendar.
But archaeologists now say the date is actually a reference to a politically unstable period in Mayan history.
Researchers discovered a 1,300 year old text with a reference to the 2012 date in Guatemala.
It is known as Hieroglyphic Stairway 2.
Archeologists say the text talks about La Corona’s ancient political history rather than prophecy.
Researchers say the ancient Mayans used the calendar to promote continuity and stability rather than to predict apocalypse.

– Rappler.com