September 7, 2014 Edition

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the dismissal of and filing of graft charges against Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) chair Teresita Manzala after it found prima facie evidence that she conspired with a developer closely identified with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr to execute an alleged rigged contract. Carpio-Morales approved the recommendation and findings of the Ombudsman Field Investigation Office that Manzala and another former commissioner, Alfredo Po, are liable for graft when they entered into a sweetheart deal with New San Jose Builders Inc in 2012. The contract involved the planned transfer of the PRC office to the Victoria Towers Commercial Center in Quezon City owned by NSJBI. The company is owned and headed by businessman Jose “Jerry” Acuzar, brother-in-law of Ochoa.

Read the full story here.

Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine men’s national basketball team, finally earned a victory on the world stage when it defeated a determined Senegal team, 81-79, in overtime to close their FIBA World Cup campaign. It was the team’s first win in 40 years. Gilas captain Jimmy Alapag, who may have played his final game for the national team, scored 18 points, including 3 crucial late free throws that sealed the victory in overtime. “Congrats Gilas” topped the worldwide social media trend right after the game.

Read the full story here.
Relive the game through Rappler’s live blog, video highlights, and slideshow.

The Philippine military submitted to Malacañang a “blow by blow” account of how Filipino troops escaped Syrian rebels in Golan Heights by defying an order from UN Disengagement Observer Force commander Lieutenant General Iqbal Singha. They are standing by their story that Singha had ordered them to surrender their weapons to the rebels. Expressing support for Singha, the UN denied the Philippine military’s claim. Malacañang said the Philippines wants “to complete our tour of duty and wind down our UN commitment in the proper way,” despite what happened.

Read the stories here and here.

Amid strong economic growth and efforts to curb corruption, the Philippines leaped 7 notches in the 2014 Global Competitiveness Report released by the World Economic Forum this week. The Philippines placed 52nd out of 144 economies in the prestigious rankings, versus 59th in 2013. Since 2010, when the Aquino administration took office, the country has gained 33 places – the largest climb over the period among all countries studied. The WEF said, “The results suggest that the reforms of the past 4 years have bolstered the country’s economic fundamentals.” 

Read the full story here.

The death toll from the Ebola epidemic has climbed above 2,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, as it voiced hopes a vaccine could be available in November. Since December, the deadly virus has claimed 2,097 lives out of 3,944 people infected in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone ordered it citizens to stay in their homes in a nationwide 3-day shutdown starting September 19. The WHO said results from safety trials for two prototype vaccines should be known in November. 

Read the stories here and here.

Ukraine said a truce it signed with pro-Russian rebels was largely holding in the war-battered east, but fears remain it may ultimately fail. The 12-point pact signed on September 5 is the first backed by both Kiev and Moscow to end a conflict which triggered the most serious crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. But the separatists insist they will not give up their ambitions for an independent state in the industrial east, and weary local residents were doubtful the ceasefire would bring lasting peace to their devastated towns and cities.

Read the full story here.

Britain joined the United States on the front line against the Islamic State, after a British hostage’s life was threatened in a gruesome video. “A country like ours will not be cowed,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said, adding: “We will not waver in our aim of defeating terrorism.” In a video showing the severed head of 31-year-old Steven Sotloff, a masked militant warned that a British man, widely identified as David Cawthorne Haines, would be killed in response to US air strikes against militants in northern Iraq. The jihadists earlier beheaded a second American reporter, prompting US President Barack Obama to vow that the US would not be intimidated by the latest incident.

Read the full story here.

Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik submitted his resignation this week after anti-corruption officials named him a suspect in the latest graft case to embarrass the president’s fractured Democratic Party. Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had yet to respond to the resignation letter submitted by Jero. But Coordinating Minister for the Economy Chairul Tanjung said the president will likely appoint an interim officer to take over Jero’s duties, which will only last until the new government is inaugurated on October 20. Corruption Eradication Commission officials had named Jero a suspect based on evidence showing the minister was involved in extortion activities that generated about IDR9.9 billion ($840,000) in illicit funds.

Read the full story here.

Those behind the massive leak of naked celebrity photos that shocked the show business world could and should be prosecuted, including for child sex crimes, experts said. The online theft of the images – including pictures of Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence and also of at least one under-age victim – could also amount to harassment or a form of sexual assault. Dozens of photos of stars were posted online at the weekend, including Rihanna, Kate Upton and Kirsten Dunst. Tech giant Apple admitted there had been a “targeted attack,” but denied its cloud storage system had been breached.

Read the full story here.

On September 16, Rappler, Microsoft and the Global Center for Journalism and Democracy kick off the first of 4 all-day think-sessions about what technology and the future hold for us. The PH+SocialGood: Manila #2030NOW will be held at the Mind Museum from 8 am to 5 pm. This will be followed by a forum with journalists on September 17, also at the Mind Museum, where experts and practitioners take a closer look at how information travels during disasters, starting with journalism and the challenges of corruption, politics, economics and activism. On September 19, in Tacloban, the same lineup of international speakers travels to Tacloban for a journalism forum. It all culminates in PH+SocialGood 2014: Tacloban #2030NOW on September 20. 

Read the full story here.