Daily News Highlights – September 23, 2015 Edition

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll shows administration presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II catching up with survey leaders Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay in an apparent three-way statistical tie. Although Poe and Binay lead with a respective 26% and 24% of respondents picking them. Roxas’ 20% coupled with a 3-percentage point margin of error means that Roxas is within spitting distance to Binay and Poe, with their numbers criss-crossing at 23%. The SWS survey, which interviewed 1,200 respondents, was conducted a month after President Benigno Aquino III endorsed Roxas but before Poe officially announced her presidential bid on September 16.  

Read the full story on Rappler.

Four people, including 3 foreigners and 1 Filipina, were abducted in a resort in Samal Island in Davao del Norte late Monday night, September 21. The foreigners were identified as a Norwegian resort executive and two Canadians. The Filipina woman, identified only as “Tess”, was the girlfriend of the Norwegian. Police say 11 armed men stormed the Holiday Oceanview Resort near midnight on Monday and took the 4 with them. The men also tried to abduct a Japanese couple but failed after the couple fought off the attackers. The military and police began operations Tuesday morning to locate the kidnap victims. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions. 

Read the full story on Rappler.

President Benigno Aquino III said on Tuesday, September 22, that the public should be left to judge presidential candidate Grace Poe and the citizenship row she currently faces. “One would hope that Senator Grace gets the opportunity to be judged by the people to secure the mandate. Vox populi, vox dei (The voice of the people is the voice of God),” Aquino said. Senator Poe, in a text message to Rappler, said she was “touched” that Aquino sympathizes with her position. The senator faces a legal challenge on her citizenship and qualifications to run for president. On Monday, September 21, Senate Electoral Tribunal chairman and Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio said Poe is a “naturalized” citizen, citing international covenants.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Tuesday’s printed edition of the New York Times in Thailand did not hit the newsstands there after the Thailand printers of the international newspaper refused to print it over a sensitive front page article on the Thai King. The article in question looks into the ailing health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, and concerns over who will succeed him. The printers said the article was “too sensitive” to print in Thailand, where strict lese majeste laws restrict the public and media from defaming or slandering the royal family. The article and the full newspaper were made available online. 

Read the full story on Rappler.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday, September 22, filed criminal complaints against 90 individuals over the bloody January 25 clash between Special Action Force (SAF) officers and armed groups in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Included in the complaint were 26 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), 12 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and 52 others from private armed groups. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said it took time for investigators to gather evidence and validate statements by witnesses. The complaint covers only the attack against 35 members of the SAF’s Special Action Company (SAC) and does not include the death of 9 commandos from the 85th Seaborne Company due to lack of witnesses. 

Read the full story on Rappler.

Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old from Texas who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, will no longer go back to the school that got him famous. Mohamed’s father, Elhassan Mohamed, said he is pulling all three of his kids from the Irving Independent School District because they wouldn’t “be happy” there. Ahmed Mohamed gained global fame after he was arrested by police for bringing a homemade clock to show to his teacher. A school official mistook the clock for a bomb and alerted police who later arrested him for bringing a hoax bomb to school. They insist his ethnicity was not a reason for the arrest.

 Read the full story on Rappler.

Two words written on an artist’s sketch of a suspected bomber has put the National Bureau of Investigation in hot water. The sketch of the suspect involved in a bombing in Zamboanga City had the usual details like eye color, height, and build; but also contained the words “Muslim type”, implying the suspect could be Muslim. Netizens were quick to air their objections against the NBI for their racial and religious profiling policies. They also rallied online against generalizing all Muslims as terrorists or trouble makers. People posted their profile photos with the caption “I am a ‘Muslim type’ and I am not a bomber.” 

Read what people were saying on social media on Rappler.

Pope Francis began his historic visit to the United States on Tuesday afternoon (early Wednesday morning in the Philippines), September 22. He embarks on a six-day visit that will highlight his love for the poor and tackle significant political, social and economic issues involving the United States and her allies. The Pope was welcomed at the tarmac by US President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and their two daughters, along with Vice President Joe Biden and his family. Obama will formally welcome the pontiff at the White House on Wednesday. On Thursday, he will address both houses of Congress – the first-ever for a pontiff – and then head to New York where he will host a religious service at the ground zero site of the September 11 attacks. He will also address the United Nations. Security for the Pope’s visit remains tight and is one of the biggest mobilizations in US history, according to CNN.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Mounting investigations by US and other foreign authorities are undermining Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s attempts to quash corruption allegations. Najib, leader of the powerful United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, has used the blunt force of his government to stymie Malaysian probes into hundreds of dollars in mysterious overseas fund movements. The US Justice Department recently announced it would launch a probe focusing on US properties bought with money linked to Najib and his family. Switzerland, Britain, Singapore, and Hong Kong are also looking into the alleged illicit money. Both Najib and the government-owned company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), whose advisory board he chairs, deny that the firm’s funds were diverted to his accounts.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A US Department of Defense (DOD) official has told Foreign Policy that the US government is “seriously studying” the option of sailing inside disputed waters of the South China Sea (SCS) claimed by China. The US has long tried to keep its distance over territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, and Malaysia. It has called on China to stop reclamation of land in islands it occupies and to respect the freedom of navigation in the SCS. The shift in thinking highlights a growing concern within the US military and government that China’s military expansion could remain unchecked if the US does not flex its muscle in the Pacific. US President Barack Obama has repeatedly said the US wishes to remain a “Pacific power”.  

Read the full story on Foreign Policy.