Daily News Highlights – January 17, 2016 Edition

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is seeking to inhibit Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon from the cases filed against him before the poll body. Duterte said Guanzon is a close friend of Maria Sheila Bazar, the lawyer of a college student who filed a petition to stop the Davao City mayor’s presidential bid.

Here is more on Duterte’s motion and Guanzon’s response to Rappler.

Presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe wants to allocate 30% of the national budget for the development of the southern Philippines. Poe said residents of Mindanao “deserve the same support and attention that people in Metro Manila or Luzon are getting, if not even more.”

Read the full story on Poe’s statement here.

Final data from the Comelec show there are 1,376,067 overseas Filipino voters registered worldwide for the 2016 polls. The challenge now for the poll body is to increase the turnout for overseas absentee voting. In the 2013 polls, the turnout was only 16.11%.

Get more details about the absentee voting here, including which overseas posts will adopt automated voting.

Satellite imagery shows ecocide, or destruction of the natural environment, in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). It’s been discovered that the poaching of giant clam shells in the disputed waters is causing the massive scarring of coral reefs. Giant clams are endangered species as well.

Take a look at the satellite images and other findings here.

Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president, sent a warning to China after her landslide victory in the elections. Tsai said Chinese “suppression” would damage ties with the mainland, adding that “our democratic system, national identity, and international space must be respected.”

Find out what else Tsai said in her first remarks to media after winning the polls.

Jihadists attacked the 4-star Splendid hotel in Burkina Faso and the nearby Cappuccino restaurant, leaving 29 people dead and 30 others wounded. Six of the fatalities were from Canada, two from France, and two from Switzerland. Burkina Faso has declared 3 days of national mourning, but said its people would “always emerge victorious” in the face of terror.

Read the full story on the jihadist attack here.

Sanctions on Iran have been lifted following the implementation of last July’s historic nuclear deal with major powers. ‘Implementation Day’ came after the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said its “inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures” agreed under the deal.

Here is the latest on the nuclear agreement.

Filipino fighter Jenel Lausa captured the vacant PXC flyweight title at PXC 51 after defeating fellow Filipino Crisanto Pitpitunge. Two judges scored in favor of Lausa, 48-47, while the other cageside official scored 48-47 for Pitpitunge.

Get more details about the high-octane showdown between Lausa and Pitpitunge here.

The San Miguel Beermen will defend their PBA Philippine Cup title against the Alaska Aces. This will be the third time in the last 4 conferences that San Miguel and Alaska will face off in the finals, with the Beermen beating the Aces in the past two meetings. Game 1 of the best-of-7 series tips offJanuary 17 at 5 pm.

Rappler sports reporters answer the questions surrounding the rematch here.

Bookmark our live blog for Game 1.

In a Facebook post, former Forevermore talent Alvin Campomanes responded to Cathy Garcia-Molina’s first TV interview about her alleged behavior on the set of the show. Among other things, Alvin said Cathy merely wanted to get the people’s sympathy by saying that she fears for her and her family’s safety.

Read the full story on Alvin and Cathy’s latest statements here.