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Dear Rappler reader,
It’s the first day of work after a long weekend. Late Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte reminisced about his debut on the world stage at the ASEAN, explaining he intentionally didn’t attend the ASEAN-US summit. Earlier, he let loose an equally cryptic and potentially thorny statement: the US Special Forces should get out of Mindanao. The president may get away with saying a lot of controversial things, but not so his people in the palace. Under fire for historical revisionism, Official Gazette manager Ramon Cualoping said he thought an online birthday card for dictator Ferdinand Marcos was politically neutral.
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President Rodrigo Duterte said he does not want US Special Forces in Mindanao. “Those special forces, they have to go.” He added, “I do not want a rift with America but they have to go. It will get more tense. If they see an American, they will really be killed.” The Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), a US contingent that included Special Forces to fight terrorism, was deactivated in February 2015. A small group of US soldiers stayed on in the Philippines to help in operations against the Abu Sayyaf. Duterte also revealed he intentionally didn’t attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-US Summit. “The reason is not I am anti-West, the reason is not I do not like the Americans. It is simply a matter of principle for me.” Duterte did not elaborate on the principles.
What really happened during the talk between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on death row convict Mary Jane Veloso? Jokowi said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told him “go ahead” if Mary Jane Veloso “were to be executed.” Allowing for the little nuances that may have been lost in translation, Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella clarified Duterte did not endorse Veloso’s execution. Abella quoted Duterte as telling Jokowi ‘follow your own laws.’ Duterte earlier said he would plead for Veloso’s life when he meets Jokowi, but also said he was ready to accept Indonesia’s decision.
Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping III, manager of the Official Gazette criticized for historical revisionism, said he was being “fair” and “agnostic” when he approved the birthday card about Marcos. The post was meant to be a tribute to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos on his 99th birthday but was widely criticized for being “pro-Marcos”. Cualoping also did not confirm if a former election campaigner for Senator Bongbong Marcos, Marco Angelo Cabrera, who now works for the Official Gazette, was responsible for the controversial Facebook post. Critics also scored Cabrera for “conflict of interest.” Cabrera countered saying he fully disclosed his past association to his bosses.
The amateur video showed US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wobbling to her car. Now her team acknowledges it failed to alert the public about Clinton’s condition during the weekend. The Democratic bet sought to quiet the health scare that rocked her campaign by releasing medical records after reports confirmed she had pneumonia. Her team added Hillary will return to the campaign trail soon. But the biggest surprise was her rival, Republican bet Donald Trump, who was unusually subdued as he said he too will release his medical records.
Britain’s former prime minister David Cameron resigned his seat in the House of Commons Monday – less than 3 months after losing an EU referendum which he initiated. Cameron stepped down as prime minister in June, hours after Britain’s dramatic vote to leave the European Union (EU), handing power to his successor Theresa May in July. His resignation from parliament is unusually quick – former prime ministers have typically retained their seats for a number of years after leaving office. Cameron said he looks forward to “building a life outside Westminster.”
Rappler’s Tech Editor Gelo Gonzales delved into Facebook’s not-so-minor problem with its trending topics that serve up hoaxes and incendiary, tabloid articles. He said part of the problem is Mark Zuckerberg’s resistance in acknowledging Facebook is a media company.
A 6-year-old boy from New York suffered burns when a Note7 went up in flames in his hand. Samsung shares plunged after the South Korean electronics giant announced a recall of its flagship gadget, the Galaxy Note 7, due to a spate of exploding batteries. Stepping up warnings over the weekend, Samsung told Note 7 users worldwide to immediately turn the device off. Airlines worldwide have since warned passengers against using the smartphones on flights or outrightly banned the devices on board.
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