July 17, 2013 Edition

Despite opposition from Beijing, the designated arbitral tribunal has begun to hear the Philippines’ unprecedented case against China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) jointly made this announcement Tuesday, July 16, days after another heated exchange between the Philippines and China. A day after the Philippines issued an 8-point statement to belie China’s “baseless” claim, China hit back at the Philippines for supposedly changing its “attitude and approach” toward their territorial dispute. In a statement Tuesday, July 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying blasted the Philippines for pushing for international arbitration to settle their West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute.


Read the full story on Rappler.

Read about China’s reaction to the Philippines’ claims on Rappler.

P40 million–that’s how much most Philippine Senators receive annually. In a keynote address before accountants, Sen Miriam Defensor Santiago itemized the average Senator’s income during a keynote speech before accountants, after calling on the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants to hold public officials accountable for their spending. The speech comes in the wake of an alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam involving opposition Senators, as well as members of the House of Representatives. Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile—one of 4 Senators linked to the scam—denied the whistleblower’s accusations and criticized media reports for being “obviously selective and incomplete.” The Palace, meanwhile, said it would leave the matter to the National Bureau of Investigation.

Read Sen Miriam Defensor Santiago’s keynote address in full on Rappler.

You can also read more about the alleged pork barrel scam here.

Edward Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia, according to a pro-Kremlin lawyer. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said Snowden would leave Russia “as soon as he can” but also accused the US of “trapping” the intelligence leaker in Russia. Snowden is spending his fourth week in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. In a closed-door meeting, Snowden said he plans on finding a way to travel legally to Latin America  after filling for asylum in Russia.

Russian activist Svetlana Gannushkina tells AFP bids for political asylums in Russia are considered by the president but are “granted very rarely.” Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said Snowden would leave Russia “as soon as he can” but also accused the US of “trapping” the intelligence leaker in Russia.

Read more about Snowden’s latest move on Rappler.

A group of 83 passengers aboard an Asiana Airlines flight which crash-landed in San Francisco has filed a lawsuit seeking millions from the aircraft’s manufacturer Boeing, their lawyers said Tuesday, July 16. While a final determination of what caused the deadly crash of the Boeing 777 is years away, Chicago-based Ribbeck Law said initial reports indicate it could have been caused by a mechanical malfunction of the auto-throttle. The Asiana jet from Shanghai via Seoul clipped a sea wall with its tail as it came in to land at the US airport on July 6 and skidded out of control before catching fire, leaving three dead and more than 180 injured.

Read the full story on Rappler.

North and South Korea will hold fresh talks Wednesday, July 17, on reopening their joint industrial zone as hopes of an early agreement fade following months of friction. A fourth round of talks over the complex, a rare symbol of cooperation between the two rivals, will be held just across the border in the North and follow three failed attempts this month which all ended in deadlock. At a meeting earlier this month, the two sides agreed in principle to reopen the estate, where 53,000 North Koreans worked in 123 South-owned factories producing textiles or light industrial goods. But little progress has been made since then amid squabbles over which side will take responsibility for the suspension, and Pyongyang’s refusal to accept Seoul’s demand for firm safeguards against another unilateral shutdown.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Cuba on Tuesday, July 16, claimed as its own the arms found on board a North Korean ship that Panama impounded, saying the missile system parts were to be repaired and returned. In a statement read on state television, Havana said the “obsolete” weaponry included anti-aircraft missile arrays, nine disassembled missiles and other parts, without mentioning where they were being sent.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Japanese tycoon Kazuo Okada’s planned US$2-billion casino-entertainment project will be pushing through as planned, despite questions on whether it violates the country’s anti-dummy law. Universal Entertainment Corp, which is owned by Okada, announced July 16 that the Manila Bay Resorts project will open in 2015. The day before, the Justice department recommended the filing of charges against Okada, 24 individuals, and 10 corporations after it found Universal Entertainment was funding and managing 3 “dummy” companies that purchased the Manila Bay Resorts land.

Universal Entertainment emphasized that it followed Philippine law when it first decided to invest in 2008. Changes in the interpretation of foreign ownership, however, prompted the company to seek Filipino partners. The Philippine Constitution dictates that foreigners are not allowed to own over 40% of a land or a company that owns the land.

Read more on Rappler.

Filmmaker Carlo Caparas, architect “Bobby” Mañosa, Cecille Guidote-Alvarez, and fashion designer “Pitoy” Moreno are no longer Philippine National Artists after the Supreme Court invalidated and “set aside” a July 2009 proclamation signed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. A month later in August 2009, petitioners argued that the award was illegal because the 4 were not part of the shortlist submitted by the National Commission on Culture and Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Arroyo then altered the shortlist to accommodate the 4, petitioners insisted.

Read the full story on Rappler.

How good at you at managing your finances? According to the latest MasterCard Index of Financial Literacy, the Philippines ranks 8th among 16 Asia-Pacific countries. The index measures “whether and how people in the Asia/Pacific region are making informed decisions about their home finances,” according to MasterCard.

Read the rest of the results on Rappler.

Cory Monteith, the Canadian star of the hit TV musical series “Glee”, died of an apparent overdose of heroin and alcohol, the British Columbia coroner’s office said Tuesday, July 16. The 31-year-old Monteith, who had struggled in the past with substance abuse and checked into a rehab facility in April, was found dead Saturday in his Vancouver hotel room. “The cause of death was a mixed drug toxicity and it involved heroin, primarily, and also alcohol.” McLintock said the coroner’s investigation was continuing, and that no further statements would be made until it was completed. Police said they believed Monteith had been alone when he took the heroin and when he died.

Read the full story on Rappler.