August 28, 2014 Edition

Despite 3 impeachment cases against him, President Benigno Aquino III is unfazed and expressed confidence that “justice will prevail.” In an exclusive interview with Bombo Radyo aired on Thursday, August 28, Aquino said that it was “hard from something to be insufficient in form” in relation to the 3 impeachment complaints, which a congressional committee declared “sufficient in form” on August 26. The complainants charged that the President should be impeached for approving the Disbursement Acceleration Program and for the Philippines-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Read the full story on Rappler.

Vice President Jejomar Binay downplayed allegations leveled against him that he benefitted from an allegedly overpriced “parking building” beside the Makati City Hall in a press conference on Wednesday, August 27. Binay added that the city government even saved P200 million in expenses, spending only P2.2 billion ($50.36 million) instead of the estimated cost of P2.4 billion ($54.94 million). He also said that the phased construction of the building was a regular practice in Makati. Binay and his son, incumbent Makati Mayor Junjun Binay Jr are accused of approving a building that is said to be overpriced by almost P2 billion ($45.80 million). The building was constructed in 2007 and finished in 2013.

Read the full story on Rappler.

More than a month after announcing she has stage 4 lung cancer, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said she might still seek the presidency given enough public support. In a statement, Santiago said she was taking the cue from constitutionalist Father Joaquin Bernas SJ who said in an ANC interview on Tuesday, August 26 that President Benigno Aquino III should no longer seek a second term and “give Miriam naman a chance.” “I’m not going to be coy. Society leaders have urged me to seek the presidency. I can rise to the occasion, although I was following the other sign posts on the road to recovery,” Santiago said in her statement. She added that there are indicators that she is recovering from the cancer.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo asked the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to acquit her in the plunder case she’s facing, citing ‘good faith’ as her defense. Arroyo’s lawyers filed a 48-page demurrer to evidence on Wednesday, August 27 stating that she approved the utilization of P365.9 million in special charity funds in good faith. The funds were later found to be misused by the executives of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Arroyo was charged with plunder for allegedly repeatedly transferring proceeds from a special PCSO fund to a fictitious expenditures for personal gain. The former president is currently under hospital detention at the state-run Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

Read the full story on Rappler.

‘Climate change is no longer only an environmental issue.’ This is the new message of the World Health Organisation (WHO) ahead of a three-day conference that will look at the link between climate change an health issues. The UN agency said on Wednesday, August 27 that extreme weather and rising temperatures could claim hundreds of thousands of lives and spread disease. According to WHO figures, at current rates of change, an additional 250,000 lives could be lost per year between 2030 and 2050, with poor nations continuing to bear the brunt. “If we don’t act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions we’ll be living on a planet which is basically in many important respects unsuitable, in many locations, for health,” said Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, the head of the WHO’s climate change team. 

Read the full story on Rappler.

A 9-year-old girl being taught how to shoot a gun accidentally killed her shooting instructor in a shooting range outside Las Vegas on Monday, August 25. Instructor Charles Vacca, 39, was teaching the young girl how to shoot an Uzi submachine gun in fully automatic mode at the Last Stop gun range in Arizona. The girl was unable to control the recoil of the gun, accidentally shooting Vacca in the head who died in the hospital shortly after. A video of the event was captured by the girl’s parents. Authorities say the girl will not be charged for the death.

Read the full story on Rappler and on CNN.

Catholic bishops in the Philippines have issued general guidelines for all Catholics who wish to join in on the ALS ice bucket challenger craze, saying it was okay to participate for as long as donations do not go to embryonic stem cell research. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said on Wednesday, August 27 asked that Catholics who donate to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research state a condition that their money will not diverted to stem cell research, which the Church deems immoral.


Read the full story on Rappler.

Police have arrested a policeman and a businessman in connection with murder of champion racer Enzo Pastor on June 12. Arrested were businessman Domingo de Guzman and Police Officer 2 Edgar Angel. De Guzman allegedly hired Angel to assassinate Pastor. Police are looking at the possible involvement of Pastor’s wife, Dalia Guerrero Pastor, and have hinted that she and de Guzman had an affair in the past. Pastor and his assistant, Paolo Salazar, were driving a truck on the way to Clark in Pampanga when they were gunned down in Quezon City on June 12.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Veteran actress Nora Aunor received the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Gawad Plaridel Award on Wednesday, August 27 – a prestigious university award given to notable Filipino media practitioners. The actress, who began her career at a very young age and did not finish her schooling, said receiving the award made her feel like she graduated from UP. “It is different when it is UP that gives you the honor. As I said awhile ago, I only finished until Grade 2, but when I stood on the UP stage, I felt like I graduated from the university. I am very happy,” she told reporters. Another award, that of the National Artist for Film, still alludes Aunor.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Hello Kitty, the global pop-icon loved by girls of all ages, is actually not a cat but a little girl, according to her creators at Sanrio. What’s more, Kitty is not Japanese (where Sanrio is based) but is actually British and has a twin sister named Mimmy. While diehard fans probably knew this all along, these details and more are being made public ahead of a full-blown retrospective of Kitty art, merchandise and fashion in the US to celebrate 40 years of Kitty mania. The exhibit’s curator, Christine Yano, said she received stern direction from Sanrio to make it clear that Kitty was a girl and not a cat. Kitty actually has a pet cat, named Charmmy Kitty, proving you really learn something new everyday.

Read the full story in the LA Times.