September 9, 2014 Edition

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr and Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II filed House Resolution No. 1462 which creates a supercommittee that will be responsible for deliberations on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, a priority measure of the Aquino administration. The ad hoc committee is expected to be led by Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez. The proposed law will create an autonomous region in Mindanao as it provides a legal framework for a final peace agreement between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The new accord hopes to end 4 decades of armed struggle in Mindanao.

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Armor vests intended for troops deployed to the combat zone in Zamboanga in September 2013 remain locked in a warehouse inside Camp Aguinaldo because of defects. A Serbian company UM-Merkata was supposed to deliver 3,480 units of armor vests worth P120 million ($2.7 million) but it failed to deliver on time. The delivery finally came in January 2014 but tests showed they were not thick enough to prevent internal injuries that could be fatal. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has ordered the termination of the contract with UM-Merkata but the Serbian company is appealing it.

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Instead of spending badly needed funds on post-Yolanda relief and rehabilitation, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) used them for operations or kept them in banks. According to the Commission on Audit, “petroleum, oil and lubricants” accounted for 98% of OCD’s Yolanda-related operations. Local and foreign cash donations have not been used by the NDRRMC either, but have “remained intact with the depository bank,” COA reported.

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Flag carrier Philippine Airlines will return to its previous owner, tobacco billionaire Lucio Tan, after San Miguel Corporation reportedly agreed to sell its 49% share in PAL Holdings for $1 billion. San Miguel reportedly gave Tan a week from the signing of an agreement of intent to raise the money. The taipan owns 51% of PAL and sold 49% of PAL Holdings in April 2012 for $500 million. The expected change in ownership comes as PAL reported last August it was back in the black.

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A new big-screen iPhone and possibly an “iWatch” are expected to be unveiled by Apple on Tuesday, September 9. The iWatch could shake up the world of wearable computing, adding to the line-up of Apple’s iPhones, iPads, iPods and Mac computers. Apple followers are expecting a bigger version of the iPhone 6, a “phablet” that combines features of smartphones and tablets. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said that wearable computing makes more sense on the wrist than in eyewear like Google Glass.

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For repeated violations of disclosure procedures, the Roberto Ongpin-led Alphaland Corporation will be delisted from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). The PSE ordered the delisting and barred Alphaland from “applying for relisting within a period of 5 years.” Alphaland officials – CEO Ongpin, president Mario Oreta and corporate secretary Rodolfo Ponferrada, were also disqualified from becoming “directors and/or executive officers in any company applying for listing with the exchange.” Company lawyers are said to be studying options, including filing a motion for reconsideration.

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Corruption charges were filed with the Ombudsman on Monday, September 8, against 53 persons allegedly involved in 4 anomalous irrigation projects worth over P66 million. Those charged included former National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Caraga regional managers Modesto Membreve and Dexter Patrocinio and current NIA Caraga regional manager Encarnacion Soriano. The 4 irrigation projects were said to be tainted with irregularities like rigged bidding, missed deadlines, and use of dummy contractors. The NIA officials have been accused of graft and corruption and violating the Government Procurement Reform Act.

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French Health Minister Marisol Touraine announced on Monday, September 8, that France had successfully carried out last August the second transplant of a new-generation artificial heart. The operation was done at a university hospital in the city of Nantes and went well. The artificial heart, powered by lithium batteries, uses soft “biomaterials” intended to lessen the risk of blood clots and rejection by the body’s immune system.

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13-month-old Prince George has a new sibling coming. Kensington Palace announced on Monday, September 8, that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant with her second child. Queen Elizabeth II was said to be “delighted” at the news. Kate was reported to be suffering from very acute morning sickness and is being treated at the couple’s London home in Kensington Palace.

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A related story is on the BBC.

Twitter has begun testing its “buy buttons” that will make shopping from mobiles devices. “convenient and easy,” group product manager Tarun Jain said in an online post. Its test was limited to a small group of Twitter users in the US, among them, Home Depot, Burberry, and The Nature Conservancy. Advertisers will be able to pay to promote and push Twitter messages featuring buy buttons.

Read the full story on Rappler.