November 6, 2014 Edition

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who faces the biggest corruption scandal to hit him to date, was a no-show at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing especially arranged to accommodate him. Binay instead arrived in Cebu City to meet with supporters. The committee was to wait for an hour for Binay’s arrival before deciding that he would be a no-show, but senators who were at the session hall were seen heading to the senators’ lounge at around 10:20 am – minutes before it was reported that Binay was in Cebu.

Read the full story on Rappler.

It was an election that US President Barack Obama admitted was a “good night” for Republicans. After the GOP snatched control of the Senate, tightened its grip on the House of Representatives and won key Democrat governorships, Obama stopped short of accepting direct responsibility for his Democratic party’s colossal defeat at the hands of opponents who successfully turned the election into a repudiation of his policies. He however vowed to work with Republican lawmakers but warned he would act without them to protect his core agenda, starting with immigration reform.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Philippine military expressed alarm that the Abu Sayyaf may go on an arms spending spree after they posted a video online showing what they claimed to be a multi-million-dollar ransom windfall. The Abu Sayyaf apparently posted on social media a short video showing its members with stacks of the Philippine currency, which they said was ransom for two German hostages freed last month. In the video, Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Rami claimed the money on display in a jungle setting was the full $5.7 million demanded for releasing the captives. Armed Forces chief Gregorio Catapang warned that the video may encourage other kidnappings.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Around 3,000 families, or 14,100 people, continue to live in danger zones close to the sea, nearly a year after Super Typhoon Yolanda wiped out coastal villages in the city and nearby areas, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez told Rappler. The Tacloban City government is set to prohibit residents from building houses in danger zones, also known as “no-dwelling” or “no-build zones,” to avoid a repeat of Yolanda that killed 6,300 people here. Thousands of others live in danger zones farther from the waters. “Wala kasing paglilipatan eh,” Romualdez said. (There’s nowhere to move to.)

Read the full story on Rappler.

It will rain  political advertisements in the run-up to the 2016 presidential elections and, likely, in the elections that will follow. The Supreme Court has ruled with finality that the maximum allowable airtime for political ads of national candidates is 120 minutes per television station and 180 minutes per radio station, junking the limits that the Commission of Elections imposed during the 2013 polls. In the last midterm elections, the poll body limited candidates for national positions to buying only a total of 120 minutes of political ads in all TV stations and 180 minutes in all radio stations. The Court ruled this was arbitrary.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Indonesia’s economy grew at its slowest pace for 5 years in the third quarter, underlining the challenge for new President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to get Southeast Asia’s top economy back on track. The G20 economy expanded 5.01% on-year in the 3 months to the end of September, down from 5.12% in the previous quarter, with demand for the country’s key commodities exports continuing to weaken. Jokowi has pledged to lift growth to 7% over the next two years by overhauling the country’s creaking infrastructure and cutting red tape to attract more foreign investors.

Read the full story on Rappler Indonesia.

He’s Rob O’Neill, a 38-year-old veteran who quit after 16 years of service. Ahead of the airing of O’Neill’s full interview on Fox News, the London-based Daily Mail identified the Navy soldier who shot Osama bin Laden 3 times in the head on May 2, 2011 in Abbottobad, Pakistan. The Daily Mail said O’Neill is a former member of SEAL Team Six; he’s also been portrayed on screen in Zero Dark Thirty, Captain Phillips and Lone Survivor. In 2011, Esquire magazine referred to him then “The Shooter.”

Read the full story on the Daily Mail.

A local court declared as “unconstitutional” the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) controversial tax memorandum requiring non-stock and non-profit schools to secure certifications of tax exemption. Makati Judge Maximo de Leon also declared all other issuances by BIR chief Kim Henares related to the memorandum as “null and void.” The memorandum was meant to enhance monitoring and plug loopholes in the tax system. Institutions that failed to apply and secure the tax exemption certificate would be stripped of their tax immunity. While other schools decided to comply with the BIR order, St. Paul College-Makati brought the agency to court.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Pope Francis disclosed that he had sacked a church court official who had been caught offering to facilitate marriage annulments for cash. The shock revelation came in candid remarks to students attending a course at the Roman Rota tribunal, the equivalent of the Supreme Court for canon law, the body of Church rules. “There have been public scandals. Some time ago, I had to dismiss from a tribunal someone who was saying ‘for 10,000 dollars I will do both the civil and the ecclesiastical procedure’,” the 78-year-old pope said.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The legendary camera brand is here. The first Leica camera store in the Philippines opened on November 5 at Greenbelt 5, Makati, showcasing the brand’s classic cameras, their contemporary offerings, photographs taken with Leica cameras, and publications dedicated to contemporary photography. Leica has been in the business of optics and camera manufacturing for the past 100 years. It has produced classic cameras, most notably the Leica rangefinder which is a favorite of photojournalists who capture historical events, or street photographers.

Read the full story on Rappler.