November 18, 2014 Edition

Oral arguments on the controversial Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) begin on Tuesday, November 18, with petitioners pushing for the nullification of the agreement and ruling it unconstitutional. Petitioners will be led by former University of the Philippines College of Law Dean Pacifico Agabin assisted by lawyers Evalyn Ursua and Harry Roque. The government, led by the Office of the Solicitor General, had replied to the petitions, saying, “recent events in Philippine territory undoubtedly compromise the security of the Philippines.” This is in apparent reference to the threat posed by China. The High Court can either approach the issue from a legal perspective or factor in the Chinese threat in the West Philippine Sea.

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After a record low in June 2014, public satisfaction ratings of the Aquino administration rebounded in September, the Social Weather Stations said in its latest poll results released on Monday, November 17. Ratings rose to +35, which was considered “good” from the previous quarter’s +29, which was considered “moderate.” Overall, 59% of respondents said they were satisfied with the government’s general performance, with 16% ambivalent, and 24% dissatisfied.

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Ariel Olivar, an alleged dummy for a condominium unit said to be owned by Vice President Jejomar Binay will either appear at the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing or merely submit an affidavit. A private purveyor, Olivar surveyed what has been called “Hacienda Binay” in Rosario, Batangas when it covered only 95 hectares, former Makati vice mayor Nestor Mercado said. Olivar, who supposedly was among the passengers in the helicopter that took aerial photos of the property, will inform the Senate he is a mere dummy for a 105-square meter unit at The Peak Tower in Makati.

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For the first 3 quarters of 2014, flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) stayed in the black despite losses booked in the 3rd quarter of the year. In a financial report submitted to the Philippine Stock Exchange, PAL reported a net income of P237.96 million ($5.29 million) in the first 9 months of the year, a turnaround of its P2.24 billion ($49.83 million) net loss booked in the first 6 months of its fiscal calendar in 2013. Revenues grew 39% in the 3rd quarter of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.

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Becoming the second patient in the US to die from Ebola, surgeon Martin Salia has died, officials said on Monday, November 17. A US resident, Salia got infected while treating patients in his home country Sierra Leone. He was flown to Nebraska for treatment on November 15 but his organs were failing by the time he arrived. Salia is the 10th person with Ebola to be treated in the US and the second to have died from the infection.

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Pope Francis is visiting the United States from September 25-27, 2015, his first trip there ever since he became pope. He will be traveling to Philadelphia to be part of the “World Meeting of Families” which takes place every 3 years. The trip will include an address to the United Nations and a stop at the Mexico border, Vatican sources said. He is also scheduled to attend an “intercultural celebration of family life” on September 26 and hold Mass on September 27.

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Will the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan rule in favor of the Ombudsman which has asked for reconsideration of its previous ruling that Senator Jinggoy Estrada remain in his Camp Crame detention center? The Ombudsman wants Estrada transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig to be “just like other detainees” and not be accorded “special treatment” since this tends to cast doubt on government’s capacity to “afford equal protection of the law to all citizens.” Estrada’s lawyers have argued he deserved the special treatment because he is an incumbent senator, son of a former president, and mayor of San Juan City. How will the court decide on the Ombudsman’s pleading?

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Is the air you breathe in your city safe? You’ll know starting December as all 18 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila will have their own real-time air quality monitoring station. At present there are only 3 monitoring stations left to build and these are in the cities of Pasig, Mandaluyong and Parañaque, Environment Management Bureau (EMB) Director Jonas Leones said. By December, the EMB will be able to publish hourly measurements of air quality and post these on the EMB website. The hourly results will be measurements of PM10 or particulate matter 10 microns and below in diameter. PM10 are particles small enough they can be breathed into the lungs and cause respiratory diseases.

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The Senate on Monday, November 17, held necrological rites for the late Senator Juan Flavier and paid tribute to a man described as “a giant of a man” despite his height. Flavier passed away on October 30 at the age of 79 after a battle with pneumonia. In their eulogies, senators took turns praising Flavier, taking note of his trademark wit and humor, his work ethic, and his dedication to the poor. He chose to serve in the barrios and shunned high-paying private practice, and as health secretary, pushed for programs beneficial to the public despite opposition from conservatives.

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Social media giant Facebook is working on a new “Facebook at Work” which will allow users to interact with workmates and other professional contacts, while also collaborating on documents online. The Financial Times reported that the site will be similar in look to the current Facebook site and will compete with LinkedIn, Google Drive and Microsoft Office. Its success will depend on how Facebook can maintain security of users as professional conversations are bound to contain confidential information.

Read the full story on Rappler.