December 22, 2014 Edition

The survey laggard is now top of mind. In a top-of-mind poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas saw 19 percent of respondents favoring him as a successor of President Benigno Aquino III in 2016. While he’s still behind the presidential frontrunner, Vice President Jejomar Binay (37%), and Senator Grace Poe (21%), Roxas’s numbers appear encouraging for people plotting his presidential run. In Pulse Asia’s last survey, he ranked only 6th with his 6% support. The method used by SWS for this particular survey, however, is different as it asked respondents to name 3, not just one, favored bet.

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Saying that his office has already served its purpose, former Panfilo Lacson said he would step down from his post as the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery by February 2015. He said he has submitted his letter of resignation, but has yet to talk to President Benigno Aquino III about his plan. Lacson said that he will step down once the post-Super Typhoon Yolanda reconstruction and rehabilitation duties are formally transferred to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). He said he believes the President will “see the wisdom” of the transition from the OPARR to NDRRMC.

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Commuters using the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) would have to shell out more in fares starting January 4, 2015. The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced over the weekend that it has approved the fare hikes for the 3 major train lines in Metro Manila, after several years of deferment. “It’s a tough decision, but it had to be made,” DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said.

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North Korea threatened to hit back at the White House and other US targets if Washington sanctions it for an alleged hacking attack. The communist state denied involvement in the hacking of Sony Pictures, which prompted executives to halt the release of a film seen by Pyongyang as mocking the North’s leader. While it confirmed it was the North that carried out the hacking, the Obama administration calibrated its response. US President Barack Obama said Washington will review whether or not to place North Korea back onto its list of state sponsors of terrorism. He emphasized that any change in that status could only happen after a careful evaluation of the facts.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Read the full story about Obama’s statements on the ‘terror list’ on Rappler.

Pakistan on Sunday, December 21, executed 4 more militants after ending a 6-year moratorium on the death penalty following a Taliban school attack that killed 149 people. The hangings follow those of two convicted militants on December 19 after death warrants for the 6 men were signed the day before. The decision to reinstitute executions was slammed by human rights groups, with the United Nations also calling for it to reconsider the move.

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France is bracing for a major strike over the Christmas period by overworked doctors, including casualty staff and specialists, unhappy about a new health bill. Emergency room doctors are to kick off the protest on Monday, December 22, by wearing a badge to demand their work week be reduced to 48 hours compared to around 60 currently. From December 23, the situation will worsen as GPs and specialists will close shop in protest at certain aspects of an upcoming health bill, which will allow pharmacists to vaccinate patients – an act that is currently almost exclusively reserved to doctors.

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A more meaningful and less materialistic Christmas is possible. How? Several non-governmental organizations have been working hard to help those in need throughout the year. But with limited resources, they can only do so much. They certainly can do a lot more with help from those who can afford to. Rappler’s #HungerProject lists 8 NGOs at the frontlines fighting hunger, malnutrition, and poverty among children across the Philippines.

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Science has had an exciting 12 months: we’ve had countless medical discoveries and breakthroughs and more technological advances. We even landed on a comet for the first time. As we end 2014, we once again asked the Mind Movers of The Mind Museum, the country’s leading museum dedicated to science, about what they think are the most top stories in the world of science this year. One of their choices is the discovery that you may check if your food is expired by using your smartphone.

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Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum says a potential bout between his fighter and the undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. on May 2, 2015 shouldn’t push through because it’s “disrespectful to the Mexican people.” Arum said a fight on that date, which takes place during the weekend of Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, should be reserved for fighters of Mexican descent. May 2 was thrown around as a probable fight date by Mayweather during a recent interview with Showtime Boxing. Arum said Mayweather’s choice of the date – despite the cultural implications – is something someone of his character would do.

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The word “selfie” was considered this year as Salita ng Taon (Word of the Year) due to its “popularity, meaning, and sense of empowerment.” Makati and Pasig cities have also been named two of the “selfie capitals” of the world by Time magazine. Selfies were also used this year for social movements such as #SelfieForPeace, where youth groups took part in the campaign to encourage the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to come to an agreement. The selfie craze in the Philippines is just part of a bigger, global picture, however. Check our list of 10 best selfies of 2014.

Read the full story on Rappler.