Daily News Highlights – June 2, 2015 Edition

Muslim actor Robin Padilla thanked lawmakers who voted yes to the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) at the House of Representatives on Monday, June 1. Padilla asked lawmakers to take the example of Pope Francis, who endorsed the peace process during his trip to the Philippines in January 2015. Manila Archbishop Cardinal Antonio Tagle was one of the convenors invited by Malacañang to form the Peace Council that reviewed the bill. The BBL seeks to establish a new autonomous region in Muslim-majority areas in Mindanao, hoping to end 4 decades of armed conflict. 

Read more on Robin Padilla’s House visit.

President Benigno Aquino III said the government is eyeing charges against Valenzuela City officials besides the owners of the ill-fated Kentex factory for the death of 72 people in one of the country’s worst fire incidents. Aquino added, one of the charges may be reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide. Aquino effectively cleared the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and partly blamed the incident on City Hall officials. Aquino said city hall should not have granted the factory a business permit without the requisite fire safety inspection certificate (FSIC) from the BFP. But Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian insists the BFP is to blame for the incident.

Read more on the Kentex fire.

He may have paid advertisements and listening tours but Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte maintains he is not running for president. Duterte said the Filipino people deserve more choices and he should only be considered if there are no other options. He explained that the paid advertisements were not part of his plans. He asserted that he only did the shoot and voice-over to satisfy the nagging requests of his friends. Duterte, who recently ranked third in the surveys, said that he would like to have the line of contenders extended, and that it should include former senator and rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson, Senators Antonio Trillanes, Francis Escudero, and Alan Peter Cayetano. 

Read more on Duterte.

In Bacolod City, classrooms have achieved ideal sizes. Provincial schools superintendent Anthony Liobet says the province of Negros Occidental achieved the ideal classroom-student ratio of 1:45. Liobet adds, the Department of Education had been addressing the classroom backlog, with the help of local government units. Although provincial education officials are still expecting late enrollees, they would not accept more students after June 12.

Read more on Negros Occidental’s classrooms.

Malaysia Airlines is “technically bankrupt,” its new German CEO said Monday, June 1. “We are technically bankrupt and that decline of performance started long before the tragic events of 2014,” Christoph Mueller told reporters, referring to two deadly disasters that rocked the airline last year. Malaysia Airlines took its first major steps on Monday under Mueller, sending termination letters to all of its roughly 20,000 employees, followed by new contracts offered to 14,000 of them. The exercise trims around 6,000 jobs.

Read more on Malaysia Airlines.

“The Patriot Act will expire tonight,” said US Senator Rand Paul after hours of ultimately fruitless debate on how to get the reform bill across the finish line. The US Senate failed to reach a deal Sunday, May 31, that would prevent key counterterror provisions from expiring at midnight, plunging US national security efforts into potential disarray amid persistent extremist threats. The Senate actually took the step of advancing bipartisan reform legislation that would end the controversial National Security Agency program which scoops up telephone data on millions of Americans with no connection to terrorism.

Read more on the Patriot Act.

France on Monday, June 1, urged to resume talks for a UN climate pact, calling for a “pre-agreement” to be forged weeks before a crucial conference in Paris in December that must seal the final deal. The Bonn talks will focus on trimming an 80-page text containing national viewpoints on climate issues. The end goal is a post-2020 deal to save Earth’s climate from potentially catastrophic damage from heat-trapping fossil-fuel emissions, looking at limiting warming to no more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels. The pact would commit the world community to rolling back emissions and muster financial help for poor countries vulnerable to natural disasters. But the process is scarred by memories of the last time the UN tried to forge an ambitious climate deal — the 2009 summit in Copenhagen that ended in deadlock.

Read more on the UN climate talks.

Most of the apps and social networks that Filipinos use on a daily basis are created and developed abroad. Cebu-based entrepreneur Seph Mayol wants to change that. Mayol has developed Hoy, which is what he calls a social network brand placement platform. It launches in Cebu this week and will roll out in Manila and the rest of the Philippines in the coming months. The local expansion of Hoy begs a question that many Filipinos are surely wondering about: Can the Philippines produce its own Facebook or Instagram? 

Read more on Hoy!

Pop star Enrique Iglesias accidentally cut his hand on a drone used in his show in Tijuana, Mexico late Saturday, May 30. Iglesias was performing in front of thousands of fans when he tried to grab the camera-equipped drone – something he frequently does as part of his show – to give fans a closer look at what is happening on stage. But the fun took a painful turn when he grabbed the wrong part of the aerial vehicle, slicing open several fingers on his right hand. Iglesias’ representative says he’s treated by a specialist.

Read more on Enrique Iglesias’ injury.

Bruce Jenner is no more. The former track star has successfully transitioned into a woman, and now goes by the name Caitlyn. Jenner appears on the cover of Vanity Fair shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. Last April, Jenner discussed her transition in an interview with Diane Sawyer. Then known as Bruce, she discussed a few details of her journey, including reactions from the family. “For all intents and purposes, I am a woman,” said Jenner back then. Prior to her transition, Jenner took the spotlight as the stepfather of celebrity Kim Kardashian, daughter of his ex-wife Kris Jenner.

Read more on Caitlyn Jenner.