April 23, 2014 Edition

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, April 22, extended the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the December 2013 rate hike of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco). The Court issued the ruling following the filing of an urgent motion to extend the TRO by legislators from the Makabayan coalition. Meralco said in a statement that it will comply with the order but it added that the the lifting of the TRO would not have resulted in an automatic imposition of the December generation charges. Meralco’s P4.15/kWh December rate increase is the highest ever to be imposed by the power company. Of the amount, P3.44 represented generation costs.

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Senator Jinggoy Estrada accused Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima of flip-flopping on the possibility of accepting alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles as a state witness. The senator, accused of plundering pork barrel funds, questioned De Lima’s decision to meet with Napoles for 5 hours on Monday, April 21, when the justice secretary initially said she never considered Napoles as state witness. De Lima said Tuesday that Napoles is offering to turn state witness. He said it was possible the administration has threatened Napoles would rot in jail to convince her to turn against the opposition senators.

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US President Barack Obama left Washington D.C. on Tuesday, April 22 for a weeklong tour of Asia that will take him to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Obama is expected to discuss security and trade issues, including a controversial Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. In the Philippines, Obama will hold talks with President Benigno Aquino III and lay a wreath at the American Pacific War Memorial in Taguig. This will be Obama’s 5th visit to the region.

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Filipinos have a high regard for the United States, even more than Americans do, according to a global survey. Data from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project shows that 85% of Filipinos surveyed have a “favorable” view of the American people. While 84% of Americans surveyed said they felt the same way about themselves. Overall, the Philippines also had the most “favorable” view of the US, at 85% percent. Americans themselves did not figure in the top 3 countries with a “favorable” view of the US, lagging behind the Philippines, Israel and Ghana. In the same study, 84% of Filipinos said they had “confidence” in the US president. In contrast, only 57% of Americans surveyed said they had confidence in their own president. This is good news for President Obama ahead of his first state visit to the Philippines.

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Property giant Ayala Land Inc. is investing P80 billion for a new central business district (CBD) it is developing over the next 5 years. Ayala Land unveiled its master plan for the 74-hectare Arca South, the former Food Terminal Inc. property located near the southern ends of major thoroughfares EDSA and C5, right along the South Luzon Expressway. The investment, that will transform the property from a collection of old warehouses into a mixed-use commercial development, will be phased over a 5-year period. Arca South is located about 6 kilometers from Makati and Bonifacio Global City (BGC), both premier CBD developments undertaken by Ayala Land.

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For the third time, the anti-graft court denied the request of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to be allowed bail, citing medical reports that she is not ‘very sick.’ As in the first and second instances that her motion for bail was denied, the justices voted 3-2 against granting her bail. Arroyo is charged for allegedly conspiring to misuse P366 million in corporate funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office during her presidency.

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Football super club Manchester United announced on Tuesday, April 22 that it let go of team manager David Moyes. The club made the announcement via Twitter. Moyes was on his 10th month of a 6-year contract. The club’s US-based owners, the Glazer family, were reported to be dissatisfied with Moyes’ management. A devastating 2-0 loss to Everton effectively blocked ManU from entering the Champion’s League. By some estimates, the club could lose up to US$50 million in revenue this year. Moyes was the chosen successor of former United boss Alex Ferguson – British football’s most successful manager – following his retirement at the end of last season. Speculation in Britain and around the world is rife as to who would replace Moyes.

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Following delays caused by regulatory agencies in Asia, Microsoft will conclude its acquisition of Nokia’s mobile phone business on Friday, April 25. In a statement posted on its company blog on Monday, April 21 (Tuesday in Manila), Microsoft announced the completion of the transaction that’s been several months into the making. Microsoft says the deal will, “help Microsoft accelerate innovation and market adoption for Windows Phones.” When the acquisition is final, Microsoft’s first order of business might be to kill off the Nokia brand name altogether. In a leaked internal letter supposedly sent by Nokia to its suppliers, the Finnish smartphone manufacturer informed its partners of the upcoming name change, “Upon the close of the transaction between Microsoft and Nokia, the name of Nokia Corporation will change to Microsoft Mobile.” No official statement has been made confirming or denying the rumored change in name.

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Carvings on a rock wall depicting human and animal figures, believed to be some of the oldest in southeast Asia, are in danger of disappearing. Conservationists and anthropologists of the National Museum fear that the Angono petroglyphs could be destroyed by urban development and poor conversation. The 127 engravings of people, animals and geometric shapes are believed to be more than 5,000 years old. The location of the rock sits next to a golf course and housing developments. With more development in the area planned, the rock could erode or be damaged, experts believe. Many Filipinos do not even know the petroglyphs exist, despite it being a possible UNESCO world heritage site.

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Despite an agreement by the Nepalese government to meet the compensation demands of Mt. Everest sherpas, many skilled mountain guides are reportedly refusing to continue work for the remainder of the climbing season. Citing an American climber at base camp, Reuters says sherpas had voted to head down and were ‘packing up.’ Many of them are employed as guides, cooks, and skilled “ice doctors” who prepare the climbing route for hundreds of foreign climbers. At least 13 ice doctors were killed by a single deadly avalanche on April 18. The deaths prompted sherpas to demand for a welfare fund from the government and increased compensation.

Read the full story on Reuters.