August 12, 2014 Edition

Tagged by human rights activists as ‘berdugo” or butcher, retired Major General Jovito Palparan was arrested in Manila on Tuesday, August 12. He was seized by a composite team of the National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Organized Crime Division and the Armed Forces’ Naval Intelligence Group at about 3 am Tuesday in Sta Mesa, Manila. He had been in hiding for almost 3 years prior to his arrest. An arrest warrant was issued against him in December 2011 in connection with the disappearance of students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno. Palparan was known for his campaign against communism and was assailed by human rights groups for allegedly killing innocent civilians in that same campaign.

Read the full story on Rappler.

The Philippines hit China for rejecting Manila’s plan to stop provocative acts in the South China Sea even as ASEAN posed no objections to the initiative. China had rejected the proposed Triple Action Plan (TAP), with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying Philippine behavior “contradicts” its own proposal. Wang said the Philippines should “withdraw its push for international arbitration and return to the first step,” apparently referring to a moratorium. Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario however said TAP is centered on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which both countries signed. “If you don’t accept TAP, then you don’t believe in DOC,” Del Rosario said.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Mapp Bio, an American company that developed the experimental anti-Ebola drug ZMapp, has sent all its available doses to West Africa. The drug was “provided at no cost in all cases,” the company said. A collaboration between US and Canadian researchers, ZMapp was manufactured in tobacco leaves and is difficult to produce on a large scale. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has emphasized that the effects of the drug are unknown because it has not been through a process of rigorous clinical trials. Mapp Bio said any decision to use the drug “must be made by the patients’ medical team.”

Read the full story on Rappler.

63-year-old award-winning actor Robin Williams was found dead, in an apparent suicide, California police said Tuesday, August 12, Manila time. He was found dead in his home in Tiburon, northern California. A statement from the Marin County Police said they suspect suicide due to asphyxia. Williams had openly spoken in the past about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. His wife Susan Schneider said in a statement, “I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief.” Williams was also previously married to Filipino American Marsha Garces. The couple divorced in 2008, citing irreconcilable differences.

Read the full story on Rappler.

More details are on the Huffington Post.

Related stories are also on the New York Times and the BBC.

Iraqi President Fuad Masum accepted the nomination of a new prime minister as the country’s leadership sought to save Iraq from breakup. Haidar al-Abadi, who was nominated by parliament’s Shiite bloc, takes over from Nuri al-Maliki. An ally of Maliki, Abadi has 30 days to form a government that is expected to heal Iraq’s sectarian divides. US President Barack Obama welcomed Abadi’s nomination, calling it a “promising step” in trying to regain the confidence of Iraqis by “governing inclusively.” Maliki had been partly blamed for the current Iraqi crisis because he had alienated the Sunni minority.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A related story is on the BBC.

A female nurse who came into contact with Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer, who had died of Ebola in a Lagos hospital, is the 10th case in Nigeria. Another nurse died last week, while 7 others have been confirmed to have  the virus. Nigerian Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said the nurse was tested over the weekend and was undergoing treatment, while her husband was being monitored. The World Health Organization is discussing the possible use of an experimental treatment to try to stem the spread of the Ebola virus that has claimed almost 1,000 lives in 4 West African countries in 2014.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr wants the Supreme Court (SC) to add the name of Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza to the list of nominees for the High Court. Believed to be the top choice of President Benigno Aquino III for the post vacated by retired Justice Roberto Abad, Jardeleza’s name was struck from the list due to integrity issues raised by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. She also heads the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC),  which vets nominees for the SC. In his comment submitted to the Tribunal, Ochoa said the rule invoked by Sereno in objecting to Jardeleza’s nomination should be nullified. The rule requires a unanimous vote for candidates with integrity issues.

Read the full story on Rappler.

From a +45 net satisfaction rating in March, the Aquino administration obtained an overall net performance rating of +29 for the month of June. Mirroring a 16-point drop, the latest net rating results of the Social Weather Stations also showed negative net satisfaction ratings on 4 issues: resolving the Maguindanao massacre with justice (-44), ensuring oil firms don’t take advantage of oil prices (-19), fighting inflation (-18), and ensuring that no family will be hungry (-9). Net ratings refer to the difference between the percentage of respondents satisfied with the administration’s performance and those who said they were dissatisfied. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the administration is undeterred by the numbers.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A related story on the Palace reaction to the survey is also on Rappler.

Lawyers of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles filed on Monday, August 11, four  separate requests seeking the disclosure in court of bank accounts, travel records, registered vehicles, and real property of principal state witness Benhur Luy. Lawyer Stephen David said these would prove that it was Luy, not his client Napoles, who benefitted from the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund. But Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano told Rappler going after Luy “does not absolve Napoles of liability.”

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A group of 30 dancers comprising the A-Team won the gold medal at the Mega Crew division of the 2014 World Hip Hop dance contest in Las Vegas. New Zealand’s ID CO won the silver, while Russia’s Flyographers Dance Team took home the bronze. The winning team was led by two coaches known in the Philippine hip hop community, Angelica and MJ Arda. The competition was held Monday, August 11, Manila time.

Read the full story on Rappler.