Today on Rappler.
- Senator Jinggoy Estrada denies dealing with two people named by state witness Ruby Tuason in the pork barrel scam.
- The government gets P1.3 billion or $30 million from the Swiss accounts of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
- North and South Korean officials meet for rare high-level talks.
Story 1: JINGGOY: NO PORK DEALINGS WITH TANTOCO, RANILLO
Senator Jinggoy Estrada admits knowing the people mentioned by witness Ruby Tuason in her affidavit, but denies dealing with them to pocket his pork barrel funds.
Estrada, along with others, face plunder charges for allegedly siphoning pork barrel funds to fake NGOs in exchange for kickbacks.
A close family friend of the Estradas, Tuason surfaced last week after hiding in California.
She admits collecting money for Estrada and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile.
Tuason offered to testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
In her affidavit, she says Estrada dealt with alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles in 2004 through actor Mat Ranillo III.
Tuason says P11.97 million was delivered to a house in Dasmarinas Village in Makati, where Justa Tantoco lives.
Tantoco is the aide of Estrada’s mother, former Senator Loi Ejercito Estrada.
Estrada denies dealing with Ranillo and Tantoco and hits the investigations.
JINGGOY ESTRADA, PHILIPPINE SENATOR: The hearing tomorrow is meant to depict us as demons here, as villains here again, as what they did during the previous hearings.
Tuason is set to attend the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing Thursday.
Story 2: GOV’T GETS P1.3B FROM MARCOS SWISS FUNDS
The Philippines’ Presidential Commission on Good Government or PCGG remits P1.3 billion or $30 million to the national treasury from the Swiss accounts of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
PCGG chair Andres Bautista says the money was transferred to the government two months after a Singapore court ruled the Philippine National Bank or PNB had the legal title to the amount deposited in the Singapore branch of German WestLB.
After Marcos’ ouster, the government tried to recover the Marcos’ wealth from Swiss banks.
In 1997, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court issued a decision to return $680 million once the Philippines complies with two conditions.
Under the law, P10 billion of the recovered funds will be used for victims’ reparation.
80% of the amount will be spent for existing claims and 20% for future ones.
Story 3: ATENEO RECEIVES BOMB THREAT
A bomb threat triggered the suspension of classes and work at the Ateneo de Manila University Wednesday.
Inspector Noel Sublay of the Quezon City police says the Anonas police station received a call from the university asking for help.
Sublay says 3 university employees received a text message from an unregistered number at 9:49am, warning a bomb will explode in the campus.
Bomb squads from the Philippine National Police sweep the campus in a security check, while students and employees are advised to go home.
At around 5pm, police say the campus is clear and the threat is a hoax.
University President Fr. Jett Villarin says the university is working with authorities to follow leads on the source of the threat.
Story 4: PH DROPS ANEW IN PRESS FREEDOM RANKINGS
For the 2nd year in a row, the Philippines drops in press freedom rankings across the world.
Out of 180 countries surveyed by Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders, the Philippines ranks 149th in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index, dropping from its previous rank of 147 in 2013 and 140 in 2012.
The survey results come two months after 3 journalists were killed and while Congress is debating the Freedom of Information bill.
Story 5: VIOLENCE IN LUISITA: FARMERS’ HUTS BURNED, CROPS BULLDOZED
Despite distribution of land titles to farmer beneficiaries in October 2013, incidents of violence rise in Hacienda Luisita.
A compilation of incident reports by the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawa sa Asyenda Luisita or Ambala Tarlac claims farmers were forcibly evicted, with the most recent cases happening on February 4, 8, 9, and 11.
Ambala says police and guards hired by the Tarlac Development Corporation or Tadeco burned the farmers’ huts and barricaded their rice fields with barbed wires, iron sheets, and concrete without a court order.
Farmers were reportedly held at gunpoint while their huts burned.
The farmers fashioned makeshift homes nearby.
Tadeco is owned by the powerful Cojuangco clan – the family of President Benigno Aquino. Aquino divested his shares in the estate in 2010.
The company says the lands they are fencing off are not part of the sugar estate that
the Supreme Court ordered distributed to farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or CARP.
The farmers disagree, invoking different government documents to support their claims.
Story 6: PALACE: NO LETTER RECEIVED FROM OLYMPIAN’S FAMILY
Malacañang says it did not receive a letter asking for financial aid from the mother of the Filipino figure skater competing in the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Reacting to criticism about the lack of government support, Malacañang says it doesn’t have records of receiving a letter from Maria Teresa Martinez, mother of 17-year-old Michael Martinez.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda says Malacañang would have responded.
Philippine Sports Commission or PSC head Richie Garcia also says the PSC wrote Martinez a check of $7,000 or more than P300,000 – a small amount in the overall training of an Olympic athlete.
In an interview with Catholic News Service, Martinez’s mother claims no one at the President’s office knew about her son’s Olympic bid.
But Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma denies this, adding, “Since the beginning, we recognized his participation and we knew about his skills and we are hoping for a favorable outcome in his participation in the Olympics.”
Martinez is the country’s lone competitor in the Winter Olympics.
He is the first Filipino figure skater to represent the Philippines in 22 years.
Martinez will see his first action on the ice Thursday.
Story 7: SOLAR PANELS BRING HOPE TO YOLANDA-HIT GUIUAN
Three months after super typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan, residents of an island in Samar receive a gift of hope that goes beyond dole-outs and relief goods.
Pia Ranada reports.
This is night time in Butig, an island in Guiuan, Samar.
Yolanda’s winds destroyed Butig’s power lines.
Homes of the fishermen became piles of debris overnight.
HINOVEBA ABUCOT, SCHOOL HEAD, BUTIG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Parang natatandaan pa namin yung araw na nagkaroon ng Yolanda na madilim na madilim ang nadidinig lang namin ang huni ng malakas na hangin ng Yolanda. Nakakatakot at akala namin yun na ang the end namin. (We remember the day Yolanda came when it was very dark and all we could hear was the strong winds of Yolanda. It was scary. We thought it was the end.)
These panels are able to turn sunlight into 50 watts of electricity.
A solar panel finally reaches Butig in February.
Michael Abundo leads the group that brought the panels to the town.
His group aims to install 50 solar panels in Yolanda-hit areas by March.
MICHAEL ABUNDO, FOUNDER, PROJECT ENKINDLE: Each of these solar panels or systems are capable of lighting up 3 to 5 households and they’re able to do mobile phone charging, maybe light appliance use if needed.
Locals are eager to help.
The local carpenter fashions a post.
The community, through a stewardship system, are in charge of maintaining the solar panel.
MICHAEL ABUNDO, FOUNDER, PROJECT ENKINDLE: We install these systems in a community and let them take care of it using this stewardship method. We are giving you this. You’re supposed to share it with other people.
Once installed, the panel charges cellphones.
Light bulbs come to life.
These small changes bring great relief to the locals.
HINOVEBA ABUCOT, SCHOOL HEAD, BUTIG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: At least naman yung mga bata, makakapag-aral sa gabi. Malaki ang magiging benepisyo sa paglalagay ng ilaw sa health center dahil ang health center namin ay nasa gitna ng barangay. Hindi lang mga bata ang magiging benepisyado pero pati yung mga komunidad, yung mga matatanda. Parang maliliwanagan din kami kahit sailang ilaw lang. (At least the kids can now study at night. There are big benefits from putting the light in the health center because it is at the center of the village. Not only the kids will benefit but also the community and the elderly, so we can have even a little light.)
That night, the children make the most of the light.
Q: Masaya ba kayo na may ilaw? Yes. Anong gagawin niyo diyan? Mag-aaral. May homework ba kayo? Wala. Sigurado kayo? Yes. (Are you happy that there’s light? Yes. What will you do with it? Study. Do you have homework? None. Are you sure? Yes.)
For the townspeople of Butig, with the light comes hope.
And with hope, recovery.
Pia Ranada, Rappler, Guiuan, Samar.
Story 8: PH ALLOWS OFWs TO RETURN TO YEMEN
The Philippines allows overseas Filipino workers or OFWs with existing contracts to return to Yemen.
On Wednesday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs or DFA brings the alert level down from 3 to 2 in the conflict-stricken country.
Filipinos with existing labor contracts may return to Yemen, but the deployment of newly hired OFWs remains suspended.
The DFA lowers the crisis alert level after the Philippine embassy in Yemen cited the –quote– “improving security and political situation in that country.”
In December, the DFA urged OFWs in Yemen to come home after a suspected terror attack killed 7 Filipinos and injured 11 others.
Yemen, which the Philippines has placed under alert since 2012, is going through a political transition.
Story 9: KOREAS HOLD RARE HIGH-LEVEL TALKS
North and South Korean officials meet for high-level talks Wednesday, ahead of a reunion for families divided by the Korean War.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry says the discussions in the border truce village of Panmunjom will cover a range of “major” issues.
South Korean official Kim Kyou-Hyun says his focus is to make sure the meeting of separated families goes ahead as scheduled.
The North side is likely to make another push for South Korea to cancel annual military exercises with the United States.
US officials say the drills will go on, but will be toned down, with no aircraft carrier and no strategic bombers.
Story 10: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 3, victims of widespread flooding in Britain are angry at what they say is lack of help from the government.
Driven by the wettest winter in England since 1766, the floods first hit southwest England about 7 weeks ago.
But they are now creeping eastwards towards London, into the wealthy suburbs lining the River Thames.
At number 6, voice actors of the popular Disney animated film ‘Frozen’ gather at a small LA bar Sunday to sing the film’s songs and woo potential Oscar votes.
The film is nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song in the upcoming Academy Awards in March.
Entertainment Weekly reports cast members Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Glad and Santino Fontana perform the songs live for the first time.
The most anticipated act? Menzel’s performance of Oscar-nominated song “Let It Go.”
And at number 8, 1930s child star turned diplomat Shirley Temple died Tuesday. She was 85.
Temple started her acting career at the age of 3 and quickly became popular for her singing and acting talents.
At 6, she became the youngest person ever to win an Oscar.
She later became Ambassador to Ghana and the Chief of Protocol in the US Foreign Service.
– Rappler.com
Newscast Production Staff
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| 3D GRAPHICS | Sten Bautista |
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