Today on Rappler.
- The Supreme Court allows Congress to keep 2 seats in the Judicial and Bar Council.
- A World Health Organization official says the Reproductive Health bill should not be used as a political tool.
- Kofi Annan quits as international peace envoy to Syria.
Story 1: SC LETS CONGRESS RETAIN 2 SEATS IN JBC
The Supreme Court decides to retain –for now– two seats for Congress in the Judicial and Bar Council, which submits a shortlist of candidates for the post of chief justice to President Benigno Aquino III.
The decision comes a day after oral arguments on the case.
The High Tribunal previously ruled that Congress only gets one seat in the JBC.
The Supreme Court says the language of the Constitution is clear and unambiguous.”
The Senate and the House appealed the verdict, saying a bicameral Congress should have two representatives.
Both houses pull out their representatives from the JBC public interviews of nominees, which ended July 27.
The JBC will come up with a shortlist for chief justice on Monday.
Story 2: WHO ON RH BILL: NO POLITICS, JUST FACTS
A World Health Organization official says it’s important to pass the Reproductive Health bill and that it “should not be misused as a political tool.”
WHO Country Representative to the Philippines Dr Soe Nyunt-U says international organizations don’t take sides in the debate.
“What we want to do,” he says, “is to provide the basic facts and figures about the issues and considerations.”
United Nations Population Fund Agency representative Ugochi Daniels says the RH bill helps couples control the size of their families.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS also stresses the bill’s importance in educating the youth.
Debates on the bill heat up ahead of a crucial vote in the House of Representatives Tuesday.
The vote determines whether the bill moves on to amendments.
Story 3: OTHER VOICES WITHIN CHURCH ON RH BILL
So who will win the RH bill’s August 7 vote?
Church bishops say they have enough votes to junk the bill.
Paterno Esmaquel reports the Catholic front is not as united as it seems because other voices inside the Church offer divergent views.
They’re the voice of the Catholic Church. Bishops and priests take a hardline stance against the RH bill.
But other Catholic voices also speak up for the bill, and cite Catholic teachings to support it.
Ateneo professors say Catholics can support the RH bill in good conscience.
They cite figures that show the poorest women bear more children than they intend.
In contrast, the richest get to plan their families better.
They also say the RH bill fulfills the so-called preferential option for the poor. The concept means God “has a special concern for the poor and the vulnerable.”
The professors note the RH bill expands the options of the poor by giving them access to contraceptives.
MARITA CASTRO GUEVARA, INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES PROFESSOR, ATENEO: Poor women, poor couples should have the right to be able to follow their well formed consciences. The problem is, they don’t have the means, for example, the financial means to access the reproductive health service, or the family planning service that they think will be compatible with their lifestyle and their bodies.
The professors’ statement goes against the Church position on birth control.
In the encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI bans family planning methods that supposedly interfere with the body’s natural rhythms.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, for his part debunks arguments, the RH bill will help alleviate the plight of the poor.
Tagle explains contraceptives do not sufficiently address poverty.
LUIS ANTONIO TAGLE, MANILA ARCHBISHOP: Poverty, talaga namang may dehumanizing poverty. At lahat tayo, Katoliko man o hindi, kailangang mai-angat ang dignidad ng tao sa pamamagitan ng karampatan at akma na pamumuhay. Kaya ang sabi natin, baka yun ang dapat tugunan. Make people productive rather than manipulating life for so-called prosperity.
On the other hand, lay people claim this runs against actual experience.
They say married people find contraceptives more effective in planning their families and fighting poverty.
MARY RACELIS, SOCIOLOGIST: If you say more than 80 percent of Filipinos queried in the Social Weather Stations surveys and other surveys, have shown they want the bill, they wnat access to modern family planning, why don’t they listen? We’re saying, we’re the laity, we are the church, why are we not included in some of these discussions? It’s only you who seem to assume that you are the church.
It may be true, some bishops are clandestine supporters, but Catholic teachings will take decades or even centuries to evolve.
For now, pro-RH bill Catholics will remain torn between their church leaders and their conscience.
Paterno Esmaquel, Rappler.
Story 4: ARROYO CONFINED IN VMMC
Former President Gloria Arroyo was rushed to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center because of acute cervical and lumbar pain Thursday night.
VMMC is where Arroyo spent 8 months under hospital arrest.
She had difficulty breathing after choking on a piece of fruit.
In June, Rappler reported after her last operation, Arroyo chokes, making it difficult for her to swallow.
In May, her allies told media Arroyo might need surgery abroad.
Story 5: AGA MUHLACH JOINS LP
Movie and television actor Aga Muhlach is the newest member of President Aquino’s Liberal Party.
LP President Mar Roxas presides over Muhlach’s oath taking.
Muhlach wants to run for the 4th district of Camarines Sur. He is going to challenge the century-old political dynasty in Bicol, the Fuentebellas.
He says he decided to join LP because he believes in President Aquino.
The actor says he approached Roxas and volunteered to join the Liberal Party.
AGA MUHLACH, NEW LP MEMBER: I believe in PNoy, ‘yung good governance na sinasabi niya. And I believe it’s about time na meron tayong mga leader na tapat na magse-serve…And ang Liberal Party, ‘yun ang pinapakita nila, na ang boss nila yung tao so yun and the best kaya ako nandito.
LP now has 37 governors and 88 members in the House of Representatives.
Story 6: PHILEX SHUTS MINE AS HEAVY RAIN CAUSE SPILL
The country’s biggest copper-gold producer, Philex Mining Corp, says waste leaked from one of its mines because of heavy rain, forcing the government to shut down production.
The government is assessing the potential hazards posed by the tailings spill at Padcal mine in Benguet province.
Philex denies the discharge is toxic.
Mines and Geosciences Director Leo Jasareno says the government issued a suspension order on the mine.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Philex says: “We wish to assure the public that water and sediment from the tailing pond are safe and non-toxic.”
Story 7: ONLINE CAMPAIGN VS. SCHOOL THAT BANS HIJAB
A group launches an online campaign calling for a boycott of a Zamboanga college that bans female Muslim students from wearing veils in school.
The campaign, called “The right to hijab: Absolute boycott Pilar College,” launches on petition website avaaz.org.
As of Friday afternoon, the petition has 712 signatures.
National Commission on Muslim Filipinos’ Yaser Apion tells Rappler Pilar College agreed to a dialogue.
In a phone interview, a school official neither confirms nor denies that claim but says the school will issue an official statement.
The NCMF urges Pilar College to revise its policy calling the decision a violation of the Magna Carta of Women.
NCMF Secretary Mehol Sadain says while Pilar College can formulate its own policies, these should not violate existing laws.
Story 8: US WON’T ARM SYRIAN REBELS
The United States increases its support for Syrian rebels but refuses to arm them.
The White House says it will provide non-lethal assistance to the opposition because weapons will not bring about a peaceful transition.
The 17-month uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has claimed more than 20-thousand lives.
Some American legislators question why the US shouldn’t provide weapons to push the end of al-Assad’s regime.
But Washington doesn’t want to get dragged into another war with elections just 3 months away.
Reuters reported Wednesday that President Barack Obama signed a document allowing covert support to the rebels.
Some $25 million in non-lethal US support is earmarked for the Syrian opposition.
On Thursday, Obama approved an extra $12 million in humanitarian aid.
Story 9: BLAME GAME AFTER ANNAN QUITS AS ENVOY
World powers trade blame after Kofi Annan quits as international peace envoy to Syria.
Annan hits at the “continuous finger-pointing and name-calling” at the United Nations Security Council, which he says prevented coordinated action to stop the violence.
He says, “I did not receive all the support that the cause deserved.”
Annan says he will not renew his mandate when it expires on August 31.
He was appointed envoy on the Syrian conflict on February 23.
Annan says Moscow and Washington should shoulder responsibility to prevent civil war in Syria.
The United States blames Russia and China for vetoing 3 separate UN resolutions on the conflict.
Story 10: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 6, Seeing how effective they have been against the Taliban, the British military plans to develop a new generation of “drones” to be used in anti-submarine warfare and possible missile attacks on enemy ships.
Documents obtained by the Guardian show the UK Ministry of Defense is considering unmanned water vehicles against pirates off the coast of Somalia. Defense officials concede it’s a cheaper way to wage war.
At number 9, a CNN report says Facebook has 83 million fake accounts.
The company’s updated regulatory filings say 8.7% of the social network’s 955 million monthly active users worldwide are duplicate or false accounts.
They fall under 3 categories: duplicate, misclassified and “undesirable” accounts.
The social media company reiterates its commitment to disable these accounts.
And if you’re a parent who created a Facebook account for your kid below 13, you’re violating Facebook rules, too.
And at number 10, Donna, believed to be the world’s oldest hippo, dies at the age of 62 after living more than two decades beyond a hippotamus’ usual life expectancy.
Donna was born at what is now the Memphis Zoo in 1951 and arrived at Mesker Park in Indiana on August 7, 1956.
She was euthanized due to her “declining quality of life” caused by severe arthritis.
Story 11: DAY 6: USA OVERTAKES CHINA IN MEDAL COUNT
For the first time in London, USA leads China in number of medals 37-34 after a wildly successful Day 6 for the Americans.
USA dominates sports like swimming and gymnastics, with prominent American athletes making Olympic history.
Natashya Gutierrez reports.
Michael Phelps is unstoppable.
Two days after becoming the most decorated athlete of all time, Phelps makes history again as he wins the 200m medley for three successive Olympics.
Phelps is the first male swimmer ever to accomplish the feat.
The win also gives Phelps his first individual gold medal of the Games, as he beats archrival Ryan Lochte.
Also rewriting history is American gymnast Gabrielle Douglas.
The 16-year-old is the first black gymnast to win the all-around individual Olympic gold.
She is the USA’s third consecutive Olympic female champion.
But the US men’s basketball team boasts of a new record too.
The star-studded team of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant break the record for the most number of points in a single Olympic game after they demolish Nigeria, 156-73.
They shatter Brazil’s old record by 18 points.
On Saturday, the Philippines’ medal hope Mark Barriga, enters the ring for his second boxing fight.
Barriga will face Kazakhistan’s Birzhan Zhakypov at 8:45pm Manila time.
A loss means automatic elimination while a win advances him to the final 8.
Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler, Manila.
– Rappler.com
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