Today on Rappler.
- The House of Representatives votes to end debates on the Reproductive Health bill.
- The Integrated Bar of the Philippines rejects Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s appeal to dismiss the disbarment cases against her.
- A breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front attacks 11 Maguindanao towns.
Story 1: HOUSE ENDS DEBATES ON RH BILL
Despite objections, the House of Representatives votes to end debates on the Reproductive Health bill, raising the chance the controversial measure can become law during the 15th Congress.
It was a verbal group vote, with the majority agreeing to terminate the debates around 6 p.m.
Majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales II moves to end debates, which had taken a year and 6 months.
Cagayan de Oro Rep Rufus Rodriguez objects, saying many lawmakers still want to debate the measure.
231 House members attend the plenary, including former President Gloria Arroyo who opposes the bill.
Voting was originally scheduled tomorrow, but Gonzales says some anti-RH lawmakers wanted to hold the vote today.
For the first time in more than a decade, the RH bill reaches the second phase in the legislative process.
It now moves on to the period of amendments.
SONNY BELMONTE, HOUSE SPEAKER: It’s one step forward. It’s a procedural thing, to end the period of interpellation and debate and to give a chance for people offering amendments to be heard as well. If we just go on – there are 25 more people who want to interpellate – it will go on until our term is over.
Anti-RH bill advocate An Waray Representative Florencio Noel says anti-RH legislators also voted to terminate the debates.
He adds, he wants to see how the pro-RH camp will accommodate their amendments.
FLORENCIO NOEL, ANTI-RH BILL ADVOCATE: Dati kasi sinasabi nila tatanggapin naman daw ‘yung mga amendments na i-present namin. Maybe this is the time na malalaman natin kung talagang tatanggapin.
Story 2: IBP REJECTS DE LIMA APPEAL ON DISBARMENT
In a unanimous decision, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines upholds its earlier decision ordering a full investigation of the disbarment cases against Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
Insiders tell Rappler the vote is 9-0 against De Lima.
ROAN LIBARIOS, IBP PRESIDENT: The board in a unanimous vote has resolved to deny the motions for reconsideration filed by the honorable secretary Leila de Lima and the board has decided to direct the handling commissioners to proceed with the investigation in accordance with the rules.
IBP President Roan Libarios says the vote is influenced by the Supreme Court’s finding of “sufficient basis” to continue the probe.
ROAN LIBARIOS, IBP PRESIDENT: The board relied on the initial determination of the Supreme Court that there is sufficient basis to proceed with the conduct of investigation and therefore the case cannot be the subject matter of a summary dismissal by the IBP.
Libarios predicts the probe will end by September.
He says the rules dictate it should be done within 90 days.
The IBP’s decision affects the move of the Judicial and Bar Council, which votes on a shortlist of chief justice candidates.
JBC rules state candidates with pending administrative and disbarment cases are disqualified.
Story 3: DE LIMA STAYS AS CONTENDER FOR CJ
Despite this IBP decision, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima stays as a contender for chief justice.
This was disclosed by Sen. Francis Escudero, a member of the JBC.
He also moves for the postponement of final deliberations on the JBC’s shortlist of chief justice nominees to Wednesday.
Escudero tells the council he and Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr need more time to review the qualifications of the 20 nominees for the position.
Story 4: VIZCONDE FILES DISBARMENT CASE VS CARPIO
Lauro Vizconde files a disbarment case against Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio for allegedly influencing appointments to judicial posts in 1992.
Carpio was presidential legal counsel then.
Vizconde previously filed an opposition against Carpio before the Judicial and Bar Council.
He accused Carpio of lobbying for the 2010 acquittal of Hubert Webb, the principal suspect behind the murders of his wife and children.
The Supreme Court denies this.
The court will take up Vizconde’s disbarment complaint on Tuesday.
Story 5: IMPEACHMENT HANGOVER
President Benigno Aquino III needs a reality check– that’s according to the author of the first book expose on the Supreme Court, Marites Vitug.
Let’s look at her video blog.
President Aquino is intervening aggressively in the selection of chief justice.
When he chose his first 3 appointees to the Supreme Court, Aquino admirably kept distance from the process.
But today, things have changed.
Aquino himself admitted that his legal staff is helping Justice Secretary Leila de Lima hurdle her disbarment cases.
Undersecretary Michael Musngi, who sits in the Judicial and Bar Council as an alter ego of the President, lobbied for the inclusion of de Lima in the short list.
But it looks like the President is in for a reality check.
This morning, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines stood by its decision to investigate the charges against de Lima. T
his means her chances of making it to the shortlist have dimmed.
It is clear in the rules that those with pending cases are automatically disqualified by the JBC. This rule was strictly applied even during the term of President Arroyo.
It was what happened with Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera.
So why is President Aquino pushing so hard for his favored ally to be chief justice?
This phenomenon is the impeachment hangover. The President saw how awesome his power was when he had Chief Justice Renato Corona impeached.
He is still reveling in this huge and historic moment which distorted his reality.
He forgets the judiciary is an independent co-equal branch of government.
It’s time for the President to sober up and shake off the impeachment hangover.
Story 6: 117 REPRESENTATIVES SUPPORT FOI BILL
At least 117 members of the House of Representatives support the Freedom of Information bill based on a signature campaign by principal authors Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada III and Akbayan Rep Walden Bello.
The FOI bill will make documents of high public interest easily accessible.
Advocates blame committee chairman Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone for failing to put the bill to a vote.
Tañada says there’s one contentious issue left: the inclusion of the “Right of Reply”, which will require media groups to allow subjects of negative news to respond to allegations.
Story 7: 3 KILLED AS REBELS ATTACK MAGUINDANAO TOWNS
Members of a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front attack 11 Maguindanao towns Sunday evening, leaving at least three dead.
A civilian dies in the crossfire, while the Army says the bodies of two renegade Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are recovered hours after the incident.
BIFF spokesman Abumisry Mama says the attacks retaliate for the death of one BIFF member.
Army reports say the rebels cut down electrical relay posts before dawn, plunging several towns into darkness.
6th Infantry Division spokesman Col. Prudencio Asto says the rebels target patrol bases along the perimeter of the Camp Omar Complex.
The attacks come before the government and the MILF resume peace talks in Kuala Lumpur this week.
Presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles says the BIFF’s “act of aggression” is meant to derail the peace process, but she says the violence will not affect the talks.
The BIFF is headed by Ameril Umra Kato, a Saudi Arabian-educated guerrilla who broke away from the MILF.
The government says it hopes to sign a peace deal with the MILF by the end of the year but asks the MILF leadership to help contain Kato’s forces.
Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces spokesman Von Al-Haq says this will not stall the talks between the government and the MILF.
He says it is “very clear” the MILF is not involved, and that there are no violations of any peace provision.
Story 8: PAGASA: NEW STORM DEVELOPING
PAGASA says a new storm may be developing east of Luzon.
In its 5 P.M. bulletin, the weather bureau spots the shallow low pressure area 770 kilometers East of Northern Luzon.
Pagasa says it has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical storm depending on its distance to land and the oceanic temperatures.
Luzon and the Visayas will experience monsoon rains which may trigger landslides and flashfloods.
Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Story 9: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 5, Economist and 2001 Nobel Prize winner George Akerlof contradicts the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines saying women with the right to choose can -quote- “only increase the dignity of marriage and its sanctity.”
The CBCP carried his research on its website and quotes him saying, “Contraceptives bring about the downgrading of marriage, more extramarital sex, more fatherless children, (and) more single mothers.”
Akerlof says his research– which was conducted within an American cultural framework– was taken out of context.
He says it is not applicable to the Philippines where abortion is illegal and single mothers are common.
At number 6, The US Federal Bureau of Investigation probes Sunday’s shooting rampage at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin that left 6 people and the gunman dead.
Three others were wounded, including a police officer first to respond to the scene.
All 3, including the congregation’s president, are in critical condition.
The FBI will determine if the shooting incident is a case of “domestic terrorism.”
No motive has been determined.
With beards and turbans, Sikh men are often mistaken for Hindus or Muslims and have been the target of hate crimes since the 9-11 attacks.
At number 7, the Philippine government says about 2.14 million tourists visited the country in the first 6 months of 2012.
This is less than half of this year’s 4.6-million target set by the tourism department, but is 11.7% higher than 2011 half year figures.
The tourism department has been trying to maximize its ongoing “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign even in the London Olympics.
And at number 9, Japan marks the 67th anniversary of the first time the world felt the power of an atom bomb in Hiroshima.
The ceremonies recall the horrors of the day the US dropped bombs that killed an estimated 140,000 people near the end of World War 2.
It was authorized by then President Harry Truman who, 3 days later, approved the Nagasaki bombing which killed more than 70,000.
Hiroshima is a focal point for the global movement against nuclear weapons.
Post-Fukushima, Japan is seeing a string of anti-nuclear protests after the two nuclear reactors were revived in the wake of looming power shortages.
Story 10: ATHLETES MAKE HISTORY ON SECOND WEEK OF OLYMPICS
Halfway through the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, athletes make history as they break records in various sports.
As for Team Philippines, chances to win a medal look slim.
Natashya Gutierrez reports.
The Olympics heat up as the Games start its second week.
Michael Phelps, the fastest man in the pool, wins the 100m men’s butterfly and the 4×100 medley relay with the men’s US team.
He finishes with a total of 4 golds and 2 silvers, retiring from competition for good.
As a historic athlete exits, another one takes center stage.
Usain Bolt is the talk of the town after proving he is still the fastest man in the track.
On his first event in London, one of the most anticipated races, Bolt breaks an Olympic record in the 100m dash.
But another runner stands out, though he did not make the finals.
South Africa’s Oscar Pistorious makes history as the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic athletics event.
He makes it to the semifinals of the 400 meters– his own personal goal.
His achievement, more than his time, gains him the respect of the world.
Revenge is the theme in tennis, as Great Britain’s Andy Murray bests Swiss champion Roger Federer, who beat him in three Grand Slam titles.
American Serena Williams also wins her first Olympic singles gold after crushing Russian star Maria Sharapova.
Team Philippines has three athletes left after the country’s best bet, boxer Mark Barriga, loses his second round light flyweight fight to Kazakhstan’s Birzhan Zhakypov.
Barriga receives a penalty for head butting, giving Zhakypov two automatic points.
The penalty is crucial as it gives Zhakypov a 17-16 victory.
Overall, China leads standings with 61 medals, after a gold medal surge in diving and badminton.
Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler, Manila.
Story 11: MARS ROVER CURIOSITY LANDS ON MARS
The Mars Rover Curiosity makes a historic landing on Mars.
KD Suarez with details.
At exactly 1:30 pm Philippine time on Monday, August 6, the Mars Rover Curiosity landed on the Red Planet, marking another milestone in space exploration.
The one-ton rover touched down on our planetary neighbor, carrying the most advanced scientific gear ever to land there.
The rover, part of a 2.5 billion dollar program, landed successfully inside the Gale crater as the Mars Science Laboratory team celebrated at the NASA jet propulsion lab in California.
It ends its 8-and-a-half-month, 154-million-mile journey from its home planet.
It will now start its mission: to investigate if the planet’s conditions in the past could have harbored microbial life, and to get clues from Martian rocks about possible past life.
The rover survived the “seven minutes of terror” – the seven minutes from the entry into Mars’ atmosphere up to touchdown of the rover, one of the most complicated maneuvers NASA had to plan.
The first images from the rover were transmitted minutes later: the view of the rocky ground in front of the vehicle.
US President Barack Obama says the landing is an “unprecedented feat of technology” that will be a “point of national pride” for the US.
It follows in the tracks of other Mars missions, including two other Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which were launched back in 2003.
Barring glitches, the mission is expected to last 98 earth weeks, or one Martian year, and it is expected to help pave the way for manned expedition to the planet by 2030.
Kd Suarez, Rappler, Manila.
– Rappler.com
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