Cebu Pacific apologizes, Estrada cases, US State of the Union | The wRap

Today on Rappler:

• Cebu Pacific’s Lance Gokongwei blames absent employees for the airline’s holiday mess.
• The Supreme Court junks Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada’s disqualification case, and upholds Senator Jinggoy’s plunder case.
• US President Barack Obama says America is out of recession.

CEBU PACIFIC CHIEF ON HOLIDAY MESS: ‘I’M PROFOUNDLY SORRY’   
Budget airline Cebu Pacific chief Lance Gokongwei apologizes for failing passengers during the holidays. Gokongwei says frequent absences of employees caused delays and cancellations of flights. The budget carrier faces a P52.11-million fine for the holiday chaos stranding thousands of passengers last Christmas disrupting countless family reunions, holiday trips and Christmas celebrations.

SC JUNKS ERAP DISQUALIFICATION, AFFIRMS JINGGOY PLUNDER  
For the Estradas: a good day for the father, a bad one for the son. The Supreme Court junks the disqualification case of Joseph Estrada for his 2013 electoral bid while his son, Senator Jinggoy, loses his bid to stop the plunder case he’s facing. Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te says the ruling considers the elder Estrada’s civil and political rights fully restored.

THEODORE TE, SC SPOKESMAN: The majority characterized the pardon extended by Mrs Arroyo to Mr. Estrada as an absolute pardon thereby restoring Mr Estrada’s qualifications to stand as candidate as mayor in the last 2013 elections.

Estrada tells this to his poll rival, former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who also intervened in the Supreme Court petition:

JOSEPH ESTRADA, MANILA MAYOR: May God bless him and more power for his retirement.

But it’s a different story for Estrada’s son senator Jinggoy. The Court junks his plea to stop the plunder and graft cases against him. He will remain detained in Camp Crame.

OBAMA: US ‘SHADOW OF CRISIS’ HAS PASSED 
In the United States, President Barack Obama gives the State of the Union Address Tuesday night or Wednesday morning Manila time. Obama brings good news – saying the US is now out of recession.

BARACK OBAMA, US PRESIDENT: Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before; more of our people are insured than ever before. The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong. At this moment  – with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production  – we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth.

But Republican Senator Joni Ernst says the Obama government failed to address the problems America faces.

AIRASIA PLANE CLIMBED AT SPEED ‘BEYOND NORMAL’ THEN STALLED
Indonesia’s transport minister says the ill-fated Air Asia QZ8501 plane may have ascended too fast and stalled before crashing into the ocean. Minister Ignatius Jonan says the flight ascended at a speed of 1,828m or about 6,000 ft per minute, unusual for a commercial jet. Both the cockpit voice and flight data recorders were retrieved from the plane resting in deep waters. A full report will be available by the end of the month.

TWO MORE PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM – ASTRONOMERS 
Spanish and British astronomers say “at least two” more planets lie beyond Pluto generally known as the planet farthest from the Sun. The astronomers’ calculations are based on the unusual orbital behavior of distant space rocks called “extreme trans-Neptunian objects.” They says space rocks are scattered more widely than they should be leading astronomers to think there are planets or very large objects in the area. Researchers say results would be “truly revolutionary for astronomy” if confirmed.

For those on desktop, click on the links on your screen.
You can also click on the tabs below to go to a story in the video.
And for those on smartphones and tablets, the links can be found below the video.

– Rappler.com

Click here for the audio-only version:

Production Staff