Rappler Newscast | November 9, 2012

Today on Rappler. 

• The Commission on Elections says challenging the poll body before the Supreme Court could help refine the Party-List Law.
• Re-elected US president Barack Obama gets emotional as he thanks his supporters.
• The Securities and Exchange Commission will file criminal complaints against 10 people for share trade fraud.

Story 1: SUE US, COMELEC DARES PARTY-LIST GROUPS
Commission on Elections Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. says disqualified party-list groups could help refine the Party-List Law by suing the Comelec before the Supreme Court.
Brillantes says the law does not adequately define marginalized groups.
He says Comelec commissioners end up being subjective in determining their criteria for disqualifying groups.
The poll body has disqualified at least 14 party-list groups because they supposedly do not represent the marginalized.
Three groups — Ako Bicol, 1-Care, and Apec — are challenging the poll body’s decision to disqualify them from the 2013 polls.
The Comelec is also expected to rule on the possible disqualification of pro-Aquino group, Akbayan.

Story 2: EMOTIONAL OBAMA THANKS SUPPORTERS
Re-elected US President Barack Obama makes a surprise visit to his campaign headquarters following his victory in the mid-term elections.
In a brief speech, Obama recalls the start of his political career in Chicago and tells supporters “I am really proud of you.”
A visibly teary-eyed president paused at various points during his improvised speech.

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: My running for office has come full circle. Because what you guys have done means that the work I’m doing is important. And i’m really proud of that. I’m really proud of all of you.

Story 3: INTERPOL ELECTS FRENCH WOMAN AS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT
French police commissioner Mireille Balestrazzi becomes the first woman to be elected president of Interpol.
She is known for her drive against organized crime in Bordeaux and Corsica.
On Thursday, the organization elects Balestrazzi during its general assembly in Rome.
She became a police commissioner in France in 1975 and was vice-president for Europe on Interpol’s executive committee.
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls says Balestrazzi’s experience will serve her well in fighting mafias, drug trafficking and political violence.

Story 4: POLICE LOOKING FOR GUNMAN IN MURDER OF CABANATUAN JOURNALIST
Police are still looking for leads in the fatal shooting on Thursday of a Cabanatuan City journalist despite a citywide gun ban.
Local radio anchor Julius Cauzo was shot and killed on his way to work by a man on a motorcycle.
Malacanang condemns the murder and says police are conducting a thorough investigation.
Cauzo is the fifth journalist killed this year according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
His death comes weeks before the city votes on a plebiscite to elevate Cabanatuan to a highly-urbanized city.

Story 5: VITUG VLOGS: FRAUD
Rappler’s editor at large Marites Vitug says companies consider fraud a global risk, and the fight against it begins at the top.
Here’s her video blog.

Fraud is not a government monopoly. Corporations all over the world consider fraud or corruption a global risk—and they are fighting it.
In a survey of close to 100 countries conducted last year, it was found that the most effective way of detecting fraud was through anonymous tips given through hotlines.
External audits, would you believe, was among the least effective.
This shows that, if the companies nurture honesty, then people will come forward and report wrongdoing.
This also shows that external auditors sometimes sugarcoat their reports or massage them so as not to hurt their clients and lose big contracts.
They lose sight of their duty to tell the truth.
How do you detect a fraud perpetrator in your company?
The survey, conducted by the US-based Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, pointed out these red flags: the employee lives beyond his means; has financial difficulties; and enjoys unusually close ties with suppliers or customers.
What’s striking is the profile of the usual suspect: he’s male, has worked with the company for 1 to 5 years, aged 31-45, and is with accounting, operations, or sales.
Why is this so? Men are usually in positions that give them the opportunities to commit fraud.
The fight against fraud begins at the top. Leaders should set the tone for integrity.
It is said that corruption is not so much caused by power but by fear: the fear of losing power.

Story 6: SEC TO FILE CHARGES FOR STOCK PRICE FRAUD
The Securities and Exchange Commission announces it will file criminal charges against at least 10 individuals over stock price manipulation of listed agribusiness firm Calata Corporation.
SEC Chairperson Teresita Herbosa says the commission completed its investigation last October 31, following a report of suspicious trading by the watchdog Capital Markets Integrity Corporation.
A criminal complaint against the first batch of respondents is ready for submission to the Department of Justice.
Herbosa refuses to release the names of the respondents.
She adds a future criminal complaint involving other respondents is possible.

Story 7: FINANCE USEC. ROSALIA DE LEON APPOINTED TREASURER
Finance undersecretary Rosalia de Leon assumes her new role as the national treasurer, replacing Roberto Tan who is now an executive director at the World Bank.
De Leon took her oath of office before Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima today.
She previously managed the department’s International Finance Group and held several other key positions within the department.

Story 8: THE wRap: YOUR STORY IN ONE READ
At number 6, It all started when British Prime Minister David Cameron said in an interview he was willing to give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “safe passage” if that’s what it takes to stop the bloodshed in the country.
Assad responds with a tough stand and warns about the consequences of foreign intervention.
He tells Russia Today TV: “I’m not a puppet, and I was not made by the West to go to the West or to any other country. I was made in Syria and to live and die in Syria.”
International aid agencies say their resources and stamina are running out in Syria.
Assad warns of a “domino effect” if other countries intervened in the conflict.

At number 7, Mastercard launches a credit card with an LCD display and a built-in keyboard with touch-sensitive buttons.
The card, which will be available in Singapore in January before a global roll-out, has the ability to create a “one-time password.”
The interactive card addresses banking rules that require customers to use a small security device to log-in.

At number 9, When it comes to the launch of tech-related products, the Philippines isn’t usually the place you’d get it first.
But that’s just changed with the introduction of a service called Free Zone from Google.
The Internet giant says it is testing out a new service that allows users to access Gmail, Google Plus and Google search for free on their mobile phones. Google Free Zone does not require a data plan and will work on most Internet enabled mobile phones on the Globe network.
Currently, the Philippines is the only country in the world that has the service.

And at number 10, despite being hit by Superstorm Sandy, New York hosted major auctions in the past two weeks that saw impressive sales.
The BBC reports a painting by Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky sold for 23 million dollars, while one of Claude Monet’s famous water lily paintings sold for 43.7 million dollars.
Quoting Reuters, BBC says 30 percent of the 69 paintings up for auction failed to find buyers. Still, it was an impressive sale.
BBC says some experts warn the disparity between art values and the broader economic situation cannot continue.

Story 9: MOODMETER = INSPIRED TO FIGHT FOR THE DOLPHINS
A high school student inspires social media users for her principled stand against dolphins in captivity.
13-year-old Christel Erin Lejano, a second-year high school student of St. Scholastica’s College, wrote a letter of appeal asking her school to reconsider a field trip to a marine park where trained dolphins perform.
Christel became an advocate for dolphins after watching the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove.”
The documentary exposed the hunting and slaughtering of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan.
Moved by the film, Christel turns to social networks to spread awareness of the practice.
She says, “I was motivated to make a change. No matter what happens, I will be against dolphin captivity.”

– Rappler.com