Rappler Newscast | March 26, 2013

Today on Rappler.

• Team PNoy senatorial candidate Chiz Escudero loses the number 2 slot in the latest SWS survey.
• North Korea orders its troops to prepare for strikes against the United States mainland, Hawaii and Guam.
• The United States Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments on same-sex marriage.

Story 1: CHIZ BIGGEST LOSER IN LATEST SWS POLL
Team PNoy senatorial candidate Chiz Escudero is the biggest loser in the latest Social Weather Stations Survey.
The survey was conducted March 15 to 17, days before the parents of his girlfriend, Heart Evangelista, held a press conference denouncing the senator.
Escudero drops 14 points down to rank 3-4 from rank 2 in February.
He is now tied with San Juan Rep JV Ejercito of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, who jumps from his previous rank of 9-10 in February.
Team PNoy bet Grace Poe also had a large decline in her survey numbers.
Poe falls 6 places to rank 11 from her February rank of 5-6.
Former Sen Jun Magsaysay climbs to rank 13-14 from his previous rank of 16 in February.
SWS says the race is still too close to call, with 6 Team PNoy bets and two UNA candidates in statistical positions to take the top 8 slots.
Still leading the survey is Team PNoy bet Sen Loren Legarda, with Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano ranking second.
Tied at 5th-7th are UNA’s Nancy Binay, Team PNoy’s Cynthia Villar and Sen Koko Pimentel.
Rounding up the top 12 are Sonny Trillanes at rank 8, Gringo Honasan at rank 9, Bam Aquino at rank 10, Grace Poe at rank 11, and Sonny Angara at rank 12.
UNA’s resigned Sen Migz Zubiri falls out of the top 12 for the first time, ranking 15th from rank 11-12 in February.

Story 2: TEAM PNOY ELATED, UNA NO COMMENT ON SWS SURVEY
Team PNoy welcomes the results of the latest SWS survey, saying it shows the group’s growing pull since the campaign period began.
In a statement, Team PNoy spokesperson Miro Quimbo says, “[The survey] validates that our message-oriented campaign is getting better headway than the old, personality-oriented and negative-attack campaign of UNA.”
But Quimbo warns against reports UNA will –quote– “unleash negative campaigns,” citing UNA’s criticism of Bam Aquino after his survey numbers rose.
UNA campaign manager Toby Tiangco tells Rappler the alliance will not comment on the survey results until SWS responds to its demand to disclose who subscribed to and commissioned its surveys.
UNA has not subscribed to the SWS polls since January.
UNA stalwarts Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada earlier questioned the SWS February survey that showed only 3 UNA bets in the top 12.

Story 3: NORTH KOREA THREATENS GUAM, HAWAII, US MAINLAND
North Korea puts its rocket units on combat ready status Tuesday, with orders to prepare for strikes against the continental United States, Hawaii and Guam.
A statement from the Korean People’s Army supreme command says all units should be prepared to attack “all US military bases in the Asia-Pacific region, including the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam,” as well as South Korea.
Despite its successful rocket launch in December, most experts believe North Korea is years from developing a missile that could strike the US.
Hawaii and Guam would also be outside the range of its medium-range missiles but would be capable of striking US military bases in South Korea and Japan.
The announcement comes days after the South Korea and US signed a pact for joint military response to provocative action by North Korea.

Story 4: PH BANS POULTRY FROM NETHERLANDS, ITALY
The agriculture department bans poultry and poultry products from the Netherlands and Italy after an outbreak of avian influenza in these countries.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala says the ban aims to protect the Philippine poultry industry.
Avian influenza is a viral disease affecting several species of birds.
Low pathogenic avian influenza causes mild disease, while the highly pathogenic virus may result in high mortality rates.

Story 5: FIGHT FOR GAY MARRIAGE GOES TO US SUPREME COURT
The hearing of oral arguments for same-sex marriages begins in the US Supreme Court.
Over two days, lawyers from both sides of the debate will present their positions on two cases before the nine-member panel.
The top court will hear arguments over Proposition 8, a California referendum measure that struck down that state’s same-sex marriage initiative in 2008.
On Wednesday, the court will consider the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law which defines marriage as an act between a man and woman, and denies married gays and lesbians the same rights and privileges.
Color-coded protesters — red for supporters of gay marriage and red, white and blue for opponents — rally outside the Supreme Court.
The opposition remains strong, with many saying marriage can only be a union between a man and a woman.
But opinion polls repeatedly indicate a majority of Americans accept same-sex marriage.
It is legal in nine states plus the District of Columbia, but banned or limited in 41 others.
President Barack Obama gives his support on Twitter, saying, “Every American should be able to marry the person they love.”

Story 6: NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS CALIFORNIA TSUNAMI RISK
A US Geological Survey study says more than a quarter of a million Californians live in coastal areas which could be hit by devastating floods from a major tsunami in the quake-prone US state.
The study says tidal waves of eight meters or more could hit northern California after a quake of magnitude 8 or more from a well-known fault line, the Cascadia Subduction Zone or CSZ, which runs more than 620 miles from northern California to Canada’s Vancouver Island.
The CSZ created tsunamis at least seven times in the past 3,500 years.

Story 7: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 7, The central bank of Cyprus says it will keep banks shut until March 28 after world markets drop at the implications of the 10-billion-euro bailout deal the government struck with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.
Previously, the Central Bank said all Cyprus banks except for its two biggest lenders would reopen after a 10-day lockdown for fear of a run on deposits.

At number 8, for the first time, the opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will represent Syria in the Arab League’s two-day summit in Doha.
The Qatari hosts, the most vocal supporters of the revolt against al-Assad, win the promotion of Syria’s opposition National Coalition to fill the country’s spot.
The seat has been empty since the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011 after Damascus rejected a proposal to end the violence.
Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon express reservations about the decision to hand the seat to the opposition.

And at number 10, the US Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly considering lifting the restriction on the use of e-readers in airplanes.
The New York Times says the FAA is “under tremendous pressure to let people use reading devices on planes, or to provide solid scientific evidence why they cannot.”
The agency now allows iPads as flight manuals in the cockpit.
Flight attendants also use devices with information on flight procedures.

Story 8: TIGER WOODS IS WORLD NUMBER 1 AGAIN
Tiger Woods reclaims the world number one spot for the first time since his career was derailed by a sex scandal and a string of injuries.
Woods’ victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational pushes him over Rory McIlroy to the top of the world rankings.
It is the latest milestone of his comeback from a spectacular fall from personal and professional grace.
Woods says -quote, “It is a by-product of hard work and patience.”
The world famous golfer has not led the rankings for nearly three years.
Injuries and a scandal saw him stumble.
Woods fell to his lowest rank on November 11, 2011 when he dropped to 58th in the world.

Story 9: RAPPLER, DEPED TEAM UP AGAIN FOR PALARO 2013
For the second straight year, the Department of Education names Rappler its official social media partner for the 2013 Palarong Pambansa set this April in Negros Oriental.
Rappler signs the memorandum of agreement with Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro.

ARMIN LUISTRO, EDUCATION SECRETARY: We thought this was a way of institutionalizing this perspective of what we’re really trying to do in Palaro. I’ve seen how Rappler brings in the news. How incisive, intelligent and how it engages people. I think people are kind of tired also of the usual and this is a way of bringing in a new perspective to athletics, the student athletes, as well as hopefully a national sports development program.

MARIA RESSA, RAPPLER CEO: It encapsulates what the future will be. The thrill of victory, tragedy of defeat. These things are thrown around outside but in the end when it’s with the kids it has a whole new other raw emotion.

As DepEd’s online media partner, Rappler will feature a special section on the site, containing blogs, video, photos and articles.

– Rappler.com 

Newscast production staff