Rappler Newscast | June 7, 2013

Story 1: ROXAS: SERENDRA BLAST CAUSED BY LPG
Investigators conclude liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG caused the explosion at Two Serendra last May 31.
But DILG Secretary Mar Roxas does not say who is responsible for the deadly blast.
There’s another crucial issue in the investigation: was the LPG distributed to Serendra tenants odorless?
Natashya Gutierrez tells us why that gas odor could have saved lives.

MAR ROXAS, INTERIOR SECRETARY: The explosion was consistent with a gas explosion, most likely LPG.
One week after the deadly explosion in Two Serendra that killed 3 and injured 4, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas confirms the blast was caused by a gas leak.

The source? Liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, according to the inter-agency investigation.
Two Serendra, a posh enclave in Taguig City, uses a centralized piped-in gas system.
Bonifacio Gas Corporation supplies LPG to the building and other properties of Bonifacio Global City.
Prof CP David, a geoscientist, explains the team arrived at the conclusion the blast was consistent with a gas explosion because of 4 factors: There was minimal post explosion residue; no crater; an instantly dissipated flame; minimal charring; and a pressure wave.
But Roxas says they have yet to find out what ignited the explosion or where the leak came from.
He also does not say who is liable for the blast but says Angelito San Juan, who was renting apartment 501B, appears to have behaved normally.

MAR ROXAS, INTERIOR SECRETARY: I think right now all we’re prepared to say is it’s a gas explosion… negligence, incompetence, fraud, we’re not saying. Hindi pa nagsisimula ang turuan all we can say is it’s a gas explosion.

Dr. David adds, only a small amount of gas is needed to ignite a blast as powerful as the Serendra explosion.
He says 3 factors are needed: fuel, air and ignition.
A perfect mix of 3 spells the recipe for disaster.
He says something as simple as a light switch can cause the explosion.

CP DAVID, DOST GEOSCIENTIST: There is a specific mixture of my air and my flammable material… that is a perfect mix at which your material can explode and cause fire.

Gas leaks are usually detected because of a foul smell caused by an additive, mercaptan.
But a source tells Rappler the gas used by Serendra was odorless.
This, despite a statement on BGC’s website that it uses an odorant for safety.
If proven the gas was odorless, BGC may be liable for the deadly blast.
But with no one yet to blame, all eyes are on the gas supplier and how they will explain the leak turned nightmare.
Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler, Manila.

Story 2: GOV’T ASKS BONIFACIO GAS TO EXPLAIN SERENDRA BLAST
The government asks Bonifacio Gas Corp to explain last week’s explosion of a Serendra unit after Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said in a press briefing that a gas leak caused the blast.
Bonifacio Gas Corp is the exclusive supplier of piped-in gas in Global City.
Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla says the Interior Department wants the company to explain the possible reasons behind the blast.
Bonifacio Gas is a joint venture between Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp.
It operates an underground pipeline network that provides a centralized gas distribution system within Global City.

Story 3: BGC BOMB THREAT A HOAX, SAYS PNP
The Philippine National Police says a bomb threat at Bonifacio Global City buildings is a hoax.
Tenants from the Net One and Marajo buildings evacuated after a reported bomb threat.
NCRPO Regional Director Gen Leonardo Espina says police did not detect “any form of explosive material.”

GEN LEONARDO ESPINA, NCRPO REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Wala ho nakitang any form of explosive material…The caller or the call, or the presence, alleged, presence of explosive is a hoax.

The bomb threat comes two hours after Interior Secretary Mar Roxas discloses the results of an investigation into last week’s explosion also in BGC.
Investigators say the blast was caused by gas.

Story 4: AQUINO IN MYANMAR, TO MEET WITH SUU KYI
President Benigno Aquino arrives in Myanmar Friday morning to attend the World Economic Forum on East Asia 2013.
In his departure statement, Aquino says his trip aims to improve ties between the Philippines and Myanmar and highlights Manila’s economic growth.
Aquino says the Philippines’ role in the forum is meaningful because it will host the World Economic Forum on East Asia 2014.
He adds, “This is our chance to encourage leaders and businessmen not to waste this opportunity to join the progress of what is acknowledged as the ‘brightest spark’ of Southeast Asia…
none other than our beloved Philippines.”
Aquino also meets with Myanmar President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who earlier announced her plans of running for president.
After Aquino spoke at an event in Myanmar, a top Asian executive describes the president’s speech as “music to his ears.”
AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes praises Aquino’s special mention of tourism and infrastructure as key priorities.
These benefit the budget airline’s Philippine unit, which operates in Clark and Manila airports.
Fernandes tweets, “President of Philippines talks of no corruption of level  playing field. Of accountability. Music to my ears. Results can be seen.”

Story 5: VITUG VLOGS: PROUD TO BE FILIPINO
Rappler’s editor at large Marites Vitug says the Philippines’ move to bring the maritime dispute with China to a UN court gets international interest.
Here’s her video blog.

At the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, an important forum of defense ministers and military officers from various parts of the world, I felt proud to be a Filipino.
For a moment, I reveled in this feeling as the Philippine legal challenge to China over competing claims to the South China Sea became the subject of discussions.
The Philippines and China are signatories of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
But Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration.
Simply by bringing our case to an international tribunal, the Philippines stirred great interest among countries in the region.
Some of them have maritime disputes with China.
After the keynote speech of Vietnam prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, one of the questions asked was: did he agree with the Philippines?
He did not give a direct answer.
He just said Asean and China should come up with a code of conduct to guide behavior in the disputed sea.
The evasive response is understandable.
Officials do not want to offend Beijing.
During the Dialogue, the issue was raised a number of times, including with a ranking officer of the People’s Liberation Army of China.
His diplomatic answer was: China believes in a bilateral resolution of the dispute.
By invoking the rule of law, the Philippines has done something right.
And the world has noticed.
This is Marites Vitug for VitugVlogs.

Story 6: SENATE ADJOURNS, FAILS TO RATIFY EXTRADITION TREATIES
The 15th Congress closes with the Senate failing to ratify extradition treaties with India, the United Kingdom and Spain because it lacks a quorum.
The ratification of the 3 treaties was listed in the Senate agenda Thursday but the chamber failed to take up the resolutions.
Resigned Senate Majority Leader Tito Sotto says there were only 11 senators present in Thursday’s session.
Senate rules require two-thirds or 16 senators to approve a resolution to ratify the treaty.

Story 7: COURT GRANTS BAIL TO ARROYO’S CO-ACCUSED IN PLUNDER CASE
The Sandiganbayan grants the bail petitions of three Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office officials in the plunder case, accusing them of conspiring with former President Gloria Arroyo to convert P366 million operating funds into confidential intelligence funds.
The three are former PCSO chairman Sergio Valencia and former PCSO directors Manoling Morato and Raymundo Roquero.

Story 8: A CULION EDUCATION
In Culion Island in Palawan, educators face more than the usual set of problems. But officials are looking for other ways to bring out of school youth to the classrooms.
Jee Geronimo reports.

Jenevieve Cacacha teaches here at the Lumbercamp Elementary School.
It’s the lone elementary school on De Carabao Island off Culion, Palawan.
She smiles nervously at her students.
She’s a new teacher and it’s her first day.
A resident of Culion town, Jenevieve was sent to this island of the Tagbanua tribal group because there are no other willing teachers.
For now, she shares her classroom with another teacher.

JENEVIEVE CACACHA, TEACHER, LUMBERCAMP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Describing how difficult it is to teach with the noise.

Jenevieve and her co-teachers are actually a little better off.
In some places in Palawan, it’s 1 teacher teaching 3 classes simultaneously.
The lack of teachers, classrooms and textbooks is at the core the education problem in the Philippines.
The government says it’s building more classrooms and has achieved a one-to-35 teacher-student ratio.
But the challenges are more complex than that, especially in far-flung areas like Culion.
DepEd Regional Director Bettina Guinares says distance between islands is a major challenge.

BETTINA GUINARES, DEPED MIMAROPA REGIONAL DIRECTOR: We still lack qualified teachers…There are so many grade six  who are not able to go to school because there are no available schools nearby…travel is very expensive.

DepEd already began building more school rooms in the islands, but DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro wants more creative solutions.

BR ARMIN LUISTRO, DEPED SECRETARY: Do we come up with dormitories…Do we need bicycles, or boats, so that students and teachers have access to the schools? Or maybe we should come up with long distance wifi and technology…Come up with solar panels so that the distance can be navigated without physically going from point A to point B. But we have to start this year, because the students are there, and they are out of school, and we’ll have to do something quick.

In two weeks, Jenevieve will have a classroom all to herself, thanks to the four new buildings donated by La Salle alumni.
Unique problems, unique solutions.
DEPED and Palawan education officials are trying to think out of the box to beat problems posed by mountains and seas aside from the shortage in teachers, rooms and books.
Jee Geronimo, Rappler, Palawan.

Story 9: INQUIRER: SORRY FOR ‘OFFENSIVE’ PUGAD BABOY STRIP
The Philippine Daily Inquirer issues a public apology Thursday for the controversial Pugad Baboy comic strip by cartoonist Pol Medina Jr.
The comic strip, which appeared in the paper Tuesday, shows two characters talking about how hypocritical it is for Christians to denounce homosexuality when lesbians are tolerated in Catholic all-girls schools.
The comic strip named St Scholastica’s College as an example.
In a statement, Inquirer publisher Raul Pangalangan apologizes for Medina’s –quote– “offensive” cartoon.
He says the cartoon strip was rejected for insensitivity when it was submitted in April 2013 but was published because of a mix-up.

Story 10: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 2, the Washington Post reports US intelligence agencies access the servers of 9 Internet giants as part of a secret data mining program called PRISM.
The report says the National Security Agency and the FBI had direct access to servers allowing them to track an individual’s web presence via audio, video, photographs, emails and connection logs.
The newspaper cites details from a briefing on PRISM, intended for NSA analysts.
A number of web companies are reportedly involved in the program: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Apple, PalTalk, AOL, Skype and YouTube.
Some of the companies– including Apple and Google– deny sharing information with intelligence agencies.

At number 3, Turkey’s Prime Minister Rejep Tayyip Erdogan demands a –quote– “immediate end” to a week of violent protests nationwide against his rule.
He says, “I call for an immediate end to the demonstrations, which have lost their democratic credentials and turned into vandalism.”

At number 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila announce their divorce Thursday after 3 decades of marriage.
For years there are rumors about Putin’s marriage problems and alleged mistresses, but discussing his private life in mainstream Russian media was then considered taboo.
In a joint interview with Rossia-24 television, Putin says the divorce was a “joint decision.”

And at number 9, Microsoft says it teamed with the FBI to disrupt armies of hacked computers used to commit more than half a billion dollars in financial fraud around the world.
A strike planned with police and financial institutions disabled more than a thousand “botnets” used by a global cybercrime operation to steal people’s banking information and identities.
Botnets are networks of computers infected with viruses, allowing hackers to control them.
Microsoft and its allies target malicious software called Citadel, which monitors keystrokes on infected machines and sends account names and passwords.
Citadel ‘malware’ infected millions of computers in more than 90 countries.

Newscast production staff