Rappler Newscast | July 19, 2013

Today on Rappler.

• Kidnappers of the Bansil sisters demand 50 million pesos.
• Education, infrastructure, and local government get the lion’s share of the 2014 Philippine budget.
• Beatles star Paul McCartney writes President Aquino: Free Mali the elephant!

HEADLINES

Hello, I’m Ayee Macaraig sitting in for Maria Ressa.
Welcome to Rappler, your social news network.

Story 1: RANSOM DEMAND FOR BANSIL SISTERS: P50 MILLION
Here’s a Rappler exclusive…
Classified documents obtained and verified by Rappler show kidnappers of the sisters Nadjoua and Linda Bansil are demanding 50 million pesos or nearly 1.2 million US dollars in ransom.
Surveillance photographs seen by Rappler also show that among the kidnappers is a man using the alias “Damz”– he was one of the youngest kidnappers of journalist Ces Drilon.
The ransom demand is two-and-a-half times the demand for Drilon and her crew in 2008.
The sisters produce low-budget films on Filipino Muslim life and culture. Linda also wrote for Amnesty International in the Philippines.
Classified documents and interviews with sources familiar with the case show how the situation in Jolo spiraled into chaos.
It turns out a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf actually “extended protection” and guaranteed the safety of the sisters on their first night in Sinumaan town, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold.
They were abducted soon after they left the safety of the town.
The girls father, Abdulbassit Bansil, is a Muslim cleric, and a close associate of the two largest armed Muslim movements – the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
He married an Algerian-Moroccan, to whom the ransom demand was allegedly made.
Read more on the “Bansil sisters kidnapping: Spiral into chaos” by Maria Ressa.

Story 2: BIGGEST BUDGET: EDUCATION, INFRASTRUCTURE & LGUs
Three departments –education, infrastructure, and local government– will get the lion’s share of the 2014 budget.
Budget Secretary Butch Abad says the budget is –quote– “comprehensive and forward-looking”…
with a focus on the country’s “most urgent development requirement and long-term growth objectives.”
The Department of Education… gets 8.3 billion pesos or a 106% increase from 2013… for textbooks and science equipment…
and 44.6 billion pesos or a 77% increase from 2013… for the construction, repair, and maintenance of classrooms, school facilities, and chairs.
The Department of Public Works and Highways gets 33.4 billion pesos for flood control projects…
137.7 billion pesos for the construction and maintenance of national roads, bridges, and flyovers…and 14.2 billion pesos to fix roads in tourist spots.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government gets 135.4 billion pesos to improve service delivery and capacity expansion efforts for local government units…
and 1.55 billion pesos to help local governments develop roads and community buildings.
The proposed budget amounts to 2.268 trillion pesos…
13.06% or 262 billion pesos higher than this year’s budget allocation.
Other departments to get a big slice of the budget include…
National Defense at 123.1 billion pesos…
Health at 87.1 billion pesos, a 45.5% increase from last year…
and Agriculture at 80.7 billion pesos.
The final budget will be proposed to Congress on Tuesday, July 23rd, the day after the President’s 4th State of the Nation Address.

Story 3: DOJ WON’T TURN OVER WHISTLEBLOWER
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima says her department will prevent the arrest of Benhur Luy, the whistleblower in the ten-billion-peso or 230-million-dollar pork barrel scam.
A warrant of arrest has been issued against Luy for qualified theft.
A day after Luy was put under the justice department’s Witness Protection Program, De Lima says, “We will not turn him over.”
De Lima explains once the warrant of arrest is served on Luy, the WPP will file the appropriate motion in court asserting Luy is under its protective custody.
The Pasig Regional Trial Court issued the warrant after Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam, filed a case of qualified theft against him.
Napoles claims Luy stole 300,000 pesos from her and secured loans totaling 5.5 million pesos using her name without her authorization.
Napoles’ lawyer Alfredo Villamor says there’s “nothing hasty about the case and warrant.”
Napoles denies involvement in the supposed scam.

Story 4: HACIENDA LUISITA LAND DISTRIBUTION BEGINS
Three days before the President’s State of the Nation Address…
parcels of land are finally being turned over to farmers of Hacienda Luisita Thursday.
It’s been three decades since the agrarian reform law was passed.
The Department of Agrarian Reform distributes the first batch of lot allocation certificates at Barangay Cutcut in Tarlac.
Some 4,000 hectares of the 6,000-hectare sugar estate will be distributed to recipients.
The final list of farmer-beneficiaries number over 6,000, spanning 10 barangays.
In February, Agrarian Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes says the master list was finalized based on the Supreme Court’s directive…
only those working in the sugar plantation under Luisita Tarlac Development Corporation in 1989 could be considered beneficiaries.
Hacienda Luisita belongs to the family of President Aquino’s mother – the Cojuangco clan.
Since the Cory Aquino presidency, the Cojuangcos successfully dodged government efforts to place the estate under the agrarian reform program.
President Aquino divested his shares in 2010.

Story 5: 6 NEOPHYTE SENATORS FACE TOUGH CHALLENGES
Six neophyte senators will make their debut appearance in the Senate Monday…
amid intense rivalries and scam allegations hounding the Chamber.
Here’s a look at the challenges a new senator faces.

That was then…This is now.
Neophyte senators will attend their first Senate session when the 16th Congress opens on Monday.
Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Grace Poe and Cynthia Villar form one of the youngest batches…
to join a chamber traditionally made up of senior lawmakers.
How can they best contribute to a body crafting national policy?
Their introduction to actual Senate work will be committee hearings.
For incoming Senate President Frank Drilon, budget hearings are a must-attend for newbie senators to know the bureaucracy.
FRANKLIN DRILON, INCOMING SENATE PRESIDENT: There are only 24 of us. You cannot hide behind the numbers. You’re like in a fishbowl. The public will watch you so the best way is to prepare yourself and the best way to prepare yourself is to attend hearings of the Committee on Finance.
When bills get through committees, senators engage in floor debates.
Actor-turned-senator Jinggoy Estrada says this is where legal luminaries give rookies their baptism of fire.
JINGGOY ESTRADA, PHILIPPINE SENATOR: Once, Sen Miriam and Sen Enrile engaged me in a debate. I was sweating all over because they asked me questions which I really cannot understand, legal questions at that. But of course, I survived.
Former Sen Rene Saguisag says senators must understand that theirs is a 24/7 job.
RENE SAGUISAG, FORMER SENATOR: Itigil iyang mga teleserye. Pwede ba naman nagi-indio ka, andun si Lito eh ang bibigat ng problema. Kailangan basahin mo halimbawa Dan Brown’s Inferno. 461 pages. Kailangan pag-aralan mo, ano ba itong problema sa Sabah. Aba eh hindi mo pwedeng gawing hobby lang o sideline ang pagiging senador.
Despite criticisms of inexperience…
Saguisag says the neophytes might just surprise their detractors.
RENE SAGUISAG, FORMER SENATOR: Wag muna natin husgahan ang mga supposedly pinabili lang ng suka ay senador na. Nandiyan na iyan. If we cannot have what we like, we have to like what we have and we do that by praying and supporting.
With controversies like the pork barrel scam…
He says the challenge for the new Senate is to redeem the honor nationalists like Lorenzo Tañada, Jose Diokno, Jovito Salonga brought to the chamber.
AYEE MACARAIG: Old names, new faces. Six senators will soon officially join this chamber.
The home of statesmen of old…
It’s an institution that symbolizes not just power and the law…

Story 6: REROUTING SCHEME FOR COMMONWEALTH AVE 
Quezon City Police advise motorists passing through Commonwealth Avenue, a rerouting scheme will be in place for SONA day.
Commonwealth Avenue is the main thoroughfare leading to the Batasan Pambansa, the site of the State of the Nation Address of President Aquino.
At 12 midnight Monday, only the two leftmost lanes of Commonwealth Avenue northbound will be opened to motorists going to Fairview.
At 5 a.m., the northbound area between Ever Gotesco Mall and the Commission on Audit will be closed to motorists.
Four southbound lanes will be used for the counter flow plan.
At 6 a.m., Batasan Road which leads to the Batasan Pambansa will be declared one-way traffic.
President Aquino will deliver his SONA at 4 p.m.
Watch it live here on Rappler.

Story 7: NO PROVINCIAL BUSES, AUVS IN EDSA SOON
The plan to ban provincial buses and Asian Utility Vehicles from plying the congested roads in Metro Manila including Edsa, may soon be a reality.
On Thursday, President Aquino signs Administrative Order No. 40 establishing transport terminals north and south of Metro Manila.
Once implemented, provincial buses will only be allowed to go as far as their designated terminals when entering Metro Manila.
The order covers loading and unloading of passengers, and the transfer of passengers to buses and AUVs operating in the capital.
The terminals are temporary until the planned integrated transport systems or ITS project is fully operational by 2016.
Previously targeted for 2015, the project provides a north terminal, south terminal, and southwest terminal for vehicles coming from north or south of the capital.
The ITS project is a priority for the government amid heavy traffic.
Data from the Metro Manila Development Authority show…
of the total 13,000 buses clogging Metro Manila roads each day, 60% are from the provinces.

Story 8: CAAP: AIRLINES OK WITH 45-MIN GROUND TIME
A Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines official says airlines will comply with a plan to increase turnaround time for domestic flights to enhance safety.
CAAP officials plan an industry-wide increase in turnaround time to 45 minutes.
Turnaround time is the time between plane take-offs and landings.
CAAP wants to increase turnaround time at airports to ensure safety following two landing mishaps involving Cebu Pacific planes in June.
CAAP deputy director general John Andrews says the extended turnaround time will be implemented by October 1st, after the airlines submit their winter flight schedules.
Cebu Pacific and other low-cost carriers observe the world standard of only 25 minutes turnaround time.
Low turnaround time allows budget airlines to offer low fares.
Philippines AirAsia CEO Maan Hontiveros says extending the turnaround time increases costs for carriers and may affect fares.

Story 9: BAYAN: EFFIGIES AREN’T OBSOLETE 
Leftist groups are gearing up for the President’s SONA.
Most of the messaging will be the same as in past years expressed in slogans, streamers and placards– including burning an effigy.
But what does the effigy stand for?
David Lozada reports.

Most artists want their work preserved. Cris De Leon wants his masterpiece burned.
He is making an effigy of President Benigno Aquino III for the protests on the State of the Nation Address.
Cris has been making effigies for the past three administrations. He says it’s different every year.
CRIS DE LEON, ARTIST: Before, we would show that Noynoy is inutile and that his term is rotten. Now, it’s even worse. He’s not only inept, but he has brought down the livelihood of the people.(Kung yung dati, ipinapakita natin na nahahalata na yung pagiging inutil ni Noynoy at yung kabulukan ng termino niya, ngayon mas masahol pa. Hindi lang siya inutil kundi kusa pa niyang ibinababa ang kabuhayan ng mga mamayan.)
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Nato Reyes says effigies are a symbol of the people’s voice.
The left has been burning effigies for decades in countless protests.
But he insists it’s not an obsolete form of protesting.
NATO REYES, BAYAN SECRETARY GENERAL: Well, it’s still effective in a sense that a lot of people talk about it. People wait for the visual representation of the protest. Lively discussions and debates also stem from the perceived symbolisms of the effigies.(Well, effective siya in a sense na pinag-uusapan palagi, inaabangan kung ano ba yung visual representation at nagkakaroon ng masiglang talakayan kaugnay ng simbolismo na pinaparating nitong mga effigy.)
As in previous years, it will be a game of cat and mouse between the riot squad and protesters.
They not allowed to hold their rally in the place of their choice.
DAVID LOZADA: Different groups applied for permits to protest near the Batasan complex for the SONA but the Quezon city government denied their requests. The city officials say the rallyists endanger public safety.
Quezon City Public Order and Safety Chief Elmo San Diego says the police will strictly enforce order on the day of the President’s address.
ELMO SAN DIEGO, CHIEF, QC PUBLIC ORDER & SAFETY: They will have to deal with our security forces. They’ll be prevented from protesting along Commonwealth avenue. They have no permits.(They have to deal with the security forces natin. They’ll be prevented from doing their thing there. Wala na silang permit eh.)
As for Cris, he looks forward to hearing what the President has to say.
More than that, he looks forward to burning the effigy – a way to show his disappointment in the Aquino administration.
David Lozada, Rappler, Quezon City.

Story 10: SONA AS A FASHION EVENT
As the President polishes his speech, stylists and designers are rushing to finish ternos and gowns for Monday’s who’s who.
Pia Ranada reports on the fashion statement legislators will make on SONA day.

Dazzling ternos and dashing barongs worn by government officials and their spouses make the State of the Nation Address a giant fashion event.
RANDY ORTIZ, FASHION DESIGNER: We’ve turned SONA into another Oscar Awards, you know its our own version. SONA is more much awaited compared to these other award-giving bodies and red carpet events.
Designer Randy Ortiz designed some of the gowns to be worn by lady officials on SONA Day.
Among them senator Nancy Binay,
congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez
and Tootsie Angara, wife of senator Sonny Angara.
Ortiz is known for his terno, the traditional formal-wear for Filipinas.
ORTIZ: For politicians, I always start with a very minimalist concept. It’s going to be Nancy Binay’s first walk on the red carpet and I really feel that she has to wear something very simple. Maybe just a little touch of embroidery. A color that would match her skin. Even the kind of accessories she would be wearing.
A Randy Ortiz terno costs a minimum of 25,000 pesos.
Lace, tulle and piña are just some of the fabrics he uses.
Ortiz can’t wait to see the designs on this year’s red carpet.
ORTIZ: The women senators like Loren, Pia Cayetano…What’s good about our new batch of youngbloods is they try to experiment already.
Others would wear it using printed fabrics or ethnic fabrics.
Others would wear it with pants too.
Some women would wear barongs as tunics.
But whatever way you wear it, the terno must be worn with pride.
ORTIZ: It shows a lot of our dignity and our sense of belonging into a country that we should be proud of. You wear it because you’re proud to be Filipino. Pia Ranada, Rappler, Manila.

Story 100: MCCARTNEY WRITES AQUINO: FREE MALI
Mali, the elephant in the middle of a controversy, gains a new sympathizer, Sir Paul McCartney, the former Beatle member and music legend.
Animal activists are campaigning to move Mali out of the Manila Zoo.
International vets hired by animal rights group PETA say the concrete floor of the elephant’s enclosure is bad for her arthritis and could be fatal.
They also criticize the animal’s long isolation from other elephants.
In a letter, McCartney urges President Aquino to expedite Mali’s transfer to Thailand.
McCartney says, “I am writing to add my voice to the many others who are supporting the transfer of Mali…
to a sanctuary in Thailand as soon as possible.”
He adds, “With the stroke of a pen, you can bring an end to her suffering…
and I urge you, with all my heart, to direct that Mali be given that joy now.”
Malacañang has yet to confirm if the President received the letter.

Story 110: The wRap
Let’s now look at Rappler’s “wRap” for today…
a list of the ten most important events around the world you shouldn’t miss.

At number 8, at least 63 companies, investors, non-profit organizations, and trade groups are set to publicly demand greater transparency in US government surveillance.
AllThingsD reports the coalition wants US President Barack Obama and the US Congress…
to let Internet, telephone, and Internet-based service providers be more specific in reporting national security-related requests for information. The coalition members include AOL, Apple, Digg, Dropbox, Facebook and Google.

At number 9, just a few hours after tickets to the Nike Philippines event featuring NBA superstar LeBron James were distributed for free, scalpers begin selling the tickets online.
A quick search on popular classified ads website sulit.com.ph reveals tickets to the #WitnessHistory event are being sold from one thousand to ten thousand pesos.
Netizens took to Twitter to criticize the online sale of the tickets.
The NBA hotshot is visiting this basketball-hungry country on Tuesday, July 23.

And at number 10, the Netflix political drama “House of Cards” makes TV history, becoming the first online-only series to be nominated for a major Emmy award.
“House of Cards,” starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as a shrewd US congressman, breaks fresh Emmy ground, scoring 9 nominations including best drama and, for Spacey, best actor in a drama.
“House of Cards” was made exclusively for Netflix, the online movie streaming website, which put all 13 episodes online.
This year’s Emmys come at a time of radical change in the TV industry, with more viewers “cutting the cable” and watching their favorite shows via the Internet on cellphones and tablets.

– Rappler.com

Newscast production staff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / WRITER	Lilibeth Frondoso
DIRECTOR	Rupert Ambil
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER / PUBLISHER	Rodneil Quiteles
	Dindin Reyes
HEAD WRITER / PROMPTER	Katerina Francisco
MASTER EDITOR / PLAYBACK	Vicente Roxas
	Exxon Ruebe
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / CAMERAMAN	Charlie Salazar
	Adrian Portugal
	Francis Lopez
	Naoki Mengua
GRAPHICS	Jessica Lazaro
	Matthew Hebrona