Rappler Newscast | September 20, 2013

Story 1: HOW THE MALAMPAYA FUND WAS PLUNDERED
P900 million in proceeds from the Malampaya Fund is the single biggest contract cornered by alleged pork barrel queen Janet Napoles since she began channeling government funds to her fake non-governmental organizations.
The Malampaya Fund consists of royalties collected from operations of the Malampaya gas and oil fields in waters off Palawan province.
In less than 3 months, the money went to Napoles NGOs and bank accounts.
Involved in the Malampaya issue are former Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and two other officials, Narciso Nieto and Teresita Panlilio.
Rappler spoke with at least 6 sources who knew about the issue.
In 2009, then President Gloria Arroyo issued an executive order allowing government to tap the Malampaya Fund for rehabilitation after a series of typhoons battered the country.
Former Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya tells Rappler a series of Cabinet meetings was held to discuss the implementation of that order.
In one of those meetings, Pangandaman asked for more than P1 billion supposedly to help affected farmers.
But Andaya rejected the amount because other agencies also requested money from the Malampaya Fund.
In the end, officials agreed that DAR would get P900 million.
While the budget department was processing the amount, Napoles’ staff used documents with forged signatures of local government officials to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with DAR.
Under the MOA, DAR would transfer the funds to LGUs requesting for them.
These LGUs would identify an NGO as “fund conduit” for the implementation of projects.
Between November 12 and 17, 2009, MOAs were signed with 12 NGOs and 97 LGUs.
Of the 12 NGOs, 10 were supposedly linked to Napoles.
Andaya says DAR entering into agreements with NGOs was questionable since the projects should have undergone bidding.

Story 2: MARATHON HEARINGS NEXT WEEK ON NAPOLES BAIL PLEA
A court schedules marathon hearings related to a motion for bail filed by Janet Napoles on September 27.
On Friday, Napoles’ counsel Lorna Kapunan asks the court to hear and resolve the bail plea by next week or else the defense will “insist on her release.”
Napoles is detained in Fort Santo Domingo in Laguna for a serious illegal detention case.
During the Friday hearing, the prosecution says it will present at least 8 witnesses to prove Napoles’ guilt.
But prosecutors say they will be ready for marathon hearings only by October 7.
Kapunan says the prosecution should have been ready as early as September 9, the original date for Napoles’ arraignment.
In their motion, Napoles’ lawyers also argue the serious illegal detention case is politically motivated because of the pork barrel scam.
Napoles will be arraigned on Monday.

Story 3: DAY 12: WHEN WILL ZAMBOANGA CITY CRISIS END?
On the 12th day, the crisis in Zamboanga is contained, but not over.
Carmela Fonbuena reports.

It’s Day 12 of the Zamboanga City Crisis, and everyone’s asking: When will crisis end?
40 MNLF fighters are standing their ground on the boundary of barangay Catalina and barangay Sta Barbara.
Two civilians were caught in the latest gunfire. Both are wounded.
Government troops vow to hunt down MNLF commander Habier Malik but he continues to evade arrest.
The rebels are still holding 20-50 hostages.

RAMON ZAGALA, AFP SPOKESMAN: Humihingi kami ng paumanhin sa lahat. Ang pace ng paglusong ay deliberate. Nag-iingat tayo. Sana maintindihan ng lahat hindi ito pwedeng madalian lalo na kung may civilian. Dadating ang panahon na magkakaroon tayo ng decisive action. Malapit na. (We ask for everyone’s patience. The pace of the operation is deliberate. We’re being cautious. We hope everyone understands we cannot rush this because there are civilians involved. We will come to the point where we can make a decisive action. It won’t take long.)

The biggest question of all: How come the rebels are not running out of bullets?

RAMON ZAGALA, AFP SPOKESMAN: Itong MNLF-Misuari … defensive action. Konti ang ginagamit na bala. Mas madami tayo ginagamit. We need a lot of ammunition to push them back. (The MNLF-Misuari is in defensive action. They are using less ammunition. We use more.)

Outside the battle zone, things are slowly going back to normal. If there’s something that can prove it best, it’s the traffic.

MAR ROXAS, INTERIOR SECRETARY: Traffic jam.. isang hudyat na bumabalik sa normalidad…Kahapon two flights ngayon, more. Maaaring magsimula na din Zamboanga-Cebu route. (The traffic jam is one sign that things are going back to normal. In Airlines, there were only 2 flights yesterday. Today there are more. The Zamboanga-Cebu route may resume today as well.)

Out of the estimated 200 rebels that attacked Zambaonga City on September 9, 92 were killed. 72 were arrested and 39 have surrendered.

FELIPE ROJAS JR., PNP DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS: It’s a good sign. Discouraged na sila. They are surrendering. Hopeful tayo na soon matatapos ito. (They are discouraged. We’re hoping this will end soon.)

Will the rebels go to jail?

FELIPE ROJAS JR., PNP DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS: Sumasailalim sila sa proseso CIDG at pagkuha ng sinumpaang salaysay. Lahat ito papasok sa inquest proceeding. File-an kaso ayon sa prosecutor ng DOJ. ([The rebels] are being processed by the CIDG and they are giving their sworn statements. They will all undergo inquest proceeding. The DOJ prosecutor says cases will be filed.) General charge is rebellion. Nakapaloob na doon ang murder, arson, violation of international humanitarian law. (General charge is rebellion which already includes murder, arson, and violation of international humanitarian law.)

The problem is the Hall of Justice is located inside the battle zone. The city officials say they are looking for a temporary office so they can convene and charges can be filed already.
Ever resilient, Zamboanga City springs back to life.
But it’s not over until it’s over.
At sundown, an explosion occurs in a bus terminal located outside the battle zone.
Carmela Fonbuena, Rappler, Zamboanga City.

Story 4: 11-DAY GPH-MILF TALKS: NO DEAL ON POWER-SHARING, ARMS
The 11-day talks between the government and rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF end without a deal on power-sharing and normalization.
The peace panels of both sides had hoped all pending issues will be resolved in the 40th round of talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But proposed changes to the annex – both from the government and the MILF – extended discussions.
The negotiations are now down to what is considered the “heart” of the talks – power-sharing – and what negotiators call the “most sensitive and emotional” aspect – normalization, which includes decommissioning of arms.
MILF chair Mohagher Iqbal says they could not finish because of the amount of issues that still need to be resolved.

MOHAGHER IQBAL, MILF CHAIR: The only document that we signed was the joint statement…One of the most important things that happened was we were able to understand each other’s perspectives. Hopefully by the next round of talks, it would be quite easier for both parties to finally settle all the issues.

It’s been almost a year since the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed.
The government and the MILF envision the transition from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the Bangsamoro political entity to be completed by 2016.

Story 5: ARREST WARRANTS OUT VS COPS IN ATIMONAN SHOOTING
A Quezon regional trial court issues arrest warrants against the 13 cops charged with multiple murder and 2 others charged with obstruction of justice in the Atimonan incident.
On January 6, 13 suspected members of a robbery gang were killed in what police then said was a shootout with members of the police and the military.
The National Bureau of Investigation or NBI later concluded the police and soldiers planned to kill the suspects.
The justice department says the checkpoint in Atimonan — manned by Superintendent Hansel Marantan — was intended to kill alleged gang leader Vic Siman and company.
But the department clears former Calabarzon director Chief Superintendent James Melad and 11 soldiers, citing insufficient evidence.

Story 6: SIGNAL NO. 4 OVER BATANES AS ODETTE GAINS STRENGTH
Typhoon Odette — international name Usagi — gains strength as it accelerates towards Northern Luzon.
Public storm warning signal number 4 is raised over Batanes.
Signal number 3 is up over Calayan Group of Islands and Babuyan Group of Islands, while Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte are under signal number 2.
Signal number 1 is up over Abra, Kalinga, Isabela, Northern Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, and Ifugao.
Super Typhoon Usagi is one of the strongest typhoons in the west Pacific region this year.
On Friday, it moves towards Hong Kong and southern China, prompting warnings of fierce winds and torrential rains.

Story 7: ARMY: QAEDA YEMEN ATTACKS KILL 56 POLICE, TROOPS
At least 56 policemen and soldiers are killed in southern Yemen in simultaneous attacks attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or AQAP.
Military sources say one AQAP assault targeted a special forces camp in Shabwa province, killing eight policemen, while gunmen attack two army posts, killing at least 32 soldiers.
Yemeni authorities accuse Al-Qaeda of launching deadly attacks on the army and police in the south and east, where the radical Islamist network is active.

Story 8: POPE URGES MORE UNDERSTANDING FOR HOMOSEXUALITY AND DIVORCE
Pope Francis urges “mercy” for homosexuals, divorced people and women who have abortion as he calls for greater understanding over practices the Church opposes.
The pope says the Church’s official position has not changed, but adds it should –quote– “always keep in mind the individual.”
In an interview with an Italian Jesuit journal, Pope Francis adds, “We must find a new balance, otherwise the Church’s whole moral edifice risks collapsing like a house of cards.”
The first ever Jesuit pope has shown a strong reformist drive in his first few months in office.
On Monday, he calls for –quote– “another way” of treating divorcees who remarry.
In July, he said it was not his place to judge homosexuals.

Story 9: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 6, Banking giant JPMorgan Chase agrees to pay $920 million to settle securities law violations with US and British government agencies related to the “London whale” trading case.
The settlement includes an admission by JPMorgan that it violated US securities laws.
The violations come from the misstatement of financial results and poor internal controls over employees responsible for some $6.2 billion in trading losses last year.

At number 7, Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company has no intention of competing in the “junk” segment of the electronics market.
As Apple begins selling its two new iPhone models, Cook says he is unfazed by the company’s eroding share of the smartphone market.
In an interview, he says, “There’s always a large junk part of the market. We’re not in the junk business.”
The comments come as Apple faces criticism for maintaining a high price for its iPhone 5C, seen as a phone targeted for budget-conscious consumers.

At number 8, Efforts to find life on Mars suffer a setback after NASA’s Curiosity rover detected only trace amounts of methane gas in the Red Planet’s atmosphere.
In the past decade, scientists said a cloud near the Martian equator contained some 19,000 tons of methane, considered a key indicator of microbial life.
But analysis of data from Curiosity’s onboard instruments shows the maximum level of methane was about 6 times lower than previous estimates.
But NASA’s lead scientist for the Mars exploration did not definitively rule out the possibility of finding life in the planet’s soil.

And at number 9, The man who transformed Nintendo into a global byword for video games dies Thursday from pneumonia.
Hiroshi Yamauchi was 22 when he took over the family business.
He went on to head the firm for over half a century.
In 1983, Nintendo released a games console called the “Family Computer”, which laid the foundations for the modern video-game industry.
The company’s success skyrocketed on the back of the Super Mario series and the popular Game Boy handheld console.
Yamauchi’s death comes at a time of uncertainty for the company, which faces competition from smartphone games.

Story 10: RAPPLER SIGNS MOA WITH WEATHER PH, PROJECT NOAH
Rappler formalizes its links with Weather Philippines and Project NOAH, to further strengthen its weather and disaster news coverage.
KD Suarez reports.

Better, more accurate weather and disaster news for the public.
This is the aim of Rappler’s new partnerships with Weather Philippines Foundation, and the DOST Project NOAH.
Mirrored by Rappler for several months now, NOAH will make its weather, dam and river levels, and geohazard data available to Rappler.

MAHAR LAGMAY, DIRECTOR, DOST-PROJECT NOAH: We welcome this agreement with Rappler, because we know that media can help a lot in disseminating crucial, vital and understandable information. Information that all of the people need in the far-flung areas and even in the cities in order for us to save ourselves.

Weather Philippines will provide real-time weather information.

SUSAN VALDEZ, PRESIDENT, WEATHER PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION: We join with Rappler and Project NOAH in really doing disaster preparedness for the country, and that’s what we really need.

Rappler will use data to give more accurate, timely information on weather, typhoons, and floods.

MARIA RESSA, CEO AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, RAPPLER: We at Rappler think nothing great can ever be achieved alone. And there’s fantastic work that’s already being done…That’s the main goal: We need to do this together.

The partnerships also aim to help Filipinos learn, prepare, and deal with disasters.
These will be on top of weather forecasts currently provided by weather-manila.com, developed by U.P. professor Gerry Bagtasa.
News and data from the 3 groups will soon be available on rappler.com/weather.
KD Suarez, Rappler, Manila.

Story 11: #2030NOW PH+SOCIALGOOD
Creating solutions for problems using technology and social media – this is the premise of the Social Good Summit, an annual global event that brings together movers and shakers to come up with innovative ideas.
For this year’s Social Good Summit, we ask: What concrete action steps are possible now to ensure a better future by the year 2030?
The Philippines is a disaster-prone country, with thousands of lives and millions of pesos worth of infrastructure lost every year.
PH+SocialGood: The Manila Social Good Summit 2013 signals a long-term approach to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the Philippines.
The summit will be held Saturday, September 21 from 9am to 5pm at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.
You can also watch the livestream on Rappler’s frontpage and on PlusSocialGood.com.
You can follow along on our live blog or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #2030NOW.