Rappler Newscast | October 31, 2013

Story 1: MANILA A U.S. ‘LISTENING POST’ – REPORT
German news magazine Der Spiegel reports the US embassy in Manila is one of Washington’s “listening posts” in Asia, used to spy on communication networks and phone calls in the region.
A top-secret map leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden lists Manila as one of 90 surveillance facilities at embassies and consulates around the world.
Of the 90, at least 74 are listed as “staffed locations,” while at least 14 others are unmanned.
Two other facilities serve as technical support centers.
Aside from Manila, the map dated August 13, 2010 lists communications intelligence facilities in Jakarta, Beijing, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Yangon.
But the Sydney Morning Herald notes there are no such facilities in the US’s closest allies Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
Reacting to the reports, the Philippines on Thursday says embassies should follow the law.
Foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez says functions of embassies are governed by treaty obligations like the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
He adds, “We expect countries to be guided by the principles in this Convention and to respect the laws and procedures of the host country.”
If the allegations are true, Article 27 of the Vienna Convention will likely apply.
It says a receiving state shall –quote– “permit and protect free communication on the part of the mission for all official purposes.”
It adds a mission may –quote– “install and use a wireless transmitter only with the consent of the receiving State.”

Story 2: EUROPE PUSHES US ON SPYING AMID NEW REVELATIONS
Europe and Washington trade spying accusations, as envoys meet to seek ways to rebuild trust, following new reports about the scale of US surveillance of its allies.
A German delegation and European Union lawmakers are in the US capital demanding answers about the alleged bugging of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone.
The visit comes as new reports reveal allegations US agents hacked into cables used by Google and Yahoo.
US President Barack Obama’s spy chiefs are on the defensive over the reports, arguing all countries spy on one another.

Story 3: CRITICS TO AQUINO: ISSUE IS DAP LEGALITY
A day after President Benigno Aquino delivered a primetime address defending the government’s economic booster fund, critics ask: what triggered the speech?
The controversy on the pork barrel and the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP has been playing out in the media for at least 3 months.
Opposition United Nationalist Alliance secretary-general Toby Tiangco says he is –quote– “at a loss” why the President delivered the speech when Aquino’s government officials already explained the DAP at length.
Tiangco also alludes to an alleged internal survey that says Aquino’s rating is low, but Malacanang denies this.
Tiangco says, “Without knowing what triggered the explanation, we will not be able to analyze it in the proper context.”
Critics slam Aquino’s speech, saying the president missed the point.
Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno says the issue is DAP’s legality, not whether it was stolen or not.
Former national treasurer Leonor Briones adds, “We are a government of laws. This means that no matter how noble, the ends may not necessarily justify the means if they violate constitution.”
The president says DAP is constitutional, but Diokno says it was used to fund non-existing items in the General Appropriations Act under Aquino’s discretion.
Diokno says this makes DAP illegal.
Petitions questioning the constitutionality of the DAP are pending in the Supreme Court.

Story 4: ESTRADA, REVILLA: ANSWER DAP, WE’RE NOT MUDDLING ISSUE
The senator whose privilege speech triggered the controversy surrounding the DAP says he does not feel alluded to in the President’s address.
Sen Jinggoy Estrada says President Aquino cannot accuse him of distracting the public from the pork barrel scam because it was the administration that admitted releasing funds from the DAP.
Last month, Estrada accused the administration of giving P50 million each to senators who voted to convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Budget Secretary Butch Abad says the money came from DAP.
In a speech Wednesday, Aquino criticized “corrupt officials” implicated in the pork barrel scam and accused them of muddling the issue.
But Sen Bong Revilla takes exception to Aquino’s statement that those implicated never denied the charges against them.
In a statement, Revilla’s lawyer Joel Bodegon says Revilla has consistently denied stealing from public funds.
Estrada, Revilla, and Senate Minority Juan Ponce Enrile face a plunder complaint for alleged misuse of their pork barrel.

Story 5: HENARES ON PRESERVING NATIONAL HERITAGE
Heritage Conservation Society president Ivan Henares emphasizes the importance of preserving national heritage following mixed reactions over a controversial wakeskating video at the Banaue rice terraces.
Conservationists accused the video’s sponsors of exploiting the UNESCO World Heritage site.
For Henares, the problem is how the video was marketed.

IVAN HENARES, HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY PRESIDENT: What bothered me about the video was not the stunt itself but the fact that he called it a wakeskating paradise, it’s not a wakeskating paradise. Wakeskating after this stunt should not be a commercial activity, the rice terraces are primarily an agricultural part of our cultural heritage…We have to be careful about how we promote the rice terrace, yes it created a buzz about the rice terraces but is the buzz the right kind of buzz that we want to create?

Henares also addresses concerns about the lack of economic opportunities that force residents of traditional communities to find work in the city.

IVAN HENARES, HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY PRESIDENT: You have to actually offer opportunities within the framework of the rice terraces and its history. One of the opportunities would be a market for their rice, the rice has to be sold at a premium, that’s number 1, it’s a very healthy kind of rice, and it can be sold at a premium especially if you market it properly as a world heritage rice and it’s being done.

Commenting on the state of heritage conservation in the Philippines, Henares says it should be considered an investment instead of an expense.

CHAY HOFILEÑA: For a developing country, is heritage conservation a luxury?
IVAN HENARES, HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY PRESIDENT: I don’t think so, it’s an investment. And I always say this, heritage is not an expense. Please stop saying it’s magastos, it’s a waste of money, it’s an investment…Why do you think Vietnam and other countries, they’re fast overtaking us when it comes to tourism, they spend millions of dollars when it comes to restoration.

Story 6: GOV’T AGENCIES PREPARE FOR UNDAS WEEKEND
Several government agencies are in full force to ensure a peaceful observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day this weekend.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority deploys additional units to ease traffic, while the Philippine National Police is on alert to provide security in cemeteries and transport hubs.
On Thursday, President Aquino inspects transport terminals in Metro Manila and found the facilities “acceptable,” even as his Cabinet proposes more improvements.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tells local government units to prepare for efficient garbage collection and clean-up operations after the weekend.

Story 7: TYPHOON VINTA HITS CAGAYAN
Typhoon Vinta — international name Krosa — makes landfall over northern Cagayan Thursday afternoon.
State weather bureau Pagasa says the typhoon is located 110 km east southeast of Aparri, Cagayan.
Signal no. 3 is up over Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte.
Signal no. 2 is up over Batanes, Abra, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province and Isabela, while signal no. 1 is raised over La Union, Benguet, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora and Pangasinan.

Story 8: ‘SYRIA CHEMICAL ARMS PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT DESTROYED’
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons or OPCW says all of Syria’s chemical arms production equipment is destroyed.
Inspectors had until Friday to visit Syria’s chemical sites and destroy all production equipment, following a UN Security Council resolution.
The resolution requires Syria’s chemical arsenal completely destroyed by mid-2014.
OPCW says inspectors visited 21 of the 23 sites declared by Syria.
Two of the sites could not be visited for security reasons.

Story 9: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 3, Chinese police arrest 5 suspects over a –quote– “terrorist attack” in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
On Monday, 3 people died inside the car that crashed and burst into flames in Tiananmen square, the symbolic heart of the Chinese state.
Police say the car had a license plate identifying it as from the restive western region of Xinjiang.
They say the names of the three sounded like ones used by the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.

At number 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin beats US President Barack Obama to the title of the world’s most powerful leader in the Forbes list of 72 powerbrokers.
It’s the first time in 3 years that Obama has dropped to second place as US-Russia relations dipped to a new low.
China’s President Xi JinPing ranks No. 3, followed by Pope Francis at No. 4, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at No. 5.

And at number 10, Ark Nova, a plastic, balloon-like structure, is the world’s first portable, inflatable concert hall.
It seats an audience of up to 500 on rows of mounted wooden benches.
Conceptualized and designed for the victims of the 2011 tsunami in Japan, Ark Nova is the handiwork of Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and London sculptor Anish Kapoor.

Story 10: RED SOX BEAT CARDINALS TO WIN WORLD SERIES
The Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, to capture their 8th World Series title and first at Fenway Park since 1918.
Shane Victorino blasts a three-run double in the third inning and Stephen Drew clubs a solo homer in the fourth.
The Red Sox wins the best-of-seven series four games to two.