Rappler Newscast | February 10, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• A survey shows most Filipinos support the government’s case against China over the disputed South China Sea.
• Sen Enrile admits meeting with pork barrel conduit Ruby Tuason, but denies receiving kickbacks.
• A poll shows Catholics approve of Pope Francis, but not church teachings.

Story 1: SWS: MOST FILIPINOS BACK GOV’T ON SPRATLYS
A survey shows most Filipinos support the unprecedented case filed by the Philippines against China over disputed territories in the South China Sea, or what the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea.
In the December 2013 Social Weather Stations survey, 73% of respondents are aware of the dispute between the two countries over the Spratly Islands.
82% of Filipinos agree with bringing the dispute to international arbitration through the United Nations.
An overwhelming 93% of respondents say the Philippines should defend its territory and natural resources through lawful means.
Trust in China has been negative since 2012, when tensions escalated after aggressive moves by Beijing.
China uses its 9-dash line to claim the entire South China Sea, overlapping areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Foreign affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez says the “overwhelming support” for the arbitration case proves –quote– “taking a principled stance, one that is based on respecting the rule of law and pursuing peaceful settlement of disputes, strongly resonates with the Filipino people.”

Story 2: ENRILE: PROPERTY, NOT PORK, DISCUSSED WITH TUASON
Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile admits meeting with pork barrel conduit Ruby Tuason over lunch, but denies it was to receive kickbacks from her in the pork barrel scam.
Whistleblowers say Tuason was the conduit for lawmakers who supposedly funneled their pork barrel funds to the fake NGOs of alleged mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.
After leaving the country in August, Tuason returned Friday and turned state witness, corroborating statements that Enrile and Sen Jinggoy Estrada received kickbacks from the scam.
In her affidavit, Tuason says she personally delivered cash to Enrile’s former chief of staff Gigi Reyes.
Tuason says they met in restaurants in Taguig and Makati, and Enrile would sometimes join them when they were “almost done” with the transaction.
But on Monday, Enrile says he only met with Tuason sometime between 2006 and 2007 for a property transaction.

JUAN PONCE ENRILE, SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The only time I met her [was] in Mamou restaurant, a very crowded restaurant and it was not to discuss PDAF (pork barrel) or to receive a bribe but I was discussing with her a prospective property transaction, and that was about it. In fact, I was the one to arrange that lunch.

Enrile also says he was not worried that his former chief of staff will surface and implicate him.
Reyes left the Philippines for Macau in August 2013, after the scam broke out.

JUAN PONCE ENRILE, SENATE MINORITY LEADER: What will she say? I have faith in her honesty and integrity because she has been working for me for almost 25 years, and there has never been any occasion that she violated that degree of rectitude expected from a public servant.

Story 3: ‘I AM NOT GUILTY’ – JINGGOY
Sen Jinggoy Estrada asks the Senate to release CCTV footage of Ruby Tuason’s visits to the chamber to dismiss her claims that she personally delivered bags of cash to Estrada at the Senate in the pork barrel scam.
Estrada makes the request 3 days after Tuason admitted to being a bagman for lawmakers in the scam.
Senate President Frank Drilon grants the request, but says it will take time to look for the video because Estrada could not give dates.
Estrada says he does not remember the last time Tuason came to his office.
He adds, “[I want] to just clear the coast because I am not guilty.”
Estrada admits being close to the woman he calls “Tita Ruby,” a former social secretary of his father.
But he says he never authorized Tuason to deal with his pork barrel.

Story 4: PALACE: OMB, NOT BINAY, DECIDES ON TUASON
Malacanang responds to Vice President Jejomar Binay’s statement that the testimony of pork barrel conduit Ruby Tuason was a “dud.”
In an Inquirer report, Binay asks whether Tuason’s statements on the pork barrel scam implicating his close allies can “demolish anything.”
In her statement, Tuason said Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile pocketed pork barrel funds.
Binay, former President Joseph Estrada, and Enrile, are top leaders of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance.
On Sunday, Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma says it’s the Ombudsman, not Binay, who will assess the weight of Tuason’s testimony.
Tuason is set to appear before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Thursday.
Senators want to ask if she has documentary evidence.

Story 5: EX-SC JUSTICE SERAFIN CUEVAS DIES
Former Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas dies Sunday. He was 85.
The Supreme Court announces Cuevas’ death in a tweet Monday.
Cuevas – whose career spanned more than 6 decades – is known for handling 3 impeachment cases in the country.
One of his most prominent cases was the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, where Cuevas stood as lead defense counsel.
Cuevas also handled the case of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, whose trial was aborted in 2011 after she resigned.
Cuevas was also a justice secretary under the administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada.
He became one of Estrada’s lawyers during his 2001 impeachment trial.
Lawyers from both sides of the the Corona impeachment trial call Cuevas a “legal luminary,” while Malacanang offers condolences and calls Cuevas “an eminent jurist and a well-respected member of the legal community.”

Story 6: PROBLEMS IN THE PH-US BASES ACCESS DEAL?
President Benigno Aquino says the Philippines and the US are close to finishing a military deal, but on Monday, the government confirms a shake up in the Philippine panel.
Foreign affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez says assistant secretary Carlos Soreta left the panel to head the Foreign Service Institute.
Soreta did not participate in the 5th round of talks in January.
Initial press releases introduced Soreta as chair of the Philippine panel, but later statements showed Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino is chair.
Asked if there are problems with the negotiations, Hernandez did not reply.
The deal would allow more American troops in the Philippines and give them more access to Philippine bases.
But talks reach an impasse, after disagreements on the Philippines’ access to temporary US facilities in the country.
Round 6 of the talks will be held in March.

Story 7: REGISTERED OFWs REACH 6.3M
The latest tally of the foreign affairs department shows the number of registered overseas Filipino workers or OFWs reaches 6.3 million, up from the 2.2 million registered OFWs in 2011.
In its December 2012 tally, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas says the number of Filipinos abroad reaches more than 10 million — including undocumented Filipinos and permanent residents.
In June 2013, the International Organization for Migration said the number of OFWs has been constantly increasing.
Over 67% of OFWs head for countries in the Middle East.
OFWs have been a key driver of the Philippines’ economic growth, with their remittances accounting for around 10% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Story 8: AQUINO CALLS ROAD SAFETY MEET AFTER SUCCESSIVE ACCIDENTS
President Aquino calls a meeting among government agencies to discuss road safety issues.
This comes after consecutive fatal bus accidents in the past months.
On Friday, a GV Florida bus fell into a ravine in Bontoc, Mt Province, killing 14 people.
Just a day after this, a jeepney accident in Abra killed 5 people and injured 33 others.
In December, 18 people died after a Don Mariano bus fell off an elevated highway.
Transportation authorities suspended the franchise of the two bus companies.

Story 9: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 2, As the first anniversary of his papacy nears, 87% of Catholics believe Pope Francis is doing a good job.
But 78% favor using contraceptives – in violation of Church doctrine.
A survey conducted in 12 countries found Catholics in Africa and the Philippines are the most conservative, while those in Argentina and Brazil are the most liberal.

At number 6, on Sunday over 50% of Swiss voters support the “Stop Mass Immigration” plan championed by Swiss right-wing populists.
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union or EU, but it’s surrounded by EU member-countries and trades with the 28-member bloc.
One-fifth to one-fourth of the Swiss population consists of foreigners, while  
an estimated 430,000 Swiss live in EU member-countries.
With 80,000 EU citizens arriving every year, the Swiss People’s Party says Switzerland must apply the brakes on immigration
Reacting to the results, the EU says it will assess ties with Switzerland.

And at number 10, the immense popularity of the addictive game “Flappy Bird” was too much to bear for game developer Dong Nguyen.
In a tweet, Nguyen announced he was taking down the game.
The premise of “Flappy Bird” is simple, but it’s notorious for being difficult to win.
Nguyen says media overrated his game’s success, and that he now wants to be left alone.
By Monday, “Flappy Bird” disappears on both the iOS app store and Google Play.

Story 10: TOP NFL PROSPECT SAYS HE’S GAY
College American Football standout Michael Sam reveals on Sunday he is gay and could become the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team.
In interviews on Sunday with ESPN and with The New York Times, Sam says he is going public with information already known to his teammates and coaches at the University of Missouri.
He says –quote–, “I am an openly, proud gay man.”
Sam adds, “I understand how big this is. No one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be … I want to be a football player in the NFL.”
Sam is eligible for the NFL draft in May.
If he is drafted, he could become the first openly gay player in the league’s history.
The NFL voices support saying –quote– “We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage. Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL.”

Story 11: INDESTRUCTIBLE BALLS FOR INDESTRUCTIBLE DREAMS
Youth from war-torn areas in Mindanao find refuge in football.
A group of Marines finds a way to use sports as an instrument of peace.
David Lozada reports.

Can sports pave the way for peace?
For the past decades, peace has been elusive in conflict areas in Mindanao.
Now, they are fighting the war in a different battlefield: football.
Sulu-based marines started Football for Peace because they wanted to teach the youth of Sulu a way out of the cycles of violence and poverty.
The program’s founder, Lt Col Stephen Cabanlet, says the program has given impoverished children a crack at a decent future.
Now, finishing their education and playing professional football is no longer an impossible dream.

LT. COL. STEPHEN CABANLET, PHILIPPINE MARINES: The medium is football but we can go deeper. Aside from character development, we can go into scholarship, educational program. Ang vision na nga nila is hindi lang maging good football player pero good citizen eh. In that way they can help their community sa nakuha nilang values sa paglalaro ng football. (Our vision was not only for the children to be a good football player but more importantly, a good citizen. In that way they can help their community with the values they got from the sport.)

The campaign expanded to other provinces like Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Zamboanga.
Thousands of balls have been donated.
But with rough fields and heavy use, the balls never seem to last long.
Responding to the need for stronger balls in the football clinics, One World Futbol and Chevrolet Philippines donates 2,400 indestructible footballs.
The balls can survive the harshest environments, never go flat and don’t need to be pumped.
Chevrolet Philippines president Alberto Arcilla hopes the balls will help shape the children’s future.

ATTY. ALBERTO ARCILLA, CHEVROLET PRESIDENT: I personally believe that sports always bring out the best in the youth, individuals. We just want to contribute in their growing up, in having direction, enjoying their being kids.

The Marines are now looking for ways to support the college education of the children who join their football clinics.

LT. COL. STEPHEN CABANLET, PHILIPPINE MARINES: Hindi lang naman din bola ang pangangailangan namin. Marami ring kailangang support para sa scholarship nila. Support para sa mga training equipment, support para doon sa training sa coaching level and teaching leve ng mga marines na magtuturo. (Of course, we don’t only need balls. We need scholarship benefactors for the children…and support to enhance the skills of the coaching and teaching level of the Marines.)

The road to peace is not easy and Cabanlet admits there is a lot of work to be done.

DAVID LOZADA, REPORTING: The Marines say this sports program is a significant step towards building peace in Mindanao. Aside from mending disputes between communities, football also teaches the children to dream. The soldiers also say they will continue to promote peace through sports, hoping to prove that not all wars are won with guns. David Lozada, Rappler Taguig.

– Rappler.com

Newscast Production Staff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / WRITER	Lilibeth Frondoso
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	Exxon Ruebe
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