Rappler Newscast | March 5, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• Pork barrel scam witness Ruby Tuason is in Los Angeles to sell property so she can return 40 million pesos in illegal commissions.
• Senator Alan Cayetano confirms he wants to be president, but says the question is when?
• Ukraine reaches out to Russia in a bid to resolve tensions between the two countries.

 

STORY 1: RUBY TUASON IN LA TO SECURE RETURN OF P40-M COMMISSION

The lawyer of pork barrel scam witness Ruby Tuason says she’s in Los Angeles, supposedly to secure funds so she can return the commission she earned from the illegal transactions.
Lawyer Dennis Manalo says Tuason is negotiating with “people who are interested in buying her property” in the Philippines.
Manalo says Tuason coordinated with the Department of Justice or DOJ for her travel.
He adds, “She left to attend to personal matters foremost of which
is to finance her commitment to return 40 million pesos to the government.”
She left Sunday but Manalo says Tuason is prepared to go back to the Philippines
“at any time she is called by the NBI, the DOJ, or the Senate.”
He also denies Tuason is meeting with people linked to the pork barrel scam.
Tuason was admitted provisionally under the DOJ Witness Protection Program after she promised to return a portion of what she received as bagman for Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile’s transactions in the scam.
But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is furious at the release of reports about Tuason’s whereabouts.

LEILA DE LIMA, JUSTICE SECRETARY: I’m asking Commissioner Mison to require that spokesperson to explain why she made such an announcement. I cannot be confirming that, that is a WPP matter, covered by confidentiality provision, but any such announcement by that spokesperson is not authorized.

STORY 2: DOJ: BENHUR LUY FREE FROM INFLUENCE OF POLS

The justice department denies claims that pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy is being “influenced” as a state witness to favor certain politicians linked to the scam.
Luy fired Levi Baligod on Tuesday as his counsel in the cases related to the pork barrel scam.
Rappler sources say Baligod’s busy schedule and disagreements over strategy triggered the decision.
An Inquirer report quoted Baligod as saying, “Someone wants to control Benhur Luy.”
But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima says the protocol within the Witness Protection Program leaves no opportunity for politicians to access witnesses in their custody.

LEILA DE LIMA, JUSTICE SECRETARY: Walang mga political personalities, whether opposition or administration. Wala hong nakikialam sa amin. Sa pag-aalaga at sa pagha-handle ng whistleblowers including Benhur, kami lang yun – WPP, DOJ, NBI. Wala iba nakikialam sa kanila. Wala sa kanila nakaka-access.

(There are no political personalities, whether opposition or administration. No one is interfering with us. In taking care and handling the whistleblowers including Benhur, that’s just us – WPP, DOJ, NBI. No one else interferes. None of them has access [to the witnesses].)

STORY 3: CAYETANO: ‘I DON’T WANNA RUN; I WANNA WIN’

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano confirms he wants to be president, but adds he’s still testing to see if 2016 is the best time.
In his boldest statement about his plans for the 2016 polls, Cayetano admits he even hired advertising veteran Greg Garcia in preparation.
Garcia also produced ads for Vice President Jejomar Binay, widely seen as the leading contender for the polls.
Pressed about his plans in an interview on ANC Wednesday, Cayetano says, “I don’t wanna run. I wanna win.”
Cayetano also confirms a Rappler report that he will release ads in the coming weeks, but says it’s meant for his Presyo, Trabaho, Kita programs.
The senator also says a crucial factor in his decision is whether or not his Nacionalista Party and the ruling Liberal Party will again join forces in 2016, as they did in the 2013 polls.

STORY 4: CAYETANO: PH WILL FALL UNDER BINAY PRESIDENCY

Senator Cayetano challenges Vice President Jejomar Binay to make a strong statement about his allies implicated in the pork barrel scam.
Cayetano says it’s not enough for Binay’s ally, United Nationalist Alliance secretary-general Toby Tiangco to say that the pork barrel scam case will proceed under a Binay administration.
Binay’s allies Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile are respondents in the multi-billion peso corruption scandal where they allegedly funneled their pork barrel funds to fake NGOs in exchange for kickbacks.
Cayetano says Binay should make a strong statement to“show he has moral toughness, even if his allies are involved.”
Cayetano also cites the statement of Binay’s eldest daughter, Senator Nancy Binay, as an indication that the Vice President might protect his allies.
On Tuesday, Senator Binay said Estrada remains a possible running mate of her father even after he was implicated in the scam.
In response, Cayetano, says, “You are courting a senator as a possible running mate. How can you prosecute someone you are courting?”

STORY 5: SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY

Malacañang questions Senator Bong Revilla’s challenge for President Benigno Aquino and his cabinet to subject themselves to a lifestyle check.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda says it’s “irrelevant.”
Do our readers agree?
Brian Jay agrees with Lacierda.
He says, “Irrelevant for admin to investigate themselves. Lifestyle check will only be relevant against the opposition.”
Albert-Jan Santillana says, “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.
Otherwise this is just a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black.”

STORY 6: PH TO WORLD: FULFILL HAIYAN PLEDGES

Nearly four months after Super Typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan, the Philippine government gets only a fifth of the money the world promised.
Rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson says the government will soon appoint – quote – “evangelists” to follow up on the unfulfilled pledges.
Government data show the Philippines received 648.18 million pesos or 13.34 million dollars out of 3.11 billion pesos or 69.11 million dollars pledged by other countries.

PANFILO LACSON, REHABILITATION SECRETARY: We are recruiting, quote unquote, evangelists, para mag-outreach doon sa mga naggawa ng pledges pero hindi nagde-deliver… We cannot force them, because they are donors in the first place, so we can just appeal to them to make good on their pledges.

(We are recruiting, quote unquote, evangelists to reach out to those who made pledges but haven’t delivered.)

The Philippines needs at least 360.9 billion pesos for its biggest reconstruction effort since World War II.

STORY 7: FIBERGLASS BOATS FOR HAIYAN-HIT FISHERMEN

Fishermen from areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda lost most of their boats, affecting their livelihood.
Months after, they get back on track with new boats — with one major difference.
Pia Ranada reports.

These fishing boats are about to be shipped to Haiyan hit areas.
They look like any other banca, but instead of wood they’re made of fiberglass.
Fishermen were among the worst-hit by the typhoon, with many of them living near the sea.

The journey of these boats start here in the warehouse of BP Technologies.
These are mats of fiberglass.
They are cut into strips the length of boats.

NICK NAZ, BP TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL MANAGER: What we do now is to really mass produce, try to make the boats as fast as possible.
We make the molds here in Manila and prefab all the materials here then we send it to our different locations.
Currently we have Bacolod. This week we’re deploying to El Nido and Ormoc.
And we’re also having in Tacloban. Next stop is actually Samar.

To make a boat, a gel coat is sprayed on the mold,
serving as the boat’s outer most layer.
On top of the gel coat, workers put layer upon layer of fiberglass mats
laminating them with resin.

JOHANN MANGUSSAD, BP TECHNOLOGIES OPERATIONS MANAGER: It’s really fast. We can make one boat per mold per day. Instead of making it the traditional way of wooden boats that needs a week before you can make a boat, just one boat and plenty of guys to do it. Here you just need 10 guys. In a week you can make 7 to 10 boats in a week if you have just one mold for example.

Fiberglass boats also saves hardwood trees from being cut to replace thousands of boats Yolanda destroyed.
The workers, many of them fishermen, vouch for the fiberglass boats.
Randy Obsanga was once a fisherman in Mindoro.

RANDY OBSANGA, BP TECHNOLOGIES WORKER: Yung kahoy madali masira. Once na masira siya, mabutas, mas mahirap i-repair hindi katulad sa fiberglass, mabutas man siya. Madali siyang i-repair. I-gri-grind lang po nang onti tas pag naalis yung gel coat o yung pintura, tsaka ila-layer po nang panibago.

(Wooden boats are easily damaged. Once they’re damaged, they get a hole, they’re hard to repair unlike fiberglass ones, even if they get damaged, they’re easy to repair. You just have to grind a bit then when the gel coat or paint comes off, you just have to put a new layer.)

Aside from ready-made boats, the company ships building kits to make new boats.
So far the group has shipped 1,400 boats but that hardly dents the demand for the fishing vessels.

NICK NAZ, BP TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL MANAGER: The number of boats is like about 10,000 boats in Iloilo, 20,000 boats inTacloban and the Samar area. So if we’re only making about 1,400 there is so much to do pa.

After the layers are applied, they are dried in the sun.
Rex Guadalupe, a fisherman-turned-boatmaker from Bacolod, loosens up the dried layers.

REX GUADALUPE, BP TECHNOLOGIES WORKER: Bilang mangingisda, dito ka kumukuha ng sa araw-araw mong ginagamit sa pamilya mo dito ka kumukuha at mahalaga ito sa iyo kasi itong hanapbuhay mo. Parang tao din to eh. Parang sarili mo na tong gamit eh, parang mahalaga ba sa iyo.

(As a fisherman, this is where I get the daily needs of my family. It’s important to you because this is your livelihood. This is like a person. This is like your own boat, it’s important to you.)

The fiberglass boats show how technology can touch the lives of fishermen.

NICK NAZ, BP TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL MANAGER: It’s actually non-tradition, it deviates from the wooden boats… With Yolanda happening, on our point of view, the Philippines has an opportunity talaga to upgrade, to have a better fishing fleet for the fishermen.

In a day, a new fiberglass boat rolls out of the factory.
Soon it will be a fisherman’s second chance at a future.

Pia Ranada, Rappler, Manila.

STORY 8: FORBES 10 RICHEST WOMEN

The annual Forbes tally of the world’s richest includes a good number of female billionaires. 
Topping the list is Wal-mart’s Christy Walton with a net worth of 36.7 billion dollars.
Her sister Alice is at number 3 at 34.3 billion dollars.
Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs inherited her husband’s Apple and Disney shares worth 14 billion dollars, putting her at number 10.
Others on the list include Liliane Bettencourt of L’Oreal and Jacqueline Mars of Mars Confectionery.

STORY 9: UKRAINE MAKES FIRST CONTACTS WITH RUSSIA TO AVERT WAR

Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his government made the first “timid” contacts with Russian leaders in a bid to resolve tensions between the two countries.
The standoff continued Tuesday, with both sides saying they don’t want war over the Crimean peninsula, a disputed region which Russia ceded to Ukraine in 1954.
Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev says Russia sent 16,000 troops into Crimea, but Russian President Vladimir Putin denies this.
Although Putin says his military does not plan to seize Crimea, he says if Russian troops intervene, it will be “legitimate.”
Putin adds, “We have a direct request from a legitimate president and it corresponds to our interests in protecting people who are close to us.”
But Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko says ousted president Viktor Yanukovych has lost legitimacy.
Poroshenko adds, “Yanukovych’s political tenure is finished, and he is a criminal especially after yesterday’s appeal to have foreign troops come here and start a war.”

 

STORY 10: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

At number 7, New Zealand’s Maori King Tuheitia Paki declines to meet with the United Kingdom’s Prince William during his visit to the country in April.
The office of the king says he’s “not a carnival act,” and criticizes those who organized the trip because of the inflexible terms.
King Tuheitia is descended from the first Maori King appointed in 1858.
He does not have any constitutional status or legal powers in New Zealand, but he carries symbolic importance for some Maori.

At number 9, John Travolta’s blunder during the Oscars sparks a new Internet star.
Travolta mispronounced Broadway star Idina Menzel’s name, introducing her as “Adele Dazeem.”
The Internet was rife with memes and jokes about Travolta’s oops moment.
Travolta himself says he had beaten himself up about it, but the real Idina Menzel would simply say, “let it go!”

And at number 10, tech giant Apple launches CarPlay, its new integration set-up for iOS in car dashboards.
Apple says CarPlay is designed from the ground up “to provide drivers with an incredible experience in using their iPhones in the car.”
CarPlay uses existing Apple technology like voice-recognition and digital assistant app Siri and Apple’s Maps.
The first car to support CarPlay will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show this week from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

For the full top 10 visit Rappler.com’s ‘the wRap.’

 

 

– Rappler.com

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