Rappler Newscast | May 28, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• SALNs show some of the richest lawmakers come from the Philippines’ poorest regions.
• The Senate will release the digital files of whistleblower Benhur Luy on kickback payoffs.
• A congressman files a bill seeking to legalize medical marijuana.

 

Story 1: FORMER BUSINESSMEN ARE WEALTHIEST IN AQUINO CABINET
The wealthiest members of President Benigno Aquino’s cabinet are 3 former businessmen.
Their 2013 Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth or SALNs show Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario remains the wealthiest Cabinet secretary with a net worth of P765.38 million.
He is followed by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez with P282.47 million and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima with P278.95 million.
Del Rosario, a former ambassador to the United States until 2006, was a director of telecommunications company PLDT.
Jimenez is a former advertising executive while Purisima is a long-time businessman.
The only Cabinet secretary who is not a multi-millionaire is Education Secretary Armin Luistro.
The net worth of the La Sallian brother is a little over P433,000.
Cabinet Secretaries linked to the pork barrel scam are also among the top half of the wealthiest, although they report a decrease in their net worth.
The net worth of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala drops from P93.97 million in 2012 to P90.77 million in 2013.
Budget Secretary Butch Abad’s net worth also drops from P38.32 million in 2012 to P32.8 million in 2013.
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Joel Villanueva is the only one named in the corruption scandal who saw a small rise in his net worth.
From P22.47 million in 2012, his net worth goes up to P23.27 million.

Story 2: SOLONS FROM POOREST REGION AMONG RICHEST IN CONGRESS
Two lawmakers from the poorest region in the Philippines are among the wealthiest in the House of Representatives.
This is based on the 2013 summary of lawmakers’ Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth or SALN.
The two representatives from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are Maguindanao 2nd district Representative Zajid Mangudadatu, with P215.8 million in net worth and Tawi-Tawi Representative Ruby Sahali, with P173.72 million.
Both are neophyte House members who belong to powerful political clans in the South.
Mangudadatu is the brother of Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, while Sahali is the daughter of former Tawi-Tawi governor Sadikul Sahali.
Professional boxer and Sarangani representative Manny Pacquiao tops the list of wealthiest lawmakers, followed by Ilocos Norte 2nd district Representative Imelda Marcos and Speaker Sonny Belmonte.

Story 3: SENATE TO DIVULGE BENHUR LUY FILES
The Senate will release the digital files of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy detailing the financial transactions involved in the discretionary fund scam.
Senate blue ribbon committee chair TG Guingona says he received the files in CD format from National Bureau of Investigation Director Virgilio Mendez.
Mendez says the NBI submitted the same files to the Ombudsman for its investigation into the scam, where lawmakers diverted public money to fake NGOs in exchange for kickbacks.
Luy’s former lawyer, Levi  Baligod, said the files detail the daily financial transactions of alleged mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, including the names of lawmakers and officials she gave kickbacks to.

Story 4: ER EJERCITO OUT, HERNANDEZ SWORN IN AS LAGUNA GOVERNOR
Vice Governor Ramil Hernandez is sworn in as the new governor of the province of Laguna.
He replaces elected governor ER Ejercito, who failed to get a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court to stop his removal from office.
The Commission on Elections or Comelec earlier disqualified Ejercito for overspending in the 2013 polls.
On Wednesday, the interior department serves the writ of execution installing Hernandez as the new Laguna governor.
But Ejercito and his supporters remain at the capitol to protest his removal from office.
Ejercito has a pending appeal to nullify Comelec’s decision.
Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes says the High Court may still issue a status quo ante order, which would reinstate Ejercito as governor.
In a TV interview, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas says he does not intend to forcibly evict Ejercito from the province.

Story 5: POE: PUNISH HIGH-TECH FRAUD OR REPEAT ‘HELLO GARCI’
10 years after the Hello Garci scandal, Senator Grace Poe is pushing for measures to prevent a repeat of the 2004 controversy that allegedly cheated her late father of the presidency.
In an emotional privilege speech Wednesday, Poe says she will file bills to punish computer-aided election offenses.
She adds, “We need to prevent ‘high-tech’ election fraud from once again making a mockery of our electoral system.”
The 2004 wiretap scandal involved disgraced poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, who was caught taking orders from a woman who sounded like then president Gloria Arroyo at the height of the canvassing of election results.
Arroyo was then running against Poe’s father, late action star Fernando Poe Jr.

Story 5: ‘MAKE INTERNET A BASIC SERVICE IN PH’
Senators question the expensive price of slow Internet connection in the Philippines.
In a hearing dedicated to the state of Philippine Internet speeds Wednesday, Senator Loren Legarda speaks as a frustrated consumer.
She complains about slow Internet speeds in her home and office, an experience common to many Filipinos.
Legarda presses officials of telcos Globe and Smart to explain why she has to pay for unreliable yet expensive service.
Officials say network congestion is the main culprit.
Smart’s Mon Isberto explains, telcos have to invest in their networks by building more cell sites and add equipment but it will -quote- “entail capital expenditure.”
The National Telecommunications Commission or NTC proposes the Internet be made a “basic service” instead of a “value added service.”
Senator Bam Aquino, who called for the hearing, agreed with the NTC’s proposal.
Aquino adds, the United Nations recognizes the Internet as a human right.
Earlier, Senator Ralph Recto filed a bill requiring a minimum Internet speed of 10 Mbps for mobile, and 20 Mbps for fixed broadband access.
The latest State of the Internet quarterly report by cloud services firm Akamai reveals the Philippines has an average Internet speed of 2Mbps.
A year’s worth of analyzed data from Internet metrics firm Ookla says the Philippines has a general Internet speed of around 3.55 Mbps, ranking it as 155th of 190 countries.
The data was gathered from April 2013 to March 2014.

Story 6: ISABELA SOLON FILES BILL TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
Advocates of medical marijuana in the Philippines find an ally in Isabela congressman Rodolfo Alban.
On Monday, Alban files House Bill 4477 or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Bill.
It seeks to legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis or marijuana to treat those with debilitating medical conditions.
Albano says the bill intends “to provide accessible, affordable, safe medical cannabis to qualifying patients.”
Once enacted, the law will establish a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority under the health department.

Medical Marijuana image from Shutterstock

Story 7: DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN CAMOTES: THE PUROK SYSTEM

A tourist destination in Cebu is a model for disaster risk reduction.
Community preparedness helped the town of San Francisco, not just survive Typhoon Haiyan, but achieve zero casualty.
Pia Ranada reports.

Thousands died in Eastern Visayas from Typhoon Haiyan.
But one island in Cebu managed the impossible: zero casualty.
San Francisco town, one of the two islands in Camotes is a tourist paradise.
White sand beaches, pristine water in shades of blue and green.
But the island is special in another way.
The purok system that saved 100% of locals from Haiyan’s devastation.
Former mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr developed the purok system in 2004.   

ALFREDO ARQUILLANO JR, FORMER MAYOR, SAN FRANCISCO TOWN: The smallest form of government is barangay, pero dito sa atin, mas maliit pa ang purok. Kasi isang barangay average of 7 to 8 puroks. The entire municipality of San Francisco, there are about 120 puroks and the municipality meron siyang 15 barangays. (The smallest form of government is barangay but here, the purok is smaller. A barangay has, on average, 7 to 8 puroks.)

Each purok is led by a purok chairperson.
Fe Aris says they are organized to serve the community 24/7 and not just for disaster risk reduction.
Different committees are assigned to health, solid waste management and education.

FE ARIS, PRESIDENT, PUROK BOGO: Para among makita ang among pinaghiusa sa mga katawhan labaw na pagpanglimpyo sa among lugar para sad nga pati na sa among panglawas, makalikay mi sa sakit. (So the community can come together and help. Especially to maintain the cleanliness of our area. And also our health, to avoid getting sick.)

The puroks proved vital to San Francisco’s survival during Haiyan.

MONICA TAN, RESEARCH AND PLANNING OFFICER, SAN FRANCISCO MDDRMO: Kasi kung barangay ka lang at wala kang purok system, hindi mo masaturate lahat. You cannot get all the participation pero if you have the small units, the small organization na grupo grupo na sila, mas mapadali. (Because if you’re a barangay without a purok system, you won’t be able o reach everyone. You cannot get all the participation but if you have the small units, the small organizations that are in groups, it gets easier.)

Located in an islet, Tulang Diyot is the most vulnerable purok in San Francisco.
The quick mobilization of the purok leaders saved more than 200 families.

MONICA TAN, RESEARCH AND PLANNING OFFICER, SAN FRANCISCO MDDRMO: I think two days before the typhoon, yung iba nasa evacuation center na. Kahit hindi pa nag-abiso, through communication pa lang mga barangay officers na merong typhoon, ready yung purok officers. (Even without an advisory, through the communication with barangay officers that there is a typhoon, the purok officers were ready to man the fort. They didn’t need to wait for a barangay official to visit and help them. That’s the beauty of the system. They have self-reliance to do their preparedness.)

Puroks educate their members on disasters. They know who are vulnerable to calamities.
But above all, puroks bring people together.
Purok meetings allow locals to interact with their neighbors and gain each other’s trust.
This island in Cebu shows a united community is a prepared community.
Pia Ranada, Rappler, Cebu.

Story 8: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

At number 4, US President Barack Obama announces plans to pull out all US troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016.
Obama says around 9,800 US troops will stay in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if the Afghan government signs a bilateral security agreement.
After more than 12 years of war – the longest in American history – Obama says he hopes to bring it to in his words “responsible end.”

At number 7, A pregnant Pakistani woman is stoned to death Tuesday for marrying a man of her choice.
Around 30 people, including her brother and father, threw bricks at 25 year-old Farzana Iqbal in front of a court house.
Iqbal was in court to defend her husband against kidnapping allegations.
Iqbal’s husband Muhammad on Wednesday says he will fight for justice.
Many Pakistani women have no say in who they marry.
Disobeying the wishes of relatives is believed to bring shame on the whole family.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says 869 women died in so-called “honor killings” in 2013.

And at number 10, Pop music tracking company Billboard and social network site Twitter launch 27 Real-Time Charts, a listing of the most popular songs shared on Twitter in the US.
The Trending 140 chart tracks up-to-the-minute ranking of songs shared in the US.
The public can view the charts, share them on social media and listen to the song via Spotify or other music streaming sites.

Story 9: AZKALS DEFEAT MALDIVES IN CHALLENGE CUP SEMIS ON GREATWICH GOAL
The Philippine men’s national football team or Azkals advances to the finals of the AFC Challenge Cup after defeating Maldives early Wednesday morning Philippine time.
Azkals’ Phil Younghusband scores the Philippines’ first goal at the 19th minute.
Maldives tied the match at 1-1 with a goal at the 36th minute.
The match went into 30 minutes of extra time where Chris Greatwich scored the goal that put the Azkals on top for good, 3 to 2.
The Azkals will face Palestine in the finals Friday midnight.
The winner earns a spot in the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.

– Rappler.com

Newscast Production Staff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / WRITER	Lilibeth Frondoso
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ASSOCIATE PRODUCER / PUBLISHER	Rodneil Quiteles
	Dindin Reyes
HEAD WRITER / PROMPTER	Katerina Francisco
	Marga Deona
MASTER EDITOR / PLAYBACK	Exxon Ruebe
	Emerald Hidalgo
	Jaene Zaplan
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / CAMERAMAN	Charlie Salazar
	Adrian Portugal
	Francis Lopez
	Naoki Mengua
GRAPHICS	Jessica Lazaro
	Raffy de Guzman