Rappler Newscast | July 14, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• President Benigno Aquino criticizes the Supreme Court for ruling against his administration’s spending program.
• Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s lawyer wants house arrest for his client.
• An Italian daily quotes Pope Francis, “about 2%” of Catholic priests are pedophiles.

 

Story 1: AQUINO HITS SC, INSISTS DAP IS LEGAL
A combative President Benigno Aquino criticizes the Philippines’ top justices for ruling against his administration’s spending program.
On July 1, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional 3 schemes under the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP, a program that allows the transfer of funds from slow-moving to fast-moving projects to fast-track economic growth.
In a televised address to the nation Monday, Aquino calls on the justices to reconsider their verdict, saying the High Court did not consider the government’s legal defense.

BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: At ‘di po ba, mismong ang Korte Suprema, ang World Bank, isama na rin ang mga kritiko ng DAP, aminadong nakatulong ito sa pag-angat ng ating ekonomiya? (And didn’t the Supreme Court itself, the World Bank—even critics of DAP—didn’t they all admit that DAP helped improve our economy?) Malinaw po: Mayroong mga dapat ikonsidera ang Korte Suprema upang bigyan ng paglilinaw ang kanilang naging pasya ukol sa DAP, at harinawa, ay mapagtanto nila ang negatibong epekto nito sa bansa. Iaapela natin ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema. Ang mensahe ko po sa Korte Suprema: Ayaw nating umabot pa sa puntong magbabanggaan ang dalawang magkapantay na sangay ng gobyerno, kung saan kailangan pang mamagitan ng ikatlong sangay ng gobyerno. Mahirap pong maintindihan ang desisyon ninyo. (It is clear that the Supreme Court has much to consider that they may better clarify their decision regarding DAP; perhaps they can even identify DAP’s negative effect on the country. We will appeal the Supreme Court’s decision. My message to the Supreme Court: We do not want two equal branches of government to go head to head, needing a third branch to step in to intervene. We find it difficult to understand your decision.)

Aquino says, Malacanang did not violate the law.
He also says the Supreme Court decision will delay government projects intended to benefit Filipinos.

BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: Muli kong ididiin: Mabuti ang DAP. Tama ang intensyon. Tama ang pamamaraan. Tama ang resulta. Kapag hindi ginastos ang pera para sa pinaglaanang programa, natural pong hindi makakarating ang benepisyo sa taumbayan. ‘Di ba’t nagbubunsod ito ng kapahamakan sa ating mamamayan? Ibig sabihin, sa tuwing may ganitong savings ang gobyerno, sa tuwing natutulog ang pera ng bayan, mayroon tayong Boss na napagkakaitan ng benepisyo. (DAP is good. Our intentions, our processes, and the results were correct. If funds for certain programs are not spent, as they should have been, clearly our countrymen did not gain what they should have. Did this not redound to a disadvantage for our countrymen? What this means is that every time there are savings such as this, every time funds remain unspent when they should have been spent, our Bosses are deprived of a benefit.)

It’s the 2nd time Aquino delivered a televised address to defend his spending program.
The scheme allowed Malacañang to move around savings and unprogrammed funds to its priority projects.
But the High Court ruled Malacanang usurped Congress powers.
The public became aware of DAP in September 2013, after opposition Senator Jinggoy Estrada said senators were given P50-million each as “bribe” to convict Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The alleged “bribe” was sourced from the program.

 

Story 2: UNA’S TIANGCO: AQUINO THINKS HE IS THE LAW
The opposition coalition United Nationalist Alliance or UNA says President Aquino’s speech challenging the Supreme Court’s ruling is a “bad precedent.”
UNA Secretary-General Toby Tiangco says the president’s pronouncements were “dangerous” for the system of checks and balances.
Tiangco says the President took upon himself the Court’s power to interpret the Constitution.
Tiangco adds, the President “issued a veiled threat to the Supreme Court and even blamed the court for its decision…It’s like he is saying he is more correct than the Supreme Court in interpreting the law…That is really dangerous. He is saying, ‘I am the law.’”     
Asked what the opposition plans to do, Tiangco says UNA does not want to support impeachment complaints because of conflict of interest.
UNA’s founder, Vice President Jejomar Binay, stands to benefit if Aquino is impeached.

 

Story 3: AQUINO’S RATINGS DROP TO LOWEST SINCE 2010
President Aquino gets his lowest ratings since assuming the presidency in 2010.
His satisfaction and approval ratings suffer double-digit drops in June and July 2014.
More Filipinos are undecided over the President’s performance, especially after the Supreme Court ruling on the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP.
In a survey by the Social Weather Stations or SWS, Aquino’s satisfaction ratings drop from 66% in March to 55% in June – a difference of 11 points.
In a Pulse Asia survey, the President’s approval ratings drop from 70% in March to 56% in June – a 14-point difference.
His trust ratings are statistically the same at 53%.
The SWS survey shows growing dissatisfaction among Filipinos, while the Pulse Asia survey shows more Filipinos are undecided whether they approve of the President or not.

 

Story 4: CATANDUANES UNDER SIGNAL NO. 3 AS #GLENDAPH STRENGTHENS
Tropical storm Glenda — international name Rammasun — strengthens as it moves toward the Bicol region Monday.
Storm signal number 3 is now up over Catanduanes.
Signal Number 2 is up over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Sorsogon, Albay, Marinduque, southern Quezon, and northern Samar.
Signal Number 1 is up over Romblon, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Lubang Island, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Southern Aurora, Northern Quezon (including Polillo Islands), Metro Manila, Eastern Samar, Samar, and Biliran.
State weather bureau PAGASA says the storm is spotted 470 km east southeast of Virac, Catanduanes.
It’s expected to hit land over Albay Tuesday.

 

Story 5: MAGNITUDE 6.1 QUAKE RATTLES SOUTHERN MINDANAO
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake rocks Southern Mindanao Monday afternoon.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or Phivolcs says the quake struck 88 kilometers southeast of Don Marcelino town in Davao Occidental.
The quake, which is tectonic in origin, has a depth of 10 kilometers.
There are no reported damages but aftershocks are expected.

 

Story 6: PROJECT AGOS MICROSITE
Check out Rappler’s Project Agos microsite, a one-stop shop for educating the public on how to better prepare for disasters.  
Project Agos aims to raise awareness on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction and management.
It can help people prepare, respond, and aid in recovery.
Visit www.rappler.com/projectagos.

Story 7: JIHADIST SUPPORTER CERANTONIO ‘A FRAUD,’ SAYS AUSTRALIA FM
Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop calls Australian-born jihad supporter Musa Cerantonio a fraud.
In an interview with Sky News Monday, Bishop says, “It seems that he is just a fraud, because he was saying that he was fighting in Syria and Iraq when all the time he was holed up in a flat in the Philippines.”
Sources earlier told Rappler that Cerantonio has been in the Philippines for nearly a year.
He tweeted on July 3 he was already in Iraq with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, a terrorist group that traces its roots to al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Cerantonio is named as one of the top two most influential jihadist “inspirations” for foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq.
He is a Christian convert to Islam who effectively uses social media to urge Muslims to join the jihad in Syria and Iraq.
He was arrested in Cebu last Friday at the request of the Australian government.
Cerantonio will be deported to Australia.

 

Story 8: THREAT OF HEART ATTACK CITED IN GIGI REYES’ HOSPITAL TRANSFER
The camp of Gigi Reyes tells anti-graft court Sandiganbayan the threat of a heart attack forced her transfer to the Philippine Heart Center or PHC Friday.
Reyes’ lawyer Anacleto Diaz says his client’s “fragile medical condition” required her continued confinement at the Heart Center.
Reyes was transferred without a court order.
Her attending physician at the Taguig Pateros District Hospital said she had chest pains and difficulty breathing.
The doctor was –quote– “alarmed by the danger” that Reyes could suffer from a heart attack or a stroke so he recommended her transfer to the PHC.
He said the district hospital did not have the facilities for Reyes’ treatment.

 

Story 9: ENRILE LAWYER WANTS HOUSE ARREST FOR CLIENT
Lawyer Estelito Mendoza wants house arrest for his client, indicted plunderer and 90-year-old opposition senator Juan Ponce Enrile.
Doctors of state-run Philippine General Hospital or PGH say Enrile may suffer from a “heart attack” or a “stroke” under stressful conditions.
PGH doctors add, more tests are needed to know if Enrile is fit to be held in a detention facility or needs to be under hospital arrest.
But PGH Director Jose Gonzales says a hospital arrest can even lead to “hospital-acquired pneumonia.”
Mendoza says a house arrest is the only setting where Enrile won’t be subjected to stressful conditions.

 

Story 10: COURT ASKED TO TRANSFER REVILLA, NAPOLES TO BJMP FACILITY
Ombudsman prosecutors ask the Sandiganbayan to order the transfer of Senator Bong Revilla, his aide Richard Cambe, and businesswoman Janet Napoles to a Quezon City jail.
The three face charges for allegedly siphoning public money.
Revilla and Cambe are currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center while Napoles is detained at Fort Sto Domingo in Laguna.
Prosecutors say their continued detention in these facilities does not have legal basis and gives them special treatment.

 

Story 11: POPE FRANCIS: ‘ABOUT 2%’ OF CATHOLIC CLERGY PEDOPHILES
Pope Francis is quoted as saying that “about 2%” of Catholic clergy are pedophiles.
In a report by the Italian La Repubblica newspaper, Francis reportedly said, “Among the 2% who are pedophiles are priests, bishops and cardinals… I find this state of affairs intolerable.”
He added, the 2% estimate came from advisers, representing around 8,000 priests out of about 414,000 worldwide.
In a BBC report, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi denied these were the pope’s exact words.
Last year, the Vatican strengthened its laws against child abuse and asked for forgiveness from victims.
This comes as the Catholic Church faces criticism for not doing enough to punish priests accused of the crimes.

 

Story 12: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 3, Indonesia faces a long period of uncertainty until the results of last week’s disputed presidential polls are announced on July 22.
Southeast Asia’s top economy growth sits at four-year lows, foreign investment has slowed down and corruption remains rife.
Both Jakarta governor Joko Widodo or Jokowi and former general Prabowo Subianto use unofficial tallies to claim they won.
Most credible counts show Jokowi in the lead, sparking a rally in stocks and the rupiah, but the initial euphoria quickly wore off.
The Jakarta stock market slumped as much as 2% the following day, and was down 1.3% at the close as investors dreaded a prolonged deadlock.
Investors favor Jokowi, seen as a potential reformer and a clean leader, while Prabowo has a fiercely nationalistic attitude towards foreign investments.

At number 7, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV calls Apple’s iPhone a “threat to national security” because of the device’s ability to track and time-stamp a user’s location.
Ma Ding of the People’s Public Security University in Beijing says the “frequent locations” function could be used to gather –quote– “extremely sensitive data,” and even state secrets.
The tool gathers information about the areas a user visits most often to improve travel advice.
The dispute is not the first time Apple has been embroiled in controversy in China.
The privacy scare also reflects mutual distrust between the US and China, after a series of allegations from both sides on the extent of cyber-espionage.

And at number 10, What do the online reactions to Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes’ pregnancy say about women?
The Internet erupts into a frenzy – with fans, mostly women, taking to their social media accounts to rant about the baby news.
Words like “wench,” “holy sperm” and “set everything on fire” were casually thrown around to describe mother-to-be Mendes and Gosling.
Mendes and Gosling have been in a relationship for 3 years.

 

Story 13: GERMANY WINS 2014 WORLD CUP WITH GÖTZE GOAL
Germany beats Argentina to win the World Cup Sunday or early Monday Manila time, after Mario Götze broke the deadlock in the second half of extra time with a goal.
Argentinian Superstar Lionel Messi had a chance to tie but his shot went way over the post.
Germany’s win sparked an explosion of joy in their homeland and in host nation Brazil, which had dreaded the prospect of South American rival Argentina winning the title on its territory.
Brazil’s traumatic World Cup ended with more pain last Saturday,
as it lost 3-0 to Netherlands in the third-place playoff.
Meantime, Football fan Pope Francis stayed neutral ahead of the World Cup final between his native Argentina and Germany.
He tweets: “The World Cup allowed people from different countries and religions to come together. May sport always promote the culture of encounter.”

 

Story 14: LEBRON RETURNS TO CLEVELAND
In other sports news, four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James announced on Friday that he will return to his hometown team – the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron announced his decision in an essay published exclusively on SportsIllustraded.com.
James played his first seven years in the league with the Cavaliers.
In 2010, he left the Cavs to team up with fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
They won two championships in four finals appearances.
Carmelo Anthony, the other star player in free agency, chooses to stay with his current team New York Knicks.

 

– Rappler.com

Newscast Production Staff

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / WRITER	Lilibeth Frondoso
DIRECTOR	Rupert Ambil
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