Rappler Newscast | August 11, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• President Benigno Aquino’s public satisfaction ratings plummet 16 points.
• The World Health Organization says vaccines for the deadly Ebola virus might be ready by 2015.
• A shocking photo of the son of an ISIS militant holding a decapitated head circulates on Twitter.

 

SATISFACTION WITH AQUINO ADMIN ON STEEP DECLINE – SWS

 

The performance ratings of President Benigno Aquino’s administration drops steeply in the last quarter.
A June Social Weather Stations or SWS survey puts Aquino’s performance rating at +29 points.
It was a 16-percentage point drop from +45 last March.
Aquino also got negative net satisfaction ratings on 4 issues:
delay in justice for Maguindanao massacre victims,
oil price hikes,
inflation of prices,
and hunger alleviation.
The poorest segment, class E, gave the administration the highest rating at +38 points, while classes ABC and D registered a +27.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Monday brushed off the severe decline.
He says the survey is a mere “snapshot” of Aquino’s full term.
Lacierda also says the administration remains “undeterred” by the numbers and will continue to focus on the work yet to be done.
A survey conducted by polling firm Pulse Asia in July…
also showed negative net approval ratings for the administration in controlling inflation and reducing poverty.

 

‘TRUE’ STATE OF THE NATION

 

Senator JV Ejercito points out inaccuracies in the President’s State of the Nation Address accomplishment list.
In his SONA last July, Aquino cited the disasters that hit the Philippines last year, the three-week siege of Zamboanga City in September 2013 and the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan in November.
Aquino claimed the government quickly responded to Yolanda-hit areas within 48 hours.
He also said victims of the Zamboanga siege will be moving into their new homes this August.
But in his counter-SONA, Ejercito says this was far from reality.

 

JV EJERCITO, PHILIPPINE SENATOR: Paumanhin lamang po, Ginoong Pangulo. Pero tila malayo ito sa katotohanan ng mga nangyari, at isa itong malaking insulto para sa mga namatay sa delubyo! Alam ng sambayanan na hindi agad naka-responde ang gobyerno.

(Excuse me, Mr President. But this is far from reality, and it is a huge insult to those who died. The Filipino people know the government was not able to respond quickly to the disaster.)

 

Makupad pa rin hanggang ngayon ang pagsisikap ng gobyerno sa rehabilitasyon ng mga apektadong lugar.

(Until today, the government has been slow in the rehabilitation of affected areas.)

 

Sa kaso ng Zamboanga siege, hindi tamang paasahin ang mga naging biktima na lilipat na sila sa bagong tirahan ngayong Agosto.

 

(In the case of the Zamboanga siege, it is not right to make the victims believe that they will be moving to their new homes this August.)

 

Dahil ang katotohanan, ginagawa pa lamang ang clearing operations sa Martha Drive. Hindi pa umuusad ang rehabilitasyon at mismong ang project officer na po ang nagsabing imposibleng matapos nila ang mga tirahan ngayong Agosto.

 

(Because the truth is, the clearing operations in Martha Drive are still underway. Rehabilitation has not started, and the project officer himself has said that it is impossible to finish constructing the houses by August.)

 

While Ejercito lauds accomplishments on the economic front…
he says the Aquino administration has failed to generate enough jobs and move beyond what he calls the dole-out system of Aquino’s anti-poverty program.

 

PALACE TO SC: INCLUDE JARDELEZA AS SUPREME COURT NOMINEE

 

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr asks the Supreme Court to include Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza in the list of nominees for new Supreme Court Associate Justice.
Widely considered as the President’s choice for the post, Jardeleza was excluded in the short list of candidates submitted by the
Judicial and Bar Council or JBC to President Benigno Aquino…
because of integrity issues raised by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
During the JBC’s closed-door deliberations, Sereno allegedly raised a rule requiring a unanimous council vote for candidates faced with minor integrity issues.
Finding this unjust, Ochoa asks the Court to declare the rule invalid, saying it goes against the collegial nature of the JBC.
Jardeleza earlier filed a petition asking the Court to order the inclusion of his name in the JBC shortlist.
This is his 3rd attempt to join the High Court.

 

GOV’T, MILF ASKED: SUBMIT DRAFT LAW IN AUGUST
  
Peace panels of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF end a 10-day workshop in Davao without the final draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
But both parties agree to submit the draft to President Benigno Aquino by August 18.
The law, which would create a new autonomous government in Mindanao, is the next phase of the historic peace agreement signed last March.
Earlier, the MILF accused Malacañang of watering down the draft law submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
A series of discussions was held to bridge the gap between the versions of the Transition Commission and Malacañang.
Senate President Franklin Drilon says Malacanang has until the end of August to submit an acceptable version.
He says non-passage of the law is not an option.

 

BIZ EXECS: BSP IS BEST-PERFORMING GOV’T AGENCY, SENATE WORST

 

Senior business executives rate the Central Bank as the best-performing government agency.
The Senate, which was hit by corruption scandals, is rated the worst.
In a survey by the Makati Business Club or MBC, the Central Bank gets the highest net satisfaction score of 95.4 for helping maintain
financial stability that “supports sustained growth necessary for inclusive development.”
Also in the top 10 are state weather bureau PAGASA, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Nineteen agencies, led by the Senate, received negative net satisfaction scores.
   
‘REALISTIC’ TO EXPECT EBOLA VACCINE BY 2015 – WHO

 

The World Health Organization or WHO says vaccines for the deadly Ebola virus will likely be ready by early next year.
There is currently no available cure for Ebola…
which has killed nearly 1,000 people in west Africa.
Several vaccines are being tested.
A treatment by San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, ZMapp, may have been effective in treating two Americans recently infected in Africa.
British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline is set to start clinical trials of a vaccine next month.
But UN assistant director-general Marie-Paule Kieny says any vaccine rushed to market would not be tested as rigorously.
During the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009, the WHO was accused of helping line the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies.
Kieny says, “People might accuse us of playing with the industry.
I would prefer to be criticized for a conflict of interest… than to be criticized for doing nothing.”

 

FRESH 72-HOUR TRUCE BEGINS IN GAZA

 

A fresh 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas begins in Gaza Monday…
paving the way for talks in Egypt in a bid to end a month-long conflict.
An Israeli official says “Israel has accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire.”
Since July 8, the Gaza unrest killed at least 1,939 Palestinians and 67 Israelis.
Egypt urges Israel and Palestine to use the new truce to “reach a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.”
Hamas wants an end to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza…
while Israel wants Hamas to dismantle its formidable arsenal of rockets and other weapons.

 

AT LEAST 20,000 IRAQIS HAVE SAFELY FLED MT SINJAR – OFFICIAL

 

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Iraqis safely escaped Mt. Sinjar and have been escorted by Khurdish forces back to Iraq.
Earlier last week, US President Barack Obama authorized air strikes and aid drops…
to fight militants from terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS and prevent ‘genocide.’  
Analysts say the price for US involvement may mean an attack on US soil.  
A US State Department official says every month, 30 to 50 suicide bombers deployed in Syria and Iraq are “western passport holders.”
About 12,000 foreign fighters are estimated to have fought in Syria – more than the 10,000 in Afghanistan.

 

SHOCKING PHOTO: CHILD OF ISIS FIGHTER HOLDS DECAPITATED HEAD

 

A shocking photo circulates on Twitter, drawing condemnation from Australian and US officials.
A young boy, believed to be the son of an Australian man fighting for terrorist group ISIS, is shown holding a decapitated head in a photo reportedly taken in Syria.
The picture was posted on the Twitter account of Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian man who fled to Syria last year.
It was captioned with the words, “That’s my boy.”
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the image shows the barbaric nature of ISIS extremists.
Defense Minister David Johnston says he was “revolted” by the image, which he called “a shocking misrepresentation of Islam”.
Australia has an arrest warrant out for Sharrouf.
Officials say up to 150 Australians are fighting alongside militants overseas, mostly in Iraq and Syria.

65 VICTIMS OF MH17 IDENTIFIED, LAST EXPERTS HOME
  
Dutch forensic experts identify 65 victims of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
The last of the Dutch, Australian and Malaysian investigators left Ukraine amid clashes between government and insurgents in the area.
Forensic investigators say around 176 – quote – “more or less” complete bodies have arrived in the Netherlands as well as 527 body parts.
The Dutch government earlier said it could still take months to identify all victims.
MH17 exploded over insurgent-held east Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 on board.
The West accuses Russia-backed separatists of shooting it down.             

THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

US ACTION HERO STEVEN SEAGAL SUPPORTS UKRAINE ANNEXATION

 

If North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has NBA star Dennis Rodman, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has Steven Seagal.
The Hollywood tough guy performed in a concert in Crimea over the weekend with flags of the Ukraine separatist group prominently displayed.
Seagal has come under fire for supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
He considers President Putin, “a friend” and “a brother.”

 

CONDOM LAW DAMPENS LOS ANGELES PORN INDUSTRY

 

A regulation meant to encourage condom use in the fight against AIDS causes some pornography studios in Los Angeles to fold up.
From 480 permits in 2012, only 40 were issued in 2013 and 20 in 2014.
Porn executive Steven Hirsch said LA county is –quote — “the only place where people are required to wear a condom” on a porn set.
Hirsch believes requiring actors to take an HIV test before taking on a porn role worked well…
as not one person became infected from porn work in 10 years.

 

ANONYMOUS APP POLICE FIGHTS BULLIES AND PORN

 

Anonymous social network apps like Whisper, Yik Yak, and Secret rely on a virtual ‘police force’ based in the Philippines to moderate content.
Teams from outsourcing firm TaskUs are in charge of deleting inappropriate or demeaning posts that come through the apps.
In a report, Gigaom says a combination of computer algorithms and moderators work together to flag posts.
The initiative comes as anonymous apps face criticism for failing to stem the tide of demeaning posts on their networks.

 

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

 

Woman online image from Shutterstock

 

– 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