Rappler Newscast | September 3, 2014

Today on Rappler.

• Another MRT train malfunctions, running with doors wide open.
• The Philippines jumps 7 places in global competitiveness.
• ISIS militants behead another American journalist.

PH JUMPS 7 NOTCHES IN WEF COMPETITIVENESS RANKINGS
The Philippines leaps 7 notches in global competitiveness in a World Economic Forum report.
Out of 144 economies, the Philippines ranked 52nd in the 2014 Global Competitiveness Report as against 59th place in 2013.
WEF says the results suggest reforms made in the past 4 years “bolstered the country’s economic fundamentals.”
The Philippines gains 33 places since the Aquino administration began in 2010.
It is also the biggest leap among all countries.
Despite narrowing the gap, the Philippines is still far behind five countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.
Singapore ranks 2nd, Malaysia 20th, Thailand 31st, and Indonesia 34th.
The survey grades countries based on 12 categories including infrastructure, market size, health, and primary education.
The Philippines posted the highest gain in “institutions,” where it rose to 67th place from 79th in 2013.
The WEF says the recent success of the government shows “bold reforms can yield positive results relatively quickly.”
The Philippines also ranks 69th in government efficiency and 63rd in protection of property rights.
The Philippines also made significant strides in adopting technology– being one of the most digitally connected developing Asian nations.
It ranks 69th while Malaysia is at 60 and Thailand at 65.
The same cannot be said of infrastructure, where the Philippines ranks 108th in airports and 101st in seaports.
In a statement, the American Chamber of Commerce or AMCHAM says the Philippine’s dissatisfaction rates among its member firms increased from 54% to 67%.
The AMCHAM says this is the immediate outcome of the Supreme Court ruling on the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP which caused DAP-funded infrastructure projects to be put on hold.

MRT3 OFFICIALS PROBE WHY TRAIN OPERATED WITH DOORS OPEN
Another Metro Rail Transit 3 train malfunctioned Tuesday night, exposing its passengers to danger.
Commuter JaPat Ventura posted on Facebook a video of the MRT3 operating with the train doors wide open.
The video went viral, with more than 1,200 likes and at least 2,000 shares in a span of 12 hours.
A similar incident reportedly happened earlier Tuesday.
MRT3 spokesman Hernando Cabrera says the train coach was identified and isolated.
The MRT3 will investigate the unit and driver to pinpoint what went wrong. Cabrera adds trains should be unable to move if a coach’s doors are not shut.
Upgrades to the train line’s systems are a long time coming, given the MRT3’s current state.
In a Senate hearing Monday, MRT3 officials said at least 1 out of 3 escalators and elevators were not functioning.
The train’s signalling system is also obsolete, and none of its ticketing machines are working, resulting in long lines and recurring glitches.
In early August, one of the MRT3 trains slammed into the Taft station bulldozing the station’s safety barriers and injuring at least 36.

SC JUNKS COMELEC LIMITS ON AIRTIME OF POLITICAL ADS
The Supreme Court strikes down a portion of a Commission on Elections resolution limiting the total TV airtime a candidate may purchase for political ads.
Candidates for national office can now again place 120 minutes of airtime per TV station and 180 minutes per radio station…
instead of just 120 minutes for TV and 180 for radio.
The Court also strikes down a requirement for candidates to seek permission from the Commission before guesting on TV and radio shows.
It adds, the Comelec rules were arbitrary and violated the freedom of speech.

ANOTHER LPA SPOTTED OFF E. SAMAR
State weather bureau PAGASA spots another low pressure area or LPA east of Borongan, Eastern Samar Wednesday.
In its 5pm bulletin, PAGASA says the new LPA is estimated at 800 km east of Borongan, Eastern Samar.
As of 4pm Wednesday it’s 200 km east of the coastal province.
Metro Manila, eastern, central and southern Luzon, and the Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms Thursday.
The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

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DOH: FILIPINO NURSE WITH MERS-COV ARRIVED IN PH
The Health Department says an overseas Filipino worker tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus or MERS COV in the country.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona on Wednesday says two nurses from Saudi Arabia arrived in the Philippines Friday via Saudi Airlines.
Health authorities from Saudi Arabia conducted a health check on the two nurses on August 25.
One of the nurses tested positive for MERS-COV.
Ona says the nurses were tested because the hospital they work in admitted a patient with the MERS-COV.
The nurse who tested positive is a 37-year-old Filipina from General Santos City.
The other nurse, a 49-year-old Filipina from Bulacan went to the Lung Center of the Philippines after hearing news of her co-worker’s condition.
The nurse from Bulacan and her family were tested and results came out negative.
MERS-COV is a highly fatal illness characterized by fever, cough, and often with diarrhea with 291 deaths worldwide.

PUTIN, POROSHENKO AGREE TO ‘PERMANENT CEASEFIRE’ IN UKRAINE
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday agree to a truce in eastern Ukraine.
Poroshenko’s office says the phone conversation between the Ukrainian leader and Putin resulted in an agreement for a ceasefire.
A statement on the  Ukrainian presidential website says both presidents reached a “mutual understanding” towards the “establishment of peace.”
The Russian Kremlin’s website says the two presidents exchanged views on what can be done “for a speedy end to the bloodshed” in Ukraine.

‘ISLAMIC STATE’ EXTREMISTS MURDER SECOND US REPORTER
Militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS brutally murder another American reporter and release a video of the beheading early Wednesday Manila time.
Steven Sotloff was shown in the beheading video of fellow journalist James Foley in August.
The video shows a masked militant with a British accent cutting Sotloff’s throat.
The man who killed Foley also spoke with a British accent.
The masked militant addressed US President Barack Obama and criticized US foreign policy towards ISIS.
Obama earlier vowed to act relentlessly against ISIS but admitted the US does not have a strategy in dealing with the group.

WORLD ‘LOSING BATTLE’ TO CONTAIN EBOLA: MSF
International medical agency Medicines Without Borders or MSF says the world is “losing the battle” to contain the Ebola epidemic.
The United Nations also warns of severe food shortages in the hardest-hit countries.
In a briefing in New York Tuesday, MSF said world leaders are failing to address Ebola and called for an urgent global biological disaster response to get aid and personnel to west Africa.
MSF called on the international community to fund more beds for a regional network of field hospitals, dispatch trained personnel, and deploy mobile laboratories across affected countries Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ

PACQUIAO ASKS MAYWEATHER: ‘WHY BE NERVOUS?’
Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao challenges Floyd Mayweather anew.
Pacquiao says Mayweather is scared to risk his undefeated slate.
For years, boxing fans eagerly anticipated a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, but it never pushed through.

ANTI-MALE STRIPPER STARTUP OFFERS NEW ‘MANSERVANTS’ INSTEAD
A San Francisco startup offers a service it hopes will replace male strippers for bachelorette parties across the US.
ManServants.co offers exactly what its name implies – a polished and handsome man to do the customer’s every bidding – except taking off his clothes.
ManServants was conceptualized when the founders realized today’s women prefer stripper-free parties.
The app launches in the fall.

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GILAS PILIPINAS VERSUS PUERTO RICO
Gilas Pilipinas loses against Puerto Rico 77-73 atthe FIBA World Championships in Spain.
This means the Philippine team is now out of the tournament.
They will not advance to the next round and will go home after their game against Senegal, whether they win or lose.

– Rappler.com

Newscast Production Staff