NEWSCAPS
July 22, 2013
(POLITICAL)
I. SONA
 As he delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA)
today, President Aquino is expected to unveil a road map of his
final three years in office focusing on growth that benefits all, and
highlight reforms in government.
 President Aquino’s “daang matuwid” policy against corruption is
under close scrutiny in the wake of allegations that transportation
officials tried to extort $30 million (about P1.3 billion) from a
Czech train supplier and that bogus NGOs funneled P10 billion in
pork barrel into ghost projects.
II. SENATE PANEL CHAIRMANSHIPS
 Acting Senate President Jinggoy Estrada said that the chamber’s
new leadership must first resolve committee assignments before
the much-awaited probes of current controversial issues could
start.’
III. HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP
 Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. is expected to keep his
post as speaker today, when the House of Representatives
begins electing its officers for the next three years.
 Another key officer, Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, will
retain his job as majority leader. Both Belmonte and Gonzales
belong to the ruling Liberal Party (LP).
IV. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT REFORM ACT
 Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III has filed a bill that seeks to
amend the Government Procurement Reform Act to restrict the
awarding of public contracts to private companies.
1
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 Senate Bill No. 76 proposes to expand the list of offenses that
may be committed in the awarding of government contracts and
ensure that the procurement process will not be used as a means
for corruption, Guingona said.
V. PROTESTERS
 Even without rally permits, workers will hold mass protest actions
against President Aquino today as he delivers his State of the
Nation Address (SONA). In Metro Manila, workers are defying the
Quezon City government’s rally ban.
 Members of Gabriela, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan),
Anakpawis, Anakbayan and Migrante converged on the Mabuhay
Rotunda in Quezon City and marched to Times Street, where
President Aquino lived before moving to Malacañang in 2010, to
protest against his “anti-poor and procapitalist regime.”
 The Quezon City police deployed a riot force to Times Street to
stop the protesters from proceeding to the President’s old home.
VI. CBCP ON ‘DESIDERATA’ FOR GOVERNMENT
 The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
enumerated several “desiderata” for the Aquino administration,
saying that harping on the country’s economic progress was not
enough and that it must also assess its work based on social and
environmental issues.
VII. BUSINESS GROUPS ON JOB CREATION, INVESTMENTS
 Business groups want President Aquino to discuss how the
government intends to create more jobs and attract investments
to sustain the country’s positive economic performance.
 Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) president
Melito Salazar Jr. said that businesses are concerned with how
the strong economy can be maintained and improved.
VIII. ARREST WARRANT VS FORMER PNP OFFICIALS OVER
GRAFT
2
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 The Office of the Ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to
order the arrest and incarceration of six former police officials,
including former Philippine National Police chief Director General
Avelino Razon Jr., throughout their trial for graft involving fictitious
repair and maintenance of light armored vehicles.
IX. SACKING OF PROSECUTOR SULIT OVER PLEA BARGAIN
CASE
 Sources said that Special Prosecutor Wendell Barreras-Sulit –
who heads the prosecution arm of the Office of the
Ombudsman— has been dismissed from government service.
Sulit was among the so-called midnight appointees of former
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2010.
 Being the government’s top prosecutor, she handled the plea
bargain case of former Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, whose plunder
case was downgraded to mere direct bribery.
X. MNLF PEACE TALKS
 According to former Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema,
who chairs a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction,
informal talks with government representatives may push through
this August in Manila under the auspices of the regular tripartite
review on the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement
(FPA) between the government and the MNLF.
XI. COURT RULING ON DISALLOWING FEDEX OPERATION
 Stressing that the court was not bound by the resolutions of the
justice secretary, the Court of Appeals cancelled a governmentissued permit that allowed the giant international freight
forwarding company FedEx to operate in the Philippines.
Contrary to an opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the
appellate court said international freight forwarding was a public
utility.
XII. SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
 The Department of Education (DepEd) has moved to the end of
the month the deadline for bids for its P8.7-billion second public3
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
private partnership (PPP) contract for the construction of more
than 10,000 public school classrooms next year.
XIII. DOTC ON REVIEW OF MRT 3 DEAL
 The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)
will review the bidding terms for the deal to expand capacity at
the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) amid allegations that the
head of the MRT3 and others tried to extort money from Czech
train manufacturer Inekon Group last year.
 Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said that the recent
allegations made by Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar called for
a reexamination of the terms of reference (TOR) of the deal.
XIV. SKILLS ENHANCEMENT OF OMBUDSMAN LAWYERS
 Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said that all the lawyers
involved in the prosecution and field investigation of graft cases
would undergo skills enhancement classes in the next seven
months under a grant by the British Embassy in Manila.
XV. PNP ON 3 PRIORITY LAWS FROM CONGRESS
 With the 16th Congress opening today, the leadership of the
Philippine National Police (PNP) is proposing changes on three
key issues to allow the police force to improve performance.
 PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima said that one of the
issues is reorganization. Another issue is that PNP officials
should be allowed to supervise the training school for future
police officers. Purisima said that the third issue, which remains
on the drawing board, is the waiver on the height requirement for
policemen.
XVI. CALL TO SELL SMUGGLED RICE
 The government was urged to sell smuggled rice worth P1.4
billion to bring down the staple’s retail price, which has gone up
by at least P2 per kilo.
4
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 “Government should draw on some 600,000 sacks of confiscated
rice to thwart any upward pressure on prices,” Rep. Arnel Ty of
the party-list group Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers
Association said.
XVII. NBI ON ABUNDANCE OF DRUGS IN CEBU
 The country is no longer just a conduit for illegal drugs but had
become its final destination, according to the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI).
 Virgilio Mendez, NBI deputy director for regional services, said
that the abundant supply of illegal drugs, particularly in Cebu, was
“very alarming because of its direct effect on crime.”
XVIII. 50 FILIPINOS DETAINED IN MALAYSIA
 At least 50 Filipinos residing in Sabah were detained by
Malaysian authorities in connection with the alleged threat by an
armed group reportedly associated with the Sulu sultanate.
 In a report by the New Strait Times, Sabah police commissioner
Hamza Taib said that the Filipinos were rounded up as part of the
ongoing investigation into the reported threat to stage retaliatory
attacks on Tambunan district, a farming valley located in the
Interior Division of Sabah.
XIX. 7 KILLED IN LANAO DEL SUR CLAN WAR
 At least seven people were killed after two families locked in a
longstanding feud battled each other with guns in Lanao del Sur,
police said.
 Such violent clan conflicts, known as “rido,” have long
complicated security worries in Mindanao, which is already mired
in decades-long Muslim rebellions.
XX. FDA WARNING ON CHILI-LACED FOOD SUPPLEMENTS
 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautioned the public
against consumption of food and dietary supplements with
supposed therapeutic qualities.
5
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 The FDA issued the warning after the discovery of unregistered
food and dietary supplements containing cayenne or chili powder.
But the agency did not name the products in its advisory.
XXI. REGULATION ON E-CIGARETTES
 Health officials are currently formulating new policies to regulate
and control the use and sale of e-cigarettes in the country. As
part of the process, the Department of Health (DOH) and the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are set to hold a public
consultation on Wednesday regarding the issue.
XXII. NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WEEK
 The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is set to
celebrate the National Science and Technology Week with Expo
Science 2013 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia in
Pasay City.
 Expo Science 2013 will showcase the latest innovations,
interventions and inventions of Filipino scientists and engineers
as well as various works by the entire scientific community from
July 23 to 27.
(ECONOMY)
I. SWS SURVEY ON PUBLIC SATISFACTION RATINGS
 Public satisfaction with President Aquino has risen, the Social
Weather Stations (SWS) said in a new report. More Filipinos also
expect Aquino to be a successful president, the SWS said.
 The SWS’ June 28-30 poll had 76% of respondents claiming that
they were satisfied with President Aquino’s performance, versus
the 12% who said otherwise, for a “very good” net satisfaction
score of +64. This was up five points up from March’s similarly
“very good” +59 and just three points below the record-high “very
good” +67 hit in August last year.
6
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
II. BSP CHARTER CHANGE
 After gaining support from the Aquino administration, the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) wants Congress to push for the
legislative measure that will amend its two-decade-old charter.
 BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said that the central
bank hopes amendments to RA 7653 or the New Central Bank
Act of 1993 will be included in the priority measures of the
Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
III. P1.9-BILLION NAIA REHABILITATION
 The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)
said that work on the P1.9-billion rehabilitation of Terminal 3 at
the 30-year old Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is set to
start soon.
 Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said that the
Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has already reviewed the
revised work agreement that would be signed by Takenaka Corp.
of Japan.
IV. FISCAL INCENTIVES
 The government is making extensive adjustments on the
proposed bill that aims to rationalize all fiscal incentives across
industries to enhance transparency, boost state coffers and level
the playing field.
 Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said that the Department of
Finance (DOF) and Board of Investments (BOI) are fine-tuning
the fiscal incentives bill aimed at bridging their differences.
V. SDA FUNDS’ SHIFT TO BANK DEPOSITS
 Trust entities have began winding down prohibited funds in
special deposit accounts (SDA), with most of the funds expected
to transfer to bank deposits and government securities, a senior
central bank official said.
7
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 “We have seen a reduction in trusts, while we’re seeing an
increase in bank placements,” central bank deputy governor
Nestor Espenilla Jr. said.
VI. RICE STOCKS
 The country’s rice stocks, as of July 18, climbed by 25.65% yearon-year to 2.4 million metric tons (MT), the National Food
Authority (NFA) said. This amount is enough for 71 days while
last year’s 1.9 million MT were only good for 56 days.
VII. PH AS THIRD-LARGEST SELLER OF FARMLANDS TO
FOREIGNERS
 Despite its prohibition on the foreign ownership of land, the
Philippines emerged as one of the countries with the largest
tracts of farmland that were ceded to foreigners globally,
according to the 2013 World Trade Organization (WTO) Report.
 The country with the biggest farmland area acquired by foreigners
was Democratic Republic of the Congo with 8.1 million hectares,
followed by Indonesia with 7.1 million hectares. Among Southeast
Asian countries, only Indonesia and the Philippines were included
in the top 10.
(END)
8
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)