NEWSCAPS
February 19, 2013
(POLITICAL)
I. SABAH STANDOFF
 Saying that there was no turning back, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III
has declared that his followers who crossed into the town of
Lahad Datu in the Malaysian state of Sabah this month were
staying put to reclaim their ancestral homeland. He earlier said
that his group numbered 300, but Malaysia put it at between 80
and 100.
II. CEZA ON RE-EXPORT OF 600 USED CARS
 Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) Administrator Jose
Mari Ponce said that the agency was considering exporting to
either Africa or Bangladesh some 600 vehicles that arrived in the
country once the government clamps down on their resale in the
country.
III. ‘DIFFERENTLY COLORED’ LICENSE PLATES
 The Department of Finance (DOF) is urging the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to require
“differently colored” license plates for vehicles imported through
special economic zones.
 Currently, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) issues green
plates for private vehicles, red for government vehicles, yellow for
public conveyance and blue for diplomatic use. The DOF said
that issuing plates of another color would help improve tax
compliance amid reports of “virtual car smuggling” through
ecozones.
IV. DISMISSAL OF ESTAFA IN GLOBE ASIATIQUE CASE
 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that the Department of
Justice (DOJ) will challenge in the Supreme Court the Court of
Appeals’ dismissal of the syndicated estafa charge against a coaccused of fugitive Globe Asiatique President Delfin Lee. The
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syndicated estafa charge against Cristina Sagun was
downgraded to simple estafa after she was dropped from the
case, a development that would allow Lee, who has been in
hiding to avoid arrest, to post bail.
V. PNP GRAFT CHARGES OVER RUBBER BOATS PURCHASE
 Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the filing of
graft charges against retired Philippine National Police (PNP)
Director General Jesus Verzosa and seven other ranking police
officers in the Sandiganbayan in connection with the alleged
anomalous purchase of 75 defective rubber boats worth P131.5
million in 2008.
VI. TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD) “CRISING”
 The weather bureau warned of flashfloods and landslides in
provinces of Mindanao after a low pressure area spotted off the
region developed into Tropical Depression “Crising.” The
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa) said that Crising was expected to bring
moderate to heavy (5mm to 10 mm per hour) rains and
thunderstorms to provinces in the Davao, Caraga and
Soccsksargen regions. Signal No. 1 has been raised in Davao del
Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley.
VII. PRESIDENT AQUINO ON COA’s ROLE IN CAMPAIGN VS
GRAFT
 President Aquino emphasized the important role played by state
auditors in the campaign against corruption. The President issued
the statement as he welcomed to the country participants in the
46th Governing Board Meeting of the Asian Organization of
Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) in ceremonies held at the
Malacañan Palace. The Commission on Audit (COA) was elected
as member of the governing body of the ASOSAI for the period
2012 to 2015, and was made host of this year’s Governing Board
Meeting.
VIII. DECENTRALIZATION OF THE SUPEREME COURT
 A body chaired by Associate Justice Jose Perez will work on the
decentralization of administrative duties in the Supreme Court
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(SC), a move which supersedes an order of Chief Justice Ma.
Lourdes Sereno last November creating a new judicial office in
the Visayas. In a memorandum, Associate Justice Teresita
Leonardo-De Castro said that Sereno issued the administrative
order without SC approval.
IX. CORONAVIRUS
 The Department of Health (DOH) directed hospitals across the
country to report suspected cases of a new virus that mimics
SARS that the World Health Organization (WHO) has described
as the novel coronavirus, amid an increase in the number of
incidents abroad. While the government has not imposed travel
restrictions to and from affected countries, the Bureau of
Quarantine will continue its routine screening of incoming
passengers at airports and seaports for signs of illness that may
require temporary isolation.
X. ECOWASTE COALITION ON TOXIC MEDALS
 A consumer safety and environmental watch group, EcoWaste
Coalition, cautioned schools against awarding lead-tainted
medals to young achievers, saying exposure to toxic metals could
affect their brain power.
XI. PUERTO PRINCESA RIVER TOUR ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM
 Travelers from across the world can now expect a smoother visit
to the country’s famous subterranean river in Puerto Princesa
City with a new online booking system, a project launched by the
Department of Tourism (DOT) in partnership with the local
government. The online booking system was aimed at easing the
traffic of tourists visiting the Puerto Princesa Underground River
(PPUR) and avoiding confusion in securing permits from the
PPUR office.
XII. COMELEC CHAIR BRILLANTES ON PCOS CRITICS
 Exasperated with the “lies” supposedly circulated by some poll
watchdog groups, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair
Sixto Brillantes Jr. said that critics of the precinct count optical
scan (PCOS) machines were just out to sow public mistrust and
sabotage the coming balloting.
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XIII. PERSONAL ATTACKS OF UNA’s TIANGCO ON TEAM PNOY
 Team PNoy has called on the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)
to stop engaging in black propaganda, and instead start
presenting its platform to the electorate. Marikina Rep. Romero
Quimbo, one of Team PNoy’s Spokespersons, particularly cited
the statements of UNA Spokesperson Navotas Rep. Toby
Tiangco, who accused him of issuing fraudulent loans when he
was the head of the government’s Pag-Ibig Fund during the
Arroyo administration. Tiangco also tagged Sen. Sergio Osmeña
III as the real power behind the Liberal Party (LP) coalition’s
senatorial campaign, and not Sen. Franklin Drilon who is the
official LP general campaign manager.
XIV. UNA ON ARROYO BASHING OF LP
 The Liberal Party’s top honcho may be fond of criticizing former
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but members of the United
Nationalist Alliance (UNA) think there are better things to discuss
on campaign sorties. UNA senatorial candidate JV Estrada said
that there was no need to keep harping against Arroyo. It would
be better if campaigns were issue-based, he said.
XV. ESTRADA ON DANCE WITH PSY
 Former President Joseph Estrada is excited by the prospect of
dancing on the campaign stage alongside popular South Korean
singer Psy to the tune of “Gangnam Style.” Estrada said that he
would be meeting with Psy within the week.
XVI. CASIÑO ON REVILLA’s SUPPORT
 Independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño said that the
endorsement he received from Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
should not be construed an indication that he would be joining the
political party of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Casiño said that he was grateful for Revilla’s support but joining
the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) was “highly
unlikely, (as a) matter of principle.”
XVII. 3 SENATORIAL BETS ON HOPE COVENANT
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 Only three out of the 33 senatorial candidates attended the
ecumenical prayer for peaceful and honest elections hosted by
three Church groups in San Juan. Former Senate president
Ernesto Maceda, re-electionist Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, and
Bangon Pilipinas’ lone senatorial bet Eddie Villanueva signed the
manifesto for honest, orderly, and peaceful elections (HOPE)
after the ecumenical prayer at Club Filipino.
XVIII. TRADERS ON DISQUALIFICATION OF LPGMA
 The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) asked the Supreme
Court to stop the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from
allowing the LPG Marketers Association Inc. (LPGMA) to take
part in the party-list election, saying the group did not represent a
sector authorized by the party-list law.
XIX. CPP-NPA RIFT OVER CAMPAIGN FEES
 Ranking officials of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
are divided over the imposition of permit to campaign fees by its
armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), on candidates for the
May elections.
 Director Lina Sarmiento, chief of the Philippine National Police
Directorate for Police Community Relations, said that certain
“party hard-liners in the local communist movement are
embarrassed” over the collection of the “permit to
campaign/permit to win” fees from politicians.
 She said that police and military intelligence units found that the
insurgents had been asking for as much as P5 million from local
candidates before they could campaign in areas controlled by the
rebels.
XX. COMMUNIST REBELS ON CEASEFIRE AND CAPTIVES’
RELEASE
 Communist leaders have declared a four-day ceasefire starting
today in Davao del Norte towns and part of Compostela Valley for
the safe release of a soldier and a policeman they have been
holding in captivity since last month. They also asked the military
to do the same.
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XXI. 24 NEW RESERVE OFFICERS IN AFP
 The military has 24 new reserve officers who are expected to help
strengthen its peace and development efforts. The reserve
military officers, who compose the 47th batch of Masters in
National Security Administration (MNSA), took their oath
yesterday morning in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
XXII. DAVAO DEL NORTE LANDSLIDE
 Over 100 families have fled their upland village in New Corella,
Davao del Norte, following a massive landslide there last Sunday.
At least 33 houses were destroyed in the avalanche that hit three
communities in Barangay Mambing. The landslide happened
amid a heavy downpour. At least 156 families were evacuated
and the local and provincial governments have distributed relief
goods.
XXIII. RETRIEVAL OPERATIONS IN SEMIRARA MINE COLLAPSE
 Except for a recovered human body part, there were no signs of
the five workers who were among 10 people buried by tons of soil
when a portion of a wall of the Semirara Mining Corp. (SMC)
open mine pit collapsed here five days ago. Continued slides and
heavy rains hampered search and retrieval operations.
XXIV. SALVAGE OPERATION IN TUBBATAHA
 The dismantling of the US Navy minesweeper USS Guardian that
ran aground last Jan. 17 in Tubbataha Reef National Park in
Palawan is expected to start today with the return of the crane
ship to the site yesterday afternoon. Officials said that the salvage
operations would continue depending on weather conditions.
XXV. AFP ON ANTI-SHIP MISSILES
 A Department of National Defense (DND) official revealed that a
committee is now studying the possibility of arming the Philippine
Navy’s (PN) two Hamilton-class cutters with anti-ship missiles.
The official refused to disclose the type of anti-ship missiles
currently being evaluated by the committee, but he said that once
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installed, this will give the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15) and
soon-to-arrive BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) more capability in
protecting the country’s maritime domain.
XXVI. FILIPINO, 6 OTHERS SEIZED IN NIGERIA
 Gunmen attacked a camp for a construction company in rural
northern Nigeria, killing a guard and kidnapping seven foreign
workers from Britain, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, and the Philippines,
in the biggest kidnapping yet in a region under attack by Islamic
extremists.
(ECONOMY)
I. PH STOCKS RECORD HIGH
 The local stock market jumpstarted the week with another bullish
performance en route to a record 17th all-time high this year. The
benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) climbed 0.67
percent or 43.59 points to end at a fresh peak of 6,565.23. It also
posted a new intraday high at 6,582.51.The previous high for the
PSEi was recorded just last Feb. 13 when it closed at 6,521.64.
II. P1-BILLION FINE OF PHILEX MINING CORP.
 Listed Philex Mining Corp. paid a P1.034-billion fine imposed by
the government over last year’s Padcal tailings spill, saying that
the move will hopefully accelerate a decision on the mine’s
reopening. Philex Mining President Eulalio B. Austin, Jr. turned
over a check to Environment Secretary Ramon S. Paje and Mines
and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director Leo L. Jasareno. The
payment was made a day before the Feb. 19 deadline set by the
MGB.
III. PISTON RALLY VS OIL PRICE HIKE
 Militant public transport group Piston (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng
mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide) said that it will not hesitate
to stage a nationwide protest next month if government will
continue to ignore the unabated hike in oil prices. George San
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list group, said that another price hike of about 80 centavos for
gas and 50 centavos for diesel is looming this week.
IV. ONION IMPORTS
 Onion farmers have asked the government to stop allowing the
importation of onions, and urged national and local candidates to
commit themselves to stopping onion importation. The supply of
locally produced onions will not run short, they added. Aquilino
Lopez, Alyansang Magbubukid ng Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) Nueva
Ecija head, said that farmers are compelled to lower the prices of
onions by P5 to P10 per kilo.
V. PPA ON P43-BILLION BULK CARGO FACILITY
 The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is pursuing the planned
establishment of a P43.3-billion bulk cargo handling facility at the
northwest portion of South Harbor to cater to the needs primarily
of oil companies. The results of the master plan and feasibility
study on the proposed bulk cargo handling facility would be
presented to the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC) for approval.
VI. SAN MIGUEL BREWERY ON DELISTING
 Listed San Miguel Brewery, Inc., whose shares have been
suspended since the start of the year due to an insufficient public
float, has moved to exit the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).
VII. IMF: PH HAS ROOM FOR MORE FOREX RESERVES
 The Philippines has room for more foreign exchange
reserves, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated, even
as the country’s gross international reserves have reached a new
record high in January. Reserves, which cushion the impact of
external risks, reached $85.760 billion in January, hitting a fresh
historic high and just a notch below the $86-billion official forecast
for the year.
VIII. IRR CRAFTING OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CODE
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 The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is
open to inputs of concerned sectors in crafting implementing rules
and regulations (IRR) for the proposed amendment of the IP
Code once it is signed into law amid opposition from some
groups. “We welcome anybody in the crafting of IRR to be with
us,” IPOPHL Director General Ricardo Blancaflor said.
(END)
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