NEWSCAPS
April 30, 2013
(POLITICAL)
I. VP BINAY’s PUBLIC SATISFACTION RATING
 “Puzzling” was how the Office of the Vice President (OVP)
described the results of the latest Social Weather Stations
(SWS) survey in which public satisfaction with Vice President
Jejomar Binay slipped, spoiling his “excellent” rating streak
that stretched for five quarters.
 In a statement, the OVP on Monday observed that the SWS
survey overlapped with that of Pulse Asia but produced
divergent results.
 VP Binay’s Spokesperson, Joey Salgado, said that the Vice
President remained grateful for his high approval ratings.
II. UN AND WORLD BANK AID TO BANGSAMORO
 The World Bank and the United Nations are allocating $7
million in technical assistance to help ensure the success of
the peace talks between the government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as well as facilitate the
establishment of a Bangsamoro entity to replace the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
III. NPA ATTACK
GOVERNOR
AGAINST
COMPOSTELA
VALLEY
 A few days after President Aquino ordered authorities to
dismantle all checkpoints put up by the New People’s Army
(NPA), the communist rebels struck again, this time
harassing the convoy of the Compostela Valley Gov. Arthur
Uy and taking hostage his police escort late Sunday
afternoon.
IV. AFP MODERNIZATION
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 Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo yesterday said
that the Philippines is getting two brand-new frigates as part
of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines,
 He said that the Department of National Defense (DND) had
earmarked P18 billion for the purchase of the two vessels
through a public bidding. He also disclosed that the DND
had been negotiating for a government-to-government
acquisition of 12 jet fighters from South Korea.
III. IMF ON ‘MIDDLE INCOME TRAP’
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that emerging
Asian economies, including the Philippines, are expected to
post robust growth this year but are advised to boost
technology and human capital to avoid falling into the
“middle income trap”.
 An emerging economy falls into a “middle income trap” if it
suffers from “sustained growth slowdown” after years of fast
growth.
IV. NEGOTIATIONS WITH NPA FIELD UNITS
 Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin yesterday said that the
government might initiate negotiations with field units of the
New People’s Army (NPA) after chief government negotiator
Alexander Padilla reported that a peace deal with the
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) leadership based
in the Netherlands seemed unlikely for now.
V. AMALILIO DEPORTATION
 The government will send a high-level team to Malaysia to
work for the return of businessman Manuel Amalilio, owner
of the investment company that allegedly defrauded
thousands of investors in the Visayas and Mindanao of more
than P12 billion.
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 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima bared yesterday that this
would be after the Malaysian general elections on May 5.
VI. LOCAL ASENTEE VOTING
 Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson Sixto
Brillantes Jr. and Commissioner Grace Padaca cast their
ballots yesterday for the May 13 elections.
 Meanwhile, around fifty-five journalists voted on Sunday, the
start of the three-day absentee balloting.
VII. GOV. SALCEDA’s SUPPORT FOR NANCY BINAY
 Administration
candidates
former
senator
Ramon
Magsaysay, Jr. and Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd
criticized Albay Gov. Joey Salceda over his move of joining
the UNA campaign trail alongside Vice President Jejomar
Binay, one of UNA’s leaders.
 Salceda reportedly said that he will vote for Binay’s daughter,
Nancy, even if he will not endorse her.
VIII. EXTENSION OF CCT PROGRAM
 Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad
yesterday said that they have received proposals to extend
the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to ensure that
students would finish high school and acquire the skills
needed to land a job.
 President Aquino has yet to approve an expanded CCT
program but Secretary Abad said that the administration is
ready to embark on projects together with the private sector
on developing labor intensive activities.
IX. CANCELLED US TRIP OF BOSTON BOMBERS’ PARENTS
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 The parents of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects have
retreated to a village in southern Russia to shelter from the
spotlight and abandoned plans for now to travel to the United
States, the father of the suspects told Reuters on Sunday.
X. SEC. GAZMIN ON US BASES INSTALLATION IN THE PH
 Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin yesterday said that the
US can be given temporary access to Philippine bases in
times of extreme emergency. However, he clarified that the
Americans cannot set up installations in the country.
XI. CONTRATUALIZATION OF WORKERS
 Former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros and former
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Chair
Grace Poe urged President Aquino to address the issue of
contractualization after Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz
said that there would be no wage increase tomorrow, Labor
Day.
XII. GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
 President Aquino yesterday vowed to finish the bulk of the
national government’s infrastructure projects before he steps
down in 2016.
 In his visit to Barangay Bilibinwang, a Taal lakeshore village,
President Aquino stressed the value of reliable infrastructure
to boost the local economy and tourism.
XIII. PCOS SOURCE CODE REVIEW
 Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson Sixto
Brillantes Jr. yesterday sought to allay concerns triggered by
a previous announcement that the agency was doing away
with the review of the source code for the automated voting
machines to be used in the May 13.
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 Brillantes said that the Comelec had the source code
properly reviewed by a third party information technology (IT)
firm, SLI Global Solutions. The only thing the Comelec would
not be able to do is make the source code available to
political parties and other interested groups for their own
review.
XIV. UNESCO ASSESSMENT OF TUBBATAHA REEF
 The Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (Unesco) is sending a team of experts
to Tubbataha Reef to assess the damage wrought by the
grounding of the USS Guardian, a US Navy minesweeper, in
January.
 This was confirmed yesterday by Cecile Guidote-Alvarez,
director of the Unesco Dream Center in Manila and wife of
Heherson Alvarez, head of the Climate Change Commission.
XV. VP BINAY ON SENATORIAL RACE
 Vice President Jejomar Binay expressed confidence
yesterday that the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) could
post a 7- 5 win in the senatorial election.
XVI. SEN. CAYETANO ON HIGH POVERTY INCIDENCE
 Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday defended President
Aquino from criticisms that the poverty incidence in the
country remains high in spite of the touted economic growth,
saying that the trickle down effect cannot be expected
overnight.
 Cayetano said that the economic achievements of the
administration could not be downplayed, citing the Fitch
Ratings credit rating upgrade.
XVII. PROBE ON CONSUL GENERAL IN VANCOUVER
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 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesperson Raul
Hernandez said yesterday that a fact-finding panel would be
created to look into allegations against the Philippine consul
general Jose Ampeso, who was caught on video shouting at
a passport applicant in Alberta.
XVIII. GOV. GWEN GARCIA GRAFT CASE
 Suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia intends to present
46 witnesses to prove that the graft and malversation of
public funds case filed against her by the Office of the
Ombudsman should be junked.
XIX. EXPANSION OF NEDA BOARD
 The Department of Justice (DOJ) is supporting a proposal to
expand the membership of the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) board.
 In a legal opinion, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima raised no
legal objection to the proposal to include the Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office
(PCDSPO) in the NEDA board.
 Secretary de Lima also stressed that the membership of the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in
the board is provided under Section 4 of EO 230.
XX. VIDEO OF YELLOW SUBMARINE SCRAPING CORAL
REEF
 Environmentalists yesterday called on the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to investigate
an incident where an underwater seacraft could be seen on
a video brushing against a coral reef in the waters off LapuLapu City.
 Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza on Monday issued a
cease and desist order on Yellow Submarine and suspended
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the business permit of its operator, the Cebu Yellow
Submarine Undersea Tour Corp., pending an investigation.
XXI. NPA EXTORTION LETTERS
 Capt. Mark Anthony Ruelos, Spokesperson of the 7th
Infantry Division (ID), said that they caught eight members of
the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in possession of
the so- called “permit-to-campaign/permit-towin (PTC/PTW)”
letters, which the military said was an indication that the
extortion scheme is imposed in all rebel-infested areas
around the country.
(ECONOMY)
I. RICE EXPORTATION
 Rice producers and traders are set to ship rice harvests to
foreign buyers in May, the first time the commodity would be
exported in large volumes in 40 years, Agriculture Assistant
Secretary Dante de Lima said last week.
II. HIKE IN MEAT PRICES
 The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi)
said that a Department of Agriculture (DA) administrative
order restricting trade in and the distribution of imported meat
could lead to higher prices of meat products in the country.
 Administrative Order (AO) No. 09 also contains provisions
that are practically barriers to trade, Pampi said, adding that
the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), a DA-attached
agency, had started implementing the order without
consulting the meat industry.
III. INFLATION RATE
 Inflation may have slowed in April from the previous month
as lower food and oil prices offset higher utility rates and a
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slight weakening of the peso, the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) said yesterday.
IV. GAMING STOCKS
 Gaming stocks were battered yesterday on the back of kneejerk reactions from an operational problem in one of newest
and major casino operators in the country and a regulation
on corporate income taxes of these firms.
 “Gaming companies led yesterday’s decliners after the
Bureau of Internal Revenue released a memorandum stating
that Pagcor and its casino licensees are subject to the 30
percent income tax,” RCBC Securities Inc. said.
 Jomar B. Lacson, head of research at Campus, Lanuza &
Co., Inc., said that investors might have reacted negatively
with the flooding in the Solaire Resort and Casino last week.
V. STOCK EXCHANGE
 The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) inched up 0.04
percent or 2.91 points to settle at 7,028.35, while the broader
all shares index added 0.17 percent or 7.40 points to
4,391.88.
(END)
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