NEWSCAPS
April 15, 2013
(POLITICAL)
I. CHINA-US DEAL TO END NORTH KOREA’s NUCLEAR THREAT
 Bound by threats from North Korea, the United States and China
agreed to rid the bellicose nation of nuclear weapons in a test of
whether the world powers can shelve years of rivalry and discord,
and unite in fostering global stability.
 US Secretary of State John Kerry described a “synergy” between
the two countries to achieve worldwide security and economic
stability.
II. P18.2-BILLION MARCOS PROPERTIES FOR SALE
 Sequestered properties of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos
worth some P18.2 billion, including the office building of the
Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), remain
up for sale.
III. SULTAN’s NEW GUERILLA BASE IN SABAH
 The sultanate’s spokesman said that after eluding Malaysian
authorities for several weeks, the followers of the sultanate of
Sulu have set up a guerrilla base in the hinterlands of Sabah.
 Abraham Idjirani said that the Malaysian military and police knew
about the base but could not pinpoint the exact location because
the jungle in the area is vast. Idjirani said that the new stronghold
is in a strategic location with enough sources of food and water,
and with adequate shelter for nearly 500 men.
IV. PH VISIT OF BRUNEI SULTAN
 The Office of the President said that the Sultan of Brunei, who
arrives in Manila today, has a full schedule in his state visit and
may have no time to meet Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III over the
Sabah crisis.
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V. SEIZED DIESEL FUEL MISSING
 Old-timers at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) jokingly refer to two
cases of irregularity that happened recently at Pampanga’s
special economic zone as “miracles at Clark.” The term refers to
the disappearance of 94 drums of seized diesel fuel that the
Department of Finance had planned to sell to raise additional
revenue.
 The 94 drums of diesel, part of a 165-drum catch scored by the
Customs Bureau at Clark from 2009 to 2012, had been stored in
a warehouse owned by a private investor at the free port.
VI. FUGITIVE EX-PALAWAN GOVERNOR ON CONTEMPT VS DE
LIMA
 Former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes, through his lawyers, has sued
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for contempt in the Court of
Appeals over her alleged remark that his camp was able to obtain
a favorable decision from the court through illicit means.
VII. FUGITIVE PAGADIAN MAYOR STILL IN COUNTRY
 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that the manhunt for
Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co intensifies as authorities believe
that he is still in the country and must be immediately arrested.
De Lima said that a check with the Bureau of Immigration showed
that the fugitive mayor has not left the country.
VIII. EX-COMELEC CHAIR ON SC RULING ON PARTY-LISTS
 Former Commission on Elections Chair Christian Monsod said
that the recent decision of the Supreme Court to abandon its
ruling that restricted the party-list system to marginalized and
underrepresented sectors “reflects the true intent” of the 1987
Constitution.
IX. SEN. RECTO ON CONNECTING MINDANAO TO LUZONVISAYAS POWER GRID
 Senate Energy Committee member Sen. Ralph Recto said that
only by connecting Mindanao to the Luzon-Visayas power grid
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could the Philippines solve its on-and-off problem of electricity
shortage in Mindanao.
X. SCENARIO OF US BASES IN PH
 The Office of the President clarified that there are no immediate
plans to allow the United States to open a temporary military base
in the country. The possible return of US bases to the country as
stated by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was a “mere
scenario in case of an extreme emergency” arising from the
Korean crisis.
XI. CHINESE FISHERS AS SPIES ON USS GUARDIAN IN
TUBBATAHA
 The Chinese crew of a fishing boat that ran aground on
Tubbataha Reef last week could have been checking to see if the
Americans had installed “military equipment” in the protected
marine sanctuary where the USS Guardian ran aground.
 “As has been noted, the Chinese boat was not like the fishing
vessels used by Chinese poachers who were arrested in
Palawan. It was not carrying ice to preserve their catch. It did not
have refrigerated storage,” said a Philippine military officer, who
asked not to be named.
 It was also noted that the men had “flawless” complexions, not
the dark leathered skin of fishermen.
XII. LIMITED OIL RESOURCES IN SPRATLYS AND OTHER
CONTESTED AREAS
 The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in
a report earlier this month that the contested areas in the West
Philippine Sea, including the disputed Reed Bank in Spratly
Islands, likely have few conventional oil and gas resources.
 The Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands are two of the most
contested areas. However, unlike other parts of the West
Philippine Sea, these areas have not been assessed to hold large
resources of oil and natural gas.
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XIII. PH VISIT OF SALVATION ARMY HEAD
 General Linda Bond, head of the worldwide Christian charity
organization Salvation Army, is arriving in the Philippines on a
four-day visit to commission and ordain territorial leaders on April
20-21, 2013.
 The Salvation Army has been registered with the Department of
Social Welfare and Development as a non-government
organization for the past 75 years.
XIV. HEAT-RESISTANT STRAWBERRY PLANTS
 Agribusiness graduate Leonardo Libreja successfully propagated
strawberry in the lowland town of Ocampo, Camarines Sur,
demonstrating that the plant can thrive in a hot climate and bear
fruit “sweeter” than those found in the Mountain Province.
XV. JOLLIBEE’s CHICKENJOY IN SINGAPORE
 Jollibee’s famous “Chickenjoy” was found to be the best fried
chicken in Singapore, based on a simple blind taste test
conducted recently by Yahoo! Singapore.
 The blind taste test involved a panel of six –Singaporeans,
Malaysians, a Filipino and an Indonesian– who were asked to
assess chicken dishes from Jollibee, KFC, Popeyes, Texas
Chicken and 4Fingers.
XVI. DOLE ON OFWs AS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS
 The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is coming out
with new policy aimed at turning overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs) into goodwill ambassadors.
 Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has directed the Overseas
Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to draft a module for
the pre-departure orientation seminar (PDOS) that will educate
OFWs about Philippine culture and other Filipino values.
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XVII. E-CIGARETTES NOT REGISTERED WITH FDA
 Apparently alarmed over the rising popularity of electronic
cigarettes or e-cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) warned the public that these devices are not registered
with the agency.
(ECONOMY)
I. WORLD BANK ON 6.2% PH GROWTH FORECAST
 The World Bank has maintained its gross domestic product
(GDP) growth forecasts for the Philippines at 6.2 percent and 6.4
percent for 2013 and 2014, respectively, as the country continues
to show signs of sustained growth.
II. NOMURA ON SLOWING OF ASIAN ECONOMIES
 An investment bank said that strong economies in the Asian
region are slowly losing their luster as the low interest
environment here and abroad is beginning to cause some
problems.
 “We are becoming more concerned that Asia’s once solid
economic fundamentals are deteriorating,” Nomura economist
Rob Subbaraman said in the bank’s Asia Economic Monthly
report.
 Growth in emerging Asia —including the Philippines— is seen to
slow down this year, he said, in part because of an expected pickup in the US and European economies as well as that of Japan.
III. WINNING BIDDER FOR NAIA TOLLWAY
 The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to
announce the winning bidder for the proposed P15.86-billion
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) expressway project this
week.
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IV. INCOME TAX OF FOREIGN-EMPLOYED FILIPINOS
 The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said in a memorandum
circular that Filipinos employed by foreign governments,
embassies, diplomatic missions and several international
organizations are not exempted from paying income taxes.
VI. LABOR CODE AMENDMENTS
 The Philippine government is pushing for certain amendments to
the Labor Code in the next Congress as the country’s labor
practices are being reviewed by the US to determine if the
country should continue to enjoy trade benefits under the
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.
VII. EXPORT GROWTH TARGET
 The government is keeping its 15 percent export growth target for
this year as it sees the electronic sector’s recovery in the coming
months and expects the business process outsourcing (BPO)
industry to remain strong.
(END)
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