NEWSCAPS
December 20, 2012
(POLITICAL)
I. RH BILL
 Last night, the Senate (11-5) and the House (which resorted to
voice voting) ratified the bicameral report on the Reproductive
Health (RH) bill. The ratification came just two days after both
chambers of Congress approved it on third and final reading.
President Aquino said that he wanted the bill signed into law
before the end of the year.
II. DIVORCE BILL
 Retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani said that Speaker
Feliciano Belmonte’s plan to enact a divorce bill in the next
Congress was “not a good development” for the country. Bacani,
along with other bishops and the Catholic Vote Philippines
alliance, said that proponents of the bill would have a tougher
time pushing the measure compared with the 14-year struggle
that Reproductive Health (RH) supporters went through.
 When asked what his message to President Aquino was, Bacani
said, “I don’t have a message to him because he does not listen
to what we are saying.”
III. P2-TRILLION NATIONAL BUDGET FOR 2013
 President Aquino called the General Appropriations Act of 2013
an “empowerment budget.” A beaming President Aquino signed
the P2.006-trillion national budget for the coming year that
includes allocation for the Reproductive Health (RH) bill that he
hoped to sign into law before the year ends. The budget consists
of new general appropriations of P1.250 trillion and automatic
appropriations of P755 billion.
IV. SUSPENDED CEBU GOV. GARCIA
 Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia refused to heed the six-month
suspension order issued by the Office of the President after she
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was found guilty of grave abuse of authority, calling it “power
grab.” Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Almendras Magpale, sister of
Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, was sworn in as acting
governor.
V. PULSE ASIA ON RATINGS OF TOP GOV’T OFFICIALS
 Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senate President Juan Ponce
Enrile have maintained high approval and trust ratings, the latest
Pulse Asia survey showed. The survey, conducted from Nov. 23
to 29, showed VP Binay’s and Senate President Enrile’s approval
ratings at 82 percent and 73 percent, respectively. VP Binay
obtained a “sizeable to a big majority” trust rating of 81 percent
while Senate President Enrile’s trust rating was 67 percent.
 House of Representatives Speaker Feliciano Belmonte’s approval
rating went up from 38 percent to 46 percent and his trust rating
increased from 36 percent to 40 percent. Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno obtained almost the same national approval and
indecision scores (38 percent versus 44 percent) in the latest poll.
VI. CO SLAY CASE
 The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has recommended
criminal and administrative charges against eight soldiers and
their commanders for the killing Leonardo Co, a respected
botanist and his two aides in the forest of Kananga town in Leyte
on Nov. 15, 2010.
VII. FARMERS’ PROTEST VS AGRARIAN CHIEF DELOS REYES
 At least 16 farmers have collapsed since 56 farmers, mostly
members of Task Force Mapalad (TFM), began a hunger strike
on Monday to press demands for the ouster of Agrarian Reform
Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes for allegedly failing to carry out
commitments made to them personally by President Aquino six
months ago.
VIII. RELEASE OF MICHAEL RAY AQUINO/ DACER-CORBITO
MURDER CASE
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 A Manila court has dismissed for lack of evidence the double
murder case against Michael Ray Aquino in connection with the
2000 deaths of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver,
Emmanuel Corbito. In his decision, Manila Regional Trial Court
Branch 18 Judge Carolino Sison also ordered Aquino’s
immediate release.
IX. DENIED HOLIDAY FURLOUGH FOR ARROYO AND 3 COACCUSED
 The Sandiganbayan denied separate petitions of detained former
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and three others accused of
plundering charity sweepstakes funds for a Christmas furlough for
lack of merit.
X. JUETENG PROBE
 A team of investigators from the Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG) has started looking into the bank
accounts and assets of Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr., who
has been accused of coddling operators of the illegal numbers
game, or “jueteng,” in his province.
XI. AMAN FUTURES SCAM PROBE
 Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co has admitted working to legalize
the operation of Aman Futures Group Phils. Inc., the trading firm
linked to a P12-billion investment scam that victimized some
15,000 people in the Visayas and Mindanao.
XII. PH AS 3RD IN IMPUNITY LIST OF MEDIA KILLINGS
 The Philippines remained in a United States-based media
watchdog group’s “shameful list” of countries where journalists
are “routinely murdered and their killers go free.” A report
published by the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ) ranked the Philippines third in the list of top 12
countries where journalists’ lives are in danger because of the
culture of impunity.
XIII. COMELEC ON CANDIDATES’ MEDIA EXPOSURE
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 The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) plans to limit the
television and radio exposure of all candidates for next year’s
elections. COMELEC Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said
that the COMELEC intends to link up with the Bureau of Internal
Revenue (BIR) to verify the income and expenses of candidates.
He said that the COMELEC and BIR might sign a memorandum
of agreement to monitor compliance and ensure that erring
candidates would be penalized.
XIV. CONFIRMATION OF CHINA ENVOY ERLINDA BASILIO
 Newly appointed Ambassador to China Erlinda Basilio breezed
through the Commission on Appointments (CA) along with five
other ambassadors and a commissioner of the Civil Service
Commission (CSC).
XV. NEW NAVY CHIEF ALANO
 The new Navy chief vowed to make the country’s territorial waters
safe. Speaking after assuming command, Vice Adm. Jose Luis
Alano said that he will do what is necessary, including using
methods never tried before.
XVI. FILIPINO TEACHERS’ $4.5-M US SUIT WIN
 A federal jury awarded $4.5 million to Filipino teachers who paid
large fees to obtain United States jobs through a placement
agency. Jurors found that Los Angeles-based Universal
Placement International Inc. failed to properly disclose the fees
for the 350 teachers who were recruited for $40,000-a-year jobs
in Louisiana.
XVII. OBAMA AS TIME PERSON OF THE YEAR
 Time magazine named the recently re-elected US President
Barack Obama as its person of the year for 2012, the second
time it has accorded him this honor. Time said that the United
States is in the midst of huge cultural and demographic changes
and Obama is both the symbol and in some ways a driving force
behind the transformation.
XVIII. TROPICAL CYCLONE ON CHRISTMAS DAY
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 The weather bureau warned that a tropical cyclone is likely to hit
the same areas affected by Typhoon Pablo in the Visayas and
Mindanao on Christmas Day. Robert Sawi, Weather Division
Chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said that they
expect the formation of a tropical cyclone off the Pacific Ocean in
the next five days.
(ECONOMY)
I. MOODY’s ON PH GROWTH FORECAST UPGRADE
 The World Bank raised anew its growth forecast for the
Philippines this year to six percent, a marked improvement from
the five-percent projection it made just last October. In its latest
East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, the multilateral lender
took note of the country’s strong growth in the first three quarters,
which it said could be sustained.
II. BIR ON P1-TRILLION TAX COLLECTION
 The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has breached the P1trillion collection mark, the agency’s preliminary revenue figures
as of Dec. 17 showed. The agency has a few more days to hit its
official revenue goal of P1.066 trillion for the year, the first time in
the agency’s history that the assigned target hit the P1-trillion
mark. This makes BIR Commissioner Kim Henares “the first
trillionaire commissioner,” the agency said.
III. DOE ON
GENERATION
P3.1-TRILLION
INVESTMENTS
IN
POWER
 The Philippines needs around P3.1 trillion in investments for
power generation projects to make it energy sufficient by 2030.
Both private sector and government should work together to put
up necessary infrastructure, and power production and delivery
projects, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said.
IV. NGCP ON P35-BILLION TRANSMISSION PROJECTS
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 Transmission service provider National Grid Corp. of the
Philippines (NGCP) plans to undertake two key interconnection
projects worth P35 billion. A new study is being conducted for
transmission lines that will connect the Mindanao and Visayas
grids, while up for regulatory approval is an alternate Luzon to
Visayas connection.
V. MOODY’s ON CREDIT RATING UPGRADE OF PSALM
 The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.
(PSALM) has received a rating upgrade from Moody’s Investors
Service due to improved creditworthiness as guaranteed by the
Asian Development Bank (ADB). In its recent report, Moody’s
said it has upgraded its rating to Aaa from the previous Baa1 on
the Tranche B bonds issued by PSALM.
VI. AUSTRALIAN MINER ON HIGH GRADE GOLD IN BATANGAS
 Australian miner Red Mountain Mining Limited announced that a
second high grade gold system was found within the Lobo gold
prospect within the Batangas gold project it acquired from
Mindoro Resources Limited.
VII. IMF ON EXCESSIVE FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned countries
against excessive accumulation of foreign reserves, calling it a
“threat” to global monetary stability that could promote
imbalances across nations.
 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco
Jr., in response, defended Philippines’ reserve accumulation
“beyond the traditional standards of adequacy,” saying dollar
buys are part of the BSP’s toolkit to manage the impact of capital
flows to the economy.
VIII. $2.161-BILLION BOP SURPLUS
 Large capital inflows pushed the country’s balance of payments
(BOP) surplus to a four-month high in November, the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported. The BOP— which
summarizes the country’s transactions with the rest of the world—
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hit a surplus of $2.161 billion last month, almost five times the
$364 million recorded a year ago. The figure was also the highest
since July’s $3.182 billion.
IX. CAR SALES
 Vehicle importers reported a 14-percent growth in sales in the
January to November period from last year due to strong demand
for passenger cars (PC) and light commercial vehicles (LCV). The
Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. (AVID) said
it sold 26,272 units in the 11-month period, higher than the
23,012 units sold in the comparable period last year.
X. PH STOCK EXCHANGE
 The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the main composite
index rallied 115.80 points or 2.05 percent to close at 5,752.39.
Market breadth was positive with advancers outnumbering
decliners, 110 to 46 while 59 issues were unchanged.
 A total of 2.84 billion stocks worth P8.78 billion changed hands.
Leading the market’s ascent was the property counter, which
gained 3.08 percent.
(END)
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