NEWSCAPS
January 24, 2013
(POLITICAL)
I. SENATE FEUDING
 The squabble over the purported “Christmas bonus” turned
ugly yesterday—the third of the Senate’s remaining nine
days of sessions—after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano
brought up in a privilege speech continuous references to
Senate Juan Ponce Enrile’s Chief of Staff, Jessica “Gigi”
Reyes, who, he implied, was running the Senate alongside
the Senate President.
 Senate President Enrile brought out a document supposedly
containing details of the P37 million in debt owed to his law
office by Cayetano’s deceased father, former senator Renato
Cayetano, which he said has not been paid.
II. PH-CHINA SEA DISPUTE IN INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
 China said that the Philippines’ going to the United Nations
for arbitration would only complicate the dispute and
reiterated that the Philippines is occupying islands in the sea
“illegally.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the
world body would provide “technical and professional
assistance.” But the issues should be resolved primarily by
the “parties concerned,” Ban said.
 Foreign Assistant Secretary Gilberto Asuque said that the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) instructed Philippine
foreign posts and representatives to organizations around
the world, including the United Nations, the International
Maritime Organization, the ASEAN and the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, to seek backing for the
Philippine legal action from those groups. Foreign
Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio said that most diplomats were
“supportive” of Manila’s decision.
1
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
III. PH IN ‘GLOBAL FOCUS’ IN DAVOS FORUM
 Joining the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the first time,
President Aquino will invite more investors and tourists to
come to the Philippines to create more jobs and sustain the
country’s economic momentum beyond his term.
Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said that it was
a good time for the President to go to the global forum
because the Philippines is “in the global spotlight.”
IV. P49 MILLION FOR DAVOS TRIP
 Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. revealed that P49
million has been allocated for the 63-member delegation led
by President Aquino that would attend the World Economic
Foreum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland this week. ES Ochoa
said that the “estimated cost” would cover the delegation’s
chartered
flight
to
Switzerland,
accommodation,
transportation, food, and equipment and telecommunications
requirements.
V. ARREST OF AMALILIO
 The man behind a P12-billion investment scam, Manuel
Amalilio, founder of Aman Futures Philippines Group, was
arrested on Tuesday by Malaysian immigration authorities in
Kota Kinabalu for possession of a fraudulent passport and
ID.
 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that Amalilio was
detained in an immigration office in Kota Kinabalu. She said
that the objective of the government was “to be able to
immediately take physical custody of Amalilio.”
VI. TUBBATAHA REEF DAMAGE AT 1,000 SQUARE METERS
 The USS Guardian has damaged “more or less 1,000 square
meters” of the Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea. The
2
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
government task force –consisting of representatives of the
Navy, Coast Guard, Tubbataha Reef Foundation and local
government units— coordinating with the US Navy regarding
salvage efforts on the grounded US Navy minesweeper
learned about the extent of the damage from PCG divers
who checked out the reefs.
VII. SLAIN ISABELA MAYOR DOMINGO
 Maconacon, Isabela Mayor Erlinda Domingo was felled by
an assassin’s bullet on Tuesday in Quezon City. The
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) believes that politics
was behind the killing as candidates running in the upcoming
May election gear up for a heated campaign period. Three
men have been arrested in connection to the crime.
VIII. MARCOS COMPENSATION BILL
 The final version of the compensation bill for victims of
human rights violations during the dictatorship of Ferdinand
Marcos is now awaiting ratification, after the bicameral
conference committee ironed out the last of the contentious
provisions in the measure.
 The panel agreed that there would be a “conclusive
presumption” that over 9,000 plaintiffs in a Hawaii class
action suit against the Marcoses are human rights victims
entitled to compensation, according to Bayan Muna Rep.
Neri Colmenares.
IX. ATIMONAN INCIDENT
 A third witness has surfaced to bolster the testimony of the
two witnesses who earlier said that no shootout occurred in a
Jan. 6 encounter in which government forces killed 13
members of an alleged criminal group at a checkpoint in
Atimonan, Quezon.
3
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 The third witness was the third man in the truck that the two
earlier witnesses were riding. Like his two companions, he
said he saw members of the joint police and military team at
the checkpoint firing at the people inside two SUVs in cold
blood.
X. SC PETITIONS VS RH LAW
 There are now six petitions challenging the constitutionality
of the controversial Responsible Parenthood and
Reproductive Health Act of 2012, but the Supreme Court has
not issued any order granting their request for a temporary
restraining order (TRO) of the law’s implementation.
XI. COMELEC COMMISSIONERS POST
 Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairperson Sixto
Brillantes Jr. is urging President Aquino to immediately name
the successors of two commissioners set to retire next week
to give the body ample time to brief their replacements in
view of the forthcoming elections.
 Commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Armando Velasco,
members of the COMELEC’s 1st Division, will retire on Feb.
2 after completing a nonrenewable seven-year term at the
COMELEC.
XII. KASAMBAHAY BILL
 President Aquino has finally enacted into law the
“kasambahay bill” setting a fixed monthly pay of up to P2,500
and more social benefits for close to two million domestic
workers. “We are pleased to confirm that President Aquino
signed Republic Act 10361 or An Act Instituting Policies for
the Protection and Welfare of Domestic Workers last January
18, ” said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte.
XIII. MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)
4
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 The
economic growth
trumpeted
by
the
Aquino
administration has failed to translate into “inclusive
development,” leading instead to “rising inequality,”
according civil society group Social Watch Philippines
(SWP).
 Led by former national treasurer Leonor Briones, the group
presented at the House of Representatives its study showing
that the country was still “lagging behind significantly” in
three key areas of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
which is to “achieve universal primary education,” “improve
maternal health,” and “combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
diseases,” all by 2015.
XIV. TRUTH COMMISSION FOR ORTIGAS RUBOUT VICTIMS
 The families of alleged carjackers killed by police in 2005
have urged President Aquino to create a “truth commission”
that would look into possible cases of summary executions
committed across the country. The victims’ relatives
produced a video clip showing controversial police officer
Superintendent Hansel Marantan’s alleged involvement in
the alleged rubout in Ortigas.
XV. COURTROOM RAMPAGE
 The Canadian who shot dead two people in a courtroom in
Cebu City last Tuesday was still alive though with a selfinflicted gunshot wound when policemen arrived and
apparently finished him off, an eyewitness said. This was
contrary to claims by investigators that responding policemen
shot John Holdridge Pope in the wrist and thighs to disable
him before he killed himself.
(ECONOMY)
I. IMF ON 6% PH GROWTH FORECAST UPGRADE
5
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its 2013
growth forecast for the Philippines, citing robust consumer
spending and rising domestic investments. The IMF also said
that an increase in public spending, aided by an
improvement in the government’s fiscal standing, would help
in boosting the country’s economy this year. The IMF now
expects the Philippines to grow by 6 percent this year—
better than the 4.8 percent it announced last October.
II. CBRE ON LUXURY
TOURIST AREAS
PROPERTY
DEVELOPMENT
IN
 Investments in luxury property developments are expected to
rise in Boracay, Cebu and Palawan as the government
continues its promotion of these areas as tourist
destinations, real estate advisory firm CBRE Philippines said.
 CBRE Philippines Chairperson and founder Rick Santos said
that as the government’s tourism promotions continue and
foreign visitor arrivals increase, more investments in luxury
developments are expected to be made in tourist
destinations of the country.
III. ADB ON ADDITIONAL $3-MILLION AID FOR PPP
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) may provide another
$3-million to the technical assistance (TA) program for
public-private partnerships (PPP) in the Philippines. The
additional amount will come from the government of Canada
through the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA) on a grant basis.
 The total TA budget is already $43.7 million, broken down
as: $2 million grant from the ADB; $22 million from the
government of Australia, through the Australian Agency for
International Development (AusAID); $1.2 million from the
government of Canada, through CIDA; and $18.5 million
from the government of the Philippines.
6
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)
IV. YIELDS ON GOVERNMENT BONDS
 Yields on government bonds will continue to ease albeit at a
slower pace, a joint research by First Metro Investment Corp.
and University of Asia and the Pacific said. Based on the
latest issue of their joint publication “The Market Call”, FMICUAP sees a drop of around 50 to 60 basis points.
V. FILIPINO JOBSEEKERS’ ‘UNDERSKILLING’
 Many Filipino jobseekers are now opting to “underskill”
themselves just to get employed, the Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE) said. Labor Secretary Rosalinda
Baldoz said that they have observed a trend of underskilling
or occupational downgrading among young graduates and
other jobseekers in the country. Baldoz said that the DOLE
has no data on the number of underskilled workers in the
country.
VI. SSS ON P30-BILLION NET REVENUE
 The Social Security System (SSS), the state-owned pension
fund for private employees, posted net revenue of P30 billion
last year, surpassing the target set for 2012. SSS president
and chief executive officer (CEO) Emilio de Quiros said that
the pension fund beat its 2012 target of P24 billion due to
improvement in collections.
VII. PH STOCK EXCHANGE
 Share prices sank for the second consecutive day, albeit at
an easing pace, as investors continued pocketing gains. The
bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) shed 0.2
percent or 12.37 points to end at 6,092.53. Market breadth
was negative as losers outpaced winners, 91 to 62, while
prices of 51 stocks did not change.
(END)
7
PREPARED BY:
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
OFFICE (PCDSPO)