BANGUI, Central African Republic – Voters in the Central African Republic were casting their ballots Sunday, February 14, in delayed legislative elections and a presidential run-off which they hope will bring peace after the country's worst sectarian violence since independence in 1960.

The nation, dogged by coups, violence and misrule since winning independence from France, could take a step towards rebirth if the polls go smoothly.

"What we want first and foremost is security to give a new impetus to the country," said a soldier who gave his name as Ndadder as he waited to vote in PK5, a Muslim-majority area in the capital Bangui which had been the scene of bloody religious violence. 

The two candidates vying for the presidency are both former prime ministers who have campaigned on promises to restore security and boost the economy in the mineral-rich but dirt-poor country.

The first round on December 30 was won by ex-premier Anicet Georges Dologuele, a 58-year-old former central banker known as "Mr Clean" for his attempts to bring transparency to murky public finances when in office. He took 23.78% of the vote.

He faces off against Faustin Archange Touadera, also 58. The former maths professor, who is standing as an independent, surprised everyone by coming second in the first round with 19.4%.

Touadera's popularity stems from a measure he introduced as prime minister – paying government salaries directly into bank accounts, ending decades of pay arrears and unpaid wages.

Dologuele wished voters a happy Valentine's Day as he cast his ballot in Bangui, adding: "Valentine's is a celebration of love, and I'd like Central Africans to see voting today as an act of love for their country."

He spoke of the "joy of being able to vote in the second round and in doing so, to participate in the transition and the start of a new era for the Central African Republic."

Touadera, speaking to voters near the working-class neighborhood of Boy Rabe, pitched himself as the people's candidate. 

"I am confident of the outcome of the vote," he told supporters who were already addressing him as "president". 

Voters were also casting their ballots Sunday in a re-run of the last legislative election, also held on December 30, that was later annulled over numerous irregularities.

A staggering 1,800 candidates are competing for a place in the 105-seat National Assembly.

Polls opened at 6 am local time (0500 GMT) – though some polling stations opened late – with the vote set to close at 1500 GMT.

"Overall it's going very well, except for some problems in certain polling stations," said Marie Madeleine N'Kouet Hoornaert, president of the National Elections Authority.

Voters in some parts of Bangui and the provinces complained of being turned away because their names were not on the list or because they were not carrying proof of identity.

Tight security

The race for the presidency is expected to be close.

Dologuele has won the backing of the person who came third in the first round – with 12 percent of the vote – while Touadera has the support of 22 other candidates who ran in December.

CAR's most recent episode of bloodletting was sparked by the March 2013 ousting of long-serving president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance.

The coup sparked a series of revenge attacks involving Muslim forces and Christian vigilante groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) militias.

Thousands were slaughtered in the spiral of atrocities that drove about a tenth of the population of 4.8 million to flee their homes.

Both the current presidential candidates are Christians.

While December's polls passed off peacefully, security is expected to be tight with UN peacekeepers and French soldiers helping to patrol areas where tensions remain high.

Turnout was high in December's elections, despite huge logistical problems and grinding poverty. Some 1.3 million valid ballots were cast in a country with nearly two million registered voters.

Christians and Muslims alike came forward on a massive scale to ensure their names were on the electoral roll and collect their voting cards, many saying they never again wanted to hear gunfire on their streets.

The elections came after 93 percent of voters backed a constitutional referendum that cleared the way for the vote.

It also followed Pope Francis's groundbreaking trip in November – his first to a war zone. His impassioned plea for peace and reconciliation has been taken up by candidates, political parties and religious leaders. – Celia Lebur and Christian Panika, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Journalists from Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao are crying foul over alleged discrimination in the media coverage for the presidential debate organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday, February 21.

The debate is the first in a series to be mounted by media companies that signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the poll body.

In a statement on Sunday, February 14, the Cagayan de Oro Press Club said that the organizers of the first debate – GMA-7 and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, plus the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) as debate coordinator – "allotted only 5 slots for local editors / publishers as debate audience and 5 slots for newspaper reporters."

The press club added that only 5 newspaper reporters would be allowed access to the media center for the event, where the debate would be shown via video monitor.

"We see this to be a clear case of discrimination towards the province-based media. There have been many instances in the past when Manila-based media organizations have condescended on the provincial press. The presidential debate in the city is no exemption," said the Cagayan de Oro Press Club.

"It is our position that the presidential debate is far too important, and should be beyond corporate media's quest for higher ratings and wider readership."

Several officers and members of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club posted the statement – as approved by their board – on Sunday.

The press club also said that there are suggestions for local media to boycott the debate, but they remain hopeful that the organizers would change their minds.

"The people's right to know must weigh far heavier than any media entity's 'exclusive rights' to an event that is clearly of national interest," the Cagayan de Oro Press Club added. "We are all stakeholders."

The Bangsamoro National Movement for Peace and Development (BNMPD) expressed support for the journalists and called for respect for locals.

"I thought the objective of having the presidential debates outside Metro Manila is to cater to the questions and concerns of people living outside it," said BNMPD vice chairperson Drieza Leninding.

"This imperialistic attitude being imposed by the elite who want to frame the 2016 elections according to their corporate interests should be condemned." 

In the MOA that media companies signed with the Comelec last January 13, the parties said that the presidential debates aim to help voters make "informed choices" and should "encourage candidates to focus on substantive issues."

It was also stated that the Comelec "shall provide guidelines for media coverage of the debates in accordance with election laws" and the MOA.

Aside from the KBP, GMA-7, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the following also signed the agreement: ABS-CBN and Manila Bulletin as partners; CNN Philippines, BusinessMirror, and Rappler; and TV5 and the Philippine Star.

Rappler will work with CNN Philippines and BusinessMirror on the vice presidential debate set for April 10.

Rappler earlier asked the Comelec to equalize access to coverage of the presidential debates that other networks are organizing.

In a letter submitted to Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista on January 22, Rappler stressed that the debates, which have the official stamp of the poll body, are imbued with public interest.

Thus, it is critical that all media groups have equal ability to deliver news and information about these important debates in the fastest and most comprehensive manner. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – "Sugod lang tayo ng sugod. Ang mahihina ang IQ, hihinto rin ‘yan." (Let us continue asserting ourselves and fighting. Those with low IQs will eventually stop.) 

This was how presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago reached out to her young supporters on Sunday, February 14, during the launch of the "Youth for Miriam" group.

According to youth volunteer Vincent Agustin, their group has at least 5,000 members across the country. 

"There is no end to infinite creativity of the minds of young people," Santiago told hundreds gathered at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. "You and I must join forces and show them the strength of the Filipino people."

The senator also thanked the youth movement, saying their efforts would be a big help.

Based on the Commission on Elections' latest tally, there are about 20 million Filipinos aged 18 to 35 years old registered for the 2016 elections. The youth make up 37% of the electorate.

Santiago, who is faring badly in pre-election surveys, previously said she would focus on wooing the youth sector by delivering speeches in various universities. 

Unlike other contenders in the presidential race, the senator has been less active in visiting provinces. Some attribute this to her unstable health. 

Santiago's Senate slate 

Aside from the launch of Santiago's volunteer movement, the stage was also opened for the formal introduction of the Santiago-Marcos tandem's senatorial candidates. 

Out of their 10 Senate bets, only 4 attended the proclamation: former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Dionisio Santiago, Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez, migrant workers advocate Susan Ople and Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno. Some members of the slate who were unable to attend were represented by family members.  (READ: LP and UNA senatorial bets join Santiago-Marcos slate) 

The candidates or their representatives presented key priorities before Santiago-Marcos supporters. Based on their brief speeches, their areas of focus are:

• Dionisio Santiago - civil safety and security 
• Martin Romualdez - additional budget for state universities and colleges 
• Susan Ople - building medical centers for overseas Filipino workers 
• Isko Moreno - education and combating malnutrition in schools 
• Jericho Petilla - cheaper electricity 
• Francis Tolentino - health insurance for students and quick disaster recovery program 
• Joel Villanueva - providing 9 million jobs 

Senatorial candidates Manny Pacquiao, Edu Manzano, and Ralph Recto did not attend Sunday's launch. – Rappler.com

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr introduce their senatorial slate before hundreds of supporters. The slate is composed of independent candidates and bets from other political parties. A youth volunteer arm was also launched to support Santiago's presidential candidacy.

Patty Pasion files this report.

Sa unang pagkakataon, ipinakilala nina Senador Miriam Defensor Santiago at Senador Bongbong Marcos ang kanilang senatorial slate dito sa Ynares Sports Complex sa Pasig City.

(For the first time Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Bongbong Marcos introduced their senatorial slate at the Ynares Sports Complex in Pasig City.)

MADRID, Spain – A former minister and senior member of Spain's ruling conservative Popular Party (PP) resigned Sunday, February 14, following fresh allegations over alleged illegal party financing in the Madrid region.

"The seriousness of this information, although it has not been proven, led me to present my resignation," said Esperanza Aguirre, 64, PP head in Madrid and a former education and culture minister under then premier Jose Maria Aznar.

Police on Thursday, February 11, searched the headquarters of acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's party and industrial group Villar Mir as part of a probe into allegations of irregular funding detailed in documents by a former deputy PP head in Madrid, Francisco Granados.

Aguirre, a countess by marriage, told a hastily-arranged news conference that she had "no culpability, but a political responsibility that I assume by resigning" her party role because she had nominated Granados to his post.

She was questioned Friday, February 12, in another scandal involving alleged embezzlement by members of the Madrid chapter of the party, whose image has been tarnished by repeated graft scandals during its 4 years in power, as ordinary Spaniards suffer amid the country's prolonged economic woes.

Aguirre, who served as head of the regional government of Madrid between 2003 and 2012, has not been charged with any misdemeanor but was called to testify at a commission of inquiry created in October by the regional assembly to probe alleged wrong-doing in Madrid.

The leader of new anti-austerity party Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, dubbed her the "countess of corruption," accusing her of having protected top PP officials who are implicated in graft scandals.

PP members are also due to be questioned by a judge over how computer hard drives of party treasurer Luis Barcenas, who is in jail for embezzlement, were wiped clean before investigators were able to see them.

Corruption has fueled the rise of two new parties, Podemos on the left and market friendly Ciudadanos on the center-right, and cost the PP votes in December elections which it won but without the absolute majority it got in 2011 polls.

The Popular Party has since failed to put together a coalition government, forcing Rajoy to stand aside and let the Socialist Party seek to form an alternative administration. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (Updated) – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s numbers improved while survey leader Vice President Jejomar Binay’s slightly dropped in a February 5-7 survey, which put the Davao mayor in 2nd place with Senator Grace Poe.

Poe’s numbers remained flat at 24%. Duterte also got 24%, but this was a significant 4-percentage points increase from his 20% in a January 2016 survey, according to the Business World- Social Weather Stations (BW-SWS) survey on February 5-7 conducted among 1,200 validated voters. 

The latest survey shows that Binay is just 5 points ahead of Duterte and Poe, BW-SWS said. Binay was 31% in the January 2016 BW-SWS survey, up from his 26% rating in December 2015. (READ: Binay, Escudero lead 2016 race – SWS) 

The survey's 3-percentage-points error margin, however, puts Binay, Poe, and Duterte in a possible statistical tie. It puts Binay's numbers from 26% to 32% and Poe and Duterte's numbers from 21% to 27%. 

Administration candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II dropped to 4th place, getting the approval of 18% of the respondents from 21% in January. The 3-percentage-points decline is significant considering the survey's error margin. 

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago received a mere 4%.

The survey was conducted while the Supreme Court continued to hear oral arguments on the disqualification case filed against Poe and after Duterte campaigned hard in Metro Manila and Luzon provinces.

The question asked respondents was the same in December last year and in January, according to BW-SWS: “Kung ang eleksyon ay gaganapin ngayon, sino po ang malamang ninyong iboboto bilang presidente, bise-presidente, at mga senador, ng Pilipinas? Narito ang listahan ng mga kandidato.” (If the election were held now, who will you likely vote as president, vice-president, and senators of the Philippines? Here is the list of the candidates.)

The results were first published in BusinesWorld early Monday, February 15.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is now tied with Senator Francis Escudero for the top spot in the vice presidential race, based on a February 5-7 survey conducted by BusinessWorld and the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Both are now at 26%, according to survey results released early Monday, February 15, in BusinessWorld.

This is the first time that Escudero lost the lead since September 2015, when BW-SWS started conducting pre-election surveys, BusinessWorld said. Escudero was at 28% in the January 2016 BW-SWS survey. (READ: Binay, Escudero lead in SWS January survey)

Marcos’ numbers didn’t grow much from January, however. They just increased from 25% in January to 26% in February 2016.

Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo was up 2 points, from 17% in January to 19% in February, BW-SWS said.

Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano’s numbers increased, too, from 14% in January to 16% in February.

Senator Gregorio “Gringo” B. Honasan II got 6% (from 8% in January), while Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV had 5% (from 3% in January), according to BW-SWS.

For the presidential race, Vice President Jejomar Binay's numbers slipped while Rodrigo Duterte's rose, putting the Davao mayor in 2nd place with Senator Grace Poe. (READ: Binay drops in survey; Duterte, Poe tied 2nd place) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Petitioners against the implementation this year of the K to 12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd) went to the Supreme Court (SC) again on Monday, February 15, to ask for a temporary restraining order (TRO).

They are hoping the High Court will include their petition in the en banc session's agenda on Tuesday, February 16, and that oral arguments will be scheduled.

In their 4th motion asking SC to for a TRO, parents, teachers and students of the Manila Science High School pointed out the "extreme urgency" of resolving their petition so Grade 10 students can beat deadlines for entrance tests at colleges and universities.

The petitioners are asking the High Court to declare as unconstitutional the additional two years in high school that will be implemented starting school year 2016-2017. The senior high school program is provided in Republic Act 10533 and DepEd Order 31, series of 2012. 

The petitioners' counsel, Severo Brillantes, said that DepEd Order 31 was issued before the K to 12 law was still being deliberated by Congress, and should therefore have no legal effect.

Parents and teachers were also not consulted before the order was issued, he said.

With the signing of RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, two years have been added to the basic education system of the Philippines. The largest batch of students under the program will enter senior high school's grade 11 in 2016, and grade 12 in 2017.

But this same batch started high school in 2012, when K to 12 was not yet a law. The petitioners said if K to 12 pushes through, these Grade 10 students will be deprived of their right to enter college after completing the original 4 years of high school.

"They  respectfully wish to call the attention of the Honorable Court that since the school year is about to end, if it still does not resolve their prayer for a TRO, the Grade Ten Students among them will suffer the grave injustice and irreparable injury of not being admitted to college next school year, despite the utmost merit of their said motionfor a TRO, thereby rendering ineffectual the judgment and reliefs they are praying  for in their instant petition," Brillantes said.

The petitioners noted that the SC seemed oblivious to the urgency of the matter. 

"While they were fully aware that the issuance of a TRO rests on the sound discretion  of the Honorable  Court, there was absolutely no more reason for the Honorable Court not to act on their said motion, considering that respondents have already been heard on their petition through their comment and they have already complied with the Order of the Honorable Court to file a reply thereto," the counsel added.

"They were expecting that at the very least, their 3rd Most Urgent Motion for Issuance of a TRO will be included in the agenda of the Honorable Court’s remaining En Banc sessions last December 2015 and be deemed submitted for Resolution. They subsequently sadly learned however that it was only last January 12, 2016 that it was heard by the Supreme Court En Banc."

Aside from the Manila Science High School community, the members of the House of Representatives have pending petitions with the SC, also seeking to declare the K to 12 program unconstitutional: Antonio Tinio of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Neri Colminares and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis, Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela, and Terry Ridon of Kabataan. – Rappler.com 

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A Pakistani university attacked by the Taliban last month re-opened on Monday, February 15, guarded by hundreds of police, highlighting a pervasive atmosphere of fear after the Islamist group vowed to continue to strike schools throughout the country. 

Heavily armed gunmen stormed the Bacha Khan university in the northwestern town of Charsadda on January 20, killing teachers and students in a rampage that left 21 dead. 

The attack shattered the sense of security growing in the troubled region a year after the Peshawar school massacre, in which more than 150 people – mainly children – were killed.

"I am very happy to announce that the university has been re-opened today but amid very strict security," the university's vice chancellor Fazal Rahim Marwat told Agence France-Presse.

He said the university was re-opened with an objective "to defeat the mindset of militants, which was behind the terrorist attack of January 20".

A sense of panic has gripped parents across Pakistan in the wake of the university assault, with rumors of attacks leading to closures of education institutions.

Last week, a government-run girls college for women in Rawalpindi evacuated hundreds of students following an exchange of gun-fire between police and car thieves nearby.

It followed a similar incident at a girls' high school in the central city of Faisalabad just weeks earlier.

At the university on Monday police and elite commandos were seen taking up positions over rooftops, while students were made to pass through body scanners and frisked before entering.

Marwat said the university had set up special camps for the psychological treatment of  traumatized students.

"We have come to the university today with a firm commitment to uphold sacrifices of our fellow students," said Rehmat Ullah, 20, a student of Bio-technology department.

Iftikhar Alam, a university professor, added: "We are starting classes today to make it clear to the world that we are ready to defeat our enemies and those who want to plunge Pakistan into darkness and illiteracy."

The university attack was claimed by the Taliban, with commander Khalifa Umar Mansoor calling schools "nurseries" for people who challenge Allah's law.

Flanked by armed extremists wearing masks, he said that instead of targeting professional soldiers, "we will target the nurseries that produce these people".

Pakistan has been fighting a homegrown Islamist insurgency since 2004, when militants displaced by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan began a campaign against Pakistani forces in the country's border tribal areas. 

Overall levels of violence have fallen since a concerted military push against the Taliban's bases that began in 2014. 

Last year saw the fewest number of civilian and security forces casualties to militant attacks since 2007 – the year the umbrella Pakistani Taliban group was formed – though the threat of attacks, particularly on "soft targets" like schools, remains. – Rappler.com

Vice President Jejomar Binay warns government personnel against buying votes for administration standard bearer Mar Roxas.

He tells Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program administrators that he will charge them with electioneering if caught red-handed.

Mara Cepeda files this VLOG. - Rappler.com

ANKARA, Turkey – The Turkish government denied claims that it had sent troops into northern Syria, where the regime backed by the Russian air force has launched a major campaign, state-run Anatolia news agency said on Monday, February 15, quoting the defense minister.

"It is not true," Ismet Yilmaz told parliament on Sunday night, February 14, when asked whether Turkish soldiers had intervened in the fighting in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

"The Turkish military has no intention of intervening in Syria."

The Syrian government claimed that on Saturday 12 pick-up trucks equipped with heavy machine guns and ammunition had crossed into Syria from Turkey via the Bab al-Salama border crossing.

They "were accompanied by around 100 gunmen, some of them Turkish forces and Turkish mercenaries," Syrian state news agency SANA quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

Turkish artillery struck at targets of Kurdish militia at the weekend, with Ankara insisting that it was returning fire under the rules of engagement.

The regime in Damascus has condemned Ankara over the shelling while urging the United Nations to act. 

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has said it deployed warplanes to a Turkish airbase in order to "intensify" its operations against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Turkey's Yilmaz said a decision had been made with Saudi Arabia for the deployment of four F-16 jets. 

"They have not arrived today but they may tomorrow. An agreement had been reached in principle," he said.  – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – Pope John Paul II had a close relationship with a married woman which lasted over 30 years, according to letters which feature in a documentary being shown by the BBC on Monday, February 15.

While the documentary does not claim he broke his vow of celibacy with Polish-born philosopher and writer Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, the tone of some of his letters to her points to intense feelings between them, the broadcaster says.

The two spent camping and skiing holidays together and went on country walks.

In one letter from September 1976, he calls her a "gift from God".

"My dear Teresa," he writes. "You write about being torn apart, but I could find no answer to these words."

Also in September 1976, he writes: "Already last year I was looking for an answer to these words, 'I belong to you', and finally, before leaving Poland, I found a way – a scapular."

A scapular is a piece of cloth worn as part of the habit of monastic orders and the then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla gave Tymieniecka his.

"The dimension in which I accept and feel you everywhere in all kinds of situations, when you are close, and when you are far away," he adds.

Edward Stourton, the senior BBC journalist who made the documentary, said more than 350 letters were found at the National Library of Poland, the first dated in 1973 and the last a few months before his death in 2005.

"I would say they were more than friends but less than lovers," he said.

"One of the fascinating stories that comes out of these letters is of a struggle to contain what was certainly a very intense relationship which mixed emotions and philosophical ideas in proper Christian boundaries."

The BBC has only seen John Paul II's letters, not Tymieniecka's side of the correspondence. She died in 2014.

John Paul II was pope from 1978 to 2005 and was made a saint by the Catholic Church after his death. – Rappler.com

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Despite her improving survey numbers, Liberal Party vice presidential bet Leni Robredo said the “real challenge” to her campaign remains to be northern Luzon, a known bailiwick of rival Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“There was an increase of 19% [in my ratings] in the span of two and half months. I hope it will improve to 30% after 3 months,” Robredo told reporters at the Silay airport here on Monday, February 15. 

“But Northern Luzon, that’s the real challenge but it is understandable,” she said.

Robredo was in the province for a meeting with farmers and fisherfolk in Kabankalan City. On Tuesday, February 16, her standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II and some senatorial candidates will join her for sorties around Negros Occidental.

In a chance interview at the Silay airport, Robredo was asked in which localities she is still weak. “The number one is northern Luzon. The surveys are very consistent.”

Northern Luzon comprises 3 regions: the Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, and the Ilocos Region, where Marcos hails.

The latest Social Weather Stations survey, conducted February 5-7, shows that Marcos is now tied with Senator Francis Escudero for the top spot in the vice presidential race. Both are now at 26%, according to survey results released early Monday, February 15, in BusinessWorld.

Robredo was up 2 points, from 17% in January to 19% in February.

Robredo said her ratings are okay in the Visayas, some parts in Mindanao, and in Luzon, particularly in the southern part and Bicol, her home region. (READ: Do Bicolanos favor Robredo's VP bid?)

Robredo also said that time is a big challenge for her since the campaign period kicked off on February 9.

“I’m coming from a very low awareness rating. It would do me good if I have more time to go around,” she said.

She said she is not expecting but hoping to win. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Hurdling a series of delays, the Philippine government on Monday, February 15, started printing nearly 57 million ballots for the May 9 elections.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista said the ballot for the 2016 elections is, among other things, shorter than the version used in previous polls.

"Ito ang dahilan kung bakit maiimprenta natin lahat ng balota by April 25, which is the original deadline," Bautista said in a news conference at the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City, the site of ballot printing.

(This is the reason why we can print all the ballots by April 25, which is the original deadline.)

Upon hearing Bautista say this, government employees at the NPO applauded. Bautista quickly said in jest, "Magpalakpakan 'pagka nagawa na ang mga balota." (Let’s clap our hands once we’ve printed all the ballots.)

The Comelec said the NPO is supposed to print exactly 56,772,230 ballots by April 25.

Of this number, the Comelec is using around 54,363,844 ballots in local voting centers on election day. 

It is designating the rest of the ballots for various tests.

Poe included in ballot

The printing of ballots is taking place 24/7 at the NPO office.

The Comelec said it has designated around 180 people, working in two shifts for the ballot printing itself.

For other stages of the process, such as verifying the ballots after printing, the Comelec and the NPO have assigned at least 485 personnel. 

The ballot printing comes days after this activity was delayed at least 3 times due to various reasons. These reasons include system problems and a case filed by presidential bet Senator Grace Poe against the Comelec before the Supreme Court (SC).

Ballot printing was supposed to start on January 26. It was moved to February 1, then to February 8, then to February 15.

On Poe, the Comelec eventually decided to include her in the ballot while waiting for the decision of the SC. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, February 15, said it is including the name of Senator Grace Poe in the ballot as the presidential aspirant has pending cases against the Comelec before the Supreme Court (SC).

Poe's name was on the list of presidential candidates when the government started printing nearly 57 million ballots on Monday.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the Comelec included her because the SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the poll body’s earlier ruling to bar Poe from running. (READ: SC sets another hearing, moves slowly on Poe case)

“Nandito pa po ang kanyang pangalan dahil po meron pang TRO sa naging desisyon ng Comelec. May TRO na ipinataw ang Korte Suprema kaya’t hindi pa pinal ang naging desisyon ng Comelec tungkol sa bagay na ‘yan,” Bautista said.

(Her name is still here because there is still a TRO on the decision of the Comelec. The Supreme Court imposed a TRO, that’s why the decision of the Comelec on this matter is not yet final.)

The Comelec had cancelled Poe’s certificate of candidacy based on claims that she is not a natural-born Filipino and that she has failed to meet the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates.

If the SC decides to uphold the Comelec ruling, then Poe wins, this would thrust the Philippines in a crisis in which the president-elect had been disqualified. 

Comelec: Shorter ballot in 2016 

Alongside Poe, below is the full list of presidential candidates on the 2016 ballot:

• Binay, Jejomar
• Defensor Santiago, Miriam
• Duterte, Rodrigo 
• Poe, Grace
• Roxas, Manuel II
• Señeres, Roy

Señeres, however, withdrew his candidacy for health reasons on February 5, and died 3 days later. Votes cast for him will be considered stray votes.

On the other hand, below is the full list of vice-presidential candidates:

• Cayetano, Alan Peter
• Escudero, Francis
• Honasan, Gregorio II
• Marcos, Ferdinand Jr
• Robredo, Maria Leonor
• Trillanes, Antonio IV

Bautista said the list of presidential and vice-presidential candidates is shorter this year.

He pointed out that the ballot has only 6 presidential candidates in 2016, as opposed to 10 in 2010, the last time the Philippines held presidential elections.

The ballot also has only 6 vice-presidential candidates.  

Bautista said the shorter ballot is one of the reasons why he is sure the Comelec can finish printing the ballots by April 25, despite earlier delays in the process. – Rappler.com

SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico – Pope Francis heads Monday, February 15, to Mexico's impoverished southern state of Chiapas to address the plight of migrants and reach out to indigenous communities with a mass in their native languages.

The 79-year-old pontiff's visit to the least Catholic state in Mexico comes in the middle of an intense, 5-day trip that he has already used to speak out against crime and corruption.

Francis will now turn to poverty and migration during his visit to the cities of San Cristóbal de las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Lingering tensions over the state's social problems reemerged last week, when around 100 farmers protested in front of San Cristobal's cathedral and spray-painted the words "we don't want the pope, we want justice" on its yellow walls. 

While Mexico is the world's second most populous Catholic nation after Brazil, with 82% of its population of 122 million identifying with the religion, only 58% are loyal to the Vatican in Chiapas.

But the demonstrators dispersed over the weekend, authorities threw a new coat of paint on the cathedral and the Catholic faithful flocked to the city for the pope's visit.

The pope will lead a mass in a stadium in San Cristobal, with hymns and readings in three indigenous languages: Ch'ol, Tzotzil and Tzeltal while Tololabal and Zoque people will offer bread and wine.

Francis will make such ceremonies official by issuing a decree allowing indigenous language to be used during Catholic masses.

Such a move will help to "ensure the survival of the Catholic church" in the region, said Father Alejandro Solalinde, a priest known for his migrant and human rights activism in southern Mexico.

Zapatistas, migrants

After the mass, the pope will have lunch with two local bishops and eight indigenous Mexicans.

"I am happy to see the pope," Dominga Santiz, a Tzeltal catechist who was invited to the meal, said in accented Spanish.

Francis will also visit San Cristobal's cathedral, where he is expected to visit the tomb of Samuel Ruiz, a bishop who defended the causes of the Mayan people and acted as mediator between the government and the Zapatista guerrilla movement that rose up in 1994.

A family will show him funds that were collected to build two new shelters for migrants in a region that is a gateway for Central Americans who risk their livelihood in a gang-infested journey to the United States.

The first Latin American pope – himself the son of Italians who migrated to Argentina – has staunchly defended migrants.

During a huge mass on Sunday, February 14, in Ecatepec, a Mexico City suburb, he condemned gangs as "merchants of death" and urged Mexicans to build a nation where "there will be no need to emigrate in order to dream."

But Solalinde said that while the pope has made "migrants his pastoral priority," his message will "not change the heavy-handed public policy" on migration.

Mexican authorities launched a crackdown on illegal migration along its southern border with Guatemala in 2014 following a crisis of unaccompanied child migrants to the United States.

The streets of Chiapas were buzzing on Sunday in anticipation for the pope's arrival, with monks and Franciscan friars walking around Tuxtla while marimba tunes filled the air in San Cristobal's main square.

But not all were in a festive mood.

"We know that the government wants to hide things or make it seem that everything is all right. But we know that this is not true," said Octavio Gomez, a 45-yer-old Tzeltal. "There are problems: Poverty, marginalization, displaced people." – Yemeli Ortega, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II dared his rivals to make all of their expenses public and identify who owns the planes and helicopters they're using in their campaign sorties.

The dare came after Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte accused Roxas of corruption. In a statement released to media last Saturday, February 13, Duterte had claimed that Roxas "has been protecting the business interests of miner Eric Gutierrez, owner of SR Metals Incorporated."

"Hanggang ngayon hindi nahinto (Until now, Gutierrez's mining operations continue)," the statement quoted Duterte as saying. "Why? Because of the protection of Roxas."

The mayor also claimed that Roxas – who was once his friend before the Malacañang race heated up – has been using Gutierrez's private planes.

"I have personally seen Roxas use that plane in Davao," Duterte said. "If that is not corruption, then what do you call that?" 

Gutierrez is identified as the chairman of SRMI, which was registered before the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2005. The company lists as its affiliates the following: Lekcin Corp., Galeo Equipment Corporation, San R Construction Corp., and Bay Peak Property Holdings, according to its 2014 General Information Sheet filed before the SEC.   

That Gutierrez is a friend of Roxas is not exactly a secret. The businessman was among the many people who greeted the Liberal Party standard-bearer when he arrived in Club Filipino to officially get President Benigno Aquino III’s endorsement in July 2015. 

Gutierrez is also a good friend of LP spokesman Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice, one of the original incorporators of SRMI and a fierce Roxas ally. When the company incorporated, Erice had 10,000 shares of stocks. 

According to the 2014 GIS obtained by Rappler, Erice has 3.4% ownership of the company, with 42,500 in common stocks worth P 4.25 million. 

Gutierrez is also the owner of a boutique airline. Roxas has been using these planes in sorties and trips around the country, even before he was a declared candidate for 2016. 

On Monday, February 15, administration coalition spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez (the 2 are not related) said the planes are being leased to Roxas.

Show receipts

"Malinaw na malinaw, okay? Iyong mga private plane na ginagamit nung campaign ay nili-lease. Kung gusto niyo pa ay ipakita namin iyong resibo," he told reporters. 

(It's very clear, okay? The private planes being used for the campaign are being leased. If you want, we can even show the receipts.)

"In fact, ang hamon namin, lahat ng mga ibang kandidato, lahat kayo gumagamit ng mga private na mga sasakyan including mga private na mga helicopter, private na mga jet sa inyong mga sortie, magpakitaan tayo kung idine-declare niyo [ang inyong] expenses," Gutierrez added. "Si Mayor Duterte ba, dine-declare ba niya? Dine-declare ba ni VP [Jejomar] Binay? Dine-declare ba ni Senator [Grace] Poe?"

(In fact, here's our dare: all other candidates, all of you who are using private vehicles including private helicopters, private jets in your sorties, let's all check if you're disclosing your expenses. Does Mayor Duterte declare his expenses? Does Vice President Jejomar Binay declare his expenses? Does Senator Grace Poe declare hers?) 

Erice defended Roxas' use of Gutierrez’ planes. “All presidentiables are using planes of firms engaged in mining, aviation, oil, power, etc. There’s nothing wrong about it,” said Erice in a text message to Rappler.

The congressman added: “It’s up to them to disclose whether they pay for it or if it’s a donation. As far as Roxas is concerned, he pays for his use.” 

Erice also questioned Duterte’s transportation means. The Davao mayor is known to occasionally use a private plane owned by his friend, religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.  

“He should explain because he keeps on saying that he has no money,” said Erice. – Rappler.com

RAMLE, Israel – Ehud Olmert, once feted for his peace efforts with the Palestinians, on Monday, February 15, became Israel's first former premier to serve jail time as he began a 19-month sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice.

With the nation transfixed and Israeli television broadcasting live, the 70-year-old entered the Maasiyahu prison in the central city of Ramle just before 10 am local time (0800 GMT).

He was escorted to the prison by officers of Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency as a crowd of journalists watched from nearby.

A debonair man reputed to have a taste for fine cigars, Olmert's prison term closes a chapter in a long legal odyssey since he left office in 2009.

The charges against him date to before his time as prime minister, to the years when he served as mayor of Jerusalem and economy minister, among other positions.

In a video message released on Monday morning before he began his sentence, Olmert maintained his innocence.

"You can imagine how painful and strange this change is to me, my family, loved ones and supporters," said Olmert, looking haggard and downcast. "I totally deny all the bribe charges attributed to me."

He added that "over the course of my extensive career I also made mistakes, though none of them were criminal by nature in my opinion. I'm paying a dear price for some of them today, perhaps too dear.

"With a very heavy heart, I'm accepting my sentence today. Nobody is above the law."

Four pairs of underpants

Olmert was initially given 6 years' prison in May 2014 for taking bribes in the early 2000s in connection with the construction of Jerusalem's massive Holyland residential complex, but the sentence was later reduced to 18 months.

Last week, an Israeli court handed him an additional month for obstructing justice. He admitted to the crime as part of a plea bargain in that case.

His prison sentence could still be extended further. The Supreme Court is debating his appeal against a third sentence of 8 months for fraud and corruption.

The Israeli Prisons Service says he has been assigned to special block 10, "which is intended to house prisoners who for various reasons cannot be placed with the general prison population."

He will join 4 other unidentified inmates in block 10, which has a maximum capacity of 18, and he will eventually have to share a cell.

Inmates are allowed to bring from home 4 pairs of underpants, 4 pairs of socks, two towels and two sweatshirts without hoods or lining.

They can also bring with them one blanket (not a duvet), two sheets, a pillowcase, and religious books and articles.

Luxury travel and cigars

Born near the port city of Haifa, Olmert was elected to parliament in 1973 for the rightwing Likud party and served as mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003. He later joined the cabinet.

He broke away from the Likud with then-prime minister Ariel Sharon in 2005 to form the center-right Kadima party and became premier the following year after Sharon suffered a massive stroke and slipped into a coma.

Olmert resigned as prime minister in September 2008 after police recommended he be indicted for graft, but he remained in office until March 2009, when Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in to the post, which he has held ever since.

Olmert won international acclaim for relaunching peace efforts with the Palestinians at the Annapolis conference in the United States in 2007, but the corruption charges against him have come to define his legacy.

US financier Morris Talansky, a key witness in one of the cases, testified that Olmert gave him envelopes stuffed with cash and said much of the money may have been spent on luxury travel and fine cigars.

The testimony sent shock waves through Israeli politics.

Before taking over as premier in 2006, Olmert was recognized as a key strategist behind many of Sharon's boldest moves, including Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza and his decision to leave Likud and form Kadima.

He was once seen as among the most promising politicians in Israeli history. – Daphne Rousseau, AFP / Rappler.com

BEIJING, China – The possible US deployment of a missile defense system on the Korean peninsula in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile program would threaten China's strategic interests, Beijing said on Monday, February 15.

Washington and Seoul will begin talks about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD), they said a week ago following a surprise nuclear test and satellite launch by the hermit kingdom that raised fresh concerns about its weapons ambitions.

"We are firmly opposed to the relevant country’s attempts to damage China’s strategic and security interests, with the nuclear issue as an excuse," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular briefing.

China was "seriously concerned about the possible deployment of the THAAD system", he added, saying it "covers a range that is far beyond the needs of defense of the Korean peninsula".

Beijing argues that the THAAD deployment would trigger an arms race in the region.

The system fires anti-ballistic missiles into the sky to smash into enemy missiles either inside or outside the Earth's atmosphere during their final flight phase.

The interceptor missiles carry no warheads, instead relying on kinetic energy to destroy their targets.

China summoned the South Korean ambassador in Beijing following the country's announcement that it would begin talks with the US, expected as early as this week.

"We will not allow our legitimate rights and national security interests to be damaged," Hong said.

China has long urged a resumption of talks over North Korea's nuclear program, arguing that sanctions are not an end in themselves.

The government-published China Daily said in an editorial Monday that new United Nations measures "should truly bite" – but added that the proposed THAAD deployment could prevent agreement on a resolution.

The potential collapse of North Korea is a perennial worry for Beijing, which sees it as a buffer against the US military presence in South Korea and worries that instability could unleash a flood of refugees across its border.

Washington says it will not sit down with Pyongyang until the country takes steps towards halting its nuclear program, a position that Beijing argues has led to the current impasse.

For its part, the US has long called for Beijing to use its role as one of Pyongyang's most important economic lifelines to pressure the country into changing its behavior.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – From one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, a leading climate negotiator has been named an arbitrator on environmental issues in a special panel based in The Hague. 

A Filipino – outgoing Ateneo School of Government dean Antonio La Viña – has been made a member of the specialized panel of arbitrators for environmental disputes at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). 

The PCA is also the site of hearings on the Philippines’ case against China over the West Philippine Sea.

In a Facebook post on Monday, February 15, La Viña said he was nominated by the Philippine government to this new role.

“The secret of keeping my sanity amid the viciousness of our politics is being able to do highly technical work like this,” he said.

The specialized panel described La Viña as “a veteran environmental and human rights lawyer and scholar, with 25 years of extensive experience on environmental negotiations, litigation, and arbitration.”

La Viña, a former environment undersecretary of the Philippines, has been dean of the Ateneo School of Government since 2006. He also teaches law in the leading various universities in the Philippines.

He has also been a regular writer for the Thought Leaders section of Rappler.  

Explaining La Viña's new role, the PCA said its rules “provide for the establishment of a specialized list of arbitrators considered to have expertise” on the environment and natural resources. – Rappler.com

Read some of Antonio La Viña's Rappler "Thought Leaders" pieces on environmental issues:

• Part 1: The Philippines at its best at Paris climate talks
• Part 2: The Philippines' influence on the Paris Agreement
• Elements of a good Paris Agreement on climate change
• Power to the people: an urgent paradigm for disasters
• The future of coal-fired power plants
• Prospects of a Paris climate agreement
• Climate, forests, and peoples
• A defining moment for climate change
• Climate finance crossroads
• Next steps on climate change