Thursday, September 29, 2016

Let's Do The News! (September 29, 2016)


- Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago passed away at the age of 71. Her death was confirmed by her husband, lawyer Jun Santiago on Thursday morning. Miriam was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer two years ago but declared she had beaten her illness a year later. She then pursued her presidential bid despite health concerns but heavily lost to President Rodrigo Duterte in the May elections earlier this May. Santiago was known to be one of the most endearing figures in Philippine politics, pop culture, and academia.

- President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit China on the 20th of October in order to restore ties between them amid territorial issues in the South China Sea. Earlier, Duterte declared that the Balikatan exercises with the US will end, saying this will be its last year. He said that during his Vietnam visit but assured that the military alliance between the Philippines and the US will be maintained.

- The Congress has approved the 40.5-billion peso proposed 2017 budget for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following deliberations made tense by a lawmaker whose father ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman defeated in the May 9 elections.

- Another black man was killed by police, this time in California. Two police officers responded to calls that an African-American man was walking in traffic and not acting like himself in El Cajon, southern California. Police say the officers ordered him to remove his hand from his pocket, but he refused. Police released a photo from a video taken at the scene; showing a man raising hands toward an officer in what looks like a shooting stance. About 200 protesters gathered at El Cajon police headquarters. Earlier this month, black males were killed by policement in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sparking protests.

- The US Congress has voted to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that would allow families of victims of the September 11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia, meaning the bill becomes law. This is the first time an Obama veto has been overturned. President Obama told reporters the lawmakers had made a mistake. The Saudi Arabian government was strongly opposed that bill and warned that it would sell US bonds worth 750 billion dollars if the bill would become law.

- The full-length trailer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is now here. Check it out.



- Die Beautiful, an indie film that stars Eat Bulaga presenter Paolo Ballesteros, was one of the entries competing in the 2016 Tokyo Film Fest. The indie film's director, Jun Lana, was so impressed that his film marks his return to a foreign film fest where, three years ago, his movie Barber's Tales won the Best Actress award for Eugene Domingo.

- The cast of Mano Po 7: Chinoy were temporarily stranded in Taiwan due to strong thunderstorm but they recently returned from that country where they shot key scenes for the next installment for the upcoming Regal FIlms movie. Cast members Jean Garcia, Janella Salvador, Enchong Dee, and Richard Yap did scenes in Taiwan's famous landmarks such as the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung.

TTFN!!!

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