Thai opposition protesters occupying parts of Bangkok have threatened to take the prime minister hostage and shut down government offices in order to force her to resign. The protesters, backed by royalist groups, want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down to allow for an unelected "people's council" to

2. How prepared is the Philippine business sector for the
economic integration of member countries of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015?
Senator Grace Poe wants government agencies to brief
Congress on the country‟s preparations for ASEAN 2015
so it can pass laws that will protect the local industry.
The senator filed a resolution urging the Senate to look
at ways the country can maximize its potential once
ASEAN economic integration goes into full swing
starting in 2015. The senator said that a thorough study
on the impacts of trade liberalization is needed to
ensure that the concerns of the business sector are
addressed.

3. Thai opposition protesters occupying central Bangkok threatened Tuesday to
take the prime minister captive and close down all government offices in an
increasingly bold bid to force her from office. While well known for their
blustery rhetoric, the belligerent tone reflects an air of impunity surrounding
rally leaders who travel freely around the city despite warrants for their
arrest for their role in civil unrest that has left eight dead and hundreds
injured. The protesters, backed by the kingdom's royalist
establishment, want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign to make
way for an unelected "people's council" that would oversee reforms to curb
the political dominance of her billionaire family. Her supporters say the
rallies are a threat to the country's fragile democracy and want the dispute
to be settled at the ballot box but the opposition is boycotting a February 2
election. Demonstrators have camped out along a busy bridge and on major
roads for several days, calling for a “shutdown” of Bangkok and threatening
to occupy several buildings. Mostly the protests have been peaceful, but a
shooting incident where 7 protesters were injured last week has caused
renewed alarm in the nation‟s capital.

4. Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo appealed to the
public on Tuesday, January 14, not to believe rumors of a
supposedly strong typhoon coming to the Philippines, and to
refrain from spreading the same rumors to others. He added
that the public should remain sensitive to the plight of the
survivors of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) who are still traumatized
by the disaster. Montejo denied as false reports that another
„strong typhoon‟ will struck the country soon. He said the public
should instead rely on official forecasts and data from the
country‟s official weather bureau, PAGASA. He added that the
public should also keep alert for possible flash floods and
landslides in Visayas and Mindanao, due to heavy rains caused
by a Low Pressure Area (LPA) in the region.

5. Slightly more households considered themselves poor and hungry in the
last quarter of 2013 as compared to the 3rd quarter, according to a
recent survey from the Social Weather Stations (SWS). In a survey
conducted from Dec 11-16, 2013, 55% of the respondents - or an
estimated 11.8 million households - said they were poor. This figure is
5 percentage points higher than it was 3 months prior. Of the same
respondents, 41% - or an estimated 8.8 million households - said they
experienced food poverty or hunger, 4 points higher than the
September result. The increase in poverty was seen across all
regions except for Mindanao, which actually showed a two-point
decrease in self-rated poverty (59% from 61%). Metro Manila yielded
a two-point increase at 46%, the balance of Luzon increased by 8
points at 50%, and Visayas rose 6 points to 68%. Political analyst
Ramon Casiple told BusinessWorld that the survey findings indicated
that “economic growth has not reached the poor.”

6. President Benigno Aquino III said on Tuesday, January 14 that he does not
see the need to invoke his constitutional powers to avert a possible
energy crisis. Speaking to reporters about the issue, the President
clarified that the proposal to give the President „emergency powers‟
was put up by members of Congress and was something he did not
ask for. The proposal to grant Aquino emergency powers first
surfaced after the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) raised the
possibility of rotating blackouts, following the rise in power rates.
Eastern Samar Rep and Aquino's ally Ben Evardone suggested it, while
Sen Antonio Trillanes filed a bill also on Tuesday seeking emergency
powers for the President. By law, the President can temporarily direct
the operation of any private utility or business affected with public
interest (Art. XII, Sec. 7 of the 1987 Constitution). The power rate hike is
a result of several factors, which include the maintenance shutdown
of the Malampaya natural gas power plant and the outages of several
plants, partly due to Typhoon Yolanda.

7. SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Rappler
COPYRIGHT:
13 January 2014
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