The PNP Declares Recent Attacks on Local Officials Are Not Alarming

Recently there have been a spate of assassinations and assassination attempts against current and former local government officials. These have each been catalogued on my Retards in the Government series. In fact there is hardly a week that goes by when at least one current or former local official is not either assassinated or wounded in an assassination attempt. Of this current crop of killings the PNP says it's nothing to be alarmed about. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1735645/pnp-chief-recent-gun-attacks-on-local-govt-officials-not-yet-alarming

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said Monday that the gun attacks on local government officials recently are “not yet alarming.”

However, PNP investigators are still attempting to determine the purpose of the separate shooting incidents, he noted, paying particular attention to the varying situations and potential motives for the fatal and near-fatal events, which took place two to three days apart in Lanao del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, and Pasay City in Metro Manila.

Azurin said that the gun attacks on the provincial officials are “isolated” cases but still need a thorough investigation by the police.

"I would say that it’s not yet alarming because we’re still determining – the situations and the reasons are different why these people were killed. As I said, it’s either political, personal, business rivalry, or other reasons these killings are happening."

“Incidentally siguro (maybe), it just so happened na (that) they are in public service,” he also said

It might "just so happen" that these men are in public service?" How did this guy become PNP Chief? Contrary to his laid back approach House Speaker Romualdez has called an emergency meeting to discuss these killings. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1735642/romualdez-calls-for-emergency-meeting-with-dilg-pnp-amid-spate-of-violence

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has called for an emergency meeting with officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) amid the recent spate of violence reported across the country.

Romualdez, in a statement on Sunday, said that the reports of high-profile crimes are alarming, leading him to seek a meeting with the two agencies to know what their actions and responses are.

The meeting is expected to be held on Monday.

“It’s alarming because it seems that almost every week there are news reports about high-profile killings,” Romualdez said.

“We want to know from the PNP and the DILG what steps are being taken to stop these kinds of heinous crimes,” he added.

According to Romualdez, several of the high-profile incidents appeared to be linked to politics because most of the recent victims are politicians or are involved with public service.

This guy is at least closer to the truth about the situation. Every week, as I document in this blog and on Youtube there are high-profile killings of or attempts to kill local government officials. It is nothing new and has been going on since forever in this nation. So, when the PNP says there is no link between these killings you have to ask yourself how can they be so stupid?

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/27/23/pnp-no-link-among-recent-attacks-against-local-officials

The recent attacks against some local officials, which left several people dead, are likely not related, the Philippine National Police said Monday.

"As of now, we have not established or seen any link with respect to the three cases," PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo told ANC's "Rundown".

"Nonetheless, we are beefing (up) our security, particularly the personnel security detail of not only our elected officials but also appointed officials, because of these recent attacks."

The link between these three cases and with all the other assassinations and attempted assassinations of local officials is that they are either current or former politicians. POLITICS is the link!

Are the PNP and everyone else so unaware assassination is a political tool in the Philippines? It is so common that no one bats an eye unless a whole lot of assassinations happen in a short amount of time. When they are spread out as they usually are it is easy to overlook them. 

This fact, assassination being a political tool, is not being taken into account by the DILG. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/02/28/23/more-cops-tougher-laws-dilg-seeks-to-stop-slay-tries-vs-politicos

The Department of the Interior and Local Government is seeking a bigger budget for more police recruits and tougher laws on vehicle purchases to stop high profile slay attempts on politicians.

Speaking with TeleRadyo, Abalos said the PNP is now revising its threat assessments for local officials nationwide.

(They are revising their threat assessment on politicians who are facing threats so they can help preempt these.)

(The good old police work and intelligence work are complete here.)

The official also said they have reshuffled some cops to places where their tactical skills are more needed.

Abalos said the DILG is seeking a bigger budget for more police recruits.

(Every year, there are 10,000 new police recruits. For the last 2 years, probably because of the pandemic, there have only been 1,000 recruits. Speaker Romualdez said he'll speak with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman about restoring the budget.)

Abalos also asked the congressmen to look into tightening laws governing car purchases.

(If you look at the cars that were used recently, some of them are unregistered or have changed ownership so may times. Speaker promised that they can come up with a law...requiring owners to register their vehicles immediately after purchase.)

The official also said they will intensify their campaign against loose firearms.

While tightening the laws and employing more cops is a good thing it's not going to stop political assassinations. What needs to change is the us versus them mentality of Filipino politics. It boils down to clan feuds and dynastic politics. Even Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was convicted of assassinating his father's political rival. His conviction was overturned by Supreme Court Justice Jose P. Laurel, a family friend, who convinced his fellow judges to toss out his conviction because of the promise he showed. 

https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineSTAR/photos/a.773360509484299/773360669484283/?type=3

Dynastic politics, political rivalries, and corrupt government officials. Those are three reasons among many why assassination will remain a political tool despite whatever laws are passed or how many cops are on the streets. 

The most recent high profile assassination is of the governor of Negros Occidental who was killed inside his home by a group of former soldiers. The reaction has been nothing short of hypocritical. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1196657

Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday suggested that Negros Oriental be placed under a state of emergency for justice to be swiftly served following the brutal slaying of Governor Roel Degamo and eight others.

Marcos, who had worked with Degamo in the Governors’ League when she was still the governor of Ilocos Norte, also said Negros Oriental should be locked down so those who were behind the killing could not leave the province.

"I am calling for the declaration of state of emergency in the entire province of Negros Oriental as soon as possible. This needs to stop and not only the hitmen or the murderers but also the mastermind, their paymasters, and whoever conspired to make this happen should be apprehended," Marcos said during an interview after she visited the wake of Degamo in Dumaguete City.

She expressed hope that the arrested suspects will cooperate and could lead to the identification of other individuals responsible for Saturday morning’s gun attack.

"Let us leave no stone unturned and no culprits unpunished. This cannot go unpunished and the perpetrators of this heinous crime, barbaric as it is and cowardly, should be punished as soon as possible," she said.

Meanwhile, other senators also condemned the killings and asked authorities to swiftly solve the case.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed alarm over the surge of assassinations of local chief executives in the past weeks.

Zubiri was referring to the attack against Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, the recent ambush on Datu Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur Mayor Ohto Montawal, and the killing of Vice Mayor Rommel Almeda in Cagayan.

"For this ambush to happen while Gov. Degamo was in the middle of attending to 4Ps [Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program] beneficiaries is absolutely appalling. It is sick and heartless, and the suspects should rot in jail. Heads must roll, and the PNP [Philippine National Police] must crack down on this case immediately," Zubiri said in a statement.

"Every single incident like this ambush puts a dent in our people’s trust in the government. It is a failure of intelligence, a failure of police visibility, a failure of our peace and security efforts," he added.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said the PNP must put an end to the killings and not wait for a similar incident to happen again.

"These killings must end now. These acts of violence and lawlessness are a clear display of arrogance against our government. We should never be accustomed to these senseless killings. We call on the PNP to act swiftly and put these criminals behind bars," Villanueva said in a separate statement.

Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. said such incidents are not merely acts against the persons who were targeted, but also an attack against the people who elected them and against democracy itself.

"They must put to stop lip service and instead make sure they put an end to this kind of lawlessness. Parang pinaglalaruan na lang sila ng mga kriminal kasi sa loob pa mismo ng kanyang tahanan (They are being fooled by these criminals because [it actually happened] inside his home]," Revilla said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said any form of violence and intimidation have no place in a civilized and democratic society like the Philippines.

"I call on authorities to bring the assailants before the court of law, and ensure that justice is served as soon as possible," Gatchalian said.

Citing the shooting incidents as "gangland-style" executed in broad daylight, Senator Grace Poe said it etched fears in Filipinos about how easily lives can be taken even of people who are in power.

"We call on the police and other law enforcement agencies to wield their authority against these criminals who undermine the peace and order in our country," Poe said in a separate statement.

"Authorities must act quickly before the next target falls, and to assure our people that the open season for killings will not come upon us."

Senator Lito Lapid said the killing showed neglect not only of life but also of democracy and the law.

"We strongly condemn this crime and I am with everyone calling for justice for their loved ones and the people of Negros Oriental," Lapid said.

Why do these people not speak out every single time a barangay chairman or village councilor is assassinated? Surely they are not so obtuse as to be unaware that assassination is a political tool in the Philippines. But these assassinations are not going to stop. They know it and we all know it. 

Supreme Court Declares The Marcos Family Has No Place in Philippine Society

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling stating that "a father who rapes his daughter has no place in society."

https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/12/father-who-rapes-own-daughterhas-no-place-in-ph-society-sc/

The Supreme Court (SC) declared: “A father who rapes his own daughter, whom he is supposed to protect, descends to a level lower than the lowly animal….”

“Such a ‘father’ deserves no place in Philippine society, whose fundamental law considers the family as a basic autonomous social institution and the foundation of the nation, recognizes the sanctity of family life, and cloaks with special protection the right of children against all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development,” the SC stressed.

With its declaration contained in a resolution made public last Feb. 9, the SC affirmed the two life imprisonments imposed on the father who sexually abused (incestuous rape) his own daughter in 2014 and 2016.

Case records showed that the victim’s parents separated when she was still young and when she was five years old her father was detained. Her mother started a new family. She stayed with her aunt.

When she was 13 years old, her father was released from jail and she was taken in his custody.

In her testimony before the trial court, she said she was raped by her father several times and could only recall two specific dates of the sexual abuse – Aug. 13, 2014 and Oct. 14, 2016.

Manila Bulletin decided not to publish the gory and revolting details of the sexual abuses.

After every abuse, she said she was threatened by her father not to tell anyone or she would be killed.

But after the Oct. 14, 2016 incident, she said she decided to tell everything to her neighbor whom she called “Ate” (elder sister) who helped her report the abuses to the police. 

While this is a disturbing story there is a parallel here with Bongbong Marcos who, as president, is the "father of the nation."

https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin/posts/10161810082992985

As a “proud” father of the nation, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. showcased the achievements of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in his latest vlog and vowed to protect their rights and the families they left behind.

His own father who was also president is also referred to as "father of the nation."

https://twitter.com/BeverlyB322/status/1523952999432744960

Father of the nation, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., Divine Justice is served by the will of the maharlikans and now it is time for your vindication.

It is beyond dispute that the Marcos family raped the nation of its wealth and stored it in offshore accounts. It is beyond dispute that Marcos even killed his enemies, those who exposed his crimes. It is beyond dispute that these activities have been proven in a court of law with Imelda Marcos being convicted and other cases where the Marcos family has been forced to give up their ill-gotten wealth. 

As father of the nation Marcos Sr. raped his daughter the Philippines. As father of the nation Marcos Jr. continues to deny that crime and defend his father. Yet the crimes have been indisputably proven. Based on the precedent of this Supreme Court ruling the Marcos family has no place in Philippine society. 

Why Was Notorious Canadian Pedophile Frank Orville Mader Allowed to Return to the Philippines?

The Philippines has been noted as being a global source of child exploitation once more in 2022. While the authorities do routinely bust cybersex dens there is a lot more they are not doing to protect children in the Philippines. Take the case of Frank Orville Mader. His story is a little convoluted but is very important to understanding why the Philippines remains a global hub of child sexual exploitation.

https://www.reddit.com/r/whitetourists/comments/z5tpwg/canadian_tourist_orville_frank_mader_orville/

In 2004 Frank Orville Mader, a Canadian, was arrested in Cambodia for allegedly abusing children. 

https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/canadian-faces-allegations-of-pedophilia-38214/

A Canadian man was charged with debauchery in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday for allegedly sexually abusing two boys aged 11 and 14. 

Court prosecutor Nget Sarath charged Orville Frank Mader, alleging the 51-year-old had the boys fondle him. Under the anti-human trafficking law, Nget Sarath said, Mader could face 10 to 15 years in prison.

Waiting outside the courtroom Friday, a calm, quiet Mader said he did nothing wrong.

Mader, who said he was a teach­er in Japan here on vacation, al­lowed the boys to stay at his rented house because they appeared to be homeless, he said. During the past few weeks, he said, he al­lowed up to 20 boys to stay there at a time.

He and some of the boys en­gaged in “sex play,” he said, but he did not have oral sex or sexual intercourse with any of them.

“It was all very tender and gentle,” Mader said. “It was just normal. The boys were expressing their sexuality and I felt honored to be part of that…. They initiated it.”

“I don’t understand how something tender could be the same as murder,” Mader said, responding to the possible prison term. “I am not a bad person.”

On Thursday, police said they had arrested Mader and raided his house Tuesday, where they found three boys who claimed Mader paid them to have sex with him. Earlier the same day, police said, they had questioned two other boys who also said they had sex with the suspect several times.

The story begins that Mader was a teacher in Japan on vacation in Cambodia. He rented a house and allowed up to 20 homeless boys live with him. He engaged with them in sex play calling it normal and saying they initiated it and he "felt honored to be part of that." 

In 2007 Mader was arrested in Canada over charges that he had sexually abused boys in Thailand. The charges against him in Cambodia had apparently been dropped. 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-man-wanted-by-thai-police-in-latest-child-sex-abuse-investigation/article18148383/

Police in Thailand have issued an arrest warrant for the second Canadian in three weeks alleged to have had sex with underage boys in the Southeast Asian country.

Lieutenant Sompol Nakkumpan told The Canadian Press the arrest warrant for Orville Frank Mader, 54, was issued after the father of an eight-year-old boy alleged that his son had been sexually abused by the Canadian.

Police say they believe he abused at least three other boys.

Immigration police at border crossing points and airports have been alerted in case Mr. Mader attempts to leave the country.

In 2004, Mr. Mader was arrested by police in Cambodia on charges of sexually abusing two boys, ages 11 and 14, but the charges were apparently dropped.

Sitting outside the courtroom awaiting his hearing at the time, Mr. Mader told The Cambodia Daily he was a teacher in Japan and was in Cambodia on vacation. He acknowledged that he allowed boys, sometimes as many as 20 at a time, to stay at his rented house because they appeared to be homeless.

His occupation is listed as "teacher" on the records, but neither the B.C. College of Teachers nor the provincial Ministry of Education has records of him being registered to teach at public or independent schools in the province.

Even the Globe and Mail seems nonplussed about the charges against Mader in Cambodia being dropped. He continued to claim to be a teacher but there is no record of him being a teacher in Canada which begs the question of how he became a teacher in Japan. Is there even a record of him being a teacher in Japan? In an interview Mader's neighbor offered a little insight.  

Rosemarie Laburda is the mother of Susan Laburda, a 50-year-old piano teacher and organist who is listed as a part-owner of Mr. Mader's house. In an interview from her North Vancouver home, the elder Mrs. Laburda said she and her daughter have known Mr. Mader for more than 20 years. She said the man never taught when he lived in B.C. and only began showing aspirations to teach when he decided to move overseas.

"Orv went to Japan for a job. He thought he would better himself," she said, adding that "the travelling ... he would do during his vacation visits in other countries."

Before he left for Japan, Mrs. Laburda said, Mr. Mader delivered newspapers for a living and did other delivery jobs.

Mrs. Laburda would not say how her daughter met Mr. Mader, who was born in Kitchener, Ont., but has lived in B.C. for at least two decades. However, she did say the two became friends shortly after he moved there.

"He needed a place to be when he moved to Vancouver. I think he was engaged, as a matter of fact. Somehow that engagement fell apart," she said, adding: "I know he's been a mailman at one time. He's done lots of different jobs."

Canada Post said there is no record of Mr. Mader having ever been employed by them, but it's possible he was a temporary worker.

Mrs. Laburda said her daughter and Mr. Mader were never in a relationship, adding her impression is that Mr. Mader is gay.

Mrs. Laburda went on to say that since Mr. Mader moved overseas, he's made only a few trips home, including one after the 2004 pedophilia charges levied against him in Cambodia were dropped.

"When the first thing happened, [Susan]would worry because he was charged. But then she was glad to see that he was let go. She's convinced that he's innocent, that he would never do anything like that. I was never too fond of him. I just had a feeling," she said.

That is not very insightful testimony from the woman who is listed as a part-owner of Mr. Mader's house. She does not say why she was "never too fond of him."

Even though it appeared that the Cambodian charges against Mader had been dropped that was not the case. He was convicted in absentia. 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/restrictions-lifted-on-man-convicted-of-sex-crimes-abroad-1.596581

A man convicted in absentia of sex crimes against children in Cambodia has been allowed unrestricted freedom in Canada, even though the Crown expressed concerns when he was arrested that he was a danger to children. 

While a judge granted a restraining order against Orville Mader meant to protect children back in 2007, that order has been allowed to lapse. 

Now, it's unclear whether the man who has not been charged with offences is Canada will be free to travel to other countries. 

Mader faces a 15-year jail term in Cambodia for sex crimes against children and was accused of sex crimes against a 13-year-old boy in Thailand, but travelled back to Canada shortly after the charges were laid. 

When he arrived in Vancouver in late 2007 carrying nothing but his laptop computer, he was arrested and held. 

At the time, the Crown said investigators were working on sex-tourism charges against Mader. In the meantime a judge granted an order under Section 810.1 of the Criminal Code when prosecutor Wendy van Tongeren Harvey said there were concerns he was a danger to children. 

"He's attracted to not only boys, but young boys. We're seeking conditions where children are safe," she told the provincial court judge in 2007. 

Details of the court proceedings that day were protected by a publication ban that has now expired. 

Among his many restrictions, Mader was ordered to stay away from children and anywhere they might congregate, to stay off the Internet, to give up his passport and to report on a regular basis to the authorities near where he was staying in Surrey, B.C. 

While the order was renewed against him annually in 2008 and 2009, it wasn't renewed in November 2010. 

RCMP Staff Sgt. Ed Boettcher said police did a lot of work on the Mader file both in Canada and internationally. 

"There came a time in 2009 where investigators met with Crown and said this is what we've compiled, Crown looked at it and said it doesn't meet the standards of Canadian evidence." 

He said satisfying the evidence threshold would have taken a massive effort.

Under its regulations, Passport Canada is allowed to revoke travel documents if the person has been charged with an indictable offence in Canada or a similar offence abroad. 

Mader is presumed innocent because no charges will be laid here in Canada, and McConaghy said there would be no reason his passport wouldn't be returned. 

"Which I believe is in error ...," he said. 

Because the Canadian government was not able to satisfy "the evidence threshold" to convict Mader he was not charged with a crime and his passport was returned.  Thus he was able to travel abroad and continue engaging in sexual relations with boys in Southeast Asia. 

In October 2015 he was arrested in Manila for human trafficking. 

https://www.philstar.com/metro/2015/10/16/1511502/canadian-held-human-trafficking

A Canadian man was arrested for human trafficking after he was caught with a half-naked child on his bed in his condominium in Manila Thursday night.

Frank Orville Mader’s arrest stemmed from a tip the National Bureau of Investigation received on Oct. 9 that minors were being abused and drugs were sold in Mader’s unit, NBI deputy director Joel Tovera said.

NBI agents coordinated with the condominium’s security officers, who accompanied them to Mader’s unit.  

Tovera said they have coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Canadian embassy.             

This arrest was noted in the 2016 accomplishment report of the Philippines' Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. 

https://aseanactpartnershiphub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2016-IACAT-Annual-TIP-Report.pdf

Frank Orville mader, notorious Canadian pedophile, arrested in Taguig for child sex trafficking

One would think a "notorious Canadian pedophile" caught in the act with a boy in his hotel would be sentenced to prison or at least blacklisted from ever entering the Philippines. Neither of those things happened because in 2022 Mader was arrested in Laguna for molesting a boy.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1677192/canadian-man-nabbed-for-allegedly-molesting-boy-in-laguna

A Canadian man was arrested by the police for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old boy in Biñan, Laguna.

A report by the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the victim was accompanied by his father in filing a complaint for sexual abuse against Orv Mader, 65, a retired teacher.

The PNP said the boy revealed the alleged molestation during a confrontation between the suspect and the victim’s family at the barangay (village) hall.

“Thus, upon knowing the incident the father of the victim sought assistance from the barangay tanod (watchmen) which eventually effected the arrest of the suspect after [being] positively identified and pinpointed by the victim,” the spot report stated.

Mader is now facing complaints for violating Republic Act 7610 or the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”

How was Mader allowed back in the Philippines after being previously arrested for human trafficking? Misbehaving foreigners are routinely blacklisted yet apparently this man was allowed to go free and return to the Philippines with no problems. And where is he now? Is he being detained or has been allowed to leave the country? There are serious questions that need answering here. Most important of all is how is it that this man has been convicted of sex crimes with children, is known to be a "notorious Canadian pedophile," and yet is able to travel the world seeking more victims with no problems. Who is financing this guy?

As I noted before the Philippine authorities do bust cybersex dens and even arrest foreign pedophiles. Take the case of UK national John Crotty. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1672638/bi-nabs-convicted-uk-sex-offender-in-misamis-occidental

A 64-year-old convicted sex offender from the United Kingdom was arrested in Misamis Occidental for allegedly running a child porn website, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the suspect, identified as John Crotty, was collared in his rented home in Tangub City last September 15, after officers found evidence of him posting obscene photos of underage Filipino women across his social media accounts and website.

“The sex offender was reportedly jailed for nine years in the UK but moved to the country shortly after his release from prison,” Tansingco added.

Mahanan further pointed out that the suspect arrived in the country to go into hiding on February 6, and has since overstayed his visa.

With this in mind, the BI said Crotty is now facing deportation and was placed under the BI’s blacklist, effectively banning him from re-entering the country.

Will Crotty really be banned from re-entering the country? What guarantee do the people have that such will be the case and that the ban will be enforced? If Frank Orville Mader was banned he was certainly able to gain entry. Perhaps there is something more nefarious at hand here. Perhaps not. As it is the Philippines is poised to remain a global hub for children sexual exploitation for years to come. 

After all These Years the Philippines Remains Number One in Child Sexual Exploitation

The Philippines has led the world in child sexual exploitation for a number of years. 2022 is no different. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/853913/philippines-leading-in-child-sexual-exploitation-says-remulla-after-meeting-un-rapporteur/story/

The Philippines is leading in child sexual exploitation, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Thursday.

Remulla thus told reporters after he met Mama Fatima Singhateh, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children, who paid him a courtesy call.

Asked about the status of online sexual exploitation in the country, Remulla said, "We’re No. 1 in the world."

"We're number 1 in the world. This should be gone. The Marcos administration is making efforts to stop the Philippines’ status on being the leading country in child sexual exploitation,” Remulla said.

Remulla said he gave Singhateh "an official letter" to tell her what the Philippines was doing to combat child sexual exploitation.

"Actually, we've declared war on this. It's the first thing we did since the inception of the Marcos regime," Remulla said of the government's campaign against child sexual exploitation.

Now, it is true that one of the first acts of President Marcos was to declare a war on child sexual exploitation. But who cares when there has been a war on child sexual exploitation for several years? Is Remulla more concerned about fighting child sexual exploitation or with touting Bongbong Marcos as a savior of the children?

United Nations Special Rapporteur Mama Fatima Singhateh on Thursday bared that the Philippines remained to be a source and place for child trafficking, sale, sexual abuse, and forced marriage and labor, among others.

In a news conference, Singhateh presented the preliminary findings of her 11-day visit to the Philippines.

She said there was a lack of explicit legal provision in the Constitution to penalize the exploitation of children for travel and tourism.

The purpose of the constitution is to delineate how the government functions. There are laws on the books penalizing the exploitation of children in the Philippines and this is later acknowledged in the article.  

She said the tourism industry lacked information to prevent sexual exploitation.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said there's a law to prevent child abuse in the country, especially in the tourist destinations, according to “24 Oras” report on Thursday.

The department said they also have training in the DOT-accredited resorts and hotels to capture the perpetrators.

It added that there is also a hotline to immediately contact hotels and resort personnel.

Singhateh goes on to make several recommendations one of which is to see this problem holistically. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/12/08/2229470/un-expert-urges-philippines-focus-tackling-sexual-exploitation-children-tourism-too

The UN expert observed that while there are a lot of focus on the online exploitation of children, the attention on matters related to sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, and through transactional sex “has not been adequate.”

“Sexual abuse and exploitation should be seen holistically,” said Singhateh, who served as The Gambia’s justice minister.

“I’m highlighting sexual abuse and exploitation in the context of tourism and travel, and in transactional sex because I did not hear the government talk about it. If the government is not talking about it, that means interventions that are being used are not focused on that area,” she added.

Why does the Philippines remain number one in the world for child sexual exploitation after all these years? Why do foreigners either travel here for sex or solicit women online to abuse their children on camera? Why do Filipinas sell their babies on Facebook? Why are authorities so inept at stopping these crimes? 

A while back I wrote about a case where the authorities knew a woman was running a cybersex den with children yet refused to arrest her because she stopped for a while during the pandemic. 

Wednesday’s raid stemmed from an anti-online sexual exploitation operation conducted last 2020, in which the arrested individuals told investigators about the female suspect’s illegal activities, too. 

Ibo said they were about to entrap her back then. However, lockdowns and mobility restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic apparently prompted the suspect to halt any online sexual exploitation activities. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-pandemic-lockdown-prevented-police.html 

That kind of incompetence is shocking. As far as the trafficking of children goes, especially in regards to illegal adoption, the incompetence is even more shocking. 

Last year, he said his agency examined about 10 cases of commercial adoption of children. The case numbers have been "steady" in recent years, but that is because the NBI does not have a unit dedicated to tackling the crime. 

Aguto said that if there were investigators dedicated to this kind of crime, the case numbers would probably shoot up.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2021/12/why-do-filipina-women-sell-their-babies.html 

It is not known exactly how widespread this problem of illegal adoption is because the "NBI does not have a unit dedicated to tackling this crime." If they actually started looking then the number of cases would likely increase exponentially. Amazing.

It is true that sex trafficking operations are routinely busted in the Philippines. Some involve children and others involve adults. But nothing has changed over the six years since the infamous 2016 UNICEF report tagging the Philippines as the number one global source of child pornography. 

http://www.manilatimes.net/philippines-is-no-1-global-source-of-child-pornography/267148/

I have written about online child sexual exploitation several times over the years on this blog. It seems like nothing has changed. I certainly have nothing new to add.  Online exploitation of children is a billion dollar family business and there is a culture of silence and impunity that allows it to happen. And God forbid we start discussing other topics such as the global elite and their predilection for the young as testified by the Epstein case. Who knows how deep the rabbit hole goes and what role the Philippines plays in that world? It would be folly to place the blame on poverty. There are plenty of poor folks who do not descend to such depravity as pimping their children.

Braindead Senator Bato Wants Drug Use Decriminalized in Order to Decongest Jails

If there is one thing Senator Bato does well it is living up to his name which means rock. One would have to have a head made of stone to come up with his ideas. Take decriminalizing drugs for instance. It's a controversial topic which requires a lot of thought to balance out public safety, public health, and justice. But for rock-headed Bato it's a lot more simple than that. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1697832/bato-dela-rosa-now-having-second-thoughts-on-legalizing-drug-use

Senator  Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has admitted he is now having second thoughts about his proposed law that would decriminalize illegal drug use in the country.

Legitimizing the use of controlled substances, which is contained in his Senate Bill No. 202, was among those discussed  last Tuesday by the  Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs which dela Rosa chairs.

Senate Bill No. 202 was filed last July.

(That bill that I authored – which I will sponsor in the plenary, if approved – we created it during the height of our war on drugs where our jails were already getting congested with drug offenders.)

(So we filed this out of pity for those crammed in jails. We want to decongest jails so I thought that maybe we can decriminalize illegal dug using.)

After just one hearing though, dela Rosa said he is now rethinking amid arguments presented during the deliberation.

He cited in particular the strong stance of law enforcement agencies against his proposed law as it might send a wrong signal to the public that drug use is okay since no one will get jailed for doing it anyway.

(I’m having second thoughts now, being the proponent of such a measure.)

“That’s the beauty of Senate hearings, napakinggan mo both sides at ‘yun nga being the proponent of such [a] measure medyo nagdadalawang isip ako ngayon.”

(That’s the beauty of Senate hearings, you can hear both sides and as I said, being the proponent of such a measure, I’m now having second thoughts.)

The senator, however, clarified he is not withdrawing his bill as the committee will still hold another meeting to hear more arguments.

Despite knowing that any proposal to decriminalize drug use would be opposed by law enforcement Bato and Robin Padilla filed Senate Bill 202 out of pity to decongest the jails. Goodness knows Philippine jails are dangerously overcrowded. And Bato's solution is not to fix the jails by making them larger or improving them in anyway but it is to decriminalize drug use. As if that will solve the problem of decongestion. 

One anti-drug group pointed this out.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/852581/anti-drugs-group-opposes-decriminalization-of-illegal-drug-use/story/

An anti-drugs advocacy group on Friday expressed opposition to the proposed decriminalization of illegal drug use, warning of its possible dangers to the community.

“The bill is good for the ears but it’s actually foolishness,” Anti-Drugs Advocate, Laban ng Pamilyang Pilipino chairperson Jonathan Morales told Dobol B TV in an interview.

Morales said psychologists or psychiatrists should take part in evaluating the proposed measure because they know the “state of mind” of drug users.

(If they mix these drug users with the community, it would be dangerous, even more so if they decriminalize the use of illegal drugs just to decongest the jails.)

He added that the government should improve jail facilities instead to address the congestion problem.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a former national police chief, earlier said he wants to decriminalize the use of illegal drugs to decongest jails and address drug addiction as a health issue instead of a law enforcement matter.

Instead of putting them in jails, Dela Rosa said drug users should only be admitted to rehabilitation centers.

However, Morales pointed out the corruption issues that hound some rehabilitation centers, as well as problems in management, administration, logistics, and monitoring in these facilities.

(There was bribery in the centers between the patients and the people taking care of them. Certifications were being issued that these patients are already well but in reality they are not.)

Patients who are paying receive privileges and special treatment while staying in rehabilitation centers, according to Morales.

Morales also pointed out there is only a small percentage of users who are not pushers because most of them are already selling illegal drugs so they can pay for their own supply.

The fact of the matter is drug use does not need to be decriminalized in order for jails to be decongested. In 2014 the Supreme Court issued guidelines on how to decongest jails. They recommend two things: enforcing the rights of the accused persons to bail and a speedy trial.

https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/1476/

A speedy trial in the Philippines? Sometimes cases take decades. The justice system is completely wrecked when it comes to speedy trials.

The most congested prison in the Philippines is New Bilibid and the DOJ is implementing measures to clean it up.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1183555

The sweet taste of freedom finally came for 371 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) who were released Monday, even as the Department of Justice (DOJ) also submitted the names of 300 other PDLs to Malacañang for the possible grant of executive clemency.

"The 371 released were a result of the DOJ and Bureau of Corrections' (Bucor) computation (of time served) with the help of Public Attorney's Office (PAO) lawyers," DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano told reporters.

Clavano said DOJ Secretary Crispin "Boying" Remulla, PAO Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, and Bucor Director General Gerald Bantag "collaborated to make this possible. Today, 300 more are up for executive clemency."

The 240 majority of the 371 PDLs released already served their maximum sentence, 98 qualified for parole, while 31 were acquitted and two qualified for probation.

At least 191 PDLs, were from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, 37 from the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW), while 143 PDLs came from other prison and penal facilities run by the Bucor.

Forty-five including four women were senior citizens.

Remulla, who has announced the prisons' decongestion as a top priority of his office personally visited the NBP.

"This may be the largest mega prison in the world. There may be no other facility with this number of inmates," he said.

Remulla said consultants place the ideal capacity of NBP at 2,500 individuals. "The ideal number in a prison facility is around 2,500. We have more than 10 times that number here in Bilibid," he said.

Remulla said subsequent release of qualified PDLs will follow in the following months. "This is just the beginning, we plan to release PDLs in the coming months. If we get lucky, there will be a batch of PDLs to be released in October, another batch in November, and another batch by Christmas," he said.

Just Google "decongest jails Philippines" and many articles about this problem and its solution will turn up. 

It's simply mind-boggling that the man who was once the head of the Philippine National Police thinks that the decriminalizing drugs is a perfect solution to decongesting jails. Was he not aware of this problem and its various solutions during his term as the top cop?  Here is an article from 2017 when Bato was PNP Chief. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/06/16/1710620/philippine-jails-511-congested-audit-finds

The state auditors attributed the jail congestion mainly to the “increase in the number of drug-related cases in the country” as well as the court’s slow or no action on the pending cases “due to lack of judges, postponement of hearings and the slow disposition of criminal cases that carry the penalty of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.”

The court also noted that many detainees qualified to post bail remain in jail due to poverty.

“Some cases were bailable but detainees who are below poverty line cannot afford to post bail so they were stuck in the jails,” the report read.

The report further noted that the lots where some jail buildings were constructed “were of limited space, hence, construction or expansions horizontally of the said buildings may not be possible.”

Slow or no action on pending cases and too many poor people able to post bail. Yet three years previously these two exact problems were what the Supreme Court recommended being fixed in order to decongest jails and here we are in 2022 with the same problems. And Bato really thinks decriminalizing drug use will decongest the jails? What an idiot!