Insurgency: Spot the Difference

It's a brand new year but it's the same old Mindanao. Martial law has been lifted but what does that matter when, lest we forget, the Philippines lies under a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence as per Proclamation 55 signed by Duterte in 2016. This proclamation states the following:

NOW THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested upon me by Section 18, Article VII of the Philippine Constitution, do hereby proclaim a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence, and hereby command the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to undertake such measures as may be permitted by the Constitution and existing laws to suppress any and all forms of lawless violence in Mindanao and to prevent such lawless violence from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the Philippines, with due regard to the fundamental civil and political rights of our citizens.

Isn't it the everyday, ordinary, regular job of the PNP and AFP to suppress violence in Mindanao and elsewhere? What is the difference between martial law and a state of emergency? A state of emergency and no state of emergency?

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/01/03/1981558/spot-difference-mindanao-martial-law-vs-state-national-emergency

Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, said that Proclamation 55, "Declaring a State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence in Mindanao,” remains in effect along with roaming troops. 

The Marine officer said there will be fewer checkpoints and soldiers patrolling the region, but maintained that security procedures will still be strictly observed. 

“If our enemies will see that we become relaxed in terms of security, they may slip through again,” Arevalo told DZMM on Thursday morning.

(Our operations will continue although certain areas where the security situation has improved will see fewer operations.) 

Parts of Mindanao have had a heavy military presence even prior to the declaration of martial law, Proclamation 55, and even the Duterte administration. 

However, the president himself equates the state of national emergency with martial law. 

“Remember that there is – there’s no difference actually between martial law and a declaration of national emergency. So I’ve been warning all. I’m warning all, including the human rights, it’s either we behave or we will have a serious problem again,” Duterte said in June 2018. 

Proclamation No. 55 cites lawless violence in Mindanao but covers the entire country and has been cited in the deployment of troops in other parts of the Philippines.

Duterte is obviously wrong that martial law is the same as a declaration of national emergency. Martial law means military rule and its administration is usually through an autocrat like Marcos. However the implementation of martial law in Mindanao since 2017 was hardly been anything like one would expect. A few checkpoints here and there but "hardly noticeable."

But in much of Mindanao, martial law is hardly noticeable. Around the port city Cagayan de Oro, for example, cars stop only between the domestic airport and downtown for routine checks. Police do not enforce curfews in the downtown mega-malls, upscale restaurants and major high-rise hotel. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/10/martial-law-rebellion-must-be-stopped.html

It seems that there will be only a name change but no change in the operations of the AFP.  They will maintain checkpoints and they will deploy troops as needed. Their goal, as ever, is to crush the insurgency.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/18/1977947/duterte-afp-crush-terrorists-npa

Days after his latest peace overture with communist rebels, President Duterte has ordered the military to crush all terror groups that he said should include the New People’s Army (NPA). 

“Another enemy that’s ruining lives is the terrorists, including the NPA, the kidnap-for-ransom, and the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo. My order is, if they fight, crush them to put an end to Filipinos’ problem,” Duterte said in Filipino in his speech before military officers and personnel at the 84th anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

It's funny that Duterte told them to crush the NPA when he is attempting to resume peace talks with the CPP and when the AFP is bribing NPA soldiers to surrender via E-CLIP. As for Abu Sayyaf, the AFP might just get some help from the MNLF.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1201958/misuari-vows-to-help-govt-crush-abu-sayyaf

“There is no place for them to go. We can assure the President that the MNLF will fully support the resolution of this problem. Try us on how effective we are,”Misuari said in a statement released by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). 

OPAPP Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the military, police and MNLF forces on the ground could establish “close coordination” efforts through the peace coordinating committee to run after the terror groups.

Misuari offered to help fight against Maute during the Marawi siege and Duterte accepted the offer but the MNLF was never utilised. Last year Duterte has promised to create an MNLF region comprising Sulu and Tawi-Tawi which are Abu Sayyaf strongholds. Misuari's offer of help to crush Abu Sayyaf is by no means altruistic. 

Why does Duterte continue to deal with Misuari, a notorious terrorist, as if he is a normal person? Duterte appointed Misuari envoy to the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation). This did not sit well with people in Zamboanga city.

The appointment, however, has not been well received by some people in Zamboanga, a city sacked by Misuari and his men six years ago. More than 200 people were killed in more than two weeks of urban warfare, with a section of the city razed. The fighting displaced about 100,000 residents. 

“We are still in the process of healing. We lost our homes and had to live in evacuation centers. And they are rewarding the person who led the attack?” said one resident, who lost her home during the MNLF siege. 

The woman, who declined to give her name to BenarNews, said the fighting broke up and uprooted her family in Zamboanga. She, her husband and their five children ended up having to stay at an evacuation camp for two years, she said. 

“It has been a tough several years for us,” she told BenarNews. “All because of Misuari.”

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/MNLF-leader-OIC-12172019143643.html

Last month Misuari also held a rally in Manila calling for RevGov and Federalism. 

https://www.rappler.com/nation/247689-mnlf-leads-new-call-duterte-declare-revolutionary-government

Hundreds of supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte gathered in separate areas in Manila and Cebu on Saturday, December 21, to urge the Chief Executive to declare a revolutionary government and quickly set up a federalist system. 

At the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Cordillera People’s Liberation Army wearing combat overalls carried flags and tarpaulins exclaiming “RevGov Na! (RevGov Now!)” 

The two former rebel groups had entered into previous peace agreements with past presidents, the MNLF with the Ramos adminstration and the CPLA with the Cory Aquino government.  

In Cebu, hundreds of supporters flocked to the Cebu City Sports Complex to show support for the same agenda: for Duterte to declare a revolutionary government and break up the country into federal states. They waved an MNLF flag and a Philippine flag throughout the event.

What was said at these events I do not know because except for the report above no media covered these events. An internationally known terrorist and his army calls for RevGov and apparently that is not news. What a sorry state the Philippine media is in. Here are a few pictures from that rally.

Federalism is an issue Misuari said he would go to war about if it was not implemented. Why is he calling for it now? What is his endgame? Does he even have a plan? Why not lock him up for his crimes? It was Duterte who asked the courts to suspend his arrest order over his role in the Zamboanga siege. Why did he do this if he wants the AFP to crush terrorists? Why is Misuari strutting around at Camp Aguinaldo for the installation of the new AFP Chief?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1209129/duterte-tells-afp-remain-relentless-in-fight-vs-lawlessness-terrorism

“I trust that you will work in unison with the incoming Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. as you remain steadfast in protecting our country against lawlessness and terrorism,” Duterte said in his speech at the Change of Command ceremony at the Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Pretty ironic headline to accompany this photograph of one of the instigators of lawlessness and terrorism in the Philippines for the past 50 years! But it could be over soon. The new AFP Chief says he wants to end the insurgency by the end of his seven month term.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/720815/incoming-afp-chief-to-focus-on-ending-communist-insurgency/story/

"[The] urgent task to end local communist armed conflict through the implementation of Executive Order No. 70," Santos told GMA News Online when asked on what would be the focus of his leadership.

End the insurgency through E-CLIP.  That is his plan.  Not to crush them and destroy them through military force but to build roads, literal roads, and bribe NPA soldiers with housing, cash, and job training. He is sure he the AFP can do this by the end of Duterte's term in June 2022.

"We are conifdent that we will end insurgency before the end of the President's term," he said in an ambush interview after the ceremony. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/721040/new-afp-chief-santos-assumes-post-vows-pro-action-vs-local-terrorists-drug-problem/story/

2020 promises to be more of the same. More NPA attacks. More Islamic terrorist attacks. More surrenders and arrests of terrorists. More setting of deadlines which will not be reached. More reliance on the US military to assist the AFP. More flip-flopping from Duterte concerning the CPP. More business as usual in Mindanao. 

Sri Lanka and the Philippines: Similarities and Differences

A story from the AFP news service is making the rounds and it showcases just how much the Philippines and Sri Lanka have in common. That is because the President of Sri Lanka is intentionally imitating the Philippines. When a country imitates the Philippines they can expect to have the same problems as the Philippines.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/drug-gangs-behind-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-president-claims-11722322

International drug syndicates orchestrated Sri Lanka's deadly Easter Sunday bombings, the country's leader claimed Monday (Jul 15), despite earlier blaming the attacks on Islamists. 

Sirisena's office said the day after the bombings that local terrorists and international terror groups were responsible for the attacks. 

But in a statement issued by his office Monday, Sirisena said the attacks "were the work of international drug dealers". 

"Drug barons carried out this attack to discredit me and discourage my anti-narcotics drive. I will not be deterred," he said. 

Sirisena is waging a battle against efforts by his governing coalition in parliament to abolish capital punishment, which has been subject to a moratorium since 1976. 

Sirisena has marshalled public support for an end to the moratorium on the death penalty, saying that hangings would deter the illegal drugs trade. 

"If the government brings legislation to abolish capital punishment, I will declare a day of national mourning," Sirisena said in the statement, adding that public opinion favoured hanging condemned criminals.

Before dissecting this assertion of President Sirisena I want to point out that he never issued a statement blaming international drug dealers for the Easter bombing. What he did was give a speech at a ceremony where land deeds were presented to 5000 settlers. It is at this speech where the spectre of international drug dealers being behind the Easter bombings was raised.

The day a Bill to abolish the death penalty is brought to Parliament will be declared a national day of mourning as the it will mark the occasion of handing over this country to drug dealers, criminals and rapists, President Maithripala Sirisena said. 

President made these comments during a ceremony in Walawa zone to present land deeds to 5000 Mahaweli settlers today (14). 

Expressing his views, President further said attempts by a certain section of the government to bring a Parliament act to abolish the capital punishment is an achievement of drug dealers and criminals. 

President vouched that he will not leave room for these criminals to destroy the future of this country’s children while adding that he will leave no stone unturned to bring the drug dealers to the law and will not revoke the decision of death penalty. 

Foreign forces play a role in the opposition to the decision, President added.

http://www.president.gov.lk/abolition-of-death-penalty-is-a-victory-of-drug-kingpins-and-criminals-president-2/

Any search for an official transcription of this speech will be fruitless as it does not exist and we are forced to rely on the reporting of the AFP. That is not to imply they are lying or untrustworthy. Two weeks ago President Sirisena made the same comments about drug dealers being behind the Easter bombings. 

http://www.pmdnews.lk/unheeded-to-life-threats-i-lead-the-fight-against-drug-menace-for-the-future-generation-president/

Those who did not give their slightest support for the battle against eradicating drug menace during last four and half years are now trying to vilify me in the face of tough action now taken against drug kingpins, President Maithripala Sirisena said. 

He said he will demand answers from them on what they have done to safeguard 300,000 youth who are addicted to drugs while they are in power or in opposition. 

The President made these comments addressing the Western Province ceremony of the National Drug Prevention Week held at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium today (1). 

President further said that he is leading the fight against the drug menace unheeded to life threats for the sake of the future generations. 

Drug is the easiest method to destroy a nation, President pointed out while adding every citizen should perform his or her duty to free this country from illegal drug trafficking. 

Certain international organizations attempt to intimidate Sri Lanka after the decision to re-enforce capital punishment against drug dealers. Though the assistance of global entities is required for the development of a country, nobody has the right to interfere in the domestic affairs or the sovereignty of a nation, President said. 

The connection between illegal drug business and politicians is no secret and how many politicians do their duty to protect the nation against this threat is questionable, he said. 

Explaining the interdependence between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism, President said there is a hand of international drug dealers behind Easter Sunday attack.

From the above description of President Sirisena's speech the picture clearly emerges that he is following Duterte's steps in his own drug war. He claims to be fighting for the future of the nation, that politicians protect drug lords, that drugs will destroy the nation, that the opposition are doing everything the can to vilify him, that the opposition has no answers and does not care about the problem, and that terrorism and the drug trade are related. These are the same claims Duterte has made time and again to justify his war on drugs.

It is no small wonder that President Sirisena is taking a page from Duterte since he said that is exactly what he intended to do back in 2018.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2154851/sri-lanka-will-hang-drug-dealers-promises-replicate-philippines 

Sri Lanka announced Wednesday it would start hanging drug dealers, ending a near-half century moratorium on capital punishment as officials promised to “replicate the success” of the Philippines drug war. 

President Maithripala Sirisena had told the cabinet he “was ready to sign the death warrants” of repeat drug offenders, government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said Wednesday. 

“From now on, we will hang drug offenders without commuting their death sentences,” he said. 

The government has drawn inspiration from the Philippines, where a no-holds barred war on drugs has been a centrepiece of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. 

“We were told that the Philippines has been successful in deploying the army and dealing with this problem. We will try to replicate their success,” Senaratne said of the decision to deploy the military to tackle drugs.

He reiterated this promise again when he visited the Philippines in January 2019.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/01/18/sri-lanka-to-adopt-ph-drug-war-model/

“Drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard.”

“The war against crime and drugs carried out by you is an example to the whole world and personally to me,” he said during the state dinner.

With various international human rights agencies breathing down Duterte's neck about his drug war and demanding accountability it is certainly not true that the Philippine drug war is a model the whole world aspires to follow. Of course Duterte does not care about international pressure and considers any desire to peep into the files of the PNP and ascertain a true picture of the drug war an affront to the sovereignty of the nation. In turn the world calls him a Strongman.

Likewise President Sirisena is also facing international pressure for attempting to revive the death penalty in order "to “replicate the success” of the Philippines drug war" and for this reason is also called a Strongman. Unlike the Philippines Sri Lanka has never abolished the death penalty. It is only on hiatus at the moment with the last execution taking place in 1976. Though death sentences have been regularly issued they have automatically been commuted to life sentences. 

Opposition to the death penalty started to become increasingly widespread and the United National Party government modified the use of it in its 1978 rewrite of the constitution. Under the new arrangement, death sentences could only be carried out if authorized by the trial judge, the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice. If there was no agreement, the sentence was to be commuted to life imprisonment. The sentence was also to be ratified by the President. This clause effectively ended executions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Sri_Lanka

Siriesena recently signed the death warrants of four men. However the Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction until October 30th when it will rule on the constitutionality of the death penalty.

Just as the Philippines is being lambasted by human rights groups for attempting to revive the death penalty for drug dealers Sri Lanka's possible revival of the death penalty is being decried by international human rights organisations.

“The death penalty is a cruel practice that has no place in modern society for combating drug crimes or any other offense,” Adams said. “Sri Lanka should work toward upholding its human rights pledges and immediately rescind the execution orders.”

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/06/30/sri-lanka-resuming-death-penalty-major-setback

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on President Sirisena to halt his plans to resume executions, making clear that the death penalty does not have a unique deterrent effect on crime. The human rights organization absolutely opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the crime committed or method of execution.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/06/sri-lanka-halt-plans-for-executions-once-and-for-all

It is likely to groups such as these that Sirisena is referring when he says, "Foreign forces play a role in the opposition to the decision." I am not aware of what other "foreign forces" work their magic in Sri Lanka but if you told me they were linked to the CIA and other Western agencies I would not be surprised. Like the Philippines, the USA has a major stake in Sri Lanka and is using its influence to counter that of China.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2159546/us-gives-sri-lankan-military-us39-million-combat-chinas

The United States announced Monday it would grant Sri Lanka US$39 million to boost maritime security as China develops its strategic hold on the Indian Ocean island. 

The State Department will provide the funds as “foreign military financing”, pending congressional approval, the US embassy in Colombo said. 

“We look forward to discussing with the government of Sri Lanka how this contribution can support our Bay of Bengal initiative and Sri Lanka’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response priorities,” it said. 

It comes as China, the world’s second-largest economy, increases investment in ports and other building projects in Sri Lanka – a key link in its ambitious “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.

The US and Sri Lanka are negotiating a status-of-forces-agreement governing rules for visiting US military personnel which the President and others have said would undermine the sovereignty of the nation. That is very much akin to the situation with EDCA which Duterte eventually signed when Trump visited the Philippines in 2017.

Like the Philippines, yet despite not having a permanent military presence, the US has assisted the Sri Lankan military with 

...assistance in terms of military training, military technology, intelligence, special training in counter-terrorism, and direct monetary assistance for military development.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka–United_States_relations#Defence_relations

But to return to the main story of President Sirisena blaming international drug dealers for the Easter bombings when such was not the case, this is is parallel to what Duterte did in September 2017.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/09/27/1743196/duterte-now-claims-arrest-warrant-vs-drug-lord-triggered-marawi-siege

“The Marawi war was ignited by the service of a summon and a warrant of arrest of one of the drug lords there,” Duterte said in his speech during the 56th anniversary of the Philippine Constitution Association. 

“There was a firefight and that started the rebellion. And I was really aghast to know that until now, they have so many bullets, ordnance and everything that the fight is still going on,” he added. 

The president's claim runs counter to what security forces have been saying since hostilities in the city began months ago. 

According to the military, a failed attempt by government troops to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon in Marawi on May 23 triggered the battle against the Maute group, homegrown jihadist militants who claim allegiance with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and backed by some foreign fighters.

Duterte changed the story about how the Marawi siege started just as Sirisena changed the story of the motivation for and perpetrators of the Easter bombings. That is not to say that drug trafficking does not help finance ISIS here or in Sri Lanka. P10 million worth of shabu was found in the house of the former Mayor of Marawi during the siege. It is to say that both Presidents have issued patently false statements about each attack. Those who investigated the Easter bombings had this to say:

A spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe discounted the president's claims. 

"Police completed the investigations within about two weeks," Sudarshana Gunawardana told AFP. 

"There is no mention of drug dealers being involved. We have no reason to doubt our investigators."

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/drug-gangs-behind-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-president-claims-11722322

For President Sirisena to claim that the Easter bombings were an attempt to discredit his drug war makes HIM the focus of the attacks and not the 259 dead or the hundreds of injured. Suddenly the attack loses its religious nature and becomes an angry gesture of protest against his polices in order to keep the heroin trade flowing. The claim that attacks are happening to discredit him is the same claim that Duterte made about the killings of mayors in 2018 and about EJKs. Who can forget all the many claims of ouster and destabilisation plots Duterte has alleged in the past three years?

There is one major difference between Duterte and Sirisena when it comes to these attacks and that is accountability. Just like the AFP, PNP, DND and other officials in the Duterte administration ignored prior intelligence about the Marawi siege top officials in Sri Lanka also ignored prior intelligence of the Easter bombings. But unlike the Philippines Sri Lanka investigated the attacks and is now holding  the former police chief and Defence Secretary liable for not preventing the attacks.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sri-lankas-suspended-police-chief-ex-defence-secretary-arrested/article28265112.ece

Sri Lanka’s suspended police chief and former Defence Secretary were on Tuesday arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department for their alleged failure to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings that claimed nearly 260 lives. 

The arrest of Inspector-General Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando comes a day after the Attorney-General termed their alleged failure to act on security warnings a “crime against humanity”. “The two officials should be brought before a magistrate for their criminal negligence to prevent the April 21 attacks,” Attorney-General Dappula de Livera told the acting police chief in a letter. 

In June, Mr. Jayasundara and Mr. Fernando testified before a parliamentary panel probing the blasts and pointed to the serious gaps in acting on intelligence. 

Confirming that intelligence on a possible attack was available since April 9, they said it was shared among top police and defence officials, on the eve and morning of the bombings.

Sri Lanka formed a panel to probe the blasts and it has decided to hold these two high ranking men and others responsible. In contrast the Philippines has refused to investigate the Marawi siege despite admissions of failure to act on intelligence warnings. DND Secretary Lorenzna has said he does not want an investigation and that it is better to move on.  

With Sri Lanka emulating the Philippines in so many categories it would be refreshing if the Philippines imitated Sri Lanaka in this regard and finally investigated the Marawi siege.

Did You Know? (Unanswered Questions and Unsettling Facts About the Marawi Siege)

Today is April 18th, 2019. It is now two years to the day that the AFP was notified about an impending attack in Marawi and in other cities in Mindanao. This fact is included in the documents the government submitted to the Supreme Court in defence of Duterte's declaration of martial law. That the AFP was aware Abdullah Maute had dispatched men to specific cities to create chaos and havoc yet did not stop them is just one of the many intelligence failures and anomalies in the lead up to the Marawi siege.

Last year I made a video which compiled statements from Duterte, Lorenzana, and Bato among others in which they discussed the failures which allowed the siege to occur. As of yet there has been no investigation into what happened, how it happened, or why it happened in Marawi. The video is rather long at 30 minutes and the transcript of the video is also rather long and not a lot of people have either watched the video or read the transcript.

Perhaps it is better to start smaller. To start by asking a few questions which bring to light facts that people may not know in order to get them thinking. It is in that spirt that I offer these infographics  five of which I have previously posted all over Twitter but have not published in this blog.

There are plenty more such infographics that could be made because there are quite a number of facts left undiscussed by both the media and politicians. This wilful lack of discussion shows across social media as when one attempts to discuss this issue they are quickly beaten down with a bevy of false information. The public at large is seemingly totally unaware of any of the anomalies regarding the lead up to the Marawi siege. Media outlets like Rappler and pundits such as Thinking Pinoy would have the public believe they are out fighting in the name of the truth for the average man. Many politicians would have their constituents also believe the same.

But the fact is no one, not a single media outlet, not a single columnist, not a single pundit, not a single politician in the Philippines has dared bring up these facts listed above. Nor have they dared to question the narrative given to us by the Duterte administration. How then can they dare claim to be fighting for the truth? They are not fighting for anything except their partisan worldview.

What is needed is an investigation of the Marawi siege but that is not likely ever going to happen which is a travesty of justice. Truth does matter even if everyone else is believing a lie. Even if knowing the truth awakens one to the fact that they are powerless to remedy the situation. Such is the jarring reality which comes with taking the redpill. 

Hashtag Becoming Filipino is the Face of Racini Bags

It was quite a shock when I was out shopping and I turned my head only to see this:

If you don't know, that is Kyle Jennermann a Canadian blogger who wants to hashtag Become Filipino. He goes around documenting his adventures and what not. I do not follow him or his blog. However I did write about him last year when he lamented that his parents could not come to visit him in the very dangerous province in which he lives, Mindanao, because their travel insurance would not cover them since the Canadian government had issued a travel warning for that province.

You see Kyle is very naive. He has had such a great time with good people that he forgets right on the fringes of the jungle where he lives are NPA commies and various ISIS affiliated Muslim terrorists who wouldn't think twice about kidnapping both him and his parents and hold them for ransom or behead them if the money doesn't show up. He thinks the negativity surrounding the word "Mindanao" is all stereotyping. As if "Mindanao" is just a word and not a real place where real things happen like terrorism. Funny that only two weeks after he penned his lament the Marawi siege began and martial law was imposed upon Mindanao. 

Some stereotype that is right?

You can read all about that here:

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2017/05/canadian-blogger-dismisses-terrorism-in.html

As I said it was a definite shock to see this man's gaping maw on a huge advertisement for backpacks.

That is the face Kyle will make if Abu Sayyaf ever gets ahold of him.

The moment I saw this guy's face I could not stop laughing. He has truly become Filipino by trying to sell you something you do not need. He might as well be selling these bags from his house like people do with soaps and perfumes and clothes just to make a few extra pesos. Or maybe you do need it because you are an OFW who finally hit the big time and are busting out of this joint. Either way seeing his face in this mock surprise pose is hilarious.

Curious about his partnership with this company, Racini, I searched all over the internet. It seems his collaboration with Racini bags started in April or March 2017.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSdSWp6F3mV/

So much stuff has been happening! But did you notice that something else in the recent photos and videos?! I have finally changed up my backpack! ... :) ... I now have legit adventure travel bags! I have struck up an awesome relationship with #Racini, a company that grew out of Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao! They wanted to help "Spark Happiness" (I like that thought...) with me, and I love how whenever I look at my backpack I will be reminded of home :) 

The Racini Bags Facebook page is filled with photos of Kyle in the most silly poses you can imagine, like this:

https://www.facebook.com/racinibags/

Why is he climbing this tree? What kind of adventure is this?  He also has his face plastered larger than life on a delivery truck.

In case you are wondering Kyle does have a working visa so his partnership with Racini is above board in that respect.

Jennermann currently has a three-year work visa, which means he’ll be here until 2019.   

“But honestly, I take it one day at a time,” he said. “This is my home, I don’t plan on leaving. I do whatever I can, to stay here as long as I can.”  

In his travel videos and in various interviews, Jennermann has always expressed his interest in becoming a Filipino. The Canadian, however, maintained that he has no plans of applying for citizenship here, saying he is happy with the opportunity to promote the Philippines to his fellow foreigners.  

“You know what, if someone handed me a passport and asked me if I would like to stay here, of course that would be amazing. But I’m proud to be Canadian, and I’m also really, really proud to call the Philippines my home,” he said.  

“Canada is where I’m from, the Philippines is my home,” he added. “So would I like to stay here? Yes, as long as I possibly can. But I’m not worried about getting citizenship, that’s not for me to ever ask for. It’s not appropriate.” 

http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/06/16/why-best-pinoy-at-heart-awardee-wont-apply-for-ph-citizenship

"Promote the Philippines to his fellow foreigners?" I really do wonder who this guy is and who is backing him. Who is paying him? Who is he working for and what is he really doing? Has he secretly partnered with the DOT? No, they wouldn't be so smart as that. Here he is travelling with a BBC travel show host to the ARMM.

http://www.mindanews.com/press-release/2018/07/from-becomingfilipino-to-becomingmoro-kulas-visits-armm-villages-expo/

‘BecomingFilipino’ travel blogger Kyle Jennermann, better known on You Tube as ‘Kulas’, visited the mock cultural villages at the seat of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) here on Friday, July 6. 

With him were his fellow travel bloggers, Michael ‘Mike’ Corey – ‘Fearless and Far’ on You Tube – and Mark ‘Kumar’ Yañez. ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Masuhud Alamia welcomed and toured Kulas and his friends around the villages. 

While being fascinated with the beauty of Mindanao, Kulas always wants to visit ARMM areas for a special reason. His visit here is his way of showcasing the way of life of ARMM people and to help break the stereotype about the Moro people and the ARMM per se. 

He thinks the cultural villages’ expo is a great avenue for others, especially foreigners, to understand the unique cultures within the ARMM. The experience gained in visiting the ARMM mock cultural villages, he said, was a smooth leap from becoming Filipino to becoming Moro. 

Corey, a BBC travel show host, said, “There are other interesting countries out there but the Philippines is special because Filipinos are so nice, friendly, and very outgoing.”

What a revelatory article this is. First of all we learn that there is a difference between Filipinos and Moros even though Moros live in the country called the Philippines. These people simply do not want to be Filipinos. If you have been reading my martial law updates you know that the text of the BOL had to have words inserted to the effect that the people of Bangsomoro are Filipinos much to the chagrin of the Moros.

Second we learn that Kyle is steadily determined to break the stereotype regarding the ARMM, that it is violent. He thinks he is doing this by visiting a Potemkin village! As if visiting a mock cultural village is going to give the truth about the day to day goings on in the ARMM soon to be BARMM. If he wants to learn about the real culture of the ARMM then he should move to Lanao del Sur or Catabato City for a month or two or more. Maybe even visit Sulu. I would love to see him meet with MNLF leader Nur Misuari. They could do a walking interview wherein Misuari could show him how peaceful Mindanao really is while they visit his favourite secret jungle waterfall.

Third we learn that he is travelling around with a BBC travel show host. How is Kyle benefiting from that relationship? Did Kyle and his friends have any sort of security detail. Would the BBC let one of it's hosts travel to such a dangerous place without one?

Aside from his adventuring Kyle also does charity work. In fact his second visit to the Philippines was to help out with efforts in Tacloban after typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

He was working in Hong Kong in November 2013 when Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) struck, devastating Tacloban City and other parts of the Visayas. 

“I was with Filipinos at that time in Hong Kong and seeing the way it affected them, I just wanted to do something,” he says. 

He decided to quit his job and flew to Cagayan de Oro where he ended up packing relief at a Red Cross station. Soon after, he ended up in Tacloban about two weeks after the typhoon on a relief mission and also to look up a Hong Kong colleague who was from there.

Together with his Filipino friends from the outdoor community, Jennermann put up OneTacloban to help out in the relief efforts with no “red tape, no politics, no bulls—.” 

With his camera, Jennermann started documenting the damage. Afterwards, he would sit outside the United Nations tents—the only places then with Internet signal—and upload his videos on YouTube so friends and family could see how desperately help was needed.
OneTacloban was able to raise some P500,000 in donations, which helped in reopening a school for children, setting up clinics and procuring relief.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/107401/canadian-wants-to-be-filipino-just-call-him-kulas

Sounds pretty good right? Better than the government's efforts. He also did more charity work last year after the fighting in Marawi broke out.

https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/inquirer-libre-davao/20170616/281479276402766

The Canadian travel blogger whose posts went viral for his fluent “Bisaya” started his own “psychosocial intervention” to help Maranao people traumatized by the antiterrorist assault on Marawi City, spending hours with them at a temporary shelter in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur province. 

Inspired by their resilience, Jennermann initiated a campaign to solicit toy and cash donations for the evacuees. 

“I ended up realizing that toys were something that didn’t really exist in the many relief centers, so I had a toy drive in Iligan City,” he told the Inquirer by phone. “Locals brought me probably close to 2,000 various toys, and it was awesome.” 

"Then I raised a little bit of money and asked a bag company (Racini) I endorsed if I could buy some bags at cost, but instead they let me use their truck and they donated supplies and bags," he said.

Nothing says charity like delivering your donated goods in a truck plastered with your face!

Does Kyle see the irony here in what he is doing?  First he says all the negativity about Mindanao is a stereotype. Then a month later he ends up giving charity to people who were affected by this stereotype which basically nullifies his ridiculous statement about Mindanao not being so dangerous and everyone being super duper nice and all the talk about terrorism being just a stereotype.

With his head in the sand and unable to come face to face with the reality of the Philippines, specifically the dangers of Mindanao, it seems Kyle is well on his way to hashtag Becoming Filipino.

Stupid Tweets

I tend to get into a lot of dumb conversations on Twitter. That's the nature of the beast I guess. Twitter is no place for intelligent discussion. Especially with the DDS crowd. 

Often I go to a thread with a huge number of replies and post this:

The Duterte administration knew about the Marawi plot in advance and did nothing to stop it. They lied about so-called intelligence failures.  Investigate Marawi now!  https://youtu.be/Tv6mI4GoiBo https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2018/05/intelligence-failures-and-prior.html

Because I want the most amount of people to see that video or read the transcript and demand and investigation in to the largest terror attack in SEA in 15 years.  To be very clear the impetus for an investigation is not that video, it is the fact of the event that warrants an investigation. For the life of me I cannot understand why there has not been one. It should be routine. Just like in the USA where the Senate formed the 9/11 Commission to investigate the 9/11 attacks.

Sometimes I get really dumb responses to this message. The following tweet is an example. 

The stupidity in this comment is beyond belief. So this guy thinks me, a nobody with no power or authority, should do an investigation into the Marawi attack. Like I should subpoena all the officials involved and get a testimony from all of them to figure out just what happened? What a moron!

Only an individual void of any critical thinking skills would say something so stupid. But as I said this is the tip of the iceberg.  For this guy and for others it is simply a well known fact that Maute group were funded by narcopoliticians and Aquino is to blame too.

This guy doesn't get it. And he's not alone. People just do not care about this issue of investigating the Marawi attack. Not even the politicians. Let me break it down one more time again.

The Duterte administration has been lying in saying that there were intelligence failures in the lead up to the Marawi siege. DND Sec Lorenzana defines intelligence failures as failure to adequately interpret the intelligence.  The evidence shows they DID interpret it correctly and are thus lying. Take note:

1. Calida's report to the SC detailed in April 18 and May 18 2017 reports were received about a specific attack in Marawi.

2. Pres Spokseman Abello admits there were CABINET LEVEL MEETINGS about the impending Marawi attack before it happened.

3. Lorenzana claims they had an inside man in Matue and knew everything.

As I said none of that is the basis for the investigation. The fact of the event is the basis of the investigation. But nonetheless theses are facts that demand answering! Who knew what, when did they know it, what did they do about it, how can this be prevented from happening again?

But hey according to this guy we don't need to investigate the largest terror attack in SEA in 15 years because we already know Aquino and drugs are to blame. And how does he know this? From the Marawi investigation report? But there hasn't been one! 

The stupidity and lack of caring about something so crucial to national security is overpowering.