Friday, February 21, 2020

Retards in the Government 142

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government. 


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1228772/cops-serenade-moms-traffic-men-give-chocolates-in-sultan-kudarat
Armed with a guitar, and loads of flowers and heart-shaped balloons, a team of five police officers and five non-uniformed personnel roamed the town early Friday morning and tendered love songs. 
“We would like to spread love and positive vibes,” said Captain Jessie J Silva Jr., President Quirino town police chief. 
“We chose mothers to recognize the unconditional love that they have for their family and children,” Silva added. 
Mothers were awakened by the songs rendered by police officers starting at 6 a.m. As they emerged from their homes to see who were singing, they were met with flowers and heart-shaped balloons. 
Also, members of the Land Transportation Office in Koronadal surprised motorists along Alunan Avenue here with flowers and chocolates. 
“Instead of checking on their vehicles’ documents, drivers’ licenses and issuing citation tickets, we gave them flowers, chocolates, and candies,” Koronadal City Traffic Law Enforcer team leader Movin Agal said. 
“We propagate love so we get love in return,” Agal said in the vernacular.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/288044/highway-patrol-cops-hand-out-chocolates-and-flowers-instead-of-top-on-valentines-day
Instead of giving violation tickets or temporary operator’s permit (TOP) to the drivers and motorists flagged down by cops on Cebu City’s streets, the Highway Patrol Group in Central Visayas (HPG-7) instead handed out chocolates and flowers during their regular checkpoint along V. Rama Avenue on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2020. 
The HPG-7’s Valentine Day activity dubbed as “Gugma sa HPGnalang sa mga Motorista” was initiated by their head, Police Colonel Joel Pernito, who wanted to have a creative way of reminding the drivers and commuters about the rules and regulations for safe travel on roads and highways. 
Police Captain Michael Gingoyon, provincial officer of HPG-7, said the activity was their way of expressing their love to the riding public, by reminding to follow the road rules through the small gifts they prepared. 
(In line with our road safety awareness, we wanted to show that we also care for our motorists.)
One of the flagged down drivers was Nympha Pinote, of Barangay Mambaling,  who was with her family to visit a private hospital in Fuente. 
Pinote told reporters she was very nervous when she was told to stop by a Highway Patrol policeman, thinking she would get arrested as she was also not wearing her seatbelt when she rolled down the window of her car. 
“Gikuyawan ko kay sukad-sukad wala pagyud ko madakpan (I was nervous because I thought they will arrest me. I was never arrested before),” said Pinote, who grinned when she found herself a recipient of the Valentine’s Day gift from the HPG-7 cops. 
A student who was crossing the road while the HPG-7 performed their gimmick, also received some chocolate hearts.
This is stupid. That lady was clearly violating traffic laws by not wearing her traffic belt and was rightly scared to death when she was flagged over. But instead the cops gave her a big smile and chocolates. Why can't the cops do this EVERY day?  If they can do stupid gimmicks on Valentine's Day then they sure as heck can enforce traffic laws and hand out tickets. 

A police official will be facing charges for allegedly committing several abuses that included using a waiter's palm as ashtray while in a drinking session inside a restobar here Friday, an official said. 
A report by the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office on Friday said Capt. Calvin Placer and two other companions were having a drink at Jakko's Grill along Regatta Boulevard when the series of abuses happened. 
Maj. Evan Viñas, city police spokesperson, said Placer allegedly physically abused a waiter and the manager of the establishment located in Barangay Carmen.


Viñas said Placer allegedly pointed a gun at the waiter's stomach, punched him in the face, and even used his palm as ashtray. 
He said the suspect singled out the waiter for allegedly not smiling at him. 
The suspect also allegedly banged the restobar manager's head on the wall. 
Viñas added Placer allegedly molested a female customer by holding her hand without her consent, insisted on asking for her phone number, and even followed her to the comfort room. 
Upon learning that a customer has called the police, Viñas said Placer got out of the restobar and sped off where his car bumped a person riding a mountain bike in Carmen.


"The suspect and his companions started drinking at around 8 in the evening. The commotion happened five hours later," he added. 
Aside from the administrative case that Placer will be facing, Viñas said the suspect may be charged with sexual assault, physical injury, grave threat, acts of lasciviousness, and reckless imprudence resulting in slight physical injury.
Five hours of drinking and this cop turned into a wild animal.


https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/16/cop-on-awol-killed-in-bacolod/
A policeman, who had gone absent without official leave (AWOL), was gunned down by four unidentified armed men along Circumferential Road in Barangay Villamonte here Saturday. 
Slain was Pat. Eric Alcosaba of Barangay Mansilingan here. 
He said Alcosaba was previously assigned at Police Station 7 and City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) here before he was moved to Mindanao in 2017, wherein he went Awol. 
Alcosaba, based on earlier reports, was among the five police officers who were named in the supplemental affidavit of top drug suspect Ricky Serenio in 2017, as allegedly receiving weekly protection money from the “Berya” drug group.
AWOL cop possibly involved in drugs shot dead by four assassins.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/02/17/1993865/dilg-sets-75-day-deadline-new-round-road-clearing-operations
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered local executives nationwide to clear roads of obstructions within 75 days, a second round of clearing in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's order to reclaim public roads. 
The first round of street-clearing operations saw the demolition of structures like sheds and village outposts that had encroached onto the road. 
"I direct all LGUs, especially barangays, to clear roads from obstruction with the same urgency and enthusiasm as when the president directed before," DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said.
How many times will they be re-issuing this order to clear all roads? The roads should be cleared without the need for an order from the DILG.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1230347/retired-cop-slain-in-negros-oriental
A retired police officer and incumbent councilor of Bayawan City, Negros Oriental was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Barangay Villareal at 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday, February 18. 
Alex Tizon, 66, was driving his Isuzu Sportivo when two men aboard a motorcycle drove by his vehicle and shot him. 
Based on their investigation, Enriquez said Tizon was supposed to buy medicines for his high blood pressure. 
“The attack was well-planned (because the assailants knew where the victim was going),” Enriquez said. 
Enriquez said investigators are looking into reports that an armed group was mad at Tizon for helping a family that the group harassed.
Another retired cop shot dead. But he was also a City Councilor according to PNA so he is just another LGU official shot dead. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/02/17/1993895/hontiveros-bares-alleged-bribery-scheme-bureau-immigration
Officials within the Bureau of Immigration were called "traitors to the country," Monday, by Sen. Risa Hontiveros for operating of an alleged modus operandi to get foreign nationals in the Philippines in exchange for money. 
Through the supposed "pastillas" scheme, officials within the agency ensure "seamless entry" of Chinese nationals into the country for a 10,000-peso "service fee." 
Hontiveros said it was named after the milk-based candy after photos from a whistleblower exposed the said cash distributions.  
"I asked why it's called pastillas. Before, there were no envelopes and that’s why they rolled it on a bond paper like a pastillas," she said in Filipino.
Not surprising if true but the Palace said there will be no investigation unless someone files a formal complaint.  Now who is going to do that?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/726373/bi-naia-terminal-heads-relieved-of-duty-amid-investigation-on-pastillas-scheme/story/
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has relieved from their posts the terminal heads of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) while it investigates an alleged scheme in which Chinese nationals are escorted through the immigration process in exchange for a fee.  
The NAIA terminal heads and the chief of the travel control and enforcement unit were relieved of duty upon orders of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente "pending the results of the investigation," BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Tuesday.
At least NAIA is launching an investigation.

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=tl&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.abs-cbn.com%2Fnews%2F02%2F18%2F20%2Fbarangay-kagawad-arestado-sa-reklamong-panggagahasa
Barangay kagawad arrested on rape charges but details are scanty.  

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1230308/fwd-palace-espenido-may-have-stepped-on-some-toes
 Malacanang on Tuesday came to the defense of former Bacolod City police chief, Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido following his inclusion in the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) narcolist, saying the controversial cop could be a victim of flawed intelligence gathering. 
“Definitely marami siyang nasagasaan, kaya napag-initan nung mga involved (He has gone against a lot of people, that’s why he was implicated by those involved),” palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing. 
Panelo said that even President Rodrigo Duterte is of the belief that Espenido could even be a victim of black propaganda in the drug war. 
“Could be, because the President says that’s black propaganda, as far as he is concerned,” Panelo said when asked if Espenido was a “victim.” 
“The President trusts him. It’s not unexpected that there may be some flaws in intelligence gathering. That happens. Sometimes they’re even intentional. You’re being fed with the wrong info coming from those who are against particular officer,” he added.
Espenido also thinks he could be the victim of flawed intelligence. But if that were true then these narco-lists aren;'t trustworthy at all.  They are casting doubt on their own intel gathering abilities!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1094130
A police officer is now facing charges of robbery-extortion after he allegedly mulcted money from a relative of a drug suspect in Taguig City. 
In a press briefing on Tuesday, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, identified the suspect as Cpl. Hadzmer Amer, who was assigned at the Taguig City station drug enforcement unit. 
Based on the complaint, Amer demanded PHP35,000 in exchange for the dropping of the case filed against the complainant's partner, whom Sinas did not identify.
A PNP officer involved in extortion?  Who would have thought such a thing could happen?
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1094101
Two men posing as “habal-habal” drivers shot dead a village official in this city, a top police official said Tuesday. 
Lt. Col. Ramel Hojilla, local police chief, identified the victim as Nasrullah Manibpel, a councilor in the upland village of Nuangan, this city. 
Hojilla said Manibpel was about to go home after accomplishing administrative work at the village hall when he was fatally shot by the two gunmen at about 11 a.m. on Monday.
He said the two, who were riding a motorbike, were seen standing in front of the Nuangan barangay hall before the incident.
 
“One of the possible motives is a personal grudge,” Hojilla said, adding that police investigators were also looking at “rido” (blood feud) involving Manibpel’s family. 
“He has no known enemies, he is a good man, he is a good leader, truly (a) public servant,” said one of Manibpel’s relatives who asked not to be named.
Another LGU official shot dead this time the motive might be a family feud.

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/2/19/Bureau-of-Corrections-Frederic-Santos-shot-dead.html
A top official at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) who had wanted to testify in the Senate on the alleged “freedom for sale” scheme at the New Bilibid Prison was shot dead Wednesday near the headquarters of the bureau in Muntinlupa City. 
Police said two gunmen shot Frederic Santos dead at around 2 p.m. on board his Toyota Hilux pick-up in front of Southernside Montessori school in Barangay Poblacion. 
They said Santos was about to fetch his daughter from school when the two men shot him point blank, and immediately left. 
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III told CNN Philippines that Santos was “ready to tell all” about the supposed anomalies surrounding the implementation of the expanded Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) policy under the Revised Penal Code before the Senate’s last hearing on the issue. 
Santos, however, backed out, Sotto said. 
The Office of the Ombudsman suspended Santos in September for six months after finding that he, along with 29 other officials of the bureau, “allowed the questionable release of prison convicts” in violation of the expanded GCTA policy. 
Santos was suspended without pay for alleged grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct "prejudicial to the best interest of the service.” These could have led to his dismissal from service. 
He also confessed during a Senate investigation that convicts and wardens cover each other's backs by doing favors while behind bars. 
He cited examples where prison guards would relent on the punishment that should be meted out to inmates caught using mobile phones or contraband items in their cell, opting for a settlement rather than filing a complaint against the prisoner in trouble.
A former employee of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has filed a graft complaint against former and current PhilHealth officials for their alleged inaction on a scam involving the issuance of fake premium receipts to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). 
Complainant Ken Sarmiento, represented by lawyer Harry Roque, filed the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday. 
According to Sarmiento’s complaint, he has flagged officials of PhilHealth of hundreds of fake PhilHealth official receipts received from September 2015 until September 2018. At the time, Sarmiento was deployed at PhilHealth operations office in the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). 
He said he has filed 15 complaints before the Anti-Fraud Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and submitted another six complaints before the ad hoc committee created by PhilHealth. 
Aside from that, Sarmiento also gathered six case folders of hiring agencies containing falsified official receipts. 
He claimed that officials did not act on the complaints as this was “systematically suppressed by several high-ranking officers” of PhilHealth Head Office.
PhilHealth is one of themes corrupt bureaucracies in the Philippines. Messed up how this case is being pursued by a private citizen and not the NBI or DOJ.


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1230772/bato-pushes-for-senate-probe-into-series-of-accidents-involving-drugged-reckless-drivers
In filing his resolution, the senator said it is “extremely important to review and evaluate the current set of laws and rules and regulations governing road safety vis-a-vis the prevention of illegal drugs in public transport, in order to shield the public from the snares of reckless, negligent, and errant driving.” 
He said that there should be a probe into such accidents “for the purpose of recommending further remedial measures to ensure road safety, and end the proliferation of drug use in the country, particularly in the public transport sector.”
I can finish his investigation in once sentence: Have the PNP patrol the streets and highways and enforce all traffic laws as is their mandate!




https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1230731/will-executive-be-offended-with-senate-vfa-petition-before-sc-its-possible-says-recto
Will the Senate’s plan to question the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) before the Supreme Court offend the executive? 
“It’s possible,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto told reporters when asked in an interview on Wednesday as he stressed that the upper chamber should assert its authority. 
“We are a co-equal branch of government. I think we should assert our authority as well,” Recto said. 
“Just like the executive is asserting their authority, we should not give up whatever powers we have insofar as check and balance is concerned,” he added. 
“The Constitution gives us the authority to approve treaties ‘di ba (right)? It’s an inherent power of the Senate 2/3 vote. But the constitution is silent also when it comes to abrogating treaties. So we can test this in the Supreme Court,” he added. 
“I support his [Sotto] position on making justiciable in the Supreme Court na linawin na ng Supreme Court yung kapangyarihan ng Senado pagdating sa abrogating treaties like this [to clarify the power of the Senate in abrogating treaties],” Recto further said. 
Recto, on the other hand, said that while he is not against terminating the VFA, he says that the timing should be considered when deciding to scrap the same. 
(It’s not that I’m against terminating the VFA, I’m just saying, there’s timing. There’s timing there, we need to prepare for it. If you want to the VFA, we need to be ready, it’s should not be in an abrupt manner).  
The Senate is divided on this issue with some loyal to Duterte who are abstaining from signing on to the SC petition and some loyal to Duterte who are doing their best to not upset him by signing on to the SC petition.


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1230665/cops-in-narcolist-to-face-dutertes-judgment-next-month
The fate of the 356 police officers in the so-called “narcolist” will be decided upon soon as the Philippine National Police (PNP) prepares to submit its recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte on March 5. 
PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said Wednesday that the adjudication process for the police officers has already started. 
“We will be having a joint command conference with the President and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) on March 5 and I intend to submit my recommendation on March 5,” he said. 
“As a matter of fact, there’s an initial recommendation, but of course this will be contained in the final recommendation they (adjudicating units) are going to make,” he added.
How about filing cases where appropriate and letting the justice system do its work?  Even if it is slow justice that would be the proper thing to do rather than let the President decide their fate.


Firing back at former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Senator Bong Go said he is not afraid to face him and would even take him to his boss, who is Satan. 
Go, President Rodrigo Duterte's closest aide, made the retort after Trillanes said the "bullies" in the administration would all scurry away when the president is no longer in power. 
The senator said Trillanes is the real "Bikoy" and was the one behind the video linking Duterte to illegal drugs.
More political bickering between Triallanes and other politicians.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1094277

Police operatives arrested an active member of the Philippine Army for allegedly selling shabu inside a bar here early Wednesday. 
Capt. Abdulsalam Mamalinta Jr., chief of the Pendatun police station, said Private First Class (Pfc) Abdillah Diao Ali, 22, was nabbed in a buy-bust around 12:35 a.m. at the YSP bar on Salazar Street in Barangay Dadiangas South. 
Mamalinta said Ali, of Purok Maunlad in Barangay Apopong, was a member of the 2nd Indigenous Peoples smart company under the Army’s 10th Infantry Division. 
Mamalinta said an undercover policeman managed to buy a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500 from the suspect.  
He said they recovered from Ali’s possession another plastic sachet containing suspected shabu.
Solider selling shabu.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/289265/former-school-administrator-gunned-down-by-unidentified-suspects-in-danao-city
The Danao City Police are now looking for two suspects who shot dead a former school administrator early Thursday morning, February 20.  
The victim was identified as Gregoretta Manto, 46, a resident of Barangay Bonifacio, Danao City, who worked before as a school administrator of the now-defunct Manto Memorial College Foundation.  
Initial reports from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) stated that the crime happened around 5 a.m. along Rizal Street, Barangay Poblacion, Danao City in northeastern Cebu.  
Police said several witnesses in the area pointed to a riding-in-tandem as the suspects behind Manto’s death.
“This is a very substantial issue. Why? Because if the President is allowed to terminate without the concurrence of the Senate, theoretically, the President can terminate our participation in the UN, the President can terminate our Asean cooperation agreement, the President can terminate our (agreement under) WTO (World Trade Organization), these have major consequences,” Drilon said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel on Thursday. 
“It (termination) should not be only unilateral act of the President but is a shared authority of both the president and Congress,” he pointed out.
How does no one else get this?  Or do they understand and just don't care?


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/289357/negros-or-police-director-pushing-for-relief-of-bayawan-police-chief-56-policemen
The provincial director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) will recommed to higher headquarters for the relief of the entire police force manning the Bayawan Police Station — its police chief and 56 policemen. 
Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) director, said in an interview on Thursday, February 20, 2020, the series of shooting incidents, which had remained unsolved, had prompted him to decide to recommend to the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) to relieve the policemen assigned to the Bayawan Police Station.
If there are so many unsolved killings with cops around just think how many there will be when they are gone.


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1231125/month-long-nationwide-sale-aimed-to-boost-tourism-set-for-march
“It’s not hard to see that elevating the shopping experience will go a long way to enhance the attractiveness of our tourist destinations all over the Philippines, whether it is our big cities or in our beautiful provinces,” DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement Wednesday. 
Puyat noted that shopping tourism is among the most common activities tourists do when visiting the country.

A frontline immigration officer on Thursday spilled the beans against current and past Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials whom he said were behind the corruption at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, Allison Chiong, who holds the position as Immigration Officer 1 since 2012, said he has “personally witnessed various illegal transactions over the years involving extortion money in exchange of unimpeded passage through the Philippines, whether leaving or entering the country.” 
He said the money-making scheme was being led by airport immigration officials and involves at least 90 percent of immigration personnel. 
In his affidavit read before the Senate panel, Chiong said immigration personnel started with the money-making scheme to offset lost earnings when the Department of Justice removed the overtime pay of all immigration officers in 2016. 
To cope with the substantial deduction of their salaries, he said some immigration officers decided to offer “VIP services” to immigrants who are casino high-rollers, accepting PHP2,000 for each high-roller in exchange for the latter’s “convenient and seamless immigration.”
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has relieved all officials and employees of the Bureau of Immigration who are involved in the latest bribery scheme where they purportedly facilitate the entry into — and exit from — Philippine territory of foreigners working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators for an unauthorized fee,” Panelo said in a regular Palace media briefing. 
Panelo said Duterte arrived at such decision after receiving reports about the unlawful activity and finding probable cause to relieved BI personnel linked to the bribery scheme. 
He, however, was not privy as to how many BI officials and employees were relieved of their respective duties.
Another day, another scandal.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Picture of the Week: No to Drugs

I saw this sticker on the back of a Hyundai. What I really like about it is the ambiguity.



This is not at all like, "Just say no," which is sensible advice. In fact it is Nancy Reagan's grandmotherly advice to the children of the United States to stay away from drugs. Imagine a concerned and sweet old lady telling the children of the nation not to use drugs because they are simply not good for you. It's endearingly persuasive because who wants to upset their grandmother?

"No to drugs or you'll lose your life" is much different. Combined with Duterte's fist it becomes a threat. Duterte is not giving grandfatherly advice. He is giving an ultimatum. Don't do drugs or you will die. How? Overdose? Motorcycle assassins? Could be either one. Could be both. An overdose on bullets! It's terrifying and not endearing in the least.

Look at the guy with his hands on his head like he's got a headache. At his feet there appears to be two beer bottles. Is he already wasted after two beers? What a lightweight! Maybe he is regretting having drunk the tasteless San Mig Light instead of the superior Red Horse. We all make bad decisions in life.

This sticker is rather hilarious but the sinister message it conveys and the bloody reality that backs it up is not.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

The God Culture: Jewish Fables

What do you get when you romanticize and fetishize a people overlooking their inherent qualities and ignoring their actual state of being? You get the myth of the noble savage. In the Philippines no one is more guilty of holding to that myth than Timothy Jay Schwab of the God Culture and Kyle Jennerman of Becoming Filipino. Those two men are like peas in a pod. While they inhabit different ends of the ideological spectrum both treat Filipinos the same way. To Tim and Kyle Filipinos as they are cease to exist and instead become the idealized fantasies they wish for them to be.  Let's take a look.

First up, the God Culture. From the 100 Clues Series, Clue#25: Philippines is Ophir: Magellan, Pinto, Barbosa, King of Spain, Cabot KNEW - Ophir, Tarshish. 

https://youtu.be/NGz-gWv46K4

The majority of this video is a justification of Magellan's falsification of Barbosa's book as if that is evidence that Magellan was prescient and knew the location and identification of the Philippines as Ophir and Tarshish. That does not concern us here. It is the first few minutes which are important. Tim quotes an Anglican churchman quoting a Jew who allegedly located some of the lost tribes in the Philippines.

Starting at 2:00
First to follow up on Columbus from our last video. We said Columbus in his margin notes and journal had initially found in his research the location of Ophir, Tarshish, the Garden of Eden, and some of the lost tribes of Israel all in the Philippines in fact. He was not the only one however in his era. 
Now, this original writing is lost to history but preserved in an 1846 book by Rev. Thomas Stackhouse.  Stackhouse records that Italian-Jewish scholar and contemporary to Columbus, Farrisol, reached the very same conclusion regarding the lost tribes. He says the lost tribes of Israel are in, for one,...THE PHILIPPINES!  Huh? Ever hear that one in your history class? Yeah. Us either. 
Gee, these Italian-Jews were searching hard for the lost tribes in the Philippines. And why? Well just look at what Columbus did to what he thought were the lost tribes of Israel in Haiti. He enslaved them and took their gold and resources. That's pleasant. And Magellan was headed in the same direction until of course he lost his head that is.  
The Spanish continued to repeat the same pattern. Columbus is cited to acquire this gold for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Yet the funny thing is if he believed these were lost tribes, knowing the prophecy that they are to return to Jerusalem would they not be a brother to a fellow Jew? It makes one wonder if Columbus and his brand of Jew were even Hebrews in the first place. Hmm. We'll leave that one for another time.   
If Tim had actually read the source he is quoting he would have saved much time and effort because he would have ended up chucking it into the garbage and not giving it another look. By this point it should be no surprise that Tim does not thoroughly read his sources, gleans from them whatever supports his thesis while tossing the rest, and that he manipulates them rather shamelessly to make them say what he wants them to say. Sometimes he disdains the need for sources entirely! In the video for Clue #53 he makes this incredible statement at 18:00:
Thomas Suarez's book just to glean something that is actually common knowledge and doesn't require a source even. Talk about a non-issue!  
https://youtu.be/ffA5sWIdXI4?t=1075
Talk about fallacious reasoning! Who knew the the locations of Chryse and Argyre and the Turin map, all things he "gleans" from Suarez, are just plain old common knowledge like how rubbing Vicks on your feet will cure everything?  Is it any wonder that one cannot reason with this guy when in pursuit of his thesis he chucks all reason to the curb?

The section of this book Tim quotes from actually starts on page 648 and is titled, "Of the Transportation of the Ten Tribes and Their Return." After briefly discussing the dispersion of the Ten Tribes Stackhouse writes:
Such, with very small exception, has been the case of this unhappy people, ever since the time of the Assyrian captivity; and yet, such is their pride and arrogance, that instead of owning the truth, they have devised fables of their living all along in great prosperity and grandeur in some unknown land, as a national and united body, in an independent state, and under monarchies or republics of their own. So, that before we begin to inquire into the real places of their transportation, and some other circumstances thereunto belonging, it may not be amiss to examine a little the merit of these pretensions, and what foundation they have for such mighty boasts. 
It is the pretension of the Jews to locate their lost brethren as living in the nether parts of the world in prosperity and grandeur.  Before discussing where the tribes have been located he mentions the oft quoted passage from 2 Esdras 13:40-45 which it would not be amiss to quote here:
40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land.  
41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt,  
42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.  
43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the river.  
44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.  
45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth. 
https://biblia.com/bible/kjvapoc/2-esdras/13/40-45
These are the key verses which serve as a prooftext for any number of lost tribes theories, Tim's included.  Rev. Stackhouse is less enthusiastic about the entire book of 2 Esdras than Tim.
In short, this counterfeit Esdras, who seems to have been a Christian, and to have lived about the end of the first, or the beginning of the second century, is not only so inconsistent in his account of this, and several other transactions, but so fond of uncertain traditions, and so romantic and fabulous about the divine inspiration which he boasts of, that there is no credit to be given to what he says, a concerning the retreat of the ten tribes into an unknown land.
It is not only Esdras whom Stackhosue accuses of being fond of the romantic and fabulous. He also accuses Farissol, a man whom Timothy thinks is telling the absolute truth, of spouting fantastic nonsense and forgeries.
Another Jewish author, in his description of the world, has found out very commodious habitations for the ten tribes, and in many places has given them a glorious establishment. In a country which he calls Perricha, inclosed by unknown mountains, and bounded by Assyria, he has settled some, and made them a flourishing and populous kingdom. Others he places in the desert of Chabor, which, according to him, lies upon the Indian sea, where they live, in the manner of the ancient Rechabites, without houses, sowing, or the use of wine. Nay, he enters the Indies likewise, and peoples the banks of the Ganges, the isles of Bengala, the Philippines, and several other places, with the Jews, to whom he assigns a powerful king, called Daniel, who had three other kings tributary, and dependent on him. But this is all of the same piece, a forged account to aggrandize the nation, and to make it be believed, that the sceptre is not departed from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, and that Shiloh consequently is not yet come. 
Stackhouse then describes other alleged locations of the lost tribes such as in the New World among the American Indians, rejects them all, and concludes:

Thus we have endeavoured to find out the situation of the ten tribes of Israel, and yet can meet with nothing, but either the fabulous accounts of the Talmudists, or the uncertain conjectures of modern critics; let us now have recourse to the Scriptures, and know what the information is that they can supply us with, in this our inquiry. 

Rev. Stackhouse dismisses the writings of Farissol and the rest of the Jews concerning the lost tribes out of hand as nothing but "the fabulous accounts of the Talmudists." On Farissol's Wikipedia page there is a link to the book "Chapters on Jewish Literature."  

Chapters on Jewish Literature

Chapter 20 of this book is titled "Traveller's Tales" and is all about the fabulous tales of Jews and how they located the lost tribes in sundry places throughout the world during their travels. Farissol is mentioned in this chapter very briefly. The point here is to say that the writings of Farissol and his fellow Jews, including Columbus, are nothing but fantastic falsehoods. The dreams of a dispossessed people longing to regain their former glory. The Jews have placed the lost tribes in every nook and cranny of the world, the Philippines included. But no one believes any of their fevered fantasies just like no one believes in the legends of Prester John, El Dorado, Sir John Mandeville, Chryse and Argyre, or the Fountain of Youth. Except perhaps Tim and the God Culture.

Contrary to what Tim claims in his video Farissol's book is not lost to history. In fact here is the Latin/Hebrew edition on Google Books.


Abraham Farissol

This Renaissance-era tome is referenced in the 2013 book "The Ten Lost Tribes: A World History" by Zvi Ben-Dor Benite. A PDF of that book can be downloaded from this link. The "Philippines" does not appear in its pages despite the author discussing where Farissol, Columbus, and other writers locate the lost tribes. He writes the following on page 133:
Farissol’s actual treatment of the ten tribes is rather disappointing, despite the fact that they appear as a distinct item in the title page of the Igeret and although he dedicates a whole chapter to David. Farissol does not have much new to report and, by his own admission, resorts to the familiar Talmudic “India.” The big change is that he includes the tribes for the first time within a real charted geography.
On page 180:
In Farissol’s Igeret (which he cites), the ten tribes are in the old southern location somewhere between Arabia and India
"Somewhere between Arabia and India." Not the Philippines. Either Benite is not telling us everything Farissol wrote about the locations of the lost tribes or Stackhouse is reading Farissol wrong. Either way Tim has not read Farissol and should not be citing him. That he does so is more evidence of the poor research which permeates his videos. No serious researcher would use hearsay as evidence for his claims yet this is what Tim does by quoting Farissol. He bases many of his assertions that the Israelites made their way to the Philippines in this video and in others on one paragraph in Stackhouse's book which is not even a quotation from Farissol but is only a brief summation of what he allegedly wrote. I challenge Tim with all his Hebraic linguistic skills to translate Farissol into English so we can read what he actually wrote about the lost tribes being located in the Philippines.

What's really interesting to note here is that Tim presents Stackhouse as an authority.
A vicar of the Church of England no less. Yeah, we'll keep an eye on this guy too as he quotes a Pharisee trying to figure out the markers but there is something to this once again and his interpretation is not necessarily off it's actually pretty good so we wish to share it.
https://youtu.be/xv3QPH4UGOI?t=2382
But he declines to tell his listeners about Stackhouse's negative remarks concerning Farissol and all the other Jews who attempted to locate the lost tribes. With this partial quote it appears as if Stackhouse is presenting Farissol in a positive light when just the opposite is true. He completely misrepresents the good Rev. Thomas Stackhouse. As with all the other sources Tim uses they are only authoritative insofar as they further his agenda. He "gleans" what he will and tosses out the rest as chaff. It is simply more deception and intellectual dishonesty on Tim's part. He can be found using this source in the same way in the following videos:
Where Did the Lost Tribes of Israel Go? Part 2C: Ophir, Philippines? THE HISTORY Continued
Lost Tribes Series Part 2G: The Landing of the 2nd Exodus In Ophir, Philippines
In those two videos he takes Stackhouse's account of Farissol's work and put's it to a historical test resulting in some of the silliest linguistic gymnastics like in the following slide:

https://youtu.be/xv3QPH4UGOI?t=2558

Farissol allegedly located some of the tribes in a place called Perricha. Tim shows just what a cunning linguist he is by telling us that Perricha sounds like Pharisee which sounds like Persia which means Kurdistan! Tah-dah! The Kurds are also part of the lost tribes. It must be heard to be believed and I encourage all to click the link beneath the slide.


What Timothy Schwab is doing by referring to Farissol as a genuine historical source is perpetuating Jewish fables.  Why did Thomas Stackhouse dismiss Farissol and other Jews locations of the lost tribes as "the fabulous accounts of the Talmudistsbut Timothy Jay Schwab embrace him? Why are Jewish fables which the Apostle Paul said to reject (Titus 1:4, 1 Tim 1:4) exalted to the status of Gospel truth for Tim? Because Tim is at heart a Judaizer. He takes his Christianity scattered, smothered, and covered with Judaism and he encourages others to do the same. Timothy Jay Schwab's message is not simply that Filipinos are members of the lost tribes but that they must also worship God in a Jewish manner. They can begin to do this by keeping the Sabbath and the Biblical feasts. Look at this comment from one of Tim's videos about the Feasts of YHWH.

https://youtu.be/IfDwuaXYnTc

Worshipping on the Sabbath and lighting a shabbat candle gets an, "Awesome!! Yah Bless," from Tim. But far more than Saturday worship is on Tim's mind. He envisions the Philippines as being of vital importance to all of humanity in learning the correct manner of worshipping God.

Obviously there is no temple in Israel today so no actual need to go there although certainly visit that's fine. But we don't need that anymore. In fact watch our Solomon's Gold series and you will find His Holy of Holies on earth has always been permanently in the Garden of Eden which we locate in the Philippines. And the one in Israel was very temporary of course. Thus everyone should really travel to  the Philippines for these feasts. How about that? Something to think about. And this is why we say that the Philippines is where they will reinstate these feasts in full especially.
If that is not fetishizing and romanticizing Filipinos and the Philippines then I don't know what is. Not only are Filipinos members of the lost tribes but the Holy of Holies is right here in the Philippines in the Garden of Eden and everyone should travel here to keep the feasts. The Philippines is not only the home of God's people, it is the home of God Himself! 

How much more ludicrous can this guy get? In an earlier post I wondered if Tim might be an actual heretic and here he is being an actual heretic, a Judaizer! Telling people to keep the feasts, which Jesus fulfilled, despite admitting to not even knowing the proper calendrical calculations. (Feasts of YHWH 1A). Telling people to return to the schoolmaster which was supposed to lead us to Christ. Telling people that they are both children of the bondwoman and the free. (Galatians 3-4) Telling people that there has been no changing of the law even though there has been a change of the priesthood. (Hebrews 7:12) He is so Judaized that he can not even bring himself to use the names Jesus, God, or Lord but resorts to using his own Hebrew configurations of Yahua and Yahusha. Listen at 7:52 of Feasts of YHWH 1A where he reads from Matthew and corrects the name of Jesus with the fake name of Yahusha. Better still go watch his Name of God video series and hear just how Judaized the man really is as he tells us all what the REAL names of God and Jesus are.

Watching Tim's Feasts of YHWH videos is quite painful. It is painfully obvious he does not understand basic Christianity or Church History. When he speaks about Easter Tim makes the outlandish and easily disprovable accusation that Constantine entered into a conspiracy with the Bishops to censor and cover up the truth of Passover. Since he rejects what was decreed at Nicea concerning Easter it is almost certain that he also rejects the faith which was promulgated at Nicea and enshrined in the Nicean Creed. Does Tim believe in the Trinity or not?

 Let's hear in their own words why the Bishops rejected the Jewish Passover:
When the question relative to the sacred festival of Easter arose, it was universally thought that it would be convenient that all should keep the feast on one day; for what could be more beautiful and more desirable, than to see this festival, through which we receive the hope of immortality, celebrated by all with one accord, and in the same manner? It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom, we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter, which we have observed from the time of the Saviour's Passion to the present day [according to the day of the week]. We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour has shown us another way; our worship follows a more legitimate and more convenient course (the order of the days of the week); and consequently, in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews, for it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast. How can they be in the right, they who, after the death of the Saviour, have no longer been led by reason but by wild violence, as their delusion may urge them? They do not possess the truth in this Easter question; for, in their blindness and repugnance to all improvements, they frequently celebrate two passovers in the same year. We could not imitate those who are openly in error. How, then, could we follow these Jews, who are most certainly blinded by error? for to celebrate the passover twice in one year is totally inadmissible.
http://www.futuresgood.com/council_of_nicea.html
The Bishops of Nicea set the date of Easter the way they did in the name of unity and to separate themselves from the Jews. Tim on the other hand wants to be a Jew. He even wants to discover lost Jews. As of this writing he has made almost two hundred videos just to prove Filipinos are members of the lost tribes of Israel.  Tim has swallowed the Talmudic fables of Farissol, Columbus, and others to the point that he proclaims the Philippines as being the Garden of Eden wherein resides the Holy of Holies! Never mind that man will NEVER RETURN to the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:23-24) Never mind that the Holy of Holies is not on earth but in heaven where Christ entered in to obtain eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9) Never mind that all Tim believes about the Philippines and Filipinos is "a farrago of nonsense that is contravened by a multitude of eyewitness accounts, inconvenient facts, and simple common sense." Never mind any of that. Filipinos are Israelites. Farissol says so. Columbus says so. Magellan says so. Timothy Jay Schwab says so. End. Of. Story.

It should come as no surprise that Tim would utilize one of Kyle Jennerman's videos in his own video series. After all these two are practically cut from the same cloth. Here is Kyle "Kulas" Jennerman starring in Clue #14.

https://youtu.be/2wOr9SHludQ

If you look closely you can see in TINY FONT at the bottom of the title cards for each of the God Culture's videos a copyright notice telling the viewer:
Re-uploading this video to Youtube in part to whole is prohibited.
Did Tim receive Kyle Jennerman's permission to use his video about Romblon? Or is Tim doing to Kyle exactly what he prohibits others from doing to him? He did place a notice in the bottom corner  of this video while Kyle was on screen saying:
Editorial use only 
As if that excuses him from cribbing Kyle's entire video minus 30 seconds.  The original can be viewed here.

See also how Tim places Kyle's information in TINY FONT in the bottom right corner which blends into the background sometimes and is partially obscured by the God Culture logo? That is all the mention Kyle gets. Not once does Tim bother to thank Kyle or mention him either in the video or in the description or any of the links he posted in the comment section. How rude is that? To use this man's video to further his agenda and barely acknowledge him!

To make matters worse this video is monetized!



That means Tim and the God Culture are making money, however little, off Kyle's video! And they can't even give him a proper shout-out!? Incredible!

Kyle is very different from Tim because Kyle actually wants to become a Filipino. Now that may be a little hyperbolic but not really. I don't think it's a schtick either.  My take is that Kyle hates himself. He has grown up in Canada being bombarded by all the propaganda telling him that the White Man is the bane of all existence, the root of all evil and he has taken that to heart.  He is alienated from himself and his culture which the media has constantly told him is the worst thing on Earth. You see Kyle, just like Tim, has also believed in Jewish fables. During his travels he ends up in the Philippines and he falls in love with Filipinos and Filipino culture which he sees as more innocent, more pure, and thus morally superior to his own people and culture. Filipinos love "Kulas" and he loves them.  He loves them so much that he wants to be one of them even going so far as to excuse their glaring faults, like a penchant for violence, as stereotypes.

Remember that time in May 2017 when Kyle whined on Facebook about how his parents could not visit him in Mindanao because the Canadian government issued a notice to avoid all travel to that island?

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2017/05/canadian-blogger-dismisses-terrorism-in.html
I believe that the first step is changing perception here in the Philippines... because from personal experience that word has a lot of negative stereotyping and generalizing attached to it here locally and spread by local people. If we can all start spreading positive education about this part of the Philippines, I believe it can help fight back at these incredibly difficult advisories
And then do you remember how after writing all that the Marawi siege happened and Mindanao was placed under martial law only two weeks later? Some stereotype, huh! Just goes to show how boneheaded Kyle is and that despite having lived here for so long he knew nothing about the people of Mindanao. Has he learned anything in the past 3 years? Probably not.

Tim has also moved to the Philippines. No more Mr. Florida. Now he is Mr. Somehwere North of Manila. Even though both Tim and Kyle live in this nation they really don't live here.  They live in a Philippines of their own making populated by Filipinos created in their own image. For Tim they are God's chosen people, Israelites, who are asleep to their true origin and ultimate destiny and need to be awakened so they can Rise Up. For Kyle they are noble savages untainted by the stain of modern civilization, always smiling and full of love for strangers. Of course there is much to be said for the theory that we each live in a Philippines, nay a world, of our own perceptions.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Insurgency: We'll See What Happens

As was widely expected Duterte finally sent a notice of termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement. Despite his testimony before the Senate that terminating the VFA would "negatively impact the Philippines’ defense and security arrangements as well as the overall bilateral relations of the Philippines with the US",  DFA Secretary Tocsin signed the notice and handed it to his counterpart at the U.S. embassy without a word of protest.
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/185183/fwd-dfa-chief-signs-vfa-termination-notice-to-be-sent-to-us-embassy-immediately
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has signed the termination notice for the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States. 
Locsin said the embassy’s deputy chief of mission already received the notice of termination, which will take effect after 180 days. 
“As a diplomatic courtesy, there will be no further factual announcements following this self-explanatory development,” the foreign affairs chief said. 
This comes less than a week after Locsin told a Senate hearing that abrogating the said military accord would “negatively impact” the overall relations of the Philippines and the US.
The reactions across the board have been as expected. Duterte's allies such as Bong Go and Bato as well has his men in the cabinet have all deferred to him saying that it is the prerogative of the president to be "the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy." Senate president Sotto says they will be filing a petition in the Supreme Court contesting Duterte's unilateral decision to terminate the VFA.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1228144/senate-to-file-vfa-petition-at-sc-next-week
Senate leaders are planning to question before the Supreme Court next week the country’s abrogation of the Visiting Forces  Agreement   (VFA) with the United States without the concurrence of the upper chamber. 
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto  III said they would probably file a petition for mandamus and another petition for certiorari. 
“The forthcoming (petitions), if ever, will depend on who else will join. At the moment, I, Frank, Dick, and Ping are interested,” Sotto said in a text message on Thursday, referring to Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon,  Senators Richard Gordon and Panfilo Lacson. 
Sotto first revealed this plan in an interview on DZMM, citing studies, which he said showed that the withdrawal of any treaty or agreement should have the concurrence of the Senate in accordance with its own rules and as provided for in the Constitution. 
(Apparently, it appears to us now  after the studies that I will probably review  later that we will file a new petition  concerning  VFA  to find  out the Supreme Court’s  reading on this abrogation) 
(If this needs the concurrence of the Senate or not,  once and for all. But our position  based on our study of our rules,  it appears  that this needs our concurrence) 
(As far as we’re concerned based on the Constitution, it says  that  this should go through the Senate)
This case will be very reminiscent of the petitions that were filed to contest the extension of martial law in 2018. If you remember the petitioners claimed that the constitution allowed the president to extend martial law only once and that for 6 months. What the Supreme Court ruled is that it is the president's prerogative to extend marital law for as long as he deems necessary and as long as the Congress concurs. Indefinite martial law via extension.

This case will set much the same precedent as it has not been determined yet if the president is allowed to unilaterally terminate agreements. In 2018 petitions contesting the withdrawal from the ICC were submitted before the Supreme Court for this very reason.
The petitioners asked the SC to declare the executive branch’s withdrawal as “invalid or ineffective” due to lack of concurrence from at least two-thirds of the members of the Senate.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/03/12/1900855/icc-exit-take-effect-sans-supreme-court-ruling-petitions
 Whichever way the court rules it will once again be setting precedent. Hopefully they will rule soon and before the 180 days when the VFA termination will go into effect.

Reaction from the AFP has also been as expected.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/725729/afp-chief-santos-admits-vfa-termination-will-affect-military-capability/story/ 
“Since we have sent the notice, those ongoing activities will push through unless discontinued. Others will not be implemented anymore,” Santos said upon  questioning of Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. 
“On the training, we are not the only one gaining but the US troops also,” he added. 
The AFP chief also said the VFA termination will also affect their rescue capability. 
“It will affect our rescue operations definitely. But we have already presented to the Defense secretary our way forward on how to fill the gap,” he said when asked by Senator Francis Tolentino. 
Santos said that to fill the gap, they are planning to expand bilateral relations with other countries such as South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and other allies.
“Part of filling the gap is we will increase our bilateral exercises agreement with other countries not only USA. As of now, the only SOVFA (Status of Visiting Forces Agreement) we have is Australia.  With the help of Congress, we will push for the approval of the SOFVA of other countries like South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and other allied countries,” he said.
Maybe AFP Chief Santos didn't hear but the Palace has said "no" to any other military agreements with foreign nations.
"As far as the President is concerned we will not rely anymore on any foreign country for our defenses. We will have to strengthen our own resources," Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told ANC's Early Edition. 
"The President feels that it is about time that we stand on our own. We have to strengthen our own defenses against enemies of the state and this is the time for it. We should’ve abolished this agreement a long time ago." 
There is "no reason," however, to scrap the country's existing VFA with Australia, he added.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/13/20/ph-wont-seek-military-pacts-with-other-nations-palace
While Duterte may think the VFA should have been abolished long ago some senior officers disagree entirely.

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/inside-track/251569-senior-officers-say-military-members-disagree-vfa-termination
“We don’t like the termination, of course,” one senior military officer told Rappler when asked about the sentiment within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). 
“It’s disadvantageous to us,” another officer – a general – told defense reporters in a message. 
Without the VFA, the Philippine and US militaries would “lose the capacity to exercise meaningfully” because US troops would then be subjected to regular immigration processes such as securing visas if they were to stay in the Philippines for more than 21 days, the general said. 
Scrapping the VFA would also entail the pullout of US troops stationed in parts of Mindanao, where they assist the AFP in intelligence gathering and surveillance in counterterrorism. 
“They would have to be pulled out because without the VFA, their stay wouldn’t be covered,” the general said. 
It would also put to waste effective protocols learned over the years, the general added, such as those from the 2017 battle for the city of Marawi, which was retaken from the Maute terrorist group after a 5-month siege. Intelligence sharing and tactical consultations with US forces helped the AFP eliminate the terrorist leaders and regain control of the city. 
There would be disadvantages to the US, too. Losing military presence in the Philippines would leave a “central hole” in the US’ strategic cover in the Asia Pacific, because the Philippine archipelago straddles the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
One observer says the termination of the VFA will have a "shattering impact" on the security of Southeast Asia.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/02/16/1993500/vfa-termination-poses-shattering-impact-sea-security-expert
“ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members publicly and privately count on a US military presence to counter-balance China. The termination of VFA would lead to a marked reduction in US military presence, especially in the South China-West Philippine Sea,” Prof. Carlyle Thayer, defense force lecturer at Australia University of New South Wales, told reporters on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow recently. 
He also said the scrapping of the defense arrangement would have a knock-on effect on the professionalism of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and on its interoperability with American forces. 
The VFA allowed the deployment of US forces in the Philippines on rotation basis. In return, Filipino military officers were sent to the US for professional military education and training. 
“Any rupture in Philippines-US relations would also undermine ASEAN unity and ASEAN’s centrality in the region’s security architecture,” Thayer said.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called scrapping the VFA a move in the wrong direction.
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/185263/us-wrong-move-to-end-vfa-amid-china-buildup
“I do think it would be a move in the wrong direction as we both, bilaterally with the Philippines and collectively with a number of other partners and allies in the region, are trying to say to the Chinese: ‘You must obey the international rules of order. You must obey, you know. Abide by international norms,’” Esper said. 
He added: “I think it’s a move in the wrong direction for the long-standing relationship we’ve had with the Philippines, for their strategic location, the ties between our peoples, our countries.”
One the other hand President Trump, ever the businessman, had a very practical take on Duterte's decision to terminate the VFA.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/185294/ending-vfa-ok-with-trump-it-will-save-a-lot-of-money
“I don’t really mind if they would like to do that, it will save a lot of money,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “My views are different from others.” 
He said he had “a very good” relationship with Mr. Duterte. “We’ll see what happens.”
"We'll see what happens." Indeed. 180 days will be mid-July which is time enough for anything to happen. But given Duterte's determination to not save the VFA it will likely be the Supreme Court who will stop it's termination if they rule in favour of the Senate.

If the VFA is not salvaged before the clock runs out it could be that the most recent quarterly report of Operation Pacific Eagle is the penultimate one.
This quarter, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-East Asia (ISIS-EA) did not appear to demonstrate any changes in its strength, tactics, capabilities, or leadership structure in the Philippines,according to information provided by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). ISIS-EA remained confined to areas in the southern Philippines where it has historically operated and retains popular support. 

U.S. military support to the AFP this quarter consisted primarily of advise and assist operations and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support. USINDOPACOM stated that this support led to the neutralization of two “significant [ISIS-EA] targets” this quarter. U.S. military contractors also provided casualty evacuation support to Philippine troops wounded fighting ISIS-EA in the remote, mountainous regions of the Sulu archipelago. 
USINDOPACOM reported to the DoD OIG its assessment that the recent increase in suicide bombings does not represent a major trend in the Philippines, and foreign ghters are not a signi cant presence. A senior Department of State (DoS) official stated publicly this quarter that while Southeast Asia is not currently a major destination for ISIS affiliates, there is a risk it could become one without sustained efforts from the United States and regional partners.


According to a DoS cable, the Philippine government’s extended delays in providing for the reconstruction of Marawi city has allowed violent extremist organizations (VEO) to regain a foothold in the area. Corruption scandals have also plagued the reconstruction efforts, according to the cable, which contributes to public perceptions that politically connected government contractors were benefitting at the expense of Marawi’s displaced residents andadds fuel to existing anti-government sentiments in the region.
That is all from the introduction of this report. The US lists the type of help they provided to the AFP. They also warn that without "sustained efforts from the United States and regional partners" the Philippines "risks becoming a major deistic for ISIS affiliates."

Will the Philippines become a major center of terrorism when the VFA expires? Will the VFA be salvaged before the time is up?  As Donald Trump said, "We'll see what happens."

Monday, February 17, 2020

Locked Doors

Lack of trust. That is at the core behind almost every situation one might find strange in the Philippines. From barbed wire fences around every house to dark tint on all the car windows it is lack of trust and a fear of robbery or murder which motivates the actions of Filipinos.  It is why there are security guards with shotguns at grocery stores and malls.  It is also why the there is only one way in and out to said grocery stores and malls.

Take this picture from SM as a prime example.


Here to serve? No comment!  But take a look at the doors.  There are four doors and only one is open. Two of them are blocked by tables because management decided to set up an eating area in the front of the store. If you zoom in you can see that these doors are not just locked, they are padlocked.  Or rope locked. 


Can you say fire hazard? It is bad enough that the doors are inaccessible but in an emergency when everyone is panicking and time is of the essence these rope locked doors will turn out to be a very bad idea.

And it's all because there is no trust in the Philippines. Look at this entrance to Ayala Mall.


Everyone enters through one door and then they divide by sex to be searched by either a male or female guard. All the while a drug sniffing dog looks on. Why is there a drug sniffing dog at the mall?  This is not the first drug dog I have seen at the mall. Is the mall territory for drug dealers now?  Upstairs in this same mall is a fire door which has been taped shut.


Why is an emergency exit door taped shut? Don't ask me! How about another mall? This time Robinsons. Just like every other business this mall has one way in and one way out!



How has Robinsons Mall passed the fire inspectors examination when they lock their doors? If there was an emergency it would turn into a disaster because everyone would have to squeeze through one door.  The only reason the reason there is one entrance and exit on this side of the mall is because lack of trust. Gotta have a security guard at each door watching who goes in and out.

Check out the two entrances to this brand new hospital.



One of them is wide open with no gate and a security hut to watch over all comers. The second is barred shut with metal garbage. They couldn't even bother to install a proper gate. No doubt they boarded up this entrance because there is no security guard booth. So why not build one? Why must every entrance have an armed guard in the first place?  Because in the Philippines you can't trust anyone.