Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Coronavirus Lockdown: Power Ranger PPE's, A Mobile Cirumcision Operating Room, and More!

More wild and crazy news from the Philippine lockdown.

One fashion designer with plenty of spare time on her hands designed PPE for nurses inspired by the Philippine flag.


https://www.facebook.com/guela.ampong/posts/1763470030461961
The customized hazmat design I decided to create symbolizes us, Filipinos!  
* Blue- for Peace, harmony, and unity. As we are now on each other’s back, helping one another to survive. 
* Red- for WAR! War against these unseen enemy - COVID19, Many of us, have succumbed to death, due to this fight. 
* Yellow- for Resiliency, and hope. Hoping for these crisis to end (God Willing!) 
* White- for Purity. As each Filipino has the pure heart to offer there service and compassion towards their fellowmen and country, the Philippines
Blue, red, yellow, white...it never occurred to me until right this instant as I am typing this that the Philippine flag is only a few colors shy of the Power Rangers scheme. Thankfully for Power Rangers fans who are also nurses the gap has been filled.

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/20/Designer-PPEs-Teletubbies-Power-Rangers-COVID-19.html


An Iloilo-based nurse and designer says his improvised hazmat suits out of characters from '90s shows aim to help his fellow frontliners live out their childhood and spread positivity to others amid the coronavirus pandemic. 
Adrian Pe, a nurse from The Medical City Iloilo, used his passion to come up with improvised personal protective equipment (PPE) inspired by cartoon characters of Teletubbies and Power Rangers. 
Using fabric in red, green, yellow, purple, and other colors, Pe's fellow frontliners get to "live out their childhood" by channeling their favorite characters. 
"I chose the Teletubbies because it gives frontliners not only the protection but the positive vibe, and Power Rangers to inspire workers to live out their childhood superheroes," Pe said.
With nurses around the world being hailed as heroes why not give them a chance to dress up as their favorite superhero Power Ranger? While the Power Rangers PPE suits have belts the Teletubbies suits are missing their unique identifying antennae shapes.

Anyone wishing to buy Iloilo-based nurse Adrian Pe a beer for designing those PPE's will be sorely disappointed. Although on April 21st Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas rescinded the city's liquor ban. However the next day he reinstated it!


https://www.facebook.com/JerryTrenasOfficial/posts/2939069782845439
In view of the various incidents due to intoxicated persons, in view of the many other important activities undertaken by our security personnel and upon the advice coming from various sectors, I am reimposing the ban on the selling of alcoholic drinks effective immediately until further notice. 
The PNP and PSTMO are hereby authorized to immediately make sure that this ban is effectively complied with. 
This is for immediate compliance as soon as the executive order is issued.
The nationwide liquor ban is driving some people to desperation ending in death.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/733806/2-dead-1-critical-after-mixing-thinner-into-homemade-alcohol-drink/story/
Two men died while another is in critical condition after drinking a homemade alcohol mix that included thinner in Tondo, Manila. 
According to a 24 Oras report by Chino Gaston on Monday, Baseco residents Rene, Boboy, and Dandy made their own alcohol at home using coffee, vinegar, and soft drinks as a liquor ban prevailed in Manila City amid the Luzon-wide quarantine. 
They had been drinking the mixture for several days until one of them brought a paint thinner on Sunday and suggested adding it into the drink.
Coffee, vinegar, and soda? That won't get you drunk but it will probably make you puke just like too many beers.

If the government does not like what you are posting about the coronavirus lockdown in the Philippines then watch out!  You could be arrested.

Before the arrest, the mayor threatened Beltran in his official Facebook Page (@EdgarCLabella): “FAKE NEWS ni and this is a criminal act. Hulat lang Ms Beltran hapit na ka madapan sa PNP Cybercrime Unit. Magtingkagol gyud ka sa prisohan. (This is FAKE NEWS and this is a criminal act. Just wait Ms Beltran the PNP Cybercrime Unit is now about to arrest you. You will surely rot in prison.” 
Time-stamped at 2:14 PM on April 18, 2020, Saturday, it referred to an April 17 post of Beltran, wherein she said, “9,000+ new cases (All from Zapatera) of COVID-19 in Cebu City in one day. We are now the epicenter in the whole Solar System.” 
Known for her satirical posts, “#DearDigong… Sincerely, Maria,” Beltran’s post satirized reports from the City Health Officer which claims that the whole Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz, Cebu City was considered to be infected and thus massive swab testing was to be stopped. 
Sitio Zapatera has a population of around 9,000. 
A statement issued by her counsel before her arrest and posted in Beltran’s Facebook account reiterated that Beltran’s post is satirical, “designed to show wit instead of spreading chaos, anarchy, fear, or confusion,” as such does not fall on the category of the crime she is accused of, which is defined as “clearly geared to promote chaos, anarchy, fear, or confusion.” 
Atty. Josalee Deinla, spokesperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, said that the post of Beltran is not fake news or false information. 
“It merely restates the city health office’s official declaration that Sitio Zapatera is ‘presumed contaminated,’” she clarified.
The DOH declared a neighborhood with 9,000 residents as being infected as a precautionary measure. Maria seizes on this to make a joke that there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases by 9,000 making the Philippines the epicenter of the virus. The Mayor cries fake news and Maria was arrested at 12:30 am! Why so early? Was she that much of a threat that she had to be taken in just after midnight?   
US President Donald Trump gave Duterte a late night call to talk about the coronavirus.

“The call came in at 10:10 in the evening. It was initiated by the US government. It lasted for about 18 minutes. It was cordial and it was about bilateral collaboration on Covid-19 but beyond that I have no authority to divulge any further details,” he said.
Actually 10 in the evening Manila time is 10 in the morning Washington DC time. Surprisingly Trump did not tweet about his early morning call to Duterte but he did send more aid to the Philippines.
The United States has approved an additional P269 million (or $5.3 million) in health and humanitarian assistance for the Philippines' fight against COVID-19, after the chief executives of both countries engaged in a phone meeting to discuss coronavirus response. 
The funding will also aid Filipino and international technical experts in risk communication, infection prevention and control efforts, hand washing and hygiene promotion, and community-level preparedness response, it added. 
During their phone conversation, Trump expressed solidarity and offered additional assistance, as the Philippines continues to address the health and economic damages brought by the deadly virus. He also shared his condolences over the death of 11 Filipino soldiers recently killed in a clash with the Abu Sayyaf Group. 
Trump and Duterte also talked about how they can strengthen their countries' economic, cultural, and security ties. 
The two leaders agreed to continue working together as long-time allies to "defeat the [coronavirus] pandemic, save lives, and restore global economic strength." 
The U.S. previously donated ₱203 million (or $4 million) and 1,300 cots for the country's medical frontliners and COVID-19 patients. 
Over the past 20 years, it has already invested more than $4.5 billion to the Philippines, including $582 million for the local public health system.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/22/US-donates-to-PH-after-Duterte-Trump-phone-call.html
The US has invested $582 million over the past 20 years into the Philippines public health system? What did all that money get used for?

Duterte has offered a P50 million reward to any Filipino who can find a vaccine for COVID-19.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/735406/duterte-ups-reward-for-covid-19-vaccine-discovery-to-p50m-offers-research-funding/story/
One broke young Pinoy posted a funny picture of himself "working on the cure" which went viral.

https://www.facebook.com/janssen.h.yap/posts/10220109532801539
Going viral. How has there not been a petition from the easily offended snowflakes to change that phrase?


SAF armored vehicles have been called out to enforce social distancing at the public market!

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/734866/saf-members-deployed-at-blumentritt-market-to-help-maintain-social-distancing/story/

How does that work exactly?

The coronavirus lockdown is bring out the best in people. Many are learning new skills.  Things they have never tired before.  Like cooking for themselves!!
Aside from forcing people to stay indoors since mid-March, the pandemic has also forced me to really fend for myself. 
Though I’ve lived on my own for over a decade now, I saw no need to learn how to cook. Just around the corner from my old apartment near Timog Avenue, Quezon City, was a carinderia selling delicious home-cooked meals like pinangat na bangus and pork binagoongan. I’d order a viand, some rice, and eat at home. 
If I had a craving for something more substantial, I could always walk the two blocks to Tomas Morato Avenue, the original restaurant row. 
Before I moved into my own condo four years ago, I told my interior designer that I saw no need to have a kitchen installed. Why waste space that could otherwise be devoted to storage? Breakfast was often either oatmeal, or fruit and coffee. I had a rice cooker and a microwave oven, and I thought that would be enough. 
Just imagine being a grown adult and not knowing how to cook.  How are people so helpless?

The coronavirus pandemic has put a strain on hospitals but never fear if your son needs to be circumcised. Does anyone need to be circumcised?

Not even an outbreak could stop the traditional “circumcision season” in a town in Cavite province. 
But this time, health workers in Carmona have gone to the communities not only to perform the procedure on young boys but also to check them and their immediate family members for symptoms of the coronavirus. 
Homer Aguinaldo, the municipal health officer, said up to 40 doctors and 40 nurses had been recruited for the program called “Manhood on Wheels.” 
Under normal circumstances, the local government would offer the free surgery to hundreds of preteen boys, either at the community hospital or the municipal auditorium. 
“We actually thought of canceling it this year,” Aguinaldo said. “But we realized that we don’t know how it will be next year. We could still be in the same situation—the ‘new normal,’ they say—so we might as well go ahead with it.” 
“Besides, we don’t want our [health] programs hampered [by the pandemic] as much as possible,” he added.
Since the Luzon lockdown has made mass circumcisions impossible, the medical team has decided to go village to village, rolling out a “health bus” or a mobile operating room where a fully reclined dental chair serves as an operating table. 
Manhood on Wheels has so far circumcised about 200 boys in Carmona over the past two weeks out of this year’s target of 600. 
Parents can schedule an appointment by calling the local health office or registering online. 
For this year’s service, the health workers are taking extra measures in view of the coronavirus contagion. In effect, the program is doubling as the local government’s way of closely monitoring the residents’ overall health condition amid the pandemic. 
The program again comes with an educational campaign advising young boys and their parents against the unhygienic, so-called “pukpok” method performed by nonmedical professionals who use a razor or any sharp blade to remove the foreskin. 
Since a newly circumsized boy usually takes seven to 10 days to heal, Aguinaldo said, “it gives (these youngsters) another reason to stay home” while the lockdown remains in effect.
I don't know whats worse.  Having a mohel circumcise your baby pee-pee and suck the blood giving you herpes and killing you or having some dude with no medical training circumcise you with a piece of wood while you chew on a leaf to alleviate the pain. 

As a tribute to her fellow COVID-19 frontliners as well as to the victims of the disease, a nurse in Negros Occidental created a beautiful painting using nothing but syringes. 
According to Kimberly Joy Mallo Magbanua, she used about 15 syringes "and a lot of brand new needles with different gauges" to finish her painting in just two days. She calls it "Inang Bayan."  
The painting is the second of a series on COVID-19. She says she's reworking the first, which features surgeons operating on the Philippine flag. When asked how many paintings she plans to paint for her series, Kimberly said it depends on the country's situation.
That is really interesting. She made a painting without a single brush stroke. It's very colorful and looks dynamic and alive. What a cool technique.

If you want to hand out relief goods to those locked in during the quarantine be sure you have permission from the government.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/04/26/2009941/unauthorized-relief-volunteers-face-fines-arrest
Both the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police stressed Sunday that penalties could be imposed on relief volunteers found without the necessary certification from the local government units they intend to help. 
According to DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, department spokesperson, relief volunteers will be subjected to the same rules and treatment as Unauthorized Persons Outside of Residence (UPOR) and charged with Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code, which prohibits resistance and disobedience to a person in authority or the agents of such person.  
Malaya said that the DILG does not foresee any disputes between LGUs and volunteer groups arising from the new requirement.  
"It's a measure to ensure that only authorized people are outside of residence. The PNP has reported to us that so many people are claiming in checkpoints that they're doing relief but the truth is they just want to go out and about. Our police sought guidance from [Interior] Secretary Eduardo Año and he gave that directive," Malaya said. 
"If we don't put order to this situation we are undoing all our hard work for the past month. We need to be stricter in implementing the ECQ...because our very lives are at stake." 
In a statement issued later Sunday, fishers federation Pamalakaya slammed the new requirement, calling it a violation of the people's right to food.  
Former lawmaker and Pamalakaya chairperson Fernando Hicap also said that such a requirement would be vulnerable to politicking in a time when target beneficiaries grow critical of local officials.  
"There are so many people asking for help even on social media because they were not given aid from the government's social amelioration program, and now, they'll restrict what should be the help that citizens give freely to those in need," Hicap said in a mix of English and Filipino.  
The fishers leader also pointed out that such an order violated the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which the Philippines is a signatory of. 
"Never can you subject to complicated bureaucratic processes the people's right to food, especially when it is the intention of many to help. The people are showing each other "bayanihan", yet the government keeps obstructing this," he said.
People want to help out and make sure everyone has food but the government wants to stop the virus from spreading. It's a tricky situation.

One town has found a novel way to distribute food to the people. Give live hogs to every purok and let the neighborhood leaders slaughter and distribute the meat!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1101071
The city government here distributed over the weekend at least 1,000 live hogs to augment the food supplies of residents affected by the ongoing enhanced community quarantine. 
“We directly turned over the animals to our purok leaders and we tasked them to facilitate the slaughter and distribution of the meat to households within their areas,” he told reporters.
The mayor said the hogs, which weighed around 200 kilos each, were purchased by the city government from local swine producers that were affected by the border closures in neighboring regions due to the heightened quarantine. 
Aside from the live hogs, Rivera said they distributed starting last Friday assorted fish and live chickens to the non-pork eaters. 
He said they opted for the perishable products due to the dwindling supplies in the markets of canned goods, which were included in the previous relief packs.
Fresh meat for the people straight from the government. Fresh animals anyway. The government was also kind enough to distribute chickens and fish to those who do not eat pork.


Two towns in Samar are having people trade plastic trash for food.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1101088
In Arteche, a third-class town in Eastern Samar, the local government unit has been implementing 3Ts or tirok (collect), timbang (weigh), tabang (help).

Residents are encouraged to collect and clean single-use plastics such as junk food packs, plastic bags, and empty sachets and keep it in a clean bag or sack.

Residents must clean the single-use plastic before they have it weighed by the designated collector -- a rolling store that roams around the town every Thursday.
 
The number of food packs depends on the volume of plastic waste collected. Each kilogram of clean and dry single-use plastic is worth PHP10.

In the second-class town of Paranas, Samar, Mayor Eunice Babalcon has been urging residents to collect plastic and turn them into eco-bricks.

An eco-brick is a Pet bottle packed solid with clean and dry used plastic made to a set density to create reusable building blocks and can be used to make modular units, furniture, and earthen gardens and structures.

The local government exchanges the eco-bricks with food packs.

Babalcon said it is part of their health crisis intervention and at the same time an effort of the town to continue its campaign to curb malnutrition.

A kilogram of eco-bricks is equivalent to the same weight of rice and assorted vegetables.
That's one way to promote recycling.

Cops are dancing. Firefighters are dancing.  Everyone is dancing!


Police officers, firefighters and members of the public safety department in Calapan City dance to Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" in a moving tribute to frontliners.
Why aren't YOU dancing!??

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Insurgency: Martial Law

Duterte has warned that he will declare martial law if NPA attacks continue.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/04/24/2009510/duterte-warns-martial-law-declaration-if-npa-attacks-continue
President Rodrigo Duterte warned of declaring martial law if “lawlessness” of, and disruption of aid delivery by members of the New People’s Army continue in this time of COVID-19 crisis.
In a public address aired Friday morning, Duterte said he is notifying the military and the police that he “might declare martial law,” citing a recent attack of the communist rebels against soldiers escorting aid distribution. 
“Because in COVID [crisis], many are hungry, many could not eat...so the government will come in to help them. But these motherf*cker communists gunned them,” he added in Filipino. 
While Duterte did not identify the area where the attack happened, Army officials said Tuesday night that two soldiers died in NPA attack in Aurora province. 
Duterte said he is ordered the military to "kill" the NPA and he would "try to finish all of you" in his remaining two years of presidency. 
“I might declare martial law and there will no turning back,” he added. 
Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino: “If you continue lawlessness, killing here and there, and it’s happening all over the Philippines, maybe I will declare martial law because you NPAs are number one, you take away help from people, supplies and their food.” 
The president also warned “legal fronts” of the communist rebels that they should “hide.”
DILG Secretary and former AFP Chief Año agrees that martial law is a viable option against communist attacks.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/04/27/martial-law-a-viable-option-against-communist-attacks-ano/
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday agreed that the declaration of martial law may be a viable option in the wake of recent violent incidents where New People’s Army (NPA) rebels attacked local officials and their personnel who were on relief distribution mission in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. 
Año, in an interview with GMA 7, said leftist groups have taken advantage of the health crisis as attacks on government men and their escorts who were distributing social amelioration aid to residents affected by the health crisis were reported. 
He said this is the reason why President Duterte is considering the possibility of declaring martial due to the persistent violent offensives of the rebel group on barangay officials and military personnel. 
Año said that when the need to declare martial law arises, he will fully support the President’s 
The President of the Senate, Tito Sotto, says the president has an obligation to declare marital law if the rebellion continues.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1264056/sotto-duterte-obligated-to-declare-ml-if-npa-attacks-continue-amid-covid-19
“If NPA (New People’s Army) attacks persist and therefore rebellion continues in the midst of the pandemic, the President is obligated to declare ML (martial law),” Sotto told reporters in a Viber message on Friday.
NPA attacks have persisted and the rebellion has continued for 50 years now. Seems like a rather silly statement from Sotto. What's not silly is that the NPA still continues to clash with the AFP despite declaring a ceasefire which remains in effect until May 1.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2020/04/23/2009117/5-soldiers-slain-wounded-aurora-ambush
Two soldiers were killed in an ambush by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Aurora on Tuesday. 
Pfcs. Ken Lester Sasapan and Jackson Mallari of the 91st Infantry Battalion (IB) were assisting in the distribution of cash assistance under the social amelioration program (SAP) to residents affected by the enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Barangay Diaat in Maria Aurora town when they were waylaid. 
Army spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala said three soldiers were also wounded in the ambush that triggered a gunfight that lasted for almost an hour. 
“We mourn the death of Pfc. Sasapan and Pfc. Mallari whose demise were caused by the treachery of NPAs capitalizing on the assistance provided by soldiers to communities in line with the distribution of the SAP,” Army chief, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said yesterday.
On April 19th the AFP was attacked by the NPA as they were distributing goods in Himamaylan City.


https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/734697/3-soldiers-killed-in-clash-with-npa-gunmen-in-negros-occidental/story/
Three Army soldiers, including a junior officer, were killed and four others were injured in an ambush staged by communist New People's Army gunmen in Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental Sunday morning. 
Maj. Franco Ver Lopez, spokesman of the Army's 303rd Brigade, said the rebels first detonated an improvised bomb and lobbed grenades on the soldiers before exchanging gunfire. 
Lopez said the firefight occurred at around 10 a.m. in Barangay Carabalan where troops from the Army's 94th Infantry Battalion were on security patrol in connection with the distribution of financial assistance under the government's Social Amelioration Program. 
"They (the Army unit) received a series of reports regarding the presence of armed group who were conducting extortion activities in the communities forcing the people to give money and rice," said Lopez.
Less than a week later on April 24th in the same province but in the north in Victorias City the NPA attacked again.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/04/25/2-soldiers-wounded-in-clash-with-npa-in-negros-occidental/
Two soldiers were wounded in an encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Sitio Sicaba, Barangay Gawahon, Victorias City, Negros Occidental on Friday. 
Acoording to a report from the 303rd IBde, troops of the 79th IB and personnel of the Sixth Special Action Force Battalion of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were conducting information dissemination among the residents in the area in connection with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic when they responded to the complaints of the people regarding the presence and alleged extortion activities of armed rebels. 
While they were conducting community security patrol, the armed rebels allegedly fired at the law enforcers, which resulted in a 30-minute firefight. 
Military troopers and policemen recovered from the encounter site some war materials, including two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with blasting caps, a bandolier with five magazines for AK47, and another bandolier with two M16 magazines with ammunition, as well as two handheld radios with accessories, two cellular phones, a binocular, compass, four jungle packs, medicines, subversive documents, and other personal belongings. 
Col. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) commander, in a press statement, lambasted the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA for its deliberate efforts to sabotage activities especially in disseminating health information to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the communities.
On Tuesday April 21st the AFP and NPA clashed in Zamboanga Sur.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100643
Government troops recovered an improvised explosive device (IED), high-powered firearms, and other war materiel following a clash against a group of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Zamboanga del Sur, officials said Wednesday. 
Lt. Col. Manaros Boransing, the Army’s 97th Infantry Battalion commander, said the firefight broke out on Tuesday while the troops were responding to the reported presence of NPA rebels in Barangay Balukbahan, Bayog town. 
“The locals are already complaining of the exploitation and abuse of the NPA, coercing them to provide money and food to feed the armed group while we’re on coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis,” Boransing said. 
He said the troops recovered an M16A1 assault rifle, an IED fashioned as a landmine, and other war materiel abandoned by the NPA rebels.
Three days later on Friday the 24th they clashed again in the same area.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100865
A soldier was killed after government troops clashed anew against the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Zamboanga del Sur, military officials said Friday. 
Lt. Col. Manaros Boransing II, Army’s 97th Infantry Battalion commander, disclosed the firefight broke out around 7:40 a.m. Friday in Barangay Balukbahan, Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur. 
Boransing withheld the identity of the slain soldier, who “was badly wounded during the encounter and expired around 10 a.m. during the emergency air evacuation by our Air Force and our military doctors”. 
A pursuit operation has been launched, he said, "to neutralize the NPA rebels" who fled to different directions as the troops out-maneuvered them during the encounter.
If the AFP outmaneuvered the NPA rebels then how were they able to get away? 

Back to back skirmishes between the AFP and NPA occurred on April 19th and 20th in Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Norte.

An alleged leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed while a minor was rescued when skirmishes erupted between soldiers of the 29th Infantry Battalion and communist guerrillas in Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Norte on April 19 and 20. 
Also, three NPAs were captured. 
Lt Col. Ezra Balagtey, the spokesperson of Eastern Mindanao Command, said the slain rebel was Kevin Caballero alias Banjo, a known vice leader of the NPA. He also said that three other rebels were captured. 
On Monday morning, elements of the 29th IB clashed with a group of NPA in Barangay Bangayan, Kitcharao, Agusan Del Norte during a hot pursuit operation. They recovered an M4 rifle with an attached M203 grenade launcher, subversive documents, and one landmine switch kit. 
The pursuit came after elements of the same unit encountered more or less 20 NPAs at 5:30 a.m. of the same day in Barangay Bangayan, which resulted in the discovery of an NPA hideout, the capture of three suspected NPA members, and the rescue of a nine-year-old boy. 
Another 15-minute skirmish followed at about 3 p.m. as the troops conducted a clearing operation, which led to the seizure of one AK-47 rifle.
While only one child solider was rescued in these clashes 5 were rescued after a confrontation in Iloilo.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100397
Five "child warriors" of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) were among the 11 captured individuals in an encounter between the Philippine Army and the rebels in Miagao, lloilo on Saturday, an Army commander has confirmed. 
The Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) under the 301st Infantry Brigade (301st IBde) said government troops have responded to persistent reports of locals that the CPP-NPA is conducting training of minor recruits at Sitio Anoy, Cabalaunan village, Miagao. 
The blocking force of the Army has captured 11 rebels while one was killed in the 35-minute gun battle. 
“For the captured, we have five minors. One of them is 14 years old; two are 15 years old; one is 16 years old, and the other one is 17 years old,” Col. Marion Sison, commander of the 301st IBde, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a phone interview on Monday. 
Sison confirmed that the five can be considered as "child warriors" as some of them are “newly recruited and some are armed already,” he said.
At one clash site the AFP noticed children looking on observing the fighting.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1101027
An Army official of the 103rd Infantry Brigade (103rd IBde) on Sunday called on the New People's Army (NPA) to allow children in their group to return to their respective families after two armed encounters that occurred on Saturday in Barangay Buntalis, Lumba-Bayabao town in Lanao del Sur. 
Col. Jose Maria Cuerpo, the brigade commander, said during the clashes, government troops noticed that there were children looking on who they believed were not residents but likely relatives of the NPA fighters since the encounter site had no villages nearby. 
"I'm calling (for these NPA fighters) to give these children to the nearby village leader so that we can help them return to their homes," he said. 
The latest clashes at past 9 a.m. and past 2 p.m. resulted in the death of an NPA member. A report from the 1st Infantry Division’s Public Affairs Office said the government troops “out-maneuvered the 20 NPA members, whom the military labeled as terrorists, in their lair”.
The government forces seized three high-powered firearms, 36 sacks of rice and other war materiel from the rebel group, which, according to the military, is also operating in the hinterland boundaries of Bukidnon and this city. 
No government soldier was wounded in the clashes but the military believed there were wounded rebels based on the bloodstains discovered in their withdrawal routes.
"Residents and concerned citizens reported the timely and accurate report that led to the encounter that favored the government troops," Cuerpo said. 
He also said the armed men were the same group that conducted tactical offensives and previous ambuscades of government troops in Bukidnon near the boundary of Lanao del Sur province. 
“They also threatened the front-liners who are helping the communities in defeating and mitigating the spread of Covid-19 disease,” Cuerpo said, referring to some atrocities in Luzon and Visayas areas. 
Meanwhile, the slain NPA member was buried by soldiers in the area, according to Cuerpo. 
"There are no residents in the area. The soldiers buried the dead enemy. It was a decent burial as respect to a human being," he said.
So 19 or 20 NPA fighters were able to escape an AFP attack with their children in tow? And the AFP discovered their "withdrawl routes" but did not pursue? Did they let them get away on purpose? What is the AFP's protocol for pursuing fleeing terrorists? They could not have been retreating too fast if they had children with them.

Along with employing child warriors the NPA also continues to put everyone in danger by using landmines.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100623
 A top military official in Surigao del Norte has expressed alarm over the continued use of anti-personnel mines (APMs) by the communists New People’s Army (NPA). 
Lt. Col. Jeffrey A Villarosa, commander of the Army's 30th Infantry Battalion (30IB), said the recent recovery of APMs in a remote barangay in Surigao del Norte only proves the continuing use of APMs by the rebels. 
Villarosa reiterated that APMs pose danger to the lives of residents in the area. 
Government troops recovered two APMs last Sunday following an encounter with NPA rebels in Barangay Camam-onan, Guigaquit, Surigao del Norte. 
“We received reports from concerned citizens that CNTs (Communist NPA Terrorists) were conducting extortion and recruitment activities in their community,” Villarosa said.
Aside from the APMs, government soldiers also recovered bomb-making materials, ammunition, and subversive documents.
 
I commend the boldness of concerned citizens for timely sending us information that led to this encounter. It is just sad to note that in the midst of our efforts in making our communities free from the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid19), the CNTs continue to pursue their selfish agenda by forcing the civilians to gather to listen to their propaganda," Villarosa said. 
He also condemned the continued use of APM by the NPA, saying the use of this war materiel is contrary to the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL). 
Last year, Quilang said a total of 18 APMs were recovered by government troops in the province.
In addition to the NPA the AFP is still fighting with Abu Sayyaf. Last week 12 soldiers were killed in a clash in Sulu.  This week 6 ASG terrorists were killed in a second clash in Sulu.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1100762
Six Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits were killed while eight soldiers wounded after a firefight broke out anew in the military's continuing offensives in the province of Sulu, officials said Thursday. 
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said the firefight broke out around 6 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Latih, Patikul, Sulu. 
Sobejana said the 34-minute clash ensued as the troops chanced upon a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits while conducting combat operation. 
The troops launched an "all-out offensive" against the ASG bandits after the April 17 firefight that resulted in the death of 12 soldiers and the wounding of 12 others in Sitio Bud Lubong, Barangay Danag, Patikul. 
“We are sustaining our focused military operations in Sulu to finish the Abu sayyaf Group and bring about peace in the said province,” Sobejana said
ASG and the BIFF continue to pose problems for the AFP. They also are connected with ISIS.  This week the AFP brushed aside a message about impending ISIS attacks as fake news.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1261875/military-brushes-aside-viral-message-about-supposed-threat-of-is-attack
The military has brushed aside a supposed warning about impending attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants that has gone viral. 
Major Arvin John Encinas, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said the message was meant to instill fear and confusion, as the country is preoccupied in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 
Encinas said that the supposed threat is “recycled,” noting that these circulated in 2017, even before the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
While the threats may be recycled and filed with wrong information the AFP might want to still take the threat seriously.


https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/04/25/war-on-2-fronts/
THE unenviable role of soldiers as frontliners in the fight to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) may have been deceitfully used by the Islamic State (IS) to unify warring factions of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu and align these previously disparate bands with the international terrorist group. 
The recent firefight in the province, which pitted Army troops against fighters under two of the most senior and notorious terrorist leaders in Sulu, seems to support the assertion that IS may have completed its goal to recruit the entire ASG under its wings. 
Last week’s battle, where 11 soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded, was waged on the other side by around 40 combined fighters under Radullan Sahiron, the “emir” of the ASG, and Hatib Hadjan Sawadjaan, leader of the IS in Mindanao. 
For Sahiron and Sawadjaan to collaborate and work together, along with their men, is seen as a “worrisome” development in the government’s effort to counter the IS’s recruitment of local members and stop its terrorist activities in the country. 
The alignment, or recruitment, of Sahiron and his men into the IS jibed with a report of the United States in December last year about the resurgence of the IS terror activities and its recruitment in Mindanao. 
The report, issued by the Lead Inspector General for the Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines (OPE-P), the US counterterrorism program in the country, noted IS’s stepped up and sustained recruitment effort, including from the ranks of displaced Marawi City residents. 
The US report also raised the possibility that the IS and its aligned groups could stage a “high-profile operation” similar to the Marawi siege if the recruitment is not derailed decisively, and soon. 
Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana has ordered a fresh offensive against the combined Sahiron-Sawadjaan group as part of the sustained operations against the ASG in Sulu in the aftermath of the latest clash. 
The gunbattle, where three of the slain soldiers were also beheaded, lent credence to the belief that Sawadjaan may have been successful in recruiting Sahiron and his men into the IS fold while the military is busy helping in the fight against the pandemic. 
A purported video of the firefight—showing a terrorist beheading a dead soldier—flashed a foreign-looking fighter among the terrorists. 
Sobejana said no more than 200 ASG members still operate in Sulu. 
The Sulu-based 11th Infantry Division said it is now fighting the twin strains of terrorism and the coronavirus in the province, both equally deadly, and giving soldiers no room to be complacent.
Two warring factions of Abu Sayyaf have now been united making for a deadly and worrisome development in the AFP's fight against terrorism.  Whatever this means it does not bode well. Is it really just a coincidence that after the firefight between ASG and the AFP that threats of an ISIS attack began circulating online? Real or not that message should be taken seriously.

The AFP remains hard at work across the nation. Many barangay captains in metro Manila have requested their assistance in enforcing the quarantine.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/04/22/2008930/afp-flooded-requests-quarantine-enforcement
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is being flooded with requests from Metro Manila barangay captains needing additional troops to help them enforce the government-declared enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in their respective communities. 
Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesman, said local governments – in particular, Quezon City, Parañaque, Mandaluyong and the municipality of Pateros – have asked the AFP leadership for additional troops. 
“If we are going to base on the requests received by AFP, we can say that barangay captains in whole of Metro Manila are asking the AFP for more troops to enforce provisions of the ECQ,” Arevalo said. 
Currently, he said on top of the regular troops, around 800 military reservists have volunteered to render COVID-19 duties in Metro Manila. 
Arevalo said 500 of these reservists, all under the supervision of regular military members, are currently deployed in Quezon City and Manila, while 300 others are helping enforce quarantine in the cities of Parañaque and Pasay. 
The AFP likewise deployed 15 additional military vehicles installed with loudspeakers for deployment on major city streets, as well as secondary and community roads, to remind the general public to strictly enforce physical distancing and observe the enforced curfews in their respective communities so as to prevent the spread of the virus. 
“This is but one of the many steps that the AFP is taking in line with an enhanced visibility of our soldiers in support of our colleagues in the Philippine National Police, apart from what our soldiers are doing in COVID-19 quarantine checkpoints,” Arevalo said.
The enhanced community quarantine and lockdown in metro Manila has been extended for another two weeks until May 15th. Perhaps it will be extended again. Whatever the case the AFP remains on the frontline enforcing the quarantine and fighting terrorists.