Coronavirus Lockdown: Evacuation Centers, DepEd Ham and Cheese, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.

Good news for those in the Eastern Visayas infected with COVD-19.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1121603

A total of 6,879 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients in Eastern Visayas have recovered from the illness, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Thursday.

 

The number represents 90.11 percent of the region's 7,634 confirmed cases since March, DOH Eastern Visayas assistant regional director Carmen Garado said in a virtual press briefing.

 

"Almost 99 percent of our patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and the rest are severe or critical cases," she said.

 

The health department also reported that 72 or 94 percent of infected patients in the region have died of complications.

 

Garado said the majority of these patients are senior citizens and persons with other illnesses such as chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes, among others.

How can there be a 90% survival rate and a 72 or 94% death rate? I think there is an error here as 72 is .94% of 7,634. Either way the majority of death cases is from those who had existing serious illnesses. This is in line with the US CDC which noted a 6% death rate from COVID-19 alone with the rest due to existing comorbidities. Zamboanga City has noted an 85% recovery rate.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122066

The city government here recorded a total of 2,170 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) recoveries as of Monday, or 85 percent of the total confirmed cases of 3,168 since the pandemic was declared in March.

Even with the high recovery rate, residents must still continuously practice the minimum health standards to contain the virus disease, Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, city health officer, said on Tuesday.

Finally someone admits there is a high recovery rate from COVID-19. Too bad they won't go even further.

Cebu Pacific has been hit rather hard by the pandemic. 

https://business.inquirer.net/311556/as-cebu-air-deals-with-empty-seats-costly-plane-upkeep-losses-hit-p14-7b

Heavy losses continued for the operator of budget airline Cebu Pacific amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cebu Air Inc. disclosed on Wednesday a net loss of P14.7 billion by the end of September this year—a reversal of the P6.8-billion profit in the nine-month period last year—as the air travel sector collapsed due to flight restrictions and lockdowns in the Philippines and overseas.

While regular flights have gradually restarted in recent months despite the challenging environment and rising COVID-19 cases, Cebu Air stated this was “still far behind its normal activity level.”

Cebu Air assured investors it had ample resources to survive the crisis.

“The group believes that it remains a resilient airline despite the adverse impact of the COVID-19 outbreak,” the filing showed.

It also implemented a host of cost-cutting measures, including laying off workers, reducing management pay and slashing capital expenses.

Can the Philippines' premier budget airline survive the pandemic? Probably. Maybe. We'll see.

The Philippines has been hit by a string of typhoons lately. The ensuing evacuations could end up being a cause for further transmission of COVID-19.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/763964/transmission-of-covid-19-in-evacuation-centers-a-very-strong-possibility-duque-warns/story/

The transmission of COVID-19 in evacuation centers is a "very strong possibility," Health Secretary Francisco Duque III warned the public on Friday after Typhoon Ulysses rendered the "stay at home" pandemic response policy impossible for many Filipino families.

During a briefing with other government agencies involved in Typhoon Ulysses response, Duque advised the local government units and emergency responders to observe minimum health standards to avoid the spread of the virus among the evacuees.

"It's a very strong possibility kaya kinakailangang magmatyag ang atin pong mga safety officers na ipinapatalaga ng DOH (Department of Health) sa mga local government units," he said.

Only one family should be accommodated per classroom or tent as much as possible, according to Duque. He added that these temporary shelters should be properly ventilated.

Despite being concerned about spreading the disease the DILG says LGUs can ease COVID-19 restrictions to allow media and other groups in to typhoon affected areas.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/14/20/lgus-can-lift-covid-19-restrictions-to-grant-groups-media-access-to-ulysses-hit-areas-dilg-chief

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has given local government units severely affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses the go-signal to relax quarantine restrictions to grant access to relief and rescue groups. 

"Last week, I sent a memo to all LGUs in calamity areas and severely hit areas that health protocol restrictions can be lifted provided they coordinate with the (regional inter-agency task force) so they would know anong grupo ang darating (what groups are coming), rescue at relief groups," Interior Secretary Eduardo Año told reporters in Calamba, Laguna on Saturday. 

"We will lift restrictions if it is for rescue and relief para mas mabilis ang actions natin (so action will go faster)," he added.

Who knows but that these aid groups could spread the virus further?

Christmas has certainly been cancelled for the DepEd all because a Grinch posted their plans to procure Christmas hams and cheese on Facebook.

 https://www.rappler.com/nation/deped-cancels-bidding-ham-and-cheese

The Department of Education (DepEd) said Saturday, November 14, that it cancelled the bidding of over P4.2 million "for the supply and delivery of ham and cheese for the DepEd Central Office Christmas celebration." 

"It was [a] regular procurement but it is inappropriate at this time when our employees are severely affected by recent disasters. We have since reallocated the funds for the needs of those affected by typhoons Rolly and Ulysses and the ongoing COVID-19 effort for our employees," Education Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo said in a statement. 

"Other regional and division offices not affected by the typhoons have also pitched in to help our teachers and learners on the ground," Escobedo added. 

The cancellation was made following the viral Facebook post of newspaper columnist Tonyo Cruz, containing DepEd's 'invitation to bid.' In his post, Cruz said that DepEd was supposed to buy 4,260 pieces of ham and 2,160 pieces of cheese, amounting to P4.278 million.

A regular procurement? The DepEd pays millions each year on Christmas hams while teachers lack adequate pay and supplies and children are forced to obtain a bad education?

Cebu and Davao have shut their borders once more due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1361042/cebu-davao-close-borders-anew

The cities of Cebu and Davao, the economic powerhouses of the Visayas and Mindanao, will shut its borders anew in the wake of the rising cases of coronavirus disease.

Cebu City will be off-limits to nonessential travels starting at 5:01 a.m. on Monday, Mayor Edgardo Labella posted on Facebook on Saturday.

“We do not want to return to an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) so we need to be more vigilant while the virus remains,” he said.

In Davao City, Mayor Sara Durterte issued an order asking the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield to restrict nonessential travel to the city effective 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

And so the pendulum swings back and forth. From Lockdown to easing restrictions to lockdown and back again.

Police in Northen Samar have been busy rounding up quarantine violators.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1121926

At least 214 residents in Northern Samar were apprehended for violating the mandatory wearing of face mask and shield in a two-day operation last week, an official said Monday.

 

The Task Force Disiplina, led by Philippine National Police, apprehended 109 violators in Catarman, the provincial capital, and the rest from the towns of Bobon, Rosario, San Jose, Lavezares, Biri, Gamay, Palapag, Lapinig, and Las Navas from Nov. 12 to 13.

 

"They were brought to their respective police stations and underwent counseling from the local health office on the importance of wearing face protection to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19)," provincial information officer John Allen Berbon said in a phone interview.

 

Berbon said violators were subsequently subjected to appropriate police processing and disposition, and free face shields and masks were provided to those who cannot afford them.

On Nov. 1, the provincial government enforced the mandatory wearing of face masks and shields in all public places and private establishments to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

 

These include transport terminals and loading areas for pedicabs and motorcycles for hire; restaurants, cafeterias and takeout establishments; government buildings; hospitals and pharmacies; churches; public markets, supermarkets and grocery stores; and other similar places or establishments.

Maybe soon people will not have to wear face shields and face masks as a vaccine is coming soon. Of course this is dependent upon whether or not the Philippines is ready to accept it.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/764368/russia-can-make-covid-19-vaccines-for-philippines-in-january-2021/story/

Russia can begin the production of COVID-19 vaccines intended for the Philippines as early as January next year if the country is ready to accept them, Manila’s Ambassador to Moscow Carlos Sorreta said Monday.

Sorreta made the statement days after the developers of Russia’s vaccine candidate, Sputnik V, reported that it was 92% effective at preventing people from catching the virus based on interim results of a large trial.

“It’s subject to doing our own due diligence on it but they can start producing for us because they have to produce it as it is ordered, as early as January if we are ready to accept it," Sorreta said at a Palace news conference.

“Of course, we need to be ready with some of the infrastructure para ho sa storage at the required temperatures. There’s a version of the vaccine that will not require extreme temperatures but it might be a little more expensive,” he added.

In August, the Philippines said it was ready to work with Russia on clinical trials, vaccine supply and production, and “other areas deemed practicable” by relevant Philippine and Russian agencies to address the COVID-19 crisis.

Hopefully the government can get their game together in time to procure a vaccine whenever it is available.

We all know the pandemic has devastated the economy. Thank goodness for OFWs who saved it from completely tanking.

https://business.inquirer.net/311860/bsp-data-strong-dollar-remittances-in-september-keep-ph-economy-from-sinking

The Philippines’ estimated 10 million citizens abroad once more stepped in to buoy the local economy in the middle of a crisis, driving a late third quarter surge in dollar remittance that helped ward off a worst case scenario earlier feared by the central bank.

In a statement, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said personal remittances from overseas Filipinos amounted to $2.888 billion in September 2020, which was higher by 9.1 percent than the $2.648 billion recorded in the same month in 2019.

Just a hunch but maybe the economy is a lot worse than we are being told.

How can the Philippines best handle a pandemic?  With more bureaucracy.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1361730/house-panel-oks-creation-of-national-health-security-council

The House committee on health on Tuesday approved a bill that seeks to create a National Health Security Council that would formulate an emergency plan to handle public health emergencies. 

The panel approved the still unnumbered substitute bill for measures providing national health security, strengthening national preparedness and response to public health emergencies and establishing a national public health emergency council.

Under the bill, the National Health Security Council will be tasked to draft a health security national action plan — a country owned, multi-year, planning process that can accelerate the implementation of International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities.

“It captures national priorities for health security, brings sectors together, identifies partners and allocates resources for health security capacity development,” panel chair Helen Tan said during a virtual meeting.

“It also serves as an overarching process to capture all ongoing preparedness initiatives along with the country’s governance mechanisms for emergency and disaster risk management,” she added.

Among the members of the PHSC are the Secretaries of government agencies, Executive Secretary, Press Secretary, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Security Adviser, Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, and President of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines

What is stopping these agencies from coordinating already? 

The House has also passed a bill calling for the formation of a medical reserve corps.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1122095

A committee at the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a measure proposing the creation of a medical reserve corps, which is a priority measure of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The House Committee on Health, chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, approved the unnumbered substitute bill to House Bills 6809, 6821, 7007, 7157, 7267, 7274, 7331, 7361, 7365, 7383, and 7469, which would institute the medical reserve corps (MCR).

Tan said this would enhance the capacity of the country’s health system in times of health crises such as the current coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

She added that MCR volunteers would be assured of proper working conditions, compensation, and benefits, as well as legal liability and malpractice insurance.

Under the bill, members of the medical reserve corps may be called upon and mobilized to assist the national and local governments in their functions related to addressing the urgent needs of the country’s health-care system during times of crisis.

The MRC shall be composed of all persons who have degrees in the field of medicine, nursing, medical technology, and other health-related fields but have yet to have their respective licenses to practice for reasons such as but not limited to not having taken and/or passed the licensure examinations in their respective professions.

The bill also proposes that members of the medical reserve corps may be called to undergo retraining to maintain and enhance their level of competency and readiness for mobilization in times of crisis.

This medical corps is going to be composed of trained but unlicensed medical professionals? What????

Old Man in Leyte Outperforms Government By Planting 10,000 Trees

One old man in Leyte is doing more for typhoon disaster prevention and environmental protection than the inutile Philippine government.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1121468

For eight years now, a 65-year-old man in Matalom, Leyte has planted about 10,000 mangroves along a coastal area at the back of his house.

Gary Dabasol, jobless, has been planting mangroves in Punong village because he was worried of the danger of big waves especially during typhoons.

In doing so, he just gathered mangrove seedlings along the coastline in their village. Among the mangrove species that he planted include miyapi, pagatpat, and bakawan.

“I'm glad that I was able to inspire people, I hope that they will also follow what I am doing. I also want to contribute to higher marine production by cultivating a spooning area for fish, crabs, and shrimps and other species," Dabasol said in an interview on Wednesday.

The story of Dabasol was shared by netizen Dan Niez from Hilongos town, who visited the coastal area of Matalom last week to unwind.

Niez said the last time he went to the area several years ago, the place was just an open space along the shoreline.

He was surprised that during his visit last week, there are full-grown mangroves planted along the coastline.

“When I posted it, many people reacted especially millennials and praised Tatay Gary for what he did. I think they were inspired, and I hope they are inspired because planting 10,000 mangroves is not that easy,” Niez said.

“I hope that the government will also help him because what he did is extraordinary. It is not usual for one person to have this kind of initiative," Niez added.

Right now there has been typhoon after typhoon hitting the Philippines and the Senate and everyone else are wondering what can be done? This man is showing what can and should be done to prevent flooding during a typhoon. Doing a Google search for "philippines deforestation floods" and thousands of results show up. Here is one from 2005:

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2005/11/10/306119/deforestation-one-major-causes-rp-floods

"If FAO/CIFOR concluded that in those countries deforestation is not a cause of flooding, such findings do not hold true in the Philippines where forest degradation has gone from mild to severe, from 70 percent forest cover in 1900 to barely 18 percent in 1998," said Anabelle Plantilla, executive director of Haribon Foundation (www.haribon.org.ph), the country’s foremost environmental non-government organization in the forefront of issues for more than three decades. 

According to Norman Myers, author of the Primary Source, Tropical Forests and Our Future (1992), "the forests exert a sponge effect, soaking up moisture before releasing it at regular rates… The multi-storied structure of the forest, together with its vast amount of foliage, helps break the impact of a tropical downpour." 

He added that "the region where deforestation is most advanced is Southern-Southeast Asia, and it suffers (from) floods that increase in rage and intensity year by year." 

It seems as if nothing has been done as 15 years later conservation groups are calling for the same thing: reforestation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1361520/group-says-protection-of-forests-must-be-core-of-disaster-response

Restoration and conservation of the Philippines’ existing forests, from rainforests to mangrove forests, should be at the core of the country’s disaster risk reduction plans, according to the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).

Noting that deforestation caused massive flooding in Cagayan Valley due to Ulysses, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Sunday said planting trees would soon be mandatory for public transport cooperatives and individuals seeking franchises or licenses.

In a meeting with President Duterte and other Cabinet officials, Tugade said a regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had suggested that members of cooperatives must plant 500 trees before being granted a franchise.

He said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) was closely coordinating with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local government units in identifying areas for reforestation.

Transportation Secretary Tugade says it will be mediator for public transport cooperatives and individuals seeking franchisee to plant 500 trees before they are granted a franchise. Where will these trees come form? The Department of Agriculture? The DOA donated 1,500 trees for the local INC to plant back in 2017 and those trees are all dead now because nobody maintained them. Who will maintain the trees these franchise seekers plant? 

Even if these groups plant 500 trees each it will likely all go to waste somehow. Maybe the Philippines needs less government programs and more men like Gary Dabasol. Look at what he did all by himself.

https://www.facebook.com/nowinleyte/posts/225676302223133

All it takes to succeed it initiative and determination. The government could do these kinds of things too but they don't. That is a result of more red tape and corruption.

Insurgency: Terrorism Threat in Southern Philippines Will Likely Persist for Years

The ultimate and thus final quarterly report of Operation Pacific Eagle has been released. Let's take a look at what the US military has to say about the Philippines' war against terrorism for the past quarter of July to September.

Operation Pacific Eagle

The first thing to note is that this indeed the final report of OPE-P.

Under Section 8L of the Inspector General Act, the Lead IG agencies cease quarterly reporting when the appropriations for an overseas contingency operation drop below $100 million in a fiscal year. In 2019, the Secretary of Defense rescinded the overseas contingency operation designation for OPE-P. Furthermore, FY 2020 appropriations for OPE-P were less than $100 million. As a result, our Lead IG reporting responsibilities reached sunset at the end of FY 2020, and this is our final report.

This does not mean the US is done with assisting the AFP in their fight against terrorism. Far from it. It just means this particular oversight operation which began after the end of the Marawi siege in 2017 is over.

Probably the biggest take-away from this report is that the threat of terrorism remains. 

The DoD reported that it does not anticipate a significant change in the terrorist threat in the Philippines within the next 2 years. 

That assessment is a bit more bleak than the public pronouncements of the AFP that the insurgency is on the wan and will be defeated by 2022 or any other projected date. In fact the status quo has been maintained according to this report.

Violence in the southern Philippines this quarter followed a pattern similar to previous quarters, with a steady stream of low-level violence punctuated by one larger-scale attack. On August 24, two explosions, likely perpetrated by individuals linked to ISIS-East Asia (ISIS-EA) or the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), occurred in close succession in the city of Jolo, the capital of Sulu province. According to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and U.S. Special Operations Command–Pacific (SOCPAC), a female suicide bomber detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near a Philippine military vehicle parked outside a food market.

pg. 7

As horrifying as the Jolo attack in August was it was not out of the ordinary. Terrorists engage in small-scale attacks and the AFP fights back but then a large-scale attack occurs seemingly out of the blue. The US DOD says this is the typical pattern in the Philippines. The attack was widely reported in the media but the US military's role in assisting with the wounded was not.

SOCPAC reported that U.S. special operations forces assisted with the mass casualty triage resulting from the attack and provided medical airlift evacuation for two wounded Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) soldiers.  Four days later, U.S. forces transferred one of the wounded Philippine National Police (PNP) officers by helicopter to a hospital with a higher level of care than was available locally.

pg. 8

The report says the local support for ASG "diminished notably" during the last quarter but that such lack of support, in the form of persona-non-grata declarations, might not amount to much because of family bonds between ASG members and the public.

According to media reports, local elected leaders in the Sulu region often publicly denounce the ASG, but family bonds between ASG members and the population at large remain stronger than any local government antiterrorism initiatives.

p. 10

The media report mentioned is an Australian analysis of the Philippines' situation.

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/violence-in-southern-philippines-highlights-resilience-of-militant-networks/

Because the ASG was established by disgruntled MNLF commanders, its resilience until now has been fostered by blood ties with MNLF personalities and politicians. This intricate web allows room for cooperation while facing a common enemy, such as the military, and while pursuing economic benefits, such as revenue generated by kidnappings. 

Sulu mayors publicly denounce the ASG, but they often lack incentives to counteract its presence because of kinship ties or don’t have the capabilities to do so because of weak governance. This in turn gives ASG commanders such as Sawadjaan ample opportunity to draw on a base of young and deprived individuals for new recruits. The governance vacuum also allows the ASG to promote its ideology unimpeded, even if it’s directed at an external audience. 

At the outer edges of the Sulu archipelago, violence has declined in recent years. But the largest island in the chain, Jolo, has remained the centre of gravity for continued conflict. 

Since late 2018, Sulu has hosted an infantry division of the Philippine army with over 10 battalions that bear responsibility for a population of around half a million. Yet, despite the heavy military presence, the ASG, after several presidential announcements of operations and deadlines to eliminate it, hasn’t been defeated and continues operating from the mountainous town of Patikul and environs. Moreover, bad blood between the military and police has recently contributed to a schism within the local security apparatus, lowering trust in the national government.

Weak governance and a schismatic security apparatus contribute to the flourishing of terrorism in Sulu. This schism between the PNP and the AFP is most evidenced by the killing of 4 AFP intel officers by the PNP back in July.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1324517/jolo-shooting-traced-to-distrust-between-afp-pnp

The killing of four Army intelligence officers by nine policemen in Jolo, Sulu, on June 29 may have been caused by distrust between operative of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, senators said on Wednesday.

“The problem is that you ground operatives do not see eye to eye. You do not personally know one another. All of you operate in one small area of Jolo, yet you do not know one another,” Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, chair of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.

Dela Rosa pointed out that the military in the area distrusted policemen because some of them have relatives in the Abu Sayaff group while the police have suspicions that some military officials have ties to illegal drugs.

Some of the PNP have relatives in ASG and they suspect that some AFP officials have ties to illegal drugs. A perfect storm of distrust. 

This report stresses again the familial and clan connections of terrorists in the region as a reason why violence persists.

The DIA stated that members of ISIS-EA and other VEOs are closely connected to one another and to large swaths of the community through familial and clan bonds. Although the average citizen in the southern Philippines may not expressly support the actions of these terrorists, many likely have some type of connection to VEO members and do not want to work against family or clan members, according to the DIA. Additionally, average citizens are unlikely to work against VEOs overtly, such as by providing information to the police about terrorist members and activities, due to fears of retaliation.

pg.13

After this analysis the DOD goes on to note that the AFP has decided to degrade the insurgency rather than eradicate it.  They also note that they support and encourage this approach.

In early 2018, President Duterte revised the AFP’s desired end-state from eradicating VEOs to degrading them. According to SOCPAC, this was a more realistic objective, given the resiliency of extremist groups in the Philippines. AFP counterterrorism leaders have emphasized the importance of neutralizing key terrorist leaders, a strategy that SOCPAC stated has previously resulted in the surrender of rank and file terrorist fighters.72

The AFP’s former commander in western Mindanao, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, stated that the removal of top terrorist leaders from the battlefield has created a domino effect down the ranks, prompting many terrorists to surrender after the group becomes headless. SOCPAC stated that U.S. military support for this strategy during and after the Marawi siege contributed to the surrender of hundreds of ISIS-EA fighters.

pg. 13-14

If you are a regular reader you would know that this degradation is part of the whole-of-nation effort in order to encourage terrorists to surrender. Even though the U.S. military supports this initiative they don't think it will last without sustained effort. 

The DIA stated that the Duterte administration is attempting to implement a whole-of-government approach against radicalization through anticorruption campaigns, literacy and education programs, youth outreach initiatives, and economic development. However, the DIA assessed that the current efforts were unlikely to break the VEO recruitment chain.  

Sustaining initiatives aimed at moderating local divisions and clan rivalries, improving BARMM governance capacities, and ensuring national government support for the BARMM might diminish some of the factors which drive radicalization and recruitment in the long term, according to the DIA. Additionally, the Philippine government’s ability to implement its disarmament program for former militants and to follow through on providing cash handouts, housing, scholarships, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for former fighters will likely have some mitigating impact on VEO recruitment. 

As the Lead IG has observed over the course of reporting on OPE-P, the level of violence and VEO presence in the southern Philippines has remained relatively consistent since the end of the Marawi siege in October 2017. 

U.S. special operations forces will continue to assist the Philippine security forces in their counterterrorism operations as long as their assistance is welcomed by the Philippine government. However, as reported by the DIA and USINDOPACOM, a sustained commitment by the Philippine government will be necessary to improve governance and socio-economic conditions in the country’s poorest and most unstable region. Lasting improvements to the systemic conditions that currently provide VEOs with a permissive operating environment and readily available recruiting pool will ultimately be necessary to reduce the terrorist threat to a level where the Philippine security forces will be able to combat it independently.

pg.14

There is more in this report but I will end here. That last analysis is very biting. The US DOD says without lasting improvements to the conditions which allow terrorists to operate the Philippines security forces, AFP and PNP, will not be able to combat the insurgency independently. What they are implying is that the AFP and the PNP are unable to combat the Islamic and Communist insurgencies without outside help. The AFP and PNP might resent that assessment but they still rely on the US for weapons and training.

The God Culture: The Ophir Institute

After a three month hiatus from publishing new videos on Youtube (the last one was August 15th with the ones published since being merely Tagalog translations of old videos) The God Culture has returned in a big way. This time Timothy Jay Schwab has removed his kid gloves, put on his big boy pants and dinner jacket, and has taken his group in a very, very surprising direction. No longer is The God Culture merely a Youtube channel teaching revisionist history of the "We Wuz Kangz" variety with a Filipino twist. No longer is Timothy Jay Schwab merely a heretic and blasphemer who denies that faith in Christ is enough to save us and says that the Trinity is a "doctrine of men" that he couldn't care less about. Now Timothy Jay Schwab has become the founder of a think tank he calls The Ophir Institute.

https://www.ophirinstitute.com

What is the Ophir Institute all about? Instead of an "about" section this website has a "bio" section. Click that and you will read the following:

https://www.ophirinstitute.com/bio

The Ophir Institute is a think tank in the Philippines that has focused on the mystery of the pre-colonial history of our country. When the Spanish arrived, they recorded a literate people who were found reading and writing but what? Where did these writings go? What did they say? How significant they must have been if they needed to be destroyed or at least suppressed. This people is cataloged numerous times in history with more wealth than any other nation in Asia or really, on Earth. We have reviewed the demands to produce an admission from the Jesuits of their guilt in erasing this history but that is a false expectation creating a paradigm of ignorance we will not placate. The Philippines is ancient Ophir and the Garden of Eden and its significance is far greater than we are taught. It is time everyone knows the truth.

​

Therefore, the Ophir Institute has proudly partnered with author, researcher, singer, former minister, and successful publisher Timothy Schwab and his wife, Anna Zamoranos-Schwab, a Filipina, who lead a team of researchers who tackled this topic. They published their findings on YouTube first with over 10 million views and now, even deeper research is available in book and eBook form. As of recent, this list of publishings includes, The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, INSTRUCTIONAL EDITION: The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, Ophir Philippines Coffee Table Book, and The Book of Jubilees: The Torah Calendar.

 

Though we are a group, these authors' writings largely resemble the core of our mission to educate Filipinos about our lost history.

It is rather odd that instead of getting an about page which details the aims and goals of the Ophir Institute we get a brief biography of Timothy Jay Schwab and The God Culture's research. It is absolutely incorrect for this bio to say that the Ophir Institute has "partnered" with the Schwabs because on Tim's updated bio on The God Culture's website it is explicitly stated that he and his wife founded this organization.

https://www.thegodculture.com/our-founder

Timothy Jay Schwab, with his Filipina wife Anna, is the author of the books The Search for King Solomon's Treasure: The Lost Isles of Gold and the Garden of Eden, Instruction Edition: The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, and Ophir Philippines Coffee Table Book, all supported by a 300-page SOURCEBOOK of very credible sources no one can disprove. They have founded the Ophir Institute in the Philippines to restore this knowledge. Also, Timothy and Anna are Curators for The Book of Jubilees: The Torah Calendar founding The Levite Bible which is a project working to restore Dead Sea Scrolls understanding. This is over 1,400 pages of content and they have produced over 250 YouTube teaching videos as well while conducting over 30 conferences since May 2019 with as many as over 5,500 in attendance. They are the founders of The God Culture Research Team working to restore especially biblical geography and history operating internationally but based in the Philippines.

Why the deception? Why write here that Tim and Anna FOUDNED the Ophir Institute and on the Ophir Institute's page write that they are merely partners? It's sad that they changed this bio. Now no one will know that Tim toured in a Christian rock band and put on puppet shows for the kids or that he is an ordained Reverend!

At the age of 12, Timothy received a calling to minister to others. He began in a puppet ministry that travelled and they advanced into dramas and teachings. He, then, began leading worship at the age 14 while also teaching Sunday School. By 17 years old, Timothy toured as lead singer and President of a Christian Rock Group as an evangelist for five years. In the meantime, he completed seminary courses through his non-denominational faith and was ordained as a Reverend.

https://web.archive.org/web/20200804120634/https://www.thegodculture.com/our-founder

Now that's a bio! The current bio is strangely rambling and defensive and tells us little about the Schwabs expect that they were lawfully married and if you doubt that because Jesus said don't marry a divorced woman then you are a fraud. That is of course a snide attack on the biography I wrote about Tim wherein I disclosed that he is Anna's third husband and she his second wife.

Another strange thing about this bio is that it is, with a few variations, the same bio on the Ophir Institute's page, the Levite Bible's page, and on Tim's own page Timothyschwab.com. Why is that? If the Ophir Institute is a think tank then why is the bio all about Timothy and Anna Schwab? What it boils down to is the Ophir Institute is an entity created by Timothy Schwab to publish all of his God Culture books and related materials.  At least the e-book version of Solomon's Treasure is published by the Ophir Institute.

https://www.amazon.com/Search-King-SOLOMONS-TREASURE-Solomons-ebook/dp/B08M6FNFH9/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The paperback lists God Culture, The as the publisher.

https://www.amazon.com/Search-King-SOLOMONS-TREASURE-Garden/dp/0578634228/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

If the Ophir Institute was not created to publish Tim's books then perhaps it really is a think tank but that is too horrifying and bizarre a thought to bear. Is Tim or his cohorts really going to write policy papers and draft legislation based on his God Culture research?

A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental organizations, but some are semi-autonomous agencies within government or are associated with particular political parties or businesses. Think-tank funding often includes a combination of millionaire donations and individual contributions, with many also accepting government grants.

Think tanks publish articles, studies or even draft legislation on particular matters of policy or society. This information is then readily used by governments, businesses, media organizations, social movements or other interest groups as part of their goals. Think tanks range from those associated with highly academic or scholarly activities to those that are overtly ideological and pushing for particular policy, with widely differing quality of research among them. Later generations of think tanks have tended to be more ideologically-oriented.

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

Imagine the God Culture accepting grants from the government via their front group the Ophir Institute. I have questioned Tim's visa status before as he is doing religious work in the country but this a whole new level. As part of a think tank he would be meddling in Philippine politics which is forbidden for a foreigner to do. Australian nun Patricia Fox was deported for her meddling in Philippine politics by speaking at rallies. How much more a foreigner who founded a think tank?

Of course unlike Patricia Fox Tim has Duterte's ear as he is friends with Dr. Grepor Butch Belgica whom Duterte appointed as the Presidential Advisor for Religious Affairs. Belgica also wrote the forward to Tim's new book "Solomon's Treasure." He is also friends with Sofronio Dulay who is the Grand Patriarch of the Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines. Dulay has indicated that he is in favor of an inevitable world government.

World government's objective is to save the world, save humanity. Don't ask who is behind me, who is orchestrating me. They are irrelevant!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRlBhFRMe9A

Sofronio Dulay is also a Roman Catholic. Timothy has said he has been respectful to the Catholic Church by not doing an exposé video on them.

Now we've been very respectful not to do a video which really breaks down the dogma in the Catholic Church and comparing it to Mithraism. You would find it is an exact match.  

https://youtu.be/JAdyZdkv9ag?t=2892

As Tim would say, "Hmmmmm."

Another new venture launched by Timothy is The Levite Bible.

https://www.levitebible.com

In researching the available Dead Sea Scrolls, we have found the market lacking in high-quality publishing. In order to remedy this, we have formed a team with some members of The God Culture and others who are dedicated to the restoration and understanding of these scriptures. It is our intent to publish these in Bible format, curating the margin notes and providing additional research in order to explain the purpose of these publications, their historical track in use as scripture and we have no issue testing them as scripture. When they pass the test which few scholars have ever bothered to conduct adequately, it is time to take these far more seriously. Enough of dismissing scholars and pastors who know very little of these books yet claim to be experts and many have not studied them in the slightest. Enough control paradigms leading us all back to the Dark Ages. 

Again more deception. The bio on The God Culture's website says that Tim and Anna FOUNDED The Levite Bible group while here it appears that The Levite Bible is completely separate from The God Culture saying that they have formed a team with some of the members of TGC.

This group is going to publish second temple Jewish writings and other apocrypha with their own marginal notes. The Book of Jubilees has already been published online. Ironically enough they are using a translation which was made decades BEFORE the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Strictly speaking The Book of Jubilees is not a book that was hidden away in the caves of Qumran just waiting to be rediscovered. It is a book used by the Ethiopian church and rejected by everyone else.

https://www.paperturn-view.com/the-god-culture/the-book-of-jubilees-the-torah-calendar-ebook?pid=MTI123254&v=1.1

Suffice to say this is far from a scholarly work though it pretends to be one with all its notes, maps and other apparatus. It is filled with pictures like the following:

 

Noah added a curse on anyone stealing their brother's property. That includes all empires, bankers, and churchws! Japheth was never given the right to conquer others. Colonialism and conquest have always been forbidden. Israel was taking it's land back from Canaan and the Nephilim who stole it.

So what is Tim's opinion on the massive third world immigration from Africa and Asia to Europe and North America? Is that stealing? Then there is this picture:

Lot, the nephew of Abraham from whom Israel descends, is a...negro? A Hamite? I thought the family of Abraham all descended from Shem. 

If you want to know about the meaning of Jubilees it would be to better trust yourself to a man who has spent his whole life studying it along with the rest of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

https://b-ok.asia/book/3679705/1ccb48

Jubilees--so called because of its concern with marking forty-nine-year periods (or "jubilees") in Israel's history--is an ancient rewriting of Genesis and the first part of Exodus from the point of view of an anonymous second-century BCE Jewish author. Its distinctive perspective--as well as its apparent popularity at Qumran--make it particularly important for any reconstruction of early Judaism. James C. VanderKam, the world's foremost authority on Jubilees, offers a new translation based on his own critical editions of all the available textual evidence, including the Hebrew fragments preserved at Qumran (which he first published in Discoveries in the Judean Desert, vol. 13), as well as the first full running commentary on the book in the English language. Jubilees approaches the book as a rewriting of scripture but also as a literary work in its own right. The commentary explains the text and the teachings of the author with comprehensive coverage of the modern scholarship devoted to them. The introduction sets the book in its second-century BCE context, traces its sources in the Bible and in other early Jewish texts, and describes its influence on Jewish and Christian writers.

I have also written at length about Tim's misconceptions concerning the Book of Jubilees, such as Mosaic authorship, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the formation of the Biblical canon.

The future seems pretty bright for The God Culture. Timothy has two new organizations and several books on the way including a coffee table book and instructional versions of Solomon's Treasure. However there is one more book, a smaller 40 page booklet, that Timothy has produced which will not be available to the general public. It is a report on my blog.

https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/21181371

40-page PDF report available... Illegally attacks a ministry, The God Culture in multiple infractions for almost a year including cyber libel, copyright infringement, fake news, racism, hate speech, discrimination. fraud, and misrepresentation harassment. 40-page PDF report available. cc_Karl Daniel E. Buban, Belgica, Aranas, Alim, Dela Cruz, and Associates.

Notice that the law firm has Belgica listed as a partner.  That would be Jeremiah Belgica who is also the son of Grepo Belgica who is good friends with Timothy. Both Belgicas also work for the government. Funny how Timothy, a white guy from Florida, has all these high level connections in the Philippines. It really raises questions about the sources of funding for all his new ventures.

It will be interesting to see what direction the God Culture takes as they produce more materials and possibly more groups. They are not going anywhere. Tim's Filipino-centric message is enough to tickle any Filipino's ears and entice them into his web of deceit. But make no mistake. No matter how many shiny websites Timothy builds, no matter how many slick videos he produces or meticulous books he publishes, no matter how much lipstick this pig puts on his kisser he is still a pig. This heretical piggy is an anti-trinitarian and is on record saying faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save a man.

So this is another example that we aren't to just have faith in Yahusha. That’s not enough. That’s not it.  No, no, no, no. We are to keep His commandments.

Sabbath Series: Part 5: The End Times Sabbath at 19:30

The law written by the very finger of Yahuah Himself.  The law is what redeems us.

The Law of Sin and Death. What is it? NOT The Law of Moses! WHAT DID PAUL SAY?" at 39:35

"The law is what redeems us." No wonder Tim founded a group called "The Levite Bible." Timothy rejects the priesthood of Melchizedek of which order Jesus Christ is made a priest for ever and would rather turn back to the Levitical priesthood which the book of Hebrews tells us has passed away and with it the Levitical law.