Monday, January 18, 2021

The God Culture: Stuff the God Culture Writes, "The Search For King Solomon's Treasure"

Timothy Jay Schwab's new book "The Search For King Solomon's Treasure" is such "farrago of nonsense that is contravened by a multitude of eyewitness accounts, inconvenient facts, and simple common sense," that I was not able to cover it all in my initial review. This time around I want to take a look at some of the outright absurdities in Tim's book. Things that simply do not belong but which make up "The Monumental Case For the Philippines No One Can Disprove." Each page is a head scratching, "Did he really write that?," moment. 

Let's start off with something that Tim did not write. From the Foreward by "Dr." Butch Belgica:

The accepted scientific way of determining the land of creation is biodiversity. Southeast Asia, as declared by science journals and hundreds of scientists, is the world center of biodiversity - marine, mammals, plants and animals - with the Philippines as the epicenter in all. 

p. 10

A word about The God Culture calling this a Foreward instead of a foreword. They claim that its a double entendre and the reason they use it can be found on page 9 of the book.

FYI - Someone asked why we chose the word Foreward with an A rather than the traditional Foreword with an O. Read Page 9 of Solomon's Treasure and we explain why Foreward is far more appropriate for our book as we employ a double entendre and it is intentional and on all our books that way. Yah Bless.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=698485840711436&id=376627072897316

There is nothing on page 9 to explain this word choice. As for it being a double entendre, I fail to see what is "socially awkward, sexually suggestive, or offensive" here. The correct word for this type of speech would be a pun.  (Note: TGC has altered both Solomon's Treasure and their version of the Book of Jubilees to explain what they mean by foreward. You can read that at this link on page 9.)

The claim Belgica makes about biodiversity determining the land of creation shows up later in the book on page 64 where Tim writes the following:

Mankind and animals rebooted during the Flood and are no firm scientific measure to determine the origin of species.  However, marine life was not wiped out by the deluge as such. Therefore, we have a credible measure by which to allocate the root of life in region. If we can locate the most bio-diverse population on earth, we would have actually found the Land of Creation scientifically. In the past twenty or so years, marine biologists have now determined that this center of life, without even actually realizing what they have found, is he measure of the origin of species. Sorry Charlie, Darwin that is.

p.64-65

I hope my readers are astute enough to see what is wrong with these claims. For one thing they contradict each other. Belgica says biodiversity in toto can determine the land of creation. Tim says only marine biodiversity can determine the land of creation because everything else was wiped out by the flood. Though Tim does write about mammal diversity further on page 66 where he quotes a press release from Chicago's Field Museum.

Where is the world's greatest concentration of unique species of mammals? A team of American and Filipino authors have concluded it is Luzon Island, in the Philippines.

This PRESS RELEASE goes on to reference a scientific study which Tim neglects to reference. Imagine writing a book that is supposed to be "The Monumental Case For the Philippines No One Can Disprove" and instead of analyzing a scientific paper you are satisfied with quoting from a press release as your source. "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." The method is to be as shallow as possible and we shall see it crop up several times in this book as Tim prefers to quote newspaper articles about studies rather than analyze any of the scientific studies to which they refer.

Neither Belgica nor Tim explains how locating the center of biodiversity can scientifically lead us to the land of creation. They just assume it. They don't quote any scientists or offer any reasonable proof why the most biodiverse land is the land of creation. The Earth is a large planet and it could be that God created different animals in different lands and not all in one place. How does Tim explain the unique biodiversity of Australia or the Amazon rainforest?

Noah's flood actually destroys Tim's thesis about marine biodiversity. Tim correctly notes that the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were opened during the flood. But if that is the case then all life in the sea would have been dispersed. If underground geysers were spouting up then they would spread abroad all they touch. Post-Flood there would be no center of marine biodiversity. This is especially case since Tim teaches there was no ocean before the flood. More on this below. 

First let's look a little closer at what Tim's three sources say this diversity consists. These are all found on page 65.

 Source one is from http://oneocean.org/flash/philippine_biodiversity.html.

The Philippines forms an ocean region that has long been recognized as the world’s center of marine biodiversity. With the Malay archipelago, Papua New Guinea and Australia, the country forms the ‘Coral Triangle,’ so-called because of the abundance of its coral reef life. Some 400-500 species in 90 genera of reef-forming corals are believed to exist in this region. Sulu-Sulawesi Sea, a 900,000-square-kilometer marine eco-region that lies at the apex of the Coral Triangle (70% in the Philippines, 20% Indonesia, 10% Malaysia), is home to some 2,500 species of fish.

A 2005 report (Carpenter 2005) suggests that the Philippines is not only part of the center but is, in fact, the epicenter of marine biodiversity, with the richest concentration of marine life on the entire planet.

That 2005 report is actually a little difficult to find but it can be read here: 

The center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity: The Philippine Islands

Analysis of distribution data for 2983 species reveals a pattern of richness on a finer scale and identifies a peak of marine biodiversity in the central Philippine Islands and a secondary peak between peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. This pattern is repeated in diverse habitat and higher taxa classes, most rigorously for marine shore fishes, supporting geohistorical hypotheses as the most general unifying explanations.

Why is this report not the source Timothy uses? Because it does not fit his thesis. The title of this report is: "The center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity: The Philippine Islands." The focus of this study is not marine life in general but shore fish in particular! The other marine life which composes this diversity is mostly corals which form their habitat. But how exactly does this diversity prove that the Philippines is the land of creation? Tim does not say. He simply assumes it.

The next source is literally a Google search!!!

NOTE: This is an old search on Google from 4 years ago. CNN has since purged his report and link but we have it captured. Notice, it is also widely report by the Philippine Star, Manila Times, etc, Our route is taken from the CNN report but all are similar. We are keeping the one from our original video in which his was very widely circulated and quoted from CNN as you can see on this page.

If there is anything that can convict Timothy Jay Schwab of being a shameless fraud it has to be this. First of all this source is a Google search and not the actual article so he doesn't have it captured as he claims he has and if he does he should have used that instead of this malarkey. Second of all this CNN report is actually an ireport! The url is: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOCS-783629. CNN retired this feature in 2015. Ireports were akin to Wikipedia and thus unreliable. Anyone could report on anything. I do not have this article so I cannot read their sources but neither can Timothy. Third of all this is a GOOGLE SEARCH!!! It does not prove a thing. A fine source for Tim's "Monumental Case For The Philippines No One Can Disprove."

His third source is from a newspaper and is of no account.

Some 100 scientists have declared the Philippines as the world’s "center of marine biodiversity" — not the Great Reef Barrier off east Australia — because of its vast species of marine and coastal resources, according to the World Bank. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2006/06/08/340635/100-scientists-declare-rp-world146s-145center-marine-biodiversity146

That is sufficiently vague enough for Tim to prove his point and is not worth commenting on. Why not link to the World Bank study and explain exactly why the Philippines is the center of marine biodiversity? Why not tell us all more about this biodiversity and how it proves that the Philippines is the land of creation? Why is Tim content with newspapers and secondhand reports? Since Tim does not bother to link it I will not bother to search it out. 

Let's return to the first source. In that source the marine biodiversity is located in the Sulu Sea. But Tim does not believe there was a Sulu Sea when God created the Earth! He teaches that the oceans and seas were formed as a result of the flood. 

....after the Flood with the new World Ocean formed...

pg. 54

Prior to the Flood, the water system of the Earth was described as five mega-rivers with fountains of the great deep within. There is no mention of a world ocean....

pg. 269 

...no ocean and a lot more land.

pg. 271 

The implications of this teaching are obviously quite ridiculous. There would be no large bodies of water for the great whales to swim in. Imagine blue whales swimming in a river, even a mega-river. What is a mega-river anyway? Tim offers no precise explanation as to what they are or how they would function. 

By the way those mega-rivers are now known to us as ocean trenches according to Tim. How does Tim know this? He doesn't. He quotes again from an article about a study and jumps to the conclusion that these trenches must have been rivers before the Flood buried them.

“If you drained all the water away, it would look exactly like a river system with bends and meanders, except there are no trees along the banks...”

– Dan Parsons, PhD, Sedimentologist, University of Hull, UK to BBC News (studies undersea rivers)

pg. 254-255 of the Sourcebook

Tim's source for the above quote is an interesting article at the BBC from which Tim draws unwarranted conclusions and assumptions which he cannot prove. Has he studied these trenches with underwater excavations? Of course not. It also references a study Tim neglects. But that is par for the course.

If there was no Sulu Sea then that means God did not create all marine life or an abundance of marine life in those waters. Instead where the Sulu Sea is now was the Garden of Eden. According to Tim the Garden of Eden is actually at the very bottom of the Sulu Sea. Tim thinks this scientifically proves the Philippines is the center of marine biodiversity.

As we covered before, the Carpenter Report, CNN, World Bank, and many others now record the Sulu Sea specifically the Verde island passage from Mindoro to Batangas as "The Center of the Center of Marine Biodiversity on Earth" and as we established, that indicates the origin of life on Earth not old bones of humans nor animals. Therefore, this even proves out scientifically as that is just above the Garden of Eden which is enclosed within the Earth. Somewhere to the East is an entrance and we do not claim to have found the entrance nor do we wish to attempt to enter. We believe we even find support in the Hebrew name if a large underwater reef famous for diving in the center of the Sulu Sea in fact just above the Garden.

Tubbataha Reef

Hebrew: Tub: טוּב: good things

Hebrew: ba: בָּא: in the

Hebrew: ta: תָּא :chamber

Hebrew: ha: הא: The

Our interpretation: The Good Things in the Chamber


To what chamber might this be referring? Perhaps the enclosed Garden of Eden just below. If this is coincidence, calculate the odds of such impossibility.


pg. 310-312

What nerve to claim he has covered the Carpenter report when that is not the case at all as I showed above. He does not even cite it! 


If the Garden of Eden is BELOW the Sulu Sea then that means God did not create the Sulu Sea during the seven days of creation. Therefore there will have to be an alternate explanation as to why there is so much diversity in the region. It cannot be because God created it so because the Sulu Sea did not begin to exist until AFTER the flood according to Tim's cosmology. Has Tim not thought this through? 


According to Wikipedia Tubbataha means:

The word tubbataha is a combination of two Sama-Bajau words: tubba and taha, which together means "a long reef exposed at low tide". 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubbataha_Reef#Etymology

This is a good point to segue into Tim's use of Wikipedia. Tim cites Wikipedia authoritatively in this book.  

This further affirms the claim that the Philippines was mining gold in 1000 B.C. as...Wikipedia and others stake.


pg. 43

But on page 99 he shows why Wikipedia is not a reliable source:

...someone has now changed that Wikipedia article...

Wikipedia even tells us that it is not reliable as a primary source because it can be changed at any time!

We advise special caution when using Wikipedia as a source for research projects. Normal academic usage of Wikipedia and other encyclopedias is for getting the general facts of a problem and to gather keywords, references and bibliographical pointers, but not as a source in itself. Remember that Wikipedia is a wiki. Anyone in the world can edit an article, deleting accurate information or adding false information, which the reader may not recognize.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia

Tim would be wise to learn this lesson but as it stands Wikipedia is part of his "Monumental Case For the Philippines No One Can Disprove." All it takes is a few edits and his case is disproven.

The Garden of Eden is not the only thing the flood buried beneath the newly formed World Ocean. Lemuria and Atlantis were also buried in the deluge.

Many recall the fabled Lemuria. It is no sunken continent that disappeared into the sea. It was inundated and overcome by the new World Ocean as was Atlantis. If one desired to discover a treasure trove of prehistoric archaeology, they would need to penetrate into the Flood sediment there on the bottom and entire large societies would emerge. However, man has no such capabilities in this age. Is it not odd that the Flood buried this and Atlantis to such degrees that we cannot even locate them today?

pg. 277

It is quite fitting that Tim writes about the existence of those fictional places in a book that is full of fictions about the Philippines. Apparently Tim is unaware that Plato invented Atlantis to illustrate his philosophical ideas and Lemuria was postulated in the 19th century by a zoologist to explain why  lemur fossils appeared in disparate places. Hence the name Lemuria. Any embellished accounts of Lemuria that Tim has read have most likely come from Theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky who made Lemuria a central part of her occult teachings. This passage is tainted with occult, new-age quackery.

Speaking of occult, new-age quackery Zechariah Sitchin's work forms part of Tim's "Monumental Case For the Philippines No One Can Disprove." He is the author of the famous Earth Chronicles series of books where he writes about ancient aliens visiting the earth and creating man. 

However, in the Book of Enki, the Nephilim also built an ark which landed on Turkey on their Mount of Salvation now called Ararat or near there. That's not Noah.

pg. 319

Is this some kind of joke? Is Tim for real?  Is he actually interpreting the Bible narrative of the flood through the Book of Enki which is about aliens who came to earth to mine for gold and genetically engineered mankind to be their slaves!!?

Some 445,000 years ago, astronauts from another planet came to Earth in search of gold. Splashing down in one of Earth's seas, they waded ashore and established Eridu, "Home in the Faraway." In time the initial settlement expanded to a full-fledged Mission Earth-with a Mission Control Center, a spaceport, mining operations, and even a way station on Mars. Short of manpower, the astronauts employed genetic engineering to fashion Primitive Workers-Homo sapiens. The Deluge that catastrophically swept over the Earth required a fresh start; the astronauts became gods, granting Mankind civilization, teaching it to worship. Then, about four thousand years ago, all that had been achieved unraveled in a nuclear calamity, brought about by the visitors to Earth in the course of their own rivalries and wars.

What's next?  Will he discourse on Niburu and Planet X and how man was created by alien gods? All of that is in the Lost Book of Enki. This false and occult information makes it into the authoritative sourcebook on page 267 and is a solid part of his case.

Mt. Ararat in Turkey has the wrong name, in the wrong direction, 12,000' too short, is not mountains but is the site where the Nephilim claim to have landed when they survived.
At this point Tim has gone totally off the deep end into esoteric texts that have no basis as being true. It's no wonder he is not satisfied with using the Bible alone to prove his case because the Bible contradicts him on multiple points especially concerning the flood and the law. 

https://www.ophirinstitute.com/sources

Strangely the Book of Enki is not listed as an official extra-biblical source.

Guess what else forms part of Tim's "Monumental Case For The Philippines No One Can Disprove." A rant against Oprah Winfrey!

pg. 57

We know media mogul, Oprah, would like to disparage Yahuah because He supposedly told Adam where the gold was which is complete ignorance as He never had to tell Adam where the gold was because Adam was created in the Land of Gold. It is the marker resource in identifying this region which is preserved to this day. Let us not pretend Oprah, as a billionaire is not serving Mammon (god of money) herself thus this  was a very hypocritical statement from her.

What is he talking about? Why is this in the book? What does this have to do with anything!? I tried to look this up and I think it has to do with her review of John Steinbeck's book East of Eden but I just don't know and since Tim does not tell us I'm not going to bother to search further.

Parts of Tim's book are devoted to revealing the Philippines in prophecy. In fact revealing the Philippines' place in prophecy is actually the whole point of his book and videos. Did you know the fact that because no one in the Philippines trusts anyone else resulting in everyone's house being enclosed behind a wall to prevent thieves from barging in identifies the Philippines in the book of Ezekiel?
Ezekiel 38:13 KJV 
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
Some focus on the young lions in this passage.  The word כְּפִיר: kephiyr is also defined "village (as covered by walls)" which the Philippines has walls or concrete especially fences everywhere. It is one of the first icons once notices when they visit there.
pg. 77
Commenting elsewhere on this verse Tim writes:
Again, this is where some attempt to force Britain into this when it is interpreted "young lions." However the word in Hebrew is also defined as "a village covered by walls." Anyone visiting the Philippines quickly notices the entire nation is a walled village. Most properties are fenced in with large concrete walls or the like.

This is a further fit to the rest of Isaiah's prophecies about the Philippines in context as Ezekiel knew as well the significance of this land.

pg. 251
Isaiah and Ezekiel were prophets to the nation of Israel. If we are to believe what Tim writes then these prophets were prophesying to the Israelites about a land and people they had no knowledge of and which would only figure in during the end times thousands of years in the future. It's not that the Israelites had no knowledge of Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish. Of course they knew those lands. But the Philippines lay far out of sight on the other side of the world. 

Tim is adamant that the island of Cebu is actually Sheba.
Now that we know who is not the Queen of Sheba is there a way to pinpoint where she originated? We believe this can be accomplished by using the Hebrew language in her island for Sheba is in fact Cebu.
pg. 84
Following this paragraph is a long disputation using Hebrew words to ferret out the hidden meaning of Cebu. Tim says it is derived from the words "shebu" and "sebu." Take note that linguistics is Tim's method to uncover Bible mysteries. Not archaeology or exploration. Instead of going to Cebu to hunt for the remains of such a splendid kingdom as Sheba must have been he sits in his computer chair and constructs fake etymologies based on similarity of sounds. Cebu originates from a Cebuano word meaning trade.
The name "Cebu" came from the old Cebuano word sibu or sibo ("trade"), a shortened form of sinibuayng hingpit ("the place for trading"). It was originally applied to the harbors of the town of Sugbu, the ancient name for Cebu City. Sugbu or Sugbo, in turn, was derived from the Old Cebuano term for "scorched earth" or "great fire"
Identifying the island of Cebu as the kingdom of Sheba is very problematic for Tim because when he maps out the Greek's alleged knowledge of the Philippines he points to only two mythical islands, Chryse and Argyre, as being Luzon and Mindanao respectively. But here he is telling us that the Queen of Sheba lived on Cebu island and that the Israelites were aware of this.
Ophir had a brother named Sheba had a descended ruling his region in 970 B.C. who was visited by Solomon's navy in her land of Sheba...
pg. 78-79
If Solomon's navy actually landed in Cebu and the Greeks inherited the shipping routes of those Phoenician sailors as Tim claims they did then why is there no island corresponding to Cebu in any Greek description of the world? Are we to believe the Greeks knew about Luzon and Mindanao but forgot about Cebu? It makes no sense whatsoever. It is more evidence against Tim's erroneous postulations about the identity of the Philippines.

The identity of Cebu as Sheba plays a large part in Tim's interpretation of Matthew 12:42 and is key to understanding what he believes about the role of Filipinos in the end times.
Matthew 12:42 KJV (Parallel in Luke 11:30) 
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
The Queen of the South still remains a designation of Cebu and Iloilo to this day and she will rise up. This means Messiah knew she would be put down for a season. She will judge this generation which is the final generation as in the passage, He defines this era where people will be seven more times demon possessed. Who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon? The Queen of Sheba. This is the Philippines which ascends to a position on the world amphitheater . It ill have a say in the judgement of the world and it's hierarchy. this is significant. We believe we are already beginning to witness the grass roots moment which will lead to this fulfillment. Ezekiel confirms the timing as Sheba, Tarshish and DDN, Philippines will rise up early in the narrative not at the end.
pg. 252
Tim interprets this passage to be a prophecy that the Philippines, personified as the Queen of the South, will rise up in the end times, reestablish God's law, and condemn the New World Order.
These isles in the East will judge the New World Order and the final generation not on Judgement Day but now. In order to become a judge one must have an adherence to the law or they have no measure by which to judge. Wait til you find out Yahuah will restore His law in the archipelago.

pg. 245
That is really all nonsense. The problem with all this is to be found in the preceding verse of Matthew. It seems Tim has completely overlooked Matthew 12:41.
Matthew 12:41 
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
If Tim is going to be consistent then the nation of Iraq, which is where Nineveh is located, will also rise up and condemn the New World Order by restoring God's law. Of course that's not going to happen. Neither is the Philippines going to restore God's law for the law is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ and Christ has come. The law is no more. That is the message of both Hebrews and Galatians. Tim's message that Filipinos will restore God's law is fundamentally anti-Christian.

The simple message of Matthew 12 is that those people who demanded a sign from Jesus are condemned for not believing the miracles and signs already given. It is Jesus who is greater than Jonah and Solomon yet those wicked men refused to believe on Him without a sign to their liking while Jonah and Solomon were believed on even without signs. Therefore at the judgement day the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites will rise up and condemn those wicked people for their unbelief. Why would Jesus, in the midst of condemning those people, give a prophecy about the Philippines in the end times? He wouldn't and he doesn't.

In Tim's hand easy to understand Bible passages like that of Matthew 12 become complex and familiar stories like that of Jonah become strange and unfamiliar. We all know the Bible says God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah but Tim thinks it was actually Leviathan.
Jonah 1:17 KJV
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

We know in Sunday school we are told this was a whale. However, it says simply great fish. Whatever it was Jonah survived in it's belly for three days and nights. We have no hesitation in positing on a thought on this however. Science has proven a man could not likely survive in a whale's stomach and it leaves scholars with no answer.  So consider this as a theory on this side note. This would have to be a sea creature with the capacity for Jonah to breath while inside it's inners and large enough to support a man. This stumps the best of scholars if they are honest about it. Our theory is this may have been, and we cannot prove this, Leviathan, the great sea creature recorded in the Book of Job as living at the bottom of the sea but also breathing fire. This requires oxygen within his apparatus and he was massive in size thus it would make sense that Yahuah sent Leviathan to swallow Jonah. Again, we cannot prove that as we have yet to see Leviathan but it does make sense.

pg. 121
You got to give it to Timothy, that is some interesting out of the box thinking. Very creative. In one fell swoop he concocts a fantastical scenario he claims he cannot prove and he does away with the miraculous nature of the whole event by trying to get all scientific. When has science "proven a man could not likely survive in a whale's stomach" and why would it even matter? Apply that kind of thinking to the resurrection and you will soon become an atheist.

As we saw above in Matthew 12:41 Jonah is a type, a prefiguring, of Jesus Christ. As Jonah was in the belly of the whale so Christ was in the heart of the earth. Jonah entered the belly of the whale, and Christ does use the Greek word for whale or great fish, after God, in His wrath, sent a storm. Leave it to Tim to take the miracle out of that part of Jonah's story as well.

If Jonah was only headed to Spain or Britain, then he would have been swallowed in the Mediterranean Sea which is certainly not known for the severe tempests over the ocean like this.

pg. 123
It's hard to believe that Tim has missed the miraculous nature of the story of Jonah but there it is in his book. The fact is God sent a strong storm and as soon as Jonah was tossed overboard the storm immediately ceased. He was then swallowed, according to the Hebrew and Greek, by a great fish or whale and not the fire breathing serpent Leviathan. He survived in the belly of that fish for three days and then was vomited onto the shore. His survival was due solely to God's providence and direction of the entire event. There is nothing natural about the story of Jonah. It is all miraculous and it is all a prefiguring of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to Matthew 12.

Another familiar Bible story that Tim flips upside down is the story of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Remember Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from that tree or else they would die. It seems Tim thinks this prohibition was because the fruit was actually poisonous. The fruit was not an apple or a fig but lanzones.

After quoting from the Book of Enoch which describes the fruit of the Tree of Wisdom Tim writes:
Lanzones appears to be the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in Enoch's description as it is a perfect fit in every way. Could there be such a history that Lanzones could be poison?

Lanzones originates in the Tagalog word Lason for "poison to morals or mind." This is perfectly fitting an very similar to the Hebrew "Lashon" which denotes essentially a poison tongue in some applications and even a golden wedge or bar in others tying to Ophir and Havilah. To the right, you will notice insets of the Carob and Lanzones Trees. Notice the leaves and branches revery similar as Enoch recorded. The Lanzones fruit certainly appears as grapes growing on a tree as described.

Can we really say this? Well, we were not there but in reading Enoch's very obvious reference this does match. However, we are not the first to say so as Philippines legend concurs. It was purged of such poison but one must ask how this can possibly end up matching the Book of Enoch
pg. 316
pg.317

He then quotes a Filipino legend about lanzones and writes the following conclusion:
According to this oral legend passed through generations in Laguna, Lanzones was once known to be poison. Where might a legend like that derive? The Book of Enoch yet again? An angel removed the poison and the tree was good to eat after that. Of course, this is a legend and there is no need to verify the story as much as we realize, legends like this usually have some sort of basis in ancient events many times. In this case, this happens to match what Enoch was describing in the Book of Enoch. Thus, we believe there is a connection.

pg. 318
The portion Tim quotes from Enoch says nothing about the fruit being poisonous. He pulls that assumption out of the air and then digs into a local Filipino legend about lanzones once being poisonous. They are only safe to eat now because an angel removed the poison. Just as he did with Jonah Tim excises the supernatural elements in the story of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The tree is no longer a unique tree but the humble lanzones tree. The reason God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from it was because it was poisonous. But somewhere down the line the poison was removed and now we can all partake of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil during the summer when the fruit is harvested and sold at the market.

There are many other absurdities in this book but let's look at one more that has to do with Tim personally.  Twice in this book he claims he is part Native American.
Though our leader who is of mixed Native American and European descent.......

pg. 18

Some of this author's ancestors were Native American Indians who were all but wiped from the face of the Earth when they rebranded them as "savages."

pg. 252
Why would information about Tim's genetic make-up be in a book which is "The Monumental Case For the Philippines No One Can Disprove?" It does not make any sense until you get to page 343.
In history, red skin is considered that of Native American Indian or the Filipino.
When have Filipinos ever been called Red Skins? Let's cut to the chase. Does Tim's face betray any Native American ancestry? How about his brother's face or his grandmother's face?


Those are all white people! If Tim has any Native American blood coursing through his veins it is an insignificant amount just like Senator Elizabeth Warren

The reason Tim stresses his Native American ancestry is because he wants his Filipino readers to think he is just like them. He has red skin, Filipinos have red skin, therefore they are the same. Except Tim is MORE EQUAL than Filipinos because Native Americans "were all but wiped from the face of the Earth!" Tim hails from a tribe of people who have been oppressed on a scale that outweighs anything that ever happened during the Spanish and American occupations of the Philippines.

What we have here is a guy who loathes the fact that he is a White American man and is latching on to anything that can transform him into a persecuted minority. It might be the ultimate case of going native as Tim is attempting to paint himself as being not only genetically identical to Filipinos with red skin but also being a member of a people group that has been more oppressed than them. But it has nothing to do with the Philippines being Ophir so who cares? Why is it in the book??

Friday, January 15, 2021

Retards in the Government 189

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


 

https://mb.com.ph/2021/01/08/assailants-in-face-masks-gun-down-brgy-councilor-in-cagayan/

A barangay councilor died of multiple gunshot wounds as he was about to meet with purported visitors at his home in Zone 1, Barangay Babayuan here on Wednesday, January 6. 

Police Regional Office 2 (PRO-2) Information Officer Lt. Col. Andree Abella identified the victims as Ferdinand Javier, 46, councilor of Barangay Babayuan. 

According to Amulung Police, Barangay Babayuan Chairperson Dennis S. Mallilin called them at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, to report the shooting incident. 

The police said Javier was in front of his house, and was about to meet some strangers in face masks, who were looking for him, when he was shot as he was walking towards them. 

The suspects reportedly fled onboard a black pick-up truck, which did not bear any license plate.

Another LGU official assassinated by unknown gunmen.


https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/01/08/2069028/14-dpwh-district-engineers-relieved

Fourteen district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways have been relieved in connection with allegations of corruption, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said yesterday.

He said the relief of the DPWH personnel was in response to the recent order of President Duterte to immediately relieve the district engineers for alleged involvement in corrupt practices of some lawmakers.

“Actually, those who were mentioned by the President have already been relieved. There were fourteen,” Villar said.

Last month, Duterte ordered the district engineers listed by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) to vacate their posts.

Duterte asked Villar to give him a list of all district engineers in the country after claiming that several of them worked in connivance with congressmen for kickbacks.

Fourteen engineers fired based on mere allegations which Duterte said was not enough to convict anyone when he publicly read their names last year. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1381591/town-councilor-in-maguindanao-survives-ambush

Unidentified gunmen ambushed on Friday a councilor of South Upi town, Maguindanao, the Army said.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Pondanera, commander of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion said councilor Basit Kamid was on board a vehicle with his armed escorts when they were fired upon near the Lamud Elementary School in the village of Lamud, South Upi.

A five-minute clash ensued as Kamid’s armed escorts were able to exchange gunfires before the undetermined number of assailants fled.

“The town councilor escaped unhurt,” said Pondanera.

“He was safe, and nobody in his group was hurt,” Pondanera said in a report to the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based here.

Initial investigation pointed to the possibility the ambush was due to a long standing land conflict in the area that the local government was trying to address to prevent bloodshed.

It could be over a land dispute or it could be the BIFF back in action.

4 men died after being shot in Sitio Bakud, Barangay Banah, Tipo-Tipo town in this province Saturday afternoon. 

According to Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, one of the victims was the chairman of Barangay Matata, Ungkaya Pukan town.

The slain Bin Saudi Sarakil and the 3 others were identified as Usop Abdul Majid, Kain Manisan and Ibrahim Abdulkarim.

The victims were in the car when they were ambushed by unidentified men.

Police are already investigating the motive and identity of the perpetrators.

A banragay captain and his friends were assassinated by unknown gunmen.

A councilor of Sta. Catalina town in southern Negros Oriental was shot dead by motorcycle-riding assassins on Sunday morning, Jan. 10.

Rude Anthony Melodia, 29, was having his car washed along the national highway in the town’s center when three still unidentified gunmen boarding two motorcycles suddenly shot him twice, according to Major Rolan Aliser, acting police chief of Sta. Catalina.

The assassins fled to Bayawan City while Melodia was rushed to the Bayawan District Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival by the attending physicians.

Four empty shells from a caliber .45 pistol were recovered from the crime scene.

Police have yet to determine the identity of the perpetrators and the motive behind the killing.

Sources close to the victim said Melodia had been receiving death threats before he was gunned down.

A town councilor who was receiving death threats was assassinated by unknown gunmen.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1382121/mayor-in-dutertes-drug-list-driver-slain-in-cotabato-town-gun-attack

The town mayor here and his driver was shot dead by an unidentified gunman at 11 a.m. Monday.

Libungan Mayor Christopher “Amping” Cuan was shot dead near a cockfighting arena in Barangay Cabaruyan, only a few meters from his home, according to Colonel Henry Villar, Cotabato province police director.

The mayor, who was in his cargo pants and shirt, was inspecting a cockfighting arena that was under construction when attacked by the armed men.

He and his driver died on the spot.

Cuan’s name had been on President Duterte’s list of drug suspects in 2016, but he had vehemently denied he was involved in illegal drugs and sought out the help of the then Philippine National Police (PNP) Director Gen. Ronaldo Dela Rosa in Camp Crame to clear his name.

Reports said his name was delisted but on Jan. 8, 2019, he was shot by unidentified gunmen in front of the Libungan town hall but survived.

Town mayor on Duterte's drug lists is shot dead in second assassination attempt.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1382610/npd-launches-task-group-to-probe-killing-of-malabon-village-chief

(Based on the report, the victim was busy with his gardening in the backyard. The two assailants then pushed the gate to enter the backyard and then from there shot Velasquez.)

In an updated police report, Malabon police said the two shooters fled from the crime scene, each onboard two motorcycles driven by two other men.

Rejano said witnesses brought Velasquez to the hospital, where he later died. Recovered from the crime scene were 11 fired cartridge cases of an unknown firearm.

In a 2018 Inquirer report, Velasquez was included in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s drugs watchlist released on April 30, 2018.

Another politician on the drug list assassinated by unknown gunmen.

More police checkpoints were set up around Maguindanao following the ambush-slay of an employee of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Region 12 in Datu Odin Sinsuat town on Monday.

“This is to put an end to the rash of highway shooting incidents in the province recently,” Col. Donald Madamba, Maguindanao police director, said in a media interview here on Tuesday.

Gunmen onboard a motorbike trailed and fired on Apinton Ibrahim, an engineering assistant in DPWH-12, while the latter was driving his red Toyota Innova vehicle (ZTK-5591) along Barangay Pinguiaman around 11 a.m. Monday.

“The victim died on the spot,” Maj. Rommel dela Vega, Datu Odin Sinsuat town police chief, said.

Witnesses said the gunmen sped off toward an unknown direction following the shooting.

"We have yet to establish the motive of the killing and the people behind it,” dela Vega said.

On Jan. 6, motorcycle riding-in-tandem suspects also shot dead in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat town Police Cpl. Mark Tendero, 24, while he was on his way home to Libungan town in North Cotabato.

On Dec. 29 last year, riding-in-tandem gunmen also fired upon Army Cpl. Rosendo Oplino of the 37th Infantry Battalion as he was passing through Barangay Gang, also of Sultan Kudarat town, on board his motorcycle, going to this city from his home in Alamada, North Cotabato.

Oplino died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Madamba said the additional checkpoints, most of which are established along the national highway traversing the province, will stay until the string of road shootings stop.

A spate of shooting directed towards government workers and officials have been happening in Maguindanao.

Riyadh Labor Attaché Nasser Mustafa has been placed under preventive suspension after he filed a cyberlibel case against a Filipino couple in Saudi Arabia, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh announced. 

“The recommendation to recall is based on acts committed by Mustafa that are  inimical to the national interest, i.e. to serve and protect the rights and welfare of Filipinos overseas,” it said in a statement. 

Last year, Mustafa filed a cyberlibel complaint against a husband and wife who worked for recruitment agencies in Saudi Arabia after they accused him of sexual harassment and bribery.  

The embassy said the filing “directly violated the mandate of all Philippine government officials assigned at Foreign Service Posts to protect the welfare of Filipinos overseas.” 

It added that Mustafa filed the charge without informing Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Adnan Alonto, or seeking approval from the Department of Foreign Affairs beforehand, “which undermined the One Country-Team Approach.” 

Mustafa was also accused of causing confusion among Saudi authorities since his view on the cyberlibel case differed from that of the embassy, compromising “the credibility of the Philippine government’s commitment to protecting its own nationals residing within the Kingdom.” 

The embassy also said an employee of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), who was under the command responsibility of Mustafa, made a Facebook post on the POLO’s page that “once again undermined the One Country-Team Approach.” 

Under the one country-team approach, all Philippine government workers posted abroad are required to act as a “one country-team with a mission under the leadership of the ambassador.”

This article says he is suspended but PNA says he has also been transferred. It sounds like he has not been a team player.

A police officer who heads the anti-drug unit of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) is now facing dismissal proceedings after testing positive for illegal drug use.

In a statement Wednesday, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas said he has already ordered the conduct of a pre-charge investigation and summary dismissal proceedings against Maj. Jivertson D. Pellovello, head of the ZCPO's City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU).

"Anybody who will test positive for drug use does not deserve to stay in the service any minute longer,” he said.

Pellovello has been placed under restrictive custody and was reassigned to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Section of Police Regional Office 9 while the pre-charge investigation and summary dismissal proceedings against him are ongoing.

Another cop tests positive for drugs.

Former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president and CEO Ricardo Morales and other senior executives of the state health insurer had “conspired” with officials of a private dialysis center that received P33.8 million in emergency funds specifically earmarked for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, according to the National Bureau of Investigation.

The NBI said Morales and his subordinates also ignored policies that they themselves set for the use of the P30-billion interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM) in providing “unwarranted benefits” to B. Braun Avitum Philippines Inc., a dialysis center.

These findings prompted the NBI to bring an administrative and criminal complaint alleging corruption against Morales and more than 20 others in the Office of the Ombudsman.

Hopefully these people can be quickly brought to justice.

The village chief of Barangay Poblacion in Santa Maria town in Davao Occidental was shot on Monday afternoon inside his home. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Claude Bautista of Davao Occidental said the province “mourns the assassination” of Barangay Captain Alex Abe inside his home along Jassi Street in Barangay Poblacion at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. 

“He religiously echoed the guidelines issued by the President on the conduct of anti-drugs operations. He successfully declared his barangay as drug free,” Claude said. 

He added that Abe had received death threats when he arrested two known drug dealers in the village.

Alex Abe is the 5th LGU assassinated this week. 

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Coronavirus Lockdown: 15-Fold Increase, Normalcy By 2023, and More!

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

Even though the DOH has assured the public that the new mutant strain of COVID-19 has not entered the Philippines authorities are still prepping for the inevitable. Some experts say despite the DOH's assurances the mutant strain still could be in the country.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/07/21/expert-doesnt-rule-out-presence-of-new-covid-19-variant-in-ph

"At this point, we haven't detected it but we shouldn't assume that it's not here," said Dr. Edsel Salvaña, a member of the government's Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) technical working group on new coronavirus variants. 

"We should still take care and do prerequisite vigilance because even the original virus, even if it's not the variant, can still cause spikes."

By spikes he means a 15-fold increase.


https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/1/6/New-COVID-19-variant-Philippines.html

"But if the variant takes over, the 20,000 cases can become almost 300,000 cases by the end of the month. This is what we want to avoid," Wong stressed.

He added that given this surge in infections, deaths could reach 684 instead of just 74 without the new variant.

Although there's no evidence the mutated coronavirus can cause a more severe illness or higher risk of death, the sheer number of COVID-19 cases would overwhelm the healthcare system, reducing its capacity to treat patients, experts said.

"This can become very serious, very dangerous if the variant (from the UK) becomes the dominant strain," Wong said. "But we should also remember that it's within our power to control this through our own behavior."

The good news is that the mutated virus is not necessarily more severe but it would spread faster and overwhelm the health system. The solution to prevent this form happening is the usual following of health protocols. Funnily enough BSP chairman Diokno says people just stop cowering at home and go out.


https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/770725/against-health-experts-advice-bsp-chief-tells-pinoys-to-go-out-stop-cowering-at-home/story/

According to Cedric Castillo’s “24 Oras” report on Wednesday, Diokno said visits to establishments and parks were nearing pre-pandemic levels.

“As of December 29, 2020, visits to places such as grocery and pharmacy and park have approached their pre-COVID levels,” he said.

“The important thing is [to] gain confidence. We have to learn to live with the virus. Let’s not keep cowering and hiding in our residences,” he added.

Meanwhile,  he expressed confidence that the Philippine economy will bounce back from the pandemic by the middle of 2022.

“What we’ve lost last year, we’ll fully recover by middle of next year. Not optimistic. That’s a realistic view of the economy. We have learned our lessons. And as I said, when the pandemic hit us, we were in a position of strength,” he said.

“The 6.5 to 7.5% projection for next year is based on the assumption that we will be able to vaccinate a great majority of our people by the first half of 2022. Any early introduction of the vaccine in the Philippines will even improve that.”

It makes sense that the BSP Chief wants people to go out in order to stimulate the economy. Just be sure to wear your face mask, face shield, and keep your distance.

The Philippines will most certainly adopt a COVID vaccine passport system.  Rep. Cayetano is the latest to file a resolution.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1126615

Cayetano said the vaccine passport is not just a public health initiative, but also a key element in bringing back public confidence and reviving the economy.

“It is therefore essential that we immediately establish a credible certification system — a Vaccine Passport — which will allow Filipino travelers to reconnect with the rest of the country and the world,” Cayetano said.

He made the proposal after the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases rolled out the government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination road map.

He noted that vaccine passports or certificates are already being used in some countries, particularly citing Bahrain where the vaccination certificates are provided to individuals after they complete their vaccination schedule.

A brilliant move that he links the passport to economic recovery. According to a recent survey not everyone is onboard with taking the vaccine.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-07/nearly-half-in-philippines-don-t-want-covid-vaccine-survey-says

Almost half of Philippine citizens are not inclined to get a Covid-19 vaccine mainly due to safety concerns, according to a survey by pollster Pulse Asia. 

Only nearly a third of 2,400 Filipino adults polled said they are willing to be vaccinated, while 21% couldn’t say yet if they want to be inoculated. Of those who don’t want to get the vaccine, 84% said they are “not sure of its safety.

That could really throw a monkey wrench in the government's plans for recovery as they say 60% of the population needs to be inoculated in order to reach herd immunity.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/01/08/21/60-pct-of-filipinos-must-get-covid-19-shots-dost-says-as-surveys-bare-vaccine-hesitancy

About 3 in 5 Filipinos should be inoculated against the novel coronavirus, the Department of Science and Technology said on Friday, even as recent surveys revealed that most respondents shun receiving COVID-19 vaccines. 

(For us to have high confidence that COVID-19 will not spread, there should be herd immunity. According to what experts told us, at least 60 percent of our population should be vaccinated.)

Hopefully the government can meet their goals.

The pandemic can't stop Filipino traditions such as the Black Nazarene Festival.

(The Nazarene is an expression of God’s love.  The Lord is with us especially now that the pandemic has made our lives more challenging.  Many people lost their jobs, most of us are confined to our homes, barrios, barangays. But we know that God is with us.)


(He [referring to Jesus Christ] joins us in our situation. He doesn’t mind the cross that he is carrying. He is with us even though the cross makes him stumble. No matter what kind of cross we are carrying in our lives, let us pray to Christ, especially during this holy mass, to make us holy.)

Despite their triumphant faith in God the DOH says all those who participated in the annual ritual of venerating the Black Nazarene should monitor themselves for symptoms. The Palace says there has been a "post-holiday surge" as 1,900 new cases have been logged on January 10th..


There are several vaccines on the way to the Philippines. One is from India.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/11/21/ph-signs-deal-to-secure-30-million-doses-of-covid-19-vaccine-covovax

The Philippine government has signed a deal to secure the supply of 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine Covovax from Serum Institute of India (SII), the latter's local partner said on Sunday.

The agreement was signed on Saturday by Carlito Galvez, a former military general in charge of the Philippines' strategy to fight the coronavirus, according to a statement issued by SII's local partner, Faberco Life Sciences Inc.

The vaccine is kept at a temperature of "2 to 8 degrees centigrade," according to Faberco medical director Dr. Luningning Villa.

(We don't need to store it in ultra-low temperature, it can be distributed to even the farthest areas.)

The cold storage issue will be a determine factor in which cities receive which brand of vaccine because the Philippines lacks adequate cold storage facilities.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/11/21/only-major-cities-to-get-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-due-to-storage-issues-palace

The COVID-19 vaccine that US-based Pfizer developed would be available only to "major cities," Malacañang said on Monday, as authorities sought to inoculate two-thirds of Filipinos this year. 

Pfizer's vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius and facilities for this are limited, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. 

(Even in America which ordered so many doses from Pfizer, these are wasted because from factory to deliver, the cold chain is not followed.)

(For those who have colonial mentality who want Pfizer, you can wait, but this is our warning: it can only be distributed to major cities because we really don't have cold chain capacity outside Metro Manila.)

What does "colonial mentality" have to do with anything? People want Pfizer because that is a trusted pharmaceutical company unlike whatever companies are making vaccines in India and China. It's about brand recognition. It's also about cost and effectiveness.



The PNP has been saying crime is down during the pandemic but apparently kidnapping is up!


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1127105

The number of kidnapping cases involving Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) almost doubled last year amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) said on Tuesday. 

Citing latest data, AKG director Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo said a total of 17 POGO-related kidnapping incidents was recorded in 2020, with 10 cases filed, 23 victims rescued, 33 suspects arrested and two suspects killed during police operations. 

This translates to an 88-percent increase from only nine incidents recorded in 2019, with 13 victims rescued, 34 suspects arrested and six cases filed.


There was a slight increase in the recorded cases particularly in the year 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since there was a stoppage on the operations of the online gaming casinos, employers have no profit and in order to survive they will detain their employees and deprive them and ask for money in exchange for liberty to their families abroad,” Estomo told reporters.

For the PNP an 88% increase is "slight." If your employer is kidnapping you so that can make a profit then you had better get a new job. Why does the government allow these places to operate?

Are you tired of all the pandemic noses? Don't worry because normalcy will soon be here in 2023.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/13/21/normalcy-in-2023-if-govt-private-sector-communities-unite-vs-covid-19-says-vaccine-czar

Filipinos may see some sense of normalcy by 2023 if the country takes a unified front to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, an official leading the immunization effort against the disease said on Wednesday, as the country remained under quarantine nearly a year since it was first imposed.  

The mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus requires engaged government agencies and the private sector, "highly committed" local officials, a supportive academe, a well-prepared health care system, and adequately informed communities, said Carlito Galvez Jr, Chief Implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19. 

"It is only through this that we can implement a sustainable immunization program to recover the economy and restore normalcy in the lives of the Filipino people by 2023 through our bayanihan spirit," he said in a public briefing. 

A well-prepared health care system? Adequately informed communities? Highly committed LGU's? Looks like normalcy is farther off than 2023!

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Local Electric Company Illegally Dumps Their Garbage

The Philippines is garbage central. 

"Garbage central" does not mean that the Philippines is an awful place. It's not. It just means there is garbage EVERYWHERE. And it's not just plain old litter. It's makeshift garbage heaps and people not securing their garbage bins which allows dogs to spread it everywhere and many other things like burning garbage. It's on the land, in the water, and even in the air!

Let's just get to the point here. I was out and about and I saw the local electric company tossing their garbage onto an illegal garbage heap. I whipped out my camera as fast as I could but I was not fast enough and only got the following two pictures:


In the first picture they are getting away. In the second picture you can see the heap of wires they tossed onto the pile. 

I wish I had been quick enough to get a video but I wasn't. After the electric company dumped their trash another guy rolled up a cart and offloaded a huge rice bag full of trash.

This guy who lives in the village dumping his garbage on the illegal dump is one thing but the electric company doing it is another thing all together. There is absolutely no excuse for them.