Insurgency: Brink of Victory

The Philippine Army has a new chief. Major General Andrres Centino is now in command. During his assumption-of-command ceremony he gave an interesting speech declaring that the Philippines is on the "brink of victory" against various security threats.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1140613

"The PA is the prime force provider in the campaign of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to address insurgency and terrorism. Today as we simultaneously wage war in different fronts working within a whole of-nation framework, the Army, all stakeholders, our country is on the brink of victory against the communist insurgency, secessionism, and terrorism," Maj. Gen. Andres Centino said in his speech during the assumption-of-command ceremony at the PA headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Centino said this victory will come soon as the AFP is led by a Commander-in-Chief (President Rodrigo R. Duterte) whose "unflinching resolve" fuels their determination to finally put an end to the conflict that has plagued the country for years.

"With all the instrumentalities and agencies of government focused now on doing their respective mandate channeling all efforts towards the united front through the President's issuance of Executive Order 70 and the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC), we have been able to focus and execute our core functions as your Philippine military to ensure victory over the enemy," he added.

"Interagency cooperation and collaboration have enabled our Army units in the field to engage the enemy decisively, resulting in dismantled guerilla fronts, reduction in the enemy strength, and the liberation of communities from the clutches of the communist terrorist group," he added.

"Additionally, the Army (has) attained desired level of readiness for us to effectively support the AFP's campaign and the programs of the national government as such we are poised to provide a ready and disciplined force able to maneuver and employ capabilities to accomplish campaign objectives across a range of military operations," he added.

"We will sustain our endeavor to modernize. Acquisition of new equipment and technology shall be prioritized," he added. 

He added that he will remain focused on key thrusts of the service such as readiness improvement, personnel management, operations, intelligence, logistics, and training.

"This (will) provide our soldiers (with) the advantage in the fights that lie ahead. These priority areas will serve as (a) framework to build (and modernize) our Army anchored on the guidelines of the Army Transformation Roadmap," he added.

"With these thrusts achieved, we will have a PA that is built on genuine transformation, an Army with modern technology and capability, an army that is professional, well equipped, and an Army of world-class standard and the pride of the Filipino people," Centino said.

Maj. Gen. Centino says the Philippines is "on the brink of victory against the communist insurgency, secessionism, and terrorism." What's really interesting here is his inclusion of secessionism. The reason for the Islamic insurgency is because the Muslims want Mindanao. They see that island as their ancestral domain. The Islamic insurgency grew out of the Muslim Independence Movement. The culmination of this movement is the BARMM which is an autonomous Muslim governed region in the Philippines. 

 “We have not given up on our struggle.” 

“We are not surrendering. Decommissioning is not tantamount to surrendering,” said Ebrahim, who is also Chief Minister of the interim Bangsamoro government. 

“I would like to emphasize that the decommissioning doesn’t mean we have given up on what we used to fight for,” Ebrahim emphasized.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/martial-law-insurgent-free.html

What the MILF used to fight for, the reason the group broke away from the MNLF, is the formation of an independent Muslim Mindanao. Will they continue to pursue this goal? According to Murad the answer is yes. How they continue this fight remains to be seen. So it's rather odd that the new Chief of the Army would say they are on the brink of victory against secessionism when the BARMM represents secessionism.

Another thing he mentions is "interagency cooperation and collaboration" in the field has led to the Army dismantling fronts, reducing enemy strength, and liberating communist controlled communities. This is a good thing and one hopes it can remain that way as this sort of cooperation was sorely lacking during the Marawi siege.

Instead of working together toward a common goal the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force were sometimes more concerned about their pride. Take the instance of one Air Force commander who ignored the requests of an Army commander to drop bombs until he was issued an apology for being shouted at.

Butler carried on with the immense duty of being the liaison, dispatching flights, choosing options, sometimes second guessing commanders. And sometimes, it felt as though he was the commanding general of the Air Force. Charlie got used to having him around, sige, alam mo na 'yan.  You know what to do.  

One of the battalion commanders gave him hell for delaying a flight when his troops were waiting for the bomb drop. Butler had to pull his phone away from his ears as the barrage of invectives came through; in retaliation he ignored the commander's bomb run requests in his sector for about a week until an apology was offered in a long and winding text message.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/09/book-review-battle-of-marawi-reveals.html

The book "The Battle of Marawi" is quite revelatory as it peels back the layers showing the AFP to be inept and ill-prepared. They even lied in their reports to cover up what exactly happened. In four years has the Army really become "built on genuine transformation, an Army with modern technology and capability, an army that is professional, well equipped, and an Army of world-class standard?" And what does Maj. Gen. Centino mean by "the Army (has) attained desired level of readiness for us to effectively support the AFP's campaign." Is that really accurate when the AFP is engaged in modernizing the military forces?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/787907/new-commander-promises-a-disciplined-philippine-army/story/

"Acquisition of new equipment and technology shall be prioritized," he said, adding the goal is for the country to have a "professional and well equipped" army.

If the goal is for the Philippines to have "a professional and well equipped army" that suggests that currently the Army is neither professional or well equipped.

The last thing to remark on in this speech is his lauding of Duterte's "unflinching resolve" inspires the Army to finally end the conflict. What exactly is this resolve? Is it a resolve to end the insurgency? He does not say and actually Duterte has waffled all over the place when it comes to the CPP-NPA. As Mayor of Davao and at the beginning of his term as President he was on friendly terms with the communists. He even released certain prisoners belonging to the NDFP for peace talks. 

It's also demeaning to past administrations who have been resolved to end the insurgency during their terms. Nearly every president since Cory Aquino has vowed to end the insurgency. The Philippines has been on the brink of ending the insurgency for two decades now. Remember this from 2018?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1049059/afp-on-track-to-end-insurgency-by-mid-2019-says-lorenzana

The Department of National Defense (DND) believes that the military is on track to exterminate Philippine communist insurgency — the longest in Asia — by middle of 2019, as President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier predicted. 

DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in his keynote speech at the agency’s 79th founding anniversary on Wednesday that their recent “victories” are leading to the end of communist insurgency by second quarter of 2019. 

“With the influx of NPA (New People’s Army) surrenderers responding to the President’s sincere call for peace, the inter-agency Task Force Balik-Loob was created last April 2018 to centralize the government’s reintegration efforts for former rebels and oversee the enhanced comprehensive local integration program or e-clip,” Lorenzana noted. 

He then mentioned that as of September 2018, there were 3,443 rebel returnees based on records of the AFP Peace and Development Office. 

Obviously his prediction was wrong. But why was he so confident in the first place? He says 3,443 rebels had surrendered as of September 2018. So how many are left? Since the publication of this article hundreds more have surrendered. In 2010 the NPA was estimated at being less than 5,000.

Perhaps with Maj. Gen. Centino at the helm the Army can push the insurgency over the brink and get the final victory. Apparently Centino is an ardent communist hunter.

https://ptvnews.ph/northern-mindanaos-top-npa-hunter-named-as-new-army-chief/

The new chief served as the AFP deputy chief of staff for operations before his transfer to the 4ID, and was known to be big on hunting down communist rebels. 

There are several articles calling Centino a "Top NPA hunter" but they don't give any evidence or list of accomplishments. If he is big on hunting the NPA he does not seem to big on killing them. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1132740

The identities of six in 10 communist New Peoples Army (NPA) combatants in Northern Mindanao are already known to government authorities, the chief of the Army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID) said.

In a report delivered during the Joint Meeting of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and Regional Task Force ELCAC with President Rodrigo R. Duterte on  Friday afternoon here, Maj. Gen. Andres Centino said the identification of NPA personalities in the region has assisted the military to convince combatants to surrender and pursue rebellion if they resist.

Since NTF-ELCAC was formed through Executive Order (EO 70) in 2018, Centino said 4ID managed to profile 478 of 820 active-duty NPA fighters.

He attributed this to an improved database, which also helped in the discovery of the burial sites of rebels slain by their own comrades so that their bodies could be exhumed and returned to their respective families.

"Before, most of these rebels are known through their aliases, but after (the creation of NTF-ELCAC), we were able to know their real names, and we were able to trace their whereabouts," Centino said.

Just like Duterte and the NTC-ELCAC, Centino wants these rebels to surrender and avail of the E-CLIP program which provides cash, housing, and job opportunities. But he is not averse to killing them if need be.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139074

Maj. Gen. Andres Centino, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, said the latest batch of surrenderers weakened further the communist rebel movement in Bukidnon.

“We will continue to press the fight against the CTG in our area of operations first to pressure them to surrender or decimate their forces through armed engagement if necessary,” he said.

If they all surrendered the insurgency would end quickly but with the NICA saying that there are 300,000 to 400,000 CPP-NPA allies in the government and the proliferation of many front groups, some of which have members in Congress, it's not going to be that easy.

The Philippines' Justice System is Broken Right at the Beginning of the Process

When it comes to the Philippines there is nothing typical. However, there is a usual way of doing things that most people would find appalling. Case in point is the justice system. It is true that in especially high profile cases, whatever the verdict, you will have people on both sides of the ideological spectrum proclaiming either the death of the Philippine justice system or that the system works. Such cases would include the acquittal of GMA, the conviction of Maria Ressa for cyber-libel, and the ouster of Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno via quo warranto instead of impeachment.

This is, of course, not a problem confined to the Philippines. The reactions to the recent trial of Derek Chauvin as well as that of George Zimmerman in the USA also indicates the subjective nature of justice for many people. 

I think the best way to judge the healthiness of the Philippine justice system is not to look at individual cases whose verdicts one may or may not agree with. What is needed is to look at the entire system and see how it works. From the overcrowded prisons to to the assassination of lawyers to the interminable long trial times I'd say the system is busted. But it is out of the purview of this blog to do such a study. 

Instead I want to look at just one recent incident that indicates how broken the Philippines' justice system is.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/784504/drunk-neighbor-hits-child-who-hurt-his-grandson/story/

A drunk grandfather hit a minor who hurt his grandson in a barangay in Taguig City.

According to a report on “24 Oras” on Tuesday, the suspect can be seen in CCTV footage hitting and threatening the minor.

The suspect only stopped hitting the victim after neighbors approached them.

The victim’s aunt said the suspect purposely hit her nephew after the latter hurt his grandson.

(My nephew hurt his grandson so the next day when he was drunk and saw my nephew, he hurt him too.)

The boy’s family went to the barangay to file a complaint against the suspect but was told not to pursue it.

(They want us to dismiss the complaint and just talk to him and fix the situation.)

Meanwhile, barangay captain Edgar Baptista denied the allegation.

(I told them to fix the problem but not dismiss the complaint.)

He added that they already invited the suspect to the barangay.

Meanwhile, the suspect apologized, saying he was drunk and wasn’t able to control his anger.

The victim’s family accepted the apology and told the suspect to not repeat what he did.

Further, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said it will conduct counselling among those involved.

Every single thing about this story is unbelievable. 

First of all Drunk Grandpa beat up a child in retaliation for beating up his grandson. That is terrible.

Second of all the family, instead of calling the police, goes to the barangay to file a complaint. This is the hinge on which the wrongness of the situation turns. They should have called the police and had drunk grandpa arrested for assault. 

Third, the barangay captain, allegedly, advised them to not pursue the case but to just talk to the guy and work it out. True or not, as soon as he heard the case he should notified the PNP and had the man arrested. 

Fourthly, Drunk Grandpa apologized saying he couldn't help it because he was drunk and the family accepted the apology. Apologies are great and so is accepting them but that does not solve anything. Drunk Grandpa should face consequences for his actions. That means going to jail. 

What this story shows is that right at the beginning, justice fails. The cops should have been called on Drunk Grandpa immediately. They were not. Why not? The barangay captain did not notify the police. Why not? And it seems the DSWD will not be contacting the police either. Why not? 

I could speculate endlessly so I won't. What I will say is that this is not an isolated case. I personally know a woman who was assaulted in her home and the PNP told her to not bring charges but settle with the man. They laid out a lot of reasons why to not file a case such as the long time it takes to go though court. She settled with the man for P10,000. I am certain there are many more cases like this where victims settle with their offenders rather than the have the state prosecute them.

What can we conclude? When people are discouraged by the authorities from filing cases against those who commit crimes against them we can conclude the justice system is broken. When people refuse to file cases because they know it costs too much or it takes too long or for whatever reason then we can conclude the justice system is broken. Why these people decided to not file a case is unknown. But from the fact that the barangay captain and the DSWD both decided to not contact the police we can conclude that the justice system in the Philippines is broken.

Retards in the Government 207

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

 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1140361

A former police officer in Floridablanca was arrested in a drug buy-bust on Saturday.

Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, director of Police Regional Office-3 (Central Luzon), said the operatives of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, Provincial Intelligence Unit, and Drug Enforcement Unit of Floridablanca arrested Renan Manacmul, 43, a former policeman, of Purok 1, Barangay Cabangcalan, Floridablanca.

Seized from the suspect were two .45 cal. pistols, a magazine loaded with three live ammunition, five heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing 20 grams with an estimated value of PHP136,000, and a PHP1,000 marked money.

Another ex-PNP officer busted for drugs.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/377929/councilor-of-brgy-day-as-nabbed-for-illegal-recruitment

An incumbent barangay councilor of Barangay Day-as in Cebu City ended up in jail after he was arrested for illegal recruitment. 

Barangay Councilor Regalado Hisoler Jr. was brought to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) detention cell on Friday, May 14, after he was served an arrest warrant issued by Judge Maria Lynna Pacamalan Adviento of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 58, in Cebu City, said Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, head of the intelligence unit of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) in an interview today, May 15. 

Judge Adviento issued on May 4 the warrant of arrest against Hisoler stemming from a case accusing him of violation of Republic Act 10022 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. 

The arrest warrant was served on Friday, May 14 inside the Day-as Barangay Hall. 

The case against Hisoler was filed last 2018 by four complainants, whom he later admitted to be his trainees, said Caballes. 

The four complainants allegedly paid a certain amount for a job abroad to Hisoler’s partner in Manila, who ran a recruitment agency, but they were not sent abroad to work.

Caballes said that Hisoler was just responsible for recruiting the four trainees.

A barangay councilor is accused of recruiting workers who paid big sums but were never sent to work. The case was field in 2018 and he is only now being arrested.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1431976/coa-flags-redundant-consultants-in-ilocos-norte

The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the “unnecessary and redundant” hiring of consultants made by the Ilocos Norte government in 2020.

In its April 18 report, state auditors said the province spent P7.492 million to pay 10 consultants who were hired “on contractual basis” and were paid on a monthly compensation ranging from P30,000 to P154,164.40.

According to the COA, such hiring was “unnecessary” government expenditure under Section 4 of COA circular No. 2012-003.

While it recognized the need of the provincial government to hire consultants, especially those who would assist the province in dealing with the pandemic, the COA found out that their “obligations and functions do not equate with their actual work accomplishments or outputs.”

The government of Ilocos Norte hired redundant and unnecessary workers and waster P7.492 million.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1140687

Governor Suharto Mangudadatu has ordered the 45-preventive suspension of this town's vice mayor and five town council members for alleged graft and corrupt practices, a provincial official said Tuesday.

Lorenzo Balo, Sultan Kudarat provincial legal officer, said the suspension order was contained in an administrative order issued by Mangudadatu after the chairpersons of Barangays Kolambog and Dansuli filed charges against Castillo and colleagues for violation of R.A. 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Vice Mayor Lord Dean Castillo of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat was suspended effective Monday along with Municipal Councilors Rene Aristoza, Mariblithe Cartujano-Garingo, Gina Belmes Dael, Ryan M. Dumaran and Clarice Lagdamen.

“The suspension would allow the respondents to air their sides in the proper forum,” Balo said.

The vice-mayor and 5 councillors of Isulan have been suspended over graft charges.  No word on exactly what those charges entail.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1140676

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, has directed the Manila Police District (MPD) to look into the liability of other people who were seen in a street boxing match in the district of Tondo which could become a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) superspreader event.

In a video posted on social media, Eleazar said the local police must continue their probe to determine charges against participants and viewers of the match because they did not observe health protocols.

Reports said the MPD has already filed charges against Barangay 182 councilor Arnel Saenz and his son Vincent for violating guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases as well as illegal gambling and game-fixing.

Also charged was Lawrence Bindoy, the village secretary's husband. who purportedly collected bets for the match.

A barangay councilor and his son have been arrested for arranging street boxing match. Other reports say that the fight is part of their local fiesta tradition.

Coronavirus Lockdown: Free Donuts, No to Vaccine Passes, and More!

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

All around the world governments are deciding whether or not to give vaccine passes which allow vaccinated individuals to have special privileges such as being able to partake of indoor activities. In the Philippines the DOH says they are against such a measure.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/05/14/2098224/doh-says-no-vaccine-passes-special-access-indoor-activities-services

The Department of Health said it was not in favor of a proposal to have “vaccine passes” that would allow vaccinated individuals access to indoor activities and services.

In a briefing Friday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed there was scant evidence suggesting fully-vaccinated individuals will no longer get sick or transmit COVID-19 to other people.

“As we have said, the benefit that we can get from vaccines is reducing severe infections and hospitalization. As to preventing mild to moderate infections, we cannot give that assurance to the public,” Vergeire said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“Even if you are fully vaccinated, meaning you have completed two doses, you still need to follow minimum health protocols. The DOH cannot recommend this so-called vaccine pass yet,” she added.

The reason given is because the vaccine does not eve work! It does not prevent one from getting infected. So why take it?? What's the point of getting a vaccine against a virus with an over 90% survival rate that does not even prevent you from getting infected? The DOH even recommends vaccinated people still wear face masks because fully vaccinated people can still get infected.

The Philippines is hoping for herd immunity by Christmas. Perhaps it is then that vaccine passports can be issued.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1432138/concepcion-consider-vaccine-passes-once-herd-immunity-is-achieved-2

Vaccine passes can be considered once herd immunity is achieved in the so-called National Capital Region Plus area (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal) , Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said Saturday. 

Concepcion said reaching the herd immunity in NCR Plus is “quite possible” by the end of the year and one system that can be adapted is vaccine passes.

He said vaccine passes give those already inoculated with the COVID-19 jabs greater mobility to resume normal activities.

“By letting this portion of the population travel, dine in restaurants, or visit gyms, they can help businesses get back on their feet while we wait for everyone to get vaccinated,” Concepcion said in a statement.

“Diners, travelers, shoppers, even the cashiers and waiters – they can be confident that they are around other vaccinated people,” he added.

This of course depends on people being vaccinated and that depends on government's not being negligent in handling the vaccine.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1140226

The 348 Coronavac doses left in a freezer without electricity for more than two days in Makilala, North Cotabato, have been damaged and are no longer usable for vaccination.

Dr. Philbert Malaluan, speaking for North Cotabato’s inter-agency task force (IATF) addressing the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), said Friday the Department of Health (DOH) 12 (Soccsksargen) has confirmed that the vaccines could no longer be used.

Makilala municipal health officer Dr. Gina Sorilla said the vaccines were intended for senior citizens.

Lito Cañedo, Makilala IATF spokesperson, said the vaccines were kept at the municipal health office’s freezer and were supposed to be used for vulnerable sectors on May 10. 

However, a power outage occurred at about 12:30 p.m. on May 7.

“Due to the power outage, the health workers and the police in charge of securing the vaccines decided to transfer the vials to the freezer of the Makilala police office,” Cañedo said, adding that the freezer at the police station was powered by a generator set during the duration of the brownout.

He said the power supply from the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) was restored at about 2 p.m. on May 7 but nobody managed to switch the power supply to the Cotelco source after the generator was shut down.

Cañedo said municipal office workers, including health personnel, left at 3 p.m. as part of health protocols and for workplace disinfection.

“So, nobody noticed on Friday that the freezer was not switched backed to regular power supply,” he said.

Negligence? On whose part exactly? This is the problem with regular power outages in the Philippines. The electric company should carry much of the blame. Negligence would be some LGUs storing vaccines with food!

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/15/21/covid19-vaccines-stored-separately-cold-storage-requirements

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reminded local government units that COVID-19 jabs should be stored separately from food, as this is not a part of the country's protocol on vaccine handling. 

The statement from the department came amid reports that some localities supposedly have contracts with food chain suppliers tapped for storing and transporting vaccines. 

"Sinabi na po natin na (we already said that) the vaccines should have a separate storage, it should not be mixed with food kung mayroon man tayo (if we have)," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a public briefing. 

(Maybe some local governments mix the vaccines with food, because there are vaccines that can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees, in a refrigerator but this is wrong.)

In late January, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. told local government units and private companies to observe national government-set vaccine cold storage standards and not just resort to their own refrigeration measures.

The thing about being Filipinos is doing whatever you think it takes to make a job work. It's like using

a knife to open a can when there is a can opener in the drawer. This is no different.

One would think the best way to convince people to get the vaccine is dissenting information about its effectiveness.  Of course sine the vaccine is not effective at all in preventing infection it's better to lure the people with food.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/17/21/free-donuts-ensaymada-lawmaker-backs-incentives-to-boost-covid-19-vaccinations

Sen. Richard Gordon on Monday urged private firms to partner with the government in providing incentives to encourage more Filipinos to be inoculated against COVID-19.

A certain donut shop has agreed to provide free donuts for those who will avail COVID-19 jabs from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Gordon, who chairs the non-profit agency, told ANC's Headstart.

"It's part of their contribution. We must feel that everybody is carrying the load," he said.

"For example, Starbucks, papayag sila na magbibigay ng kape o ensaymada kapag nagpa-vaccinate," he said.

"We really have to incentivize people na country first, community first, before yourself," he said.

Roque even thinks receiving cash assistance from the government should be dependent upon one's vaccination status.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1433144/roque-make-covid-19-vaccination-a-condition-to-get-cash-aid

(If there is future cash aid to be distributed, maybe beneficiaries can also be asked to be vaccinated before getting their aid so that many more people will get COVID-19 shots.) 

(This will remain voluntary. We’re just making vaccination as a condition if they want to receive their aid.)

Vaccines will remain voluntary unless you want aid. Then it's not exactly voluntary now is it? This kind of law will affect the poorest the most. Thank goodness this is only the proposal of Duterte's toady and not an actual elected official. Hopefully no one thinks this is a good idea and it is rejected.

For his part, Duterte says unvaccinated people should stay inside. He is also warning of "a more serious attack" because of the many variants.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1433077/duterte-on-new-covid-variants-prepare-for-a-more-serious-attack

Saying it’s “good to prepare for a more serious attack,” President Rodrigo Duterte said the government should continue improving its COVID-19 systems amid the rise of new variants.

During a taped briefing aired Tuesday, Duterte said that the country must “prepare for the worst” should there be a “more serious” COVID-19 variant to hit the country.

“I would be happy if you continue to build the infrastructure of our COVID-19 fight system because for as long as COVID-19 is here, it would take a lot of time before it would finally disappear—if at all—and with the advent of the new variants, it is good to prepare for a more serious attack,” Duterte said.

Duterte said the Philippine government is continuing and recalibrating its preparedness in accordance to the propagation of the new variants.

“Kung medyo palapit na palapit na at marami nang tinatamaan [If it really comes closer and a lot of people are already infected], then we will go full blast and making everything operational,” Duterte said.

It sounds like the government is preparing for more lockdowns and restrictions.

It's not that Filipinos as a whole are "vaccine hesitant."  They are simply waiting for their favorite brand before getting the jab. That is why there was a huge crowd at the Pfizer vaccination events in Manila.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1433558/crowds-at-pfizer-jab-sites-possible-superspreaders

The huge crowd that turned up for shots of the US-made Pfizer vaccine in hopes of being better protected against COVID-19 could ironically become a “superspreader” event, health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon warned on Tuesday.

Despite the experts’ and government’s constant reminder for the public to take any vaccine offered to them, the Filipinos’ preference for certain vaccine brands manifested itself in the “octopus-like” queues in sites offering Pfizer shots, and the near-empty venues where Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccines were being rolled out.

One factor driving the “huge crowd is the brand of the vaccine, due to the science-based approach and real world experience of success [in] Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States,” Leachon said.

Hearing that the Pfizer vaccine would be offered in Manila and Parañaque cities, thousands of people, most of them walk-ins without confirmed vaccination appointments, crowded a mall in Parañaque City and ignored social distancing protocols.

The lack of crowd control and confusing instructions on the ground also led to hours of waiting and unnecessary exposure among vaccinees, some of them elderly and wheelchair-bound.

The Department of Health (DOH) has reminded the public to register and get a confirmed appointment before showing up at the vaccination site, as there is a limit to the number of vaccines that can be administered in a day.

“We need to improve our communication to the public [so they’d know] that they need to wait for their schedule for vaccination (through text messages),” DOH National Capital Region Director Gloria Balboa said at the Laging Handa online briefing on Tuesday.

There are two factors here driving the crowds.  One is that everyone wants Pfizer.  The solution, according to Dr. Tony Leach, is to have "brandless vaccinations" where the brand is not announced beforehand. Of course such a move would deny the people's right to be informed about what exactly is being put in there bodies. 

Th second factor is lack of communication from the DOH to the people. One would think after a year of this mess they would have that down by now.  It seems not. To prevent future crowding the PNP says they will be deploying their "medical force."

Retards in the Government Special Edition: New PNP Chief With the Same Old Promises

It's that time again. Time for the President to pick a new PNP Chief and then time to listen to his opening speech as he takes the reigns. This time there was literally only one man for the job.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/05/02/2095261/only-one-name-list-next-pnp-chief

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año only has one name on his list for the next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Año said he has submitted the one-man list to President Duterte for his consideration on who will lead the 200,000-strong police force.

“The recommendation has only one name. But the President has the prerogative to also choose anyone with a rank of at least Police Brigadier General in the PNP force,” he told reporters.

Current PNP chief General Debold Sinas, who was embroiled in the Mañanita gaffe that saw him and 18 other cops charged for quarantine protocols, is set to retire on May 8.

He bypassed senior PNP officers when he was named as the PNP chief, succeeding retired General Camilo Cascolan, by President Duterte in November.

The current second-highest ranking police officer in the roster is Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the PNP deputy chief for administration.

PNP Chief Sinas, himself a symbol of protected and privileged corruption because he was never punished for the party he had which violated COVID-19 health protocols, is out the door as he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 56. And who is to take his place? Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar of course. 

Immediately Eleazar assured the public he would set about launching reforms. Everything from literally cleaning PNP stations to weeding out bad apples.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1893947/Manila/Local-News/Eleazar-to-focus-on-cleanliness-drive-reforms

With his assumption, Eleazar announced the re-launching of the intensified cleanliness policy (ICP), which he first implemented during his stint in the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

Eleazar said the policy focuses on the maintenance of cleanliness in police stations, the implementation of reforms to stop the culture of wrongdoings among policemen, making the PNP recruitment foolproof through a QR code system to avoid “bata-bata” or “padrino” system, and intensification of community-focused peace and order operations.

“If at the very entrance of the police station, cigarette butts and garbage can be seen, and if at the very entrance the breeze is nauseating, it will be difficult for us to gain the respect and trust of our countrymen we serve, ” Eleazar said.

“Even if we have qualified new PNP personnel with the proper training, if these inexperienced policemen will be fellow bad influences who will teach them the wrong systems of bribery, laziness, abuse and greed for money, nothing will happen," he added.

There is absolutely nothing new in these promises. In fact we are told that he is "re-launching" the cleanliness policy. Shouldn't such a policy always be in place? It is the same old speech given by every incoming PNP Chief for two decades now. But there is one little twist. Eleazar says he wants to replace corrupt PNP officers with 17,000 new recruits.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/786773/eleazar-eyes-17k-new-recruits-to-replace-corrupt-police-officers/story/

Over 17,000 aspirants will be recruited this year to replace rogue uniformed personnel in the organization, as part of efforts to cleanse the ranks, the new Philippine National Police's top cop said Sunday.

In an interview with "Dobol B TV," newly-installed PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar said he will make sure the recruitment process would only yield "the best candidates for the PNP."

[We start the internal cleansing with the recruitment of 17,000 police this year. We want to get rid of corruption, patronage system in selecting candidates to join 250,000-strong police force.]

(Problems in the police force crop up due to misfits and those with criminal records), Eleazar pointed out.

(Misfits could not have joined the service if the process was done properly), he added.

That is quite a revelation. PNP Chief Eleazar is saying they knowingly hire recruits with criminal records! And to boot he thinks 17,000 new recruits are needed to flush out the corrupt cops. Are there really 17,000 corrupt officers? Do they know the names of these officers? That would be 6.8% of the total number of officers which are corrupt. That is nothing to sneeze at.  

It's not just corrupt cops that is the problem plaguing the PNP. There is also the problem of cops who do not follow protocols. Eleazar is going to work with the DOJ and DILG to handle that mess.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139891

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will map out plans with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for a course of action for erring policemen.

In a message to newsmen on Tuesday, Secretary Menardo Guevarra said DILG Secretary Eduardo Año and PNP chief General Guillermo Eleazar also “expressed their support to the DOJ-led panel reviewing cases of deaths arising from illegal drug operations".

"The DOJ will meet with the DILG and PNP in the coming days to discuss ways to accelerate disciplinary/ legal action against erring police officers," Guevarra said.

In previous interviews, Guevarra admitted that “in more than half of the records reviewed, the law enforcement agents involved failed to follow standard protocols pertaining to coordination with other agencies and the processing of the crime scene".

Guevarra said police officials began internal investigations and recommended administrative and criminal actions.

The inter-agency panel was created by the DOJ in June 2020, following a report from United Nations that "serious human rights violations" in police operations have been committed in the war against drugs. 

You know, there really is not much hope for the PNP. Why aren't there already protocols in place for dealing with PNP officers who do not follow standard protocols when processing a crime scene? Why is this only being acknowledged now after it was exposed by the UN? If these people cared a whit about real reform they would not need the UN to expose their massive misconduct. It is unlikely that Eleazar is going to change a thing. Hopefully he does, but the public shouldn't count on it. Too much is at stake for any real change to happen.