Retards in the Government 219

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1149593

A mayor in South Cotabato province is facing administrative and criminal charges for allegedly using public funds for personal use.

South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said on Friday the local government has filed an administrative complaint for dishonesty and abuse of authority before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) or provincial board against Tboli Mayor Dibu Tuan.

He said the case, which was received by the SP on Thursday, involved the supposed unauthorized and personal use by the mayor of the municipal government’s real property tax (RPT) collections.

The complaint for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act will be filed within the day by the Provincial Legal Office at the Office of the Ombudsman for Mindanao, he said.

“Our audit team tracked down and documented these illegal transactions, and gathered substantial evidence to warrant the filing of charges,” he said in an interview over radio station Bombo Radyo in Koronadal City.

The governor said the case stemmed from the discovery early this year by the Provincial Treasurer's Office (PTO) of numerous real property owners, including companies, in Tboli that have standing RPT delinquencies.

He said it came out during the tax mapping by the PTO in January and February in line with the province-wide condonation of penalties and interests for RPT payments.

Tamayo said the provincial audit team confirmed during their validation that some of the supposed delinquent real property owners have already paid their taxes, with some reporting advance payments, but these were not remitted to the municipal government's coffers.

It included the PHP6 million RPT payment made last year by Sumifru Philippines Corp., which operates banana plantations in Tboli, he said.

Since the payments were not reported as remitted by the municipal government, he said the province did not receive its 35 percent share from them.

The municipality retains 40 percent while the barangays get 25 percent of the RPT payments.

During the audit, Tamayo said some of the RPT payments could not be located and municipal treasurer Ritchie Calvo eventually admitted through an affidavit that the funds were allegedly “borrowed” by Tuan for “personal use.”

He said some of the transactions were reportedly signed by the mayor himself and a member of his staff.

When the controversial transactions came in April, he said the municipality paid the “borrowed” RPT collections using its peace and order funds, “making their situation more complicated.”

A local mayor is accused of "borrowing" tax payments for his personal use. 

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/8/9/Manila-tanod-curfew-quarantine-violator-mental-health.html

Authorities have arrested a barangay tanod for fatally shooting a man with a mental illness for allegedly violating curfew hours.

The Manila Police District on Monday said Eduardo Geñoga, a 59-year-old scavenger, was found lifeless along Tayuman Street after witnesses heard a gunshot on the night of Aug. 7. The victim's brother relayed to the police that Geñoga had mental problems.

After further investigation, tanod Cesar Panlaqui was arrested, but his motive for shooting Geñoga remains unknown. A CCTV footage provided by police showed the two in a discussion, but when Geñoga walked away, he was shot by the tanod,

Police added that a revolver without a serial number was recovered from the suspect.

"'Yung napatay niya is parang may diperensya sa utak. Kung mapapansin niyo po sa CCTV camera sinabi rin ng tanod na parang hinabol sila ng pamalo nung victim," MPD-7 Station Commander PltCol Harry Lorenzo said.

[Translation: The victim has a mental problem. You will see in the CCTV that the suspect said the victim chased him with a stick.]

A barangay watchman shot dead a scavenger who was violating curfew. The watchman had an unlicensed gun as well. Another senseless death due to the useless curfews and lockdowns.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1471240/ombudsman-suspension-vs-7-cops-over-illegal-arrest-of-suspects-in-bohol-town-mayors-slay

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the three-month suspension of seven policemen who were accused of illegally arresting three suspects in the 2017 killing of Mayor Gisela Boniel of Bien Unido town in Bohol.

Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Myra dela Rama-Gargaceran found sufficient grounds to penalize the seven policemen for simple misconduct.

The resolution was based on the complaints filed by Bryan Sayson, Lobo Boniel, and Wilson Hoylar who claimed to be arrested by the respondents even if their names were not in the arrest warrant issued by the court.

Seven policeman have been suspended for three months for arresting three people who were not on the arrest warrant.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1471380/coa-flags-p-154-2m-in-pcso-payout-to-govt-broadcaster-sans-contract

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) paid P154.212 million to the People’s Television Network Inc. (PTNI) for the airtime and production of its lottery draws without a contract. 

The Commission on Audit (COA) said this was contrary to provisions on agency-to-agency procurement under Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act. 

A 2020 audit report on the PCSO said, “The absence of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the PTNI did not serve the best interest of the PCSO as there were no well-defined or concrete terms and conditions that should have bound both parties.” 

“[S]anctions and penalties, in case of nonfulfillment or partial fulfillment and/or poor rendition of services, cannot be enforced in the absence of a MOA,” it noted further. 

PTNI, the government’s flagship broadcaster, first produced the “Philippine Lotto Draw” in 1995. In 2013, the program was renamed the “Philippine Lottery Draw” and three years later it again had a new name, the “PCSO Lottery Draw.” 

According to the state auditor, “Further verification disclosed that the latest MOA entered into by the PCSO with the PTNI expired in December 2018 and was not yet renewed.” 

The P154.212 million disbursed to the state television network after that period was for the airtime, production, technical equipment, microwave transmission facility and postproduction of the PCSO’s lottery draws from January 2019 to March 2020.

From January 2019 to February 2020, the PCSO made monthly payments of P10.7 million to PTNI—for a total of P149.8 million covering 14 months—and disbursed P4.412 million for March 1 to March 17, 2020.

However, the disbursements were not properly supported with a MOA, contrary to the agency-to-agency procurement provisions under RA 9184’s implementing rules and regulations.

The PCSO has been paying the PTNI to broadcast its drawings without a proper contract from since January 2019.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/07/2118144/dot-called-out-over-lapses-covid-19-fund-use

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Department of Tourism (DOT) over lapses in the utilization of millions of pesos intended for its COVID-19 response lastyear.

In its 2020 annual audit report, COA noted that the agency allocated a total of P72.5 million for its COVID-related procurements and activities for the year. Of the amount, P65.5 million came from its realigned regular funds while P7 million was sourced from its attached agency, the Tourism Promotions Board.

Although it did not provide figures on the total utilization rate of DOT’s COVID funds, it noted that at least P15.8 million was obligated and disbursed by the Central Office and P11.1 million was downloaded to regional offices, which showed a low utilization rate “due to the late downloading of funds.”

The COA says the DOT did not utilize all its funds last year but the DOT says this has already been addressed.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/393622/2-lapu-city-hall-employees-reprimanded-for-attempting-to-squeeze-in-relatives-in-vaccination-line

Two regular city hall employees in Lapu-Lapu City were reprimanded after they were caught trying to squeeze through the line to accommodate their relatives in a vaccination site operated by the city.

Lawyer James Sayson, deputy for Local Vaccination Operations Center, said that the incident happened on Friday, August 6, 2021, wherein the city hall employees tried to insert their relatives in the line, even if they didn’t have a schedule yet.

Two city hall employees of Lapu-Lapu City were busted for trying to squeeze their relative into the vaccine line. Someone did not tell them there is no vaccine!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1150200

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Thursday has ordered the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) to begin summary dismissal proceedings against a Manila policeman tagged in the killing of a businessman and another who was tagged as a supplier of illegal drugs. 

"These scalawags have no place in the PNP. Rest assured that the cleansing of police ranks will continue with our Intensified Cleanliness Policy," Eleazar said in a statement. 

Senior M/Sgt. Bernardo Oriol, Jr., was tagged as a suspect in the August 2 ambush of businessman Naiquian Yuan in Malate, Manila. 

He was arrested along with his alleged cohort Shi Shanbang in Binondo, Manila last August 6. 

Manila Police District (MPD) investigators said Oriol’s outfit looked similar to the clothes worn by one of the motorcycle-riding suspects and his motorcycle also matched the description of the one that was used in the ambush. 

Meanwhile, Staff Sgt. Manuel Bien and drug suspect Alfie Gomez were nabbed by police officers in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City on August 9. 

Gomez identified Bien as his supplier of illegal drugs.

Two cops busted. One for murder the other for dealing drugs.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1472514/new-arrest-warrant-out-for-ex-palawan-gov-in-ortega-slay

A fresh warrant of arrest has been issued against former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes for allegedly ordering the killing of broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega a decade ago, the Inquirer learned on Wednesday.

Judge Angelo Arizala of Branch 52 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Palawan issued the warrant on July 14, nearly two years after the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed in December 2019 its own decision in January 2018 to dismiss the murder case against Reyes for lack of probable cause.

A new warrant of arrest has been issued against a former governor who was allegedly the mastermind behind the murder of a local radio broadcaster ten years ago.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/11/2119247/coa-calls-out-doh-deficiencies-p67-b-covid-19-funds

Billions of pesos worth of funds in the Department of Health's COVID-19 response were riddled with deficiencies that contributed to challenges in the agency's pandemic handling, state auditors have bared.  

The Commission on Audit made the assessment on the P67.32 billion funding in its 2020 report made public on Wednesday.  

Of that figure, it attributed deficiencies in P66.28 billion mainly to "non-compliance of pertinent laws and rules and regulations." 

Auditors gave DOH an adverse opinion, which noted its financial statements did not "present fairly, in all material respects," the agency's financial position. 

"These contributed to the challenges encountered and missed opportunities by the DOH during the time of state of calamity/national emergency," COA said, "and casted doubts on the regularity of related transactions." 

COA added that continuous audit showed additional deficiencies of some P1.036 million. The total stood at P67,323,186,570.57-worth of taxpayers' money.  

Health officials have yet to respond to government auditors' findings in their yearly report.  

"It can, thus, be said that these funds that remained idle as at year-end were not translated to much-needed health supplies," COA continued, "equipment and services that could have benefited both health workers and the general public during the critical times of the pandemic."

This report has angered a lot of government officials. The bottom line is the DOH Is corrupt and everybody knows it. Here is the proof Pacquiao needed.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1150219

A manhunt is underway for an active policeman who gunned down a fisherman following a heated altercation in his own home in a village here on Thursday morning.

Lt. Clarizel Perez, spokesperson of the city police office, identified the suspect as Patrolman Jade Rio Mantua, 31, who was assigned under the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB)-12 based in this city.

She said Mantua reportedly shot dead victim Rusty Dumas, 35, while they were having an argument inside the cop's house in Block 3, Purok Diamond Valley, Barangay Tambler around 7:15 a.m.

The suspect immediately fled from the scene after the incident and has yet to surface as of noon despite reportedly sending initial surrender feelers to RMFB-12 colleagues.

“The pursuit operations are ongoing against the suspect,” Perez said in an interview.

Citing accounts from witnesses, she said Mantua already had an argument with Dumas, who is a distant relative, when they attended a wake early Thursday.

The two, who were reportedly still drunk, engaged in another heated altercation Thursday morning at the kitchen of Mantua’s home that resulted in the shooting, she said.

Another totally isolated incident of a drunk cop shooting a relative over a personal grudge.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1149675

Police Regional Office - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-BARMM) Director, Brig. Gen. Eden Ugale, has ordered an impartial and speedy investigation into the murder of Sulu Police Director, Col. Michael Bawayan Jr. 

Ugale also condemned the unfortunate incident and urged fellow police officers to offer prayers for the fatalities that included Bayawan’s alleged shooter, Staff Sgt. Imran Jilah, following a disagreement. 

Bawayan, 49, was allegedly shot by Jilah, 43, his subordinate, who used his service M4 rifle in the incident on Friday. 

His escorts also shot dead Jilah before he could fire at other police officers at the scene. 

Bawayan died while being rushed to the provincial hospital. 

Initial reports reaching the PRO-BARMM office said Bawayan was inspecting a police quarantine control checkpoint in Barangay Asturias, Jolo at 4:20 p.m. and had an altercation with Jilah who was sporting long hair. 

Holding a pair of scissors, Bayawan allegedly approached Jilah to cut his hair but the latter opened fire.

A PNP director saw one of his men had long hair and took some scissors to cut it. But the man opened fire killing the officer. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: Spike Inevitable, Stay Home or Face Arrest, and More!

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

The bets police state is a panopticon where everyone is always being watched. This in turns makes the people submissive to the whims of the government. It is in this sprit that Ilocos Norte is asking the people to snitch on each other.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1149357

Law enforcers in the province of Ilocos Norte have sought the help of netizens to report quarantine protocol violators if they happen to see one.

Through the localized program dubbed as “Kabsat, E-Pulongmo!”, netizens are asked to help monitor by taking and sending real-time photos or videos of violators to the official Facebook page of the municipal, city, or provincial police station or call local hotline number 09457187074.

When reporting, the format should indicate the name and address of the netizen, those who are involved in the photo or video and then send it to the Laoag City police station Facebook page which is open round the clock.

“But if such act needs an immediate police response, the public may feel free to call the police station near them,” said Laoag City police chief Rafael Lero on Wednesday.

Among the most common quarantine violations that even people themselves flaunt on social media are mass gathering and celebrations, drinking sessions, non-observance of physical distancing, and non-wearing of face masks.

One could say that the Philippines is slowly slipping into a police state but that would not be true. There has always been a touch of authoritarianism in this country. There has also always been a lack of clarity from the government about what is happening. This lack of communication caused a massive panic and overcrowding at a single vaccination site in Manila.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1469893/somebodys-threats-vs-unvaccinated-people-triggered-public-fear-manila-mayor

The statements and threats made by “somebody” against unvaccinated individuals generated public fear, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said, following the chaos that ensued in vaccination sites in the city. 

(First of all, it’s us in the government who are at fault. Why? Because the vaccines should have arrived a long time ago, now, people got scared because of remarks that they will be jailed, they will not be given aid, they will not be allowed to go outside.) 

“I did not make that statement, somebody did. That generate[d] fear,” he added.

“I’m not the type of person who will go out in the evening and keep pointing fingers to others. I always look at the mirror. As I have said, it’s (vaccination drive) not perfect but it delivers the objective we are achieving,” he also said. 

While Moreno did not name names, President Rodrigo Duterte, in a speech last week, said he would ask the police to escort unvaccinated people back to their homes.

Before this, Duterte also threatened arrest to those who refuse to get vaccinated. 

When asked point-blank if Duterte should be blamed for the chaos that broke out in inoculation sites on Thursday, Moreno replied: “No, that’s unfair.”

Of course it's Duterte's fault. And the IATF's fault. And the OCTA's fault. And everyone in the government who makes scary ultimatums about a virus that has a 93% recovery rate. Only 28,000 people have died in the Philippines since the pandemic began and yet the government is still keeping the nation locked down and is feeding the people nothing but scaremongering propaganda.

The rhetoric from the government absolutely cannot be trusted.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/06/2117959/stay-home-during-ecq-or-face-arrest

“We will be strict in this, we need to. If you won’t comply and insist on going outside, of course we will arrest you. Those who won’t follow may continue the transmission and be a carrier of COVID-19,” Año said.

He added that while government only plans for a two-week ECQ, an extension is not ruled out, depending on advice from experts and data analysts.

Later this would be contradicted.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/06/21/arresting-health-protocol-violators-last-resort-pnp

The country’s top cop said Friday police officers would exercise maximum tolerance as they start implementing protocols under the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila. 

In an interview on ANC’s Rundown, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said arresting health protocol violators would be the last resort. 

“Kung talagang insisting ang mga 'yan lalo na kung meron talagang disobedience, obstruction and related criminal offenses then we will arrest them,” said Eleazar.

Will they arrest violators immediately or not? Not only is there contradictory advice on how the PNP is to treat quarantine violators but an extension of ECQ is likely in the mix. But no matter how long an extension the DOH says a spike in cases is inevitable.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1149707

The imposition of the one-week general community quarantine with heightened restrictions (GCQ-HR), followed by a five-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) would not stop the increase of active cases in Metro Manila but it could decrease the original projection for September.

Citing initial forecasts from experts, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday even if Metro Manila implements "higher community quarantine classifications," cases would still reach about 18,000 next month, and higher if it stayed under GCQ-HR for four weeks.

"Naipa-update natin itong projections. If we do GCQ-HR for one week and five weeks ECQ, puwede tayong magkaroon ng15,000 active cases by the end of September (We were able to update the projections. If we do GCQ-HR for one week and five weeks ECQ, we could get 15,000 active cases by the end of September)," she said in a Laging Handa briefing.

Sharing other scenarios, Vergeire said Metro Manila would hit 42,000 active cases if it implements a mix of one-week GCQ-HR, three-week ECQ, and two-week modified ECQ; and about 58,000 if it loosens the classifications to a one-week GCQ-HR with two weeks of ECQ and three weeks of modified ECQ (MECQ).

"So looking at our projections, makikika natin na kahit tayo ay magsasagawa nitong paghihigpit ng ating mga community quarantine classifications, we will still see the rise in the number of cases pero ang pinaka-importante kung masasabayan natin ng pagpre-prepareng ating sistema at magbabakuna ng mas madami ang hope natin ay walang masyadong magiging severe infections (We could see that even if we impose tougher classifications, we will still see a rise in the number of cases but the most important thing here is to prepare our system and vaccinate more people in the hope of having fewer severe infections)," she said.

Vergeire said the current spike in cases is likely driven by the more transmissible Delta variant in the Philippines.

The DOH is not yet ready to admit community transmission of the Delta variant but they are ready to blame a spike in cases on the public being lax in following health protocls.

Do you live in Manila and want to go for a run?  Better think again.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1149947

The Metro Manila Council (MMC) has prohibited outdoor exercise for the remainder of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The order was released on Monday afternoon through MMDA Resolution No. 21-17, series of 2021, signed by the 17 NCR mayors and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr.

“It is hereby resolved that the MMC prohibits outdoor exercise in NCR during the ECQ until 20 August 2021 through the local government units of Metro Manila,” the resolution read.

The decision was made after the “steady rise” in the number of Covid-19 cases, including confirmed cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus in the region.

While the MMC recognizes the need for exercise -- especially to promote and maintain physical, mental, and emotional health -- staying at home is necessary to stem the current rise in Covid-19 cases.

There is always a way to get around this as there are not PNP on every street.  That has been my experience anyway.

Even though you can't go running in Manila during the 2 week (or more) lockdown you can go out to get the vaccine.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/08/2118429/manila-starts-247-vaccination-service

The Manila city government will start its 24-hour, seven days a week vaccination program in three public elementary schools tonight, Manila Public Information Office (PIO) chief Julius Leonen said yesterday.

In a Viber message, Leonen said the three 24/7 vaccinations sites will be at the Isabelo Delos Reyes Elementary School in Tondo, Holy Trinity Academy in Sampaloc and Jacinto Zamora Elementary School in Pandacan.

Leonen said that no walk-ins will be accommodated at the 24/7 vaccination sites, where operations will start at 7 p.m. tonight, a first in the country.

If you are planning to leave the country be aware that the Philippine vcxx card might not be accepted. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1149999

The Philippine government is coordinating with the international community on the acceptance of vaccination cards issued to individuals who are already fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque issued the statement after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Hong Kong does not honor the vaccination cards issued by the Philippines’ local government units and the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).

“Well, nakakalungkot na balita po iyan (that is sad news),” Roque said in a virtual presser. “So, all I can say is nakikipag-ugnayan po ang gobyerno sa international community pagdating dito (we are coordinating with the international community on this issue).”

In a Twitter post earlier Tuesday, Locsin said the vaccination cards issued to fully vaccinated Filipinos are “not accepted in Hong Kong because they are not connected to a single source.”

Roque said the problems on the presentation of vaccination cards to host countries are being encountered not just by the Philippines but also by other countries.

He, nevertheless, guaranteed that the government is looking for ways to address the issue.

“We are finding ways and means now para magkaroon po tayo ng basehan na kilalanin yung ating mga vaccination card (so our vaccination cards will be recognized [by other countries],” Roque said.

He also expressed hope that the World Health Organization (WHO) will, take an initiative to have a “uniform” acceptance of vaccination cards.

“Problema po talaga kapag wala tayong standard na basehan para ipakita ang ating mga vaccination natin (It is really a problem if we do not have a standard basis in presenting our vaccination cards),” he said.

A vaccine passport hooked up to an international database is what airlines and governments were talking about last year. The way things are going soon everyone will need one not just to travel but to even leave the house.

In the Philippines EMTs Are Instructed to Not Revive You

The following is a true story. I wrote it as it happened so it is a very hot take. It has been edited for spelling and to keep the identities anonymous.

Around 3pm I was shouted for and I ran downstairs. I was asked if I knew how to revive someone and I had no idea what was meant but I ran out the door. The man was sitting up so it looked like he needed water but one guy was holding him up in the chair. I asked if he had a pulse.  I could not feel one. I had them put him on the ground and then I started compressing his chest. I did not breathe into his mouth. I asked for a flashlight to look at his pupils. They did not seem to dilate. I asked for a stethoscope but they did not have one. I kept compressing his chest and it seemed like he might be breathing. There was a huge vein on his neck that seemed engorged and standing out. Probably his jugular. I then tried to keep his mouth open and esophagus unobstructed by having them hold his head up. Then the ambulance showed up.

They came in there with no sense of urgency, no equipment, lazily walked over and put the digital meter on his finger and said well he's dead that's it. In no way shape or form did they attempt to revive him or to acscertain his condition except for obtaining his pulse via his finger.  They did not check his breath or eyes (maybe they did).  Then they walked away calmly and returned but this time with a stethoscope and a blood pressure gauge which they did not use. Then they walked back to the ambulance and left. They said the hospital will not take a dead man. I pleaded with them to take him to the hospital to attempt to revive him. I asked if they had a breath machine pump.  I asked if they had heart paddles.  The nurse (?) told me they have no equipment. 

The EMERGENCY AMBULANCE HAS NO EQUIPMENT!!!  Well I looked and that's not really true they had alcohol and a few other things but nothing that would save a man's life. So we waited for the funeral home to come snatch him.

It appears he was standing on a gas container to weld the ceiling. It also appears that the cord he was using to power the welding machine snapped and was broken. He could have been electrocuted. Likewise he could have passed out from not eating as I was told he did not eat at all that day. The day was not very hot due to it being overcast but still not eating can catch up with you in a bad way. He was fallen face first into the corner of the room onto an old fridge and some other stuff.

At first it appeared he might have fallen from the ladder since the ladder was on the ground but I do not think that is the case.  I do not know how long he was there. His helper found him lying on the ground. He came running after he heard him scream. He was on the other side of the wall in the street.

His welding instrument was lying next to the gas container which lends credibility to the idea that he was standing on it and fell. There are no brusies or blood on his body. Nothing from the ears or the eyes. It is as if he died all of a sudden. That he fell face first and did not try to get up would seem to mean he was electrocuted. One of his slippers was missing but I do not know how it came off. 

That the ambulance personnel did not try to revive him in any way is most upsetting.  Most upsetting indeed.

In the end, to be honest, he was not a safe worker and that negligence is likely what killed him. But, my god, the EMT's in the Philippines sure aren't worth a shit. Now he is lying in the area he was working with a pillow to support his head and a fan blowing on him and they are keeping vigil until the funeral home comes to retrieve him.

They rubbed alcohol all over his body.

The family arrived and one woman wailed and screamed shouting in Jesus name while smacking him and trying to revive him. They also anointed him with oil in an attempt to wake him up.  They did way more than the EMTs.

The police finally arrived and with them the EMTs returned. The family wanted the man, who had been dead for 90 minutes now, to be taken to the hospital. At first they brought out the stretcher but then the EMTs spoke with the police and they did not take him. I talked to the police and they said that the first time around they had called the doctor at the provincial hospital and she said do not bring him because he had no vitals and because of COVID.

It was a harrowing and grief stricken scene. I think the family was very angry that they had not transported him to the hospital. The man was 36.

The EMTs called the doctor and the doctor yelled at the PNP when the phone was handed to him. The EMTs were told by the doc at 3pm when they first called to not revive if there were no vitals.

Around 5pm more relatives came over and tried to revive the man by praying in Jesus name and shaking his limbs. I stepped outside the gate to ask the PNP officer if he was CPR trained. He said no. I asked if they teach you that at the academy. He scrunched up his face, shook his head, and took a puff from his vape machine.  He did say the EMTs were CPR trained and that he did know what CPR is. But the PNP are not trained in that technique.

The family decided around 5:30pm to take him to the hospital because only the doctor can pronounce him dead. So they put him in a tricycle but his feet were sticking out and with rigor mortis setting in they could not make his knees stay bent. So I told them to put him in the back of the car and then they sped off to the hospital. 

Later I was told the doctor at this hospital said he could have been revived if he had been brought in within an hour of his accident. It sounds nice but I don't know. All I know is he is dead and the EMTs did nothing at the behest of the doctor they called.

The moral of this story is: STAY SAFE!  Because in the Philippines the EMTs WILL NOT REVIVE YOU!

The Pandemic Privilege of Alice Dixson, Catriona Gray, and Sharon Cuneta

The COVID-19 pandemic has literally destroyed lives in the Philippines as people have been forced to stay inside and away from families and many have lost their jobs. Curfew violators have also been killed by overzealous enforcers. In short, the never ending and constantly rotating lockdowns, which are fueled by reckless, fear mongering  politicians, health officials, and other bureaucrats who do not seem to realize that only .02% of the population, 28,000 out of 108.000,000 have died due to the virus, has been quite devastating for the majority of the Philippines' population.

But not for all. Especially celebrities.

For actress Alice Dixson the mandatory quarantine, the one all inbound international travelers must undergo for 7-14 days, was a cherished experience, a blessing in fact.

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/417994/why-mandatory-quarantine-was-a-cherished-experience-for-alice-dixson

Alice Dixson was in a locked-in taping for the new GMA 7 series, “Legal Wives,” when she learned that her surrogate was about to give birth.

“The production didn’t know we were expecting. Only a few people knew and our scriptwriters knew. We kept it for the first two locked-in taping sessions, but at a certain point I needed to leave…I got home last Feb. 15. And then, on the 16th, at midnight, we received a call saying that the surrogate was in the hospital giving birth,” she related in a recent virtual press conference.

Alice, 52, then flew to Canada—where she’s a citizen—to fetch her baby girl, whom she named Aura. The actress was initially worried that she would no longer be able to return to the show. But the team, thankfully, still managed to accommodate her.

“When I returned [to the Philippines], I still got in the last locked-in taping. I was so happy, because I didn’t think I would still make it. It was nice to be back and still able to complete the show. I will never forget the experience,” she said of “Legal Wives,” which also stars Dennis Trillo, Bianca Umali and Andrea Torres. “I felt that this show was a blessing, because of the professional and personal relationships I have made,” she said. “I will never forget this show.”

But now that shooting is finished, Alice can now devote herself to her baby. “It was difficult because I had to be away from her for two weeks. I also had a bad cold on the set. But now, I’m looking forward to being with her 100 percent,” said Alice, who’s in a relationship with a nonshowbiz man whose privacy she prefers to keep.

Meanwhile, in a guest appearance on “Eat Bulaga!” in May, Alice related that she cherished the process of bringing Aura to the Philippines, and going through mandatory quarantine together. “I embraced the experience because that’s a way to have bonding time with my baby and get to know her better,” she said.

Holding her baby for the first time, Alice said, filled her with happiness and relief. “I thought, ‘Am I going to be a good mom?’ I was so happy. But there were also some fears because of the things happening in the world right now. But I believe I was able to overcome those because I’m an optimistic person,” she said.

Alice Dixson is an incredible woman. At 52 years old she had her first child ever through a surrogate in Canada where she is a citizen. She is also an American citizen, natural born, and a Filipino citizen, jus sanguis. All of that is incredibly disgusting! She will be 72 years old when her daughter turns 20. Needless to say Alice is way past her expiration date and her egg carton was empty a long time ago. With three citizenships to her name she certainly has NO loyalty to any nation. They are a means to an end.

I am sure she did cherish the time with her baby when she arrived. Here is a picture of her upon arrival in the Philippines:

https://www.instagram.com/p/COTzotngIVH/?hl=en

A “glimpse” of our quarantine...

My airplane go to outfit these days. For more information about my personal air filtration system, or how to order pls visit my store at http://store.alicedixson.com 

Alice Dixson is so privileged that she does not even have to breathe the same air as us mere mortals. She is so privileged that mandatory quarantine was a chance for her to get to know the baby which another woman gestated in her womb for 9 months and knew more intimately than Alice ever will. 

But for another and less privileged woman the mandatory quarantine upon arrival was a nightmare which kept her away from her daughter's wake.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/news/795551/ofw-mom-asks-for-shorter-quarantine-so-she-could-be-at-daughter-s-wake/story/

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) is pleading for a shorter quarantine period so that she can attend the wake and funeral of her daughter, who died last week.

According to Cedric Castillo's report on "24 Oras," Grade 10 student Cherry Mae Saranza was brought to a hospital after her relatives found her looking pale and unable to speak.

Cherry's mom, Rosamil, found it difficult to book flights from the United Arab Emirates, and did not arrive in time to be with her daughter at the end.

Rosamil could not hold back her tears as she recounted that her final moments with her daughter were only through a video call.

She is asking the national government to allow her a shorter stay at the quarantine center so that she can finally attend her daughter's wake.

[I am begging you to allow me to see my daughter just for a short while, for the last time.]

[I just want to see her. I am already here in the Philippines, just a few miles away. Jst a little bit more and I can be with my daughter.]

No word on what happened to this lady. Hopefully the government showed some mercy but they likely did not.

Australian Miss Philippines Catriona Gray has also been able to exercise her privliege during this pandemic.  After leaving her home country of Australia to eke out an existence as a Pinay Miss Gray was finally able to reunite with her parents in May of 2021.

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/entertainment/2021/5/5/Catriona-Gray-flies-Australia-parents-pandemic-.html

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray will finally reunite with her parents after more than a year due to the pandemic.

“After countless rescheduled flights, two flight cancelations, swab tests, stress, applications and waiting...I'm finally on my way to see my parents for the first time in one and a half years,” said the beauty queen in an emotional Instagram post.

All that emotion boiled over at the end of her trip when Catriona Gray was forced to bid a "raw and real" tearful goodbye to her parents.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQgRgTBANWU/

What saying goodbye looks like.  

When I said goodbye to my parents at the airport, underneath my mask I kept smiling. Although it trembled. I didn't want them to see. We hugged saying "see you soon". But this pandemic makes a once easy thing such an uncertainty...when?...how? When will we be together again?

I felt the emotions spilling over but didn't want them to see, so as I rounded the corner through the passenger terminal finally out of their sight, I let the tears come. 

I contemplated whether or not to post this. But this is something raw and real. I'm so grateful for the time I had with my family. And now it's back to counting down the days, the sunrises, the sleeps until we're together again.

Please never take time with your family or loved ones for granted, so many of us wish to have that reality everyday. 

Boo-hoo. What a narcissist. Who takes a picture of themselves crying expect to show off how sad they are? Pure narcissism. That is basically all Instagram is good for, fostering narcissism. Meanwhile in Manila there are no more tears left to be cried.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/19/for-kate-patients-die-as-covid-overwhelms-philippine-hospitals

For Gio Pineda, a young doctor in the Philippines capital of Manila, the past few days have been among the most harrowing of his life. 

Pineda has been manning the triage section of his hospital’s COVID-19 emergency unit.

With the more than 40 beds occupied by patients in critical condition, and the hallway lined with more patients in wheelchairs, Pineda had to decide who would get treatment and who would not.

He turned away more than half the people who came begging him to take in an ailing loved one, many of them struggling to breathe.

Some even knelt in front of him, begging to at least be allowed to wait in the hallway. 

“Many of them said we were already the eighth or ninth hospital they tried, and if it were up to me, I really would have taken them in,” he said. “But there really was no room left.”

Patients are rushing to hospitals in Manila and its surrounding provinces amid an exponential spike in cases of COVID-19 that began in March. Many hospitals are at maximum capacity and even patients in dire need of treatment are being sent home. Many have died waiting for a hospital to call them back.

At the hospital where Pineda works, doctors can now only take in a new patient when an earlier one has died. They are forced to choose from among those waiting outside who is most in need of attention.

“I was like playing God. That’s how I felt having to decide who gets a chance to live and who, sadly, will be left to their demise,” Pineda said.

Angelo Barrera, a game developer from Manila, lost his father to COVID on March 28, after 20 hospitals turned them away because they had no beds, he told Al Jazeera.

“I need you to understand that this is the government’s fault,” Barrera said in a social media post that has gone viral.

“Every hospital is full. Home care is the only option. Medical machines are in high demand and in low stocks. Access to emergency care is nonexistent. How can I not blame the incompetence of the people leading us?” Barrera continued.

But even as the pandemic accelerates and people point the finger at his government, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has shown little urgency to tackle the surge.

“There is nothing we can do about it,” Duterte said in a televised address a week ago.

A few days later, when pressed on the slow pace of the vaccination drive, Duterte said: “We have a long way to go. I’m telling you, many more will die because of this, I just can’t tell who.”

Catriona Gray has done a lot of work in the slums. Has she cried a single tear for the many poor Filipinos suffering under the thumb of this careless regime? Seems doubtful. You can't post that on Instagram.

Sharon Cuneta fills out this unholy Trinity of privileged celebrity Filipinas. Unlike many Filipinos who are trapped in the country Sharon was able to fly "home" to Los Angeles to "breathe, collect myself, gain strength."

https://www.instagram.com/p/COux9BmD54u/

I’m going home. Of course my real home, where my heart is, is where my husband and children are. But tonight I am flying home to my Mommy’s Gramps’ country, where only my eldest and I are legal residents. I need to breathe, collect myself, gain strength.

If her real home is where her family is then why would she call the USA her home? It's obviously not her home. She is merely a legal resident which means she has a green card. For Sharon the USA is a means to an end. While her compatriots were forced to wear face masks and face shields just to be able to shop for food Sharon was enjoying "normal life" without those restrictions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPBG0e6jB-G/

My gosh. Being here makes it seem like Covid is a lot farther away than it ever was. I love the weather now (it’s cold), and aside from seeing people wearing masks and not being able to watch movies at cinemas, eating at restaurants tables apart, it almost feels like life is normal again...I love being “home” here. Though I lived in Boston for a year++ and love New York, the West Coast has always felt like home to me since I was a little girl. I could live here forever. Kiko would NEVER leave the Philippines no matter what though. I could. In a heartbeat! 

The difference, of course, is Duterte. The USA does not have a Duterte ordering the PNP and AFP out into the streets with tanks to enforce COVID restrictions. No police are killing people over curfew violations or mask violations. No one in the USA is AFRAID like they are in the Philippines. 

But despite her very privileged respite from the Duterte administration's foolish and  militaristic approach to the pandemic Mrs. Cuneta, upon returning to the Philippines, told her followers to pray for her because she is "going through so much." 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/showbiz/chikaminute/797863/sharon-cuneta-in-quarantine-after-returning-from-us-going-through-so-much-please-pray-for-me/story/

This story comes from Instagram where she writes: Arrived back home in Manila very quietly at 4 something in the morning on August 1. Am now in my 10-day quarantine. Same building as our home, but in the other half where the hotel is. I cannot even see high up to our balcony where I wished yesterday that I would be able to even just see my babies and Kiko waving at me. Going through so much so please pray for me.  Kahit talaga anong tino ng pamumuhay mo, magkakaroon ka pa rin ng problema. Pero mabait ang Panginoon (No matter how decent you live your life, you will always get problems. But the Lord is kind). He has never let me down, and so I have lifted everything up to Him and I trust in Him completely. https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFR7JThUzM/ Granted even a privileged old broad like Sharon "MILF" Cuneta can have problems but I wish she would tell us exactly what she is "going through." Does she have a problem with not being able to see her family because she is in a mandatory ten day quarantine after returning from the USA? Then make a post about how stupid it is and how the government is stupid for requiring it. Does she have a problem with returning to the authoritarian Philippines where everyone is required to wear a face shield which has NO scientific basis? Then make an Instagram post about it. She should use her platform for good and not vanity. Oh wait her husband is one of the many buffoons who run this nation, Senator Pangilinan. I guess we can't expect her to say anything contrary about this corrupt and horrid regime. Sharon Cuneta is a very rich woman who can afford to book a quarantine hotel for 10 days. Not everyone can do that. She is also a citizen which means she has an unalienable right to enter the Philippines. The same is not the case for foreigners who have families in the Philippines. It is only recently that restrictions have been eased for those people.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/07/26/2115334/immigration-eases-requirements-foreign-nationals-filipino-families-traveling-philippines

The Bureau of Immigration on Monday said arriving foreign spouses, children and parents of Filipinos no longer need to present an entry exemption document (EED) to enter the country starting August 1. 

Previously, these foreign nationals can only enter the Philippines if they have valid 9(a) tourist visa and an EED issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs through embassies or consulates abroad. Failure to present the EED will lead to their exclusion. 

But Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Monday that this new policy is in compliance with the latest resolution of Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases that further eased requirements from foreigners related by marriage to Filipinos.

“Under the new IATF resolution, foreign spouses, children and parents of Filipinos will only be required to present 9(a) tourist visas beginning on Sunday,” BI added. 

The bureau added that the pandemic task force has also instructed the DFA to put on the visa of these foreign nationals this note: “EED not required per IATF Resolution No. 128 (2021).”

Morente stressed that these new guidelines are only for foreign nationals who are not accompanied by the Filipino spouse or parents in going to the Philippines. They should first apply for a 9(a) tourist visa from the Philippine consulate abroad to be allowed to enter the country.

While this is an easier process than having to obtain a residency visa it is still burdensome. One has to go to the local consulate and apply for a tourist visa rather than receive one upon arrival. They also have to pre-book a quarantine hotel for 10 days. That's a lot of money to be spent and a lot of days to be wasted.  I'm sure anyone going through that process is "going through so much."

Let''s face it. The lockdowns have been devastating to Filipinos across the nation. More so to the poor who  have lost their jobs and, in some cases, their lives at the hands of the authorities. This trifecta of Pinay celebrities profiled above (though Alice and Catriona are not natural born Filipinas) shows an attitude that is completely out of touch. Alice Dixson is even walking around with a personal air filtration system because she does not want to breathe the same air has her fans. I won't object that Catriona's tears are fake or that Sharon is not really "going through so much" but the majority of the nation has suffered and continues to suffer much more and in silence.