Retards in the Government 237

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162244

The Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) has reported a total of 70 administrative cases filed against police personnel involved in different offenses this year, as the command ramped up efforts in disciplining and cleaning its ranks.

In a statement Thursday, PRO-13 Regional Director Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said the number is based on the records provided by the Discipline, Law, and Order Section (DLOS) of PRO-13.

“Of the 70 cases filed, 58 are considered solved with 32 personnel penalized,” Caramat said.

He said of the 32 police officers penalized, five were dismissed from the service, 10 were suspended, another 10 reprimanded, and seven were either forfeited of their salary, restricted to specified limits or demoted.

“Twenty-six police officers were also exonerated and therefore absolved from their cases after due consideration,” he said.

Three of the five dismissed from the service, he pointed out, committed grave neglect of duty after they went on AWOL or absence without official leave, another committed a homicide offense, while one violated the provisions of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 by using illegal drugs.

A year end report from PRO-13 on their handling of corrupt cops. PRO-13 is in Caraga, Mindanao.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162221

Personnel of the National Capital Region Office (NCRPO) are warned against using sirens and blinkers in their vehicles to ensure that these equipment remain symbols of authority, not abuse.

NCRPO chief Vicente Danao Jr. also warned police officers who deliberately use recovered motor vehicles and motorcycles for personal use, saying these violate existing laws and standard operating procedures.

"Our Chief Philippine National Police (Gen. Dionardo Carlos) is firm in his warning to fire any police officer who will be found using recovered motor vehicles and motorcycles. This call shall be implemented strictly in this region and I will personally make sure that police officers found guilty of violating this order shall be dealt with accordingly," Danao said.

"This is part of our effort to instill discipline among our men to ensure that we keep a strong sense of moral fiber in our ranks. This is the very foundation of public service and one of the most definite ways to regain the trust and confidence of the citizenry to their police," Danao said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162511

The Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership on Sunday reminded its personnel to strictly adhere to the provisions of the "Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees” as reiterated by the Civil Service Commission, especially during the Yuletide season.

PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos vowed tougher sanctions against police operatives found involved in illegal activities.

“We can’t tolerate any form of bribe in the organization. The PNP has been living up to its core values to protect its integrity. We want to keep it that way,” Carlos said in a statement on Sunday in line with the organization’s “no-take policy”.

He cited Section 7 of Republic Act 6713 that states, “Public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office".

The fact that they have to issue such a warning just goes to show how corrupt the PNP really is.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162544

The Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) has launched manhunt operation to arrest the two suspects who shot and wounded a policeman in this southern port city over the weekend.

Col. Rexmel Reyes, ZCPO director, said in a statement Monday that one of the subjects of the manhunt operation was identified as Ian Rodriguez while the other one remained unidentified.

Reyes identified the wounded policeman as Staff Sgt. Joseph Robles of the ZCPO’s Station 5, who was shot and wounded by the suspects around 4:40 p.m. Saturday in Purok 3, Barangay Lumbangan, this city.

Robles and a companion whose identity was withheld for security reasons were conducting surveillance on the conduct of illegal gambling in the area when the suspects riding tandem on a motorcycle appeared and opened fire.

Another cop assassinated by unknown individuals for unknown reasons.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/417069/cop-to-face-criminal-raps-over-road-incident-that-killed-two-people-in-bohol

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting in double homicide, multiple physical injuries, and damage to properties will be filed against a police officer who hit several vehicles that killed two people and injured several others over the weekend. 

Col. Osmundo Salibo, provincial director of the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO), identified the police as Patrolman Ruben Digawan Ayuban, 31, a resident of Sierra Bullones town who was currently assigned at Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB)-7 in Catagbacan Norte in Loon town, Bohol. 

Salibo said the suspect, who was still wearing his police uniform, was arrested by the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). 

Based on the initial investigation of the traffic section of the Tagbilaran City Police Station (TCPS), the suspect’s vehicle hit two women identified as Lisa Orias Jimenez and Aileen Felisilda Apatan on the night of December 12. 

Jimenez and Apatan were brought to the hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician. 

Ayuban also collided with a motorcycle and hit two other persons that same night, police said.

The suspect did not stop and eventually bumped a tricycle on CPG North Avenue.

A cop in uniform was arrested after ramming through a car, a motorcycle, and a tricycle.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162605

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has filed corruption complaints against some of its current and former officials, engineers, and private contractors involved in the “anomalous” purchase of PHP170.3-million worth of substandard equipment for the LRT Line 2 (LRT-2). 

In a statement on Monday, the LRTA said included in the complaints filed before the Office of the Ombudsman were Engr. Fernando Quiambao (former LRTA Head Executive Assistant); Antonio R. Laigo Jr. (LRT-2 Operations Department Manager and designated representative to the Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) Bids and Awards Committee (BAC); Engr. Julito Bernales (Manager, Project Management Office (PMO) for Rehabilitation Projects); Engr. Rommel Correa; and Engr. Robert Ruiz as well as the Kempal Construction and Supply Corp. and the Joint Venture of Ma-an Construction, Inc., and IFE Elevators, Inc. 

“The filing of cases is in support of the anti-corruption efforts of the Duterte Administration and DOTr [Department of Transportation] Secretary Art Tugade’s call to provide comfort and to protect the interest of the riding public," LRTA officer-in-charge Paul Chua said.

Several LRT officials and contractors have been accused of graft due to anomalous deals.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162680

A man convicted in 2017 by a Cotabato court of illegal drugs and illegal explosives possession has been acquitted by the Supreme Court (SC) for lapses in handling evidence.

The SC Second Division ordered the release of Parok Guman, who was found guilty by the Kabacan, Cotabato Regional Trial Court Branch 22 of selling illegal drugs and possession of explosives during a buy-bust in 2010.

In 2019, the Court of Appeals (CA) overturned Guman’s conviction in view of law enforcers’ non-compliance with the chain of custody but affirmed the illegal possession of explosives charges.

In setting aside the CA ruling and ordering Guman’s acquittal in the explosives charge, the SC said “the presumption that the authorities regularly performed their duties cannot stand due to the discrepancies in the police officers’ testimonies, not only as to the identity of the sachets of shabu but also for the allegedly confiscated hand grenade”.

“The police officers’ unexplained procedural lapses are definitive proof of irregularity. And any taint of irregularity affects the whole performance, making the presumption unavailable,” the SC said in its December 2 decision that was uploaded recently.

The court noted that the arresting officer, SPO1 Edward Clarete, after the supposed seizure of the hand grenade, did not even bother to mark the same as evidence, just as he failed to mark the sachets of suspected shabu.

Afterwards, Clarete surrendered the hand grenade to Chief Inspector Sofronio Cornelio Jr., their supervisor at the time, even if the latter was not the assigned investigator of the case.

Cornelio then turned it over to the investigator, PO3 Randyl Aguba, and also mentioned a certain PO2 Lagutang.

“Indeed, the involvement of a few police officers who did not testify raises doubt regarding the personalities who handled the grenade after it left the hands of SPO1 Clarete and PCI Cornelio. Both PO3 Aguda and PO2 Lagutang did not even execute any affidavit to explain how the explosive was handled and stored. Simply put, their unexplained involvement is suspect,” the SC said.

“Evidently, these findings point to the failure of the prosecution to establish an unbroken chain of custody of the grenade allegedly seized from Guman,” the court said, adding that “there is no way for this court to verify if the links in the chain of custody remained unbroken”.

Proper handling of evidence is very important but the PNP seems to not understand that.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1527818/2-leyte-provincial-employees-attacked-in-tacloban-1-dead

Two employees of the Leyte provincial government were ambushed by still unidentified assailants in Tacloban City past 9 p.m. on Tuesday (Dec. 14).

One of the targets of the attack—Gil Bobaris—died while the other—Victorio Pineda—survived.

The two were on board a sports utility vehicle at the village of 110 in Utap, Tacloban when fired upon.

Bobaris was driving the SUV with Pineda as passenger beside him.

They were on the way to the provincial capitol from Abucay also in Tacloban City.

An investigation showed four men, who were on separate motorcycles, were involved in the attack.

Two government employees were ambushed by four unknown men for unknown reasons.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/12/13/2147548/evidence-strong-vs-ex-pnp-execs-rifle-scam

The Sandiganbayan has maintained that ombudsman prosecutors were able to present strong evidence against former officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who are facing graft cases in connection with the AK-47 rifle scam in 2013.

In a resolution promulgated on Dec. 2, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division warned four of the defendants that the prosecution’s evidence is “sufficient to support the graft charges” filed against them, if unrebutted.

The Sixth Division said the arguments raised by Estilles, Catiis, Meneses and Rentoy in their respective motions for reconsideration “are evidentiary in nature and are matters of defense, which may be best passed upon after a full-blown trial.”

The former PNP officials asked the court to reconsider its July 28 resolution, which denied their joint motion for leave to file a demurrer to evidence.

Last month, the Sandiganbayan also denied the motions for reconsideration filed by former FEO chief Raul Petrasanta and former Senior Superintendent Allan Parreño.

A demurrer would have allowed Petrasanta and his co-defendants to seek the dismissal of the 13 counts of graft filed agains them without presenting their defense, but solely on the ground of the supposed weakness of evidence of the prosecution.

In its new resolution, the Sixth Division clarified that the defendants may still file their demurrers without a leave of court, but subject to the legal consequence that they “shall waive their right to present evidence and are submitting the case for judgment based on the evidence adduced by the prosecution.”

PNP officers accused of graft have petitioned the court to dismiss the case because of lack of evidence but the court says the evidence is so strong they could be convicted on that alone without a trial unless they offer a rebuttal.

Coronavirus Lockdown: Safety is Priority Over Efficacy, No Hug Visits, and More!

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

The pandemic is far from over but lockdowns seem to be on the way out as only 8 areas in the NCR remain under lockdown.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1524854/only-8-areas-in-ncr-remain-under-granular-lockdown-ano

Only eight areas in Metro Manila are currently under granular lockdown, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.

In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte aired Tuesday morning, Año said this only affects 26 households and 70 individuals.

The eight areas are part of the 77 areas across the country placed under granular lockdown, affecting a total of 99 households and 272 individuals.

If there are no more lockdowns the title of this series might have to change. 

Despite the fact that the amount of cases are lowering and the fact that so many have been vaccinated leading to "substantial immunity" among the population the cops in Manila are breaking out the sticks again to beat people who don't properly social distance. As a last result of course.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/08/2146581/metro-manila-cops-bring-back-yantok-sticks-enforce-simbang-gabi-protocols

Despite well-documented cases of abuse and overzealous enforcement, Metro Manila might soon see a return of the yantok sticks brandished by cops when dealing with unruly citizens, the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office confirmed Wednesday. 

Speaking in an interview aired over DZBB Super Radyo, Police Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao, Metro Manila police chief, said that this is because Catholic Filipinos are expected to flock to churches for Simbang Gabi, the pre-dawn Masses held for the nine days before Christmas.

"The stick brought by the police is used as a reminder to follow social distancing. It can also be used as a disciplinary tool ... this will be a last option," he said in Filipino. 

"We have made contingency plans to deploy the police not only in churches but also in other public places for public safety," he also said. 

Rule 7.2 of the PNP's Police Operational Procedures also directs officers to "first issue a verbal warning" to offenders before resorting to force, but also says that failure to give a verbal warning is excusable "where the threat to life or property is already imminent" and cops are given no choice. 

Deploying police in churches will surely help contain the virus. Not!

Those in lock up will no longer be allowed to receive hugs once visitation starts again.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162155

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Wednesday said it would soon allow non-contact in-person visits for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

"(The BJMP is currently preparing for the granular opening of non-contact visitations in district, city, and municipal jails in the country. But let me be clear about this, we are ensuring the physical presence of families in our facilities but some activities that were allowed pre-pandemic will be prohibited like hugging. They will really just meet and talk because the BJMP will implement a non-contact visitation),” BJMP spokesperson, Chief Insp. Xavier Solda, said in a radio interview.

I suppose that means no conjugal visits too.

Face shields have been discontinued but you really should not get rid of them because they could be reimposed at anytime. However, if you do wish to get rid of yours here is what you should do.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/20/what-to-do-with-face-shields-send-to-art-crafters-who-upcycle/

So what do we do with the tons of face shields that have been – or will soon be – discarded because they are not mandatory to use anymore?  Will those plastic sheets and plastic earpieces add to the garbage pile and to the debris in the bodies of water?

Creative crafts that upcycle those plastic sheets are already finding their way to online shops. While the number of upcycled crafts is still miniscule compared to the quantity of face shields that have been discarded since those were made mandatory personal protective gear, the initiatives are getting attention. Who knows, it may start a gift-fad for Christmas – giving something that has not added to the tons of garbage now choking our waterways system.

Instead of throwing the face shields away, four art and environment enthusiasts shared recycling ideas to prevent pollution from these plastic gears. You may either copy these ideas or donate discarded face shields to them yourselves. 

With the new P1000 bill being made out of plastic the government could call on everyone to donate their used face shields to the BSP to make more bills.

When it comes to the vaccine efficacy should be the most important thing to consider. If a vaccine has not undergone thorough testing, is experimental, cannot prevent infection, and cannot prevent transmission then no sane person would take it or mandate that others take it. The insane Philippine government does not care about its efficacy as long as it's "safe."

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1527132/fwd-experts-prioritize-safety-before-efficacy-of-vaccines-for-children-fda

(Our primary concern, especially with the children getting younger and smaller, is safety. Before the efficacy, our experts are looking into safety first.) 

(So far, clinical trial data shows that we do not have very unusual or what we call signals of very severe adverse events. Most of those observed during trials are mild,  similar to those observed in other vaccines for children.) 

Should the Pfizer vaccine be approved for children below 12 years old, Domingo assured that the government will continue to monitor the minors who received a vaccine. 

Citing data, Domingo said that Pfizer vaccine has a 90.7 percent efficacy rate for children in the five to 11 age bracket.

The Pfizer vaccine is an experimental mRNA vaccine and studies have shown that it has a waning efficacy so why bother? COVID-19 is hardly deadly unless coupled with existing comorbidities and children have been proven to not be at risk of death or serious illness.

Cases continue to drop around the nation and the risk of infection is now low in all areas.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/14/21/all-regions-under-minimal-risk-for-covid-19-doh

All regions in the Philippines are now classified to be under minimal risk for COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

The country first achieved minimal risk case classification on Dec. 6, with majority of the regions classified as low risk for COVID-19. 

All regions except Bicol region and Soccsksargen showed negative growth rates for the past week, said Dr. Althea de Guzman, director of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau. The two regions are being monitored if their cases will continue to increase for 2 weeks, she added.

"This decline in cases is reflected in our utilization rates, may it be total bed utilization or ICU utilization," she told reporters.

All provinces remain under Alert Level 2 while the DOH is monitoring Lapu-Lapu City and General Santos City after these reported a 2-week growth rate, according to De Guzman.

The Philippines has yet to detect the omicron variant, the latest variant said to be highly transmissible, and the delta variant still prevails, she added.

Authorities are monitoring areas with rising cases as the country prepares for the entry of the omicron variant, according to De Guzman.

They just had to end this positive story with a note of fear mongering over the omicron variant. Once that variant is detected in the country can we expect more brutal lockdowns? Lockdowns have eased so much so that now its news when two households in the NCR are placed under lockdown.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/12/15/2148008/2-households-manila-locked-down

Two houses in Manila were placed under granular lockdown due to COVID-19 cases, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

Police said the two households are located in separate barangays in the city.

The isolated families are being secured by six force multipliers, according to the PNP.

Police said the number of areas under lockdown nationwide was lower compared to Nov. 13 when authorities clamped down on 56 areas because of a surge in COVID-19 cases, with six in Manila.

The PNP said 42 areas remain under lockdown across the country, affecting 57 families or 130 people.

The region with the most number of areas under lockdown are the Cordilleras with 22 followed by Mimaropa, nine; Calabarzon, six; Metro Manila and Zamboanga peninsula, two each, and Cagayan Valley with one.

At least 37 police personnel and 72 force multipliers are securing the areas placed on lockdown.

Imagine not being able to leave your house for two week because you tested positive for a disease that has a 97% survival rate. Not only that but now imagine it's not even the police barricading you inside, that is bad enough, but so-called "force multipliers," i.e. community volunteers. When will Filipinos say enough is enough and resist these scientifically worthless draconian measures? Never of course. They just grin and say:

Picture of the Day: Basketball Lockout

 I saw this sight in my neighborhood.

Obviously this is to prevent anyone from using this net to play ball. Well you know what, take it off the street and put inside your lot!

Filipinos do everything in the street. They barbecue in the street, they walk in the street, their dogs roam all over the street, children play games in the street, they place their construction material in the street, they dry their rice in the street, they play basketball in the street, and they even have parties and wakes that extend into the street. Why??? GET OUT OF THE ROAD!!!

Insurgency: Left-Right Hand Approach

It's the last month of the year which means it's time to assess how the year has progressed. The AFP says local terrorist groups have diminished greatly in 2021 because of their left-right hand approach.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/813420/afp-local-terrorist-groups-diminished-by-left-right-hand-approach/story/

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Sunday that local terrorist groups were "greatly diminished" this year after the left-and-right-hand approach was used against them.

In a SuperRadyo dzBB interview, AFP spokesperson Army Col. Ramon Zagala said that these dimished groups were the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Daulah Islamiya (DI), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

(These are greatly diminished. In fact, their Amir, Salahudin Hasan, was killed this October 29 in Talayan, Maguindanao. Last December 2, the new Amir, Asim Karinda, also known as Abu Azim, was also killed in Mamasapano by the 6th Infantry Battalion.)

Zagala noted that a maintenance mechanism must be implemented in these terrorist-cleared areas as armed groups usually take advantage of discontentment and chaos to recruit more people. He said that it was important to help these communities so they would not be vulnerable to terrorism anew through the help of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

(Again, we had a left-and-right-hand approach, not just purely military operations but services to the areas where they operate. Right now, we are making programs countering extremism and radicalization so we can maintain peace in these areas.)

He added that the attacks of these local terrorist groups and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) on development projects and infrastructure had also lessened due to the protection planning program of the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

(NTF-ELCAC’s whole nation approach greatly helped. Honestly, we could say that their left-hand approach is one of our key successes because they help prevent the group’s increase in members, their core competencies, their recruitment, and collection.)

The diminishment of the NPA is certainly a good thing whether through having them surrender or killing them in combat operations. 

A new man has been appointed AFP Chief. Guess what he has vowed to do. The same thing every AFP Chief vows to do, try to stop the NPA before the current President's term.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1525778/new-army-chief-vows-to-crush-npa-within-remaining-time-of-duterte

Saying the goal is an urgent one, Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. has vowed to focus on crushing the communist New People’s Army (NPA) during his stint as Army chief, especially in the remaining time of President Duterte in power.

Brawner told SMNI News Network in an interview Wednesday that it was urgent to end the NPA so that by the time a new leadership in the country takes over after the 2022 elections, “they will no longer have a problem with the local communist armed conflict.”

“With a new administration, there will already be sustained and unhampered progress in our country,” he added.

It's the same claim every AFP Chief has made for the past two decades at least. 

The anti-terror law is the AFP's shiny new tool to fight the insurgency. This week the Supreme Court finally issued a ruling on its constitutionality. Only two very tiny provisions were found to be unconstitutional. The rest of the law remains intact. The government says this is a win while those who challenged it see a scary future.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/10/2147054/future-scary-and-depressing-sc-upholding-anti-terrorism-law-lawyers

The future is "scary and depressing" with the Supreme Court upholding most of the feared Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, in a vote that in no way gave a win to the petitioners or to Filipinos, lawyers said.

A day after the SC made public its historic vote on the 37 petitions questioning the anti-terrorism law that struck down just two parts of the measure, lawyers asserted that the ATA will not be left unchallenged.

The SC struck down the “killer” qualifier in the proviso on acts defining terrorism that petitioners said upheld that activism and protesting is not a crime. The second method of designation, or the adoption of the United Nations Security Council criteria on designated terrorists, was also declared unconstitutional.

Lawyer Evalyn Ursua, counsel for journalists and artists petitioners, said the ruling was not a win. The two parts of the law that the SC struck down will not curb abuses, since the "extraordinary powers" of the Anti-Terrorism Council remains.

"If we will compare [these] two provisions, these are worthless because the absolute power of the ATC, which acts like a court and acts like it is higher than the courts, remains," she added in Filipino.

Lawyer Virginia Suarez echoed the sentiment. "Amid the volume of our arguments, in the huge number of petitioners, it’s like we’re all mistaken in giving all those arguments to be given only two [provisions struck down," she said in the same virtual press conference.

The ATC has the power to designate terrorists upon finding of probable cause, which would trigger the freezing of subjects' assets. The Council’s written authority would also allow law enforcers to detain suspected terrorists for up to 24 days.

Ursua said the future is scary and depressing. "We were hoping the Supreme Court to protect us, to protect human rights, to protect our constitutional rights, to protect people," she lamented in Filipino.

"Under the decision of the SC, we do not have protection when it comes to human rights. Under this decision, we can expect the abuses of our authorities will continue," she added.

Ursua’s clients, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said they have stood witness to the "abuse of overzealous law enforcers, either from covering it, or from experiencing it ourselves."

"The striking down of the caveat on political dissent offers no consolation in the context of continuous and intensifying attacks on the Philippine media," they added.

These lawyers could be right. The PNP especially have a record of obtaining unlawful search warrants against suspected terrorists. This week a court dismissed 17 cases against activists.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523508/agusan-court-junks-charges-vs-17-activists

A court in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, has junked charges of destructive arson, kidnapping and robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons filed against 17 activists for their alleged involvement in a 2018 attack by the New People’s Army (NPA) on a military patrol base in Sibagat town of the province.

In trashing the cases, Judge Fernando Fudalan of the Bayugan City Regional Trial Court Branch 7 also quashed the John Doe warrants that were used to arrest the activists saying these did not contain specific identifying information of the accused such as occupation, appearance and exact place of residence.

“The dismissal of Sibagat cases based on John Doe warrants and the inordinate delay of proceedings highlight the triumph of truth and justice over the practice of the state of silencing dissent by filing trumped-up charges against activists and rights advocates,” Musni said.

These 17 people were lucky to have made it out of the situation when they were arrested. Others were not so lucky.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/01/2145018/first-murder-rap-readied-vs-law-enforcers-over-bloody-sunday-raids

The task force investigating politically-motivated killings is set to file murder complaints over the killing of activist Manny Asuncion, the first criminal rap to be filed against law enforcers following the probe into the "Bloody Sunday" raids in March.

“In the case of the death of Emmanuel Asuncion, the [Administrative Order 35] Special Investigating Team has recommended the filing of murder [raps] against certain law enforcement agents involved in the incident,” Guevarra said Wednesday.

Forensic pathologist Racquel Fortun, who performed an autopsy on Asuncion’s body, earlier said they found three gunshot wounds in the anterior chest of Asuncion.

The forensic expert said in July that the autopsy examinations that she did showed that the nine activists were all shot in the chest, and were "shot to be killed."

"Each case deserves a homicide investigation," she also said, adding that the cases were all of "violent deaths."

Nine activists were shot to be killed in the March 2020 Bloody Sunday raids. But they weren't only shot to be killed. The corpses were altered.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1457066/autopsy-on-bloody-sunday-victims-reveals-9-activists-really-shot-to-be-killed

The nine activists targeted by simultaneous police and military operations last March in Calabarzon were “really shot to be killed” by the raiders, Dr. Raquel Fortun, a forensic pathologist from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine said Wednesday.

The nine bodies from the Bloody Sunday raids were taken to the UP College of Medicine for examination upon the request of family members and human rights activists.

Last March 7, police and military units conducted simultaneous raids in Southern Tagalog based on search warrants issued by Metropolitan Manila courts. Authorities said the nine fought back and were killed.

“All of them have shots in the chest. They were really shot to be killed,” Fortun said at a press conference.

Although it was an advantage that they could see the nine bodies, she said conducting the examination was not easy.

“This is the ultimate forensic pathology challenge,” she said.

She said, the gunshot wounds, bullet holes were altered and sutured while organs of some of the bodies were already taken out and randomly cut.

Fortun added that they also requested the victims’ clothes, “but unfortunately only two cases have clothes submitted with the body.”

“The other seven, we have no idea what happened to the clothes,” she said as she explained that the clothes are another documentation to determine what happened to the activists.

So, who altered the corpses? Who removed the clothes? Who removed the organs? Either the PNP or AFP course. Who else would do that? 

Last week I looked at the number of alleged NPA surrenderers since 2016. The number was 5,262 which is not a believable figure because it would mean 5,000 both joined the NPA and surrendered to the AFP  in  the space of five years. The total number of surrenderers was 20,579. The CPP has written an article about alleged surrender drives which take place in the mountains. 

https://cppangbayan.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/burdensome-surrender-drive-in-sorsogon/

Ordinary civilians in Sorsogon could not live peacefully as the 31st IB, 22nd IB, 93rd Civil Military Operations (CMO) Company and police forces repeatedly coerce them to “surrender” under the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP).  

The most recent victims include residents of barangays San Jose and San Isidro in the town of Bulusan; Barangay San Ramon in Barcelona; and Barangay Bitan-o in Sorsogon City. In recent months, the military repeatedly coerced the residents to “surrender” as supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Manoy Rike was among the victims of forced surrenders in these villages. He works as a porter and carries products from farms to a nearby road. He earns ₱500 daily, which he uses to make ends meet for his family. When the military began its forced surrender campaign in their village, he lost more than his income.

Barrios that are under RCSP operations are subjected to military rule. Red-tagging, threat, harassment and intimidation against those accused of being supporters of the armed movement are rampant in these villages. Manoy Rike was summoned by the military to “clear” his name. Each round of interrogation lasts about six hours. This is aside from time wasted during the “surrender” day itself. Based on his estimates, he could have earned around ₱1,500-₱2,000 had he not been disturbed by the military.

On top of this, he loses more than ₱3,500 during RSCP operations in the barrio which usually last one week. “I could not go to the land I lease because soldiers might gang up on me alone in the farm. I could not feed the carabaos and cows, and could not visit other barrios,” he complained. “If I fail to appear before them, they will go to my family and harass them.”

“This is why residents opt not to go out of their houses during these operations in the barrio,” said Manoy Rike. Interrogations are conducted daily in villages subjected to RCSP. Other residents are summoned to the barangay hall or military camp up to three times daily. They are made to sign documents without being informed what these are for, and their pictures taken. The intimidation campaign culminates in an assembly where residents are made to take their “oath of allegiance” to the state, and admit that they are “NPA supporters.” The victims have repeatedly complained to the mayor of Barcelona and other local officials. The youth of Barangay Bitan-o complained that residents are being harassed and coerced by the 93rd CMO to falsely identify their neighbors as “NPA supporters.” But since local governments are dominated by Duterte’s National Task Force (NTF)-Elcac, they cannot act to address the complaints of their constituents. The 93rd CMO usually connives with the local media to whitewash its atrocity.

Although afraid, Manoy Rike is filled with anger. “By harassing us and disrupting our lives, soldiers only prove themselves to be depraved people. They are Duterte’s attack dogs who do not care about us who are poor. They do not care about the huge losses we suffer when they are here. How will I be able to pay for the cabinet which I bought on credit if I am not able to work for several days?”

More about the RCSP can be read here. There is no word in this article about the money given to those who surrender which is kind of odd since the AFP claims to have given millions in cash, housing, and jobs to surrenderers. Despite that omission this claim that the AFP forces people who have no association with the CPP-NPA to surrender is not a claim that will die easy. Remember when the AFP doctored a photo of alleged surrenderers back in 2019?

What If the Anime of Hayao Miyazaki Was Filipinized?

Have you ever watched the beautiful animation of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Mizaki and wondered what such a fantasy world would look like if it took place in the Philippines? Neither have I but that has not stopped one Cebu artist from conjuring up what such a world. He created these "what-if's" as part of the Ghibli redraw challenge. Let's look at three of these drawings compared side-by-side to the originals. If you have not seen these movies then by all means watch them. They are not children's films.

Spirited Away

What a difference, huh?

In the Filipino version the bathhouse is run down, has broken windows, there are tires on the roof to hold it in place, and there are no decorations like the big golden gargoyle called an onigarwa. There is a sari-sari store and there is an electrical pole with a kite stuck in it. That is incredibly true to life. I have seen many kites stuck in the electrical wires here because they are too low.

Take a look at Chihiro who is the heroine of Spirited Away. She has been compared to Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She is trapped in a fantastical world and is trying to find her way home.

Filipino Chihiro looks like a dirty street orphan who has been working at the bathhouse for years and has been broken and abused by the witch who runs it. She is not even wearing a shirt that fits properly and she is barefoot. She is staring at the viewer from the entrance of the bathhouse as if she has been there for years. In contrast the real Chihiro is a resilient young girl who does everything she can to save her parents. She is never resigned to her fate but seeks to transcend it so she can return to the real world. She is looking up at the bathhouse as a challenge she must conquer. Filipino Chihiro looks defeated and like she belongs in the world of the bathhouse which, from the looks of it, is not the spirit world.

In fact that is the problem here, there is no trace of the spirit world to be found in the Filipinized version. The bathhouse is ratty and not beautiful at all. There is no magic to be found in it. The Spirits come there to bathe but who would bathe in that nasty place? The water would be dirty and cold. This artist did not even bother to draw the furnace's smokestack which is what heats the water. The building does not look safe at all. Not even the bridge leading to it looks safe. It looks rather rickety. Everything could fall apart in a moment. And what's under that bridge?  Being in the Philippines it probably looks like this:

In the original the bathhouse is a Japanese pagoda but in the Filipino version it's a tall nipa hut. The Philippines does not have any recognizable architecture of its own except for the lowly nipa hut. All the oldest surviving buildings have Spanish influence because the natives of these islands never developed a permanent architectural style of their own. 

The bathhouse is no longer a bathhouse. It is absent the furnace room which heats the water. Why did the artist replace the smokestack with an electric pole? Will there be electric water heaters inside? Even if there were because it is now Filipinized that means the water will by no means be clean and pure but will be dirty to one degree or another. Will the tubs be filled from blue water containers? The electricity will also go out ant random times. The walls are not solid but are jigsawed together with found objects making this not a very private place to relax and bathe. One could imagine rats and roaches scurrying about. There is no comfort or cleanliness here.

Howl's Moving Castle

What the heck is going on here? Howl's Moving Castle is supposed to be alive but now it's dead and powered by Filipinos carrying it. There is laundry drying on the top. Howl's castle has a fin tail but in the Filipinized version it has been replaced with palm tree leaves. Where is the smoke from the fire inside? Where are the turrets? This is not a magic castle. All the magic is gone. Everything magical about Howl's  Moving Castle has disappeared in the Filipinized version. It's just a large bricolage nipa hut moving not by the power of magic but of the Bayanihan spirit.

The residents of Howl's Moving Castle do laundry but they don't hang it out on top of the house while it's moving.  They stop and hang it out to dry so that no one sees their clothes.  The Filipinized version vulgarizes and bastardizes the castle into something it is not.

Howl's Moving Castle also has a magic door that can transport one across space and time. There is no way the Filipinized version has such a door. Everything in the house is alive. Here it is all dead. In this drawing you get a sense that there is no living spirit world in the Philippines but only dark and dead superstition.

Princess Mononoke

Now, that looks pretty good right? "Looks" is the key word here.

Princess Mononoke's animal companion has been transformed from a Wolf Goddess into a wild dog found in the jungles of Bukidnon known as the Bukidnon Witch Dog. Moro, the Wolf Goddess, is Princess Mononoke's protector and mother since her parents offered her up to Moro as a sacrifice but she decided to raise her as her own. Moro is also the protector the Forest Spirit.

The Bukidnon Witch Dog is a wild dog that causes chaos killing domestic animals. It is not a divine protector but a very earthly creature given to destruction. In the drawing the dog looks like a kangaroo. Here it is in real life:

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/native-dog-breed-philippines-a00293-20200520-lfrm

In the ancestral lands of Bukidnon in Mindanao, there is a type of wild dog that does not breed with other dogs. It has sharp claws, climbs trees, hunts cobras, and could be 36,000 years old. It is called tiger dog and aso ng gubat by locals. It is also called bird catcher in Luzon and witch dog in the Visayas. The aso ng gubat in Bukidnon has a brindle coat—dark-brown with black stripes 

According to Philippine indigenous dog researcher Tom Asmus, the dog can survive independently in the jungle, and is difficult to raise at home.

“They climb trees after prey, hunt snakes, and are capable of surviving on just jungle vegetation,” said Asmus. “It's difficult to keep a wild blooded one domestically, as they have little to no resistance to common domesticated canine illnesses.” 

The dog’s refusal to mate with dogs other than its own kind makes its genes among the purest native breed in the country, says Asmus. 

In the wild, the dog has an impeccable kill instinct, which makes it a high-value target for illegal dog fights. “They will kill another dog no matter its size or type,” said Asmus. 

Even Asmus has trouble keeping his group of 10 aso ng gubat from killing livestock. “If I let them loose, they kill domestic dogs, goats, cats, and all kinds of poultry. They see no difference between a rat and a cat.” That is the COMPLETE opposite of Moro the Wolf Goddess. 

Princess Mononoke, having been raised by Moro the Wolf Goddess, acts very much like a wolf. That would mean the Filipinized Mononoke acts like a wild dog. Just look at their difference in attire. Princess Mononoke has a tooth necklace and a fur cape which symbolisms her wolfishness as she was raised by wolves. The Filipinzed Mononoke has an outfit made out of leaves! What is that supposed to symbolize? It has no connection to her wild jungle dog. The mask is supposed to identify Princess Monnoke with the forest spirits. What does the mask of Filipina Mononoke represent when her protector is not a goddess but a mere wild jungle dog?

So, Princess Mononoke has also been stripped of its magic. There is no Forest Spirit to protect here. At least if there is this dog and Princess aren't doing it. It's just a wild dog and not a divine being.

Conclusion

This is what happens when you Filipinize something. You take an idea or a thing and you strip it of its essence reducing it to the bare minimum perhaps turning it around backwards or on its head. You take away that which makes a thing what it is and replace it with something vulgar. What was once transcendent becomes earthly in the most degrading sort of way. Moro the Wolf Goddess becomes a wild jungle dog. Howl's Moving Castle is stripped of all its magic and becomes Howl's Carried Castle. Chihiro is reduced to being a dirty street urchin. 

Though it was probably not his intention the artist, Bastinuod, has done a fantastic job contrasting the earthly brutishness of the Philippines with the uplifting spiritualness of Japan. There is nothing transcendent in the world he has envisioned as it is a complete bastardization and degradation of Miyazaki's world. Filipinization adds no value or improvement. Who would want to live in the Filipino version of Howl's Moving Castle devoid of all its magic or take a bath in the nipa hut bathhouse?

In contrast to this guy's artwork Bored Panda has gathered 35 of the most notable Ghibli redraws.  The difference between them and Bastinuod is that they all enhance the animation with even more magic in some cases.  What they did not do is relocate them to a different culture. Let's look at one instance.

https://www.boredpanda.com/redrawing-ghibli-art/

That is the cat from Kiki's Delivery Service. See how much more magical that looks? It's a real upgrade. But with Bastinuod we don't get that. Instead we get a downgrade to the Philippines.