Thursday, January 6, 2022

Coronavirus Lockdown: COVID-19 Admissions Triple, Quarantine Skipper, and More!

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

Lockdowns are still here. They have not gone away nor are they going away anytime soon. The government is instructing LGUs to impose them.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164049

Malacañang on Wednesday enjoined local government units (LGUs) to impose granular or localized lockdowns in areas with an uptick in Covid-19 cases to prevent infections from again reaching an alarming level.

Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, said President Rodrigo Duterte and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) are concerned about the surge in infections, noting LGUs should step up in efforts to control the movement of people.

“Of course, we are getting worried, at dapat lang! Kaya ang panawagan (and we should! That is why our appeal is (sad) LGUs please enforce. Kapag may tumataas ang bilang ng kaso, granular lockdown. Hindi po nawala sa equation anggranular lockdown (If there is a rise in cases, granular lockdown. Granular lockdowns should not be erased from the equation),” he said in a Palace press briefing.

Nograles emphasized that it is the “responsibility” of LGUs to impose granular lockdowns, especially in areas where there is a “clustering of cases.”

He said granular lockdowns can be done on a household level, street level, purok (district) level, community level, and/or barangay level.

“Huwag nating kalimutan iyan, huwag nating hayaan na lumaki pa ito (Don’t forget that, let’s not allow this to get any worse),” he added.

He, however, also reminded the public that controlling the spread of Covid-19 is also everyone’s responsibility.

(The responsibility should not just lie on the government or LGU, it also lies on all of us). It is a shared responsibility of all. Self-policing among yourselves, in your family, in your community, sa inyong (in your) barangay, lahat po tayo, huwag nating sayangin ang lahat ng pinaghirapan po nating lahat (all of us, let’s not put our efforts to waste),” he said.

In Metro Manila there are currently 5 areas under granular lockdown but that number is destined to increase as the number of COVID cases increases.

Iloilo City is considering banning unvaccinated people from public spaces.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/12/29/2150609/iloilo-city-mulls-unvaxxed-ban-public-places

The city government of Iloilo is planning to prohibit unvaccinated people from entering public places such as malls, movie houses and government offices to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID.

Mayor Jerry Treñas yesterday announced that the city government is drafting an executive order that would ban unvaccinated people in these establishments.

The announcement drew mixed reactions from netizens, who said the city government should consider the possibility of the proliferation of fake vaccination cards once the order is imposed.

Some cited human rights, saying vaccination should be voluntary.

Others welcomed the move and expressed hope the ban would cover public markets.

In making the announcement, Treñas stressed the existence of the Omicron variant and the infection rates recorded in Australia, Europe and the United States.

“We need to ramp up vaccination and booster shots to give adequate protection to everyone,” Treñas said.

Is Mayor Jerry Treñas stupid?  I guess he did not get the memo that the vaccine DOES NOT PREVENT infection or transmission of the virus. But don't take my word for it.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1533587/1-more-vaccinated-olongapo-resident-tests-positive-for-covid-19

Another vaccinated resident here has contracted COVID-19, making her the second case in the city after it obtained a virus-free status on Christmas Day, local data showed.

The patient, a 19-year-old female resident of Barangay East Bajac-Bajac, showed symptoms of the viral disease, according to the city’s COVID-19 task force.

She and a 46-year-old man from Barangay Sta. Rita are the only COVID-19 cases in the city. The man had also been vaccinated against the disease but did not manifest symptoms.

Vaccines are worthless and even the Palace knows this. If vaccines were all they have been made out to be then surely anyone who is vaccinated would be able to meet with the President. However, that is not enough.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164088

Malacañang on Thursday reminded visitors who wish to meet President Rodrigo Duterte to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before they are allowed inside the Palace.

“Visitors and guests who wish to meet the President inside the Palace or attend a Palace engagement where the President is present must show a negative RT-PCR test result,” said Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, acting presidential spokesperson.

He said visitors and guests must undergo antigen testing inside the Palace as part of their second screening.

“This forms part of the Palace health and safety protocol,” he added.

Visitors must undergo TWO SCREENINGS to visit with the President. Why? Because vaccination does not prevent transmission or infection.

The DOH has decided to stop publishing daily tallies of COVID cases on social media. Daily tallies will be available elsewhere.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/29/2150726/palace-defends-dohs-decision-not-release-daily-covid-updates

Malacañang on Tuesday justified the Department of Health's decision to stop releasing daily COVID-19 case bulletins starting next year, saying the government is now focused on its vaccination program.

Last Monday, the DOH announced that it would no longer issue a separate social media card and PDF file of its daily pandemic situation report starting January, citing the need to "streamline public communication." Daily case updates would be provided through the COVID-19 tracker website updated every 4 p.m., the agency said.

"The reason behind that is right now, we are really ramping up our vaccinations and the focus right now is on the vaccination. We have a target that by (the) first quarter of next year, we will achieve the 77 million Filipinos fully vaccinated," acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said at a press briefing.  

"So, we will focus on the vaccination and by focusing on the vaccination... we may see that the cases of COVID will be mild and asymptomatic only," he added.

Nograles said while vaccination does not stop the transmission of the virus, it prevents severe and critical cases, hospitalization and deaths.

"So, our focus (would really) be the vaccination rate and looking at hospital utilization rate, looking at critical and severe and even moderate cases. So that will be our basis," he added.

Nograles said the public could still find the pandemic numbers through the DOH's COVID-19 tracker website.

Even the DOH admits that vaccination does not stop infection or transmission. So what will they do when everyone is vaccinated and people are still getting infected with COVID? When does this all end?

Of all the unvaccinated people out there the Palace thinks 1.5 million seniors who have not been jabbed will out the nations health system at risk.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/816551/palace-1-5-million-unvaccinated-seniors-vs-covid-19-might-put-health-facilities-at-risk/story/

Malacañang on Friday called on the 1.5 million unvaccinated senior citizens to get inoculated against COVID-19, saying they might put the country at risk.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the appeal in the aftermath of the country posting a 6.6% COVID-19 positivity rate and recording at least four cases of the more transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

"We have 210 million COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered [so far]. The numbers speak for themselves. Get the message: it is time to get your jabs. The 1.5 million seniors who are unvaccinated, kaya po nitong punuin ang ating mga ospital (this can fill up our hospitals)," Nograles said.

"We cannot be complacent, we cannot take anything for granted. The Omicron threat is real. Pabakuna po tayo para iwas-ospital sa 2022 (Get vaccinated against COVID-19 so you won't end up in hospitals),"  added.

At least 50 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez on Friday, a figure short of the government target of fully vaccinating 54 million Filipinos by year end.

"This [surge of cases] is not how we want to start 2022 so we should keep wearing face mask, wash our hands, maintain social distancing and please get vaccinated," Nograles added.

I wonder how many of those 50 million Filipinos who have been fully vaccinated understand that the vaccine does not offer any protection from the virus and that its efficacy actually wanes and that they will continually need more boosters?

By far the biggest story of the week is that a traveller from the USA bribed her hotel so she could skip quarantine and go party. She faces charges as does the hotel.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164295

The woman who prematurely left her hotel quarantine facility in Makati City to party and later tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) will have to deal with cases to be filed by the government once she recovers.

Gwyneth Anne Chua, who came from Los Angeles, California, will be held liable for violating the state-mandated health protocols, according to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año.

The PNP was also mandated to inspect hotel facilities and make an accounting of persons under quarantine.

Danao appealed to the public to practice discipline and follow the Covid-19 safety protocols as the country's Covid-19 cases are increasing anew.

"(The key here is for people to have discipline. We can't guard everyone)," he said.

Chua checked in at Berjaya on December 22, went to a nearby bar the following day, tested positive on December 27, and was “extracted” from the Makati Avenue hotel on December 29, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Some of her fellow partygoers and bar staff likewise contracted the virus, the DOT said.

What is this thing about discipline? Is discipline going to stop the spread of the virus? What do they want? A total eradication of the virus? That's never going to happen. Face masks, social distancing, vaccination, none of that is stopping the spread of the virus.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/01/01/2151242/covid-19-admissions-pgh-nearly-triple-christmas

The number of people with COVID-19 who are admitted at the Philippine General Hospital has nearly tripled in the six days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, according to the hospital’s spokesperson.

Dr. Jonas del Rosario told TeleRadyo on Saturday that the hospital is now tending to 85 patients as of December 31 from just 30 on December 25.

“For the past almost six days now, we have seen the steady increase of patients being admitted in our hospital with COVID,” Del Rosario said in Filipino, adding that they now admit six to eight patients infected with the coronavirus each day.

The PGH’s COVID-19 beds are now 85% full, as the hospital cut its COVID-19 bed capacity to just 100 from 300 after coronavirus infections declined in the country to 19-month lows in December.

The Philippines is facing another spike in coronavirus infections which the government has attributed to laxer compliance to minimum public health standards such as mask wearing and the possibility of local transmission of the highly infectious Omicron variant.

Is the Philippine government so out of touch that they don't know that infection rates are rising around the world and most especially in Europe which has some of the world's strictest health measures? 

The narrative about the vaccines is that while they don't prevent infection they do prevent severe infection. That's not even true.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1534963/85-of-severe-covid-19-patients-in-doh-hospitals-in-ncr-are-not-vaccinated

Eighty-five percent of COVID-19 patients at the intensive care units (ICU) requiring mechanical ventilators in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals in Metro Manila are not vaccinated, according to the agency.

“Over the week, we have noted a steady increase in hospital admissions in Metro Manila. Data from DOH hospitals in NCR [National Capital Region] shows that 85% of those in the ICU and requiring mechanical ventilators are not vaccinated at all,” the DOH said in a statement on Saturday.

“With both Delta and Omicron variants in our midst, we reiterate our call to all who have not yet availed of safe, effective, and free COVID-19 vaccines. Do not delay any further,” the DOH said.

DOH hospitals are government hospitals that are directly under the supervision of the health department. Management of other local hospitals has been transferred to local government units after the devolution of health services.

The health department reiterated that evidence is clear that vaccines can protect against severe and critical COVID-19 illnesses and death.

Vaccines protect against severe infections and death? The headline makes that out to be a lie. Are they forgetting that 15% of those admitted with severe cases ARE infected?  Of course the DOH will ignore that elephant.

The government continues to blame the rise and spread of COVID on the public for not following minimum health standards. So, who is to blame for the PNP Chief contracting COVID?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1535745/pnp-chief-carlos-contracts-covid-19

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos has tested positive for COVID-19, he told reporters on Tuesday through a message, suspecting that he has been hit by the highly infectious Omicron variant.

“This is to confirm that I, PGen Dionardo B. Carlos, tested positive for COVID-19 (suspected Omicron variant),” Carlos said in a message to members of the PNP’s Press Corps.

Aside from him, Carlos said that his aide and driver who were with him in a car last Sunday morning were also infected. He said that they had themselves tested after some of the personnel in the official residence of the PNP chief experienced fever and chills.

“Last Sunday evening, … I subjected my close-in security, staff, and myself to RT-PCR tests due to reports of fever and chills experienced by my White House personnel,” he added.

“Unfortunately, I too, tested positive including my duty driver and aide who were with me in the van Sunday morning. I experienced fever, chills and body sweats Sunday evening but come Monday 03Jan22, only lower back pain remains,” he added.

Will the Palace publicly condemn the PNP Chief for not following health protocols? Will the Palace admit that vaccines do not prevent infection? No, probably not.

The madness is growing in strength this year already as the NCR has unanimously passed resolutions effectively banning unvaccinated people from public life. This means no leaving the house except for essential trips which must be proven. The DOJ says these resolutions are unenforceable without ordinances.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164468

Local government units (LGUs) comprising the Metro Manila Council (MMC) must issue ordinances to enforce the proposal to restrict movement by unvaccinated individuals.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said MMC Resolution 22-01 issued Monday and approved by the 17 mayors “is not legally effective.”

“Local legislative councils exercise police power delegated unto them by the local government code, which was enacted by Congress,” Guevarra told reporters via text message on Tuesday. "The delegated police power authorizes them to pass such ordinances as they shall deem to be for the welfare of their constituents."

Local legislations are enforceable unless contested in courts.

"Are these measures reasonably necessary and not unduly oppressive upon individuals? Are these repugnant to the constitution? This is a matter for the courts to determine. Unless judicially restrained, however, these public health measures may actually be executed and enforced," he said.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Benjamin Abalos Jr. said on Monday the resolution would apply “enhanced restrictions” to unvaccinated individuals to control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and its variants.

The resolution is temporary and may be lifted once the National Capital Region (NCR) reverts to a lower status from the current Alert Level 3 that is effective until January 15.

The LGUs will mandate unvaccinated individuals to remain in their residences at all times except for the procurement of essential goods and services, such as food, water, medical services, and public utilities.

Individual outdoor exercise is allowed regardless of inoculation status, age, or comorbidities within “the general area of their residence,” subject to LGU guidelines.

Unvaccinated individuals are prohibited from indoor and outdoor dining in restaurants and other food establishments and leisure and social trips to malls, hotels, event venues, sports, and country clubs, and similar facilities.

They are also barred from public transportation via land, sea, and air except for the procurement of essential goods and services.

Duterte, in his usual bombastic manner, has taken this to the extreme telling the unvaccinated they will be arrested if they leave thier homes.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164531

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said those who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 should just “stay home” or risk getting jailed and arrested.

Duterte made this statement after Metro Manila mayors agreed to pass local ordinances that will restrict the movements and activities of unvaccinated people amid a steep increase of infections in the region.

(If barangay captains know you are unvaccinated, they can just say ‘Don’t leave your homes’ but if you leave), you will be escorted…If you force the issue, the barangay captain can place you under arrest and dalhin ka sa estasyon (bring you to a police station),” he said.

Citing health experts, Duterte said those who refused getting their jabs are at higher risk of contracting severe illness, complications, and death.

There is a high chance that if you get infected, you will die. So there are few deaths, thank God. But there still are. Perhaps they’re unvaccinated),” he said.

Duterte said vaccines are necessary because these provide a defense, no matter how small, against the deadly virus.

He also said it is the only way to avoid more problems from arising.

(Now, if you ask help from me, I’ll tell you that I won’t help because you didn’t get vaccinated. If you’re vaccinated, I won’t have a problem and you won’t have a problem. Now if you die, you’re on your own),” he said.

While this scenario of being arrested for going outside your home unvaccinated has no legal basis what we see here is the mindset of, not just Duterte, but all those in power. They continue to push unscientific authoritarian measures thinking they will stop the spread of the virus. They won't.

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Hi, My Name is...20

Here are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet in the Philippines. Just be sure to social distance!

Hi, my name is Junjun Guevara Quijano. I am a farmer in southern Cebu and I suffer from mental illness. One day I saw two girls washing their clothes and for no apparent reason I hacked them both to death. When their brother came to help I stabbed him. Then I stabbed myself.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/415892/mentally-ill-farmer-hacks-3-minors-in-dalaguete

Three minors were stabbed by a 27-year-old farmer in Dalaguete town, southern Cebu on Tuesday morning, December 7, 2021.  

The suspect, who was said to be suffering from a mental illness, was identified by the police as Junjun Guevara Quijano, a resident of Barangay Tabon, which is a mountain barangay in Dalaguete. 

According to police reports, the suspect suddenly attacked the victims, 9 and 10 years old, who were just doing the laundry.  The incident happened at around 9:30 a.m. in Purok 2 in Barangay Tabon. 

The victim allegedly first hacked the two female victims several times “without apparent reason.” 

The third victim, 14, a male and a brother of the two female victims, tried to help his sisters but was also stabbed. 

Quijano stabbed himself afterward, police said.

Police confiscated a knife and bolo from the suspect. 

Hi, my name is Pa. It's been a few years since the mother of my children died during childbirth and ever since I've been living alone with my three daughters. One night I decided to rape my 12 year old daughter. But she went and told her grandparents what I had done. I ran and hid deep in the mountains but the cops still found me.


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/416050/pa-jailed-accused-of-raping-own-daughter

A 46-year-old farmer from Balamban town in western Cebu is now behind bars after he was arrested for allegedly raping his 12-year-old daughter. 

They told police back then that the incident occurred sometime last July after the victim reported it to her adult family members. At that time, the suspect and his three daughters were still living in Brgy. Buanoy, said Ravanes. 

“The mother of his daughters was already dead. They were not married. She died after giving birth to their fourth child. Both did not make it,” Ravanes told reporters in Cebuano on Wednesday, December 8. 

“The suspect, a farmer, fled their home and hid in the mountains when he learned that his daughter reported the incident to her biological grandparents,” he added. 

According to the police official, the area where they located the suspect was isolated and can only be accessed by riding a habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) on the dirt road. 

“He was hiding deep in the hinterland village, and he was staying in a small hut,” said Ravanes in Cebuano.

Hi, my name is Crizzle Gwynn Maguad and this is my younger brother. I was at home with him and my cousin working on my school modules when I heard my brother scream from the other room. My cousin and I ran to see what was the matter. Three unknown men were stabbing him while he pleaded for mercy. They grabbed me and beat and stabbed me to death but my cousin was able to run away and lock herself in a room and ask for help on social media. The cops think it was a robbery.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162564

On Dec. 10, three unidentified men (not two as earlier reported) stabbed to death siblings Crizzle Gwynn, 18, and her younger brother, inside their house in Barangay Bagontapay around 2 p.m.

Another girl, the victims’ visiting cousin, managed to hide in a small room in the house and locked herself in after witnessing the commotion between the two victims and the attackers.

“She was able to post on social media asking for help,” Mamon said.

Hi, my name is Walter Manuel F. Prescott. I am a 71 year old Filipino-born American citizen facing deportation. Since 2016 I have been detained at the BI on trumped up charges filed by my wife. See, I immigrated to the USA and became a naturalized citizen and worked for the World Bank from 1983-2006. Upon retiring I renounced my American citizenship and moved to the Philippines reapplying for Filipino citizenship. I was granted this request. However, in 2013, my wife filed a complaint that I had falsified my application for citizenship. Then Justice Secretary DeLima revoked my Filipino citizenship and in 2016 I was arrested by the BI and scheduled for deportation.

But DeLima had no right to do so and the Supreme Court says anyone detained by the BI for three years who has not been deported should be released. I have now been in custody for six years.


https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/15/no-reason-for-continued-bi-detention-of-71-year-old-filipino-american-pao/

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) has called on the Bureau of Immigration (BI) over the alleged continued illegal detention of a 71-year-old Filipino-American since 2016. 

PAO Chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta said on Wednesday, Dec. 15, that Filipino-American Walter Manuel F. Prescott has been illegally detained since 2016 by the BI which wanted him deported. 

Acosta said the BI has no reason to further detain Prescott for deportation since the PAO already checked with various courts and found he has no criminal cases in the Philippines. 

Thus, she said, PAO has elevated the issue before the Court of Appeals (CA) for the grant of a writ of habeas corpus sought by Prescott. 

“Sa mga justices natin nagmamakawa po kami sa inyo itama po ninyo ang mali (We appeal to the CA justices to right the wrong),” Acosta said during a press conference. 

Acosta said Prescott was born in the Philippines. His mother is a Filipino while his father is an American, she said. 

She also said that Prescott worked for the World Bank in the United States from 1983 to 2010 and also became a naturalized American in 2006. 

Prescott eventually applied for reacquisition of Philippine citizenship in 2008 and was granted, she said. 

But, she said, Prescott’s former wife filed a complaint accusing him of having illegally acquired his Philippine citizenship. 

The BI, she said, used the complaint and the list of Prescott names facing charges to arrest him in 2016 for deportation. 

After his arrest, Acosta said, “then Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima unilaterally cancelled Prescott’s citizenship.” 

“Bakit siya nagtanggal ng citizenship? Dapat po court ang magde-deklara na tanggalan ang isang Filipino ng citizenship (Why did De Lima do that? Only the courts can do the cancellation of Philippine citizenship),” she stressed. 

Also, Acosta cited a Supreme Court (SC) decision which, she said, declared that persons facing deportation proceedings and have not been deported after three years should be released from detention.

Hi, my name is Erika Sagales. I work at a call center and am the breadwinner in my family. I was hoping to earn more money so I was happy when I received an unsolicited text message about a job. I texted back and was directed to invents P44,000 for the opportunity. Some of that money I borrowed from my aunt. Shockingly it turned out to be a scam and now all my money is gone.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/815336/call-center-agent-lost-p44k-cash-in-sms-phishing/story/

A 21-year-old call center agent was hoping to earn more money as a bread winner of the family but instead lost more cash after she fell victim to smishing or SMS phishing.

According to a "Stand for Truth" report, Erika Sagales received a text scam offering her a job. After clicking the link from the text, she was redirected to a Whatsapp where she was tasked to do business transactions by an agent.

At first, she thought there were no red flags after learning she would earn more money. She was then asked to pay P44,000 for an investment in the business transaction but after giving the money, the agent blocked her number.

What's worse, Sagales borrowed the money from her aunt.

(I was looking for a part time job because I am not earning enough so I thought this would help me because I received proof that there is a cash out.

Sagales became a victim of a type of security attack through a text which sends a bogus link that is being used to steal a person's data such as login credentials, credit card data and social security information.

Authorities including the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Division, are conducting investigations into these text scams.

Hi, my name is being withheld. I am adopted. My siblings and I got into an argument. So naturally I beat them with a baseball bat and then stabbed them to death.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/12/19/2148825/minor-admits-killing-2-teens-north-cotabato

The killing of two siblings in this town on Friday last week has been considered solved after police said a family member admitted to committing the crime.

The victims, aged 18 and 16, were hit by a baseball bat and stabbed with a knife at their home in Barangay Bagontapay.

Town police chief Maj. Realan Mamon said an adopted member of the family confessed that she was responsible for the incident.

The suspect is now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Probers said “sibling rivalry” could be the motive for the attack.

Authorities said a manhunt for another suspect is ongoing.

Hi, my name is William Pableo Becong. I suffer from a mental illness. I live with my daughter who has special needs. Or at least I did. In a fit I beheaded her using a machete. Then I hacked on myself.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1163947

A man was charged with parricide after beheading his minor daughter in Agusan del Norte town.

In a statement on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., the director of the Police Regional Office – Caraga, identified the suspect as William Pableo Becong, 46, of Purok 1, Barangay Malpoc, Buenavista town.

“The Buenavista municipal police station already filed the case of parricide against the suspect on Monday at the Agusan del Norte Provincial Prosecutors Office,” he said.

He added that the suspect beheaded his nine-year-old daughter who has special needs on December 25.

The suspect, known to have a mental illness in their locality, used a 14-inch machete in committing the crime, he said.

The suspect is now under the custody of the local police office in Buenavista after receiving medical treatment from the Agusan del Norte Provincial Hospital due to self-inflicted wounds.

Hi, my name is Dante Silvia Reyes. A young 19 year old man named Rusty Rubia deal Cruz came to visit me one afternoon. I pay for his tuition. We did some online cock fight gambling and we got into an argument over a bet. So, in a fit of rage I killed him. To cover up the crime I decided to chop him up into five parts. He fit nicely in two sacks. I loaded them in a taxi and dumped them in a vacant lot.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/01/02/2151335/trader-held-killing-teen-chopping-body

A businessman was arrested in Manila on Thursday night for allegedly killing a student and chopping up his body.

Dante Silva Reyes, 42, was the last person reportedly seen with student Rusty Rubia dela Cruz, 19, the Manila Police District (MPD) reported.

Dela Cruz was last seen parking his motorcycle at the corner of Severino Reyes and Remigio streets and going to Reyes’ house at past 1 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2021.

At around 11:50 p.m., Reyes was seen on closed-circuit television footage loading two sacks into the trunk of a taxi (plate number NGR-3561). The footage was released by the Moriones police substation.

Dela Cruz’s remains, chopped into five parts, were discovered at around 5 p.m. on Dec. 30 at a vacant lot along Bacoor Boulevard in Barangay Niog 3 in Bacoor, Cavite, the MPD said.

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Insurgency: FACT (Filipinos Against Crime and Terrorism)

The war against the insurgency is not only being fought in the Philippines, it is also being fought in the United States. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1163861

A group of Filipino-Americans in New York staged a lighting rally on Sunday evening to urge American authorities to investigate United States-based supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) for terrorist financing, recruitment, and other illegal activities.

Chanting anti-communist slogans and carrying Philippine flags and other banners, members of the Filipino-Americans Against Crime and Terrorism (FACT) marched along Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, Queens, where they distributed leaflets denouncing the CPP-NPA and their supporters in the US on the occasion of the terrorist group’s 53rd founding anniversary.

“US authorities should investigate CPP-NPA leaders, members, and supporters in the US for terrorist financing, recruitment, and other illegal activities given the fact that the Department of State has designated it a terrorist organization as early as 2002,” FACT said in a statement.

FACT is a newly formed Filipino-American grassroots organization based in New York that has been speaking out against the CPP-NPA and its front organizations in the US.

The group questioned the introduction of a bill in the US Congress entitled the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA), which seeks to suspend US military assistance to the Philippines because of alleged human rights violations.

The proposed legislation, according to the FACT, would benefit neither the Philippines nor the United States nor the Filipino and American peoples.

“It is unfortunate that supporters of the CPP-NPA here in the US were able to convince American legislators into supporting the PHRA by making them believe the Philippine government is on a rampage and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women, and children,” the group said.

According to their Facebook page this group was formed in July 2021. Their first post says the following:

We note the growing presence of the CPP-NPA in the US through its cadres who are slowly penetrating the Filipino-American Community with the objective of raising funds and recruiting supporters for their terrorist activities in the Philippines. 

We see the need to warn the Filipino-American Community about the activities of individuals and organizations that support terrorism in the Philippines. 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=103241942036879&id=101357042225369

Bayan-USA, Anakbayan-USA, Migrante-USA, and the Malaya Movement are some of the groups they allege are raising funds and recruiting fighters  for the CPP-NPA.

This group is against the Philippine Human Rights Act which, if passed into law, would stop all military assistance to the Philippines until the human rights situation has been fixed.

https://humanrightsph.org

This website claims that US Foreign Military Financing to the Philippines was suspended in after hearings on EJKs perpetrated by the military were held by Barbra Boxer. That is not entirely true. While the US did deny a paltry $2 million in military aid in 2009 records from the US State Department show that military aid to the Philippines continued. In 2012 US military aid to the Philippines tripled.

FACT is not the only Filipino NGO lobbying the US government. The Malaya Movement is on the other end of the spectrum advocating for the PHRA to be enacted. They describe themselves thusly:

We are building MALAYA: US Movement Against Killings and Dictatorship and for Democracy in the Philippines.  As our name indicates, MALAYA (Filipino for “free”)  seeks not only to broaden our opposition from the U.S. to fascism, but  also to broaden U.S.-based support for the cause of freedom and  democracy in the Philippines. 

Also supporting the PHRA is the Kabataan Alliance. This group is united with Anakbayan-USA which FACT claims is raising fund and recruiting for the CPP-NPA.

In January 2016, Kapit Bisig Kabataan Network with National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and Anakbayan-USA organized a national Filipino youth conference called Kabataan Magkaisa (Youth Unite) with the theme Strengthen the Unity of Filipino Youth to Build a Brighter Future. It aimed to bring together Filipino youth across the U.S. to learn about the various issues affecting Filipinos and how Filipino youth can stand united to advocate for changes that improve our communities. 

http://www.kabataanalliance.org/about/history/index.html

Are Bayan-USA, Anakbayan-USA, Migrante-USA, and the Malaya Movement really supporting the CPP-NPA? That is what FACT wants us to believe.

On June 11, 2021, a group of mostly Filipino-American youths staged a demonstration outside the Philippine Consulate General in New York City to commemorate the 123rd anniversary of Philippine independence. The protesters represented various groups such as Bayan-USA, Anakbayan-USA, Migrante-USA, and Malaya Movement.  

During their program, the demonstrators denounced the Philippine Government for alleged human rights violations and called for the overthrow of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Leaders from each of the groups also took turns demanding an end to United States Government military support for the Philippine Government. 

One of the speakers extolled the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and said that NPA members are the true heroes who the Filipino people should be honoring on Independence Day. This was met by a roar of approval from the demonstrators.  

We in the Filipino-Americans Against Crime and Terrorism (FACT) are aghast by the audacity of these groups to praise the CPP-NPA. They did this in open defiance of the United States Government, which is one of several countries that had designated the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization.  

Despite the repeated denials of Bayan USA, Anakbayan USA and other organizations of their links with the CPP-NPA, the actions of their members outside the Philippine Consulate last month confirms what we have been saying all along—that cadres of the CPP-NPA are actively operating here in the US. 

These CPP-NPA cadres are right here in our midst. They are actively recruiting members and sympathizers from the Filipino-American Community and raising funds to support their goal of overthrowing the Philippine Government through their so-called armed struggle. In case the Filipino-American Community is not aware, the ultimate objective of the CPP-NPA is to install a communist dictatorship in the Philippines.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=115260864168320&id=101357042225369 

This post was accompanied by pictures of the NPA in full combat dress.

https://www.facebook.com/Filipino-Americans-Against-Crime-and-Terrorism-FACT-101357042225369/photos/pcb.115260864168320/115259324168474

Now, I do not know if the speakers praised the CPP-NPA and called them heroes as there is no video footage of the vent available. But I do know the pictures accompanying this article are a lie. They are from the CPP's 50th anniversary celebration in 2018. Here is an actual picture of the event in NYC.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4227924357230323&set=pb.100064516307069.-2207520000..

What a difference. There is no one here dressed up in combat fatigues and no one is brandishing any weapons.

This event was called Duterte, Wakasan Na! End Dependence and the reason is was held was to protest Duterte's inaction over the West Philippine Sea.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=188381846509720&set=pb.100069395761328.-2207520000..

Join us TOMORROW, June 11th @ 5pm for Duterte, Wakasan Na! End Dependence Rally at the Philippine Consulate in NYC as we commemorate Philippine Independence Day and take a stand against Duterte’s failure to assert Philippine sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea against China’s aggression. 

Now, why would groups who are allegedly communists denounce China which is a communist country? 

So what we have here is, possibly, another front group for the AFP operating in the USA to fight the insurgency. But there are also Filipino groups linked to alleged communist fronts also operating in the USA. Now, why are they allowed to do so? Can you imagine an American based group doing the same in the Philippines? Do you think the Philippine government would allow an American activist group to protest American policies in front of the embassy? No, they wouldn't and rightfully so. The Philippine government would never stand for the same crazy immigration policies the USA tolerates. This is just another instance of how the Hart-Celler immigration law has completely destroyed the fabric of American society.

Since this is the beginning of the year let's indulge in a little speculation for what 2022 will bring us. I believe it is highly likely that the AFP will declare the insurgency to be officially over not long before Duterte leaves office in June.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164319

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff, Gen. Andres Centino, said the military remains focused on ending the communist-terrorist threat this year and vowed to keep the upcoming May elections orderly and peaceful.

In a statement over the weekend, Centino urged military personnel to take on the challenges of the new year, saying that 2021 had its share of difficulties and victories but the organization accomplished much despite limitations and restrictions brought by the pandemic.

"As we move forward onto 2022, I urge every officer, enlisted personnel, and civilian human resource to carry on with the winning momentum into the New Year, and to focus on accomplishing our two most urgent tasks — firstly, in ending the local armed conflict by June 2022; and secondly, in ensuring the conduct of a fair, secure, and peaceful national elections," he said.

He earlier rallied military elite units to intensify their operations to put an end to the decades-long communist insurgency.

He noted that unlike in the past when the campaign against insurgency only reaches a certain point, the intensified operations to end local communist armed conflict has gained steam onward to 2022, also the year President Rodrigo Duterte steps down from office.

The narrative here is that the AFP's gains versus the NPA have gained momentum rather than plateau and fizzle out. No doubt most of this momentum is due to the government's bribery program. That is what DND Secretary Lorenzana claims.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/25/dnd-afp-confident-cpp-will-be-defeated-by-end-of-dutertes-term/

The once influential Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is supposedly slowly fading into irrelevance due to the whole-of-nation (WON) approach of the government in addressing communist insurgency.

The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) made similar declarations on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, ahead of the CPP’s 53rd founding anniversary, as the two agencies expressed confidence that the communist group will be defeated by the end of President Duterte’s term in 2022.

“As we celebrate the Christmas season, we are also reminded of the national cancer that continues to ravage our country – the Communist Party of the Philippines. For more than five decades, the CPP has brought nothing but misery, loss of lives, destruction of property, and denial of a bright future for many Filipinos,” DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

But the Defense Chief said the CPP’s “long years of futile resistance” should be “more than enough for them to realize that they will never succeed in forcing their unchristian ideology and communist principle on our people.”

“The influence of the CPP will continue to diminish as the government implements a whole-of-nation (WON) approach, where the people themselves are in the forefront of the fight,” he said.

The so-called WON approach was launched by Duterte in December 2018 when he created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) with the ultimate goal of ending the country’s insurgency problem before he steps down from office in 2022.

Lorenzana said that goal is now within reach.

“Since the WON was started in 2018, we saw the flood of surrenderees and capture or killing of ranking NPA cadres. At last the people are fed up and are rising up against them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Andres Centino, AFP Chief of Staff, said the CPP suffered an “irreversible” damage this year as government troops “continued to gain tactical and strategic victories” against the enemies.

Centino said several ranking leaders of the CPP were “neutralized” or killed in various military operations. Perhaps most prominent of them was Jorge Madlos alias “Ka Oris,” commander and spokesperson of New People’s Army (NPA) National Operations Command, who died in a firefight in Bukidnon on Oct. 31.

Centino also said that 21 guerilla fronts were dismantled while 14 others were “weakened” by the military this year. It also cleared 340 conflict-affected barangays and confiscated 579 unexploded anti-personnel mines in anti-communist operations.

“The CPP has nothing to celebrate on its December 26 anniversary. The year 2021 was the most successful period in our fight against insurgency,” Centino noted.

The AFP claims that 2021 was the most successful year in the fight against the insurgency because they dismantled sacral fronts and neutralized several leaders. Also there is the success of the NTF-ELCAC. But with all the financial irregularities plaguing the NTF-ELCAC how can the public really know just what they have accomplished? And what about alleged CPP-linked groups both here and abroad? Does the AFP think only defeating the NPA, the military wing of the CPP, means the end of the insurgency? How about the hundreds of thousands of communists the NICA alleges have infiltrated the government? There are a lot of factors here that it seems the DND and AFP are not considering. 

Hopefully the AFP does not declare victory against the CPP-NPA in 2022 without there actually being a victory. Sure, doing so would make the Duterte administration look good but the security of the nation is more important than one man's ego.