Insurgency: NPA-Linked Schools

Another day another rebel surrenders. Except this is not just any rebel. This is a guy who has been at it since 1986 and who is only surrendering now at the pleading of his wife who is a village councilor.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179840

Convinced by his wife who is a village councilor, a New People’s Army (NPA) rebel involved in “agaw armas” (weapon grabbing) surrendered to authorities in Zamboanga Sibugay province, an official said Tuesday.

Col. John Francis Encinareal, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Zamboanga Peninsula (CIDG-9) chief, said Belandro Guilayan, 54, surrendered around 7 p.m. Monday at the CIDG field office in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Encinareal said Guilayan surrendered after his wife, a councilor in Barangay Lacnapan of Kabasalan town, convinced him to turn himself in so that he could live as a free man.

The CIDG official withheld Guilayan's wife's identity.

Guilayan told authorities that he was recruited in 1986 by Joseph Pandi alias Kumander Kulong and Pandi’s wife, Risky, an NPA medic.

He served as an “agaw armas” to collect firearms for NPA rebels targeting personnel of the municipal police in Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Guilayan also served as a member of the NPA’s Guerrilla Yunit Propaganda Uno in the towns of Kabasalan, Siay, Diplahan, Buug, and Naga, all in Zamboanga Sibugay.

Encinareal said Guilayan “was still involved in rallies conducted by the white area's movement of the NPA” although he returned to Lacnapan village in December 2017.

There are a lot of questions raised here that this article does not answer. How did this couple meet? When did they meet? Was this lady part of the NPA too? How was she elected to office when she has a direct connection to the NPA? Did anyone know her husband was in the NPA? If anyone knew was she ever harassed about it by the authorities? Was she ever red-tagged? 

We will never get the answers of course but we can thank God knowing that this man will now get a free benefit package from the government. Here are some others availing of those benefits.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179995

Two farmer associations here composed of former rebels received some PHP1.3 million worth of farm production equipment from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), in partnership with the city government.

In a statement Thursday, Mayor Jose Paolo Evangelista said the city agriculturist turned over the equipment to the Nagkahiusang Barangay Linangkob sa Kaunlaran (NABALIK) and the Sikitan Multi-Sectoral Association (SMSA).

Both farming organizations were formed by ex-New People’s Army rebels residing in Barangays Linangkob and Sikitan—two of former NPA–influenced villages in the city. They received the farm equipment on Wednesday afternoon at the city hall grounds.

NABALIK received a mobile rice mill equipment and hand tractor amounting to P954,000, while 114 units of shovels and 114 units of sprayers worth PPH280,000 were given to the SMSA.

The program is under the Capacity Development Related to Agriculture Development that focuses on programs for former rebels in the city to enhance their livelihood and capability.

Ex-rebels are now rice farmers. That gives whole new meaning to red rice. They could package their rice as former-NPA grown! It might be a hit.

Some rebels who do not surrender have not been so lucky as to get free farming equipment paid for by the taxpayer.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179795

Three fighters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) were killed Tuesday during an encounter with troops of the Philippine Army's 62nd Infantry Battalion in the hinterlands of Barangay Budlasan, Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.

The slain rebels were identified as Cristina Jacolbe alias Chave, 40, finance officer of CN1; Ernie Jacolbe alias Frezy, 42, vice commanding officer of Section Guerilla Unit, CN1; and Everly Kee Jacolbe alias Kaye, 18, a member of CN1.

Government soldiers clashed with their group of more or less 10 NPA members of the Central Negros 1 (CN1) of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor (KR-NCBS) at around 6:30 a.m. in the remote sub-village of Natuling in Barangay Budlasan. The firefight lasted for about 10 minutes.

The soldiers were patrolling the hinterland area of Barangay Macagahay in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, when they received a report from a civilian on the presence of armed men in the adjacent village of Budlasan.

Aside from the recovery of the bodies of the three rebels, the soldiers also seized a KG9 semi-automatic firearm loaded with a magazine; two caliber .45 pistols with two magazines; a caliber .38 revolver; one shotgun; assorted ammunition; suspected subversive documents; and personal belongings, the report said.

The engaged with about 10 NPA fighters and only three were killed. Those are not good numbers. But it is the usual outcome. If more die or surrender the AFP can declare the village cleared. 15 villages in Northern Samar have now met that criteria.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180093

At least 15 more remote villages in Northern Samar have been cleared of New People’s Army (NPA) threats based on the recent evaluation by the Philippine Army and local government units.

These villages are Quezon and San Jose in Mapanas town; Anito, Bangon, Cabarasan, Dao, Lonoy, and San Antonio in Gamay; Cabatuan, Campedico, Magsaysay, Maragano, Natawo and Bagacay in Palapag; Can Omanio and Pio del Pilar in Lapinig.

2nd Lt. Joyce Ann Bayron, Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion spokesperson, said in a phone interview Friday that these areas attained the status through an area clearing evaluation held from July 12 to 13.

After a thorough evaluation of the panel, these communities were found to be clear, peaceful, and resilient from conflicts.

These 15 villages were cleared after it was found that locals have stopped providing any support to the communist terrorist group, hence, driving away the armed rebels from communities.

“Community Support Program (CSP) team members presented what they have found, and this was confirmed by village chiefs. Local officials were given the chance to raise their concerns to the members of the municipal task force to end local communist armed conflict,” Bayron said.

These villages are cleared not because all the NPA are actually gone or have not been seen in the area but because the village chiefs claim they are not giving them any assistance. It's another in a long line of metrics used to declare an area insurgency free.

Schools catering to Indigenous People which are allegedly recruiting grounds for the NPA will not be allowed to reopen.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179899

With the help of the military, the Department of Education in Davao Region (DepEd-11) is confident that the schools under the Salugpongan Ta'Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center, Inc. (STTICLCI) will not be able to resume operations.

“Before, we would quarrel with the military on who to blame for the existence of these schools. However, through the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict, we were able to work together to close down these New People’s Army-affiliated schools that also became a breeding ground for child warriors,” DepEd-11 spokesperson Jenielito Atillo said in a press briefing Wednesday.

The military and Salugpongan's former students have long accused the tribal school system of being a training and recruitment ground for the New People's Army (NPA).

In August 2019, DepEd-11 ordered the closure of 55 STTICLCI schools in Davao Region. The decision was grounded on the findings of various regulatory violations, deficiencies, and compliance issues on the part of the school management, apart from its alleged NPA links.

Atillo noted that STTICLCI's closure came “after careful consideration, analysis, and thorough evaluation of the testimonies of the resource persons, key informant and documents submitted.”

Before the closure Salugpongan schools, Atillo said DepEd-11 managed to place its former students in government-accredited schools.

“Not all children enrolled in the Salugpongan schools hailed from Davao Region. Some were from Luzon; they were taken there and brought here so the kids were confined in the schools because they had nowhere else to go,” Atillo said.

This is the culmination of a years long campaign of harassment against these schools. 

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/a-timeline-of-the-birth-and-attacks-on-salugpongan-schools/

2003

The Salugpongan School started as a literacy-numeracy school for the Talaingod Manobo children. Volunteer teachers were facilitated by the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP).

2007

Salugpongan Schools was established as a formal learning institution aiming to provide basic education to the Manobo and was accredited by the Department of Education.

Its full name, Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center, Inc. (STTICLCI), was derived from its founders, the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon (Unity in Defense of Ancestral Land), an organization formed by Talaingod Manobo leaders.

They envisioned to provide the Talaingod Manobo and other IP communities free, quality and culturally relevant education. They said this is the “concrete expression of their collective effort” to defend the Pantaron Mountain Range in their ancestral territory.

2009

Salugpongan school administrators joined in the consultation held by the DepEd for the creation of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) framework.

The framework has become what is now the DepEd Order No. 62 series of 2011, or “Adopting the National Indigenous People’s Education (IPED) Policy Framework intended to be “an instrument for promoting shared accountability, continuous dialogue, engagement, and partnership among government, IP communities, civil society, and other education stakeholders.”

Salugpungan schools encounter the first red-tagging incident from the 60th Battalion, as the DepEd presents evidence that Salugpungan was granted a permit.

2019

July 8 — The DepEd Division released a memorandum calling for the suspension of 54 Salugpongan schools. The issuance was based on the recommendation of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. that accused the school of not following the DepEd curriculum and teaching “ideologies that advocate against the government”.

How these schools went from being fully accredited by the DepEd to being red-tagged and accused of teaching “ideologies that advocate against the government” is a long complicated story. It is also what makes Sara Duterte's wearing an IP costume at the SONA ridiculous.

Despite the facts of the matter former listed briefly above a former NPA rebel claims the IP schools shut themselves down because they decided to teach rebellion.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180266

The Indigenous Peoples (IP) themselves decided to put an end to tribal schools linked to communist rebels, not former mayor and now Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.

This was the assertion of Arian Jane Ramos, former secretary of Guerrilla Front 55 of the New People's Army (NPA) based in Southern Mindanao, following the brickbats hurled at the Vice President by certain quarters believed to be allied with communist rebels.

In particular, Ramos, known as Ka Marikit when she was in the NPA, was reacting to allegations that the closure of the Salugpongan schools in Davao and the rest of the region was the handiwork of Duterte.

“The IPs became decisive for the Salugpongan closure and other 'lumad' schools because they knew the real goal of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA,” Ramos said Monday.

She said the Salugpongan tribal schools were “supposed to shape the future of the children and the development of the tribe, “but they  turned out the other way.”

In October 2019,  the Department of Education in Region 11 (DepEd-11) ordered the closure of the controversial Salugpungan Ta'Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center, Inc. (STTICLCI), the school system that managed the Salugpongan schools, for lack of permits and alleged links with the NPA.

Jenelieto Atillo, DepEd-11 spokesperson, made it clear that the decision did not rest solely on STTICLCI's alleged links with the New People's Army (NPA) but also based on the findings that showed various regulatory violations, deficiencies and compliance issues on the part of the school management.

DepEd's probe on STTICLCI came after then National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon alleged that STTICLCI-run schools were being used as training and recruitment centers for the NPA.

Esperon's allegations were based on the testimonies of former STTICLCI students and teachers.

Various tribal councils in Mindanao also issued a resolution demanding the closure of Salugpongan schools, accusing them of turning their children into rebels.

For Ramos, Duterte's decision to support the DepEd's findings and the eventual closure of Salugpongan schools was a reflection of her “motherly love” for Davao City, saying the former mayor was just “looking out for what's best for the majority.”

Duterte's "motherly love for Davao City?" How sickening. As can be seen above these schools were red-tagged by the Army despite being certified by the DepEd back in 2009. There was a constant campaign of harassment from the beginning. The timeline at the link gives a fuller picture. To say the schools shut themselves down is absolutely ludicrous and simplistic. This is the same lady who also claims that Spotify is being used to recruit minors into the NPA.

The PDEA Vows to Continue the War on Drugs Despite Bongo Not Mentioning it in His SONA

One of the biggest questions people was whether or not the war on drugs would continue once Duterte left office. I always thought this was a stupid question because possession of certain drugs is illegal in the Philippines and it would not be reasonable to think the agencies tased with fighting drugs (the NBI, PNP, and PDEA) would suddenly stop enforcing those laws because no one told them to do so. This week President Bongo gave his first SONA and made no mention about the war on drugs. So does that mean the war on drugs is over? Of course not!

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1936034/cebu/local-news/pdea-central-visayas-vows-to-continue-war-on-drugs

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Central Visayas vowed that nothing will change in the government’s war against illegal drugs despite it not being mentioned in the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Marcos delivered his first Sona on Monday, July 25, 2022, wherein he talked about tax reform, tourism, infrastructure projects, education and energy, among other things. He, however, did not mention the fight against criminality and drugs, as well as corruption.

PDEA-Central Visayas Director Levi Ortiz said Tuesday, July 26, that the war on drugs will continue to be implemented nationwide.

He said they will, in fact, strengthen the campaign against illegal drugs in Central Visayas.

(We are under the Office of the President, so we will follow whatever is the will and pleasure of the president.)

(He might have a plan about the fight against illegal drugs and he has yet to discuss it, but we in PDEA, we will continue the fight.)

Does anyone think it is the pleasure of the president to stop enforcing the drug laws? 

Maybe it's something else.  Maybe it's this:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/01/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-urges-people-to-kill-drug-addicts

“These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, don’t go into that, even if you’re a policeman, because I will really kill you,” the head of state told the audience.

“If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.”

Duterte ordered not just cops but everyone to kill drug users. Bongo has not given such an order yet. But should that really put the drug war in limbo? The war on drugs has been going on since Marcos Sr. enacted the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972. Why would anyone think that it is going to end now?

Retards in the Government 269

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

  

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179534

Armed with an arrest warrant, authorities arrested a soldier facing criminal cases in a remote barangay in this southern port city, police officials said Friday.

Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, said Private 1st Class Gilbert Paje was arrested around 12:16 a.m. Friday in Barangay Tictapul here.

Lorenzo said Paje, 33, has standing warrant of arrest for three counts of rape with no recommended bail and violation of Republic Act 7610 otherwise known as the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

Maj. Jamar Tagayan, ZCPO’s Station 1 chief, said the suspect is listed as the top 3 most wanted regional level, top five most wanted city level and top one most wanted provincial level due to the criminal cases he is facing.

A solider has been arrested on 3 counts of rape.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1632493/cagayan-town-vice-mayor-3-others-charged-with-murder-of-trader

Vice Mayor Matthew Nolasco of Gattaran town, Cagayan province, and three others were charged with murder in connection with the killing of a local businessman in December last year.

The Cagayan Provincial Prosecutor’s Office lodged the murder case before the Regional Trial Court in Aparri town on July 13. Details were released on Wednesday, July 20, to the media.

Nolasco and his alleged three cohorts were accused of killing on December 5 last year Jefferson Torricer, a 29-year-old trader inside a resto-bar at Barangay Magapit, in Lal-lo town, also in Cagayan.

Nolasco, who was a mayor at the time of the killing, allegedly shot Torricer. His cohorts reportedly manhandled the victim. No bail was recommended.

A Vice Mayor and three others have been charged with murder.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1632337/court-upholds-graft-conviction-of-ex-pnp-chief-five-other-officials

The Sandiganbayan has upheld the 2021 graft conviction of former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa and five other retired police officials in connection with the purchase of rubber boats and outboard motors for the PNP in 2009.

The antigraft court’s Third Division denied the motions for reconsideration filed by Verzosa and the other officers involved in the P131.5-million transaction, namely retired police Lieutenant Generals Benjamin Belarmino Jr. and Jefferson Soriano; retired Major Generals Luizo Ticman and Romeo Hilomen; and retired Brig. Gen. Villamor Bumanglag.

In their motions filed last year, the former PNP officials sought the reversal of the court’s June 25, 2021, decision that sentenced them each to six to eight years of imprisonment and barred them from public office.

In the 2021 decision, Verzosa and the other officials—all former members of the national headquarter’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)—were found guilty of graft for proceeding with the procurement of the boats and the motors, which were later found to be incompatible.

They were found to have conspired with one another to give “unwarranted benefit, advantage and preference’’ to three suppliers—EnviroAire Inc., Geneve SA Corp. and Bay Industrial.

The graft convictions of a former PNP Chief and 5 other retired PNP Officers has been upheld.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1632691/four-govt-officials-guilty-of-fraud-in-negros-occidental-sandiganbayan

The Sandiganbayan found two current and two retired officials of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental guilty of “frauds against the public treasury” in connection with a heavy equipment lease contract with a private firm in 2008.

The Sandiganbayan, in a decision promulgated on July 15, ordered Sipalay City treasurer Renato Manilla, engineer Porferio Calderon Jr., retired budget officer Fernando Balbin, and general services officer Elizer Balbin to pay a fine of P40,000 each.

Four government officals have been convicted of fraudin realtion to an equipment lease contract from 2008.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/22/ex-vice-mayor-of-quezon-town-ambushed-in-san-pablo-city/

A former municipal vice mayor of Quezon town was ambushed by unidentified gunmen while driving his sports car on Friday afternoon at Barangay San Francisco in San Pablo City, this province.

San Pablo City Police report identified the victim as Danilo Amat, businessman, and former municipal vice mayor of Dolores town in Quezon province.

Based on the initial police report, the victim was driving his sports sedan around 6:30 p.m. when he was attacked by the suspects who shot him several times. He was hit on the back.

The suspect fled on foot right after the incident.

The victim was brought by a concerned citizen to San Pablo City General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by Dr. Rowena Rovillos.

A former vice mayor has been assassinated.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/23/cop-dies-in-accidental-firing-in-iloilo-city/

A 30-year-old policeman died after he accidentally shot himself with his wife’s gun in Jaro, this city, Friday, July 22.

The victim was identified as Police Corporal Paul Eric Uyaco, assigned to the San Miguel, Iloilo police station. 

“He allegedly was killed while checking a firearm at home,” said Police Capt. Eduardo Siacon, chief of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO)-Jaro district.

The gun that killed Uyaco was owned by his 32-year-old wife, Police Corporal Louise Kate Uyaco, assigned to the Iloilo City Mobile Force Company.

Initial investigation showed that Mrs. Uyaco told Paul Eric that her gun was malfunctioning at past 7 a.m. Mr. Uyaco went to the third of their house to check the gun.

His wife heard a gunshot on the third floor while preparing breakfast. She went upstairs and saw her husband with a bullet wound in the right temple.

A cop accidentally killed himself while checking his wife's gun.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1632862/p-48b-in-pnp-gear-arms-undelivered-since-2016

Bomb-sniffing dogs and assorted police equipment worth nearly half a billion pesos have not yet been delivered by the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) since it received a P1.348-billion fund for the procurement from the Philippine National Police six years ago, the Commission on Audit (COA) has reported.

In 2016, the PNP transferred the fund to the PITC to purchase, among others, utility trucks, genetic DNA analyzers, tactical or handheld radios, light personnel carrier, generators, motorcycles, ponchos and automatic grenade launchers, the COA said in its 2021 audit report on the PNP that was published on its website this week.

“Although completion of deliveries is expected in 2022, delays in the procurement by PITC and the schedule of deliveries by suppliers affected the operations of PNP and deprived its personnel of timely use of the equipment,” the audit body said.

The PITC is a state-owned and -controlled corporation, which provides, among others, the “most efficient and cost-effective procurement services” to other government agencies. It is attached to the Department of Trade and Industry.

During the years 2018 to 2021, the PITC delivered and liquidated some of the requested items worth P744,848,393.32, the COA said.

This left a balance of P602,768,059.58, or about 44.7 percent of the original amount handed to the PITC, as of end-December 2021, it said.

The balance included P486,291,674.21 for other items that had not been delivered, P56,059,825.00 items that were delivered but not yet liquidated or distributed to PNP sites and P60,416,560.37 in savings, the COA said.

“Although the fund was made available in 2016, the noted procurement backlogs in the PITC occurred because contracts for the requested items were only awarded in 2021,” the audit body said.

The PITC is expected to complete the deliveries to the PNP this year.

The COA observed that in 2016, the PNP’s national bids and awards committee (BAC) “seemingly lacked proficiency and capability to procure the equipment, which paved the way to transfer the procurement activities to PITC.”

The COA has flagged the PITC for not delivering equipment ordered by the PNP in 2016.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179647

Three died in a shooting incident at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on Sunday afternoon while the suspect, a doctor, is under police custody.

According to the report of the Anonas Police Station, the fatalities were Rosita Furigay, former mayor of Lamitan City in Basilan province; Victor George Capistrano, the executive assistant of Furigay; and a certain Bandiola Jeneven.

The incident happened at about 2:55 p.m.

Hannait, reportedly Furigay's daughter who was supposed to join the graduation ceremony of the School of Law, is undergoing treatment.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) identified the alleged shooter as Dr. Chao Tiao Yumol, 38, and a resident of Basilan.

He allegedly resented Furigay for allowing the proliferation of illegal drugs, according to an update from the NCRPO.

It appears that this ex-mayor was targeted for allowing illegal drugs to proliferate and also for bringing cyber libel charges against the shooter which resulted in his suspension as a physician. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179661

Members of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) recently arrested six erring police officers in separate operations for their involvement in illegal activities.

In a statement Monday, IMEG acting chief Brig. Gen. Samuel Nacion, said these operations are part of the PNP's relentless internal cleansing.

On July 17, IMEG operatives arrested Pat. David Bolor Jr., who is wanted for frustrated murder in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City.

Meanwhile, the IMEG nabbed dismissed police officer, Rodrigo Sanoy, the top eight most wanted person in Malabon, along Roxas St. Sampaloc, Manila on July 15.

Nacion said Sanoy, who is wanted for murder, is also known in the area to be involved in various illegal activities such as gambling and is facing "complaints in the barangay for sorts of local ordinance violations.”

In Calabarzon, three active members of the Biñan City Police Station (CPS) allegedly involved in a shooting on July 14 surrendered to authorities.

The July 15 surrender of Cpl. Mark Jefferson Arzola, Cpl. Gerald Casanova and Pat. Amiel Howell Alcantara, was facilitated by the IMEG's Team Calabarzon.

On July 19, Pat. Karl Mikhail Almazan, a member of the Highway Patrol Group's (HPG) Intelligence Division, was nabbed by the IMEG Central Luzon members together with the Bulacan police.

Almazan has a standing arrest warrant for violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

Six cops have been arrested for various crimes including murder and child abuse. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179681

An official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was killed in an accidental firing at his rented home in Zamboanga Sibugay province, a top police official said Monday.

Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, Police Regional Office – Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) director, said Akmad Sampang, the provincial NBI chief of Zamboanga Sibugay, was fatally hit on the chest while cleaning his service firearm, Glock 40 pistol around 8 a.m. Saturday at his place in Purok Golden Mango, Barangay Poblacion of Ipil town.

His live-in partner told investigators that Sampang, 59, asked her to go out and buy coconut water.

“Upon returning home, she was surprised when the victim was already lying with blood with a gunshot wound on his chest while his issued firearm was beside him,” Simborio said in a statement.

An NBI official accidentally killed himself while cleaning his gun.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1633111/coa-costly-airport-x-ray-machine-cant-even-detect-guns-in-cars

The agency managing the country’s second leading gateway was singled out by state auditors for buying a pricey X-ray machine that proved incapable of detecting firearms and ammunition that are concealed in vehicles.

“The purchased Mobile X-Ray Screening System amounting to P196.382 million cannot detect or scan guns and ammunitions placed inside vehicles,” the Commission on Audit (COA) said in an “executive summary” posted on its website early this month regarding the year-end financial statements of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).

The machine, therefore, “cannot serve MCIAA’s purpose of enhancing its security posturing against terrorists,” the COA report said.

The airport authority bought the equipment, the X-ray Backscatter, from Ad Lib International Sales Inc. in January 2020.

According to the MCIAA, the machine underwent inspection that month and was found to be in working condition.

But the COA said that in three separate inspections conducted by its personnel the following year, the machine could not even “scan the inside of an armored vehicle.”

“[T]his condition is a clear manifestation that there was a lack of rigid inspection of the equipment before accepting it,” the COA said as it called on the airport management to “submit … a written explanation [as to] why this transaction shall not be disallowed….”

Cebu's airport bought an expensive X-ray machine which does not work properly according to the COA.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1936003/bacolod/local-news/5-opa-employees-facing-probe-for-allegedly-holding-drinking-session-on-official-travel

FOR allegedly having a drinking session while on official travel, five employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) of Negros Occidental are under investigation.

Atty. Alberto Nellas Jr. said yesterday, July 25, that the employees including a division head, three engineers and a staff member have been issued with show cause orders so that they can explain their side.

A formal complaint for Misuse of Government Property and Grave Misconduct was filed by a Capitol employee who serviced them while on official travel to Victorias City on July 15, 2022.

The complainant, a driver, claimed that he waited for the respondents until 8 p.m. but was later informed that they were at a restaurant allegedly having a drinking session.

The senior employee allegedly uttered bad words against the driver when he informed them that he waited for them.

Nellas said that the division head involved could face additional charges for conduct unbecoming because of allegedly bad mouthing the employee.

“We will be getting their side and they have to answer the investigation report against them," Nellas said.

Five government employees are accused have having a drinking session while on the job and one is accused of bad mouthing the driver. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179797

Backed by the police Special Action Force, anti-narcotics agents arrested an employee of M’lang town and his father for possession of illegal drugs and firearms, an official reported Tuesday.

Director Naravy Duquiatan of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Soccsksargen said operatives implemented a search warrant against two high-value targets in Barangay Dungguan at past 5 a.m. Monday.

The suspects were identified as Mohar Talimbo, 34, a civil security unit officer assigned to the M’lang District Hospital, and his father Jimmy, 62, a farmer.

Both are members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Seized during the operation were suspected shabu with a street value of PHP81,000, an M16 rifle, a Bushmaster rifle, a  component of an improvised explosive device, firearm magazines, and ammunition.

A government employee who is also a MILF terrorist and his father have been arrested on drug charges. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179675

The Sandiganbayan turned down the plea of a former lawmaker and a former town mayor of Sulu to junk their graft charges arising from an allegedly anomalous PHP5-million agriculture project in 2004.

In a resolution dated July 22, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division denied the motion filed by former Sulu 1st District Rep. Hussin Amin and former Hadji Panglima Tahil mayor Nedra Burahan, who are facing multiple counts of graft.

Also accused are regional agriculture officials Oscar Parawan, Samuel Simbajon, and Ma. Perlice Socorro Julian, and Commission on Audit’s Abduljamar Ingui.

They are implicated in the alleged questionable release in three tranches of PHP5 million for the Farm Inputs and Farm Implements Program of Amin -- PHP3.25 million, PHP700,000, and PHP1.05 million.

Amin, Burahan and Parawan entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the procurement of farm inputs and implements while Simbajon, Julian, and Parawan processed and approved the disbursement “without reviewing the work and financial plan of the project contrary to the provisions of the MOA.”

The local government, through Burahan, made a pact with Sunny Marketing Supplies, a supplier of farm inputs and implements without public bidding, progress reports, and proof of implementation.

Ingui was indicted for allowing the transactions without proper liquidation.

The court ordered the initial presentation of defense on Tuesday as it denied for “utter lack of merit” the motions for leave of court to file demurrer to evidence.

A demurrer filed by an accused seeks the outright dismissal of the case, citing the prosecution’s failure to make a case even without the defense having to give their side.

Graft charges against a former Sulu Representative and a former Mayor will proceed. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1635246/tarlac-cops-face-raps-over-tinang-83-arrest

At least 30 policemen from Concepcion town in Tarlac province are facing multiple complaints at the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the mass arrest of 83 farmers and their supporters while conducting a community cultivation at a disputed agrarian property in Barangay Tinang last month.

Members of the so-called Tinang 83 on Tuesday lodged criminal complaints against Lt. Col. Reynold Macabitas, chief of the Concepcion police, and his men who arrested them on June 9, accusing the police officers of violating the rights of those arrested, detained, and under custodial investigation.

Tinang 83 refers to the farmers, activists, journalists, and students who occupied a 2-hectare section of a disputed property and were detained by Concepcion policemen for allegedly destroying sugarcane planted there.

Complaints for perjury, unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, physical and mental/psychological torture, and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment or punishment were also lodged against the policemen.

The group also filed administrative complaints against the policemen for grave and serious misconduct when the lawmen allegedly failed to bring them to a medical facility or a doctor for medical examinations before they were detained.

According to the complainants, they were put in a detention cell that was “very crowded and cramped.”

Another administrative complaint for conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service was filed against the policemen for alleged “gross ignorance of the law” that “tainted the image and integrity of the police force.”

The complainants also asked the Office of the Ombudsman to remove the policemen from service and issue a preventive suspension against them while the investigation is ongoing.

Macabitas on Tuesday reiterated that they were prepared to answer all complaints filed against them in relation to the arrest of Tinang 83. “As law enforcers, it’s inherent for us to respond to complaints. They (Tinang 83) destroyed a property and there was a complaint [filed against them]. We will respond to the case,” he told the Inquirer in a text message.Macabitas said they had exhausted all means to stop what the farmers and their supporters were doing before they were arrested.

“We’re just doing our job to keep the peace and order within our jurisdiction. We had a complainant, evidence and witnesses saying the property was damaged. What we did was not illegal,” he said.

30 PNP officer are facing complaints from the 83 people they arrested over a land dispute back in June. These people were eventually set free and several of the charges were dismissed. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: 1 Million Vax in 100 Days, Social Mobilizers, and More!

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

The vaccine remains voluntary but if you are a migrant worker coming for the sugarcane harvest in Negros you will need to submit your vaccine card.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179371

The Negros Occidental provincial government will require migrant sugarcane workers (MSWs) to submit a coronavirus virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination card or certificate when entering the province for the start of the new crop year in September.

In Executive Order 22-35 issued on Wednesday, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson outlined the guidelines for returning migrant workers from Panay island, mostly from the province of Antique.

“In light of the forthcoming sugarcane crop season for 2022 to 2023, there will be an expected influx of MSWs entering Negros Occidental hence, there is a need to issue proactive guidelines to prevent the potential surge of Covid-19 cases in the province,” the governor said.

Some 5,000 cane cutters, also known as “sacadas”, from Antique are employed every year in sugarcane plantations in Negros Occidental, the country’s top sugar-producing province.

This year, the province requires the fully vaccinated plantation workers to present a verifiable vaccination card or certificate.

Among those that will be honored are the Negros Occidental management information system vaccination card, Covid-19 domestic vaccination card duly issued by a legitimate vaccinating establishment, and an official Department of Health vaccination certificate with a quick response code.

If without verifiable vaccination cards, the MSWs will undergo a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test for free upon arrival.

Those who underwent a swab test will be brought to quarantine facilities on the farms until the results are released by the Provincial Health Office.

All positive Covid-19 cases will have to undergo quarantine.

Anyone without a vaccine card will be swabbed and automatically quarantined until the results are known. That is ridiculous seeing as even the vaccinated can be infected and would likely not even know it. This is one reason why Bacolod is prepping their isolation facilities. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179402

The city government here is readying its coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) isolation facility anew amid a possible increase in infections among the Bacolodnons.

Located in Barangay Alijis, the structure, now called the temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF), was built by the Department of Public Works and Highways at the height of the pandemic two years ago.

As of Wednesday, the city has a total of 108 active cases, based on the bulletin issued by the Department of Health-Western Visayas.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, chair of the Covid-19 Action Team, said active cases are admitted to various clinics and hospitals while there are those in home isolation and supervised by the City Health Office.

Earlier this week, city personnel cleaned the surroundings of the quarantine and isolation buildings.

The TTMF will be used as a “step-up facility”, where a patient can stay while waiting for the available hospital room, and as a “step-down facility” for those who have been discharged from a hospital but has yet to complete the required isolation period.

Are they really expecting this place to be filled?  

Surveys matter right? Is that not the lesson of the past election?  Take a look at this survey.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/20/22/83-pct-of-pinoys-say-worst-of-pandemic-behind-us-sws

A record-high 83 percent of Filipinos believe that the country has hurdled through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey said Wednesday

"This is 3 points above the previous record of 80% in December 2021, and nearly twice as high as the 44% when SWS first asked the question in May 2020," SWS said in a statement.

Filipinos who said they fear the "worst is yet to come" fell to 16 percent in 2022, from 19 percent in December last year.

Most of those who believe that the worst of the pandemic "is behind us" are from Mindanao, with 86 percent of respondents saying they were optimistic of the situation.

This is followed by Metro Manila and Luzon at 82 percent, and the Visayas at 81 percent.

Majority of respondents who said that the "worst is behind us" either had no formal education or some elementary education (or non-elementary graduates), the pollster said.

"On the other hand, the percentage of those fearing 'the worst is yet to come' rises with education... It was highest among college graduates," it pointed out.

But despite the growing optimism among Filipinos, SWS noted that there is still a high number of respondents who said they were worried about catching COVID-19.

According to the polling firm, 88 percent of Filipinos expressed "a great deal" of worry or were "somewhat worried" about getting infected.

Well then perhaps it is past time to ditch things like the mask mandate!

COVID cases are increasing and the public is to blame. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179564

The presence of the highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) variants, lax observance of the minimum health standards, and increased interaction of people due to more relaxed restrictions led to the increased risk of transmission in Western Visayas, a regional health official said on Friday.

As of July 21, 2022, the region has a total of 2,031 active cases as reported by the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD).

“Yesterday (July 21), we have 177 new cases for a total of 2,031 active cases. We have recorded 91 recoveries and zero deaths,” said Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, head of the DOH WV CHD Infectious Disease Section, in an interview.

Most of the cases or 93.60 percent have mild symptoms or asymptomatic, she added.

Are they even looking at their own statistics? There is not massive deaths so none of this matters. Dengue cases are rising too and the is more deadly than COVID! 

Monkeypox has recently been declared an emergency by the WHO and the PHL says they are ready to respond. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/839183/doh-says-covid-19-health-protocols-may-be-used-vs-monkeypox/story/

The Department of Health (DOH) asked the public to adhere to the same health protocols against COVID-19 to protect themselves should the monkeypox virus enter the Philippines.

The DOH re-issued the public health advisory on monkeypox after the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared it as a "public health emergency of international concern” — the highest alarm it can sound.

Just like the minimum public health standards for COVID-19, measures to prevent the transmission of monkeypox virus include wearing the best-fitted mask, ensuring good airflow, keeping hands clean, and observing physical distance, the DOH said.

The agency also noted that the smallpox vaccine has been proven to be "85% effective" in preventing monkeypox.

In a statement on Sunday, the DOH said they have been preparing their monkeypox response along with their partners ever since an uptick in cases was reported in several countries in May 2022.

This is more fear mongering. Monkeypox is being spreading the gay community. If you are not a sick degenerate homosexual man then you will likely never get Monkeypox. Is no one looking at the statistics of these viruses?

The DOH has a new goal for their Mindanao vaccination effort. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179664

The Department of Health (DOH) 10 (Northern Mindanao) said Monday it is targeting at least one million inoculations in Northern Mindanao within 100 days.

Dr. Jose Llacuna Jr., DOH-10 director, said the move is part of the national mandate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his first 100 days in office.

“I would like to assure you, we have sufficient vaccine (supply). In fact, we have more than what we needed,” Llacuna said.

He said the new vaccination drive is part of the national program under “PinasLakas”.

The one million target is 50 percent of the region’s general population, set as minimum figures.

As of July 24, only 514,797 out of the 1.53 million target population have been inoculated.

Dr. Emma Pilar Imperio, DOH-10 Family Health Cluster Medical Officer, also said within 100 days, at least 90 percent or 65,304 of the target population of senior citizens must be inoculated.

Ok, so they have the supply but how will they convince 1 million people to get in ejected with the vaccine? In Ilocos they will be going door to door.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179728

The Department of Health Center for Health Development in the Ilocos Region (DOH-CHD-1) will deploy social mobilizers in La Union and Pangasinan to aid in the campaign to increase the booster vaccination rate in the provinces.

Glen Ramos, DOH-CHD-1 Health Education Promotion Unit media relations officer, said social mobilizers are nurses who will help convince people to get their free vaccination to further enhance the booster dose coverage of the target population in the region.

“The social mobilizers will conduct house-to-house information campaign, including office and school visits, and explain the side effects and the advantages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine and convince people to be inoculated,” he said in a phone interview on Monday.

Ramos said they will also identify the factors on the low acceptance of vaccination in various communities.

Two teams will be deployed in La Union and five in Pangasinan.

The two provinces have a low booster vaccination rate among the four provinces in the region.

“This will be a big challenge for them because they have to convince those who refuse and are afraid of the vaccine. We really need everyone’s help to convince them and provide them the protection they need against the virus, especially now that cases are already on the rise,” DOH-CHD-1 regional director Paula Paz Sydiongco said in a statement.

It would be interesting to read their playbook. Just what will they say to convince people who refuse the vaccine to get injected?  Do they have a response to the fact that it is wholly untested and did not go through the rigorous process like every other vaccine? Do they have a response if someone brings up the fact that it does not prevent infection?

Well, if you have not been injected then you better do it or you will be the cause for perhaps 19,000 cases a day in August.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1634771/fwd-doh-projects-19k-daily-covid-19-cases-by-end-of-august-if-booster-rates-do-not-improve

The number reported COVID-19 infections per day may reach as high as 19,306 by August 31, if vaccination and booster rates, as well as compliance to minimum public health standards, do not improve, said the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday.

If both vaccination and booster shot numbers improve, however, the daily cases may hover between 6,000 to 8,000 cases per day.

“Based on our latest projections and our current case trends, the number of detected cases at the national level are projected to be on a continuous uptrend, with an estimated 19,306 cases reported daily by August 31,” said DOH in a message to reporters.

“However, with the improvement of vaccination and booster rates and MPHS compliance, case increase may be slower and more controlled at about 6,194 to 8,346 cases by the end of August,” it added.

Despite the increasing number of infections, the DOH assured the public that it is currently focused more on admission and hospital utilization rates in determining an area’s alert level.

It also assured that with available COVID-19 treatment and the availability of vaccines, “we now have the capability to reduce the vulnerable population and keep hospital utilization and fatalities to a minimum.”

“In line with this, the Department of Health reiterates the need to continue wearing of best-fitting face masks, isolating and informing our close contacts when sick, doubling-up protection via vaccines, and ensuring good airflow to control the spread of the virus,” the DOH said,

 “If such factors will be adhered to and implemented by ourselves immediately, a decline in cases may be observed sooner,” it added.

Yes, if we continue doing the same things the virus will decrease. Only that hasn't happened! At least Bongo says there will be no more lockdowns despite the number of rising cases.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1634191/no-more-lockdowns-despite-rising-covid-cases-marcos-vows

There will be no more lockdowns imposed in the country despite the increase in COVID-19 infections, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. pledged on Monday during his first State of the Nation Address (Sona).

"In our health situation, the threat of COVID-19 is still there. Especially since new variants of the coronavirus are being discovered. But we cannot afford another lockdown," Marcos said during his speech.

"We will not do any more lockdown. We must properly balance the health and welfare of our citizens on the one hand and the economy on the other," he added.

However, Marcos told the public that the COVID-19 alert level will still remain.

At least that's good news.