Insurgency: Strategic Victory and Looming Collapse of NPA

It's finally happened! The Philippines has defeated the NPA. The AFP has gotten the victory! Strategically that is.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184813

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Wednesday it has attained strategic victory over the threats posed by the communist movement and other local terrorist groups (LTGs) operating in the country.

Department of National Defense (DND) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. made this statement after the AFP reported more than 75 percent of the communist fronts in the country have been dismantled nationwide.

"Out of 89 in July 2016, there are only five active guerilla fronts remaining,” he said in a statement.

He added that the capabilities of the communist rebels and LTGs have been significantly diminished over the last few years.

"The concerted efforts of the security sector have drawn us even closer to the end of the armed conflict with the inevitable collapse of these armed groups,” the DND chief said.

As of Sept. 20 this year, a total of 2,890 conflict-affected barangays have been cleared, through the AFP’s Development Support and Security Plan "Kapayapaan" and the DND's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.

From July 1, 2016 to Sept. 26, 2022, the AFP recorded a total of 10,608 regular NPA members neutralized, and more than 41,000 underground members, mass supporters, and sympathizers withdrew their support to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

A total of 4,644 LTG members were also neutralized during the period.

Around 1,386 cities/municipalities and 31,254 barangays nationwide declared the CPP-NPA as persona non grata, indicating a widespread loss of support for the communist movement.

“This victory, of course, cannot be credited only to the DND and AFP. The gains we achieved were brought about by the harmonized endeavors of the national and local levels of government, as well as the active participation of relevant agencies and other stakeholders, through the whole-of-nation approach of the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)," Faustino said.

This is NOT a victory. A victory is when the enemy is either obliterated or submits. Imagine the Allies claiming a strategic victory shortly after the Normandy invasion. That would have been ridiculous. We are being told that the NPA is still recruiting and still poses a threat. Vice President Sara Duterte has flexed her muscles to say that we must show them no mercy. And we are supposed to cheer for this strategic victory? Let's look at a few places where this strategic victory has been obtained. 

In Northern Samar the insurgency has ended for a few months now.  The PNP officers responsible have finally gotten their just rewards for all their efforts. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184615

The Philippine Army and the local government of Las Navas, Northern Samar have recognized the 35 elite police officers who helped end insurgency in the town’s rebel-infested villages for seven months.

Members of the 12th Special Action Battalion of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) based in Calbayog City, Samar were deployed in the town on Feb. 26, 2022 as retooled community support program (RCSP) operators.

“Through their relentless efforts, four villages were declared cleared, peaceful, and conflict-resilient communities by the area clearing evaluation team. With the presence of SAF members, these communities are now free from the influence of the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) and ready for development,” said 2nd Lt. Joyce Ann Bayron, Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion (IB) in a phone interview.

These four villages are Bulao, Dolores, San Isidro, and Quirino all in Las Navas town.

“You left these villages peaceful. What you have done for the people of Las Navas will have a long and lasting effect to peace and security that will pave the way for the development in Northern Samar,” Buban said during the ceremony.

Seven months is a good long time. Hopefully the Barangay Development Program and the NTF-ELCAC have come through with funds to develop the area.

Elsewhere the communist insurgency continues to disintegrate as many comrades surrender.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184560

The recent mass surrender of 16 members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-News People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Negros has dealt a big blow to the long-running insurgency on the island, a key Army official said Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, told the Philippine News Agency that the development is a positive outcome of sustained military efforts, particularly for Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental, as this would bring “peace and development”.

The former rebels (FRs) who surrendered during a ceremony last week attended by military, police and local civilian officials included key leaders and members of the Central Negros 1, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor (KR-NCBS) under the Leonardo Panaligan Command.

“I commend the Task Force ELCAC (End Local Communist Armed Conflict) of Guihulngan City for their efforts to entice the remaining members of the CN1 in returning to the folds of the law,” Pasaporte said in mixed English and Filipino.

As to the impact on the underground movement, the Army commander said the rebel group is now “weakening” even though there are statements from their leaders that “they are projecting to be strong”.

Pasaporte said there will be another round of mass surrender soon in one of the towns in Negros Oriental covered by his brigade but he did not elaborate for security reasons.

Isn't it kind of odd that they know there will be another mass surrender very soon? Perhaps not because these people have to be in touch with the AFP but if the mass surrenders are fake as the CPP claims then it makes sense. Also how exactly is the NPA "projecting to be strong?" The AFP has said the NPA is actively recruiting which means they are not weak and just last week they were prevented from blowing up a dam. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184276

Three communist rebels were killed in an encounter with government troops that foiled their attempt to attack the Kaliwa Dam in Quezon province on Tuesday.

In a statement Wednesday night, Lt. Col. Nestor Estolas, public affairs office chief of the Philippine Army's 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), said the clash took place at Sitio Lagmak in Barangay Pagsangahan, San Francisco town.

He said the slain rebels are part of a larger group that planned to attack the facility.

"Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Battalion and 22nd Division Reconnaissance Company were conducting combat operations at Sitio Lagmak in Barangay Pagsangahan after receiving information from concerned citizens about a planned terror attack at Kaliwa Dam. This led to the interception of 25 armed personalities believed to be members of KLG (Kilusang Larangan Guerilla) Narciso and EXECOM (Executive Committee) of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee's Sub-Regional Military Area 4A, which is led by its secretary Janice Javier alias Yayo," he added.

25 armed members of the NPA tried to attack a dam. That does not sound like they are projecting strength but that they are capable of carrying out attacks. They were only prevented from carrying out the attack because a concerned citizen snitched. 

The AFP claims the NPA is declining in most of Mindanao. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184750

The communist New People’s Army (NPA) in most parts of Mindanao is critically declining due to the deaths, arrests, and surrender of their top leaders, the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) said Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. Greg Almerol, the Eastmincom chief, hailed Army troopers in the regions of Caraga, Davao, and Northern Mindanao for the series of neutralization of NPA leaders and the dismantling of an NPA guerrilla front this month.

“Forty-five NPA members, including high-value individuals, have surrendered, while others were arrested, captured, or killed this month alone by the units under the 10th Infantry Division (ID) and the 4ID,” Almerol said in a statement.

At least 40 high-powered firearms of various calibers and three anti-personnel mines were also recovered during the period, he said.

Of the three top NPA leaders killed during the period, two were in the Caraga, including Noel Alacre, the commanding officer of Platoon 2, Guerrilla Front (GF) 30, and Rolando Leyson Jr., the secretary of GF 16, both of the NPA's North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.

Almerol said the Eastmincom also approved the dismantling of GF18 after the government troops neutralized its remaining members and the recovery of war matériel during the series of armed confrontations this month in Lupon and Banaybanay in Davao Oriental province.

He noted that GF18 has weakened since Nov. 2021 with the surrender of its two top leaders.

“We are also eyeing the dismantling of other NPA units in Northern Mindanao and the Caraga Region following the series of neutralization of its top-ranking leaders and the capture of its remaining war matériel,” Almerol said.

He said Eastmincom has dismantled 28 out of 33 NPA guerrilla fronts since 2017.

There are only 5 NPA fronts left in Eastern Mindanao. Hopefully the AFP does not underestimate them as they are so wont to do. 

In Caraga the AFP says the collapse of the NPA is "looming."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184950

The Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) official foresees the imminent downfall of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Caraga Region with the increasing number of surrenderers in the area.

In a statement Thursday, Maj. Gen. Wilbur Mamawag noted that 40 key NPA leaders and members in the region have so far been neutralized in the past two months.

Thirty-five assorted firearms were also recovered by the government troops during the period.

This month, Mamawag said the biggest number of surrenderers took place in Agusan del Sur wherein a dozen NPA rebels, including a top leader, yielded to the Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion (IB) on Sept. 17 and 25.

The surrenderers were from the NPA Platoon Banglas, Sub-Regional Committee 3, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee.

On Sept. 21, five members of the Sentro de Grabidad Southland of the NPA North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee in Surigao del Sur also surrendered to the 75IB.

“These string of accomplishments manifests the looming end of the NPA,” Mamawag said, adding that the various units under the 4ID continue to deal with the remnants of the weakened guerrilla fronts.

He said the 4ID is on the "last stretch" of its campaign to end the local communist armed conflict within its area of responsibility, covering most parts of the Caraga and Northern Mindanao.

“At the rate we are going, it seems that our dream to have insurgency-free communities will not be far-fetched,” he said.

The last stretch to end the conflict with the NPA. Hopefully that dream will become a reality soon enough. 

Senator Bato dela Rosa thinks the insurgency will soon end.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184351

The Philippines will be a better place to live if the government's problem with local insurgency will continue to subside, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa said on Thursday.

During the Sustainable Livelihood Program distribution at SB Park, Quezon City, he asked for the support of the people, saying eradicating local insurgency will entail an improvement in the lives of each Filipino.

"Let us guard our children especially those who are at schools because they have intensified their recruitment now in schools. Our children will be pitiful. They will be gone and we don't know where they went. Then suddenly, we'll discover that they were recruited," he told residents.

During the recent hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, the former chief of the Philippine National Police said he saw a "glimmer of hope" when NTF-ELCAC was formed.

“We said when we were still lieutenants ‘What kind of war is this? We are being left alone by the government to fight against NPA. They’re sitting in their chair, inside their office, just cooling off in the office. We are there in the field, we are the ones who fight. We are the ones who hurt and struggle,” Dela Rosa said.

“Areas formerly known to be communist-infested are now thriving and enjoying their peaceful communities. With the accomplishments of the NTF-ELCAC, many problems in the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas were resolved, which greatly helped in neutralizing the CPP-NPA,” he added.

This headline might be a bit deceiving. No where does Bato say he sees the insurgency ending soon. What he does say is that the NPA has ramped up recruitment in the schools.  Which schools? Which grades? Proof? He gives none and his statement runs counter to the efforts the AFP has made to end recruitment in schools and that the NPA is on the brink of collapse across the nation. One thing Bato is sure of is that peace talks won't solve the insurgency. 

If the rebels do attempt to regroup the AFP is ready to stop them.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1185092

The Philippine Army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID) based here has made halting any attempt of the communist rebels to reorganize, as one of its long-term objectives.

In a statement Saturday, Maj. Gen. Wilbur Mamawag, commander of the 4ID, said this is part of the Army's "continuous and sustained efforts" to free communities, especially those in the hinterlands, from the violence perpetrated by the New People’s Army (NPA).

"We won’t stop at just toppling down the CTGs (communist terrorist groups), we must be able to ensure that after destroying them, we will not give them any chance to recover, rearm, and regroup. We will make sure that they will remain on the ground unable to do what they used to do – and that is to sow violence and terrorism in our area of responsibility," Mamawag said.

He, however, said despite their hardline stance, they would give a chance to combatants who want to surrender.

Maj. Gen. Wilbur Mamawag is right. It's not enough to dismantle fronts. The CPP-NPA needs to be completely destroyed. That they are contemplating regrouping and restrengthening shows that there is still a spark of life in their ranks. 

Harry Roque's Dishonest Assessment of Marcos' NY Trip

Eternal chameleon Harry Roque has given a statement about the significance of President Marcos' recent trip the United Nation's General Assembly in New York. It is such a brazen piece of misinformation and deserves a going over. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184713

The recent New York trip of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signaled the improving relations between the Philippines and the United States while establishing Manila would stick to its independent foreign policy and a "friend to all" stance, international law expert and former Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday.

This little paragraph and the title of the article is why I referred to Harry Roque as a chameleon. While he was a Congressman he worked hard to get the Philippines into the ICC. Years later he cheered when Duterte unilaterally withdrew from the court. As a lawyer Roque fought for human rights but as Duterte's spokesman he defended the bloody drug war and excoriated anyone who brought up the question of EJK's. Roque is a man with absolutely no principles. He will be whoever you want him to be as long as he is paid. 

Duterte's independent foreign policy was to antagonize the USA while embracing China a move Roque staunchly defended. Now, he is lauding Marcos for "improving relations between the Philippines and the United States."  

Roque acknowledged that relations between the two had been "very strained" under the previous administration.

"The achievement is he went to the United States, accorded immunity from suit, which sends the message that America wants to continue our traditional friendship. And by going to the United States, President Marcos said we also want to be your friend but take note that we are friends to all," he said at the Pandesal Forum in Quezon City.

Right here is probably the biggest deception coming out of Roque. Marcos was not granted immunity from arrest because the United States wants to be friends but out of consideration for his diplomatic status. 

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/204431/bongbong-marcos-can-enter-us-due-to-immunity-envoy

“The fact is, when you’re a head of state, you have immunity in all circumstances and are welcome to the United States in your official role,” US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters in a roundtable discussion in Pasay City when asked on the matter.

“When someone is the head of state, they have [diplomatic] immunity and would be welcome to the United States,” Sherman added.

In 2012, a US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit handed down a contempt judgment against Marcos Jr., his mother Imelda, and the estate of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. for violating an injunction that barred them from dissipating assets of the estate.

In six years when Marcos is no longer President he will no longer be able to enter the USA without being arrested. It has nothing to do with friendship. Roque is such an incredible liar. 

Marcos attended the 77th United Nations General Assembly last week and held inaugural meetings with some leaders, including US President Joe Biden.

During the bilateral meeting, Marcos told Biden that the Philippines looked forward to a continuing partnership with Washington DC, especially on the maintenance of peace in the region, saying that the Southeast Asian nation continues to treat the US as a friend, ally, and partner.

Roque hailed as a good move Marcos' invitation for American businessmen to invest in the Philippines.

"We cannot measure the success of this initiative until the money comes. But what is important is the Philippines after six years have a President selling the Philippines to American venture capitalists. Did that happen during the time of President Duterte?' he said. "I think it's high time. [A]lthough China is on its way to becoming the economic superpower, in reality, it is still the US that is number one as of now."

Is that a dig on Duterte and his move to court Chinese investments? Roque is praising Marcos for courting American investors saying "it's high time." Does this lapdog even care or is he just licking his master's fingers? 

Aside from marking a mending in the two nations' relations, Roque said the US trip also served as Marcos' "debut in the international space".

"Everyone has to know that we have a new president. He has the same family name as the former president, but he is his own person. And to me, that is the important message: 'I am Ferdinand Marcos Jr. President of the Republic of the Philippines. I am my own man,'" he said.

It also provided a platform for the new administration to reaffirm the importance it places on mitigation by recognizing climate change as the "greatest threat" affecting the world.

Here is the last piece of malarkey in this news article. Marcos is his own man. Absolutely, no, he is not. He has said many times that he takes inspiration from his father and he continues to defend the past crimes of his family. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1663643/bongbong-marcos-defends-fathers-martial-law-legacy

Wiping tears as he spoke, Marcos recalled visiting his father’s grave a day after winning the election and calling on him for help. “I will use everything I learned from you to continue your work,” Marcos recounted, telling his late father.

Bongbong Marcos is not his own man. He cannot be his own man. He is a Marcos. He is the scion of the family and as such he must continue to defend their crimes by denying they ever happened. His son Sandro and every one else who bears the name of Marcos or Romualdez will be forced to defend Ferdinand and Imelda's indefensible conjugal dictatorship or own up that they committed massive crimes against the Filipino people including plunder and murder. 

This is just brief look at what Harry Roque had to say about Marcos' UN trip. It's a lot of the same old disinformation, fake news, and nonsense. We have not seen the last of Roque. He will be around for a while and he will dance to the tune of whoever is playing the music. 

The God Culture: The Course of the Moon

Having discussed the course and purpose of the sun Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture next goes on to wax eloquent about the course and purpose of the moon. There are four videos on this subject in his Answers in Enoch series. As ever the videos are packed with information but in this article I will be trimming away the fat and leaving the meat. 

The Error of the Moon for Days, Weeks, Months and Years. Part 1. Answers In First Enoch Part 43

This first video is an hour and twenty minutes long but it should have been much shorter. The gist of it is that Tim proves from Enoch the moon is not the measure for days, weeks, months, and years. That honor belongs to the sun alone. All the while he is doing this he in engaged in a pissing contest with a Youtube channel he refuses to name. Apparently this channel made a critical response to Tim's videos about the sun which rubbed him the wrong way. Tim was so offended he will no longer be recommending that channel to his viewers. 

36:33 Now, again, we're not going to chart the moon's course as we did the sun. Uh, believe me your head would spin and it's just not necessary to go there for now and doesn't make for a good YouTube video. If someone wants to do that do it great wonderful. If the other channel wants to do that well, why don't you start by charting the sun because you haven't done that. You covered Jubilees and Enoch and you didn't chart the Sun and you didn't chart the moon yet you criticized this channel, uh, essentially, for not charting the moon because we're not foolish. Um, you know we're just not going to do that to people and yet then we can't possibly understand the moon's course because we didn't chart it like we did the sun. Well, you didn't chart either so why don't you go charting and stop throwing stones from your glass house. How about that? You know this is what we get so many times in criticism, uh, and it's a shame that that channel led there because we've supported them for many years we've even sent many people to to their Channel. We won't anymore

This video is interwoven all throughout with such petty snark. It's pretty funny. In fact at several points Tim talks like a caveman because apparently the unnamed channel claimed he said the moon was evil.

1:55 Here it is in plain English because we had another Channel who said some things that we want to clear up right now. Moon good. Moon okay. Moon holy, faithful, witness we love Moon. We even love the people who use the moon as the measure in error but the error we don't love neither does Yahusha by the way. Error bad. Moon good. Moon not bad. Error is bad. The error of men is really bad. That is what we address regarding this and we've never called the moon itself error nor does this title actually.

56:09 We love moon. Moon good. 

It's absolutely hilarious that Tim has taken criticism to heart so much so that he has been reduced to talking like a caveman. 

But why won't Tim chart the movement of the moon as he did the sun? Because it's foolish and would make your head spin and would not make for a good Youtube video? Those are not valid reasons and don't explain his refusal to chart the moon's course. Does he know there is a Youtube Channel where a guy drinks a glass of water a day and it has been ongoing since 2011? There is a series of two-to-four-hour-long video critiques of the awful new Disney Star Wars trilogy which has millions of views. And Tim thinks charting the course of the moon would not make for a compelling YouTube video? Tim's audience is so thirsty for content that they literally beg him to make more! In the meantime here is a video of the  lunar analemma.

Slide after slide shows verses from Enoch and Jubilees saying that the Sun alone is the measure of days, weeks, and years. Here is one of many:

56:12 We read in jubilees 2:9 "And Elohim appointed the sun to be a great sign on the earth" for what? A very specific purpose in which one can never attribute to the moon, period. "For days, for sabbaths, and for months, and for feasts and for years, and for sabbaths of years, and for jubilees, and for all seasons of the years. And Genesis agrees with this

Tim claims that this verse in Jubilees agrees with Genesis!  But that is not the case and at no point in this video does Tim actually cite Genesis which reads as follows:

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

One would think Timothy Jay Schwab would cite Genesis at least once in his series about the sun and the moon but he does not. Not one single time. Instead he relies on Enoch and Jubilees which both contradict Genesis when it comes to the purpose of the moon which is, along with the sun and stars, for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. 

The main subject of the second video in this series about the moon is eclipses and how Enoch accounts for them. It is abundantly clear that Tim has no idea what he is talking about as he confuses lunar eclipses with solar eclipses and even says sometimes the sun moves in front of the moon.

The Error of the Moon for Days, Weeks, Months and Years. Part 2. Answers In First Enoch Part 44

31:13 This movement of the moon is very hard to chart, uh, and we're not going to do it but it's not necessary in order to understand. Once again the opportunity for eclipses arises as the moon turns back and recedes behind the sun. This would cause an eclipse uh in a certain area of the world at certain times, uh, of, you know, certain moments. Uh, both lunar and solar eclipses are explained by this dynamic as the moon could be in front at some times and the sun could be in front at some times, uh, from a certain perspective. Remember they are the same size according to Enoch we'll show you those scriptures in a second, well in a few minutes. Another time the sun in front of the moon. So, in both cases you got an eclipse. If the perspective catches them in the same exact position at that moment, which is what would have to happen, it's what we call a full eclipse, right or otherwise it's partial. Pretty easy to understand.

Eclipses do not debunk Enoch. Uh, actually, they debunk modern scientism who actually has a very poor explanation for this dynamic. Enoch accounts for them and very well and very scientifically.

First of all the sun NEVER gets in front of the moon. NEVER. That has never happened and it will never happen because the sun is stationary sitting at the center of the solar system which the earth and moon orbit. Enoch does not say in chapter 74 that the moon recedes BEHIND the sun. It does not even make sense to say "the moon turns back and recedes behind the sun" because for that to happen the moon would have to be moving TOWARDS the sun and thus it would not be receding. This is an addition inserted by Tim. Verse 6 does say the moon "recedes from the sun" which means the moon moves AWAY from the sun, not BEHIND it. A prior slide shows this verse.

25:06

Again, he is making the text say what it does not say. This is a common tactic for Timothy Jay Schwab which I have documented in his usage of the Perpiplus of the Erythean Sea and his usage of Thomas Suarez. When the facts don't fit Tim has a penchant for making them up. It's completely dishonest.

Second of all SOLAR eclipses occur when the moon passes in front of the sun while LUNAR eclipses occur when the earth passes between the sun and the moon. During a lunar eclipse the shadow of the earth is cast on the surface of the moon. Those are facts. What Tim is saying is not fact but unscientific garbage. 

Tim will next go on to "prove" his theory that Enoch charts out the course of eclipses by showing us a chart computing solar eclipses for the next ten years. Admittedly, within Tim's Enochian Sun and Moon schema it sounds plausible that the sun and moon moving through portals with the moon moving backwards until the twain meet could provide the explanation for solar eclipses. But it is quite telling that Tim has NOTHING to say about lunar eclipses.  Here is a chart from the same website as his solar eclipse chart. 

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/list.html?starty=2020

How does Enoch explain that there are less lunar eclipses than there are solar eclipses? If Enoch accounts for there being 2-5 solar eclipses per year, a number Tim gives at around 26:31, how does he account for there being years without lunar eclipses? Tim does not say. He does not say a single word about lunar eclipses in this video. Neither Tim nor Enoch offer an explanation for lunar eclipses except to say:

Uh, both lunar and solar eclipses are explained by this dynamic as the moon could be in front at some times and the sun could be in front at some times, uh, from a certain perspective.

That is totally ridiculous as the sun NEVER gets in front of the moon. That has never been observed any where or any time.  Tim doubles down on this nonsense in the comment section.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58rrHPFc7Ek&lc=UgwPOBXO-hP1AtZtjO94AaABAg

This commenter wants to know how lunar eclipses happen and instead of explaining how the moon goes dark during a lunar eclipse Tim repeats his talking points and then when pressed stops responding. That's because he has NO answer to the question of how lunar eclipses occur.

I said above that Tim's explanation for eclipses sounds plausible enough within his Enochian Sun and Moon schema but when you take a look at just how the sun and moon would orbit a flat earth, yes Tim believes and teaches the earth is flat according to Enoch, his explanation rapidly deteriorates.

https://wiki.tfes.org/Flat_Earth_-_Frequently_Asked_Questions

Yes, I know that is NOT Tim's model. But it's the same as Rob Skiba's model and Tim uses his model in part 4 of this series about the moon. Two things are to be noted here. First of all picture the sun moving in concentric circles from the center of the image to the edge and back. Now, picture the moon moving in the same pattern but much slower and erratically. That would be an approximation of what Enoch's system looks like. That full system is what Tim is refusing to map out for his audience. Basically Tim is saying, "Trust me bro," when it comes to the moon and that simply won't fly. To prove his system he needs to map out the courses of the sun and moon together tracing their analemma. He does not do this and contrary to what one commenter said the analemmas of the sun and the moon do not match up with what Enoch writes or what Tim has charted as they both move in figure eight patterns up and down the sky while Tim has them moving in concentric circles. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksPELTKJUlk&lc=Ugzl_7IHsHatyxaZL1Z4AaABAg

The sun's analemma is proof that the earth is tilted because if that were not the case then the sun would not move across the sky in a figure eight pattern but would never move at all. 

If you looked at the Sun at the same time each day, from the same place, would it appear at the same location in the sky? If the Earth were not tilted, and if its orbit around the Sun were perfectly circular, then, yes, it would. However, a combination of the Earth's 23.5 degree tilt and its slightly elliptical orbit combine to generate this figure "8" pattern of where the Sun would appear at the same time throughout the year. The pattern is called an analemma.

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/art/analemma.html

Tim discusses the suns's analemma in video four and claims it is not proof the earth is tilted or wobbling but it is proof of perspective and that the sun moves.

19:26 They use circular reasoning and claim that this anathema (he means analemma) is evidence. They're actually using it as evidence uh yet they need to prove it ever happens in the first place. That is not  evidence of a wobble it is evidence of perspective, optical perspective just as we're showing you here.  

The Error of the Moon for Days, Weeks, Months and Years. Part 4. Answers In First Enoch Part 46

Obviously we see this pattern because of perspective. Everything we see is perspective but we do not see this pattern because the sun moves as Tim claims. It only appears to move. It is simply a fact proven definitively in our modern times by photography and astronauts that the earth orbits the sun which is stationary. Only arrogant blowhards like Timothy Jay Schwab continue to deny that fact. 

Second of all there is no reason at all for darkness to exist on a flat earth because there is NOTHING stopping the light of the sun! There would NEVER be night if the earth were flat. The sun would always be seen as it rotates across the horizon. It would never set. The darkness on this map is arbitrary because in reality there would be no object to stop or absorb the light of the sun. 

To sum up video 2 neither Enoch nor Timothy Jay Schwab give a sufficient explanation for eclipses, Tim refuses to chart the path of the moon and fully prove his claims, Tim falsifies the text of Enoch by claiming he said the moon recedes behind the sun when Enoch says no such thing, and the flat earth model does not account for night because there is nothing stopping the light of the sun which would never set if the earth were indeed flat. This video is incredibly ignorant and deceptive!

In the third video of this series Tim finally deals with that other channel he has been referring to and takes their arguments head on. Though he never mentions the channel's name it is obviously a video by Parable of the Vineyard which is part of a much larger series on Enoch.

The Error of the Moon for Days, Weeks, Months and Years. Part 3. Answers In First Enoch Part 45

The thing is though the other channel Tim is engaging with NEVER mentions The God Culture or their sloppy research or even alludes to The God Culture. This whole video is an exercise in paranoia. Instead of dealing with real issues and criticism like I offer Tim prefers to construct and burn down straw men. However, there is one interesting thing in this video which requires comment. Tim asks, "Does the modern day Bible canon support a 364 day?"

10:17 Does the modern Bible Canon actually say the year is 364 days? 

11:34. Yes is the answer. The modern Bible Canon does support the sun calendar.

23:20 I know then they'll say,"But that's just the Dead Sea Scrolls that's not the modern Bible Canon." Uh, yep it is.

Tim asks if the modern Bible canon supports a 364 day year.  But instead of actually quoting from the modern Bible canon Tim defaults to the Dead Sea Scrolls!! He even goes so far to call the Dead Sea Scrolls the modern Bible canon when that is very clearly not the case as Tim in his other videos repeatedly says the modern day Bible canon is a creation of the Pharisees! And he STILL fails to cite anything from Genesis but relies heavily on Enoch and Jubilees which both contradict Genesis in giving the sun the preeminence. 

The fourth and final video in this series is mostly about the Cepher Bible and how they use a wrong translation of Enoch and thus get the moon wrong. However the first twenty minutes is a farrago of unscientific nonsense with Tim attempting to prove the sun moves based on its analemma which I already mentioned above. 

Here's the thing. RH Charles' translation of Enoch is not a pure translation. He amends the text to his liking in several places. This verse about the moon, Enoch 74:13, is just one place where he is doing not translation but also interpretation by fixing the text rather than giving us what the text says exactly. The other verse Charles changes is much more significant and I have yet to hear Tim discuss it because after all he is a dishonest schlub who tells people they need to keep the law but still shaves! In the Book of Enoch, Enoch is called the Son of Man. 

Enoch 71:14 And he came to me and greeted me with his voice and said to me, “You (are) that Son of Man who was born for righteousness, and righteousness dwells on you, and the righteousness of the Head of Days will not forsake you.”  -George Nickelsburg and James Vanderkam translation

Enoch 71:14 And he (i.e. the angel) came to me and greeted me with His voice, and said unto me 'This is the Son of Man who is born unto righteousness, And righteousness abides over him, And the righteousness of the Head of Days forsakes him not.' -RH Charles translation

Now, I am not going to go in depth here on this subject but Tim, if he is reading this, needs to address this problem. RH Charles' translation is not correct and he notes that in the footnotes. Tim knows its there because he discusses it in the video and approves of the correction. He also excoriates the Cepher bible compliers for using an older translation of Enoch saying Charles' is better. Does he not know there have been translations of Enoch since Charles published his? I am sure he does but Tim does not care to compare versions. Tim's uncritical appropriation of Charles' translation of Enoch along with his introduction to the book and this series of videos shows how ignorant he is about this famous second temple period book. 

The God Culture: The Course of the Sun

Just when you thought you were done with Timothy Jay Schwab of the The God Culture he pulls you back in. This time it's a series about the course of the sun and the moon. All of this is based on the Book of Enoch and falls within Tim's Answers in Enoch series. 

In this article I will only be covering his videos about the sun. In essence the sun moves through portals, is powered by the wind, and the intensity of the sun's heat determines the seasons. As I noted in my previous article about the True Church I only want to focus on the big picture here. There are so many details to get lost in but the big picture is what matters.  

The Sun's Course Animation. Enoch's Scientific Observation. Answers In First Enoch Part 40

Now, the first thing I want to mention here is that Tim does not actually show the course of the sun according to Enoch animated. The so-called animation is very slow and takes half an hour or so to watch. It's like looking through a flip book one page at a time. I did this animation much better a few months ago using Tim's maps.

And he did not even copyright strike it!  

The gist of this video is that the sun moves in concentric circles through several portals located in the east and west above the Pacific Ocean over the course of the year. The sun is powered by the wind and the portals regulate the intensity of the sun's heat which determines the seasons. 

15:58 The sun is powered by the wind.

19:42 And in the fourth portal, that is the rising portal in the east, that sunrise and it is the beginning of Enoch's chart period. There's never ever any discussion to be had on the moon starting either of those measures. And in that fourth portal from which the sun rises in the first month are 12 window openings. Now, we render these on screen as best we can. We didn't see them, again, Enoch did but these are pretty good. From which, now we know because we mentioned them before, from which proceed a flame when they are opened in their seasons. So, they're fueling the sun essentially um powering it as far as the intensity of its heat depending on the season obviously. Makes perfect sense.

Now, you might ask has anyone ever seen these portals?  Well, of course not because no one has ever been to space. 

11:35 These are located in the firmament which, well, no man has actually entered into space, uh, not in any vehicle built by man it's never happened and we're not gonna go into all of that in this video but check it out you really should research that if you have not. No one has ever reached it except Enoch among men.

What is he talking about?  There is an International Space Station orbiting the earth! Astronauts flew into space and repaired the Hubble telescope! Men have taken balloons into space and then jumped back to the earth! If Tim wants to say no man has gone to the moon that is one thing but to say no man has ever been to space?? Well, that is just completely wrong and totally ignorant.

It's really the second video where all of his theories about the sun come into full bloom because this is where Tim "tests" them. 

Testing The Sun's Courses of First Enoch. Modern Scientism Fails! Answers In First Enoch Part 41

Now, what is meant by testing? Is it rigorous math, experimentation, and observation using a telescope over a period of months or years like Galileo and Copernicus?  No. It's just regular old observation with your eyeballs because observation apparently tumps experimentation. 

18:59 Forget what you see that's what they're going to tell you. We are right, your eyes are wrong. I'm sorry that's unscientific as the definition of science is observation and experiment. Neither have been conducted by these, who are creating these ridiculous theories. They have neither. We have eyes though and we do observe, do we not? You can see it on screen.

If you listen to that you can hear Tim SHOUT the word observation and whisper the word experiment. Tim is going to disprove the tilt of the earth by using his eyes alone.

Here is the picture Tim uses to disprove the earth is tilting on its axis. 

This photograph is supposed to thoroughly rebut the fact that the earth is tilting and it is round. Is Tim really unaware that this photo is one tiny fraction of the earth's surface? The curvature of the earth was proved by experiments that happened simultaneously at places hundreds of miles apart which measured the length of shadows at the same time on the same day.

Eratosthenes heard about a famous well in the Egyptian city of Swenet (Syene in Greek, and now known as Aswan), on the Nile River. At noon one day each year — the summer solstice (between June 20 and June 22) — the Sun’s rays shone straight down into the deep pit. They illuminated only the water at the bottom, not the sides of the well as on other days, proving that the Sun was directly overhead. (Syene was located very close to what we call the Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north, the northernmost latitude at which the Sun is ever directly overhead at noon.)

Eratosthenes erected a pole in Alexandria, and on the summer solstice he observed that it cast a shadow, proving that the Sun was not directly overhead but slightly south. Recognizing the curvature of the Earth and knowing the distance between the two cities enabled Eratosthenes to calculate the planet’s circumference.

Eratosthenes could measure the angle of the Sun’s rays off the vertical by dividing the length of the leg opposite the angle (the length of the shadow) by the leg adjacent to the angle (the height of the pole). This gave him an angle of 7.12 degrees. He knew that the circumference of Earth constituted a circle of 360 degrees, so 7.12 (or 7.2, to divide 360 evenly by 50) degrees would be about one-fiftieth of the circumference. He also knew the approximate distance between Alexandria and Syene, so he could set up this equation:

Eratosthenes estimated the distance from Alexandria to Syene as 5,000 stadia, or about 500 miles (800 kilometers). He made this estimation from the time it took walkers, who were trained to measure distances by taking regular strides, to trek between the cities. By solving the equation, he calculated a circumference of 250,000 stadia, or 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers).

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/big-history-project/solar-system-and-earth/knowing-solar-system-earth/a/eratosthenes-of-cyrene

Carl Sagan explains this experiment in the first episode of Cosmos more succinctly than I could ever hope to. You can watch that clip here. The thing to remember is you cannot always trust your eyes especially when it comes to the tricks light can play. In fact you cannot always trust any of your senses. How many times have people thought they were smelling gas when it was just Durian? That is why experimentation is needed and Tim offers zero experimentation in this video. 

As I noted in the first video Tim spends about 30 minutes tracking the course of the sun according to Enoch. He also states that the portals the sun passes through fuel the sun which causes the seasons.

So, they're fueling the sun essentially, um, powering it as far as the intensity of its heat depending on the season obviously. Makes perfect sense.

In the second video he proves this out by showing the monthly temperatures in the Philippines. He also uses other locales but the Philippines is what matters most of all.

26:47 Then December - January, again, middle month, middle month, uh, as well should make up the two coldest months. And what do we find? Exactly that! The coldest months in the Philippines.

Does Tim really live in San Fernando, La Union? The Philippines does not get cold! It is summer time all year round. That goes for all the equatorial nations especially island nations. While there might be a relatively slight chill in December and January there is no snow. There is no ice.  There is no winter here like in Maryland which is Tim's home state. In fact there are no seasons in the Philippines except wet and dry. 

Here is the graph he is using for the Philippines.

https://www.worlddata.info/asia/philippines/climate.php

The average temperature hardly fluctuates from month to month. But if Tim's flat earth model of the sun entering and exiting portals in concentric circles with the intensity of its heat determining the seasons is correct they should vary more profoundly. We don't see that. Also if the location of the sun as per Tim's map is what determines the seasons then in December - January Antarctica should be blazing hot and the Sahara desert should be chilly. That is not the case as the climate remains stable all year round in those locales.

Tim's assertion that the heat of sun as it is fueled by the portals in the sky is asinine in the extreme. When it's summer in the Northern hemisphere it is winter in the Southern hemisphere and vice versa. The intensity of the sun's heat cannot account for winter in the south and summer in the north at the same time. Not to mention Tim does not show any measurements of the sun's temperature to bolster his claims. If the sun's temperature is fluctuating he should be able to show proof of that and then show how that causes the seasons. He does not even attempt to give such proof. Instead he relies on temperature charts for various locations. And how about the polar caps? They don't melt in summer and freeze in winter because it is always below freezing in those places. It's ridiculous.

I want to end here with a note about the North Pole and directions on a flat earth map.

https://youtu.be/ksPELTKJUlk?t=2509

41:49 Verse 27: "and the sun has therewith traverse the divisions of his orbit." It has completed all six gates at this point on both sides so all the gates it's entered. Uh, so they're all represented and that's all he's saying here. The east and the west which we have observed at this point if you followed all the way through. "And turns again on those divisions of his orbit." So, basically he's going to head back in the other direction. Um, "and enters that portal," uh, meaning, uh, north south not east west he always, it always rises in the east sets in the west. Of course. I shouldn't need to mention that but I know for some I do or there'd be a blog about how we don't know. Right? Idiot. 

Far be it from me to say Tim does not know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But what I will say is cardinal directions on a flat earth map are meaningless. Look at the North Pole!  It's in the center of the map! How is the center of the earth north? Likewise though Tim has the sun moving through east and west portals he also has the sun moving downwards or southerly. And he even acknowledges this in his video just before he mocks this blog! In fact, no matter what direction you travel on the flat earth you would ALWAYS be traveling towards the Antarctic wall or "South" even if you were trekking toward the North Pole! That is absurd!

As I noted these are just the highlights of these two videos. There is a lot of nonsense in both of them and I dare say Testing the Sun's Courses is Timothy Jay Schwab's most ignorant video to date. I had to pause so many times until I was able to contain my laughter. 

To sum this up Tim, along with Enoch, claims the heat of the sun is what determines the seasons. But that cannot be possible because the seasons are reversed in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Also certain places like the Philippines and the Sahara maintain the same climate all year long. But even if it were true Tim offers no scientific proof. He doesn't even offer temperature readings of the sun. There is more astronomy to come from Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture as he will be discussing the course and purpose of the moon. I am sure it will be something to howl about!

Retards in the Government 277

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

  

 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1184397

Operatives of the Philippine National Police's (PNP) anti-scalawag unit arrested the deputy chief of police of the Balayan Municipal Police Station in Batangas for extorting money from a resident whom he accused of operating the illegal numbers game “loteng”.

In a statement Friday, Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) chief Brig. Gen. Warren de Leon said Capt. Ruben Marilag was arrested in an operation at around 5 p.m. Thursday in front of a bank near their station by the IMEG Field Unit and local police.

"The operation stemmed from a complaint lodged against him for coercing and intimidating the complainant/victim into paying a weekly payola for the victim’s 'loteng' operation. Accordingly, the said 'loteng' operation had already been stopped since March of 2021 when the victim was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. Despite this, the suspect insists that the victim must pay for his weekly payola amounting to PHP2,000," de Leon said.

Recovered pieces of evidence were boodle money, the suspect’s service firearm with a magazine containing 14 live ammunition, an inside holster, smartphones, a cap with artificial hair and a wallet containing cash, and the suspect’s PNP ID.

The suspect is now under the custody of IMEG Headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City for investigation and proper disposition.

A police captain has been arrested for extortion in relation to a numbers game

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1670898/ex-sra-chief-serafica-cited-for-contempt-to-be-detained-for-15-days

A former chief of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) was cited for indirect contempt of court for issuing a memorandum allowing the importation of sugar despite a writ of preliminary injunction issued by the court.

Hermenegildo Serafica was ordered imprisoned for 15 days and to pay a fine of P30,000 by Judge Walter Zorilla of the Regional Trial Court Branch 55 in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on Monday, September 26.

The judge on March 2, 2022, issued a writ of preliminary injunction directing the SRA, its agents and representatives or persons acting on its behalf to cease and desist from implementing the sugar importation program embodied under Sugar Order No 3, Series of 2021-2022.

On May 4, 2022, Serafica issued SRA Memorandum Circular No. 11, Series of 2021-2022, allowing the importation of 200,000 MT of sugar in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, except in Region 6, the judge said.

“Serafica willfully disregarded and manifestly disobeyed the writ of preliminary injunction when he issued memorandum circular 11,” the judge said.

The former head of the SRA was cited for contempt for dispelling a writ of preliminary injunction.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1671139/martires-admits-corruption-exists-within-office-of-ombudsman

Corruption exists within the Office of the Ombudsman, its top official Samuel Martires himself admitted on Tuesday.

Surprisingly, he made the revelation when asked by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III if the Office of the Ombudsman’s P4.781 billion 2023 budget was adequate to cover the expenses for its activities during a hearing before the Senate committee on finance.

For Martires, the fight against corruption is not easy, no matter how many billions are spent.

(In my opinion, the fund of the Ombudsman is sufficient. But it is not enough to fight corruption even if you give us P100 billion.)

“I must admit to you, Your Honor — this is not to destroy the Office of the Ombudsman — we ourselves are fighting corruption within the office,” he added.

Since they don’t use their phones or landlines, Martires said they can’t present any proof of wrongdoing by their staff.

Instead of meeting at the office, he said these workers choose to do business over meals. Although the Ombudsman wanted to eavesdrop, the head of security wouldn’t let him.

(We have employees who are corrupt. The problem is that we cannot find concrete evidence. I did everything I can.)

Martires also stressed that their office had forgotten its program that aims “to address the causes of inefficiency and red tape.”

Martires, appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, earlier said that it is nearly impossible to cleanse corruption in the government.

The head of the Office of the Ombudsman admits his office is with rife corruption and it is nearly impossible to clean the problem.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/28/cop-killed-by-own-gun-in-abra/

A member of the Abra Provincial Police Office died after he accidentally shot himself while fixing his own gun at the motor pool of Camp Juan Villamor in Barangay Calaba here on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Police identified the victim as Corporal John Paul Belisario Ayon-Ayon, 30.

The victim was assigned to the Abra PPO General Services and a resident of Barangay Napo, Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur.

The Bangued Municipal Police Station said they received a call at 2:20 p.m. regarding an accidental firing inside the motor pool.

Initial investigation showed that the victim was removing the slide assembly of his 9mm Taurus service firearm when he accidentally squeezed the trigger and fired towards himself.

Ayon-Ayon sustained a bullet wound in the chest. He was taken by colleagues to the Abra Provincial Hospital where was declared dead.

Another PNP officer killed himself with his own gun. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1672456/sc-affirms-conviction-of-ex-leyte-mayor-for-allowing-illegal-cockfights

The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the conviction of a former mayor in Leyte for allowing members of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) to hold illegal cockfights.

Charita Chan, who served as mayor of Babatngon town from 2007 to 2016, was found guilty for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

She was meted imprisonment of six to seven years and disqualification from holding a position in the government.

The High Court said Chan issued a permit in favor of the Liga ng mga Barangay, allowing it to hold cockfighting in a licensed cockpit every Saturday.

Under Presidential Decree (PD) 449 or the Cockfighting Law of 1974, and Municipal Ordinance No. 281, cockfighting in a licensed cockpit shall be allowed only on Sundays, legal holidays, during local fiestas, agricultural, commercial or industrial fairs, carnivals, or expositions in the municipality for not more than three consecutive days, and upon a valid resolution passed for that purpose.

In its 12-page decision, the SC’s first division ruled that by issuing a permit for a cockfighting event on April 13, 2012, Chan violated PD 449 and Municipal Ordinance No. 281.

The conviction of a mayor for allowing illegal cockfighting has been upheld. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/28/22/ca-fails-to-act-on-nominations-of-tulfo-calida-13-others

Fifteen appointees of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. were bypassed by the Commission on Appointments (CA), the body said Wednesday.

According to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who serves as CA chairperson, the body failed to tackle the appointments of the 15 due to "lack of material time."

The first regular session of Congress is set to pause from Oct. 1 to Nov. 6.

"There was a lack of material time... If we pursued Sec. Tulfo and Bonoan, we would have finished at 7 p.m. and would have started the Senate session at 7:30 pa. Hindi puwede yan... We cannot also sacrifice our work in the Senate," Zubiri said.

According to him, the 15 bypassed officials would have to seek reappointment from Marcos.

"All the Secretaries... who have not been confirmed will have to seek a reappointment by the President as they would all be considered bypassed," Zubiri said.

The Commission on Appointments failed to do its job due to lack of time which is not a valid excuse at all.