The God Culture: Testing the Resources of Ophir and Tarshish, Part 3

This is the third and final article in my review of Timothy Jay Schwab's testing of the resources of Ophir and Tarshish. This article will focus on the gifts given to King Solomon by the Queen of Sheba. Though Tim has many videos on this subject I will be confining myself to his book Solomon's Treasure which is "the monumental case for the Philippines no one can disprove.

Solomon's Treasure, pg. 119

I Kings 10:10-12 KJV

And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.

First, notice again how the offerings the Queen of Sheba brought essentially match those of Hiram, King of Tyre, admiral of Solomon’s returning navy from Ophir. They arrive and offer their gifts at the same time. The Queen of Sheba came from Ophir which is why her land too is known for gold. She donated gold to the Temple project yet Solomon already had all he needed even before his trip to Ophir. He was replacing what was in the treasury with the gold of Ophir yet she gives her gold to the Temple project as well? This was acceptable because her gold is the gold of Ophir. Even King David equated the gold of Ophir with Sheba. We have well-covered the abundant gold of the Philippines at this point so we already know for both gold is a check.

Here Tim says that the gold brought by the Queen of Sheba, which he claims is Ophir, was to replace the gold used in building in the temple. This disregards what he wrote earlier:

They were building the Temple and to complete the project, Solomon wanted specific resources such as the gold Adam used in the first sacrifice which only comes from one place, the wood of Noah which was used to build the ark from this same land and all the resources of ancient Havilah, the land of his ancient ancestors – Adam and Eve.

Solomon's Treasure, pg. 105

First he says Solomon needed the gold from Ophir to complete the temple and now he is saying he needed the gold to replenish the treasury. He can't even get his scenarios right. There is nothing in the Bible to indicate for what the gold she gave him was intended. Once more this is Tim making stuff up because "that makes sense." Now for the final resources.

Spices

The Hebrew word used here for spices is usually interpreted as frankincense. We are well aware we are all told by the Rabbis that Ethiopia has the only tree on earth which produces frankincense. However, yet again, this is not accurate by any reasonable logic. The Philippines has a frankincense. It’s called “Poor Man’s Frankincense” which we will cover in Chapter 15 in detail not because it is of lesser quality but since it is not designated by the Rabbis as the Biblical Frankincense, it has a lower perceived value. This is why many perfume companies from the U.S. and Europe are buying frankincense from the Philippines. It originates from the Pili Tree as Manila elemi. In fact, in Part 12C of Solomon’s Gold Series, we test every Biblical spice we can find and every one of them is native to the Philippines except one which is unidentified as a lost reference as no one is sure what the plant is. Regardless, the Philippines has frankincense and as a tropical rain forest, most spices and all Biblical ones.

That is Tim's entire argument for the spices brought by the Queen of Sheba originating in the Philippines. This is awful. There is no argument here of any kind. He even directs people to his Youtube videos! This is supposed to "the monumental case for the Philippines no one can disprove" and he is too lazy to prove it. Likewise he places the discussion of frankincense in another chapter when he should be discussing it here where it is relevant.

The Hebrew word used here for spices is usually interpreted as frankincense.

That is wrong and intentionally misleading. The word translated spice in 1 Kings 10:10 is translated spice 24 times in the Old Testament.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1314/kjv/wlc/0-1/

Funny that Tim does not mention this Hebrew word in Solomon's Gold. It's as if he is purposefully omitting information that would contradict him. The word translated frankincense is altogether different and does get a mention in his book on page 233.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3828/kjv/wlc/0-1/

The Queen of Sheba brought spices. Not frankincense. That makes Tim's discussion of frankincense in chapter 15 irrelevant.

Here is what Josephus has to say about these spices.

Now when the Queen had thus demonstrated in words how deeply the King had affected her, she made that her disposition known by certain presents. For she gave him twenty talents of gold; and an immense quantity of spices, and pretious stones. They say also that we possess the root of that balsam which our countrey still bears by this woman’s gift.

Antiquities of the Jews, 8.6.6

That agrees with one of the meanings of the word translated spice, balsam tree.

Precious Stones

There are some who claim the Philippines does not have precious stones but to say so is to ignore history which we have already covered multiple observations of gemstones in the Philippines. Resource lists and even the United Nations for that matter, record the Philippines as a source for precious stones.

“Aside from gold deposits, the Philippines is also rich in gemstones such as opal, jasper, quartz, tektite, Zambales and Mindoro jade, garnet, epidote,jadeite, and blue and green schist.”

–Board of Investments, DTI Business Development Manager for Fashion and Jewelry 

“Agate, Amethyst, Calcite, Garnet, Hematite, Jade, Pearl, Pyrite, Quartz, Sphalerite” –OKD2 

“Chinese silk, porcelain, jars, gold, ivory, and beads were traded for wax, bird’s nest, teakwood, rattan, pearls, precious stones and other marine and forest products [from Philippines].” –United Nations, 2019 

The Philippines has every one of these resources natively – gold, spices and precious stones. However, we can also narrow down this lost reference of wood.

The Philippines is rich in gemstones. Great. How does this prove they were mining them and trading with Israel? Here is another section from the Bible Tim does not discuss.

Exodus 28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

How did the Israelites obtain these gemstones in the wilderness? They took them from Egypt. Beryl is translated from the word Tarshish. Could it be this gemstone was named after the region in which it was found? 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h8658/kjv/wlc/0-1/

Maybe, maybe not. One thing's for sure, Tim does not bother to discuss how the Israelites had gemstones in the wilderness and one of them was named Tarshish. He also does not bother to prove that there was a robust trade in gemstones between the Philippines and Israel. Noting that the Philippines has a resource is not the same thing as proving they were trading in that resource.

Almug Wood

This is a lengthy section discussing what almug wood is.

The Bible does not tell us what this almug or algum wood is as these are the only times it is used without much description. We know it is a foreign wood “never seen in Israel” before which tells us it does not originate from any of it’s normal trading partners which would include Ethiopia and Yemen thus neither are Ophir. Many scholars believe it is a red sandalwood based on descriptions of the Temple from other sources describing pillars in appearance as red sandalwood. Look up the distribution list for red sandalwood and once again, the Philippines does not make it onto some maps. It comes from India but not the Philippines according to some.

There is only one massive problem with this thinking. The national tree of the Philippines, the Narra, is a red sandalwood with incense resin or spices matching the Queen of Sheba’s offering. Why is this the national tree of the Philippines? We do not believe that to be coincidence. We believe Narra is the perfect fit for this narrative as this word also likely has Hebrew origins connected to the Queen of Sheba.

Hebrew: na’ara: נערה: girl, young woman, respectful. “She who must be admired.”

The Hebrew word na’ara is used twenty-four times in scripture such as referring to Dinah the daughter of Jacob and usually associated with a young woman or girl of purity – a virgin. When we see a tie like this as na’ara in Hebrew and the national tree Narra which fits the wood used in the Temple and then, bearing such meaning as “She who must be admired,” we strongly believe this is not chance. This red sandalwood ties to the Temple and to the Queen of Sheba, the wealthiest woman possibly of all time who must be admired indeed. Additionally, we believe this leads even deeper as Noah lived in ancient Havilah, land of Adam and Eve (Havah) and would have used this same wood to build the ark. This is the reason King Solomon sought it out.

Solomon's Treasure, pg. 112-113

What follows is a lot of speculation that does not concern us here. Our primary concern is whether or not this tree originated in the Philippines and whether was the Philippines trading this wood with Israel. Tim offers no proof for such trade instead he gives another fanciful linguistic interpretation. In fact the Narra tree is not found only in the Philippines.

Pterocarpus indicus (commonly known as Amboyna wood, Malay padauk, Papua New Guinea rosewood, Philippine mahogany, Andaman redwood, Burmese rosewood, narra and asana in the Philippines, angsana, or Pashu padauk) is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

It is the national tree of the Philippines, as well as the provincial tree of Chonburi and Phuket in Thailand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocarpus_indicus

If the almug tree is indeed the Narra tree then there are several places from which it could have originated. But as Tim notes no one knows exactly what this tree is. That makes this entire section pure speculation. 

Here is how Tim ends his testing the resources of Ophir and Tarshsish.

Every resource of Solomon tests as native to the Philippines and all other claims fail in this chapter except India whose claim already failed the test of it’s own history. We offer a full test of each of the major claims and they are merely fallacious overtures in almost all cases as only the Far East could even fit Ophir on any level. Most fail more than 50 percent of the criteria. India fails it’s own history and Malaysia and Indonesia both were never seriously considered as possibilities after Magellan found Ophir. He was in Malaysia and Indonesia prior and ruled them out as the Portuguese certainly knew they were not Ophir and so did the locals. The British propagate such unsubstantiated myth but that does not make it worthy of review as it fails very quickly and these are not applying scholarship but propaganda. We will demonstrate the British East Indies Company has been paying to suppress this narrative for centuries. The Philippines is Ophir, Sheba, Tarshish, Ancient Havilah and the Land of Creation not because it has to be to fit our narrative but because this is where the evidence leads as these are all the same land in scripture and history and there is no debating that. No one has successfully in three years. Test for yourself.

Solomon's Treasure, pg. 115

The evidence does not lead to the Philippines. When discussing ivory and peacocks Tim fabricated evidence to fit his narrative. Pigafetta never describes elephants or peacocks in the Philippines. Tim also failed to prove there was any robust trade between the Philippines and Israel. He merely asserts that the Philippines had resources ergo that is from where King Solomon got them. He also fails to test all the spices here instead referring to his videos. 

Solomon's Gold Series - Part 12C: Find the Garden of Eden. Ophir, Philippines

The reader should not have to watch his videos for more information. This is supposed to be "the monumental case for the Philippines no one can disprove" and Tim cannot even discuss everything thoroughly. It should all be here and it's not. There is much missing. Cinnamon barely gets a mention in this book. And just look at that slide. 

Cinnamomum cebuense, the Cebu cinnamon tree, is a species of cinnamon endemic to Cebu Island, Philippines. It was first discovered in Cantipla, Cebu in mid-1980s and described by Kostermans in 1986.

Is Timothy Jay Schwab so dense and unaware that he doesn't realize how this undercuts his case? He thinks the cinnamon not just in the Bible but also in Ceylon and Sri Lanka originates in the Philippines. If that is so then how is it that this tree was not discovered until the mid-1980s? Did the natives just forget about it for a few millennia? This account should have been in Solomon's Gold. That it is not makes Tim's case less thorough than it could have been.

Everything in this chapter is an assertion. Sure the Philippines has some of these resources but that does not prove there was there was trade in these resources with Israel. This is faulty reasoning and jumping to conclusions. To quote The God Culture:

Answers in First Enoch Part 14: Land of the Righteous Duidain, Philippines

That's a rather extreme view. Not one worth consideration. Yah Bless.

After reviewing Timothy Jay Schwab's testing of the resources of Ophir and Tarshish it is plain to see he hasn't got much of a case. He does not bother to prove anything beyond the Philippines having gold, ivory, monkeys, peacocks, silver, tin, iron, lead, gemstones, spices, and trees. But that is really his point. His argument is that the Philippines has these resources. That is all he set out prove. The reader is supposed to think, "Wow, the Philippines has all these resources listed in the Bible. That must mean Solomon's navy sailed to the Philippines." That would be to ignore that Tim says India also has all these resources, that historically India has been identified with Ophir, that no ancient descriptions of the world mention anything past the Malaysian Peninsula, and there is no record of trade routes circumnavigating Africa. As long as Tim has an unthinking audience who cannot discern that underneath all his rhetoric he has no arguments but only unproven assertions he will be able to continue to lure them in.

Insurgency: Huge Blow to the NPA in Negros

In these waning days of the world's longest running insurgency, 53 years and counting, the news from the front is always the same. The AFP attacks a few NPA fighters, claims they are weakening, and lauds the surrender of other NPA fighters and supporters claiming that this shows the insurgency is a lost cause. But then they warn about the strength of the NPA recruitment effort. It's no different this week.

Throughout the Visayas the NPA continues to suffer deafest at the hands of the AFP.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189690

The death of the top leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas during a clash in Las Navas, Northern Samar will cause a leadership vacuum among armed rebels in the region, an official of the Philippine Army said on Tuesday.

Philippine Army 20th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Joemar Buban said the communist group in the region is now demoralized by the death of Helenita Pardales alias Ka Elai, the top leader of the NPA Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee.

Pardales is one of the six slain rebels when government forces launched an attack in remote Imelda village in Las Navas town on Nov. 23, destroying a major lair of NPA with 30 huts and a big cottage for meetings.

“This is a big blow to their organization since there is a leadership vacuum. The remaining guerrilla fronts operating in Northern Samar will have no guidance. We all know that they don’t have a succession of command,” Buban told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a phone interview.

The recovery of 18 high-powered firearms will likewise weaken the NPA organization in the region and Northern Samar province.

“Abandoning their firearms means they are demoralized and not capable of fighting the government,” Buban added."

"A big blow to their organization" and "leadership vacuum" are buzz phrases we have heard before every time the AFP kills a leader. Of course that vacuum is always refilled and the fight continues has it has for 5 decades. Of course NPA fighters abandoning firearms and running off to regroup elsewhere means they are demoralized. Right? Those men will either surrender or die in some future firefight. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/477583/npa-rebels-in-visayas-continue-to-weaken-says-army-official

NPA rebels in the Visayas continue to weaken in the face of unrelenting operations by government troops in the region.

Major General Benedict Arevalo, the acting commander of the Visayas Command (VisCom), confirmed this and appealed to the remaining rebels to surrender. 

“The CPP – NPA terrorists in the Visayas continue to weaken with these series of setbacks. We will sustain our campaign until such time that this menace is totally eradicated. Thus, we appeal to the few remaining members of the CPP – NPA terrorists. Lay down your arms and return to the folds of the law before the long arms of justice will catch up with you,” Arevalo stated. 

Arevalo stated this after the encounter in Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental on Monday, November 28. 

Accordingly, members of the 62nd Infantry Battalion encountered alleged members of the Komiteng Rehiyon, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor.

The 40-minute firefight resulted in the death of two alleged terrorists and the recovery of six firearms and alleged subversive documents.

In the Western Visayas the AFP has been lauded for crushing the NPA in Iloilo. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189553

National Security Adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos lauded the Philippine Army troops for their triumph against the communist New People's Army (NPA) in a clash in Igbaras, Iloilo on Saturday.

The Philippine Army said an NPA member was killed and three high-powered firearms were recovered while no casualty was reported on their side.

Carlos, who is also vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), said their victory was a “milestone” in ongoing efforts to dismantle guerrilla fronts in the country.

"I am very grateful to the soldiers of the 61st Infantry Battalion for this victory. This is a significant milestone in our mission of totally eliminating the communist influence in Visayas," Carlos said in a press statement on Sunday.

"Our government policy and the President's guidance in our fight against insurgency are clear,” she added.

She also urged NPA members to surrender to avoid bloodshed.

“Our call for peace continues for the remaining members who want to return to the government fold,” she said.

Note that National Securoty Adviser Clarita Carlos does not thank the AFP for "crushing" the NPA in Iloilo. That word is used only in the headline and the PNA is 100% government propaganda.  In reality she is only congratulating them on a single victory.

The progress being made by the AFP in the Visayas is part of the promise made by the new Viscom Chief to weaken the insurgency in the Visayas. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1694199/new-afp-viscom-chief-vows-to-weaken-insurgency-in-visayas

The new commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Visayas Command (Viscom) on Monday revealed he wants to focus on fighting insurgency in Eastern Visayas and weaken the “enemies” in the region.

“We want to look at the situation in the 8th Infantry Division. We’ll see if we can help out,” said Major General Benedict Arevalo, the newly installed Viscom commander.

Aside from fighting the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), Arevalo said the Viscom will also intensify its readiness to become the first responders in disaster and calamities in Eastern, Western, and Central Visayas.

He said that the location of the Visayas is prone to disasters and Viscom needs to be ready for eventualities.

Arevalo, who was previously in charge in the fight against CPP/NPA in Western and Central Visayas, said the “enemy’s” forces are already weakened and the AFP is on the upper hand.

At least he did not say something so brazen has he will defeat the NPA before his term is up. And look! The AFP was already weakened when he arrived on the scene. It's a win-win situation for Major General Benedict Arevalo.

Let's finish up by taking a look at the death of one more rebel leader which is being touted as a "huge blow" to the NPA in Negros.  

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189868

The death of New People's Army (NPA) leader Ericson Acosta in a clash with government troops in Kabankalan City on Wednesday is another "huge blow" to the communist-terrorists in Negros Island, an official of the Philippine Army said on Thursday.

"It will create a leadership vacuum," said Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, commander of 94th Infantry Battalion (94IB), whose unit conducted the operation together with the 47IB.

Acosta, 50, is the NPA's first deputy secretary for Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor (KR-NCBS) and head of the Political Unified Committee in the Visayas, according to the 94IB.

He is the husband of the late Kerima Tariman, then a top NPA leader in northern Negros, killed in an encounter with troops of 79th IB in Silay City in August 2021.

Acosta's companion, who also died in the encounter, has been identified as Joseph Jimenez, 52, staff of KR-NCBS Regional Organizing Division.

Also known as "Raffy" and "Fredo", Acosta led the attacks against the government troops in Himamaylan City on Oct. 8 and in Sipalay City on Nov. 24, where four soldiers died, the 94IB report said.

Along with Jimenez, he was also involved in extortion activities in Kabankalan City and had been targeting a sugar refinery in the area to give in to their demands, it added.

In a statement on Thursday, the 3rd Infantry Division dismissed the claim of the National Democratic Front (NDF)-Negros, the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA, that Acosta was their consultant for farmers in southern Negros.

"It's a propaganda ploy to fuel their deceptive narrative. It's nothing but a hollow, empty, and over abused propaganda line of the CPP-NPA-NDF," it added.

The Philippine Army also maintained that the clash in Negros Occidental that resulted in the death of Acosta and Jimenez was a legitimate encounter.

"Based from the reports received from our ground forces, it was a legitimate encounter and pursuit operations that led to the death of the two CNTs (Communists New People's Army Terrorists)," Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement Thursday.

He also added that government troops will always abide by the rules of law and respect human rights and international humanitarian law during incidents of armed conflict.

That is the AFP's story. Ericson Acosta was an NPA leader who led attacks on government troops and engaged in extortion activities. He was killed in a legitimate encounter and any talk that he was a consultant for farmers is propaganda.

Of course that version of events is disputed by the NUPL and Karapatan. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1700345/karapatan-to-chr-probe-deaths-of-ndf-consultant-peasant-organizer

A human rights advocacy group on Thursday called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the deaths of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Ericson Acosta and peasant organizer Joseph Jimenez in Negros Occidental.

“Human rights alliance Karapatan today called on the Commission on Human Rights to conduct an independent investigation into the reported summary execution of peasant advocate Ericson Acosta, a writer and consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and his companion, peasant organizer Joseph Jimenez of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas,” said Karapatan.

According to Karapatan, Acosta and Jimenez were captured in Negros Occidental by personnel of the 94th and 47th Infantry Battalions of the Philippine Army on Wednesday but were reported as killed in an encounter.

Karapatan said that Acosta was in Kabankalan City to consult with farmers and peasants about their working conditions and military operations in the area.

The NUPL claims the same thing. Acosta and Jimenez were in custody when they were killed.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/12/01/nupl-condemns-summary-executionof-ndf-consultant-in-negros-occidental/

In a statement, NUPL said “the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) publicly claimed that the two (NDF consultant Ericson Acosta and his companion who was not identified) were killed during an armed encounter” with Philippine Army soldiers in Sitio Makilo, Barangay Camansi in Kabankalan town.

“However, sources dispute this claim and no such encounter occurred, and that the two were captured alive and were already in custody when summarily executed by their captors,” the NUPL claimed.

It said that Acosta had been “NUPL’s client when he was wrongfully arrested and detained based on trumped up charges sometime in February 2011 at San Jorge, Samar at Calbayog City Sub-Provincial Jail.”

“He stayed in detention for almost two years, and was eventually released upon the dismissal of the cases against him,” it said.

“After his release, we learned that Ericson continued to be involved in advocacies for the advancement of peasant rights,” it added.

NUPL said Acosta was “a poet, writer, and peasant and peace advocate.”

Who these sources are the NUPL does not say. What we can know for sure is that Acosta was on the AFP's watch list. He certainly had a target on his back. But why would the AFP execute him when they are pleading with all remaining NPA members to surrender? The killing of one deceived Filipino makes the AFP sad. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189641

The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army was saddened over the death of a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) who, he said, was deceived to take part in the useless armed struggle.

“As much as possible, we want to make them realize that joining armed struggle is not the answer to attain peace, and we don’t want another victim and lives to be wasted. We are so much concerned for their families suffering their loss,” said Maj. Gen. Benedict M. Arevalo in a press statement on Monday.

Arevalo also reiterated his call for the remaining NPA rebels to lay down their arms, avoid the same fate as their comrade and avail of the government’s programs intended for them.

It would not make any sense for the Army to capture Acosta and then execute him. Murdering him would serve no purpose. But there likely won't be any investigation into his death.

Book Review: Conspiracies and Controversies: Philippines' Favorite Conspiracy Theories and Most Controversial Filipinos of the 20th Century

Conspiracies and Controversies: Philippines' Favorite Conspiracy Theories and Most Controversial Filipinos of the 20th Century is a book chock full of so much conspiratorial terminology and references that the casual reader might get lost in the verbiage. The prose can also be a bit rambling as the author rehashes obscure stories from arcane magazines which could very well be mere opinion. And how can one tell the difference between fact and fancy when access to those magazines is not so easy being that most of them are from the 80's, a time when digitization was not a common  practice?

https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracies-Controversies-Dr-Erick-Juan/dp/1536898392

Nevertheless many of the author's sources are available online and not so out of reach to the reader with a black belt in Google-fu. Erick San Juan is also the author of Marcos Legacy Revisited: Raiders of the Lost Gold. Let us not forget the editor of that book wrote:

How much of Erick's book is based on fact, and how much on conjecture, is difficult to say. What is easy to conclude is that if there is one single person who has looked at the gold from a wide range of angles and has accumulated wheel-barrow loads of documentation, that person is Erick.

p. xi

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-review-marcos-legacy-revisited.html 

Alas, this volume gives the reader no such warning to heed but such caution is necessary.  

The entire book can be summed up on pages 100-101.

After all has been said and done, our political and military leaders will come to the inevitable conclusion which many around the world before them have to realized, that "It is not ultimately ‘humanity’, but a frighteningly small conclave of political figures — some more or less ‘democratically elected’, some not — who wield the authority of life and death over the entire planet. Some of them are intelligent and responsible, but some are unimaginative, insensitive, even positively stupid. Some are manifestly incompetent. Some are arguably insane, to one or another degree. Yet it is they who, with a signature appended to a document, or even with a single spoken word, can send individuals into battle, can determine people’s nationalities, can dictate the circumstances in which one lives, can pronounce where one can go or cannot go, what one can do or cannot do. It is they who, for example, by drawing a line on a paper map, can conjure a ‘frontier’ into being, a barrier as restrictive and insurmountable as any physical wall...And it is they, not ‘humanity’, who, if there is indeed to be an apocalypse, will bring it about."

Frightening, isn't it. But look what they have done to our country and the rest of the world since the turbulent 1960s. We are headed toward a one-way Socialist "new world order." Only then will our distinguished RAM officers and their men fully realized that, just like the 1896 Revolution, the 1986 EDSA Revolt was not a spontaneous people power uprising, but a well-planned, foreign-hatched conspiracy which used Filipino stoolpigeons.

pgs. 100-101

Yes, indeed, the post-Vatican II Liberation-Theology-promoting-Catholic Church, Jewish Bankers, the Committee of 300, the World Council of Churches, the CIA, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Illuminati, the IMF, George Soros, and every other nefarious conspiratorial group is seeking to bring the Philippines under the boot heel of the New World Order. That quote above, by the way, is from The Messianic Legacy - Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh & Henry Lincoln which is the sequel to their debunked and discredited book Holy Blood, Holy Grail. 

Here are two among many documents Erick San Juan cites to prove this conspiracy.

https://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/1985/eirv12n44-19851108/eirv12n44-19851108_040-the_philippines_scenarios_and_op.pdf

https://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/1986/eirv13n29-19860725/eirv13n29-19860725_037-the_cv_starr_foundation_dope_inc.pdf

Of course "The Jew" is behind all of the aforenamed groups.

Rapacity is a passion which has become the Jew's second nature and to which he instinctively lends obedience. The lust of gain is so strongly entrenched in his organism that it overrides every other feeling, every other passion. He knows no respect. If you sneer at him, he rages like a tiger. His only life in aim is gain. Hence, everything which does not have this object in view deserves no attention from him.

The Jew's unlimited rapacity puts him in an everlasting antagonism to the rest of mankind. This is why he wages war against all other men. This rage lead the Jew to believe that men exist only to cheat and devour one another. The maxim, "Dalawang klase lang ang tao sa mundo...isang manloloko at isang naloloko," which has become a favorite saying among Filipinos is of Jewish descent. In this rivalry between men, it is the Jew;s option that the most cunning and rapacious must, in the end, devour the others. For them, this is the supreme law of the jungle, which is now being widely used by the Neo-Malthusian globalists and free traders.

pg. 9

That saying Erick quotes translates as, "There are only two kinds of people in this world, the deceiver and the deceived." To this effect even Misuari has been deceived by the Jews and their front organizations.

Misuari's political moves - his use of propaganda- only show who his real employers are: the globalists, free traders and narcotic legalizers whose objective is to destroy nation-states.

pg. 10

Of course the Muslim Independence Movement was not about Independence. It's all about the Jews destabilizing the Philippines. 

Here in the Philippines, the same "balkanization" process in unfolding before our eyes. It's the Christians and Moslems slaughtering each other, while their Jewish masters laugh.

pg. 6

Funny how Erick San Juan paints the globalists as being very bad for the Philippines and yet claims in the preface that he is not fighting them.

To prove that history does not just happen is my primary reason for writing this book. How can it be when conspiracy is one of its active ingredients?

I am not fighting the globalists nor any other organization. I just want the Filipinos to know what's really going onto that our leaders and compatriots would know what to do.

pg. vi

If his purpose is not to fight the globalists then why even bother? Perhaps he is a globalist? Perhaps he is engaging in what is known as "revelation of the method?"  What are Filipinos to do? They don't run the government. They elect people to run the government and then those people do whatever they fancy. And make no mistake that the Philippines is firmly entrenched in the World Order even in the New World Order. One wonders what Erick would think about the Duterte administration kowtowing to the WHO as regards the pandemic or even The Hague ruling on the WPS. Most importantly what would he think about a President who was married to a Jew and whose half-Jewish daughter is currently the Vice President and poised to become the next President. 

The second part of this book is about several controversial figures. These figures include Cory Aquino, Cardinal Sin, Imelda Marcos, Potenciano Illusario (the director of Maharlika who cast Dovie Beams), Ninoy Aquino, Ramos, and Erap. 

The chapters on the Aquinos are the longest at 27 pages for Cory and 45 pages for Ninoy. Both are accused of heinous activities and conspiracies against the Philippines and Filipinos. Concerning Ninoy Erick San Juan writes:

Is it possible therefore to say that it was indeed Masonic teaching which molded Ninoy Aquino to what he was highly suspected of: a cold-blooded, ambitious politician who had no scruples about eliminating his rivals? History tells us to conclude affirmatively.

pg. 137

Erick San Juan then proceeds to give a litany of facts from a variety of sources to back up this claim. Many of these sources are not available online and would require lots of legwork at a university library to verify.  The book "This is Ninoy" is one of his sources but it is only available on library shelves far out of my domain.

https://books.google.com.ph/books/about/This_is_Ninoy.html?id=nM1wAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y

Of Cardinal Sin, who was instrumental in the 1986 EDSA People Power Erick writes:

But what about Sin and Bacani? Are they not to be blamed for the spiritual death of millions of Filipino Catholics whom they have "judaized?"

pg. 105

Why Erick employs the term "judaized" I have no idea because his truck is with post-Vactican II Liberation Theology of which he treats extensively throughout the book. There is nothing Jewish about Vatican II.

There is nothing critical written about Imelda. Erick relates two stories concerning her that are brushed off as being, "Ha, ha! That' so Imeldific!" The first one is about the time she was contemplating jumping bail and returning to the Philippines disguised as a nun and then hiding out at the INC's compound. The second is the well-known snub of the Beatles. As regards the latter he writes:

The thing is, during those days, one must never f__k around with the likes of Imelda Marcos, if knowingly, he does not have the backing of the Royal British Army.

pg. 123

How charming. The thing is this book is about the "Most Controversial Filipinos of the 20th Century" and Erick San Juan only gives Imelda Marcos a scant 7 pages! That is scandalous and shows where his biases lie. In fact there is no chapter devoted to Ferdinand Marcos who is by far the "Most Controversial Filipino of the 20th Century." Instead Marcos, Erap, and Ramos are depicted as victims of the globalists. 

The bottom line is this book falls in the genre of speculative conspiracy and Erick San Juan fails to give any concrete proof for many of his claims. That makes many of its conclusions questionable.  The Muslim Independence Movement was orchestrated by the Jews to destabilize the Philippines?? How ridiculous especially given the long history of the Moros vs the Spanish.  It's not as if the Philippines has ever been stable anyway. 

There are a lot of facts and data stuffed on every single page but as even Erick San Juan writes concerning Alfred McCoy and which is just as applicable to this book:

"He writes very well. He's an extremely seductive analyst because he can marshal data to support his claims," Robles insists.

Don't they all do? I mean the paid hacks.

The great American industrialist Henry Ford said: "history is bunk." Napoleon Bonaparte called it "a collection of lies statesmen hav agreed upon." For countless generations already, history is what happens in history books.

So far, a Catholic scholar was able to capture history's most fitting definition when he said, "Education rests on texts revised with every shift in public policy."

pg. 196

Perhaps if Erick San Juan wrote this book today he would no doubt add Ella Cruz's unwise dictum, "History is like tsismis."

Picture of the Week: Research Flat Earth

Enough said!

Research flat earth and go vegan! 

Retards in the Government 286

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

  

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/852665/barangay-kagawad-shot-dead-in-front-of-barangay-hall-in-cavite/story/

A barangay kagawad was shot dead in front of barangay hall in Bacoor, Cavite, according to Nimfa Ravelo's Super Radyo dzBB report on Friday.

Angel Ventura Tamayo, barangay kagawad of Barangay Sineguelasan, was shot dead in front of barangay hall at 5 p.m, based on the report received by P/Col. Christopher Olazo, provincial director of PNP Cavite.

The victim was talking to barangay secretary John Paul Grande when two unidentified men riding a motorcycle shot him.

He was immediately taken to Binakayan Hospital. However, he was declared dead on arrival.

Authorities are still conducting the investigation.

A barangay kagawad has been assassinated by unknown men for unknown reasons. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/852827/raps-filed-vs-cop-over-fatal-accidental-firing-in-laguna-pnp/story/

A complaint has been filed against the policeman who accidentally fired his gun that killed one of his colleagues in Laguna, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday.

“We have already filed a case and gave police assistance,” PNP officer-in-charge Police Lieutenant General Rhodel Sermonia said at a press briefing.

PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo told GMA News Online that the complaint filed against suspect Police Corporal George Mervin Cañete Duran is for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

Duran is also facing an administrative case, she said.

“Reckless imprudence resulting in homicide is the case filed against the police who accidentally shot his fellow SWAT member. He will also face an administrative case,” Fajardo said in a text message.

Duran said on November 23, they were cleaning their service firearms for an inspection when another person approached him and said they exchanged guns.

Upon the return of his gun, he examined it. However, when he was about to remove the load from the chamber, the gun accidentally went off and hit Police Corporal Fhrank Aldene Yasay Dela Cruz in the right chest.

Dela Cruz was immediately brought to the hospital, but the attending physician declared him dead on arrival.

A SWAT officer has been charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide for accidentally shooting his colleague.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/11/26/tanauan-city-probation-office-employee-with-8-kids-shot-dead/

A 42-year-old messenger of the probation office in Tanauan City, this province, was gunned down on Friday night, Nov. 25, outside his house in Purok 4, Barangay San Vicente, here.

Police said the victim, Arnel Montalban, also a volunteer probation assistant of the office, was having a drinking spree for a baptismal on Saturday, Nov. 26, when an unidentified man appeared.

The gunman fired at the victim at close range and fled onboard a motorcycle.

Police said Montalban died on the spot.

Witnesses said the suspect was wearing a white T-shirt, black jacket, and black pants, and was about 5’8’’ to 5’11.’’

Police said the victim left behind eight children.

An investigation is under way to determine if the shooting is work-related and the identity of the gunman.

City probation office employee was assassinated by an unknown man for unknown reasons. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189627

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday has summoned four of its enforcers for alleged extortion caught in a video that went viral on social media.

In a statement, the LTO said the four enforcers were from the Field Enforcement Division and were recorded trying to allegedly extort PHP8,000 from a motorist flagged down at an LTO checkpoint in Bocaue town in Bulacan province going towards the Philippine Arena area.

"LTO Chief Jose Arturo 'Jay Art' Tugade already ordered that the four enforcers be relieved from their duties pending investigation," it said.

The enforcers have been summoned to appear Monday at the office of the Law Enforcement Services at the LTO Central Office in Quezon City for further investigation.

Four LTO enforcers have been charged with extortion.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/11/29/2227220/eastern-samar-town-execs-conviction-graft-affirmed

The Sandiganbayan has upheld the conviction of four officials of Guiuan, Eastern Samar in connection with the anomalous procurement of a P1.99-milion fire truck.

In a resolution dated Oct. 14, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division said the respondents failed to raise any meritorious argument in their appeals, which seek to reverse their conviction for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The respondents were identified as Guiuan budget officer Esperanza Cotin, planning development officer Ma. Nenita Ecleo, administrative officer Felipe Padual and market supervisor Danilo Colandog.

The court said the respondents, who were members of the bids and awards committee, committed negligence when they resorted to negotiated procurement instead of conducting a public bidding.

The Sixth Division earlier sentenced the respondents to six to eight years in prison and disqualified them from holding public office.

The conviction of four government officials over the anomalous procurement of a firetruck has been upheld by the Sandiganbayan. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1699285/coast-guard-personnel-accidentally-shot-dead-by-colleague-in-sorsogon

A Philippine Coast Guard member died Monday after a colleague accidentally shot him in Matnog town in Sorsogon.

Police Major Voltaire Jun Pedido, Matnog police chief, reported on Tuesday, Nov. 29, that the victim was Seaman 1 Joshua Solano, 24, of Camalig town in Albay.

Initial investigation said Seaman 2 John Klent Lumabe, 29, accidentally discharged his 9mm pistol and hit Solano around 4:45 p.m. while at the Coast Guard queuing area in Barangay Manjumlad.

Solano died while being taken to a hospital.

Lumabe is now in the custody of Matnog police for proper disposition.

A member of the Philippine Coast Guard has been charged with accidentally shooting and killing a colleague. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189726

Alfonso Cusi, former head of the Department of Energy (DOE), has been indicted for cyber libel filed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian over comments posted on the agency’s Facebook account, which the court said caused “dishonor, discredit, and damage” to the lawmaker’s name and reputation.

A news release from Gatchalian’s office on Tuesday said the Office of the City Prosecutor of Valenzuela issued a resolution on November 14 that found Cusi in violation of Republic Act 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and filed an information for cyber libel before the city’s Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 75 on Nov. 18, 2022.

The RTC issued an e-warrant of arrest against Cusi on November 21 while the former Cabinet official personally posted a PHP10,000 bail four days later.

Gatchalian said Cusi should have sued him before the Senate Ethics Committee or the Ombudsman if he had the evidence to prove that he had lent a hand to certain business interests.

Cusi argued that his post was neither defamatory nor malicious as he merely criticized the Senate probe.

However, the prosecutor’s office ruled otherwise, saying Cusi “acted maliciously” and his “defamatory statements were anchored on false allegations.”

In suing Cusi for cyber libel in July, Gatchalian said he casts malice on his reputation and integrity, including the Senate Committee on Energy, which the latter chaired in the 18th Congress.

The former DOE Secretary is being sued for libel by Senator Gatchalian over a Facebook post. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/30/22/coa-disallows-coffee-chocolates-purchased-by-national-tobacco-administration

The Commission on Audit disallowed the purchase of coffee vendo machines as well as coffee and chocolate made by the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) for the supposed welfare of its employees in 2013.

In the decision of the COA proper dated January 24, 2022 but was released recently, the notice of disallowance issued by its Corporate Government Sector-Cluster 5 on November 9, 2016 on the purchase of the items was deemed final and executory.

The NTA spent a total amount of P350,000 which covered 14 coffee vendo machines, 200 kilograms of coffee, and 90 kilograms of chocolate.

It was stressed in the decision that the items purchased by the NTA for health program activities for its employees were improper.

"It only covers physical and mental fitness program that seeks to attain long-term health through exercises and related physical fitness activities. Coffee vendo machines are not activities," the COA proper said in the decision signed by then chairperson Michael Aguinaldo and Commissioner Roland Pondoc.

The commission also noted the late filing of the petition for review by the NTA, having exhausted the reglementary period of 6 months or 180 days to file an appeal.

The petition for review was filed by NTA officials Edgardo Zaragoza, Cristina Lopez, Ma. Theresa Laudencia and Milagros Tiu.

"Liberality in the application of rules of procedure cannot be applied if it will result in the wanton disregard of the rules or cause needless delay in the administration of justice," the commission proper said.

The COA has disallowed purchases made by the NTA for its employees namely coffee, chocolate, and tobacco.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189680

After complying with the order to pay PHP5.96 million in restitution to the government, the Sandiganbayan slapped a fine of PHP16,000 on former Iloilo (2nd District) representative Judy Syjuco as part of a plea bargain agreement.

The deal reduced the 78-year-old Syjuco’s case to the lesser charges of fraud and failure of an accountable officer to render accounts from the original graft and malversation.

The Sandiganbayan ruling published online Tuesday imposed the fine after Syjuco asked to be allowed to plead guilty in October to the lesser charges which stemmed from the procurement of 1,582 units of mobile phones in 2005, allegedly sans public bidding.

A former representative has her malversation case ended by paying a fine and having the charges reduced. The case stems from procuring mobile phones without public bidding.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189857

The Sandiganbayan has affirmed its earlier decision against a Maguindanao town mayor and other former town officials found guilty of graft in connection with a 2011 municipal water project.

In its 25-page resolution dated Nov. 29 and written by Associate Justice Maryann E. Corpus-Mañalac, the anti-graft court said the motions for reconsideration filed by Northern Kabuntulan, Maguindanao municipal mayor Datu Umbra B. Dilangalen and his co-accused, former municipal accountant Rahima A. Ali and former municipal treasurer Kabiba A. Mael, were "denied for lack of merit.”

It also upheld its earlier decision to sentence the accused to up to seven years imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from public office and forfeiture of their retirement or gratuity.

In its Sept. 9, 2022 decision, the anti-graft court found the accused guilty of giving unwarranted benefits to a private firm, FFJJ Construction, in a contract for the town’s Small Water Impounding Project worth PHP5 million.

Full payment was given to FFJJ on December 2011, even though the project was completed only in March 2012.

"Undeniably, in causing the full payment of the contract price under the circumstances... the accused public officers gave the FFJJ Construction unwarranted benefit and advantage. As already explained, such action lacked adequate or official support and was unjustified, unauthorized or without justification or adequate reason, placing the contractor in a more favorable or improved position or condition and benefiting from such payment by having already the full amount available to it for use, as it, in fact, did use the same, even prior to the commencement of the project, without the need to use its own funds and without the risk of any loss," the court said.

Prosecutors have questioned why the accused authorized full contract price payment of the project even before the construction started, as under government procurement rules, in no time should full payment be made prior to the completion of a project.

The Sandiganbayan has affirmed the conviction of a former mayor on graft charges because he paid a construction firm before the project even started.