Assassinated Businessmen

Even without the pandemic business has alway been tough in the Philippines. Why is that? Because if you are a businessman in the Philippines any rival you have will gladly assassinate you. The problem of assassination is not limited to politicians. Let's take a look at a few recent assassinated businessmen. These  are killings which have happened since the beginning of 2023. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197351

Two gunmen riding a motorbike shot dead a businesswoman and wounded her husband in an ambush in Barangay Fatima, Gen. Santos City early Tuesday.

In a report, Col. Jomar Alexis Yap, General Santos City police director, identified the victim as Amelia Tajala, of Barangay Fatima, Gen. Santos City.

Tajala was declared dead at the GenSan Medical Center while her husband Belgar, who was driving the Mitsubishi Montero (MFN-927), was critically injured.

The victims were heading to the city fish port area at about 4:45 a.m. where they are managing a fish and money lending business when waylaid by the gunmen, who sped off in an unknown direction.

Police found 16 empty shells for a .45-caliber pistol at the crime scene.

They said they have yet to establish the motive and identities of the perpetrators.

https://digicastnegros.com/businessman-killed-3-others-found-dead/

A businessman was killed and three others were found dead in Negros Occidental, the police reported Wednesday, March 1.

Businessman Ronnie Galve Pabilona, 47, was killed at Brgy.4 Poblacion, Himamaylan City, 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, February 28.

Pabilona was eating lunch at his store when a male person entered and ordered lunch. The person went out of the store, and returned a few minutes later and suddenly shot Pabilona on the back of his head using a .45 caliber pistol, the police said.

The victim was brought to the Governor Valeriano M. Gatuslao Memorial Hospital but was declared dead on arrival, the police added.

The suspect escaped.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1954495/zamboanga/local-news/businessman-killed-6-unharmed-in-drive-by-gun-attack

A BUSINESSMAN who once served as executive assistant to the late Basilan Governor Wahab Akbar was killed while his six companions were unharmed in a drive-by gun attack in this Zamboanga City, the police reported Sunday, February 26, 2023.

Police Colonel Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office director, identified the fatality as Paruk Taguri Marijun, 50, a resident of Isabela City, Basilan province.

Lorenzo said the incident happened around 6:02 p.m. Saturday in Sitio Canelar Moret, Canelar village, Zamboanga City.

Investigation showed that Majirun was driving a pick-up vehicle with six passengers coming from a wedding at a local hotel when repeatedly shot by an unidentified gunman aboard a motorcycle.

Marijun, though wounded, continued driving until he accidentally crashed into a parked motorcycle and a sundry store.

Marijun was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead by the attending physician. The suspect escaped.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/04/23/businessman-shot-dead-outside-rosario-batangas-town-hall

A businessman was shot dead outside the municipal hall of Rosario, Batangas on Tuesday, local police said.

Authorities identified the victim as Anselmo Javier Jr., 44, a resident of Barangay Bayawang of the said town.

Rosario Police records show that Javier was inside his vehicle parked outside the municipal hall when he was shot several times by a yet unidentified gunman at around 9:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Witnesses said the shooter, who was wearing a helmet and raincoat fled towards San Juan, Batangas after committing the crime. 

Javier was rushed to the Sto. Rosario Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/02/25/2247417/2-nabbed-indian-businessmans-murder

The alleged mastermind and gunman in the murder of an Indian businessman in Quezon City last Feb. 14 were arrested on Thursday.

Randy Manalo, 32, and Mark Darriel Lagarde, 21, were apprehended in separate operations, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said.

Lagarde was arrested in Barangay Pasong Putik at around 2:45 p.m. followed by Manalo in Barangay Batasan Hills at around 3:30 p.m.

The suspects were implicated in the murder of Beant Singh, 47, in Barangay Batasan Hills.

The victim was collecting payments from several people at Kagawad and San Mateo Roads when he was shot dead by an armed man at around 2:30 p.m.

Torre said police investigators tracked down Lagarde’s whereabouts based on footage from closed-circuit television cameras and the testimony of the driver of a habal-habal, a colorum motorcycle taxi, which the suspect rode to Batasan Hills.

Police seized a .380-caliber handgun and a hand grenade from Lagarde.

Under interrogation, Lagarde identified Manalo as the one who ordered him to kill Singh in exchange for P20,000.

An investigation revealed Manalo wanted Singh dead as he owes the foreigner an unspecified amount of money.

Meanwhile, two Indian traders were ambushed by motorcycle-riding assailants in Quezon City on Thursday night, which left one of them wounded.

The incident occurred in Barangay Santol at around 9:35 p.m., the QCPD Station 11 said.

Sukhwinder Singh, 32, and Sidhu Tirlochan Singh, 30, were on a motorcycle when they were attacked at the corner of Brixton Hill and Landargon streets.

The victims told probers that two men on a motorcycle, one of whom was armed with a handgun, were the suspects.

Sukhwinder was hit in his left hand and was brought to a hospital for medical treatment while Sidhu was unscathed.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/01/08/2236194/vietnamese-man-believed-killed-over-money-owed-him

A Vitenamese businessman living in Abra may have been kidnapped and killed over money he had lent someone, provincial police said.

Police Lt. Col. Maly Cula, Abra police director, said initial probe results point suggest that money lent by Vo Tien Dung, 46, might have led to someone killing him instead of paying him back. Dung was found dead in a ravine in Barangay San Marcial, San Isidro town in Abra before New Year.

Dung was reported missing on December 28, 2022. In the afternoon of December 31, two students found him dumped along the provincial road in Barangay San Marcial. 

They reported what they saw at nearby police station in Villaviciosa town who, in turn reported the discovery to San Isidro cops.

Police Executive Master Sergeant Simon Mariano, San Isidro deputy chief, said they immediately went to the scene and found the body, which he said was already decomposing. He added police were able to identify the victim as some of his clothes matched the description of those worn by Dung when he went missing.

Dung was found wearing gray pants but no upper garments.

Mariano also said that — according to the pathologist who examined Dung's remains — the victim had been strangled to death. The body also had a wound that could have been from a sharp object or a bullet.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198221

Four foreign nationals implicated in the kidnap for ransom and killing of a Filipino-Chinese businessman in Quezon City have been arrested, the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) said on Saturday.

The arrested suspects were Chinese citizens Bei Huimin, 30; Jielong Shen, 26; and Sun XiaoHui, 26; and Vietnamese national Hong Puc Le, 33, according to a news release.

"After receiving the information from the victim’s family, PNP-AKG operatives responded to the complaint and immediately commenced an investigation. However, while the investigation and backtracking were still ongoing, the kidnapped victim was killed by his captors and they threw away his cadaver in Tanza, Cavite in the morning of March 22, 2023," the PNP-AKG said.

The PNP-AKG sought assistance from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.

After getting all the pertinent data, the PNP-AKG conducted operations on March 23.

The three Chinese nationals were arrested after withdrawing the ransom money of PHP560,000 from a bank along Quirino Avenue in Parañaque City.

Hong was arrested later on the same day at a mall in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

“The arrest of these individuals is an important step forward in our efforts to dismantle their group and protect our communities. Rest assured that justice will spring out and we will get to the bottom of this," PNP-AKG chief Brig. Gen. Rodolfo Castil Jr. said in a statement.

That is seven businessmen assassinated in the first quarter of the year. 

Insurgency: ISIS Still A Threat In Southeast Asia

Let's start off with something big that should be a no-brainer.

https://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2023/03/isis-still-threat-in-southeast-asia.html

THE PHILIPPINES remains an attractive site for Islamic State (IS) operations now and in the future, Nikkei Asia quoted Mimi Fabe, a professor of financial terrorism at the National Police College of the Philippines, as saying.

“The ISIS HQ still regards Philippine terrorist organizations as reliable conduits for terrorism financing, recruitment of combatants and child soldiers, involvement of women in terrorist smuggling of weapons as well as ammunition, a place to get multiple identities and, in certain areas, as safe havens for foreign terrorist fighters,” Fabe said. 

One of the most notorious organizations in the Philippines is the jihadi and kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayyaf, which has two factions. One of them is allied with IS and is the largest IS-linked group in the Philippines. “All of these groups are operating in Mindanao Island, while two other transnational organized crime groups which are sympathetic to ISIS-linked groups have a footprint in Luzon,” Fabe said. 

Fabe said the IS headquarters is fully supportive of the Abu Sayyaf factions. The support comprises terrorism financing and the transfer of training techniques, including the sending of IS fighters to train newly recruited combatants and child soldiers in Mindanao. 

“IS is opportunistic and will continue to look for openings to rebuild its networks throughout Southeast Asia,” said Clarke. “IS has continued to spread propaganda and recruit ... and there are some concerns about the group making inroads in Singapore.” 

Clarke said IS is in rebuilding mode at the moment. “Its goal is to remain relevant and look for power vacuums it can exploit. It is also likely seeking to rebuild its external operations capabilities, because conducting successful attacks is the most effective recruitment tool. ... It proves relevance when many analysts are claiming that the group is finished,” Clarke said, adding, IS is strong in Africa and Afghanistan but suffering significant losses elsewhere. 

ISIS is still looking to build inroads to Asia through the Philippines. So why has Sulu, a hot bed of ISIS recruitment been ranked number one in peace and order?

https://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2023/03/sulu-ranked-no-1-in-improved-peace-and.html

Governor Sakur Tan said Sulu is now ranked Number 1 in improved peace and order situation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and he commended authorities and the public for strongly supporting the peace and development efforts of the provincial and municipal governments.

Tan, chairman of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), recently convened the body to provide the public with updates on the security situation, issues of social concern and other matters relevant to public order and safety. 

“We are now number ranked Number 1 in peace and order. Maganda ang sitwasyon natin dito sa Sulu, mas marami tayong pwedeng magawa ngayon. Magtulong-tulong tayo na mas pagandahin pa ang ating probinsiya. Bigyan natin nang oportunidad ang pag-unlad dito sa Sulu,” Tan said after receiving reports from the police and military, and other stakeholders. 

In light of the much improved peace and order situation, Tan encouraged all stakeholders not to be complacent, rather to seize the moment, and double the resolve to move forward and increase productivity to create better opportunities for everyone. 

The PPOC also recommended the following: Strengthen programs on education as a catalyst of peace and development in every enabling environment; a progressive practice of culture and tradition to help eradicate so-called gun culture mentality, and to help prevent clan war or family feud; to further improve the traffic situation in the capital town of Jolo; aggressive campaign on motorcycles with loud muffler, and to promote four stroke or Euro 4 compliant motorcycles; to maintain the cleanliness program in all municipalities. 

It also adopted the position of the five governors in the BARMM who called for the postponement of the Barangay elections until the implementation of the full decommissioning of weapons of Moro Islamic Liberation Front members; the condemnation of the February 17 ambush on Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr that wounded him and killed four of his aides. 

On what basis has Sulu been declared number 1 in improved peace and order? One of the recommendations is to eradicate gun culture mentality. That goes for the whole nation really where violence is seen as a solution to every kind of problem. President Marcos says he is committed to pursuing peace and order in the BARMM.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198250

The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is committed to fulfilling all agreements under the Bangsamoro peace process.

"Under the Marcos Administration’s banner of unity, the national government is determined more than ever to fulfill the commitments it had made under all signed Bangsamoro peace agreements. It shall not waver from this commitment," OPAPRU acting chief Secretary Isidro L. Purisima said in a statement for the observance of the ninth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) on Monday.

He also added that OPAPRU "shall ensure" to push forward, sustain and build on the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.

Purisima also said this would be the key to building a better, brighter and more progressive future for the Bangsamoro people.

"As we commemorate the 9th Anniversary CAB’s signing, let us remember what has brought all of us to this moment — our willingness to let go of the past, go beyond our differences, and walk shoulder to shoulder in the name of peace," he added.

Purisima also said the signing of the CAB put an end to decades of armed conflict between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

He added the occasion was historic not only for the Bangsamoro people but the Filipino nation as a whole as the weapons of war fell silent.

"And residents who used to wake up to the sound of mortar fire would start hearing the hum of bulldozers, trucks and farming equipment," the OPAPRU chief recounted.

"From the grounds of Malacañang where the CAB was forged, to the sprawling flatlands of Central Mindanao and the island provinces which used to be the site of fierce gun battles, our people rejoiced because they knew in their hearts that a new chapter in the nation’s history was dawning," Purisima stressed.

Let's not forget the CAB or Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro is revision on the Memorandum on Ancestral Domain.

As for the historical injustices the ARMM and BARRM were and are supposed to rectify, what are they? Colonisation! The MILF wants the whole of Mindanao given to the Moro people because of ancestral domain claims. They want the invading kafir, the Christians, gone. That was the sum and substance of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain which the government actually signed but the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional. No, the BARMM has laid down a future war. Even the BARMM Chairman Ebrahaim Murad has said that decommissioning does not mean surrender. 

The NPA recently celebrated its 54th anniversary. The AFP says they remain irrelevant.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1749858/npas-54th-anniv-cpp-touts-steady-advance-afp-sneers-at-irrelevant-movement

The 54th founding anniversary of the communist New People’s Army on Wednesday, March 29, prompted a war of words between both sides of the conflict.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) touted the government’s failure to fully crush the NPA, but the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the Maoist movement is nearing its end.

“The NPA has steadily advanced and surmounted every disadvantage and setback at every historical juncture,” the CPP Central Committee said in its anniversary message.

“It has frustrated the enemy’s campaigns of encirclement and suppression one after another.”

The CPP, while stressing that the AFP’s encirclement campaigns “largely failed to attain its declared objective” of crushing the NPA, admitted that some regions or guerrilla fronts suffered from losses or significant setbacks “due to internal weaknesses and shortcomings.”

On the other hand, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said the NPA has no reason to celebrate its founding anniversary.

“Communist Insurgency is [nearing] its end. With few remaining of its hardcores and deceived supporters, the CPP could hardly find a reason to celebrate the 54th founding anniversary of the NPA,” AFP spokesperson Medel Aguilar said in a statement.

“Let us pray that there will be no more 55th to think about,” Aguilar added.

Aguilar also said the CPP should accept its “irrelevance”, other than the fact that the communist movement made the government realize its shortcomings.

“The most difficult challenge and a bitter pill to swallow is the realization of the CPP of its irrelevance in the life of the Filipino people.

“As a consolation, the party can partly take credit in making the government realize its shortfalls in governance, particularly in the delivery of basic services, and in pushing it to do more and serve its people better.

The official said if the CPP wants to survive, it has to disband the NPA “and submit to the will of the Filipino people.”

Government estimates show that the NPA is now down to around 2,000 fighters with some 1,800 firearms in its arsenal.

Funny that the AFP acknowledges that the CPP has made "the government realize its shortfalls in governance, particularly in the delivery of basic services, and in pushing it to do more and serve its people better." Can it be safe to assume that without the CPP the government would care less about the people and in delivering basic services? 

That article links to an article from July, 2022 that says there are around 2,000 NPA fighters left but that same number was given in January, 2023. That means the number of NPA fighters has remained the same for almost a whole year despite numerous alleged surrenders throughout the nation. Here are a few of the latest statistics from the AFP.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198476

The communist New People’s Army (NPA) lost some 270 members and 121 firearms during the law enforcement operations conducted by the Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) from Nov. 2, 2022 to March 15 this year.

Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II, PRO-13 director, said 210 surrendered to them during the period, while 69 others were arrested.

“The 121 firearms were either seized during the arrests or voluntarily handed over during surrenders in the same period,” Labra said in a statement Wednesday (March 29).

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198460

In partnership with the Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC), the Army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID) said it has dismantled eight New People’s Army (NPA) guerilla fronts and "neutralized" more than 800 rebels operating in Northern Mindanao and Caraga in the past two years.

In a statement on Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II, commander of the 4ID commander, said since 2021, an NPA sub-regional committee and an independent rebel platoon were also dismantled.

Among those dismantled were the NPA North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee and North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).

“The people are fed up and tired of the deception and exploitation of the NPA. People are more interested and focused on the peace and developmental projects, as well as the various services that the government has delivered,” Cuerpo said.

In addition, 362 government-initiated encounters have led to the neutralization of 885 NPA combatants.

In military parlance, “neutralize” includes the capture and surrender of an NPA rebel, as well as the seizure of firearms.

Cuerpo said the 4ID managed to seize 766 firearms and overran 234 NPA hideouts during the period.

The latest in the series of encounters transpired in remote Barangay San Juan, Bayugan City on March 27, which resulted in the death of two more rebels.

"More (NPA) members and even leaders have given up and surrendered,” Cuerpo said.

With the support of residents, the Army official assured that the 4ID would continue its intensified focused military operations against the communist rebels and collaborate with other government agencies under the TF-ELCAC.

In Zamboanga 66 NPA fighters allegedly surrendered in one day. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198656

Sixty-six New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered in Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces as they withdrew their support from the communist group, a top police official said Friday.

Brig. Gen. Neil Alinsañgan, director of Police Regional Office-9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), said 57 of the rebels surrendered in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, and the remaining nine in Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.

During a combined surrender ceremony on Wednesday, they took their oaths of allegiance administered by Zamboanga del Sur Governor Victor Yu at Camp Abellon which houses the provincial police office in Pagadian City.

Alinsañgan said the NPA surrenderers belonged to the Guerrilla Front Big Beautiful Country of the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.

They turned over two .38-caliber revolvers and a Garand rifle.

Alinsañgan said the PRO-9 and Army’s 1st Infantry Division facilitated the surrender.

That is 1,145 NPA fighters neutralized in the past two years and yet for eight months the number of NPA fighters has remained stable at 2,000? Clearly the AFP has no idea how many NPA fighters are left. That number does not include two or three who are killed each week in encounters with the AFP.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198645

Communist rebels operating in the Caraga Region lost three of its key leaders during a series of military operations by the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) on March 27 to 30.

The military operations were conducted to protect the communities in the region from the atrocities of the outlawed New People’s Army (NPA) that celebrated its 54th founding anniversary on March 29.

In a statement Friday, the 4ID identified the high-ranking NPA leader killed as Emmanuel Balano “Salem” Anub Sr., secretary of the NPA Sub-Regional Committee Westland who served in a concurrent position as the secretary of the Weakened Guerrilla Front 21 under the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.

Anub was killed during an encounter on Thursday in Sitio Hugmakan, Barangay San Juan, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

“Based on the report of the 401st Infantry Brigade based in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, the troops of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion encountered around 20 NPA rebels at the mountainous area of Sitio Hugmakan,” the 4ID said.

The skirmish lasted for 25 minutes which resulted in the death of Anub and the seizure of an AK-47 rifle with ammunition, the statement added.

Meanwhile, an encounter in Sitio Vertudazo, Barangay San Juan, Bayugan City on March 27 also led to the killing of two ranking NPA leaders in the region.

They were identified only as a certain Dano, the regional finance officer, and Zig, the regional medical staff.

Recovered at the encounter site were an M4 carbine rifle, a modified Carbine rifle, ammunition, and other war materials.

"The ever-increasing support that we are gaining from the local government units, other government agencies, and the communities is the key to this enormous achievement,” Maj. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, the 4ID commander, said.

He stressed that the 4ID will continue their operations against the remnants of the NPA in their area of responsibility without letup.

The fact is Joma Sison is dead and yet the CPP-NPA continues on. They are not irrelevant. I am not here to apologize for them but the NPA cannot and should not be discounted and dismissed because they remain a very real threat. But dismissing them is what the AFP does every single week much to their detriment.

The Real Reason the ICC is Investigating the Philippines

The ICC has denied the Philippines appeal to cease their investigation into Duterte's brutal drug war which resulted in thousands of people being killed. This has caused an outcry amongst various politicians and pundits about how the ICC is picking on the Philippines and should investigate human rights abuses in Western nations. Senator Imee Marcos' comments are typical.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1750575/picking-on-ph-but-not-probing-western-nations-icc-a-caricature-of-intl-justice-says-imee-marcos

Senator Imee Marcos on Friday joined the chorus of criticisms thrown at the International Criminal Court (ICC) under the administration of her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., as she called the tribunal a “caricature of international justice.”

Imee lambasted the international court, saying it fails to go after crimes committed in Western nations and only picks on “less developed countries” like the Philippines.

The ICC is investigating alleged crimes against humanity committed under the leadership of Marcos Jr.’s predecessor Rodrigo Duterte in the context of his violent war on drugs.

It is rather hilarious that Marcos calls the Philippines "less developed." Isn't it part of her job to help develop the nation? And of course it was her parents who plundered the nation. The reason the Philippines remains undeveloped is because the government is corrupt at every single level from the Barangay hall to Malacañang. What is she doing to remedy that? Nothing at all. 

“The ICC’s long-standing failure to investigate Western nations for countless crimes against humanity makes the court a caricature of international justice,” Imee said in a statement.

She cited the 2003 United States-led invasion of Iraq, which was “based on non-existent weapons of mass destruction and in violation of resolutions by the United Nations.”

According to a Reuters report, the invasion was meant to topple a dictator and usher in democracy but instead plunged war-scarred Iraq into “years of upheaval and chaos.”

“Selective justice, anyone? This month marks the 20th year of the ICC’s failure to bring those responsible to account. The West’s oft-invoked cliché about upholding an ‘international rules-based order’ is apparently a sham,” Imee said.

Is Imee Marcos unaware that the Philippines was part of the coalition of the willing? 

"The Philippines is part of the coalition of the willing. We are giving political and moral support for actions to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction," Mrs. Arroyo told the graduating class of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) at Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2003/03/21/199720/145rp-backs-coalition-willing146

Will she be condemning the AFP and President Arroyo for backing the USA's invasion Iraq? Of course not. 

The senator then went on: “Picking on African nations and other ‘low-hanging fruit’ like the Philippines is easier for the ICC. The perpetual circus of putting leaders of less developed countries on trial seeks to divert the world’s attention from the crimes against humanity committed by the West.”

Imee argued that the supposed diversion promotes the “false image” of Western nations as “unimpeachable protectors of human rights.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, human rights issues are openly used as pressure points, as bargaining chips to serve Western [neocolonialist’s] intertwined political, economic, and military agenda,” she added.

Government officials in both the Marcos and Duterte administrations had repeatedly questioned the jurisdiction of the ICC over the Philippines after its withdrawal from the Rome Statute – the global treaty that created the ICC – took effect in 2019.

But according to Article 127 of the Rome Statute, a state party shall not be discharged from its obligations to the statute prior to its withdrawal.

The Supreme Court also ruled in the same position in 2021, saying that “withdrawing from the Rome Statute does not discharge a state party from obligations it has incurred as a member.”

"Low-hanging fruit like the Philippines?" It's incredible that Senator Marcos is badmouthing the Philippines. Will she recognize that the justice system is broken too? No of course not. 

The running theme is that the ICC is picking on the Philippines while ignoring really real human rights abuses committed by the West. But this is not the case. As far as the invasion of Iraq there was a preliminary investigation into alleged war crimes. There is a lengthy Wikipedia article about it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court_and_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq

Senator Marcos and every other politician and pundit bringing up the Iraq war as proof of the hypocrisy of the ICC is simply ignorant of the facts. 

They are also ignorant that the reason the ICC is investigating the Philippines' drug war is not because they are picking on "low-hanging fruit" but because a FILIPINO LAWYER filed a case against Duterte and several other officials in 2017. 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/25/mass-complaint-launched-against-philippines-president-duterte-at-icc

A Filipino lawyer has filed a complaint at the international criminal court (ICC) accusing president Rodrigo Duterte and 11 other Philippine officials of mass murder and crimes against humanity.

In the first publicly known filing to the Hague court against Duterte, Jude Sabio submitted the  77-page complaint that says the president has “repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously” committed extra-judicial executions or mass murders over three decades, amounting to crimes against humanity.

It says the killing of 9,400 people began in 1988 when Duterte was mayor of the southern city of Davao and has lasted throughout his 10 months so far as president, during which he has waged a virulent and bloody “war on drugs”.

The communication is based on the reports of human rights groups, Duterte’s own public admissions that he killed, media reports and the testimony of Sabio’s client, Edgar Matobato, a man who testified in the Philippines senate that he was part of a hit squad that operated on Duterte’s orders.

The complaint also referred to testimony from retired police officer Arturo Lascanas, another hitman who said he personally killed “about 200 people” as a member of the Davao Death Squad. That organisation, Lascanas has said, regularly took direct orders from then-mayor Duterte to kill criminals, political opponents and journalists.

“Sometimes we kidnapped our subject and put the packing tape on their head until they suffocated, and then we would throw them in the street,” recalled Lascanas in an interview with the Observer.

Philippine lawmakers have dismissed the credibility of Matobato and Lascanas, while Duterte’s aides have rejected claims that he killed or ordered unlawful killings, even after he announced that he threw one suspect to his death from a helicopter.

The 72-year-old leader has led a bloody campaign against drugs that has left more than 7,000 people dead since June last year, mostly suspected low-level dealers and alleged addicts. Rights groups say vigilantes, who conduct most of the killings, are paid by the police, a charge law enforcement denies.

A March resolution delivered by European Union lawmakers said there were also “credible reports” that Philippine police falsify evidence to justify extrajudicial killings. However, Duterte has enjoyed widespread domestic support and high approval ratings for his lethal crackdown.

The complaint to the ICC against Duterte and government officials called for an investigation, arrest warrants and a trial.

“The situation in the Philippines reveals a terrifying, gruesome and disastrous continuing commission of extrajudicial executions or mass murder,” the complaint said.

The ICC office of the prosecutor said in a statement said that it had received a communication. “We will analyse it, as appropriate. As soon as we reach a decision, we will inform the sender and provide reasons for our decision,” the office said.

It is true that 3 years later Sabio withdrew the complaint but the ICC says complaints cannot be withdrawn.

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/1/14/jude-sabio-international-criminal-court-rodrigo-duterte.html

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor, however, told CNN Philippines that no communication before them can be withdrawn. It added that any supposed withdrawal "would have no impact" on the preliminary examination it is conducting.

"The Office cannot effectively destroy or return information once it is [in] its possession or control. However, the Office would register any supplemental information the sender may now want to provide, including in terms of how to treat such information," its news desk said.

There you go. End of story. The ICC is not picking on the Philippines but is following through on a complaint brought to it by a Filipino. Since the Philippines did not withdraw from the ICC until 2019 the period of their membership, 2011 - 2019, is lawfully covered by the Rome Statue to which the Philippines was a party. There is nothing else to say. If the Philippines refuses to cooperate they can be counted not trustworthy for refusing to adhere to a treaty they willingly signed. Of course when it comes to rulings in their favor like the WPS issue they are all gung-ho for the international rule of law. Don't forget the Philippines remains a member of the UN and President Marcos attended the World Economic Forum with a large retinue because the Philippines remains an integral part of the World Order. 

Please do not think this article is something it is not. This is not a defense of the ICC. This is not a defense of the West. This is not a defense of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This is a direct rebuke against the ignorance and hypocrisy of self-righteous people like Imee Marcos. Learn the facts before you open your mouth to vomit forth an opinion. 

The God Culture: 100 Lies About The Philippines: #1 Antonio Pigafetta Saw Elephants in the Philippines

Welcome to 100 lies The God Culture teaches about the Philippines. In order to make it easier for everyone to understand that Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture is teaching nothing but lies about the Philippines I have decided to stop making long videos and articles detailing a litany of lies and instead list them one by one. 

Let's start this series off with the lie that Antonio Pigafetta claimed to have seen elephants in the Philippines. 

Antonio Pigafetta's journal is an important source for our knowledge of Magellan's voyage around the world. Therefore it is a no brainer that Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture uses his journal to make his case for the Philippines being Ophir and Tarshish. But there is a problem. Tim actually lies about what is in that journal to prop up his claims. 

I have gone over this lie before but it simply cannot be stressed enough that in his book the Search for King Solomon's Treasure Timothy Jay Schwab falsified Pigafetta's journal to make it appear he saw elephants in the Philippines.  

The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, pg 102

Even history agrees as in 1521, Pigafetta witnessed elephants as he mentioned them multiple times especially in Palawan.

“When we arrived at the city (Palawan), we were obliged to wait about two hours in the prahu, until there came thither two elephants covered with silk...” –Pigafetta, 1521

Solomon's Treasure, pg. 102

The source for this quote is number 79 in Tim's Sourcebook. In the back of Solomon's Treasure the source is cited as follows:

79. “The First Voyage Round the World by Antonio Pigafetta.” 1522, translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley. p. 112.

In the Sourcebook it looks like this:

79. “The First Voyage Round the World by Antonio Pigafetta.” 1522, translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley. p. 112. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_First_Voyage_Round_the_World/Pigafetta%27s_Account_of_Magellan%27s_Voyage

In the first citation it appears that Tim is citing an actual book. In the second it is clear that he is citing Wikisource which is not an actual book with the pages. This makes a big difference because he claims the citation is on page 112 but it is actually on page 111.

http://ia600501.us.archive.org/9/items/firstvoyageround00piga/firstvoyageround00piga.pdf

It's little things like this that show what an awful researcher Tim really is and how The God Culture is most certainly a one man show and not a team of researchers. He can't even be bothered to search out the actual page from the book so he gets the citation wrong. But neither on Wikisource nor in the book nor in Tim's Sourcebook does Pigafetta say they were in Palawan when they encountered elephants. On page 110 Pigafetta says they had left Palawan and made their way to Borneo.

It is after leaving Palawan on page 110 that the crew encounter elephants on page 111. And guess what? There are no more mentions of encounters with elephants in the entire journal except on the island of Borneo. 

Tim makes this same claim about Pigafetta in two of his videos.

Solomon's Gold Series Part 1D: Testing the RESOURCES of Ancient Ophir, Tarshish, Sheba

10:41 And Pigafetta, the Italian scholar who travelled with Magellan, mentions multiple times he saw elephants in the Philippines. 

100 Clues #18: Philippines Is The Ancient Land of Ophir:Elephants? - Ophir, Sheba, Tarshish

8:15: In 1521 Pigafetta, the Italian scholar who travelled with Magellan, records seeing elephants especially on Palawan Philippines.  

If you look closely you can see that Tim's citation in this video is from page 99 of Lord Stanley's book The First Voyage around the world.

But as we have seen that is not the case as it is on page 111. How is that Tim has two different page numbers for this citation? Did Tim even read this book? Obviously not! 

At a conference held on February 13th, 2023 Tim expanded the lie to Pigafetta seeing elephants on THREE islands!

Even Pigafetta in his journal when Magellan came in 1521 tells you he saw elephants in at least three different islands. They were here.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-god-culture-more-lies-about.html 

Every single one of those statements is a lie.

Again, it cannot be stressed enough that Timothy Jay Schwab did not misinterpret Pigafetta but actually falsified the text by inserting the word Palawan to make it appear that Pigafetta saw elephants in the Philippines. He might claim he did that to clarify the text but if one reads Pigafetta's journal the insertion of Palawan into the text actually clarifies nothing.

This is not an issue of misinterpretation. This is straight up deception on Tim's part and he needs to answer this charge. He needs to explain himself. This one act of lying is strong enough to cast doubt on everything he has said about the Philippines. If he is so brazen as to not only lie in this manner but actually fabricate evidence where else is he lying? What other evidence has he fabricated? Everywhere in fact and I have proven that in over 70 articles and now I will prove it in this series of videos.