Insurgency: By End of 2024

The insurgency is ending by the end of the year. Again. The AFP says so.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1904285/afp-targets-to-eliminate-11-remaining-guerilla-fronts-by-end-of-2024

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) aims to eliminate 11 remaining New People’s Army (NPA) weakened guerrilla units in the country by the end of this year, according to its spokesperson, Col. Francel Padilla.

Padilla said on Wednesday that it has always been the national government’s goal since January this year to end the country’s internal insurgency problem and transition to external defense in line with the “Bagong Pilipinas” movement.

“We want to end the internal insurgency problem. We want to transition already and focus on external defense. So the timelines given [by the national government] to our commanders is to finish this within the year,” Padilla disclosed in a press conference hosted by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).

“Until the end of the year, we’ll pursue the elimination of all these weakened guerilla fronts that are left,” she added.

In January this year, the number of weakened guerrilla units declined from 13 to 11, as AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr reported.

Although a weakened guerrilla unit can no longer implement programs such as recruitment and generating resources for the armed struggle, NTF-Elcac executive director Usec. Ernesto Torres Jr. earlier explained that AFP troops are still in areas where the presence of armed groups was detected.

Already the AFP wants to declare Negros Island insurgency free to encourage development.. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218855

The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) is pushing for the declaration of a state of stable internal peace and security (SIPS) in the local government units (LGUs) in Negros after dismantling all the communist guerrilla fronts in the island.

Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of 3ID, said having the SIPS status in a locality would attract investments, generate jobs, and bring more opportunities to its people.

“The conditions have been met in Negros Island and the SIPS can now be formally declared by our concerned local chief executives,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, public affairs chief of 3ID, said there was a directive for line battalions to coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the LGUs to declare SIPS status in their respective cities and municipalities.

“This will also serve as supporting events to declare SIPS in both provinces of Negros,” he said in an interview.

At the LGU level, the peace and order council recommends the declaration of SIPS for adoption by the city or municipal council.

The mayor, PNP, and the Philippine Army have to pass a joint resolution formally declaring the SIPS in the locality, Javines said.

Six battalions, including the 79th, 62nd, 94th, 15th, 11th, and 47th Infantry Battalions (IB), under the supervision of the 302nd and 303rd Infantry Brigades, are based in Negros Island.

The 94IB dismantled the Central Negros 2 of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) late last year, after the dismantling of the South East Front, Northern Negros Front, and Central Negros 1.

The 3ID also recommended the formal declaration of the South West Front as being dismantled.

Javines, however, said the focused military operations against rebel remnants in Negros Island continue to prevent the CPP-NPA from recovering their lost territories and recruiting new members.

It's all about economic development and not about the actual end of the insurgency.  Remember the AFP has said they will never end the insurgency but can reduce them to "a negligible point." 

Año admitted insurgency cannot be totally eliminated, but he believes the issue may be brought down to a negligible point.

“While we may not be able to attain this zero insurgents, but at least reduced to an irrelevant number that will not cause concern for peace and order,” he said.

“They will become isolated and just become bandits, because of lost ideology and non-support from the people,” he projected.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2023/09/insurgency-communist-insurgency-to-end.html

There will NEVER be zero insurgents and that comes from the mouth of those who know. Do you get that? The insurgency may "officially" end but according to those who know it will NEVER end. 

Meanwhile in Mindanao the Maute Group is allegedly on the brink of collapse. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/897311/maute-group-on-brink-of-collapse-afp/story/

The Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group is expected to be dismantled soon after the series of military operations that killed its leader and some members, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday.

In a press briefing, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said 12 Maute members were killed, three surrendered, and three others were arrested in these operations.

"Maute Group is already on a brink of collapse following a series of decisive military and joint law enforcement operations, particularly against the leadership and perpetrators of the Mindanao State University (MSU) improvised explosive device bombing," she said.

Yeah OK. Didn't they say the same thing after the Marawi siege? The thing is they should not make premature announcements of victory. Last week Maute elements involved in the 2023 MSU bombing were killed.  This week the mastermind was eliminated. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/02/12/2332815/mastermind-behind-marawi-bombing-killed-military-ops

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that the person behind the fatal bombing of the Mindanao State University last year was one of nine armed rebels recently killed in a military operation.

In a statement on Monday, the AFP said that the Khadafi Mimbesa or “Engineer,” who they believe is the amir or leader of Dawlah Islamiyah - Maute Group, was one of the nine alleged armed Dawlah Islamiyah members killed in a military operation from January 25 to 26. 

Mimbesa is the brains behind the bombing incident in Marawi City last December, the AFP said, citing corroborated information from a “surrendered terrorist.”

 “The efforts of the 103rd Brigade, under the leadership of their Commander, BGen Yegor Rey Barroquillo Jr., resulted in the neutralization of local terrorists and armed members of the Dawlah Islamiyah in Lanao del Sur on January 25 to 26, 2024, who were identified as perpetrators of the fatal bombing at Mindanao State University (MSU) on December 3, 2023,” the AFP said.

The military also recovered nine high-powered firearms, one bandolier, four Baofeng radios and one smartphone. 

AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the incident should prompt other members of the group to surrender.

"Our troops will be relentless in the pursuit of those who will seek to disturb the peace. Take this as an invitation and a call to surrender now and avoid the same fate as your dead comrades," Brawner added.

Last year, the AFP admitted that some form of “failure of intelligence due to failure of capabilities” on the part of the military led to the bombing incident at a gymnasium in MSU, which led to four deaths and 50 others injured.  

Immediately after the incident, the military and the police launched an extensive manhunt for those responsible for the attack.

No amount of killing terrorists will ever make up for the AFP's many intelligence failures. It is only a matter of time before the next bombing, hand wringing, and retaliation by the AFP. 

Caraga is on target to be terror free by the end of 2024. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1905568/marcos-hopes-caraga-region-to-be-cleared-of-terror-groups-by-end-of-2024

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he hoped for the Caraga region to be cleared of terrorist threats by the end of 2024.

He said this during his visit to the troops of the Army’s 401st Infantry Division, one of several events he attended in Agusan del Sur.

(The progress looks good here. In fact, there is a projection by the planning that maybe by the end of the year, hopefully the target is by the end of the year, we could say that the area is cleared.)

Marcos then congratulated the troops, who had to lead the charge against the enemies.

Moreover, the President also asked the soldiers to support the government’s new approach to tackling internal conflict. Marcos encouraged the soldiers to become peacemakers while continuing to fight groups that threaten peace and democracy.

The 401st Infantry Division is included in the Joint Task Force (JTF) Diamond, which is tasked with covering the Caraga region. Other troops in the taskforce are the 402nd, 403rd, and 901st Infantry Brigades.

The Palace said that the JTF Diamond has been able to neutralize 200 insurgents.

“There is a reported downtrend in the presence of insurgents in the JTF Diamond’s area of operation, from 437 rebels in the first quarter of 2023, decreasing by 28.6 percent to 312 as of February 15, 2024,” said the Presidential Communications Office.

Don't forget, any declaration of an area being insurgent free does not meant there are no insurgents.

Backyard Garbage Burn Pile Becomes Backyard Funeral Pyre

I have documented on this blog how Filipinos love to burn garbage. They simply cannot be bothered to gather all the trash, put it in a bag, and wait for it to be collected. Most of the time the result is simply a disgusting gray miasma hanging in the air and creeping through your window. This time burning garbage resulted in a man's death. 

 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/14/octogenarian-dies-in-backyard-fire

An 85-year-old man was burned to death while cleaning his backyard in Barangay Taliba here on Tuesday afternoon, February 13.

Police identified the victim as Sofronio Atienza Marasigan.

Investigation said the octogenarian was burning garbage in his backyard when the fire reached the nearby bamboo trees.

Marasigan attempted to extinguish the flames but lost his balance and fell into the burning bamboo.

He failed to get up and was burned to death.

Firemen put out the fire and found the victim’s body.

This old man was burning his garbage, the fire spread, and when he attempted to put it out he was consumed in the flames. 

Now, of course this is not the normal run of things. This is not usually how sparking a pile of leaves and trash turns out but this time it did. It COULD happen. It's a wonder it does not happen more often. Especially the spreading of the fire. Every single time a trash pile is lit on fire the arsonist wanders away leaving the flames to their own devices. Tragedy is one gust of wind away. 

The lesson is clear. Don't burn your trash!

The Davao Landslide Was "A Tragedy Waiting to Happen"

Filipinos are routinely lauded by government officials for being resilient in the face of disaster. But the fact is many of those disasters, be they fires, typhoons, floods, or landslides, are either directly caused or exacerbated by the same corrupt government officials applauding Filipinos for being resilient.  

Case in point is the recent landslide in Davao which, so far, has killed 92 people. This disaster would NEVER have happened if corrupt government officials had not ignored warnings to not build in the area.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/a-tragedy-waiting-to-happen

However, these stories of the survivors would have not been here should the concerned government agencies, officials, and even the residents have followed the advisory of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the Davao Region (MGB-Davao).

During the Budyong Online held on February 10, MGB-Davao revealed that Barangay Masara has been assessed to be a "No Build Zone" since 2008. 

The bureau's Geosciences Division Chief, Beverly Mae M. Brebante revealed that as early as 2008, Barangay Masara was already identified as a critical area.

"In 2008, we all know that there was this kind of deluge of earth, and it covered part of the barangay Masara, the original Barangay Masara before, that is why it was already recommended to be a "No Build Zone," Brebante said.

Brebante said that Barangay Masara's land is mostly made of up volcaniclastics, or in the word of the official, "this was previously rocks that after volcanic eruptions it became easily withered and eroded."

Volcaniclastics, according to Collins Dictionary, is composed mainly of "fragments of volcanic origin, as agglomerate, tuff, and certain other rocks."

Despite a "No Build Zone", Masara is not only home to many residents, but also to barangay halls, schools, and even small- and large-scale mining companies.

In fact, the operation of one of the largest mining companies in the country is located in Masara.

"As early as January, we have already experiencing the impacts of our shear line, that was on January 15 to 19, around that week, then it was followed by the trough of LPA on the later part of January, during this time the whole region experienced continuous rainfall and naturally our land here in the region, especially in Davao de Oro, particularly in Masara...too wet and saturated ... and of course if that is already the condition of our soil then it would easily give in," the bureau's official said.

The bureau's Geosciences Division Chief also revealed that after the 2008 landslide, they always go back to the area and give updates about the situation to the concerned government offices.

"We always find the area to be progressing, meaning there is active falling of soil in the area where the landslide exactly occurred," Brebante said.

She also said the bureau had provided listings of barangays down to the puroks which are identified as as areas highly to very highly vulnerable to landslide and even to flooding.

"And in fact, Masara was already part of that list even prior to the landslide, mga January namin na advisory... We haven't prepared much so that's why this is the impact of what happened," she said.

Since 2008, for 26 years, government officials have been aware that this area is a "No Build Zone." But instead of NOT BUILDING they allowed residents and businesses and even schools to move into this very dangerous are.  

The current Governor has passed the blamed to past administrations excusing their negligence by saying they had nowhere to relocate the people so "they had to give the semblance of normalcy to the lives of our community." Normalcy apparently meaning continuing to live and build in a dangerous area designated as a "No Build Zone."

Meanwhile, Gov. Gonzaga said she cannot answer as to what had happened before her administration, since she was only seated as governor in 2022.

"First and foremost, these structures and the fact that there are still residents, I could not comment because I was just governor in 2022, so all these structures and the people were already there," the governor said.

"I could only say for the past administrations that since they haven't been able to relocate the people, of course they had to give the semblance of normalcy to the lives of our community, so they did. There is also a school there, there is also a barangay hall, because the communities haven't been moved yet, why don't they have schools," she said.

She also emphasized that the MGB has not yet given a "definite recommendation" on where the residents in critical areas in Maco be relocated.

Brebante revealed that a team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau has already conducted an assessment for possible relocation sites.

"Kasi nga gusto natin na it's already declared as a "No Build Zone" (Because we want the area to be really a "No Build Zone)," she said.

But as to the areas ideal for relocation sites for vulnerable places in Maco, the bureau has yet to provide the results of its assessment.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gonzaga reiterated that ever since she started to sit as the governor, it has been her priority to find an ideal place for relocation sites that is recommended by the MGB itself.

The "No Build Zone" classified by the MGB does not only cover the residents but all the businesses inside the critical areas as well.

"It is regardless of establishments, may it be residential, industrial, or commercial, when we say zone, ito po yung area," Brebante said.

But in the meantime, will people, businesses, and activities inside Masara continue?

After 26 years are we really to believe that local officials could not find a suitable relocation area for these residents? At the very minimum they could have prevented the building of any new residences and businesses but that did not happen. 

Instead 92 people, as of this writing, are dead and 63 people are missing all because of corrupt and inept government officials. But who cares because of all the miraculous survivals and rescues? After all the downtrodden Filipinos who get stomped on by the people elected to serve them are resilient in the face of disaster. 

Retards in the Government 352

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

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1901957/town-councilor-in-nueva-ecija-gunned-down

A municipal councilor in this town was fatally shot early Thursday by unidentified assailants on a motorbike, police said.

Roberto Carpio, a resident of Barangay Luyos and a two-term member of the municipal council, was driving his motorcycle when ambushed around 7:30 a.m. by two men wearing black shirts and shorts aboard a black single motorcycle, without a helmet, in Barangay Sto. Cristo in this town, an initial investigation showed.

The victim had gunshot wounds in the head, while the assailants fled northward, according to a police report.

Carpio was taken to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Authorities have begun reviewing security camera footage to identify and apprehend the suspects. The motives behind the attack have yet to be determined.

A town councilor has been assassinated.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/11/8-red-tape-cases-convicted-5-from-lto-arta

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said it has successfully prosecuted eight red tape cases for this year alone, with five of these cases coming from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

In a media forum, ARTA director-general Secretary Ernesto Perez said the conviction of the said cases proves that ARTA is serious in quelling anomalous transactions within government offices.

"We want to set an example. You know that we in government don't want to press charges. We don't want to be facing charges before the Civil Service Commission, before the Office of the Ombudsman, before any regular court.

"So, we would like to send that strong signal. So that is why in the last two years we have conducted entrapment operations. Most are from the Land Transportation [Office], he added.

According to Perez, five of the red tape cases that they have successfully prosecuted were from the LTO, one from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), one from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and another from an undisclosed local government unit.

Despite this, the ARTA official recognized the reforms that LTO has implemented to improve its services whether online or walk-in services.

"They have improved thier services, they are fully digitalized. When you apply for your driver's license, you can get it in a matter of minutes," Perez said.

"If you walk-in, it's also quick for walk-in application, half-day you can get it," he added.

Meanwhile, Perez hoped that government agencies would realize that ARTA is only doing its job.

"ARTA is very serious in this matter— to streamlining and improving our government processes. It is the advantage of our people to give them the strong signal that there is an agency that is looking at their performance, that there is this agency that is serious about implementing the law, that is conducting entrapment operations to catch fixers," he said.

"It's the same with the LTO. We know that you don't need fixers anymore because the process of renewing your driver's license and getting your vehicle's registration is fast," he added.

Perez encouraged the public to file complaints with ARTA against erring officials.

"Let us know so that we can be of help," he said.

The ARTA has successfully prosecuted 8 red tape cases this year. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1901875/sc-finds-ex-pagcor-chair-liable-for-disallowed-donations

The Supreme Court affirmed the liability of former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chair Efraim Genuino in the company’s disallowed donations totaling P550,000 to a private residential subdivision in Makati City in 2008.

In a 16-page decision promulgated on June 13, 2023, but published only on Thursday, the high court denied Genuino’s certiorari petition questioning the Commission on Audit’s (COA) ruling that the donations were “private in purpose” and he was liable for approving it.

It also remanded the case to the COA for a final determination of the amount Genuino should return.

In 2011, a notice of suspension was issued regarding Pagcor’s donations totaling P550,000 to the Magallanes Village Association Inc. for improving Magallanes Avenue, San Gregorio, and Magdalena Streets in Makati City.

Genuino argued that the board of directors, and not him, approved the payout of Pagcor funds.

The high court, however, said that aside from being the government firm’s CEO, Genuino was also the board chair and was present when they approved the first donation of P330,000.

“Just as in the 2023 Genuino Resolution, therefore, and applying once again the guidelines laid down in Torreta v. COA, Genuino is found personally liable for the donations as an approving officer and for his showing of gross ignorance,” it added.

The court disagreed with Genuino’s claim that the donations were valid for a “sociocivic and public purpose.”

It cited information from the Makati City administrator, who said the streets had not been turned over to the local government.

The high court also noted the COA’s earlier finding that Genuino was a resident of Magallanes Village.

“Without delving further into the additional ramifications of this finding of the COA, the court finds that these considerations, together with the lack of [proof] showing that the donations [were] mainly for a public purpose, all lead the court to rule that the disallowance of the donations was indeed proper,” it said.

The former PAGCOR chairman has been found liable for disallowed donations. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1903917/albay-gov-faces-graft-raps-over-jueteng-payola

A former village official in Daraga town of Albay on Tuesday filed administrative and criminal charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Gov. Edcel Greco “Grex” Lagman for allegedly receiving around P8.16 million as payola (payoff) from the operation of “jueteng,” an illegal numbers game, during his time as vice governor of the province.

Saying he was finally blowing the whistle for fear of his life, Alwin Nimo, a former village and Sangguniang Kabataan chair of Barangay Anislag, accused Lagman of graft, bribery and violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and Republic Act No. 9287 (an Act Increasing the Penalties for Illegal Numbers Game).

In the 35-page complaint, Nimo claimed he served as “bagman” for jueteng operators delivering P60,000 per week to Lagman from August 2019 to June 2022.

Lagman allegedly demanded the “protection money” from jueteng operators when the illegal numbers game proliferated after the small town lottery (STL) was ordered halted in Albay in 2017, Nimo claimed.

Reached for comment, Lagman on Tuesday strongly denied receiving any money from jueteng operators, particularly from Nimo.

Lagman said he never demanded a single centavo from illegal numbers game operators.

“When I assumed the vice governorship, I don’t know of any person connected with illegal numbers game. There is, therefore, absolutely no factual basis for me to have allegedly demanded jueteng money from anyone. Those persons involved don’t even know me,” he said in a phone interview.

Regarding the direct bribery complaint lodged against him, he said that under the law, there should be evidence of him protecting his accuser in exchange for the bribe.

“And what concrete act that’s categorical, tangible to protect the illegal numbers game? I don’t even know who needs to be protected there. So how could he actually accuse me of direct bribery?” he said.

He said the filing of cases against him is purely politically-motivated, adding it was a “badly scripted act to divert the heat from certain big politicians serving in Congress who are under investigation from the Senate for the misuse of billions (of pesos) of public funds.”

Nimo, who claimed he had deep connections with jueteng and STL operators in Albay, has alleged that Lagman “directed (him) to be his conduit … asked (him) to intervene for him and get in touch with the financier of jueteng” in Albay after being elected vice governor in 2019.

The payola was “in exchange for him as vice governor and presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan … to look the other way and refrain from using their investigative powers to inquire into the proliferation of jueteng in Albay,” Nimo said.

Among the jueteng financiers, locally known as “bangkero,” identified by Nimo in his affidavit were a late former vice mayor of a Batangas town and another person from Bulacan who had also died.

The payoffs were personally handed to Lagman or his driver at a gas station in Legazpi City until sometime in November 2020, when the then vice governor asked for the money to be deposited into a bank account “to avoid the possibility of being seen receiving bundles of money in public places,” Nimo claimed.

The governor of Albay has been charged with bribery and graft over receiving jueteng payloa.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218771

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., has ordered the dismissal of 10 police officers from the service for their involvement in the alleged unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, and robbery of four Chinese nationals in a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) establishment in Parañaque City in September last year.

Ordered dismissed were Lt. Col. Jolet Guevara, Maj. Jason Quijana, Maj. John Patrick Magsalos, Capt. Sherwin Limbauan, Executive M/Sgt. Arsenio Valle, Cpl. Rexes Claveria, and Staff Sergeants Roy Pioquinto, Mark Democrito, Danilo Desder and Christian Corpuz.

“The following personnel are dismissed from the service effective February 12 for grave misconduct, grave irregularity in the performance of duty, grave neglect of duty, the conduct unbecoming of (a) police officer, less grave misconduct, less grave neglect of duty,” read the order released on Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by the Philippine News Agency.

10 cops have been dismissed from the service over an illegal arrest and detention. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/14/chr-conviction-of-3-policemen-for-torture-significant-victory-in-battle-for-human-rights

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it scored a “significant victory” with the conviction of three policemen it charged with torture before the trial court in Koronadal City in South Cotabato.

Police officers Edmer Gerodias, Edwin Habagat, and Allen Candido were found guilty of violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 9745, also known as the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, by the municipal trial court in cities (MTCC).

The CHR said the policemen were sentenced to six months to two years imprisonment each and ordered to pay their victim P5,000 each as temperate damages and P20,000 each as moral damages, and to pay the cost of the suit jointly.

It said that Ernesto Omani was arrested by the policemen on Feb. 3, 2018 for traffic violation and placed in custody.  However, it said, the policemen inflicted physical injury on Omani by kicking his face and body, and striking his arm and leg with a rifle butt.

"The Commission strongly denounces any form of violence, particularly when perpetrated by people who are agents of peace and those in positions of authority. This case is not just a blatant violation of the law but also a direct transgression against the principles of humanity," the CHR said in a statement.

With the conviction of the three policemen, the CHR issued another reminder to all police officers to adhere to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Operational Procedures which states that "no violence or unnecessary force shall be used in making an arrest."

It stressed that law enforcement officers must understand the importance of "proportional and judicious" force, since that is the only way to ensure that justice, human rights, and the rule of law are upheld and respected.

"We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the rights of every person, regardless of circumstances. While we recognize the utmost importance of accountability, we believe that the true essence of justice is the fair and humane treatment of all. We shall build a society that protects human rights and enables everyone to live without fear of abuse, torture, or cruelty," the CHR declared. 

3 cops have been convicted of torture. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/02/14/2333325/ambush-govt-doctor-maguindanao-del-sur-condemned

Vice President Sara Duterte condemned Wednesday the ambush of a government physician in Maguindanao del Sur earlier this month. 

Dr. Sharmaine Barroquillo, who works in the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Hospital, was driving her car in Buluan town when she was attacked by unidentified gunmen on the evening of February 3. Barroquillo survived the attack.

Duterte said the incident reflects the state of security and order in the country. 

(We hope that we do not stop until justice is served to Dr. Barroquillo and those responsible for this are held accountable.)

(Our call is to ensure that responsible government agencies ensure the safety of our citizens against the threat of criminals, terrorists, and other forces that seek to intimidate our people and harm our country.)

After the attack, the wounded Barroquillo managed to drive her car away from the scene of the incident.

Medical responders and personnel from the Bulaan Municipal Police Station brought her to a hospital for treatment. 

“Dr. Shai, at such a young age and with a bright future ahead of her, will have to spend months and perhaps even years to regain and optimize her functional abilities,” the batchmates of Barroquillo and faculty members of the Davao Medical School earlier said. 

They pointed out that instead of working abroad, Barroquillo chose to serve the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where there is one physician to 32,000 people.

“Dr. Sharmaine does not deserve this. Her patients do not deserve this.”

A government doctor has survived an assassination attempt. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: Learning Loses, Post-Covid Recovery Survey, and More!

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

The DFA is ready to acommodate pre-pandemic levels of visa applications. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218482

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is ready to process more than 1 million Philippine visas annually as pandemic restrictions continue to ease.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, DFA Office of Consular Affairs Visa Section Director Leilani Feliciano said the country was able to issue at least 1.62 million visas in 2019.

“We have issued 1.6 million Philippine visas to foreign tourists and travelers in 2019. It’s just that during the pandemic, everything has significantly declined,” she said. “We have the capacity to process and issue visas and go back to that pre-pandemic level.”

In 2020, visa issuances went down to 159,440 as governments across the world imposed travel restrictions due to the coronavirus disease 2019.

The following year, the figure further declined to 82,260 as travel throughout the year was virtually at a halt.

The total grew to 217,265 in 2023, with the Philippine Embassies and Consulates in China, India, and Dubai as some of the top visa-issuing posts of DFA.

Meanwhile, the DFA has yet to identify a specific date for the resumption of the e-Visa program in China after suspending it for improvement last year.

The department said the program is still undergoing a “period of reassessment,” specifically on the payment aspect.

Umm, I thought tourism levels were back up? Shouldn't this be a no-brainer?

The economic lockdowns killed jobs but apparently now the Philippines is virtually at full employment. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/7/ph-virtually-enjoying-full-employment-says-salceda

It's as good as full employment 

Economist-solon Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda gave this glowing assessment of the country’s latest unemployment figures, which are at their lowest in almost 20 years. 

"As far as economics goes, a 3.1 percent unemployment rate is as good as full employment," Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. said in a statement Tuesday, Feb. 7. 

"This jobs report confirms that the Philippines is the fastest growing economy in the region for 2023. This could have been even brighter, if government spending only caught up to the rest of the economy last year," he said. 

According to Salceda, the year 2023--President Marcos' first full year in office--created some 1.5 million jobs, including some 44,000 manufacturing jobs, and some 777,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector. 

"The President’s policies and his signaling have restored confidence in the private sector. Business expectations are upbeat and more or less where it was prior to the pandemic. The production index in November 2023, just before the jobs survey would have been conducted, was also the highest it had ever been since the pandemic," he said. 

"All in all, it seems that the private sector–especially industry–views this administration as a government they can work well with–and has reflected it in their appetite to hire new workers," added the Bicolano. 

Salceda said the industry sector grew by 869,000 jobs year-on-year, "a sign that businesses in capital-intensive sectors are digging in and producing more'. 

The agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors grew by a combined 555,000 jobs, he noted. 

What are they basin this on? A huge chunk of the Philippine economy is not based on jobs that can be tracked!

The PSA is doing a survey in North Mindanao. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1218704

The Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) on Monday started here a survey on information technology and post-coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the Northern Mindanao region.

In a statement, PSA Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) officer-in-charge, Dr. Janith Aves, said the effort forms part of the 2023 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey (NICTHS) from Feb. 5 to March 6.

According to the PSA website, the survey will generate updated benchmarks for key Information and Communications Technology (ICT) indicators that have seen a surge during the pandemic, as accelerated use of ICTs has been widely observed by households, individuals, government, and the private sector.

Aves said 2,612 sample households will be interviewed by 20 statistical researchers for the household and individual questionnaires, while selected barangays in the region will be interviewed by seven team supervisors.

"The PSA is asking for the support of the public for the successful conduct of the survey. The office also assures the respondents that the data which will be collected by the statistical researchers will be held strictly confidential," she said.

PSA field personnel were trained on the concepts and administration of questionnaires through computer-aided personal interviewing, field operation guidelines, and the use of Android operating system tablets to ensure quality data collection, she added.

The NICTHS is commissioned by PSA and aims to provide data on household and individual indicators in the post-recovery period following the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

It is part of the Digital Philippines initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology that provides Filipinos with access to crucial ICT infrastructure and services.

It seems this survey is all about how Filipinos are using technology.

Tourism is recovering but now La Union says tourism recovery is up!

https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2024/02/12/575254/la-union-posts-tourism-recovery/

LA UNION tourism has gained momentum since the pandemic, welcoming 550,359 tourists in 2023, marking an 11-percent increase from the previous year’s 494,387, the provincial government said on Monday.

Governor Raphaelle Veronica “Rafy” Ortega-David hailed the upswing, attributing it to tourists rebounding from the pandemic slump. The figures, based on overnight visitors reported by local tourism offices to the Department of Tourism, do not include tourists passing through. The influx also fueled a 16% rise in tourism revenue, reaching over P1 billion in 2023 from P897 million in 2022.

Of the visitors, 6,450 were international tourists, and 543,909 were domestic. April saw the highest arrival rate, with 68,567 visitors.

Urbiztondo beach in San Juan topped the list with 257,559 day visitors, followed by Namacpacan Church in Luna town and Macho Temple in the City of San Fernando.

Other attractions included Tangadan Falls, Bauang’s grape farms, Baluarte Watch Tower, and private-owned destinations like Halo-Halo De Iloko and Pugo Adventure.

A visitor satisfaction survey, La Union Wonders and Adventure, revealed a 57% repeat visitor rate. Most tourists came from Manila, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Governor Ortega-David expressed gratitude for the province’s growth and pledged to position La Union as the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025.

That is good but that is what is everyone is saying!

Healthcare expenses are going up!

https://business.inquirer.net/445015/expensive-health-care-feared-as-hospitals-deal-with-rising-costs

The country’s hospitals fear rising labor costs and operating expenses could make health care more expensive.

“Expenses are increasing now,” Philippine Hospital Association president Jose P. Santiago said, noting that these could be attributed to rising costs of utilities, such as water and electricity.

“[And you] really have to upgrade your machines and to keep it really compatible with the times … The old machine that you have before? You have to upgrade. And that will be very expensive on our part,” he told reporters last week on the sidelines of the press conference for the Philippine Pharma and Healthcare Expo that will be held at SMX Convention Center on Feb. 14 to Feb. 16.

Santiago, whose group is composed of around 2,000 private and government hospitals, noted revenues of private hospitals alone have gone down annually by an average 5 percent to 10 percent since the pandemic hit.

“If your operational costs—such as salaries of workers—go up, the hospital will need to draw it from somewhere. It could mean increasing the rates for laboratory tests, ancillary procedures and accommodations. So health costs should also increase,” he said.

He noted, however, that they were “conservative” in hiking rates so as not to unduly burden patients. “Hopefully, we can come up with a solution in the increasing costs of hospitals.”

According to Santiago, health-care professionals choosing to go abroad is still an ever-present problem in the industry. A shortfall in the number of nurses remained in the “thousands,” he added.

“Europe, North America, even in Asia, [as well] as New Zealand and Australia. They are attracting nurses from the Philippines,” he said.He noted local hospitals could not compete with the salary offered by other countries.

“Here, the [monthly] salary is about P30,000 to P35,000. I think in Europe, they are offered P90,000 to P100,000,” he said. Nurses are also provided additional benefits abroad, such as free education, lodging and monetary incentives for the first six months or one year of work, he noted.

The obvious solution is to increase pay.  But it is not so easy.

We all knew the COVID lockdowns destroyed education but now it is official. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1903176/world-bank-adviser-on-duration-of-school-closures-during-covid-19-inflicted-the-most-learning-losses

The duration of school closures emerged as the primary factor behind the learning losses incurred by countries due the COVID-19 pandemic, World Bank Senior Adviser for Education Harry Patrinos said  after presenting his study findings to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). 

In his study, Patrinos noted that school closures caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns resulted in significant learning losses on students, with those from disadvantaged backgrounds experiencing the greatest effects.

“For every week of closure, learning levels decline by almost 1 percent,” Patrinos said in a statement.

“Twenty weeks closed translates to losing almost a year’s worth of learning,” he added.

In fact, the study found that various factors such as income, school quality, Internet access, existence of private schools, or the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak itself, had no significant impact on learning losses.

According to Patrinos, the long-term consequences of the said losses potentially translate to reduced human capital development and earnings.

“Younger and disadvantaged students are expected to be hit the hardest, exacerbating existing inequalities,” he said.

Due to this, Patrinos urged governments — especially in low- and middle-income countries — to focus on education for marginalized populations, and address the learning setbacks and financial burdens resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We need to improve on what we do on [national] assessment and make that [data] available for teachers and policymakers,” he emphasized. 

He also said the governments should provide direct support like tutoring and extended school hours, alongside protecting education budgets, as well as to prepare for future disruptions by investing in resilient education systems and measuring learning outcomes.

Anyone paying attention will know this is not news.