Friday, September 6, 2024

Retards in the Government 381

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

 


https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/29/casual-gov-t-employee-shot-dead-in-san-carlos-city

A casual government employee was shot dead in Barangay 2, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Tuesday night, August 27.

Police identified the victim as Jerome Ducay, 36, of Barangay 5, San Carlos City.

Police Major Ryan Villasario, deputy chief of the San Carlos City Police Station, said Ducay was conducting an e-wallet transaction in a store when a man appeared and shot him at close range.

The suspect fled on foot. Ducay died on the spot from three bullets in the head and face.

Villasario said they are reviewing closed-circuit television cameras to identify the suspect.

Recovered from the crime scene were three fired bullets and a .45 caliber slug as well as the victim’s pouch containing a sachet of suspected shabu and P50.

Villasario said they are checking if the victim was part of a drug watchlist.

Police are probing two possible angles in the incident.

Villasario said Ducay might have been the target of a shooting incident last month where his friend was killed in Barangay 5.

Police are determining if suspect in that shooting could be the same individual who killed the victim.

Villasario said that they have identified a person of interest.

Police are also probing if the killing could be triggered by grudges.

A casual government employee was shot dead in Barangay 2, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Tuesday night, August 27.

The Office of the Ombudsman has formally filed a graft case against former Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service executive director Lloyd Christopher Lao in connection with alleged irregularities in the DOH’s transfer of its P41.46-billion fund to PS-DBM at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Copy of the charge sheet has yet to be released to the media yesterday but Ombudsman Samuel Martires confirmed to reporters that the case, which the anti-graft body’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) filed at the Sandiganbayan on Aug. 27, involves the violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Section 3 (e) of RA 3019 prohibits public officials from giving unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference to a private party or from causing any party, including the government, undue injury.

Graft is a bailable offense, with bail bond usually set by the court at P90,000 for each defendant.

The case is to be raffled today to one of Sandiganbayan’s seven divisions.

The Office of the Ombudsman has formally filed a graft case against former Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service executive director Lloyd Christopher Lao in connection with alleged irregularities in the DOH’s transfer of its P41.46-billion fund to PS-DBM at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/30/ex-village-chair-nephew-wounded-in-abra-shooting

A former barangay chairman and his nephew were wounded in a shooting incident in Sitio Ramramot, Barangay San Antonio, this town,  on Thursday night, August 29.

Police identified the victims as former Barangay Chairman Marcelino C. Banayos, 58, and his nephew, Janssen B.  Blanes, 20, construction worker, residents of Sitio Saluden, Barangay Bañacao, Bangued.

Investigation said the victims were onboard a white Nissan Navarra pickup truck enroute to Barangay San Antonio when were they were shot by unidentified gunmen riding a black vehicle.

The suspects fled and the victims sustained bullet wounds and taken to the hospital.

A former barangay chairman and his nephew have survived an attempted assassination. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1978744/ex-town-councilor-survives-hit-try-in-abra

A former Sanggunian Bayan (municipal council) member in Dolores town was wounded in an ambush Sunday, September 1, in Dolores town in Abra province, police report said.

The victim, identified as Gregorio “Goyo” Castillo, 74, a former member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Dolores was shot at by still unknown gunmen in Sitio (sub-village) Curapo in Barangay (village) Poblacion at around 9:30 a.m.

According to the Dolores police, Castillo was parking his vehicle, when a motorcycle pulled up beside him. The driver, then, fired three shots at him before escaping the scene.

Castillo was taken to Seares Hospital in Bangued, Abra, where he is under observation. The report did not mention the areas in his body that were wounded by bullets.

A former town couniclor has survived an assassination attempt. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/1/deputy-town-police-chief-faces-charges-for-killing-2-videoke-bar-patrons

Police Brig. Gen. James Gulmatico, Police Regional Office-12 director, has ordered the filing of criminal and administrative charges against a police captain who allegedly killed two videoke bar patrons in Barangay Osias, Kabacan, Cotabato on Saturday, August 31.

Gulmatico identified the suspect as Police Capt. Rommel Guhiling, Kabacan deputy police chief.

Guhiling shot Akmad Ali Salimuha and Mama Sandigan during a melee.  The victims died from multiple bullet wounds. The victims’ companion, Norham Makakua, was wounded.

Police Major Maxim Peralta, Kabacan police chief, said Guhiling did not resist arrest by responding policemen. The suspect yielded his service firearm that he used in shooting the victims.

Gulmatico said homicide charges were filed against the suspect who was placed under restrictive custody at the Kabacan police station.

A police chief has been charged with murder for shooting two videoke bar patrons. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/2/jail-officer-arrested-for-illegal-possession-of-firearm-grave-threat-in-paranaque

A jail officer was arrested by members of the Parañaque City Police for illegal possession of firearm, grave threat, and trespass to dwelling on Sunday, September 1.

The Southern Police District (SPD) said the suspect was identified as "Ruben," 36. He was arrested at around 2:40 a.m. in Barangay Don Bosco, Parañaque City.

The SPD said the victim was with his friends inside the compound for a gathering when Ruben suddenly entered his house and drew a firearm at them.

The group managed to disarm the suspect and was able to get hold of his .45 caliber pistol with five live ammunition.

They then called for police assistance from the Parañaque Police Don Bosco Substation leading to the suspect's arrest.

A jail officer was arrested by members of the Parañaque City Police for illegal possession of firearm, grave threat, and trespass to dwelling.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Education (DepEd) over lapses in its P5.69 billion School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) in 2023, with reports of delays and non-delivery of nutritious food products (NFPs) and pasteurized milk in several regions.

Worse, some Schools Division Office (SDOs) even complained that there were insects found inside the nutribuns they received, while other food items were either "rotten, unripe, or crushed," the COA said.

In its 2023 annual audit report (AAR), the COA said that state auditors found that 21 SDOs suffered from delayed implementation of regular and milk feeding components. These included the SDOs in Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, Ifugao, Baguio City, Benguet, La Union, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Camarines Sur, Zamboanga City, Bukidnon, Valencia City, Malaybalay, Tagum City, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Agusan del Norte, Butuan City, Cabadbaran City, Surigao City, and Surigao del Norte.

DepEd's SBFP was supposed to provide learners with hot meals and milk in order to enhance their health and nutrition values while contributing to the development of their immune system.

Unfortunately, the COA said the goal was not achieved such as in the province of Aurora where "pests/insects inside Karabun/Milky bun and E-nutribun (squash) were found during inspection of food commodities."

In the Bulacan SDO, it said that "some delivered food items were either rotten, unripe, or crushed," while in Misamis Oriental "1,001 pieces of E-Nutribun delivered from September 2023 to January 2024 were returned to the suppliers for replacements due to the presence of molds and discoloration on the bread one to two days before the expiry dates."

In Iligan City, the food products delivered had dubious expiry dates, it said. While the products were labelled to expire on Oct. 26, 2023, the expiry date indicated in the boxes bore a different expiry date, and the product manufacturing date was not easily discernible as well, it also said.

"The interest of the government was not protected and the attainment of the program objectives and the safety of the intended beneficiaries were put to risk due to non-conformance with specifications," the audit report  observed.

The COA said it called out DepED for failing to reprogram unutilized funds from the SBFP. The excess or remaining balance of SBFP was supposed to feed all learners enrolled in school, with priority focus on the lowest grade level and other secondary beneficiaries, it also said.  The DepED could also extend the number of feeding days or cover funding deficiencies in the NFP and milk requirements, it added.

The SDO in Sultan Kudarat had unutilized funds of P8,026,519.85, while the SDO in Bulacan had P691,323.10. Because of their failure to utilize these amounts, the audit team said they deprived beneficiaries of much-needed nutritional values, the COA said.

At the same time, the COA called out the SDO in Palawan for making full payment for NFP purchased for the implementation of SBFP in 2022 despite delayed delivery of goods amounting to P14,589,363.

"The commitment to provide good nutrition to learners was not optimally achieved due to the deficiencies that hampered the successful implementation of the program," it pointed out. 

The Commission on Audit has flagged the Department of Education over lapses in its P5.69 billion School-Based Feeding Program in 2023, with reports of delays and non-delivery of nutritious food products and pasteurized milk in several regions.

A total of 87 counts of money laundering complaint involving more than P100 million transactions was filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday afternoon, Aug. 30, against 36 persons, including dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac and members of her family.

The complaint was filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). 

Aside from money laundering, the AMLC sought the forfeiture of about P6 billion worth of assets "accumulated by Alice Guo and her associates through their unlawful activities."

In a press conference after the filing of the complaint, the DOJ revealed that a request has been made with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) that Alice be placed in its blue notice.

“Right now we requested a blue notice which will now obligate the other receiving countries to give us information on the whereabouts of a particular individual,” said DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes T. Andres

He said that Alice remains in Jakarta, Indonesia based in information relayed by Indonesian authorities.

Once charges have been filed in court against Guo and warrants of arrests have been issued, Andres said “we will proceed to the next stage which is a red notice.”

“Lahat ng mga bansa na dadaanan n’ya ay may obligasyon na s’ya ay dakpin at ibalik sa PIlipinas (All of the countries she will go to have the obligation to arrest her and return her to the Philippines,” he said of the Interpol’s red notice.

On the money laundering, the complaint stated that Guo and the other respondents violated Republic Act (RA) 9160, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 (AMLA).

Those named as respondents in the complaint aside from Alice Guo are her sister Shiela Guo; their father Jian Zhong Guo, also known as Angelito Guo and Angelito Dela Cruz; their mother Lin Wenyi, also known Wen Yi Lin and Amelia Leal; and Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, a representative of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.

The other respondents are former Technology Resource Center (TRC) director general Dennis L. Cunanan; Seimen Guo; Zhiyang Huang; Rachelle Joan Carreon; Baoying Lin; Ruijin Zhang; Thelma Barrogo Laranan; Rowena Gonzales Evanelista; Rita S. Ytturalde; Merlie Joy Manalo Castro; Yu Zheng Can; Mariella Joy Masiclat; Jaimielyn Santos Cruz; Roderick Paul Bernardo Pujante; Juan Miguel Alpas; Jayson Masuerte; Bernard Chua; Lack L. Uy; Nancy J. Gamo; Wuli Dong, Wang Weili; Nong Ding ChangLang Xu Po; Ma The Pong; Huang Yue Hai; Shicong Zhang; Ma Tram; Maybeline R. MIllo; and Walter Wong Long.

AMLC Investigation and Enforcement Department Deputy Director Adrian Arpon said the case involves around P100 million worth of transactions.

“This is just the first of many cases that we will be filing,” Arpon said as he pointed out that about P7 billion worth of properties and other assets are under investigation.

The case concerns the operations of the POGO Zun YuanZun Yuan Technology, Inc. located in the Baofu Land Development, Inc. compound in Bamban that was raided by authorities for its involvement in criminal activities

“The instant case involves corporations that tried to conceal the true nature of their businesses and to make it appear that they are engaged in legitimate activities,” the complaint stated.

According to the complaint, the money laundering charge involves “disguising financial assets so they can be used without detection of the illegal activity that produced them.”

“Through money laundering, the criminal transforms the monetary proceeds derived from criminal activity into funds with an apparently legal source,” the complaint added. 

A total of 87 counts of money laundering complaint involving more than P100 million transactions was filed before the Department of Justice against 36 persons, including dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac and members of her family.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Department of Education (DepEd) over its unsettled P12.297 billion notices of disallowances and suspensions, and the "substantial accumulated unliquidated" cash advances of P6.959 billion in 2023.

In its 2023 annual audit report, the COA blamed DepEd's "non-compliance with the existing laws, rules, and regulations" which resulted in the department incurring P10,099,733,281.52 in suspensions and P2,190,140,136.53 in disallowances.

The report covered DepEd's financial transactions during the time of Vice President Sara Duterte as the department's secretary.

The COA explained that a transaction is suspended in audit when it is temporarily disallowed or disapproved until the requirements on matters raised in the course of audit are complied with. 

A transaction is disallowed when it is disapproved either in whole or in part for being an illegal, irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable expenditure, it said.

In its report, the COA asked DepEd officials to "cause the immediate settlement of the suspensions, disallowances, and charges."

At the same time, the COA said DepEd had unliquidated cash advances amounting to P6,959,017,036.51 due to "lapses" in granting, liquidation, and monitoring of cash advances, as well as "disregard" of existing rules and regulations.

It pointed out that Section 21 of Executive Order No. 77 dated March 15, 2019 prescribes the reglementary period for the rendition of account on cash advances for local travels. Under COA Circular 97-002 dated Feb. 10, 1997, no additional cash advances shall be allowed unless the previous cash advance given to an official or employee has been settled, it said.

In 2023, the COA said that DepEd granted additional cash advances worth P280,511,139.96 despite non-liquidation of previous ones. It noted that there was P1,326,752,808.19 dormant/long-outstanding unliquidated cash advances, and from that amount, P15,860,194.17 was from the National Capital Region (NCR) and P3,933,928.22 was from Regional Office XII given to officials who have already retired, resigned, are deceased, or transferred. 

With its findings, the COA asked DepEd to immediately stop the practice of granting additional cash advances when liquidation of previous ones were not yet done, and send demand letters to concerned accountable officers still active in the service to settle all their unliquidated cash advances.

For outstanding cash advances which remained non-moving for 10 years or more, DepEd officials were asked to request authority from the COA to write them off.

The Commission on Audit has called out the Department of Education over its unsettled P12.297 billion notices of disallowances and suspensions, and the "substantial accumulated unliquidated" cash advances of P6.959 billion in 2023.

Former Albay Governor Noel Rosal has been dismissed from service and permanently barred from holding any public office, the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) announced on Wednesday.

His wife, Legazpi City Mayor Geraldine Rosal, has also been suspended from service for one year.

The OMB explained that the decision followed a 2022 complaint by a certain Adrian Nacion Loterte, which accused the Rosals of grave misconduct, oppression, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

The former governor’s reassignment of several department heads violated Civil Service Commission rules, affecting the Provincial Government’s operations and service delivery, the OMB said.

Geraldine, on the other hand, was also held liable for the illegal secondment of Legazpi City Engineer Clemente Ibo to the Provincial Government.

This arrangement, allegedly orchestrated with her husband, allowed Engr. Ibo to serve both local units simultaneously, prejudicing public service, said the OMB.

“The Ombudsman’s decision against Mayor Rosal is immediately executory, despite a pending Supreme Court case challenging her 2022 disqualification by the Commission on Elections,” the OMB statement read.

“This ruling underscores the Ombudsman’s commitment to upholding accountability and combating misconduct in public service,” it added.

Noel Rosal served as the governor of Albay in 2022. He was replaced by then Vice Governor Edcel Greco Lagman in the same year.

Former Albay Governor Noel Rosal has been dismissed from service and permanently barred from holding any public office, while his wife, Legazpi City Mayor Geraldine Rosal, has also been suspended from service for one year over accusations of of grave misconduct, oppression, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/21/san-juan-city-vet-3-others-charged-over-deaths-of-dogs-cats-in-city-pound

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Wednesday, August 21, announced the suspension and the filing of charges against the city's veterinarian and three others following the deaths of numerous dogs and cats at the city pound during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina last July 24.

Several photos and videos of the city pound in Barangay Batis that have gone viral on social media showed cages filled with rescued animals that were allegedly left on their own during the storm.

This led to the deaths of multiple cats and dogs under its care.

"Upon my instructions, the City Legal Department (CLD) quickly initiated an investigation to determine if the involved government employees can be charged administratively. The CLD subsequently recommended the filing of a formal charge with the grievance and disciplinary committee against the city veterinarian which I have already approved," Zamora said.

"I have placed him under preventive suspension to ensure that he will not be able to influence the investigation. Charged as well are three permanent employees. One job order employee was immediately terminated. Additionally, the city government is moving to relocate the Animal Pound to a safer location to prevent future incidents and improve conditions. These decisive actions reflect Makabagong San Juan's unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and the well-being of all its residents," he added.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Wednesday, August 21, announced the suspension and the filing of charges against the city's veterinarian and three others following the deaths of numerous dogs and cats at the city pound during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina last July 24.

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the preventive suspension of Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chair Monalisa Dimalanta, arising from a compliant filed by the the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc. (Nasecore).

In its complaint, Nasecore alleged that Dimalanta allowed the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to purchase electricity from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and pass the charges on to consumers without obtaining the necessary approval from the ERC, allegedly in violation of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

"The evidence on record shows that the guilt of respondent Dimalanta is strong and the charges against her involve grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service which may warrant her removal from the service," Ombudsman Samuel Martinez said in an order dated August 20, 2024.

"(H)er continued stay in office may prejudice the case filed against her " the Ombudsman said adding that the preventive suspension will stay "until the administrative adjudication of this case is terminated, but not to exceed six months without pay," the order read.

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the preventive suspension of Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Monalisa Dimalanta, arising from a compliant filed by the the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc.





 



























Thursday, September 5, 2024

Coronavirus Lockdown: Handwashing Behavior, Mental Illness, and More!

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

Former Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service executive director Lloyd Christopher Lao have been charged with graft over irregularities in the DOH’s transfer of its P41.46-billion fund to PS-DBM at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Office of the Ombudsman has formally filed a graft case against former Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service executive director Lloyd Christopher Lao in connection with alleged irregularities in the DOH’s transfer of its P41.46-billion fund to PS-DBM at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Copy of the charge sheet has yet to be released to the media yesterday but Ombudsman Samuel Martires confirmed to reporters that the case, which the anti-graft body’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) filed at the Sandiganbayan on Aug. 27, involves the violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Section 3 (e) of RA 3019 prohibits public officials from giving unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference to a private party or from causing any party, including the government, undue injury.

Graft is a bailable offense, with bail bond usually set by the court at P90,000 for each defendant.

The case is to be raffled today to one of Sandiganbayan’s seven divisions.

Will anyone else be charged over shutting down and ruining the Philippine economy? Probably not. 

Philippines office space occupancy is the 3rd highest globally but remains low as a result of the pandemic. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/918671/ph-office-space-occupancy-3rd-highest-globally-in-h1-consultancy-firm/story/

Philippine office space occupancy averaged 80% in the first half of the year, the third-highest in the globe mainly due to the growth of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, real estate consultancy firm PRIME Philippines said Thursday.

According to PRIME Philippines executive vice president Cholo Florencio, the country’s office rate was only behind Singapore’s 88% and India’s 85%. It is also higher than the global average of 70%, the United States’ 62% and Europe’s 60%.

Florencio attributed the occupancy rate to the BPO sector, which reported an annual growth rate of 7% to 8%, the increasing demand from the government, and the high adoption of flexible working arrangements.

For Metro Manila alone, the occupancy rate was recorded at 85%, slightly higher than the previous year’s 84%.

“I think we will be able to sustain our momentum in terms of adding a bit of occupancy levels. The challenge really is when more buildings will be left by the online gaming companies,” Florencio said on the sidelines of a briefing in Makati City.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in his third state of the nation address (SONA) in July, announced the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), and ordered the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to wind down and stop all operations by the end of the year.

A cost-benefit analysis by the Department of Finance (DOF) showed that the POGO industry had a net cost of P99.52 billion to the Philippines, equivalent to 0.41% of the country’s economy as of 2021.

According to Florencio, there has been a decline in office space takeup, especially from POGOs since the COVID-19 pandemic, and vacancies are expected moving forward following the ban ordered by Marcos.

There has been a very sharp decline ever since the pandemic. As you all know, the pandemic really triggered everything. It’s unfortunate lang, of course, we’ve heard a lot of negative stories about criminality, about scams that have really affected the POGOs here,” he said.

“The President has announced of course a total ban so once it is fully implemented, it will be more challenging for developers to attract more (locators) to come in,” he added.

First the pandemic and now the POGO ban. 

Air Asia continues to fly tourists to Boracay at a rate greater than the pre-pandemic period.


AirAsia Philippines has sustained its passenger growth to the island of Boracay, Caticlan, since the pre-pandemic period.

From January to August this year, the airline flew over 1.1 million passengers, while last year, it flew more than 1.3 million passengers with the opening of AirAsia’s flights from Clark to Cebu.

The passenger traffic showed significant growth over the last four years, with more than 450,000 passengers in 2019, then it went down to 81,000 in 2020 during pandemic but recovered in 2021 with 202,000, and more than 610,000 in 2022, the airline said.

“There is no season required for visiting Boracay. We have seen families and groups of friends visit the island even during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. To say that Boracay is just a summer destination is already passé. Even now Boracay has also become a favorite destination for workation or work from home-hub. Vacation, staycation, or workation, AirAsia Philippines will continue to support our guests’ travel needs by providing the most competitive airfare to Boracay,” said Steve Dailisan, AirAsia Philippines communications and public affairs head.

Surely the DOT is happy. 

A short film about mental health which was conceived during the pandemic is finally getting its Philippines premier. 


https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2024/09/03/2382395/sinag-maynila-2024-as-moth-flies-examines-mind-person-battling-mental-illness

Conceived during the pandemic, the short film “As the Moth Flies” delves into what’s going through the mind of a person suffering from mental illness. The film is one of the entries at the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival 2024 under the short film category.

Produced by Creative Kartel, in association with Desi Matters and Happy Manila, “As the Moth Flies” is helmed by Gayle Oblea. It centers on the story of a woman who tries to assess her mentally ill partner and their turbulent relationship, only to unravel haunting truths about their unsettling past.

Direk Gayle narrated during a presscon at Flavours Indian & Mediterranean Cuisine in Makati City how her project started during the pandemic. Executive producers Happy and Rav Singh, who hail from India, also graced the press event.

“I think everybody could (relate), even those who do not have mental illness or probably are not aware of it, dun talaga parang medyo na-emphasize (at the height of the pandemic) because people were stuck at home (and) couldn’t do anything with it. It’s the same thing with us, especially since we’ve been doing productions since 2018,” stated direk Gayle, who revealed that she is a “high-functioning bipolar.”

During the pandemic, the young filmmaker and her sister and screenwriter, M.B. Garcia, were also “dealing with our own demons” and “suffering (with) some questions in mind.” What they did was divert their attention to making the film, which was originally written for an eight-episode limited series.

“We made sure that when we were writing the script, (it was) very accurate (like) lahat ng references to people who suffer from mental illness or probably people who are not aware of it. Because we designed it na talagang when the audience watches it, it’s like going inside someone’s head who suffers from mental illness.”

On why they let the film be screened abroad first before the Philippines, she said, “During our research, we found out that you don’t get to qualify for a world premiere in festivals if we premiere it here in the Philippines. So that’s really the main reason. That’s why we initially went to the international scope and then really entered like the short film to numerous film festivals.”

Why does screening the film in the Philippines prevent qualifying for a world premier in festivals? Did each screening get the stamp of being a world premier? They don't say.

A new paper is out examining if COVID-19 influenced the hand washing behavior of Filipinos. 


https://discovery.researcher.life/article/did-covid-19-risk-perceptions-influence-the-handwashing-behavior-of-the-filipino-population/82a7de5a248933e3a55dd1a776f514ae

The COVID-19 pandemic reminded people of the importance of proper handwashing. The degree of health risk perceptions and handwashing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic opens essential lessons for delivering water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs across the globe. We measured the relationship between COVID-19 risk perception and the handwashing behavior of 386 Filipinos in a highly urbanized city in the Philippines. Self-made COVID-19 risk perception scale (CRPS) (Cronbach's α 0.93) and handwashing behavior scale (HBS) (Cronbach's α 0.84) were administered face-to-face. The results show that the overall handwashing behavior has a median of 4.1 (frequently), while the interquartile range (IQR) is 0.5. Regression analysis revealed that COVID-19 risk perception has a significant positive association with overall handwashing behavior (B=0.369, p-value <0.05). The COVID-19 risk perception accounts for 36.9% of the variance in handwashing behavior, F (1, 384) =11.6360, p-value=0.0007. This study proposes that public health authorities target people's experiential learning style in designing and delivering intervention programs against non-compliance with proper handwashing.

It seems that is the case. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

The God Culture: Columbus Rebuked Marco Polo and the Great Khan

Conspiracy is the hallmark of the historical revisionism project of Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture. The gist is the whole world knew the land of Ophir was the Philippines and then bad actors, i.e. the British, came along to cover up the fact. According to Tim even Marco Polo and Kublai Khan covered up the true location of Ophir and for doing so received a rebuke from Christopher Columbus. 


In chapter 4, page 95, of Garden of Eden Revealed Tim writes the following:

Garden of Eden Revealed, pg 95

Columbus wrote that Cipangu of Marco Polo was Ophir and that Marco Polo and the Great Khan "failed" to represent Cipangu as Ophir. They were always the same land! "Encouraged by the interest with which the sovereigns listened to his account of his recent voyage along the coast of Cuba, bordering, as he supposed, on the rich territories of the Grand Khan, and of his discovery of the mines of Hayna, which he failed not to represent as the Ophir of the of the ancients, Columbus now proposed a further enterprise, by which he promised to make yet more extensive discoveries and to annex a vast and unappropriated portion of the continent of Asia to their dominions."

Tim claims this citation is saying Columbus said Marco Polo and the Great Khan failed to represent Cipangu as Ophir. However, there is nothing about Cipangu in this paragraph. Neither are Marco Polo and the Great Khan mentioned. What is mentioned is Columbus giving his account of "his discovery of the mines of Hayna." It is Columbus who "failed not to represent as the Ophir of the ancients" these mines as he related his travels to "the sovereigns", i.e. the King and Queen of Spain. This is not an account of Columbus rebuking Marco Polo and Kublai Khan for concealing the location of Ophir. 

Tim either did not understand what he was reading or he willfully misinterpreted it. 

Tim repeats this same claim in one of his videos. 

1490 Columbus Map: Garden of Eden in the Philippines. Garden of Eden Revealed Map Series: Part 1

1:01:39 Columbus wrote that Cipangu of Marco Polo was in fact Ophir and he actually rebuked Marco Polo and the Great Khan who he said failed to represent Cipangu as Ophir. Wow! Yeah, that's in writing. It's right there.

Wow! But, no. It's not in writing. It's not there. Tim is misinterpreting the text. 

This same claim is carried over into Tim's new study guide.

Lost Isles of Gold Small Group Study Guide, pg. 13

15. When Columbus rebuked Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, what did he accuse them of concealing?

And so it snowballs from one medium to the next. Tim starts a lie in his book, rolls it over into his videos, and packs it into his study guide. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive. 

The source for this quote is Washington Irving's book The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

https://archive.org/details/lifevoyagesofchr00ir/page/210/mode/2up

Another quote Tim uses from Irving's book is as follows:

Garden of Eden Revealed, pg. 95
Columbus thinking he landed in the Philippines, began identifying an island as Ophir. Yes, the Ophir of King Solomon who built the Temple he wrote.  
"I had already surmised that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir; he now fancied he had discovered the identical mines from whence King Solomon had procured his great supplies of gold for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. He gave orders that a fortress should be immediately erected in the vicinity of the mines, and that they should be diligently worked; and he now looked forward with confidence to his return to Spain, the bearer of such golden tidings. "
This is completely wrong. "...King Solomon who built the temple he wrote?" That does not make any grammatical sense. Where is the editor?  Here is what Irving actually wrote. 

He had already surmised that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir; he now fancied he had discovered the identical mines from whence King Solomon had procured his great supplies of gold for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. He gave orders that a fortress should be immediately erected in the vicinity of the mines, and that they should be diligently worked; and he now looked forward with confidence to his return to Spain, the bearer of such golden tidings.
See the difference? Tim writes "I had already surmised that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir" as if that is something Columbus wrote in his journal. But Irving is writing in the third person. He is not quoting from anything here, neither Columbus' journals nor his letters. 

In fact if you search the journals of Columbus you will not find any reference to Ophir or Ofir.

https://archive.org/details/fourvoyagesofchr0000jmco/page/300/mode/2up?q=ophir

Likewise if you search the letters of Columbus you will not find any reference to Ophir or Ofir.

https://archive.org/details/authenticletters00colu/mode/2up?q=ophir

So where does Washington Irving get the idea that Columbus thought Hispaniola is Ophir? Possibly from two places. The first is a letter written to Pope Alexander VI in 1502. This letter is not contained in the above collection. Translated it reads:
This island is Tharsis, Cethya, Ophyr, Ophaz and Çipanga, and we have called it Hispaniola.
The second place Columbus makes a mention of discovering Ophir is in the margin of his copy of Pliny's Natural History. Rather than cite Columbus' words Tim cites a secondhand source, The Jews and the Expansion of Europe to the West, 1450-1800. Here is what Columbus actually wrote:

Amber is certainly found in India under the ground, and I have had it dug out of several hills in Feyti, Ophir or Cipangu, which I afterwards named Hispaniola I have found one piece as big as a head, but it is not wholly clear, rather, clear-grey Another one is black I now have enough.

The place in Pliny being commented on is Book 27, chapter 11. The subject is amber and Columbus' note is about the amber he found on the island of Hispaniola. 

And that's it. These are, apparently, the only two times in Columbus' writings he mentions Ophir by name regarding a place he discovered. Anything beyond these mentions or regarding their meaning is pure speculation. 

Let's cite what Tim omits from his citation of The Jews and the Expansion of Europe to the West, 1450-1800 concerning this note from Columbus. 
This note reveals Columbus’s remarkable ability to entertain numerous diverse and conflicting geographic hypotheses at the same time; Ophir, traditionally located near India, could hardly be the same place as Cipangu, the name Marco Polo had given to the island of Japan. Moreover, the idea that either place would need to be renamed by Columbus—since both were well known and written of under their original names—also raises troubling questions.

The Jews and the Expansion of Europe to the West, 1450-1800, pg. 30

Tim will of course pooh-pooh that comment and call the author a propagandist who is no scholar and has done no real research but what he will not do is consider what has been written. Why would Columbus need to rename an island Ophir or Cipnagu when they are both well-known locales?

The problem is Tim thinks Columbus was right about everything he thought regarding the discoveries he made though he was off by ten thousand miles. 

Columbus believed he was in Southeast Asia, not the Americas. This proved to be wrong in distance but his research on Ophir, the Garden of Eden, Chryse, Zipangu and Aurea Chersoneses as the same archipelago remains valid.

Columbus wrote that he used two maps on his journey which we will review in detail. They leave nothing to guesswork regarding the location of Chryse/Ophir and Zipangu as the Philippines.

Garden of Eden Revealed, pg. 96

There is a lot to unpack here but I will only make a few comments. First of all it is obvious that Columbus was wrong about everything he thought regarding the lands he discovered. Tim recognizes that fact but still insists Columbus was actually correct being wrong only "in distance" meaning if there were no Americas and he had landed in what we now know as the Philippines he would have been entirely correct in labelling wherever he landed as Ophir, Zipangu, etc.

Secondly even if the above situation were true, there being no Americas, Columbus would still be wrong. Tim thinks Columbus is right about Ophir/Zipangu because Tim is wrong in everything he says about those locations and is looking for confirmation for his false paradigm in the writings of others. Zipangu is Japan, not the Philippines. He is misreading and misinterpreting Marco Polo. You can read about that here. Ophir is India as Tim has even admitted in his resource test it contains all the resources attributed to Ophir.

Thirdly Columbus did not think an archipelago was Ophir. It was a singular island and he named it Hispaniola which is composed of the nations Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In the citations above it is Espanola and Spangola. It is also referred to as Feyti which is the same as Haiti.

Fourthly it is highly anachronistic to say Columbus thought anything about the Philippines because they were not discovered until 1520 during Magellan's voyage. Tim regularly employs anachronistic language which he would do well to avoid. 

The point of all this is threefold. Tim misunderstands the texts he cites, he misquotes the texts he cites, and he cannot be bothered to seek out primary sources. Tim is a poor researcher and he has no idea what he is talking about. The end result is a mishmash of citations that at first glance appear to back up his claims but which easily crumbles under the slightest scrutiny. As ever such ignorance is par for the course for Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture.