Malling is More Fun in the Philippines

So this is what it has come down to. This is the level to which the Department of Tourism has sunk to promote the country to foreign tourists and which the taxpayer is paying for.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/05/19/1919055/malling-more-fun-philippines

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is positioning the country as a shopping destination as it partners with SM Supermalls to launch the “Malling is More Fun in the Philippines” campaign. 

“This nationwide campaign invites locals and tourists to experience why shopping, leisure and entertainment in the Philippines is truly more enjoyable,” the DOT said. 

Based on DOT data in 2017, shopping was the number one activity of tourists visiting the country, with 51.60 percent of visitors hitting the stores. 

Shopping is also where tourists spend money, amounting to $20.90 of the 2017 average daily expenditure per capita of $125.65. 

The DOT maintained that building up shopping tourism in the country would also spur economic growth, create millions of jobs, livelihood and enterprises. 

SM Supermalls said it continues to serve as a venue for meaningful family bonding moments where everyone can indulge in extraordinary malling experiences with its 70 malls nationwide. 

“Malls have become the modern day plaza and safe community spaces for families and friends to share moments together through shopping, dining and fun experiences,” SM Supermalls chief operating officer Steven Tan said. 

“SM’s partnership with the (DOT) celebrates the best of the Philippines through a range of fun fairs and fiestas,” Tan added. 

As part of the “Malling is More Fun” campaign, mall goers are invited to participate in special activities in SM Supermalls all over the country. 

These activities include culinary demos, regional food fairs, exclusive dining deals and the SM Supermarket Chefs Showdown.

This is not a joke. It's all very real. The DOT and SM are partnering up to promote the Philippines' most untapped resource of all: the mall. What about Ayala and Robinson? Why are they being left out  of the picture? 

One would think the DOT would focus on promoting the Philippines meaning the land with all its natural beauty and special places to see and experience but alas that is not the case.  

To achieve the projected growth in tourist numbers and expenditures over the next decade. the Central Philippines will have to move to an investment-driven strategy. Outside of Cebu and Boracay, little investment has taken place in recent years in the Super Region’s tourism sector. The result is that the tourism industry is totally reliant on its natural attractions as the motivation for tourists to visit. But the natural attractions, though unique in many ways, are not sufficiently strong in themselves to attract the numbers required to support a significant tourism sector. This is a primary factor driven strategy and characterized by infrastructure inadequacies, limited investment in product, insufficient accommodation, medium to low quality product and inadequate airlift.

http://www.tourism.gov.ph/tourism_policy.aspx

Can you believe it? The DOT on their very own website admits that the natural attractions of the Philippines "are not sufficiently strong" enough to attract visitors! If the problem is lack of infrastructure which limits access then you would think the DOT would lobby for more roads to be constructed. Rather they have accepted defeat and have now turned to promoting the malls of the Philippines as tourist attractions.

If they are going to promote the Philippines' malls to foreigners as tourist attractions then they need to implement a few very important changes at every mall.

1. Toilet paper

The malls need to put toilet paper in every stall.

Imagine being a first time newbie tourist from the West and you are at the mall enjoying fine Filipino food like McDonald's or Seattle's Best and all of a sudden you need to go. Surprise! There is no toilet paper and now you are in a right mess. What a nightmare. Foreigners, especially westerners, are going to expect toilet paper to be in the bathroom stall and it should be there.

Welcome to the Philippines. Be sure to carry a roll of TP at all times. Just in case.

2. Escalator etiquette

Filipinos do not know how to use the escalator and they need drastic education. Signs are not enough. There has to be a whole campaign. Stand on the right, walk on the left. It is annoying as anything to get stuck behind several people leaning on the rails when all you want to do is head on to your destination. Foreigners are not going to expect undisciplined use of the escalator because everywhere else the universal rule of stand on the right and walk on the left is followed.

Totally unacceptable

3. Noise

This is less of a problem but still a problem. Sometimes there will be a sale in the courtyard or centre area of the mall and loud speakers blasting atrocious techno, rap, or rock and pop will be rocking and you cannot even talk to the person you are with.  There is no need for this especially inside. Turn it down. Why can't they have one small speaker that is giving information about the sale rather than blaring loud and pointless music from a huge stack?

Unnecessary!

4. Scammers

I don't know what SM's policy is on kiosks. How do they evaluate sellers who want to rent one for a short time? Some of these people are scammers. I should know I got pulled into one when I was told I would be given a stove for free.  This led to a sit down and conversation and more free stuff being offered and a telephone call and then being told I have to pay P7000, the price of one item, to get all the other junk for free. What a waste of my time. What a waste of anyone's time.


5. Credit Cards

Believe it or not not every store at the mall accepts credit cards! This applies mostly to restaurants and kiosks. Do foreigners carry around a lot of cash? They might. They might not. But foreigners are going to be used to the ease of using a card without having to carry around a lot of bills. It is safer for them too. No one wants to be robbed. The malls should make sure all stores are equipped with credit card machines and those who are not should have signs reading, "Cash Only."


If this new DOT campaign is sustained Bacolod City could get an influx of tourists in the coming years.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/05/25/1920603/megaworld-putting-p12-b-lifestyle-mall-bacolod

The mall will showcase a blend of neo-classical and art deco architecture, reminiscent of New York City’s Upper East Side cityscape. 

“We are curating an architectural masterpiece that depicts the cosmopolitan vibe of our Bacolod township. This is just the first mall that we are building in this township because there is still more room for future expansion,” Tan said. 

Thus, the mall’s design will be highlighted by a 48-meter high iconic clock tower that illuminates even at night, making it a major landmark along the six-lane main avenue of the township that stretches from Lopez Jaena St. to Circumferential Road.

Hopefully this "lifestyle mall" with an iconic clock tower and modelled after NYC's Upper East Side has toilet paper in the stalls! I doubt it. The special twist of the Philippines is that they will build something so modern and expensive but the toilets won't even have the modern luxury of toilet paper!

Shopping can be a fun way to pick up a cool souvenir. I bought a magic carpet at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. There is good food to be had at the night markets in Taipei. I bought my favourite hat at a market in Cusco. However a market is considerably different from the mall. They have a character that is all their own and the products sold are unique and locally made. The mall is corporate conformity offering products foreigners can find back home.

What the DOT is actually doing by promoting malls as tourist destinations is reinforcing a worldwide, homogenous monoculture that has absolutely nothing to do with the Philippines and in fact contributes to the erosion of Filipino culture by assimilating it into the Borg of global consumerism.

It's too bad the DOT is not promoting the markets in the Philippines. Are there any worth promoting to tourists?

Retards in the Government Special Edition: Duterte Magick

Contrary to the narrative that no opposition candidates won because of Duterte Magick and that voters were too wise to fall for the black propaganda against Duterte's twelve apostles the truth is that Filipinos voted out of sheer stupidity for the candidates they loved the most. Everyone knows the Philippine political system is a popularity contest. This does not mean the candidates with the most votes win.  It means the candidates with the most name recognition get the most votes.

Did voters vote in favour of the drug war? Did voters vote in favour of federalism? Did voters vote in favour of martial law? Was the vote a referendum that affirmed all of Duterte's policies? How can anyone be so dumb as to actually think that?  Take a look at the 12 winners and tell me with a straight face that Bong Revilla was voted into office because of his hard stance on drugs and his desire to split the Philippines into a federal system and not because of his dancing commercial. What a joke. 

Let's take a look at each of the winners and see why they really won.

1. Cynthia Villar

In 2013 Villar squeaked by in 10th place. Six years later she is sitting at the top. The Queen of the Senate. For three years she sat in her office while Aquino was president. But at the end of three years of Duterte she is at the top. Is it because she supports the drug war and martial law and all of Duterte's programs? No it's because as the wife of a billionaire she had the resources to travel all over the country and meet people on the ground. She had the resources to get her name into the public and spread her advocacies of agrarian reform and lifting people out of poverty. Her star has been on the rise for a long time and it began to shine greatly when last March she topped two early surveys, SWS and Pulse Asia. You can read all about her story here. If anyone owes their political success to anyone it is Duterte who has to thank the Villars and not the other way round.

Bottom line: People voted for her because her billionaire husband's extensive resources including money and network supports allowed her to build up her name.

2. Grace Poe

This lady has also been perennially popular. Did people vote for her because she is all for Duterte's policies? Doubtful. Poe was number one when she was elected in 2013. She was number one for the longest until Villar knocked her off the throne. As the adopted daughter of famous actor Ferdinand Poe Jr her name resonated with voters. She has also not been 100% behind the drug war saying, “And the sad thing is, I think that the war on drugs is being used as a smokescreen for political killings.”

Bottom line: Poe has always been popular without Duterte's help.

3. Bong Go

How could the people not vote for this man? His face has been everywhere. He started campaigning last June sticking up banners and huge billboards all over the place. Did he get 20 million votes because of his polices? Or because of name recognition? It could not possibly be due to his policies as he has never been a politician and only ran because Duterte told him to do so. Does he support everything Duterte supports? Undoubtedly. Why would anyone be so stupid as to believe otherwise?

Bottom line: Bong Go's ubiquitous face compelled the masses to vote for him despite being a complete unknown policy-wise. Duterte's support definitely propelled him to the top.

4. Pia Cayetano

Pia is a Cayetano. A daughter of a very powerful political clan. Having been a Senator from 2004 - 2016 she knows how it works and the people know her. After a stint in the Senate she won a seat in the House. She is not an unknown. She claims she supports Duterte's vision but not necessarily his specific polices and will not be his yes-woman. 

Bottom line: Voters picked a woman who is not unknown and has been serving in the national government for 15 years.

5. Bato Dela Rosa

Bato Dela Rosa is the architect of the war on drugs. Clearly and unequivocally Bato supports the drug war, martial law, and more of Duterte's policies. But is this why people voted for him? Or did they vote for him because he is very well-known and the President thinks he is just great? He didn't espouse any policies and he admits he does not even know what a Senator does. He also claims he will not be a rubber stamp for Duterte. 

Bottom line: Bato is a popular man who has Duterte's backing and, like Bong Go, that support certainly helped him.

6. Sonny Angara

Another long term politician who has been in office since 2004 starting with the House and since 2013 in the Senate. He placed 6th both times! Clearly he is not an unknown. As for the drug war he is for it but against all the killings even calling for a Senate investigation. And isn't that what everyone is against? Who is against the drug war in principle? It's the bloodshed that is the problem.

Bottom line: Sonny is a professional politician the people have known since 2004 at least and as an incumbent he has the advantage.

7. Lito Lapid

A former Senator and actor the following headline says it all:

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/05/14/1917759/lito-lapid-about-get-another-senate-term-partly-thanks-ang-probinsyano

“When I go around the palengke (market) area, the people keep on shouting, ‘Si Cardo, si Cardo!’ looking for Coco (as the cop Cardo). Then, they asked, ‘Bakit namatay ka sa Probinsyano (Why did you die on Ang Probinsyano)?’ The show is helping me a lot,” he said.

Bottom line: Lito Lapid was voted into office because he is a beloved actor everyone knows.


8. Imee Marcos

Just how did Imee Marcos get elected? She has lied about her educational attainments, she has been charged with graft by the Ombudsman, her family stole billions from the nation and refuses to admit this or return the money, and she has no policies to speak of. How did this airhead get elected? Because she supports Duterte's drug war? No doubt Duterte's endorsement helped but her brother Bong Bong was a Senator before her and many believe he is the rightful Vice President. It has to be the name recognition and the current trend of romanticising the Marcos years that put her in 8th place.

Bottom line: Imee Marcos is well-known and has name-brand recognition.


9.  Francis Tolentino

This man was advisor to Duterte. He had Duterte's full backing. He had also run for Senator in 2016 but was beat out of 12th spot by Leila Delima who he claimed sabotaged his campaign. The man is not an unknown face. Maybe less known than others. Did the voters pick him as an affirmation of Duterte's drug war? Did Duterte Magick help him out?

Bottom line: Duterte's backing gave him prominence but he was not an unknown before.


10. Koko Pimentel

Koko is a longtime politician. He is a Duterte ally. He was President of the Senate. He was also endorsed by Duterte but is that why he was elected? A man the whole country knows is running for the Senate. Will they choose him because he backs the drug war or because he is a safe bet? He also called for a Senate investigation into all the killings!

Bottom line: Pimentel is an incumbent and has the advantage.


11.  Bong Revilla Jr.

Bong was dropped by Duterte from his Magic 12 slate which means he absolutely did not benefit from any Duterte magic. Fact is he is a very famous actor and former Senator. The people love him even if he is a crook.

Bottom line: Bong Revilla is a famous actor that everyone knows and his campaign featured dancing and not anything about policy.

12. Nancy Binay

Another incumbent from a political dynasty. Did the voters choose her because she is all for the drug war? Or because Duterte backed her? No. She placed 5th in 2013 showing her popularity as a Binay and she has voiced concerns about the killings in the drug war and she has backed comprehensive drug education and prevention which is not the approach the Duterte administration has chosen to take.

Bottom line: As an incumbent and as a Binay she had the advantage over newcomers and relative nobodies such as Samira Gutoc and General Pederalismo.

Out of these 12 five are incumbents, three are former Senators, two are professional politicans, and only two are newcomers with zero political experience. Let's take a look at a fuller list which includes a few of the losers.

Numbers 13 and 14, Ejercito and Aquino, are not that far from the mark losing only by a few hundred thousand votes. If we were to remove Bato and Bong Go, the only two men who were actually helped by Duterte's support (they both admitted they only ran for office because Duterte told them to do so), then Ejercito and Aquino would be moved into the winners circle. Clearly those two mean are not unpopular though the narrative would have you believe otherwise. JV Ejercito was even endorsed by Duterte! Where is the Duterte magick now?

Being that there are still opposition members in the Senate and being that the winners have promised an independent Senate and being that the winners are not exactly gung-ho for the bloody drug war or even federalism it is not at all possible to say Election 2019 was a referendum on Duterte's policies. The drug war will continue. In fact it has never stopped. The Dangerous Drug Board was created in 1971 to deal with illegal drugs. The only difference with Duterte is that he has stood in front of the nation and has said over and over that he will kill users and dealers and the result has been that thousands have died. There is no one in the House or Senate is opposed to the drug war per se. What they are opposed to are all the killings. That is a huge distinction that seems to have been lost on the Palace and the public.

I don't believe in Duterte Magick and neither should you. If he has any magick it is the reverse midas touch where everything he touches turns to dirt. We see this in his handling of China, in his flip-flopping in dealing with the communists, in the weak peso, in the weak GDP, unilaterally removing the Philippines from the ICC which was the resultant hard work and effort of many, in his constant lying and joking thereby making it impossible to believe anything he says thus denigrating the Office of the President, and in the worsening drug problem despite all the killing.

If you think I am wrong then read these two articles and know I am not alone in my thoughts.  I only came across these articles after I began my own.

http://www.interaksyon.com/trends-spotlights/2019/05/16/148959/locsin-referendum-drug-war-midterm-election/

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/05/15/1918023/duterte-and-drug-war-won-midterm-polls-locsin-tweets

Postscript:  Duterte isn't the only one who received a mandate on election night. The Makabayan Bloc of Bayan Muna Partylist did as well.

Voters re-elected and gave a fresh mandate to the Makabayan Bloc of Bayan Muna, Gabriela, ACT Teachers, and Kabataan partylist representatives in the last election. 

Bayan Muna won the maximum three seats a partylist could win in any election. Veteran public sector unionist Ferdinand Gaite and Lumad leader Bai Eufemia Cullamat are set to join Rep. Carlos Zarate as Bayan Muna congresspersons.

On the day the Comelec proclaimed the senatorial and partylist winners, the people groaned their disappointment over the newly proclaimed, mostly pro-Duterte senators. But they gleefully greeted the partylist victories of Bayan Muna, Gabriela, ACT Teachers, and Kabataan. 

The 2019 re-election of progressive lawmakers is a repudiation of the regime’s objective to wipe them out of Congress through unlawful electioneering, illegal campaigning, misuse of public offices and funds for partisan ends, and other acts prohibited by law.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/05/25/hard-fought-hard-won-mandate/

Retards in the Government 103

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/05/17/1918421/lanao-norte-mayor-gets-10-years-grave-coercion

Mayor Rommel Arnado of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for evicting members of a family from their homes in 2013. 

In a 34-page decision promulgated on April 26 and obtained by reporters on Wednesday, the Sandiganbayan’s First Division said Arnado was found guilty of three counts of grave coercion under Article 286 of the Revised Penal Code. 

The anti-graft court said the Office of the Ombudsman’s prosecution team established that Arnado prevented the aggrieved parties from staying in their property even though they showed a certificate of land title. 

The eviction was carried out without a court order and through threat or intimidation, it added.

The Sambuat family was claiming ownership of the land where their houses were built amid an ownership claim by business partners Henry Dy, Voltaire Rovira and Sotero Trinidad.

The ombudsman said that aside from forcibly driving away the Sambuats from their land, Camanian, Diputado and their cohorts demolished the houses of the complainants and took their material possessions.

He kicked these people out of their home, destroyed it, and sold their possessions all because of a rival claim from a two business partners. Ten years is a long time and there must be more to this story.

https://www.panaynews.net/brgy-execs-tanods-warned-over-illegal-gun-possession/

“Barangay captains, barangay councilmen and tanod members are not authorized to carry firearms, especially homemade guns. We will arrest them for illegal possession of firearms and for [violation of the] election gun ban,” Bulalacao said. 

The PRO-6 chief fielded the warning after 12 tanods were caught carrying unregistered guns in Barangay Jayobo, Lambunao, Iloilo last May 12, right before the conduct of the 2019 midterm polls. 

Barangay Jayobo captain Milky Lira – who managed to flee the arresting officers – was also an illegal gun possession suspect.

The law never stopped anyone before.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/05/18/1918925/palace-sandra-cam-can-resign-if-she-cant-stand-alleged-corruption-pcso

“Duterte is beholden to no one. He will not spare even his close friends and long-time allies in his drive to weed out corruption in the bureaucracy. We repeat: There are no sacred cows in this administration,” Panelo said. 

“We thus urge the likes of Ms. Cam to come forward and expose government sheenanigans and malfeasance if she knows any. We assure her and other whistleblowers that they have [Duterte’s] ears in this regard,” he added. 

“As to Ms. Cam's request to relieve her in her present post, she does not have to wait for her relief by the President. She can tender her resignation if she cannot stand the alleged corruption within the PCSO,” he continued.

Sandra Cam has continually made allegations of corruptions in the PCSO. Was has Duterte done about that? Now they say she can quit if she cant stand the corruption. So much for being hardlined against corruption!

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/05/17/dole-mulls-deployment-ban-to-kuwait-as-another-filipina-is-killed/

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is studying the possibility of reimposing a deployment ban of household service workers (HSW) in Kuwait.  

This after as a 47-year-old Filipina worker in Kuwait, identified as Constancia Lago Dayag, died from the hands of her employer.  

“It’s an option,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III when asked if his department will reimpose the deployment ban in the Gulf state.  

Earlier, the labor chief vowed to seek justice for the death of Dayag.  

“I am taking the Kuwaiti government to task for the gruesome death of yet another Filipino worker in the hands of her employer in Kuwait,” said Bello.  

“Aside from apparent violation of the agreement on the protection of OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) between our government and Kuwait, there appears to have been a breach of the employment contract by the foreign employer,” he added.  

To note, the Philippine government imposed a deployment ban in Kuwait last year amid reported deaths and abuses of OFWs in the Gulf state. The ban was eventually lifted after both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that further strengthen the protection of Filipino workers in Kuwait.

How many more workers have to die before the government acknowledges that Kuwait is not a safe place for Pinoys to work?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1120893/nbi-charges-21-cops-in-killing-of-glenn-chongs-aide

The National Bureau of Investigation has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to charge 21 police officers with two counts of murder for the ambush of the aide of former Biliran representative and senatorial candidate Glenn Chong and his companion last Dec. 9 in Cainta, Rizal. 

The NBI also asked the DOJ to prosecute the chiefs of the Philippine National Police in Calabarzon, Rizal and Cainta for covering up the murder of Richard Santillan, who was Chong’s aide, and Gessamyn Casing. 

Contrary to the police claim that there was a shootout, the victims were unarmed, said the NBI. 

It said the police officers should be charged with murder because there was treachery in the killing. 

The 21 police officers were also liable for “planting” evidence, according to the NBI. 

The NBI also said Calabarzon police regional director Brig. Gen. Edward Carranza, Rizal police provincial director Col. Lou Evangelista and Cainta police chief Lt. Col. Pablito Naganag should be charged with obstruction of justice.

Shooting to death an unarmed suspect, planting evidence, and covering the whole thing up. Sounds like all in a days work for the PNP.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1120913/ex-town-traffic-chief-slain-in-laguna-buy-bust

A former traffic chief of Siniloan was killed in a buy-bust operation in Pagsanjan town in Laguna province on Sunday evening. 

In a text message, Col. Eleazar Matta, chief of the Laguna Police Provincial Office, identified the slain suspect as Leodigario Recide, alias Odec. 

He said Recide was previously arrested for a drug case but was released on probation after entering into a plea bargain. 

Matta said undercover police officers went to Recide’s apartment in Barangay Sampaloc around 6 p.m. for the buy-bust. 

On realizing he was dealing with the police, the suspect drew and fired a gun, forcing the authorities to shoot him down. 

Recide died on the spot. 

Matta said Recide, a native of Siniloan, was the town’s former chief of traffic operations.

I wonder what the traffic situation in that town is like.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1121022/cebu-mayor-found-guilty-of-graft-over-honorarium

A mayor in Cebu may spend six to eight years in prison for receiving an honorarium to which he was not entitled to. 

The Sandiganbayan found Mayor Lionel Bacaltos of Sibonga town guilty of violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. 

Bacaltos, who won in last week’s election, was also barred from holding any position in government and ordered to indemnify the municipality of Sibonga the amount of P17,512.50.

This is exactly why people with cases against them should be disqualified from the Comelec from running for office. Now who will take over? A guy voters did not choose!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1121404/27-narcopols-back-in-office-pnp

At a press briefing on Monday in Camp Crame, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police chief, said that of the 47 officials on the government’s narcolist, 37 ran for reelection and 27 won. 

Now that these officials are back in office, Albayalde said: “Our investigation … will continue, as the [DILG secretary] has said that if we find evidence … we will file both criminal and administrative cases against them.” 

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said election results showed the level of maturity of voters who chose to support suspected narcopoliticians. 

“Our voters seemed not mature enough, but then the public has spoken, the people have spoken … It is now my job to ensure that these government officials will do their jobs in accordance to the mandate of the Local Government Code,” Año told the Inquirer on Monday.

Looks like releasing that list did no good at all. Why are they on the list if there is no evidence they are guilty? If there is evidence why have charges not been brought. It is absolutely ridiculous for the DILG secretary to blame voters for electing these people when they likely had no access to the list and when the PNP should have removed these men from the streets if they are indeed narcopoliticians.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1121475/pia-cayetano-dishonesty-claims-vs-imee-marcos-must-be-resolved

Presumptive Senator Pia Cayetano believes that the questions raised over the educational background of another incoming senator, Imee Marcos, must be resolved, and dealt with sincerely and candidly. 

Cateyano and Marcos both ran under Hugpong ng Pagbabago in the just concluded May 13 elections. The two are also part of the Nacionalista Party (NP)

This issue again surfaced when Cayetano was asked over ABS-CBN News Channel on Tuesday how she feels about the dishonesty allegations hounding Marcos. 

“In my case kasi, you know naman how strong I feel at academics. I’ve been a champion of education and I feel that should be dealt with sincerely as possible,” she said. 

“Because here we are, talking to the youth about the importance of education and we do have issues pa rin yung ano yun, yung nabibili sa Recto.” 

“So I do feel that that issue should  be resolved and dealt with candidly and not brush aside,”  Cayetano added. 

Asked if she had discussed this issue with Marcos while they were campaigning together, Cayetano answered no.

Funny that both these women ran under the banner of Sara Duterte who, when this issue was raised during the campaign, claimed that honesty does not matter. Funny that Pia didn't speak to Marcos privately or say anything publicly. Now Pia does a turnabout and says honesty matters! Clown world!

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/20/19/a-clear-attack-of-my-character-ex-fda-chief-awaits-palace-explanation-on-sacking

FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno's termination was announced by Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Thursday, citing "the President's continuing mandate to eradicate graft and corruption" as the grounds for her removal. 

However, Puno said she has not been charged in any case and is not facing any official investigation.  

She said she sought clarification from Panelo, who told her that "he was just asked to read... my termination."  

"I respect the President. It's just that if they wanted me out, they could have just talked to me because this is a clear attack of my character. I have asked them. There's no response," she told ANC.  

Before her dismissal, Puno said Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo urged her to voluntarily step down from her post, supposedly saying "you need to resign because you will not like what may happen to you if you don't."  

Puno said she refused to resign "because I didn't do anything [wrong]." 

If she is committing graft and is corrupt then there should be an investigation and charges and she should be informed of them as well. But there probably isn't any corruption happening. Puno is not the first official to be fired for corruption with no explanation as to what corruption or any charges being brought. She will likely not get the answers she seeks.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/175400/ex-ombudsman-morales-barred-entry-to-hk-for-being-security-threat

Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales was barred Tuesday from entering Hong Kong for being a “security threat.” 

This was confirmed by lawyer Anne Marie Corominas in a telephone interview with INQUIRER.net: “She was held in a separate room, separated from her family and she was told she was a security threat.” 

“Former Ombudswoman Carpio-Morales has over 50 years of unblemished record in government service. I don’t know what the security threat (is) unless President [Xi Jinping] is afraid of her,” Corominas said. 

“We’re just asking how can a 78-year old former anti-corruption Ombudswoman be a security threat to China,” she added. 

Corominas said Morales, who along with former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario filed a case against Chinese President Xi Jinping before the International Criminal Court over “atrocious actions of Chinese officials in the South China Sea and within Philippine territory,” will be deported by Hong Kong authorities.

There is the reason. She filed a case against Duterte's best bud Xi for trampling on Philippine sovereignty in the WPS. What will Malcañang's spin be? That every country has a right to disallow entry to who they choose? The ban was lifted a few hours later but she decided to return home anyway.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1121637/retired-cop-woman-shot-dead-in-isabela

Police on Tuesday said love triangle or a personal grudge could be the motive behind the killing of a retired police officer and a woman believed to be his girlfriend on Monday. 

The victims were identified as Edralino Domingo, 63, a retired senior police officer in Aurora town, and Jane Dagman-Tul-o, 45, a jewelry re-seller from Soliven town.

This is not the first PNP officer who has been killed over a love affair.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/21/19/coa-flags-solgens-p14-million-spending-on-plane-tickets-supplies-hotels

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged expenses of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on foreign travel, office supplies and equipment as well as trainings and meetings done in hotels and restaurants, which it said violated government audit and procurement rules. 

In its 2018 audit report on the OSG, the state audit agency said a total of P7.128 million was spent on plane tickets for foreign travel without complete documents such as three quotations from travel agencies or its equivalent, contrary to provisions of the Audit Code of the Philippines.  

“In addition, some itinerants were allowed to reimburse their airplane ticket without the price quotation and abstract of quotations attached to the claim,” the COA report said.
The report also noted that P5.510 million was spent on ordinary office supplies and equipment through the alternative mode of procurement without the necessary postings in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) website, inconsistent with Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act. 

A total amount of P1.270 million was also spent for local trainings in hotels and restaurants “not usually used for government-sponsored international conventions,” the audit agency said.  

Honoraria of resource persons amounting to P442,704 was also flagged by government auditors as well as P337,233 terminal benefits of a retiree, but the OSG subsequently submitted the required documents. 

Auditors also noted the excess daily subsistence allowance of OSG staff amounting to P79,249. Justifications were made and excess amounts were returned, COA said. 

What this article says is that the OSG has a lot of financial anomalies but Calida said sorry, showed documents, and everything is just peachy. What a world of difference from others who have been given the bum's rush by Duterte for nothing.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1122084/retired-cop-gunned-down-by-motorcycle-riding-men-in-navotas

A retired police officer was shot dead by unidentified men riding a motorcycle in Navotas on Tuesday night. 

Members of Navotas City police station identified the victim as Benjamin Ramos, 54. He was formerly assigned at the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), police said.

Another retired cop killed for unknown reasons.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/05/22/1919992/upset-duterte-willing-spend-shipping-back-canada-trash

After Canada missed its deadline of taking back containers of garbage from the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered concerned government agencies to act on the matter. 

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced that the president has instructed the "appropriate office" to look for a private shipping company that would return the trash to the North American country. 

Panelo stressed that Duterte's position on the issue is "principled as it is uncompromising." 

"If Canada will not accept the trash, we will leave the same within the territorial waters or 12 nautical miles out to from the baseline of any of their country's shores," Panelo said. 

Panelo issued this statement a day after he confirmed that a private shipping company has already been hired to ship back the waste.

First he sad it's war, then he said he can wait a week or two, now he says he will use taxpayer money to ship back the trash and leave it floating 12 miles out if they won't accept it. If he does that he will make the Philippines even more of a laughingstock. But I doubt he will actually cause such an international incident.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/695362/7-8-gdp-growth-target-not-achievable-in-duterte-s-term-neda-chief/story/

The country's economic growth dipped to 5.6% in the first quarter of 2019, the slowest in four years, based on the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier this month. 

This figure is lower than the 6.5% in the first quarter of 2018, and the 6.3% in the fourth quarter last year.

Much of that slow growth is because of Congress' inability to pass a budget as well as Duterte's overall economic platform with Build x 3 and importing more than exporting.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/05/23/ex-npdc-official-pleads-guilty-to-lesser-offense/

Former National Parks and Development Committee (NPDC) Acting Executive Director Salome Tiongco Habal pleaded guilty to a lesser offense instead of graft before the Sandiganbayan Seventh Division and was sentenced to pay a fine of P10,000. 

Habal was initially charged for violating two counts of Section 3(e) of R.A. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for paying Variance, a security agency, a total of P11,751,588.81 in exchange for security services back on July 16, 2009 to February 16, 2010. 

She did so even though Variance was not legally entitled to the transaction, considering that public bidding and other procurement activities required under R.A. 9184 or the Government Procurement Law was not observed.

Too many people fall because they do not follow that law. No public bidding means jail time if you pay out.

And Now for the Philippine Political Scandal of the Week.  

Actually this is more like the scandal of the past few weeks but it's now all coming to a head. I am talking about the Bikoy videos tagging Duterte and his family as drug dealers. A few weeks ago Bikoy came out of the shadows to ask for legal help from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. He claimed all his information was for real and true and he had all the proofs. Now that the election is over he has surrendered to the PNP and done a complete 180 denying his story is true and alleging that the LP put him up to the task.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1122369/project-sodoma-bikoy-says-opposition-wanted-duterte-ousted

According to Peter Joemel Advincula, who claims he was “Bikoy,” senators and key officials of the Liberal Party (LP) employed him to do “Project Sodoma,” which supposedly entailed installing Senator Antonio Trillanes IV as vice president once Robredo ascended the presidency. 

“Ilang beses kaming nagpupulong, nagpaplano, upang isakatuparan ang Project Sodoma.  Ang Project Sodoma ay isang proyekto para pabagsakin si Presidente Duterte at ang maka-upo sa posisyon si Vice President Leni Robredo,” Advincula said in a press briefing at Camp Crame. 

("We met several times, planning, to carry out Project Sodoma. Project Sodoma is a project to break President Duterte and sit in Vice President Leni Robredo's position, "Advincula said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.) 

“Dahil kapag napabagsak si Presidente Duterte, ang uupo, duly constitutionalized, Her Excellency Leni Robredo, and (she) will appoint from the Senate or the House, to be the vice president.  Sonny will be in line to become the vice president,” he added.

("Because when President Duterte drops, the sitting, duly constitutionalized, Her Excellency Leni Robredo, and (she) will appoint from the Senate or the House, to be the vice president. Sonny will be in line to become the vice president, "he added.)

I need not post all the articles where Robredo, Hontiveros, Trillanes, and all the rest who have been newly tagged reject these allegations as false. Obviously they would not admit it if it were true and the allegations are likely not true in the first place. Project Sodom? What a ridiculous name for an ouster plot. Now not only has Rappler, the PCIJ, and the NUJP been tagged as ouster plotters but so has the Vice President and the entire Liberal Party.

It's all so ridiculous and the best part is that the end is not in sight. The PNP refrained from investigating any of Bikoy's original claims but now they say they will investigate these new claims. Why? The man has flipped the script! He has changed his story and he is obviously a liar who cannot be trusted. What is this man's game? Who benefits the most from Bikoy? Duterte. So it is not out of the question that Duterte himself or his allies fabricated this whole scenario to make sure no opposition candidates won and to smear the VP and her party.

What a rollercoaster ride.

Happy Marawi Siege Day

Happy Marawi Siege day everyone!  Let's eat some cake and celebrate.

Mmm doesn't that look delicious? The good folks at Goldilocks sure do know how to bake a cake and properly decorate it. That chocolate icing is very thick. Let's dig in.

Now maybe you are asking what is so Happy about Marawi Siege Day? It was a day of woe and lamentation of blood and bodies, of gunpowder and smoke, a song of fire and ice. True enough the shrieks of the dying and the burst of machine guns were heard throughout the city and people ran away in terror not knowing what was happening. Of course some stuck it out for a few days because they didn't take it seriously because they were accustomed to hearing the gunshots of rido and thus had no idea that war had come to town.

What makes Marawi Siege Day a Happy Day, a day that will live in the complete opposite of infamy, is that it marks a new beginning and new beginnings are always worth celebrating. First of all take the city and her people. Marawi was destroyed and the people fled to refugee camps where they lived and some still live, in tents for months. If you want to know what your life is made of and what is really important the hardship of having to flee everything couldn't possibly be a better teacher. One Marawi refugee said, “We have nothing left except my children. They are my only priceless possession.” Having had to divest themselves of everything all those refugees now know what is most important in life. It will be a lesson not soon forgotten.

With the city completely destroyed a new one will rise out of its ashes. A city built by Chinese contractors using only the best Chinese technology and latest Chinese designs. Maranaos need not worry about submitting designs or plans to rebuild their city. They have been through enough. It's better to let foreigners do all the heavy lifting and thinking. Sure there has been some delay because the companies chosen did not have the proper permits despite having begun clearing operations but good things come to those who wait. The longer the refugees of Marawi wait for their homes to be rebuilt the better those homes will be. If it had not been for the siege those refugees would still be living in the same homes they had been living in for generations. Now there are better, more modern homes to come just around the corner. By 2022 for sure.

How about the brave men and women who fought in the Battle of Marawi? Both sides fought valiantly. The Maute group to establish a caliphate in the city and the AFP to take back what Maute had stolen. During this fight the AFP experienced their very own new beginning by having to relearn urban warfare which they stopped training for sometime prior to the siege. If it had not been for the siege the AFP would have remained without the skill set required for urban warfare. Now not only are they trained in theory but in actual practice. The Philippine Military Academy has even began offering a new course inspired by the Marawi siege, the  Bachelor of Science in National Security Management and they are also "integrating urban warfare training in the curriculum to make future [military operations] successful." If anyone dares lay siege to a city again the AFP will be quick on their toes to cast them out.

Maute didn't exactly experience a new beginning due to the Marawi siege. They basically ended. But ISIS has had somewhat of a new blossoming in the Philippines precisely because the actions of Maute showed just what is possible when a happy few, a band of brothers work together towards a common goal. Jihadis from Europe and Middle East are not flocking in droves to the Philippines just yet but they are coming to Mindanao one by one. Even former AFP Chief Galvez stated, "The greatest threat we have now is really ISIS." That is a testament to resiliency.

Don't forget about the people of Mindanao. The whole of Mindanao. In his infinite wisdom President Duterte declared martial law over the entire island and not just the area of battle. For two years now Mindanao has been under martial law. The result has been very happy. Crime is down and tourism and investments are up. Even economic development was spurred on by the imposition of martial law. The people love martial law and rightfully so. Without it Mindanao would still be a violence plagued island full of terrorism, rido, kidnapping, and which many foreign governments warn their citizens to avoid completely.

I see your plate is empty. Please, have another slice of cake. So good.

Duterte also benefited greatly from the Marawi siege. For months since before he was even a candidate for President he had been mulling over declaring martial law if he in fact ever became president. Then with the attack in Butig in November 2017 he told DND Secretary Lorenzana to prepare for a future declaration of martial law. Without the Marawi siege Duterte would never have had that opportunity. And as noted above without that declaration peace would not have come to Mindanao. It would still be a land plunged into chaos.

The Marawi siege also gave Duterte a chance to put his China first policy into action. What better way to say "F-you America," than to take all the free weapons and intel offered by the US Army and yet publicly declare not only disdain for the US military by denying he sought their help but also that the Chinese and Russians lended help at the most crucial moment of the siege? Even going so far as to say that a Chinese made weapon fired the shot which killed Isnilon Hapilon. What better way to snub the Americans than to sign the EDCA and take in billions in free money for the Marawi rehabilitation but hand the job of rebuilding to the Chinese even as China continues to encroach on Philippine territory in the WPS? If there is one thing Duterte is good at it is sleight of hand. The whole nation has watched him pull a Chinese rabbit out of his hat but no one saw him deftly pull Operation Pacific Eagle out of his sleeve.

There is one person you may not realise to whom the Marawi siege and the subsequent declaration of marital law has been good. That would be me.

Yes the Marawi siege has been a happy event to me as well as to Duterte and the people of Marawi and Mindanao. Every week since the beginning of the siege I have written a martial law update on this blog. Taking the most important and sometimes least noticed stories of the week I have expertly crafted them into easy to follow narratives. During the siege each column was about the progress that AFP had made that week. After the siege there has been time for reflection and looking back into the causes of the Muslim insurrection, the rise of ISIS, the ARMM, the CPP-NPA, and a host of other issues relevant to the broader war on terrorism in the Philippines. I have learned quite a lot about Mindanao and her MILFs and MNLFs since beginning to write about them each week. I don't want to brag but I think I just might be an expert on the MILFs by now.

Out of the martial law column I write each week has been borne what I think is my best article on the whole blog. Best because of it's importance and the time I put into it. That would be "Intelligence Failures and Prior Knowledge of the Marawi Siege." The article is basically a transcript of a video I made. A video which took a month to compile and edit and make all nice and neat. The video tells the story of a tiny island nation whose military and defence department is aware of an impending terrorist attack. The President is also aware of this attack. But no one does anything to stop it. Not only that but foreign intelligence agencies attempted to warn this nation of the same attacks but the tiny island nation ignored them completely. Meanwhile in the city which was about to be attacked many of the residents knew that terrorists were stockpiling weapons but they were sure they would be spared because they shared the same religion as the terrorists. I don't want to give too much away but suffice it to say the video is about the Philippines and how the Duterte administration knew in advance about the Marawi siege and did nothing to stop it. Give it a watch if you haven't.

The information in that video is truly a bombshell.  Duterte, Abella, Lorenzana, Calida, and Bato all admit prior knowledge of the attack. Lorenzana claims the DND had a man inside the Maute Group. He also admits that they ignored foreign intel reports. Duterte blames the Maranos as being in cahoots with the terrorists and the Maranaos admit to Presidential Peace adviser Dureza that they did in fact know terrorists were stockpiling weapons but thought they would be spared because they too are Muslims. Former ARMM Assemblyman Adiong admits that everyone in Marawi knew about Maute and their ISIS connections.

Those are bombshell revelations that should be prompting the Senate and professional investigative journalists to investigate what happened in the lead up to Marawi. Sadly nobody cares. And I should know. I see how many views that video and the accompanying article get.  I see the responses I receive when I post those links on Twitter. Nobody cares. Not the people, journalists, investigative reporters, pundits, bloggers, or politicians. Nobody!

I have to ask myself are Filipino journalists so air headed and stupid that they would ignore this report I have put together and sent to them on multiple occasions? Are they too busy trying to pry open Duterte's bank accounts and verifying fake videos of drug allegations and crying over enemies lists to see what is right in front of their faces? Are they too stupid to realise that the things I have compiled together they have reported on yet they completely memory-holed them? Is the Senate too dumb to realise finding out just what happened that allowed the siege to occur despite the AFP having prior knowledge of the event is an important matter of national security?

If George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld and Cheney and Powell and Rice and all those people said they knew the 9/11 attacks were coming and that they ignored foreign intel reports about these same attacks and that there were intelligence failures which allowed the attacks to happen and that they even had men inside the group which carried out the attacks and airline employees admitted they knew the attacks were being planned but said nothing do you not think the Americans would have been calling for their blood? Would not "Bush Administration Knew About 9/11 Attacks in Advance" have been the headlines 24/7? I am not talking about crazy conspiracy theories I am talking about the very words of Duterte, Lorenzana, Calida, and Bato in which they plainly declare they knew about the attacks in advance and intentionally ignored all warnings and intelligence!! How is that not news worthy or worthy of a Senate investigation?? The Senate should have initiated an investigation as a matter of course once the siege ended!!

What the hell is wrong with these people!??

Wow. I should stop. Where is the happiness now? I said this was Happy Marawi Siege Day and now I'm all worked up about people not reading the blog of an unknown anonymous person because it is telling them something important like the Duterte administration is 100% complicit in what happened to Marawi and offering indisputable proof. I need to step back and take a break and calm down.

How about another slice of cake?

Have a Happy Marawi Siege Day and never forget what the Freemasons, such as DND Secretary Lorenzana, say: "Ordo ab Chao" and "Lux e Tenebris."  Order out of Chaos and Light out of Darkness. Surely a new and greater Marawi will be born out of the Chaos and Darkness of the old one.