Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Happy Holyween

Happy Holyween!

You may not know that Halloween is really Hallow e'en or hallow evening, the next day, Novemeber 1, being All Saints day. On November 1 Filipinos all over the country make a pilgrimage to the graveyard to worship their familial dead and the dead saints of the Church.  So don't make a mockery of this blessed day by dressing up as a witch or a devil or a sexy nurse. Say your prayers to the dead and go visit your familial plot in the graveyard.

Happy Holyween

And don't forget to prepare for the heat and long lines of cemetery goers.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/941667/doh-to-cemetery-goers-bring-water-sunblock

Are they going to the beach or to the boneyard?

Martial Law: The New Land of Jihad

Now that the Marawi siege is over there remain two pressing concerns: 1. the continuing threat of terrorism and 2. the rebuilding of the city which includes restoring not just the architecture but also all the displaced residents. Previously Duterte had indicated that he might lift martial law anytime "soon after the military was done with its clearing operations in war-torn Marawi City." That is not going to happen.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/26/1752615/esperon-martial-law-extension-needed-if-threat-prevails
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/25/1752195/terror-threat-remains
Of course the defeat of Maute in the Battle of Marawi is not the end of terrorism in the Philippines or in Southeast Asia.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/161107/marawi-siege-ended-not-islamist-militancy-analyst
Dinampo said the pronouncement that Marawi City had been freed and liberated from the clutches of terrorism “is far from the truth”. 
“It is just a matter of time under a new leadership when this same cause will be repeated,” he said, referring to IS leaders who were killed on the battlefield of Marawi City – including the Maute brothers, IS “emir” for South-East Asia Isnilon Hapilon and Dr Mahmud.
Just a matter of time? Maute was one of the smaller Islamic militant groups in Mindanao. MILF and MNLF have thousands of members and they have made it clear that if progress is not made on the BBL soon they will be forced to rise up. Who knows where the next attack will come from? Could be from some unknown group training deep in the jungle right this second.
http://newyorktimes.inquirer.net/197/spreads-influence-remote-villages/
Rommel Banlaoi, a security analyst who heads the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said that other southern cities were at increased risk of attack by energized IS loyalists. 
“They have won the battle strategically, as they have proven how long they can endure the fight against government forces,” Banlaoi said, adding that the Marawi battle will stand as an example of “martyrdom that can inspire others.” 
After the spectacle of the Marawi siege, more foreign fighters will be attuned to the fight in Mindanao, where past government efforts had aimed at ousting Muslims in favor of the Christian majority. 
Mindanao will continue to suffer the challenges of armed conflicts and violence because of many issues associated with the struggle of the people there for self-determination” being advocated by the Muslim forces, Banlaoi said. “It has simply become the new land of jihad.”
The new land of jihad?  Now there's a tourism slogan for you.


Faced with the very real threat of more terrorism from unknown elements the Philippines must ask hard questions. What will it take to really bring an end to the decades of guerrilla warfare and terrorism? More training?  More weapons?  More soldiers?

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/631030/duterte-orders-afp-to-recruit-10-new-battalions-to-crush-militants/story/
"We were instructed to organise ten additional battalions," Guerrero told reporters after Duterte installed him to head the 130,000-strong armed forces. 
One battalion comprises about 500 soldiers. 
"We really intend to put pressure and sustain effort to be able to finish all of them and complete the resolution of armed conflict in the country." 
The Philippines has been waging protracted guerrilla warfare for nearly 50 years against Maoist rebels and Muslim separatists that has killed more than 160,000 people, displaced two million and stunted growth in resource-rich rural areas.
That's an extra 5,000 soldiers. All those men will be worthless without being properly trained and equipped for the battle. Enter the Americans and the Australians who have both pledged to train the AFP in urban warfare.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/24/1752010/australian-forces-train-filipino-troops-urban-warfare
There will be more battles to come. When will the Philippine government realise it must adopt a zero tolerance policy towards the various militant groups? Mollycoddling them with promises of their own Islamic State (the BBL) instead of stamping them out will only prolong the bloodshed. There can be no peace with the soldiers of Allah.

There can also be no peace with traitors which is why Duterte's order to destroy all recovered Maute weapons is baffling.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/940818/duterte-to-new-afp-chief-destroy-firearms-seized-from-terrorists
Sought for clarification on Duterte’s order, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the President was referring to the destruction of the around 1,000 seized firearms in Marawi City and all other arms recovered from the enemies.
“Kung hindi naman natin kailangan, bakit natin itatago? Kung minsan itatago mo iyan sa armory mo, kung minsan nawawala eh and it goes back to the street to be used by criminals. Sirain na lang natin,” Lorenzana told reporters. 
(If we don’t need it, why would we keep it? Sometimes when you hide them in the armory, it disappears and it goes back to the streets to be used by criminals. Let’s just destroy them.) 
Those weapons are evidence of a crime that even Lorenzana recognises. Someone has been giving the Maute AFP issued weapons. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/930750/militants-fighting-in-marawi-using-govt-owned-guns-says-army-exec

At the very least the serial numbers of all these weapons must be recorded and traced and the source found out.  There should be no quarter for traitors in the AFP whoever they may be.

All the while the threat of terrorism remains the government and the displaced residents of Marawi will try to do all they can to restore a sense of normalcy to the city.  How long will that take?
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/27/1753057/lorenzana-normalcy-marawi-2-months
“Normalcy siguro couple of months, weeks pa dahil kini-clear pa nila yung mga unexploded ordnance tapos chine-check pa nila kung meron pang mga butas-butas, kung may mga tao pa dyan,” the defense chief said.
A few months?  The city is in ruins, lives are ruined, the whole apparatus has to be built from scratch, there are estimates that rebuilding could take 50 years, and Lorenzana says there could be a return to normalcy in just a few months?? 
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/10/24/marawi-city-marawi-crisis-rehabilitation.html
Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra said about one-third of the entire city was physically affected by the firefights. However, the entire city population, including about 360,000 internally displaced people, are in need of physical, emotional, and financial help. 
"Wala pa talagang concrete plan (We don't have a concrete plan yet), but a few days ago, we submitted the Task Force Bangon Marawi the consolidated masterplan," Gandamra told CNN Philippines' News Night
He said the masterplan is still subject to changes from urban planning and engineering experts, and will include other towns near Marawi that have been affected by the crisis. 
The mayor said while the rehabilitation proper has yet to begin, they are already building 1,100 transitional homes in Barangay Sagonsongan for the first batch of evacuees, to help decongest the evacuation centres. 
Urban planner and renowned architect Jun Palafox earlier told CNN Philippines it may take up to 50 years to rebuild Marawi because of the extent of the damage. 
Normalcy in Marawi means gangsterism, rido killings, criminality, and shots ringing out constantly. Who wants a return to the status quo? Things must be different if peace is to really descend upon Marawi.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/940944/moro-group-wants-jobs-housing-for-marawi-folk
Jobs and housing? What jobs? The specialised construction jobs that will be required to rebuild the city? What housing? The government has already pledged to build temporary housing for all the refugees. It's hard to sympathise with these people who want to blame the government for destroying Marawi when it was they who allowed Maute to build up a presence in the city.

Jobs or not the refugees are beginning the exodus from exile.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/29/1753644/marawi-evacuees-start-returning-home
The Western Mindanao Command and the Police Regional Office-ARMM have allowed the return of evacuees to areas already inspected by bomb disposal teams.

Bomb experts are still deactivating improvised explosive devices and collecting unexploded ordnance, such as mortar projectiles and artillery rounds, scattered in some still critical areas.

“We cannot compromise the safety of the returning evacuees. We have to protect them from possible accidents,” Lt. General Carlito Galvez, Jr., commander of WestMinCom, told The STAR via mobile phone on Sunday.
Even as the AFP clears all the barangays in the city unexploded ordnance and IEDs might be a problem for a while in Marawi.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/29/1753523/more-2000-bombs-ieds-recovered-marawi
Be it ever so riddled with bullet holes or looted of all it's possessions, there's no place like home.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/631277/marawi-residents-happy-to-return-even-to-looted-homes/story/

Monday, October 30, 2017

9 classic Philippine Fails

Philippinefails Presents:

9 Classic Philippine Fails

1. Burning garbage
2. Using fire to cut the grass
3. Loud all night fiestas
4. Loud Church Bells at 5:30am
5. Karaoke. EVERYWHERE!
6. Traffic chaos
7. Litter everywhere
8. Disregard for safety
9. Mistreatment of dogs




Martial law and federalism won't fix this!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

A Very Loud Fiesta

Filipinos often boast that the Philippines can be like Singapore. What a joke. The Philippines will NEVER be like Singapore. Things holding back the Philippines from becoming like Singapore include not only the high murder rate, 36 a day, but also quality of life issues like burning trash, roaming dogs, and most importantly of all the Filipino penchant for loud noise. In Singapore you will never hear an all night party with the bass so loud you cannot sleep.  It just won't happen.  But in the Philippines it happens all the time.  

If you think the Philippines is a lovely and quiet place to live or retire think again.  It is not. It is very, very, very noisy.



Saturday, October 28, 2017

Retards in the Government 17

It's story time in this edition of Retards in the Government. Stories of murder and corruption. Same old story.  The story of politics in the Philippines.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/26/1752857/palace-defends-obscene-remarks-andanar-panelo
Asked if the jokes of Andanar and Panelo were acceptable, Abella said: “Well, I suppose the levels of acceptance differ. And, you know, the cultural landscape continues to evolve… So if you’re asking what is acceptable, then you know, it all depends on what kinds of standards you’re asking.”
How hard is it to say they do not condone such antics? Toleration of obscenity by government officials speaking publicly and as representatives of the Philippines is madness. Why would the administration condone officials presenting this kind of image of the Philippines while abroad?

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/27/bislig-mayor-considered-person-of-interest-in-journalists-death/
Radio journalist Christopher Lozada filed a grave misconduct complaint against the mayor of Bisilig. The ombudsman investigated and judged that misconduct occurred and ordered the dismissal of the mayor and several others. Lozada claims the disgraced mayor sent him death threats and now Lozada is dead with the ex-mayor being a prime suspect.
"On October 24, PTFoMS sent a strongly-worded letter to Navarro, warning him 'to desist from threatening Christopher Lozada' and stating, 'in case any untoward incident happens to him, we will include you (the mayor) as possible perpetrator of the same.' Sadly, Lozada was killed even before the letter-warning could reach the mayor," the task force said.
Blaming the slow postal service for a man's murder is a new one. Perhaps now there will be some reform within the postal system.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/10/27/1752984/ex-la-union-rep-faces-third-batch-pork-raps
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/10/27/1752792/bataan-town-mayor-suspended
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/10/27/1752790/iloilo-exec-dismissed-over-fertilizer-scam

https://www.rappler.com/nation/186518-philippine-police-ano-dela-rosa-scalawags-internal-cleansing
Corupt policemen are nothing new. What is new is that Duterte has put former AFP Chief Año in charge of rooting out scallywags within the ranks of the PNP. Does Bato not have the will or influence to make these scurvy dogs walk the plank? The fact that they have to address the problem of corruption within the ranks of the PNP in this very public way shows that corruption runs deep.  But everybody already knows that.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/186509-puerto-princesa-government-return-vehicles-detained-vice-mayor-luis-marcaida
How is this guy still performing his functions as Vice Mayor while behind bars?  What is the acting Vice Mayor doing if he is still able to perform his functions? How does he have staff working for him? Shouldn't they be working for the acting Vice Mayor? It doesn't make any sense. More ordinary corruption amongst government officials.

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/10/27/Presidential-Spokesperson-Abella-Pia-Ranada-Lourd-De-Veyra.html
The Office of the Presidential Spokesperson claims the following:
"The Office of the Presidential Spokesperson said the comment was posted by a former page administrator who is no longer connected with the office," the statement said.  
"The said comment does not reflect the official and personal views of the Presidential Spokesperson or his office on the individuals being referred to," it said, adding that the administrator's access to the page "was immediately removed."
What's the big deal?  If they can defend the obscenities of Panelo and Andanar why do they condemn this Facebook post?

Time for another story!

https://www.rappler.com/nation/184838-drilon-doj-2018-budget-plunder-jack-lam-bribery
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/27/1753000/ombudsman-indicts-ex-immigration-execs-plunder
Two ex-BI officials, Argosino and Robles, are accused of extorting 50 million pesos from a Chinese businessman in order to overlook 1,316 illegal Chinese workers.  These two men were appointed by Duterte at the recommendation of Aguirre. All four men, Duterte, Aguirre, Argosino, and Robles all happen to be fraternity bothers. Now it just so happens that when the 50 million was counted there was only 49,999,000 pesos which is 1,000 pesos shy of being eligible for a plunder charge. The Ombudsman was not having any of it and recommended the plunder charges anyway.

The moral of the story is that Filipinos value loyalty above all no matter what. The recent hazing death of a UST fraternity pledge and he subsequent cover up is a testimony to how tight lipped and protective of their own these groups can be. Loyalty is rewarded. Utang na loob. It is fairly obvious that Duterte is attempting to protect his fraternity brothers despite being forced to fire them for such obvious corruption. This is case that runs deep and could potentially implicate even Duterte. No wonder they want to impeach Ombudsman Morales. They need someone who will play ball.  Not someone who will expose their crimes.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Retards in the Government 16

A lot of the same faces show up in this edition of "Retards in the Government" but also a few new faces. Trillanes and Sara Duterte are back as well as Cayetano.  But Iloilo Mayor Jed Mabilog and his cousin Sen. Franklin Drilon make their debuts.  It turns out Duterte is not paranoid enough about the CIA and his Chief Legal Counsel makes the worst joke ever in the history of jokes.


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/940250/rep-roque-girl-power-rules-in-poll-chief-oust-move-comelec-bautista-harry-roque
“Pinakita lang kung gaano ka-makapangyarihan ang mga kababaihan sa ating bayan (This goes to show how powerful women are in our society),” Roque said in the press conference.
This is classic feminism.  An appeal to the sex as the arbiter of all disputes.  What about the law?  I am the law! That's what she said.
Sara Duterte is such a unifying force in Philippine politics. Look at how she unties all the parts of her mouth to utter verbal assaults against Sen. Trillanes.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/25/17/not-just-the-eu-cayetano-says-ph-to-reject-conditional-aid-from-all-countries
This whole nonsense about rejecting conditional aid is just that. Nonsense!  For one they never define or give concrete examples of any aid which has come with conditions. Telling the Philippines to please stop killing drug suspects before they are killed is hardly a condition or an infringing upon sovereignty. Any so-called conditional aid would be tantamount to bribery and therefore not really aid. Secondly Cayetano indicates that governments can still give aid through NGO's like the Red Cross. So really aid is being redirected and not rejected. If this is the case then why bother giving the government millions of pesos, pounds, euros, and dollars in aid?  Why not cut out the middle man and give directly to the NGO's?

https://www.rappler.com/nation/182998-duterte-wiretapping-narcopoliticians-jed-mabilog-reynaldo-parojinog
Duterte claims he (illegally??) wiretapped alleged narcopoliticians and drug lords and then he claims he never ordered EJKs and that such a claim demonises him. All the while he is on record over and over again encouraging both the PNP and the general public to kill drug users and dealers. Was he speaking in hyperbole? The piles of dead bodies testify against him.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2017/10/26/iloilo-city-mayor-dismissed-serious-dishonesty-571458
One is tempted to sympathise with Mayor Mabilog since Duterte has claimed he illegally wiretapped him, and threatened his family by calling for his EJK but it turns out in the end he really is just another typically corrupt Filipino politician. 
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/10/26/1752721/bohol-governor-5-others-told-return-p2.437-m-spent-personalized-calendars
Is it 2.437 million pesos on calendars? Or is it 2.437 million pesos on "calendars?"
But if they abandoned secrecy the public will know about all the corruption.  Can't have that.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/630950/cia-not-behind-destab-plots-vs-duterte-gov-t-us-envoy/story/
If Duterte's cause and methods are so righteous why is he paranoid that everyone is out to get him?  And even if they are out to get him it's not like the CIA would really admit it. But let's say they were out to get him.  Would they really use Trillanes?  A man everyone knows?  Of course not. If Duterte really does think the CIA is out to kill him then he is not paranoid enough! Any Filipino Lee Harvey Oswald or Sirhan Sirhan will be asleep until they need him.
http://www.interaksyon.com/you-didnt-get-the-joke-in-swiss-radio-interview-panelo-says-i-fuck-my-clothes-like-an-18-year-old-because-i-travel-a-lot/
This crazy old man is Duterte's Chief Legal Counsel.  'Nuff said!  Read through this link and see if you get the punchline to this bizarre joke.  I bet people only laugh when he says it not because it's funny but because it is incredibly stupid, inappropriate, and just out of politeness to this old man. They key to the joke is the "P" in pack is pronounced as an "F." That does not make it any more understandable.