Sunday, February 25, 2018

Drop the Soap

One of the most popular home businesses in the Philippines is selling overpriced and overhyped soaps which allegedly whiten the skin and deep cleanse your pores and generally make you much cleaner than a regular bar of soap. Business is all usually word of mouth or maybe a Facebook post showing your products. Many of these soaps seem to originate in Thailand.

 I was at a lady's house and she had a huge box of soaps on her table.


A rather colourful albeit boring box of soaps. I have seen too many like it to care. But then she brought out something amazing.



What's so amazing about these two products she is selling? The fact they are tainted with mercury and banned by the FDA.
Cosmetic Advisories

FDA Advisory No. 2017-289 || Public Health Warning Against the Use of Unnotified Cosmetic Products Found to Contain Toxic Mercury (Hg) Levels (Batch 2) 
FDA Advisory No. 2017-289  
Public Health Warning Against the Use of Unnotified Cosmetic Products Found to Contain Toxic Mercury (Hg) Levels (Batch 2) 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises the public against the purchase and use of the following cosmetic products which tested and found to contain toxic mercury (Hg) levels beyond the 1 ppm (parts per million) limit set by the FDA, and as published in the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (refer to the attached annex for the product particulars/details):

1. RENOW-D NEW FACIAL CREAM FORMULA-ONE

2. GOREE® DAY & NIGHT WHITENING CREAM OIL FREE

3. GOREE® BEAUTY CREAM WITH LYCOPENE WITH SPF 30 AVOCADO & ALOEVERA
http://www.fda.gov.ph/advisories-2/cosmetic-2/472052-fda-advisory-no-2017-289
The soap is not on this list but who would buy it when the same company has mercury in its other products? Plus the cream and the soap go hand in hand. Its a full treatment. 

There have been pictures circulating Facebook showing the harm done from using this soap but this lady told me she has been using the product since September and she has had no side effects. The following is a Facebook testimonial about Goree whitening soap and its harmful side effects.

https://www.facebook.com/kzee.aba/posts/1583747541701250
This warning is ultimately unhelpful and ridiculous because instead of showing us the effects of the product on her nose she posts a picture of some old man's nose!


She also shows how much she really cares about her customers and her friends by starting off like this:
This is the reason why I had to stop selling GOREE CREAM month agoBesides nga officially banned na sya sa FDA, kami sakong bana personally naka experienced sa scary results.
The reason the FDA banned this product is because of its dangerous contents which is the cause of all those scary results. She knew the FDA banned this product and kept using it and was willing to keep using it if there had been no scary results. And you know this is typical.  The lady I saw today selling this soap said the FDA warnings are just black propaganda.

http://www.interaksyon.com/ecowaste-says-retailers-continue-to-sell-mercury-laden-beauty-products-in-manila/
Dizon cited, as an example, Goree Beauty Cream utterly false claim of “no side-effects” as indicated on the label although its mercury content was 25,300 times the permissible limit. On the contrary, using this product may cause serious side-effects, Dizon emphasized. The FDA last October 2017 banned two variants of Goree skin creams from Pakistan due to their mercury content.
25,300 times the permissible limit!  I am very curious how this product is made because such a dangerous level of mercury would mean everyone in the factory is wearing a spacesuit or is dead. Only one way to find out more about the company. Use their webpage.


Guess what?


There is nothing there. And there has likely been nothing there since the page was first registered in 2015 as there are 20 screen captures but no content in the web archive. That is fishy. To register a website and never create any content.  Why?

This soap is bad news and anyone selling it will have their hands dirty from poisoning their customers. They won't be able to wash out the damned spot! It's best to drop this soap altogether.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

"No Filipino Consciousness"

Here is a story that fulfils every stereotype about Filipinos you can think of. Many of them anyway. 
http://usa.inquirer.net/10419/first-fil-federal-judge-lorna-schofield-no-filipino-consciousness-growing
Born in Indiana, Schofield traced her roots to New Haven’s blue collar community. Her father left the family when she was 3. Her mother, Priscilla Tiangco, a pharmacist from Batangas who graduated from UP, raised her as a single parent. 
“I didn’t have much of an Asian identity,” she said. “The people of Indiana overlooked the fact that I was different…that my mother spoke with an accent.” 
Schofield conceded being raised an all-American girl. No speaking Tagalog at home, and eating potatoes while her mother ate rice. Hence, she acknowledged no real Filipino consciousness developed as she was growing up. She did not feel like a minority. 
“I have a theory,” she said on why her mother raised her the way she did. “She was in college during the war. I read her transcript, and one of her years in college was interrupted. When the Americans came, she saw them as liberators and heroes. Since then, she wanted to become American, marry an American and have American children.” Her mother died when Schofield was 20.
Here we have a second generation Filipino-American who grew up far from the culture of the Philippines. She is not even a Fil-Am. She is an American. That is where she was born and that is the land she knows.  

Her mother purposefully raised her in a way that she would have no "Filipino consciousness" because she recognised the superiority of Americans and American culture. They were heroes and liberators. As a result of this upbringing we see that Schofield is now a very successful woman. 

But here is the rest of the story.
As it was in Indiana, many in the profession were not aware she was Asian. She recalled a conversation with a colleague right after she became a partner, when she said the firm had another minority partner. The colleague asked, “Who?” That anecdote elicited soft laughter. 
When Senator Charles Schumer recommended her, and later President Obama nominated her, to the position of Article III Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, Schofield reached out to the Filipino community for support. Diversity was important to the process; it was to Senator Schumer and to President Obama, she said.
She didn’t know any Filipino organizations, but the community, such as lawyers’ groups, also reached out to her and welcomed her warmly. In the past year and a half, she has become visible, speaking at clubs and marching in the June 2 Philippine Independence Day Parade on Madison Avenue. 
“After my mother died I had no contact with Filipinos,” she said, her contact limited to her mother’s sister in Manila, until she too died a few years later. 
On December 14, 2012, her historic confirmation as the first Filipino American federal judge in American history was announced. In congratulating her, the Asian American Bar Association of New York described Schofield as “a highly qualified jurist” whose life story is the “epitome of the American Dream.” 
Schofield is now discovering, perhaps for the first time, her Filipino identity. After receiving the support of Filipino organizations in the confirmation process, she pledged to try to give back to the Filipino community whenever asked, of course within the considerable ethical constraints placed on federal judges. 
This lady was fully immersed and adrift in American society and culture. Her own colleagues did not even know she was Filipino. It took Obama and Schumer to reduce her to her Filipino heritage as "diversity was important to the process" of promoting her through the federal justice system. Is that really all they saw in her? A triple threat of: woman, minority, and qualified?

She says she reached out to the Filipino community for support after she was nominated but after her mother died she had no contact with Filipinos and so she knew no Filipino organisations. However the Filipino community found out about her and reached out to her. The Asian American Bar Association of New York congratulated Schofield, a woman who says she never had much of an Asian identity, for being a great Asian American who epitomises the American Dream.

In the last paragraph we read the most interesting piece of all. 
she pledged to try to give back to the Filipino community whenever asked, of course within the considerable ethical constraints placed on federal judges. 
What has happened here is the Filipino community has latched onto this woman like barnacles on a whale and are likely attempting to culturally blackmail and shame her into give theming legal assistance. And her response is she will give back so long as it is within the bounds of the ethical constrains on her position!

If this lady had been born and raised in the Philippines, been baptised in Filipino culture, she would have tasted and eaten the corrupt fruits of Philippine politics and would be as corrupt and unethical as anyone else. It would be second nature to her because that is the legal and political culture in this country.

What this story showcases and confirms is that it is Filipino culture which is the problem and not Filipinos themselves. With Filipino blood coursing through her veins this lady grew up unaware of and not indulging in that identity and not even caring about it. It also shows us the nasty side of identity politics and hyphenated Americans. Why should she try to help them simply because of her genetics?

She is an American. She belongs to America. But the Asians and the Filipinos want to bask in her glory even though they had no part in her making. There is nothing for her to give back because she never took anything from the Filipino community or Philippine culture except for her genetics. 

Yet the headline blares that she is a "Fil-Am" when she is no such thing at all. It's Fake news!

Retards in the Government Special Edition: Illegal Gambling

Originally the following was in part 37 of Retards in the Government but the more I researched the more it grew. I decided this needed its own blog entry so here it is.

It all started with this innocent story from the safest province in the Philippines, Mindanao.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2018/02/19/pacleb-tells-public-report-cops-behind-illegal-gambling-589807
Why would cops be involved in illegal gambling when their pay has now been raised? Makes no sense. Fake news obviously. Also in the Philippines "Snitches get Stitches." Actually they end up dead but you know what I mean.
https://beta.philstar.com/nation/2018/02/20/1789520/2-manila-police-district-cops-axed-over-15-30-racket
Two Manila Police District (MPD) police officers were relieved yesterday as the campaign against “15-30” police officers went full blast. 
Albayalde warned other officials coddling “15-30” police officers he would throw the book at them if they continue with the racket, which involves police officers who report only to collect their salary on the 15th and the end of the month. 
Albayalde said their investigation would not end with police officials working or travelling abroad as it would also cover those moonlighting as gambling lords and casino financiers. 
Albayalde directed Senior Superintendent Eleazar Matta, NCRPO’s intelligence chief, to identify the gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks so they would be punished under the existing rules and regulations of the Philippine National Police.
What a great little scam. Pay your superiors to not mark you absent and only show up twice a month to collect your check! And apparently this is a widespread scam! Why would Albayalde threaten to throw the book IF they continue? Why not find out who is doing it and throw the book at them now?

Is the PNP really admitting the existence of gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks!? Oh my! That reminds me of something:

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/641660/bato-fund-received-by-pnp-from-stl-not-bribe-money-used-in-anti-gambling-drive/story/
The STL is a legitimate operation run by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), but has been alleged as being a front for the illegal numbers game jueteng.
With the PNP admitting there are gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks it goes without saying that the funds received from the STL are likely tainted. Something stinks. Let's dig a little deeper to find the source of the smell.

From February 2017:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/871211/pnp-readies-for-war-vs-gambling-lords
“The Philippine National Police continue to hit hard on all forms of illegal gambling,” Dela Rosa said.
Continue to hit hard, eh?

From July 2017:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/617826/pcso-head-finds-pnp-s-war-on-jueteng-disappointing/story/
“I am disappointed and dismayed by their performance,” Balutan said. 
The PNP has reportedly received P154 million from the PCSO since the MOA was signed. 
Balutan, a retired Marine general, said they received reports of police officials receiving payolas from gambling lords in spite of Executive Order 13. 
“We sincerely tried to involve them in what we believe will serve the people. Instead, they have chosen to serve crime lords,” Balutan said.
In January 2017 the PNP and the PCSO signed an MOA decreeing that 2.5% of earrings in the STL go directly to the PNP. In only 5 months the PNP raked in 154 million pesos! That means the PCSO raked in 6.1 billion pesos from the STL in only 5 months!! The PNP could be bringing in as much as 450 million pesos a year! This money was supposed to be spent on anti-illegal gambling operations but Balutan claimed the PNP didn't exactly "continue to hit hard on all forms of illegal gambling" as Bato said in February. Balutan alleged the PNP had been receiving payola from gambling lords and had "chosen to serve crime lords!"

A few weeks after this report the PCSO called the PNP's action in fighting illegal gambling "anaemic" and threatened to cut their funding.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/915751/pcso-to-cut-funding-to-pnp-for-anemic-action-on-jueteng
Balutan announced plans to cut its funding to PNP because of the latter’s questionable focus on arresting small fry in the illegal numbers game rather than the big fish in Bicol region and Central Luzon.
Could these big fish be the crime lords Balutan alleges the PNP is serving?

Just a few weeks ago on February 5th, 2018 Balutan was singing a different tune:
http://www.interaksyon.com/no-bribery-all-funds-pnp-gets-as-stl-revenue-share-aboveboard-pcso-gm-balutan/
All the funds received by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as monthly revenue shares from the Small Town Lottery (STL) are aboveboard and accounted for, and there is definitely no bribery involved, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan said Monday.
Now are we really going to believe the PNP shaped up and improved their performance in the war against illegal gambling in the latter half of 2017 and that there have been no more, absolutely zero, bribes being taken by any PNP officers when the PNP admits the existence of gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks? Can you imagine if the curtain were to come off this operation? I smell more than a "whiff of corruption."

https://www.rappler.com/nation/137279-duterte-government-employees-corruption
And you know what? It was only a week after Balutan's glowing testimony about the PNP and STL funds that he was cleared by Duterte for the PCSO's lavish Christmas party!
Did Duterte investigate this Christmas party? Did he take look at all the expenditures? Obviously not. There was no investigation. If anyone had done an investigation it would have been the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman never said she was investigating the PCSO. The Senate also never launched an investigation though there were hearings that touched on the issue. It was at these hearings where Balutan testified that all STL monies flowing into the coffers of the PNP are aboveboard. Even though Duterte has cleared Balutan Sen. Lacson seems to think it's not over yet.

https://twitter.com/iampinglacson/status/963228726472273920

Duterte previously declared the PCSO to be the most corrupt government agency with the STL being the cause of the corruption.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/817387/duterte-mulls-abolition-of-most-corrupt-govt-agency-pcso
Speaking before local officials in Davao City, Mr. Duterte said the PCSO’s small-town lottery operation had been used for the illegal numbers game “jueteng.” 
Not all of the earnings were turned over to the government and were instead pocketed, he said. The government lost millions of pesos a day, he added. 
This was why, Mr. Duterte said, he had ordered officials to see if corruption in the agency could be licked. 
“I told them, you make a study. If I’m not satisfied that it can really prevent corruption, I will recommend the abolition of the PCSO,” he said.
Sandra Cam has alleged that only 14 of 84 STLs are operating legally.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/12/12/only-14stls-are-operating-legally-says-jueteng-whistle-blower/
How she knows this and whether it is true I have no idea. But it could very well be true since she does have experience with and contacts in the jueteng racket.

So we've got the PNP receiving hundreds of millions from the PCSO STL which Duterte already declared to be corrupt.  We've got the Director of the PCSO alleging the PNP is serving crime lords and the PNP confirming the existence of gambling lords in their midst. Next we have the appointment of Sandra Cam to the PCSO in December who almost immediately alleges that the PCSO threw a lavish Christmas party. Now only a few weeks ago Balutan changes his assessment of the PNP and says all money coming from the STL is aboveboard. Shortly thereafter Duterte clears Balutan of any wrong doing regarding the Christmas party.

What does all this mean? It means only more questions but I think I might have the gameplay down.

What if Duterte, knowing how corrupt the PCSO is, decided to play their game and take their money? What if Executive Order 13  and the MOA between the PNP and PCSO is a scam designed to procure more funds for the PNP to fight the drug war? Kind of like hiding in plain sight. Why would the PNP continue to need hundreds of millions of pesos to fight illegal gambling and what good are these funds doing since they admit there are gambling lords in their ranks? What if Balutan was an unwilling and/or unknowing participant and Sandra Cam was appointed to the PCSO to watch Balutan and report back to Duterte? What if the charges she filed about the lavish Christmas party were blown up as a means of keeping Balutan in line? What if she really does know who is corrupt in the PCSO and Duterte is using this information to put the squeeze on Balutan to keep silent about the sources of money going to the PNP? What if Sandra Cam is being used and does not know it?

This scenario is worth considering and if it were all true I would not be surprised one bit.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Retards in the Government Part 37

In this edition of Retards in the Government, Duterte tells a joke, Bato gets a history lesson, the Philippines continues to not care about what China is doing in its sovereign territory, and the USA can't take a joke. Special guest appearance by Chinese businessman Jack Ma.
https://beta.philstar.com/nation/2018/02/16/1788221/barangay-exec-faces-raps-over-gomez-recall
A barangay chairman in San Juan City was charged with grave misconduct before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday for allegedly coercing five persons to sign the recall petition against Mayor Guia Gomez to retract. 
In their 10-page complaint, Abegail de Asis, Danalyn de Asis, Evengeline Ferriol, Jonalyn Collado and Alma Dee claimed that Pardines forced them to sign a document supposedly containing their addresses and voter’s number.
Pretty sneaky.  Why did he do it? 30,000 people signed the petition and he is now charged with grave misconduct for tricking 5 people into signing. At least it wasn't graft, plunder, or murder.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/969128/if-you-dont-like-train-then-dont-pay-but-duterte-tells-critics
President Duterte has dared critics of his administration’s tax reform law to stop paying taxes if they object to it so much. 
The TRAIN Act adjusted income taxes that led to increases in workers’ take home pay, but also imposed excise taxes on diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, and kerosene that led to price hikes. 
“If you don’t like TRAIN, then don’t pay. It’s simple. You’re against the taxes? Do not pay,” he said.
The problem is not the income tax, it's the excise taxes on products which cost is passed on to the consumer and cannot be avoided.  Next thing he will say, "If you don't like EJKs, then don't die when the police officer shoots you."
https://beta.philstar.com/headlines/2018/02/16/1788460/cayetano-philippines-kuwait-undergoing-rocky-period
"A Rocky period"? It's this kind of wishy-washiness that emboldens the world to walk all over Filipinos. Yeah they are keeping the ban in place until they get concessions but it is long over due.  OFW's in the Middle East are routinely abused.  Remember when Duterte visited some of those countries last year? Did he bring it up once? No OFW should be allowed to work in the Middle East. The Muslims do not care about the kafir.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/643553/video-shows-waste-from-drainage-pipe-flowing-out-into-boracay-s-beach-waters/story/
Who is ultimately responsible for the disgusting environmental hazard that is Boracay if not the local government? Build, build, build with no thought of how to sustain, sustain, sustain the problems that come with increasing amounts of tourists.

Speaking of tourism, remember last week when DOT Chief Wanda Teo was accused of bringing unnecessary personnel on foreign trips?  She denied it all. But she also defended it all.

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/02/16/Tourism-chief-denies-bringing-makeup-artist-on-trips.html
Teo added going on trips is part of the Tourism Department's mandate.  
"Alam po ninyo, kung tutuusin lang [To be honest], I do not want to travel anymore because I have been to these places many many times," she said. "But because it is in our mandate, I have to go out...I have to see why our tourism arrivals is not at par with other tourism countries," she said.
She brought low level employees who have never been out of the country on a cruise which was comped to the government so no money was spent (please never mind about possible violations of the provisions of Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, under which government officials and employees are prohibited from soliciting or accepting gifts, favors, loans or anything of monetary value in the course of their official duties.) Also the make-up artist is her Executive Assistant.

The biggest revelation of all is her justification for traveling abroad despite not wishing to do so. Why are Philippines tourism arrivals not on par with other countries? Could it be because of the high crime? The terrorism? The rudeness and backwardness of the people? The propensity for locals to squeeze all they can out of the foreigner? Could the problem be that the culture in the Philippines is so awful that a Filipino's biggest dream is to leave the country by hook or by crook? She would never consider such an opinion and so she must travel the world seeking the answer which is in her own backyard.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/969365/news-briefs-go-rejects-senate-run-vows-to-serve-duterte-until-death
Trillanes sure won't quit.  Now that the investigation into Duterte's wealth has been dropped he wants an investigation into the lack of investigation. How about an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Marawi attack?
“Not being pro USA and anti-China, the presence of USS Carl Vinson in the West Philippine Sea is a breath of fresh air for those of us, pro Philippines,” Lacson tweeted Friday. 
“It is called, balance of power,” he added.
It's more of show of force than a balance of power. But if that force were to get out of hand or the power to become unbalanced the Philippines would be paying the price for decades of a spineless policy towards China.

Duterte on Tuesday, February 13, said in an event with overseas Filipino workers from Kuwait, "'Wag 'yang condom kasi hindi masarap 'yang condom." (Avoid condoms because condoms aren't pleasurable." 
"Kainin mo. 'Yan ang condom," Duterte added. (Eat it. That's the condom.)
Pagulayan, in a text message to SunStar Bacolod Friday, February 16, said, “it is alarming because there is huge losses of taxes.” 
The BIR only cares about the loss of taxes and not that the fake cigarettes might be composed of even more dangerous substances than regular cigarettes.

“Anong state-sponsored? Sinong g*g*ng presidente ang magpapatay sa kaniyang sariling tao?” Dela Rosa said on Saturday during the sidelines of the annual alumni homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) here. 
(What state-sponsored? Who is a fool of a president that would order the murder of his own people?) 
“Mga Pilipino ‘yan and to think na ang Presidente ay talagang mahal na mahal niya yung mahirap na tao, papatayin mo lang ng ganun? Gusto mo ipapatay?” 
(These are Filipinos and to think that the President really loves the poor, and you’ll just kill them like that? You want to have them killed?)
First of all the issue is not state sponsored killing or purges flat out based on nothing but political prejudice.  Rather, it is Duterte's orders to kill drug suspects and criminals. Those are his very words.  Kill them.


Second of all Bato needs a history lesson because history is full of murderous dictators and presidents who mercilessly slaughtered their own people. Stalin, Mao, Kim Ilsung, Pol Pot are only a few.  Here is a list for anyone who cares to look further: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2091670/Hitler-Stalin-The-murderous-regimes-world.html
https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/02/17/dof-invites-alibaba-as-partner-to-help-develop-ph-financial-system/
Very interesting. Jack Ma, the Jeff Bezos of China, has been recruited to help develop an e-commerce system in the Philippines. Problem is that without proper infrastructure or social capital you can't build such a system.  That would mean well maintained roads and a reliable transportation apparatus to move goods as well as trust that they would be delivered and not stolen. More importantly for e-commerce to flourish in the Philippines would mean the development of a cashless economy.

Jack Ma's company Alibaba has been accused of fraud throughout the years for selling counterfeit goods. http://fortune.com/2017/05/06/alibaba-jack-ma-donald-trump-owner-group-china/ The Philippines is awash in fake goods as it is without employing the assistance of Jack Ma. If American businesses have been shying away from Jack Ma and Alibaba why would Duterte snuggle up close to the man? Perhaps he should find a more honest businessman if he wants outside help building the Philippines economy.
Dela Rosa said Mr. Duterte’s “kill” speeches actually meant only two things: encourage police to continue the war on drugs and “give a strong warning to drug personalities that whey will die if they fight.” 
“The President has no specific instruction for me to kill pushers, addicts or drug lords,” the PNP chief said in an interview with reporters at the Philippine Military Academy homecoming. 
He said the PNP would cooperate with the ICC probe but be wary about “falling into a trap.” Requests for documents, he said, would have to go through a “proper process.” 
The ICC investigation, Dela Rosa said, might have started from a “smear campaign.” 
“We are not that stupid,” Mr. Duterte’s most trusted police official said. He said attempts to bring down Mr. Duterte would fail because the President’s trust rating was high, 83 percent. 
“You want to bring down the Duterte administration? Over my dead body,” Dela Rosa said. 
“I challenge you to a war. You want to launch a coup d’etat? Do that and let’s go to war. You do not scare me,” he said, addressing unidentified groups which the PNP said was plotting to unseat the President. 
He repeated his promise to cooperate with the ICC probe “but not to the extent that we will fall into their trap.”
Bato is always a fun guy because every time he opens his mouth something stupid comes crawling out. I wonder if he remembers this:
https://beta.philstar.com/headlines/2017/07/12/1718912/duterte-shoot-suspects-who-fight-back-make-them-fight-if-they-dont
Oh, my bad.  It's just a joke or its just hyperbole. He didn't really mean it. That would mean practically every single time Duterte has addressed the drug war it has been in jest. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.  It would mean his whole campaign was built on a joke.

Duterte 2015

https://beta.philstar.com/nation/2018/02/18/1788910/ched-official-faces-raps-over-saln
In the Philippines all government officials must file their SALN which indicates whether or not they are corrupt!

Now for a story about helicopters.

It all started when a deal to buy helicopters from Canada became public. Canadians said Canada should not be selling helicopters to the Philippines which could use them to attack rebels. The Philippine government assured everyone that these helicopters were not for attacking rebels.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/163946/philippines-canada-unreshttp://globalnation.inquirer.net/163946/philippines-canada-unrest-muslim-aviation-diplomacy-helicopter-aircraft-securityt-muslim-aviation-diplomacy-helicopter-aircraft-security
“You must understand that these are utility helicopters, not attack helicopters,” Padilla told AFP. 
“Not at all. They are purely for utility purposes — ergo, transport purposes especially during HADR operations,” he said, using a military term for disaster response.
Unsurprisingly this turned out to be a half truth which is the same as a half lie. Though the helicopters are not attack helicopters fitted with machine guns they were indeed going to be used to combat the rebels.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4016147/canada-bell-412-helicopters-philippines-duterte/
“I’m buying helicopters because I want to finish them off,” said Duterte, referring to Muslim and communist rebels along with Islamic militants in the country’s volatile south.
The cancellation of this deal will ultimately retard the modernisation efforts of the AFP as well as hamper the war on terrorism and the ability to handle natural disasters. For a more in-depth analysis of the fallout from this cancelled deal read: https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/what-a-dead-philippines-canada-military-helicopter-deal-would-mean/

Now that the deal is officially off the Philippines will have to look somewhere else for helicopters.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/18/paf-now-looking-for-new-suppliers-of-helicopters/
I am sure China will be more than willing to sell them. 
https://beta.philstar.com/headlines/2018/02/18/1788975/china-building-surveillance-facilities-kagitingan-reef
The revelations about the militarisation of the SCS just keep getting worse as the days go by. While the USA and Japan and other watchers wring their hands in anguish about what this means for the region the Philippines does not care one bit. They actually welcome it all.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/196426-duterte-philippines-province-china
Duterte also admitted in his speech that China is building "military bases" in the West Philippine Sea but said it would be silly for anyone to think China will use such military assets against the Philippines. 
"Military bases, I must admit it, but is it intended for us? You must be joking. It's not intended for us," he said. 
China is building up its defense capability against just the United States, according to Duterte.
"It's really intended for those who China thinks will destroy them and that is America, hindi tayo kasali diyan (we aren't part of that)," said the President.
"There's negotiations for joint exploration. Can you beat that? Hayaan mo missile-missile diyan, hindi para sa atin 'yan (Just ignore the missiles there, it's not intended for us)," he added.
Oh man what a joker!



Hahaha! Hee-hee!  I am laughing cause its so funny. Maybe they can rape the women first and shoot resisters in the vagina?! Hahaha so funny!  So funny that he acknowledges that China is building military bases and installing missiles intended to destroy longtime Philippine ally the United States.  Hahahaha! What a friend the USA has in Duterte. I imagine the surveillance facilities are also for the USA and will in no way shape or form be used to spy on the Philippines.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/20/high-court-abandons-womans-honor-doctrine-in-rape-cases/
The “women’s honor” doctrine was handed down in 1960 in the case of three armed robbers who took turns in raping a woman. 
In that 1960 decision, the SC ruled: “It is a well-known fact that women, especially Filipinos, would not admit that they have been abused unless that abuse had actually happened” due to the women’s natural instinct to protect their honor. 
But the SC, in the Martires decision handed down last month, said that that doctrine is no longer applicable today and that the High Court cannot be stuck to the “Maria Clara” stereotype of a demure and reserved Filipina. 
“More often than not, where the alleged victim survives to tell her story of sexual depredation, rape cases are solely decided based on the credibility of the testimony of the private complainant. In doing so, we have hinged on the impression that no young Filipina of decent repute would publicly admit that she was sexually abused, unless that is the truth, for it is her natural instinct to protect her honor,” the SC said. 
“We, should stay away from such mindset and accept the realities of a woman’s dynamic role in society today; she who has over the years transformed into a strong and confidently intelligent and beautiful person, willing to fight for her rights. In this way, we can evaluate the testimony of a private complainant of rape without gender bias or cultural misconception,” it said. 
The SC pointed out that for the court to affirm a conviction of rape it should be based on credible, natural, convincing testimony of the victim which should also be consistent with human nature and not merely rely on the “women’s honor” doctrine.
Since 1960 rape cases have been decided solely on the woman's testimony and not on solid evidence. Even now the SC mentions nothing about the necessity of solid evidence like the presence of DNA. This is a good ruling that acknowledges women can be liars too and exposes a 58 year old travesty of justice.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/970169/duterte-extends-dela-rosas-term-as-pnp-chief
“There are scoundrels, scalawags in every organization. That is why the PNP  [chief] now who is supposed to retire on the 24th of April, and because he enjoys my trust and confidence, I will extend his term for a little bit longer,” Duterte said in a speech in Malacañang.
There were scoundrels before Bato became chief and there will be scoundrels once he finally quits his position as chief. I bet Duterte will extend his term again past the 24th of April. The SC approved of indefinite martial law extensions. Why not indefinite Bato extensions?

I'm happy and a little sad. Happy because of the trust and confidence of the president in me. I'm happy that I can still serve our country. Sad because this affects my retirements plans. 
President Duterte announced the indefinite extension on Tuesday, February 20, saying that the Chief PNP still "enjoys his trust and confidence."
My children and wife understand this. Service first before family. Family is second priority, serivce is paramount.
Bato won't mind one bit.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/970326/village-chief-killed-in-bulacan-drug-bust
A councilman buys drugs from an undercover and now he is dead after a gun battle.

https://beta.philstar.com/headlines/2018/02/21/1789988/palace-us-threat-report-theyre-making-it-hard-be-friends
“We like to be friends with the United States. But with declarations such as this, it is very difficult be friendly with the United States,” Roque said.  
He noted that the administration would view the world threat assessment “with some concerns.” 
“This is something that we’re taking very seriously. It’s coming from the intelligence community. It’s not even coming from the state department. It’s something that the president will take seriously as well,” he said. 
The US intelligence community released a Worldwide Threat Assessment report and in this report they have this to say about Duterte and the Philippines:
  • The number and sophistication of government efforts to shape domestic views of politics have increased dramatically in the past 10 years. In 2016, Freedom House identified 30 countries, including the Philippines, Turkey, and Venezuela, whose governments used social media to spread government views, to drive agendas, and to counter criticism of the government online. 
  • In the Philippines, President Duterte will continue to wage his signature campaign against drugs, corruption, and crime. Duterte has suggested he could suspend the Constitution, declare a “revolutionary government,” and impose nationwide martial law. His declaration of martial law in Mindanao, responding to the ISIS-inspired siege of Marawi City, has been extended through the end of 2018. 
https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Testimonies/2018-ATA---Unclassified-SSCI.pdf
Now the Philippines is upset. But read that again. There is nothing specific in this report about what threat Duterte poses. In fact this report only quotes a previous assessment from Freedom House and recites things Duterte has done or threatened to do such as "declare a revolutionary government." The problem is that the US intelligence community doesn't understand that Duterte is always joking and speaking in hyperbole and never means it when he says things like that. If the US-Philippine relationship goes sour because the US can't take a joke then so be it.
https://beta.philstar.com/headlines/2018/02/22/1790323/metro-manila-traffic-mess-costs-p35-billion-daily
The subway will help decongest traffic on EDSA and connect major business centers in Metro Manila to the NAIA, the Department of Finance said.
How did the traffic problem get so bad?  Mismanagement. Bad driving. Non enforcement of traffic rules. People that just don't care. The MRT breaks down every single day. Multiple times a day. I would not put much confidence in a Manila subway.

https://beta.philstar.com/headlines/2018/02/21/1790104/palace-bans-rappler-reporter-entire-complex
In a radio interview on Tuesday morning, Roque said that Duterte got "irritated" with Ranada, whom the chief executive supposedly treated as his own granddaughter, and with Rapple. This led him to impose the ban, Roque said.
Rappler continued to have access to all Malacañang events while the SEC decision against them is pending on appeal as a matter of courtesy to Rappler and because the decision to revoke their license is not final. But instead of remaining courteous Duterte turned petty and now Rappler no longer has a reporter to cover Malacañang.

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/02/22/Antonio-Carpio-Duterte-South-China-Sea-militarization-for-PH-not-US.html
"Every military and security analyst I know here and abroad agree that those military structures are designed to enforce the nine-dash line as China's national boundary," Carpio said on CNN Philippines' The Source. "In other words, [they're] there to grab the (exclusive economic zone) of the Philippines."
Every once in a while someone in Philippine politics takes a few moments to speak sensibly. But alas! All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.