Monday, November 26, 2018

Motorcycle Madness 5

Vroom a zoom zoom!  No helmets.  No shoes.  No headlights at night. Welcome to the wild world of motorcycle riding in the Philippines. In this edition we see there are quite a few small children riding.  Up front. Squished in between mom and dad. These little buggers probably just need to get to school. What safer way to get them there than to let them ride on dad's motorcycle? And why not let mom come along too? She can carry the yougin's book bag. Hang on tight buckaroo!











Friday, November 23, 2018

Retards in the Government 77

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


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054192/imelda-i-missed-judgment-day-due-to-7-ailments
The motion itself did not enumerate what those ailments were, but Marcos presented a medical certification by her lead doctor, neurologist Joven Cuanang of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. 
Cuanang listed seven ailments: Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, static ministrokes, moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss, chronic recurrent urinary tract infection, chronic recurrent gastritis and multiple colon polyps, and recurrent respiratory tract infection. 
Despite her ailments, Marcos is running for governor of Ilocos Norte, a post currently held by her daughter Imee Marcos, who is seeking a Senate seat in midterm elections next year. 
The same motion stated that Marcos’ longtime lawyer, Robert A.C. Sison, could not attend the hearing because he was treated for high blood pressure at Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa City. 
Sison was supposedly advised to rest for three days. He submitted a sworn affidavit and a medical certificate, too.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/11/16/1869115/imelda-changes-tune-why-she-was-unable-attend-last-weeks-promulgation
During a hearing on Friday, the widow of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos claimed that she did not know her cases were set for promulgation on November 9, according to a report from The STAR. 
The 89-year-old former first lady further claimed that her cook received the notice of her promulgation and later on placed it in the office of her secretary, who was on leave. 
"If I knew about it your honor, I would have been here. Even if I was sick, I would have come here," Imelda said when she took the witness stand. 
Sandiganbayan 5th Division chairman Associate Justice Rafael Lagos, on the other hand, confronted Imelda about attending the birthday celebration of her daughter Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos hours after her conviction was issued. 
Imelda told the court that Imee was "crying and begging" her to attend the party in San Juan City.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054236/sandiganbayan-allows-imelda-marcos-to-post-p150k-bailAdd caption
The Sandiganbayan on Friday allowed former First Lady Imelda Marcos to post P150,000-bail and enjoy temporary liberty while the court decides on her motion for leave despite the anti-graft court’s decision convicting her on seven cases of graft. 
The sum of bail bond was the same amount Mrs. Marcos originally posted in 1991, but was forfeited upon her conviction last November 9.
What a load of crap. Her conviction will mean absolutely nothing as long as she is allowed to remain free especially after blatantly lying to the court about the reason for her absence.


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054370/imelda-shares-laughter-with-family-after-court-allows-her-to-post-bail
Yeah HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! It's all a big joke to them.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054256/former-town-councilor-killed-in-pangasinan
A former Bayambang town councilor seeking re-election in next year’s polls was shot dead early Friday.
Another dead local politician.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054512/paolo-duterte-to-trillanes-i-dont-seek-revenge-i-seek-justice
“I do not seek revenge. What I seek is justice.”
“Apart from that, considering the insignificance and uselessness of Mr. Trillanes, I will devote my time to serve the Dabawenyos,” he said in a statement.
Way too stupid too comment on.

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/305145/dilg-mulling-raps-vs-ang-probinsyano-producers
“We will seriously consider filing legal action and imposing sanctions including the prohibition on the use of PNP uniforms, properties and even using the acronym of the organization (PNP) if “Ang Probinsyano” continues with their grossly unfair and inaccurate portrayal of our police force,” Malaya said. 
He cited that under Article 179 of the Revise Penal Code, “the penalty of arresto mayor (jail time of from 1 month and 1 day to 6 months) shall be imposed on any person who shall publicly and improperly make use of insignia, uniforms or dress pertaining to an office not held by such person or to a class of persons of which he is not a member.” 
Malaya added that the DILG will also look at possible violations of the Children’s Television Act of 1997 “because the show may have violated the National Council for Children’s Television standards for television programs that should be child-friendly.” 
Año meanwhile said the television series sends a “wrong message” to the public on the portrayal of police officers and officials. 
“I am dismayed on how “Ang Probinsyano” depicts the PNP organization. They are intentionally sending a wrong message to the public which is demoralizing the ranks of the PNP,” he said. 
“They even included a designation of a scalawag chief of the PNP, and prop a group called ‘Vendetta’ who puts the law on their hands,” he added.
That the PNP is so upset about this show, even though it is  fictional, proves it's getting something right. But instead of really cleaning up their organisation the PNP would rather complain about a TV show. Are these officers being demoralised by the show:
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2018/11/18/1869447/cop-kills-cop-over-affair
Eleazar, who confronted Aljama, said they are considering the incident a “crime of passion” after they learned that Aljama’s motive was an alleged affair between Pasamba and his wife, who also holds the rank of Police Officer 1.
PNP officer shoots fellow PNP officer who was having an affair with his wife who is....a PNP officer! This could be a new story for Ang Probinsyano.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054665/pnp-bans-ang-probinsyano-from-using-police-assets-personnel

“All units, offices, and personnel are advised to immediately refrain from assisting, to withdraw their support to the production of the said teleserye in terms of PNP resources like patrol cars, firearms, personnel, venues, and other items and gadgets being used in the teleserye,” Police Community Relations Director Eduardo Garado said in a memorandum dated Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. 
“While our PNP legal officers are studying our options, there is a need to immediately withdraw the PNP’s assistance, if there is any, in the production of the teleserye,” he said.
The PNP does not even know if they are offering assistance in the production of this show!


https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/11/17/1869371/duterte-likens-magdalo-isis-asks-son-paolo-engage-trillanes-shooting-match


"Be careful with Magdalo. Be careful of the Magdalo party. They are the rebel soldiers who made a mess out of Makati and in the (Manila) Peninsula (hotel). And they destroyed everything," the president told the Filipino community here, referring to the uprisings staged by the rebel soldiers. 
"Parang ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) ang mga buang (Those crazies are like the ISIS)," he added. 
Duterte said his son Paolo is running for Congress because he was maligned by Trillanes during a Senate probe on drug smuggling. 
"He will be running for congressman. Tabla sila diyan. Ang sabi ko magkaaway man kayo ni Trillanes pagdating ninyo sa Congress, magbarilan kayo. At mamatay ka, ililibing kita (They will be co equals. I said 'If you and Trillanes meet in Congress, shoot each other. If you die, I would bury you). That’s how it is," the president said.
The headline and ensuing story are incredibly stupid and typical Duterte. 

“She’s known for her intellectual capability, her courage, her principles and these are exactly the ideals that I want to be known for as well,” Roque added.
There are many who would say Roque threw away all these principles and ideals during his tenure as the Presidential Spokesman.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054896/ex-samar-town-mayor-survives-ambush-try
A former mayor of a Samar town, who is running in next year’s elections, survived an attempt to his life.
Whoever is responsible will undoubtedly try again.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/199873-philippines-duterte-need-china-xi-jinping
"I would say, I need China more than anybody else at this time of our national life. I need China. I will not say something which is not good," he said on Monday, April 9. 
The Philippine President called China an "important ingredient" in his administration's Build, Build, Build infrastructure program and in the rehabilitation of Marawi City after the 5-month terrorist siege. 
"I just simply love Xi Jinping. He understands my problem and is willing to help. I'd like to say, thank you China. Please carry the message," he said.  
Asked by a Filipino reporter if he would raise reclamation activities in Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea with China's leaders, Duterte said he would not. 
"No, I will just thank them and say thank you for issuing that statement. It's a word of honor for us," he said, referring to China's assurance to him that Beijing will not conduct reclamation in any other feature in the West Philippine Sea. 
Duterte is confident that China will not renege on its supposed promise. 
"I'm sure China will not want to lose our friendship and our goodwill," he said.
Naive and short-sighted. In the long run what will heavy loans from China and the encroachment on Philippine sovereign territory really gain for the nation? Nothing but trouble.


https://globalnation.inquirer.net/171341/diokno-ph-very-careful-wont-fall-in-china-debt-trap
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Monday said the country would not fall into the alleged Chinese “debt trap” as the government is “very careful” in entering into deals with the Asian economic giant. 
Diokno made the remark after United States Vice President Mike Pence recently warned the Indo-Pacific region not to fall into the trap of Chinese debt diplomacy, encouraging them to choose “the better option” of American development financing instead. 
“Depende ‘yan sa nanghihiram. For example, a third world country, nakabaon ka na nga sa utang… tapos nanghihiram pa sila tapos ‘di pa worthwhile ‘yung project kasi gusto lang nung presidente na merong project sa kanila,” Diokno told reporters in a forum in Quezon City. 
“In our case, we’re very careful… it’s a very rigorous process, it will go through the NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority)… and they will evaluate,” he added.
He is basically admitting the China debt trap is real but the Philippines is too smart to fall into it.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1054937/cop-nabbed-over-alleged-cockfighting-in-muntinlupa
PO2 Yob Enguio and five others were arrested after agents of the Philippine National Police-Counter-Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) caught them in the act of cockfighting on Sunday.
Police said Enguio was formerly assigned at the National Capital Region Police Office headquarters in Taguig City but was transferred to the police regional office in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao over his reported involvement in illegal drugs.
Instead of terminating this scallywag's employment and putting him in jail for being involved in illegal drugs the PNP moved him to the ARMM where he continued his illegal activities. And the public is supposed to believe the PNP is sincere about cleaning up their ranks? They have no business getting upset at a fictional TV show when their organisation is so dirty. Another storyline for Ang Probinsyana!

Five policemen in Quezon province have been relieved from their posts over their alleged involvement in an attempt to kill a pedicab driver from Agdangan town early this month, the province’s top police official said on Tuesday. 
The five policemen were accused by Roger Herrero Jr. of shooting and trying to kill him on Nov. 1 at Barangay Lakip in Atimonan town. He said the policemen were forcing him to admit to a series of robberies in Agdangan.
The Philippine National Police’s antiscalawag unit has found sufficient cause to file charges against 17 former Batasan policemen, including their commander, over the “gruesome and merciless” killing of a minor during a 2016 drug buy-bust operation in Payatas, Quezon City, the Inquirer learned.
Bad eggs? Isolated incidents? Or business as usual?
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1055572/a-chinese-oil-deal-draft-it-shouldve-been-filipino-says-locsin
If Malacañang’s communications team doesn’t care about China drafting an agreement for Beijing and Manila to jointly explore waters inside the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the country’s top diplomat says that he does.
The new DFA Secretary is slowly finding out that the Duterte administration does not care about Filipino sovereignty.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/11/20/1870227/china-claims-draft-oil-exploration-deal-have-no-bearing-sovereignty
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/11/20/1870222/south-china-sea-ruling-useless-as-now-palace
"Our position is the arbitral ruling says it is ours but, meanwhile, cannot be enforced," he added.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/20/18/palace-no-power-on-earth-could-enforce-ph-victory-vs-china-over-s-china-sea


“As of now yes... For purposes of enforcement [it is useless], but psychologically it benefits us,” he said in a Palace press briefing.  
He said the ruling "cannot not be taken away from us" and that "it will be there forever." 
"But meanwhile, who will enforce it? There is no power on earth presently that can enforce it. The United Nations cannot, the US cannot… Who will enforce it?" Panelo told reporters. 
These stories all go together. The Duterte administration simply does not want to enforce this ruling. From the beginning they ignored the ruling and basically tossed it aside thereby forfeiting any chance at applying international pressure to China to enforce the ruling. Here is a list of countries who supported this ruling after it was handed down. If pressure had been applied perhaps China would have complied. Now we will never know. Funny that Panelo makes it seems like though this ruling cannot be enforced now such enforcement might happen later down the road. Laughable!
https://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2019/217265-43-areas-davao-region-election-watchlist
Government security forces on Wednesday, November 21, said they have so far placed 43 areas in the Davao Region (Region XI) on the election watchlist, topped by Compostela Valley province, where communist rebels are known to be still active.But Barias did not say what categories these areas had been listed under. 
He only said that in Davao del Sur, the towns of Malalag, Hagonoy, and Padada were listed under Category 1; the towns of Magsaysay, Kiblawan and Matanao were listed under Category 2; and Bansalan, Sta Cruz, and Digos City are under Category 3. 
Superintendent Nolasco Bathan, the Southern Mindanao police deputy director, said areas under Category 1 are those that have records of politically-motivated violence due to intense political rivalry. Those under Category 2 have serious armed threats posed by “organized threat groups,” such as the New People’s Army, the Bangsamoro Independent Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). Those under Category 3 have both the threats under Category 1 and 2. 
Bathan said areas under Category 4 are those affected by intense political rivalry that could trigger violence, presence of private armed groups, and also of more organized groups such as the New People's Army, the ASG, and the BIFF.
It's just like the tsunami categories. Only these are levels of potential violence and bloodshed! A human tsunami.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

The Duterte Manifesto

History is littered with manifestoes of every shape and kind. From Valerie Solanas's S.C.U.M. Manifesto to Industrial Society and Its Future by Ted Kaczynski. Now we have The Duterte Manifesto to add to this illustrious literary tradition.


A very small blue booklet not unlike Mao's Little Red Book in form but very different in content.



The chapter titles read like Duterte's version of the ten commandments.

1. I cannot do this alone. This is our country. We must love our country. Period.

2. We are Filipinos before anything else.

3. We must be a peaceful nation.

4. Puro kayo rekalmo, e mutato kayong sumunod. Sumunod kayo, kundi, patayin ko talaga kayo.  (You are always complaining, you should learn to obey. You obey, if not, I will really kill you all.)

5. Hindi ako nananakot, that's not a threat, pag sinabi ko gagawin ko talaga 'yan. (I am not threatening, that's not a threat, if I said it I will really do it.)

6. To my friends and relatives, I love you, but you can't ask any favour from me. Don't use me as your leverage. 

7. I belive in love, yes. Forever, nah.

8. Don't fuck with my team.

9. Sinabi mo, gawin mo. Pag di mo napanindigan 'yan, ay....Patay-kang. Bata. Ka. (If you said it, you do it. If can't stand for it, ay you're a dead kid)

10. Itaga n'yo yan kung saan n'yo gustong itaga! Wala along pakialam. Basta gamin ko ang trabhao ka. (Carve it where you want to carve it! I do not care! Basta, I am going to do my job.)

These ten commandments are the themes and titles of each chapter.  Thankfully the book is very short and not encumbered with a lot of highfalutin words or ideas since Duterte is a simple man of the people.


That page is from chapter one which is a collection of various quotes of which this is a representative sample. Does that sound like he can't do this alone?



This is a fun little section stuck between chapters 2 and 3. How would you describe Duterte with a movie title?  Here is my contribution:


Moving on to Chapter 3 which is titled "We must be a peaceful nation."


Prophetic. In January the Moros will be voting to establish an independent nation in Mindanao which will be called the Bangsomoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.


Next there is a section of tweets to Duterte with the identity of the sender. Why the would choose to include the twitter handles of these people is a mystery. Now they are open to harassment if anyone were of a mind to do so. Their first names would have been enough.


Chapter 4 ends with this quote and this picture.
When I said I'll stop criminality, I'll stop criminality. If I have to kill you, I'll kill you. Personally. I had to act decisively. Let me just say there were things which I had to do because I had to do them.
Now that we are two years into his term how does this promise hold up? Has criminality stopped? Has he personally killed anyone yet?


Chapter 6 has this sweet story from Duterte's daughter Sara when she was having trouble in her studies at law school.  Excerpts:
I wanted to talk to a lawyer. I rarely talk to my father. We have a love-hate relationship and I can imagine Digong's surprise when told by his aide that I asked for him to call me. 
When I heard his voice, I couldn't speak. every word disappeared in the surge of emotions. I could only cry. His first question was "asa ka (where are you)?" I howled like a wounded wolf. Then I sensed he was alarmed as he repeatedly asked me where I was. 
At that point, I thought, he could be thinking I was raped. 
But you see, I was dejected. I cried non-stop - like a dying dog. 
I could hear the exasperation in his voice as he retorted: "The answers are not in your tears. Go back to your book!" 
Yes! That was the very reason I wanted to talk to a lawyer - no comforting words, no baby bunny stories. I just wanted to listen to the heartless stop-crying-because-it-will-not-get-you-anywhere answer. I ended the call.
Very heartwarming. 

Now for chapter 10 which is the meat of this book. This chapter is the blueprint to save the Philippines.






Hopefully you can zoom in and read Duterte's platform in detail.  Here are the main headings.

1. Fight corruption

2. Stop criminality and illegal drugs

3. Reduce poverty

4. Solve hunger

5. Decongest traffic

6. Improve healthcare

7. Manage climate change

8. Beef up employment

9. Strengthen foreign relations

10. Make things right in Mindanao

After two years of Duterte has any of those things happened or come close to being accomplished?

That's it for the contents of the book. It's not exactly a serious manifesto but it does give us a glimpse into Duterte's mind. A more serious review from 2016 has this to say about The Duterte Manifesto:
Thankfully, “The Duterte Manifesto” does not in any substantial way resemble Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book.” Though similar in physical size and page count, the contents of this handy collection of quotations from Duterte’s presidential campaign offer no ambitious ideological projects or political visions. Instead, the book celebrates the absence of politics, making an exceptional case for introducing to the government a number of social taboos, such as: the massacre of alleged criminals, the curious fragility of the Filipino male ego, and a possible return to a boisterous and empty nationalism. “The Duterte Manifesto” captures the president with his most memorable words; words that in both senses are sometimes shocking, sometimes confusing.
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/politics/2016/10/20/duterte-manifesto.html
Interestingly this book is published by one of Duterte's nemeses, ABS-CBN.


Remember Duterte threatened to not renew their license when it expires in 2020.

If you are interested in owning The Duterte Manifesto there might be a few copies of this book left somewhere.  I bought mine back in June 2018 at Booksale at SM and it came with a 2016 calendar which means the second printing did not sell out. 


At least the proceeds go to charity.

Or so they say!