Sexy Lady Cops and Silly Dancing Cops

In their battle against bad drivers and even badder criminals the PNP is breaking out some unique techniques.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1164826/siquijor-town-has-first-all-female-police-force-in-ph

A fifth-class municipality in the island province of Siquijor on Saturday became the first town in the country to have an all-female police force, the Philippine National Police said. 

Maria, a coastal municipality that is fast becoming a popular tourist destination for its white sand beaches and mystical folktales, took the government’s program of women empowerment one step further by setting up a police force entirely composed of female officers. 

“This move will strongly advance women empowerment in promoting public safety and security services at all levels of police units and offices in the region,” Police Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, Central Visayas police director, said in a statement. 

“They were trained on driving, shooting, arresting techniques and other police operation and intervention procedures such as checkpoint, automated fingerprint identification system and first aid, among others,” she said. 

Representing Sinas at the event, Police Col. Ildebrandi Usana said the “Mariang Pulis” highlighted how women all over the world had proven to be among the most efficient members of any workforce. 

“Mariang Pulis, as a show window, will also tell the world that the PNP is a gender-friendly organization,” Usana said.

The picture above is not a picture of the all-female police force. That would be this picture which is also posted on the PRO7 Facebook page.

From their Facebook page we read the following.

PRO7 launches First All-Women Police Station in the province of Siquijor 

The Philippine National Police marks history with a game-changing reform on women empowerment. 

The Siquijor Police Provincial Office (SPPO) said it is named as the "Mariang Pulis" in Maria Municipal Police Station. Said police Station is presently operating in the Municipality of Maria in the provincial island of Siquijor. 

This maiden initiative in Central Visayas is backed by Regional Director, PRO7 PBGEN DEBOLD M SINAS. 

The women-dominated police station follows a rich history of the Municpality of Maria. Long before the Spaniards came to Siquijor, a settlement known as "Kangmaya", named after a famous woman, already existed. It was eventually renamed to "Maria" in honor of "Our Lady of Divine Providence" which became the town's Patron Saint. 

Maria is fifth-class municipality with a total land area of 53.37 sq. km, which constitutes to 15 percent of Siquijor's total land area. 

Prior to the launch, Maria Police Station was complimented by only six policewomen. PCOL ANGELA Q REJANO, Provincial Director of SPPO, profiled all the assigned policewomen in the province and selected those who will undertake a capacity development training. They were trained on driving, shooting, arresting techniques, and other police operation and intervention procedures such as checkpoint, Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and First Aid, among others. Maria Police Station is now operating in full capacity with 21 total police strength, the ideal police force for a Class C municipality. 

"Having initiated this new concept of gender and developmen for policewomen in Siquijor, the Mariang Pulis signals the time to move forward in promoting the vision and mission of the PNP in creating an opportunity for women to strengthen their role jn the context of policing in the law enforcement pillar," said PCOL REJANO. 

The official launching of "Mariang Pulis" is now led by newly designated Chief of Police, PCPT JUDITH BESAS, equally capable of steering the police station to its heights.

https://www.facebook.com/PRO7PNP/posts/2723964934303182

Wow all these women are trained to shoot, arrest criminals, man a checkpoint, fingerprint, and render first aid...just like every other PNP officer!! This is nothing less than a PR stunt. A very foolish PR stunt at that. In the name of gender equality and empowerment the PNP has formed an all-female police squad. Not only is that purposively sexist as it excludes men but any man would easily be able to overpower these women when they attempt to arrest him. Men are stronger than women. Imagine these women trying to take down a strong male criminal. 

It's also not true that women have been "proven to be among the most efficient members of any workforce." The opposite is true which is why they are paid less and are in less positions of authority. Just recently a law was passed forcing employers to give them so many months of paid maternity leave. What a burden on any company that is, paying workers to not work just because they are females.

An all female business is also doomed to fail.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1168182/Catfights-handbags-tears-toilets-When-producer-launched-women-TV-company-thought-shed-kissed-goodbye-conflict-.html

The story in that article is hilarious. But maybe Filipinas are different? No. Women are the same the world over.

Traffic on EDSA is a nightmare. Bad drivers are much to blame which is why the PNP is deploying lady cops to patrol the roads. But not just any lady cops, "Girlfriend material."

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/09/15/1951890/edsa-traffic-hpg-deploys-girlfriend-material

The Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) is back on EDSA, with its armed teams seen to have a greater “intimidating factor” than unarmed traffic enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). 

If the intimidation doesn’t work, the HPG has also fielded 23 of its female police officers. And both the HPG and MMDA have admitted that looks played a key role in the deployment of what is called the “ladies’ strike force.” 

Asked what the term meant, MMDA traffic czar Edison Nebrija told “The Chiefs” last week on Cignal TV’s One News: “Girlfriend material.” 

Brushing aside warnings that he might be accused of being sexist, he said EDSA “is stressful enough,” and deploying “head turners” on EDSA could ease the tension during traffic apprehensions. 

He said the inclusion of female cops in the HPG’s traffic force is part of their gender equality program. 

This was corroborated by PNP-HPG spokesperson Lt. Col. Ritchie Claraval, who said drivers may avoid violating traffic rules if they see traffic-stopping women who look like models directing vehicular flow. 

“One of the drivers would say, ‘nakakahiyang mag-violate tayo, may mga magagandang babae pa man din diyan ng HPG,’” Claraval said. 

Nebrija admitted that armed police officers “have an intimidating factor. I agree that there’s an institutional respect for them. When you see a police officer on the road, riding a motorcycle or mobile, armed, motorists will say, ‘Ay pulis yan, sumunod tayo.’” 

The 23 patrolwomen were among a batch of about 40 who volunteered to be part of the traffic “strike force.” 

Among the requirements, Claraval said, was that they learn how to drive a motorcycle. He admitted that looks played a part in the selection, although he stressed that all female members of the HPG – about 100 – are good-looking. 

Describing the 23, Nebrija said, “They’re not just like any other police officers, they’re like models. They’re really pretty. They are really head turners.” 

“It’s more pleasing if somebody apprehending you has a pleasing personality. They’re a game changer, so to speak. Traffic in EDSA is stressful as it is already,” Nebrija said. 

Claraval chimed in: “We call them strike force because they have striking looks.”

Again another dog and pony show. The PNP says it's all about gender equality but then say these ladies were chosen because they look like models. No ugly girls need apply. How is that not sexist? Why would beautiful lady cops make drivers avoid violating traffic rules? It's a ridiculous claim.

These ladies will not be looking like models when they are on the job. With their white motorcycle helmets and blue uniforms they will look like cops and nothing else. But what if sexy models were out on patrol? Traffic would crawl as everyone slows down to get a look. The last thing EDSA needs is women who will turn heads and bring traffic to even more of a crawl for rubbernecking looky-loos.

Over in Cebu dancing cops are helping to not only direct the flow of traffic but also keep drivers entertained.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/256415/cebu-city-cops-battle-traffic-problems-with-dance-music

Dignos, a member of the of Cebu City Police Office-Traffic Patrol Group (CCPO-TGP), then starts managing the traffic flow, a tough job considering that the area is one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. 

But Dignos is not your regular traffic police. 

His day’s work is not just about blowing the whistle and pointing which direction should the vehicles go to ensure a smooth-flowing traffic situation. 

Instead, the 37-year-old traffic police performs a dance routine for 15 to 30 minutes in one of Cebu City’s busiest intersections during peak hours. 

With funny dance steps and a pleasing personality, Dignos joins his fellow traffic police in fulfilling the mission of Police Colonel Gemma Vinluan, CCPO director, who spearheaded the launching of the “Dancing Cop” project last July 2019. 

Vinluan says the presence of dancing cops in the city’s busy streets sends a message that police personnel are friendly and approachable. 

Noting Cebu City’s notorious gridlock situations, Vinluan says the least that they can do is to make those who are stuck in traffic happy. 

“We can’t easily find solutions to the heavy traffic due to our limitations. [So our traffic police are here] even in a few minutes, to be the reasons for your smiles,” she tells CDN Digital. 

He performs his dance routine on peak hours, between 7 to 8 a.m., when monstrous traffic jams often happen in his work station, the intersection of Osmeña Boulevard and Colon Street. 

Private school teacher Louie Birondo says the presence of dancing cops on the city streets has two sides. 

While their presence entertains motorists who are stuck in traffic, Birondo says a dancing policeman does not solve a problem that involves a continuous line of vehicles blocking an entire network of streets that brings traffic to a standstill.

Thanks to the power of Google you can view the intersection of Osmeña Blvd. and Colon St. from the comfort of your own home. 

Link to streetview

Using the 360 view feature you can see that each intersection has traffic lights. So what is the problem? In Bacolod the only time cops are deployed to direct traffic is when the lights are not working or at heavy intersections where there are no lights. I don't live in Cebu nor am I familiar with their traffic problem but at an intersection like this I bet bad driving is much to blame as is the case across the nation. You know what I mean: not staying in your lane, dangerously overtaking, running red lights, slow tricycles, jeepnies stopping randomly etc., etc,

There is nothing wrong with cops directing the flow of traffic and even dancing while they do it. Obviously the nature of directing traffic is a kind of dance since you are waving your hands and spinningg around to face each lane. But the reasoning of Cebu City PNP to form a "Dancing Cop" project to put a smile on your face is stupid. Why does everything in the Philippines have to be about entertainment or looking good at the expense of utility? 

Pretty funny that PNP Col. Gimma Vinulan who created the "Dancing Cop" project says: “We can’t easily find solutions to the heavy traffic due to our limitations." Have they even tried? Has the DOTr tired? Has City Hall studied the problem and issued recommendations?

Probably not. Probably no one has offered up any viable solutions to control the flow of traffic so until that day comes it's dancing cops to put a smile on your angry face.

2019: A Christmas Odyessy

Across the mall, at all three of the major entrances, mysterious giant red monoliths suddenly appeared. This trinity of silent sentinels greeted each customer with the same message, "99 Days til Christmas 2019."

Slowly the days will roll by 98, 97, 96 until the revelation of Christmas 2019. What will happen to these monoliths when that day comes? Will they disappear back into the void? What is inside of them but the totality of all Christmas knowledge? Surely one has but to reach out and touch them to know.

And upon touching be filled with all the Yuletide wisdom the universe has to offer thus transforming and evolving into the Christmas Star Child.

Martial Law: New Terror Norm

Last month the NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) predicted there would be more suicide bombings occurring in the Philippines.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/704458/nat-l-intel-agency-sees-more-suicide-bombings-happening-in-phl/story/

"Almost every six months we had one incident. We pray that none will follow but we are sure that there will be," NICA Director-General Alex Paul Monteagudo told GMA News. 

"The terrorists are training and recruiting children as young as 10, 12 years old," he added.  

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said that there are vulnerable sectors that must be carefully guarded so that they would not be recruited by terrorists. 

These include students attending madrasah or Islamic schools, religious leaders, overseas Filipino workers, prisoners, and even netizens.

Less than a month later, 26 days to be exact, another suicide bomber attempted to cause damage to a military base in Sulu.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/239696-military-says-female-suicide-bomber-sulu-blast-abu-sayyaf

The woman who self-detonated as she tried to attack a military checkpoint in Indanan, Sulu, on Sunday, September 8, was from a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), said the region’s military commander. 

“For sure, she was with the group of [Hatib Hajan] Sawadjaan, because only Sawadjaan maintains bombers among the sub-leaders under Radullan Sahiron, who is the overall head of the ASG in Sulu,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said in a mix of English and Filipino on Monday, September 9. 

Sawadjaan is “ISIS-inclined,” Sobejana added, but is somehow held back by Sahiron, who “does not want ISIS to prevail over their organization.” 

Sawadjaan has earlier been described as the "head of ISIS in the Philippines" by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. 

On Sunday at around 4pm, the “Caucasian-looking” female attacker was spotted walking from the Philippine Army 35th Infantry Battalion’s Kilometer 4 detachment to the next checkpoint, Kilometer 3, in Barangay Kajatian, Indanan, Sulu. 

A caucasian-looking female. That means likely one of the 60 foreign terrorists said to be roaming around Mindanao. Now there are only 59? After every attack comes the analysis of what it means for the future. Westmincom Chief Lt. General Sobejana thinks the fact that the lady was alone means terror groups in Mindanao are losing popular support and weakening.

(They do not have popular support anymore. No support from the community. In fact, our Tausug brothers and sisters are furious at what these terrorist groups are doing. With the loss of popular support, their maneuver space has been reduced. That’s why if you look at it, before it was in pairs. Now, it was just one [attacker].) 

Security expert and analyst Rommel Banlaoi has a completely different take.

At the forum, Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research chairman Rommel Banlaoi warned that terrorism is an evolving threat that will linger in the Philippines for the foreseeable future. 

Jihadist groups in Mindanao will find ways to recruit members and gain firepower, Banlaoi added, and they will want to target Metro Manila. 

“They will still continue to mount violent incidents. And this is the current trend right now, the future direction of terrorists will be more and more carrying out suicide terrorism,” he said.

How is it that the AFP and Banlaoi continually get different results in their analysis? Here he is commenting about the new BARMM in the aftermath of the Sulu cathedral bombing in January.

Terrorism expert Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said the peace deal was not a "magic pill that can give a panacea to the multifaceted problems of armed conflicts." 

He said challenges will come from local politicians and armed groups opposed to the new Bangsamoro law.  

Banlaoi warned that the new law could be used as leverage by the so-called Islamic State to attract foreign fighters to come to Mindanao to oppose the "cooptation of the infidels."

https://www.ucanews.com/news/southern-philippines-on-full-alert-after-deadly-bomb-blast/82978 

Very different from the AFP who thinks the BARMM will bring peace. While the AFP was denying the presence of ISIS in the Philippines back in 2016 Banlaoi was warning that they posed a real threat.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/135083/analysts-isis-a-real-threat-to-ph

Banlaoi added that the Philippines is vulnerable to ISIS recruitment as it has “one of the longest-running Muslim rebellion” and the Abu Sayyaf has already established “notoriety.” 

The military has repeatedly denied the presence of ISIS in the Philippines, dismissing it as a mere propaganda. 

Only this week, AFP spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla said that there is “no credible, verified and direct connection” to the ISIS up to this time but they continue to monitor and conduct focused military operations. 

ISIS influence in the Philippines will pose “imminent threat to the country” and will also affect regional security, Banlaoi said.

History has proven Banlaoi right and the AFP wrong. Why is this so? A billion peso intelligence fund and the AFP always gets it wrong. Perhaps the AFP had better start listening to him.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/09/13/suicide-terrorism-in-ph-on-the-rise-security-expert/

The successive incidents of suicide bombing in the country is proof that suicide terrorism is the newest face of threat in the Philippines and everybody should do their part to counter it, a security expert warned on Friday. 

This could be attributed mainly on the “increasing” influence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to local extremist and terror groups in the country, said Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terorrism (PIPVTR), an independent organization created to better integrate peace studies with research on political violence and terrorism. 

“I consider it on the rise because of the frequency of suicide terrorist attacks in the southern Philippines,” Banlaoi said in a television interview over ANC. 

He enumerated the four incidents of suicide bombing that happened in the past 14 months: the Lamitan City bombing in July 2018; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral bombing in Jolo, Sulu in January 2019; the Indanan, Sulu bombing in June 2019 involving the first known Filipino suicide bomber, Norman Lasuca; and the most recent one, the bombing in Indanan, Sulu last September 8 involving a female terror suspect. 

Notably, the last three suicide bombings happened in this year alone. 

With this, Banlaoi enjoined all sectors to contribute in the fight against the rise of suicide terrorism in the Philippines. 

“It cannot be done through military or law enforcement measure alone. It needs a narrative that will destroy the idea of suicide terrorism as an act of martyrdom,” he said. 

In the academe, Banlaoi said it is called deradicalization or counter-radicalization. 

“Now, our government has initiated a program to counter that kind of idea. The Philippine government developed the National Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism,” he said. 

Banlaoi said such action plan entails pursuing various non-military measures in order to address the underlying conditions that compel people to commit acts of suicide terrorism. It includes providing vulnerable and marginalized sectors with opportunities such as livelihood, education, and promoting the culture of non-violence, spreading the culture of peace, promoting the idea of acceptance, and religious tolerance.

Would this National Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism be the same as the whole of nation approach? Would the plan include building roads?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1080412

Many village chiefs in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, are pushing for the building of more roads to benefit the poor, usher in development, and help end insurgency. 

This, as the provincial government embarked on a multi-million-peso farm-to-market road project connecting Barangays Hilaitan and Trinidad in Guihulngan, a city besieged by the communist insurgency problem. 

For farmers in Barangay Malusay, genuine land reform is what they need, as well as electrification in the sitios or sub-villages, according to village chief Vicky Hinabe. 

Livelihood projects, swine dispersal, water system, irrigation and opening of new roads are being requested by Planas village chief Randy Flores. He confirmed the presence of insurgents in his barangay and requested for the Army’s presence there. 

All of these concerns are being noted down by the concerned agencies, which are expected to take action as part of the ongoing efforts to end the insurgency via the NOTF-ELCAC.

Will more roads and electrification really end the insurgency? Do areas with roads have less insurgents than those without roads? More importantly why haven't LGUs built these areas up already? It is nothing to be applauded that they are developing these poor rural areas because they think it will end the NPA insurgency. This should have been done long ago. As it is millions of Filipinos are living without electricity.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/08/04/1940437/dark-ages-13-million-pinoys-still-living-without-electricity

More than two million families consisting of 13 million Filipinos remain literally in the dark as they are still without electricity, the head of the Party-list Coalition in the House of Representatives said yesterday. 

Despite efforts by rural electric cooperatives and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to bring power to remote areas, Rep. Mikee Romero of 1-Pacman said the government’s rural electrification program has not reached 19,000 barangays nationwide.

If building roads and installing electricity won't end the insurgency there is always pure, brute force and all out war.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1080186

The all-out-war against armed rebels by the Duterte administration will continue until all members of the New People's Army (NPA) have surrendered, President Rodrigo Duterte said. 

"I have ordered the Armed Forces and the police to go attack full-scale. Kung hindi natin maubos ito, sa panahon ko (We’ll see if we can wipe them out in my time). And looking at the political horizon there, kung sinong mag-presidente (regardless of who becomes President), I’m so pessimistic," he said during a speech at the 2019 Outstanding Government Workers Awards rites Tuesday. 

Compared to the previous administration's call to war against insurgency, Duterte said his directive to the security forces would be different. 

"(In the past) when they are already in hot water, binibitawan sila. Nilalaglag sila. Mismo 'yung mga bunganga diyan sa Congress, nilalaglag sila. Dito sa akin, sige, (They are being dropped. Those mouths in the Congress are pinning them down. As for me, it's fine,) you just do your duty in accordance with law. Ako ang mag-amin sa lahat (I will admit everything). I take full responsibility," he stressed. 

"Gusto ko kung maari lang, tapusin ko sa panahon ko (If possible, I want all of this done in my time)," he added.

All out war in 2017, no all out war in 2018, and now all out war once more in 2019 and until the end of Duterte's term apparently unless Duterte changes course again. The AFP and PNP are up for whatever he throws their way. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1080198

The military and the police on Wednesday vowed to undertake relentless efforts in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte's order to wage an all-out war against the communist terrorist group New People's Army (NPA). 

"We are engaging the New People’s Army all out -- employing and utilizing all its resources in a focused, surgical, and deliberate lethal and non-lethal operations towards the decisive defeat of the communist terrorists," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a message to reporters. 

He said the AFP is compliant with the directive of the President and the commander-in-chief, who is calling for military and other government agencies to decisively end the NPA threat once and for all.

Since the AFP keeps on with the same old tactics against the NPA why should anyone think they will succeed? Since the AFP keeps downplaying the threat of ISIS why should anyone think they will meet their goal of defeating Abu Sayaaf by the end of the year? While the AFP says ISIS is weakening, even calling the latest suicide bombing a desperate act, the rest of the world does not see it that way.

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/09/article/suicide-bombs-new-terror-norm-in-the-philippines/

A new norm? Even the Palace has expressed concern.

“Anything that will show a rise in terrorism in any area of this country is always a matter of concern and we hope our security will improve more on their devices to stop this,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1822462/Manila/Palace-worries-over-suicide-bombing-in-Sulu

Duterte himself has said he is scared just thinking about ISIS.

What happened to his confidence in the AFP, which he once called the best army in the universe, to defeat ISIS in the Philippines?

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/995986/duterte-hails-afp-as-best-in-the-world-entire-universe

Manila's Traffic Problem: Let EDSA Rot

I do not live in Manila. I do not know the pain of EDSA. Thank goodness. Traffic is bad enough here I can't imagine EDSA. But just because I do not live in Manila does not mean I cannot comment about what is happening up there. This blog is called Philippinefails and the handling of EDSA and traffic in the Philippines in general has been nothing short of a spectacular failure.

Where to start? During the American occupation (yes traffic was bad then)? During Marcos' era? With Grace Poe? It's funny how she has suddenly become the punching bag of the country and forced to shoulder the blame of the traffic problem as if there is no Department of Transportation who has plenty of legal tools to deal with the issue.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1163218/metro-manila-traffic-is-poes-legacy-says-duterte

Duterte's supporters followed his line and all across social media people are blaming Poe for not granting him emergency powers and calling her a useless trapo (traditional politician).  Really there is no single person to blame for Manila's traffic problems but it is always easy and comforting to scapegoat someone.  During the presidential campaign Duterte had several solutions to solve traffic in Manila none of which had to do with granting him emergency powers.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/114450-rodrigo-duterte-metro-manila-traffic-transportation

Duterte also said traffic on EDSA and everywhere else in the metro is because of “daily transactions of motor vehicles” and policies like number coding which merely encourage rich families to buy more cars. 

To ease traffic jams, he said he would improve public transportation by buying 30 or 50 more train carriages. This way, people would not have to endure long lines. 

If that’s not enough, he has previously said that he intends to put up a new train line that will run along Pasig River, the only thoroughfare not embroiled in rights-of-way claims. 

But for these major overhauls, he said the government would need money. 

He proposes borrowing P60 billion from another country or international agency. 

“I will not hold the money. I will create a high commission. They will be the ones to handle the money,” he said.  

Borrowing money for government projects is nothing new. He said the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr also borrowed some money from foreign entities. 

“Maghiram ako ng pera kagaya kay Marcos. Panahon ni Marcos napaka-ganda ng bayang ito, kaya lang, Martial Law (I will borrow money like Marcos. In Marcos’ time, this country was beautiful, but Martial Law happened.),” he said.

More train carriages and more train lines and borrowing lots of money! Just a few days later Duterte's running mate had this to say about solving Manila's traffic problems.

They may differ in their approach to certain issues, but presidential contender Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, see a common solution to Metro Manila’s worsening traffic problem: a decentralized city and the transfer of government headquarters to outlying areas of the capital. 

“For the longest time, the drive for development [has been] mainly focused on the National Capital Region (NCR), leaving other regions to fend for themselves. This is not sustainable nor equitable,” Cayetano told Inquirer reporters and editors during a recent visit to the newspaper’s Makati City office. 

“The NCR is perceived by many as the only place where there are real economic opportunities, [so] people unnecessarily flock to the region, creating problems such as traffic, unemployment and housing woes,” the senator said. 

“But if development [is] spread evenly to the regions, we can solve these problems,” he added.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/745141/alan-cayetano-duterte-know-what-to-do-with-traffic

Decentralising and moving the government outside of Manila. Sounds optimistic right? Of course it does that is how politicians get elected. Soon enough however Duterte was clamouring for emergency powers to fix Manila's traffic problems. But it was the MAP (Management Association of the Philippines) who first called for the declaration of a transportation crisis and the bestowal upon Duterte of emergency powers to fix the situation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/790525/give-duterte-emergency-powers-to-solve-metro-traffic

CITING a six-hour commuting “kalbaryo” for Metro Manila commuters, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has reiterated its call for President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to declare a traffic crisis so that he could be given emergency powers to solve the problem. 

Last month, the group highlighted the need for an immediate solution to the traffic problem in the metropolis. It noted that traffic congestion was continuously affecting businesses, the quality of life and the economy. 

“There must be an issuance of an executive order to declare that a transportation and traffic crisis exists in Metro Manila and, with the concurrence of Congress, secure emergency powers for the President to address the crisis by mobilizing all government resources and undertaking necessary measures unhampered by appointment, procurement, budgetary and Commission on Audit regulations during its presidency,” MAP said in a statement. 

Yap said that the emergency powers may last for a limited time like a maximum of two years so that the traffic crisis could be immediately solved. The group has also suggested some solutions to the so-called “carmageddon” in Manila like the construction of steel bridges on intersections and the appointment of a traffic czar.

Just exactly how would emergency powers fix the traffic problem?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/791556/edsa-traffic-jams-rody-exec-eyes-extra-powers

The additional powers will allow the national government to secure property and right of way within private villages, as well as supersede local government ordinances and temporary injunction against acts that would facilitate lighter traffic flow in the metropolis, he said. 

Specifically, terminals of public utility vehicles as well as ambulant vendors will be removed near highways, while a strict no-parking policy will also be implemented along major roads. 

Also, the Duterte administration will seek to direct procurement instead of protracted bidding for projects aimed at easing traffic, Tugade said, without elaborating. 

He said the powers that the incoming administration sought would neither be confiscatory nor unreasonable, as they would ensure just compensation and relocation for affected entities. 

There will also be oversight powers for Congress and the Supreme Court to check on the executive’s additional power to avoid its exercise “capriciously and arbitrarily.”

These powers will allow the government to take private property and override local ordinances but that is not confiscatory because there will be just compensation for those who's land is taken. That is called eminent domain and it doesn't always work out so good. In addition they will be moving vendors and cars will not be allowed to park along major roads. But those actions should be enforced already. There is no need for emergency powers to enforce no-parking rules and moving roadside vendors. Most notably under these powers projects will be procured and the bidding process by-passed which is a doorway for corruption. Non-bidding on projects is, it seems, the number one reason LGU's get suspended by the Ombudsman.

Duterte was not given these powers and instead of attempting to solve the problem without them he said, "Let EDSA rot."

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/21/19/duterte-let-edsa-rot

"Here comes a lady, atribida tawag ko diyan eh (I call it too eager), it's good to be honest, it's good to be a crusading public official, no doubt about it you will be appreciated. Pero kung sumobra ka (But if you go too far) and you think all elected public officials are corrupt... eh 'di wag na (never mind), let EDSA rot there," he said.

Duterte is offended that Poe thinks he is corrupt which means he misses the point entirely which is that those powers necessarily open the doors to corruption and the reality is corruption does happen. Also he seems to forget that he had proposed solutions to traffic without requesting emergency powers. Instead of working with what he has he says to hell with it showing once again his penchant for destruction if he does not get his way.  See the International Criminal Court withdrawal.

It is my belief that nothing in the Philippines changes and that belief is borne out by the facts of history. The traffic problem in Manila, and throughout the country, is a culmination of years of neglect and mismanagement that first reared its ugly head over a century ago. The Wood-Forbes Mission report of 1921 has much to say about traffic and infrastructure in the Philippines.

In the matter of public works, your mission has to report both favorably and unfavourably. 

The government and people of the islands realize the value and necessity of public works and large appropriations from current revenues have been made annually for such objects as the construction of roads, bridges, irrigation systems, school houses, markets, port works, and artesian wells among others. We find, however, an undue increase in the cost of public works, due in many instances necessitated the purchse of an equipment ordinarily furnished by contractors. There has also bben a deterioration in the quality of the work performed in this service. We find also a lack of competent supervision. 

On the other hand, there has been a great deal of excellent work done. The director, a Filipino, is a man of unusual capacity and foresight and he impresses the memebers of the mission most favourably. 

An important proportion of all revenues of the government is allocated to public works, and in the opinoin of this mission this proprotion should be increased. 

There are now 2,920 miles of roads rated as first-class in the islands and 7,500 permanamnt bridges and culverts. The standard, however, of first-class roads has been lowered and we found many roads rated as first-class which are not so. There was an earnest effort made by the government to hurry through deferred repairs in order to prepare the roads for inspection. 

During earlier preiods a ssytem of road constuction and maintenance was adopted and consistenetly followed. All structures on the first-class roads were reinforced concrete and a standard work system of road constucion adopted suited to the traffic. Although the work progressed slowly, it was thoroughly well done, adequate provision being made for constant maintenenace by a force of laborers. The result was the road service reached a high degree of perfection, comparing favourably with the roads of any other country and much better then most roads in America. The terrific force of the torrential rainfall in these islands made these precautions necessary. 

We have to record that this system has not been consisntently maintained; the roads are falling into disrepair, some are impassable, and the system of maintenance is carried on spasmodically. In certain districts money has been spent for new roads instead of keeping up the old ones, which is unwise. We also regre to say that a tendency has crept in to revert to the old practice of building bridges and other structures, of wood, and a uniform policy of permanent construction has not been maintained. This practice, in the long run, is poor enconomy. Heavy trucks have been purchased for carrying passengers and freight, and regualr routes have been established on the highways. These trucks, in some cases, are much heaveir than the roads were designed to carry, and much of the deterioration noted is attributable to this fact. The maintenance service should be restored to old standards and the weight of the roads regualted, and standard sections strengthened to enable the use of heavier vehicles. The roads are, at first sight, god at the present time, but a great proporotion of the wearing surface has been worn off without replacement. 

In the Mountain Province and non-Christian Provinces we find that the service of mainting the roads and trails has been neglected, but it is believed that a better organization can remedy thse defects without the ncessity of additional revenues.

Wood-Forbes Mission Report, pgs 39-41

Granted there is nothing in this report about Manila traffic in general or EDSA which was not built until 1940. But in this we do see the trend of poor road maintenance which plagues the Philippines unto this day. A lack of keeping up with repairs, lowering of standards, and heavy trucks which ruin the roads on which they drive.

As far as EDSA goes throughout the years many have offered various solutions. The most notable solution has been an increase in the quality of public transportation. The comparison of Manila with Hong Kong and Singapore is inevitable because all three cites are in the same geographic area and all three were destroyed to various degrees in World War 2 but only Manila is still in a state of backwardness.  The public transport systems in Singapore and Hong Kong are world class. Perhaps the biggest difference between Manila and the other cites is that Manila's rail system is 100% above ground and therefore not easily accessible. There are also no vendors and beggars and street kids commandeering these places as happens with the LRT in Manila.

Stations also appear undersized, compared to those in other large Asian cities. They do not allow for very long trains and usually have only one exit, unlike, for example, Chinese metro systems with multiple exits. Access to LRT 1 and MRT 3 stations is often difficult. They are located above ground with many steps to climb, while vendors and begging children use some of the steps.

https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/bulletin82_Article-4.pdf

There are no easy solutions to the EDSA traffic problem. That should be self-evident. Duterte stormed into office saying he would stop crime and corruption and drugs within 6 months. He said he would fix Manila's traffic problems. His followers believe him but both claims are without merit and not realistic. Perhaps he could start the ball rolling on real reform but not with an attitude of "Let EDSA rot" because he has not been granted autocratic powers.

Picture of the Week: Wise Buy

Rather the being a store Wise Buy is a brand of cheap products available in the Philippines. Does their logo look familiar to you?

It's the Best Buy logo!

This is of course not the first time or the last time a Filipino business has stolen the logo of a popular American business. But this is the first time I have seen such a use of a logo at the mall. Quite cheeky of them. Surely any one familiar with Best Buy who has visited this country and seen this logo has laughed out loud at the brazen and silly theft of Best Buy's logo.

Retards in the Government 119

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

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1161481/witness-tells-senate-freedom-comes-with-a-price-tag-in-bilibid

A witness has surfaced in the Senate to testify that a good conduct time allowance “for sale scheme” exists in the New Bilibid Prison. 

Yolanda Camelon told the Senate that she had paid P50,000 to secure the release of her common-law partner, but the date kept being moved back despite payment of the bribe.

Camelon identified Major Mabel Bansil and Staff Sgt. Ramoncito Roque as the officers to whom she allegedly gave the payment. 

She said it was Bansil who first approached her in February, asking her if she wanted her husband freed through the GCTA law. 

Bansil told her it would cost P50,000 and later introduced her to Roque, who she knew as the chief of the documents section at the Bureau of Corrections. 

She was allowed to pay the amount in installment, and she did so, completing the payment in three installments within February. 

She made the first payment of P10,000 in Roque’s house with Bansil present. Her next two payments consisted of P20,000 each. 

She was told that her husband would walk out of the state penitentiary in March, but this did not take place. She was then told that his release would be done in June, but this was not fulfilled either. Next, she was told it would be in October. 

At that point, she said she shut her ears to more promises and demanded to get her money back. 

After the issue about the GCTA releases broke out, she decided to come out and spill the beans.

Messed up if true. But this is how it always works. The people play along with the corruption and willingly pay bribes until they realise they have been snookered and only then do they try to play within the rules and that only as a matter of revenge or an attempt to recoup their money.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1161665/bato-must-be-probed-over-convicts-release-dilg-chief

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday said Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and other former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chiefs should likewise be investigated on alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law. 

“I think so, kasi meron siyang mga nirelease, diba? So dapat lang tingnan kung may paglabag doon (because he allowed the release of some convicts, right? So I think we should find out whether or not violations were committed),” Año said. 

Dela Rosa, after retiring from the Philippine National Police, served as BuCor chief from April to October 2018. 

He said he believes that Dela Rosa can defend himself on the matter. 

“Kayang kaya naman ni Sen. Dela Rosa depensahan ‘yung sarili niya, kasi kung meron namang nag qualify doon bakit naman siya sisisihin doon (Sen. Dela Rosa can defend himself, because if the convicts did qualify for the GCTA, why should he be blamed)?” said Año. 

Dela Rosa earlier admitted signing the release orders of around 120 heinous crime convicts when he was BuCor chief.

Año says Bato must be investigated but then says he can defend himself and asks "why should be be blamed" practically declaring him innocent without an investigation! But Bato says he signed the release orders of 120 convicts which is a clear violation of the law.  Will be interesting to see a newly elected Senator on the hot seat!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162084/drilon-i-voted-for-gcta-passage-but-didnt-realize-implications

“When Section 3 was included in the committee report in the Senate, the senators, including me, did not realize the effect of expanding for good conduct to this extent,” Drilon said at the “Saturday Forum at Annabel’s” held in Quezon City. 

Drilon was referring to Section 3 of Republic Act 10592, which mentions the adjustment for good conduct for “any offender qualified for credit for preventive imprisonment pursuant to Article 29 of this Code, or of any convicted prisoner in any penal institution, rehabilitation or detention center or any other local jail.” 

“I admit I was one of those who voted but did not realize the implications of such a more liberal grant of time allowances for good conduct,” the senator said.

If he didn't understand the law then why did he vote for it? The man is also a lawyer so it makes no sense for him to not understand the consequences of laws he votes for.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162149/duterte-wont-support-rites-marking-ph-christianization

The President then proceeded to harangue the social ills that Spanish and American colonialism brought about in the country, including members of the elite who were complicit in the process. 

“And yet, I was asked for a commemoration of the 500 years since [the Spanish] arrived here. I answered, ‘Why would I celebrate the arrival of the Spanish here? Why would I?’” the President said. 

“It was good that my cousins got mad at them and cut off Magellan’s head. That made me happy,” said the President, who claims to be a descendant of Cebu chieftain Lapu-Lapu who defeated Ferdinand Magellan in April 1521. 

Despite the rhetoric, however, the President did issue on May 8, 2018, Executive Order No. 55 which created the National Quincentennial Committee tasked with leading preparations. 

The 2021 commemoration was meant not only to mark the introduction of Christianity but also the 500th anniversary of Lapu-Lapu’s victory and Magellan’s first circumnavigation of the world.

Reacting to the President’s remarks, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said the commemoration in 2021 would not be a celebration of Spanish colonial rule but of the Christian faith. 

“Let us therefore make it clear: What we will celebrate in 2021 is not colonialism but the Christian faith that the natives of these islands welcomed as a gift, albeit from people who were not necessarily motivated by the purest of motives. God can indeed write straight even with the most crooked lines,” David wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday.

Interesting that Duterte claims descent from Lapu-Lapu. It is not surprising that he would skip out on any commemoration of 500 years of Christianity as he has made it clear that he is a Muslim. His attendance would also likely stir up resentment among the Muslims in Mindanao.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/09/08/1950094/dutertes-anti-corruption-body-probe-all-bucor-execs-over-gcta-controversy-except-bato

The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday said it would investigate all Bureau of Corrections leaders involved in the implementation of the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance law since 2014. 

PACC chief Manny Luna, however, said they would not probe former BuCor chief and now Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a staunch ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, because they have no authority to do so. 

“Kasi walang law na pinasa ang Congress empowering the PACC to investigate a sitting lawmaker. Kahit congressman hindi naming puwedeng imbestigahan e, because of the separation of powers,” Luna said. 

(There is no law approved by the Congress empowering the PACC to investigate a sitting lawmaker. Even a congressman we cannot investigate, because of the separation of powers.) 

Luna furthered that the PACC is an executive agency while Dela Rosa belongs to the lawmaking arm of the government. 

“Under the separation of powers principle in the Constitution, bawal ho kami manghimasok sa (we are not allowed to meddle in) Congress whether it’s a senator or Congressman pero ang (but the) ombudsman may (has) power,” the PACC chief said. 

“For 2 reasons — one, mayroong batas (there is a law) — ‘yung (the) Ombudsman Act, empowering the ombudsman to investigate even those in the other departments of government,” he added. 

The anti-corruption commission is only allowed to investigate presidential appointees while the ombudsman can launch a probe even without a complaint.

What a toothless body. They should leave all this investigation to the Ombudsman.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162730/ombudsman-suspends-27-bucor-officials-in-freedom-for-sale-scandal

The Office of the Ombudsman suspended 27 Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officials for six months as they faced grave misconduct cases for the release of heinous crime convicts using the now controversial good conduct time allowance. 

An order signed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Monday, Sept. 9, listed those suspended as BuCor officials Chief Supt. Gerardo Padilla, Senior Supt. Celso Bravo, SPO2 Ramoncito Roque and 24 others. 

Roque is officer-in-charge of Inmate Documents and Processing Service, who had been accused of taking part in a scheme to bilk inmates’ relatives in exchange for early release through good conduct time computations. 

The Ombudsman order said the BuCor officials were being suspended in connection with an investigation that the anti-graft body was conducting into “the alleged anomalous release of prison convicts.” 

It said the Ombudsman “finds that the evidence in the form of testimonies of witnesses and public documents” pointing to irregularities in the release of prisoners “appear to be strong.”

27 underlings and no sign of BuCor Chief Faeldon. Why not? Same thing happened at the BOC. underlings suspended and charged while the head dog gets away!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162750/colmenares-theres-proof-that-ejks-are-state-sponsored

“I think human rights defenders and the victims of human rights violations have laid down the basis and evidence that the killings are state-sponsored,” Colmenares, speaking partly in Filipino, told reporters on the sidelines of CHR inquiry. 

“Besides direct evidence, we showed a pattern of evidence showing the government as responsible for the EJKs — such as when the government public vilifies the victims. Secondly, perpetrators committed the crime [killing] apparently without fear of the police,” he added. 

Colmenares did not divulge what the specific pieces of evidence are, although he had previously mentioned these two types of evidence, albeit in a different scenario. It was during the attacks on farmers, human rights workers in the Negros island which was correlated to the communist insurgency.

Why would he make such claims not divulge the evidence? Without a smoking gun all that is left is circumstantial evidence which the government can easily dismiss.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162965/poe-ph-needs-better-leadership-in-traffic-agencies-to-resolve-problem

“I think that a better leadership probably in agencies that have to deal with traffic is what we need,” Poe told reporters.

A lot of people are very dismissive of Poe and claim she is a do nothing trapo or traditional politician. But she is absolutely right. Giving Duterte emergency powers will only give him access to money. It won't solve the traffic problems. All the agencies in charge of traffic need to get their acts together an enforce laws and show real leadership. That won't solve everything but it will be a start.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162869/dela-rosa-believes-death-penalty-cures-everything

“Kung meron sanang death penalty, that cures everything. Pati yung mga drug lord dyan na hanggang ngayon kung meron pa mang nagtra-transact pa rin drug business sa labas, e hindi na yan makapag conduct ng drug bussiness nila dahil patay na, bitayin na dapat yan.” 

(“If there is a death penalty, that cures everything. As for the drug lords there until now if they were still transacting drug business out there, they would not be able to conduct their drug bussiness because they are dead, they should kill it. ”)

You know what else would cure everything? If Bilibid was run like a real prison and the inmates were not bribing all the guards so they can have cell phones and TVs!

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/10/19/barilin-niyo-ako-bato-dares-critics-to-shoot-him-if-he-was-corrupt-as-jail-chief

Dela Rosa, who served as BuCor chief from April to October 2018, earlier told ABS-CBN News Channel that he was willing to be slapped if he was really involved in corrupt practices. 

“Alam n’yo ‘di lang sampal, kahit barilin niyo ako kapag napatunayan niyo na ako’y naging corrupt sa pagiging chief ng BuCor. Sampal mababaw lang yun, barilin nyo ako," said Dela Rosa in a subsequent interview with reporters. 

(Not just slap; you can even shoot me if it is proven that I was a corrupt BuCor chief.)

Another drama queen!

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/11/19/duterte-says-willing-to-ignore-hague-victory-for-joint-exploration-project-with-china

President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday China wants the Philippines to ignore its legal victory in the South China Sea to push through with the joint oil and gas exploration deal in the disputed waters. 

"Set aside your claim... They want to explore and if there is something, sabi nila, 'We would be gracious enough to give you 60 percent.' Forty [percent] lang ang kanila. That is the promise of Xi Jinping," he told reporters. 

Duterte said he is amenable to the Chinese leader's request. 

"Kasi ‘yang exclusive economic zone is part of the arbitral ruling, which we will ignore to come up with an economic activity," he said.

Imagine being the hard working attorney who toiled day and night to get this ruling and the President just tosses it away like so much garbage.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162732/dilg-bjmp-back-proposed-alcatraz-like-prison

“All high-risk convicts, together with convicted of heinous crimes will be placed there,” Zubiri said during Monday’s Senate budget hearing on the 2020 budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. 

Año said the DILG “strongly supports” the proposal, especially since the facility aims to house convicted drug lords, rebel leaders and terrorists. 

“Right now, they are all together in one dormitory,” Año, speaking partly in Filipino, said. “Instead of being deradicalized, the more that they are getting radicalized. The prison has become like a university, a university of terrorism.”

It sounds like a good idea but it would probably be another corrupt place where those who pay the most get the best treatment.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1163122/duterte-rebukes-robredo-for-disputing-him-on-gift-policy-for-cops

“Kung ikaw ang Presidente ng Pilipinas, patay. You do not even read a book.” 

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday directed this statement to Vice President Leni Robredo after she criticized him on his remark that government officials can accept gifts of nominal value and out of gratitude. 

Duterte also mentioned Senator Panfilo Lacson but he said that he can forgive the former police chief because he is not a lawyer. 

“I quoted the very words (of) anti-graft and corrupt practices. There are exemptions, nominal and I used the word nominal and out of gratitude,” Duterte said before recipients of the Outstanding Government Workers Award in Malacañang. 

Duterte last month said there is nothing wrong with policemen accepting “gifts” from families who are grateful for their work, insisting that accepting gifts out of “gratitude” cannot be considered a violation of the law.

Robredo is not the only official to have criticised Duterte for giving permission to accept gifts. So why pick on her and why now?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162551/palace-absolves-faeldon-napalusutan-siya-na-naman

Malacañang said Monday that fired Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon could not be involved in the reported corruption at the agency and might have only been hoodwinked by alleged corrupt lower-ranking officials.

Their argument is that Faeldon is incompetent and stupid rather than corrupt!

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1822648/Manila/Local-News/Former-congressman-ambushed-5-aides-killed

FORMER Pangasinan governor and congressman Amado "Ama" Espino Jr. was ambushed on Wednesday, September 11, according to Senator Richard Gordon. 

Gordon, who is chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said Espino "is now fighting for his life in a hospital in Pangasinan."  

All his five bodyguards were killed as they "heroically shielded Espino with their bodies", Gordon said in his Twitter post.

Another politician ambushed!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1163041/8-drug-convicts-including-pastor-linked-to-hospital-pass-scheme

Eight high-profile inmates, one of them a pastor, have been tagged in the alleged hospital-pass-for-sale scheme inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. 

And even while inside the Bilibid, the inmates, most of them drug convicts, allegedly continued their illegal drug transactions, neophyte Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go disclosed on Tuesday. 

Go said he got the information about the said illegal activities of the inmates from a high-profile inmate. 

“Most of these illegal drug transactions take place in Medical Ward 3, Medical Annex and Building 14,” he said in an interview at the Senate. 

“It involves several personalities, about eight of them. Illegal drug trade continues in the NBP with the NBP Hospital as the new venue for illegal drug transactions,” he added.
With the help of hospital officials, the inmates would feign sickness so they would be transferred to the hospital and would have access to telephones, Go said. 

“I can’t give details of the transactions and their contacts outside, but they use a room to transact with someone outside by calling on a cellphone,” Go said in Filipino. 

This hospital-pass-for-sale scheme is just one of the alleged corrupt practices uncovered during the ongoing investigation of the Senate Committee on Justice.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162460/lacson-confronts-bucor-exec-allegedly-jamming-with-drug-lords

Before this, the senator lamented how senators are being lied to everytime they conduct a hearing. 

“This is our fourth hearing. Each time that we conduct a committee hearing, we’re being lied to at least once. We’re being lied to each time by our resource persons,” he said.

Schemes and liars and lying schemes in the Bureau of Corrections. The more hearings they have the more corrupt we learn the BuCor really is.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/11/19/caloocan-prosecutor-survives-ambush

Elmer Susano of the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court had just left a restaurant and went inside his pickup truck when 3 motorcycle-riding men shot him at close range at 2:45 p.m. 

He managed to hit one of the motorcycles while reversing his truck, security footage showed. 

The assailants, all wearing helmets, chased Susano but eventually withdrew. The prosecutor managed to flee to safety and report the incident to police. 

Caloocan City police chief Noel Flores said Susano received death threats before the incident. 

"We are looking into the cases handled by Susano as possible motive behind the ambush," he said. 

In May 2017, Caloocan City assistant prosecutor Diosdado Azarcon was shot dead outside his house in Barangay 63, Caloocan City.

He is not the first prosecutor to be shot at and he won't be the last.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/179830/duterte-energy-deal-ok-with-china-if-ph-drops-claim

“Set aside the arbitral ruling,” the President told reporters in Malacañang, quoting Xi. “Set aside your claim. Then allow everybody connected with the Chinese companies. They want to explore. If there is something, they said, we will be gracious enough to give you 60 percent, only 40 percent will be theirs. That is the promise of Xi Jinping.” 

But Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. refuted the President’s statements on Wednesday, saying China did not attach such a condition to the proposed joint exploration deal. 

“I read everything he told President Xi. China has never made setting aside the arbitral award a prerequisite to anything,” Locsin replied to a reporter’s question via Twitter.
Locsin cited Justice Menardo Guevarra’s legal opinion that the memorandum did not compromise the Philippines’ sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. 

“Can’t help it if traitors try to put a treasonous spin to it. But it’s [OK], one day they’ll be assassinated with impunity; indeed to loud acclaim,” Locsin said. 

After Xi’s visit to the Philippines in November last year, Guevarra vouched for the legal soundness of a joint exploration deal, saying there was no need for the Senate to ratify it because it was not a treaty. 

“There are no sovereignty issues whatsoever as the [memorandum of understanding] merely expresses a mutual desire to agree on specific cooperation arrangements within 12 months,” Guevarra said in December.

If Teddyboy is right then Duterte is a liar. But why would he lie about such a matter? And here we go again with Teddyboy tweeting out awful things such as "they'll be assassinated with impunity." His problem should not be with those who interpret Duterte's statements but with Duterte's alleged lying.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/257501/former-lapu-lapu-traffic-enforcer-nabbed-for-extortion

A former traffic enforcer of Lapu-Lapu City was arrested by police for extortion in an entrapment operation on Wednesday afternoon, September 11, 2019. 

Antonio Miano, 57 years old, a resident of Purok Orchids Barangay Looc, Lapu-Lapu City, was arrested for issuing temporary license plate for a motorcycle in exchange for P3,000. 

According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Gifter Sucalit, Chief of the Intelligence Branch (CIB) of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office,  Miano introduces himself as member of City Traffic Management System (CTMS) who can process and  provide a temporary vehicle license plate in exchange for a certain amount of money. 

The police learned of Miano’s illegal activity after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen who was once a victim of Miano.

If those plates are legitimate then there must be others involved. Maybe someone in the LTO?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1163823/pampanga-mayor-suspended-for-90-days

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday served a 3-month suspension order against Masantol town Mayor Danilo Guintu as the penalty for abuse of authority. 

The administrative case stemmed from a complaint by Bernardo Guevarra, a vendor in the town’s public market.

It wasn't graft at least. A nice 90 day vacation and then he's back.


Without doubt the Philippine Political Scandal of the Week is the ongoing Senate hearings on corruption in the Bureau of Corrections particularly at New Bilibid Prison. I have already posted some articles above now I will list a few more.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/12/19/24-hr-gambling-30k-tilapia-kidnapping-ex-bucor-chief-exposes-rackets-inside-bilibid

High-profile inmates at the New Bilibid Prison bribed prison officials so they could enjoy certain privileges while detained such as female entertainers that were worth P30,000 a night, a former chief of the Bureau of Corrections said Thursday.  

Another "racket" inside the prison, he said, was the kidnapping of these "wives" of high-profile inmates who had to be ransomed by the convicts. All the transactions are done inside Bilibid, Ragos said.  

The kidnap-for-ransom activities were carried out by cops who were in cahoots with the inmates. 

He said inmates also engaged in nearly 24-hour gambling inside the prison, and some corrupt jail officials were also stealing from the inmates’ food budget. Some BuCor personnel also sold cellphones, alcohol and cigarettes to inmates at steep prices, he added.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/239936-ill-prepared-bureau-corrections-list-wrongly-grants-gcta-janet-napoles

A list provided by the BuCor to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee showed a total of 2,359 names of prisoners released because of Good Conduct Time Allowance(GCTA). 

Under a list of 1,714 names of released "in the present administration," Napoles' name appeared as one of them, even wrongly attributing the crime of rape to her. 

BuCor's documentation chief Ramoncito "Chito" Roque told the blue ribbon committee also on Thursday that they rushed the compilation of the list. 

"Mabilisan pong pinagawa sa 'min, mag-pe-press con kasi sa Palawan during that time, hindi po namin na-check nang mabuti," Roque told Senator Richard Gordon. 

(We had to rush it because we were going to have a press conference in Palawan during that time, we weren't able to check it properly.)

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1163791/money-making-rackets-inside-nbp-rake-in-up-to-p500k-a-week-ex-nbi-officer

The alleged money-making rackets inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) rake in from P300,00 to P500,000 a week, a former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official privy to the said schemes disclosed.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/239934-bureau-corrections-officer-bilibid-prisoner-knife-attack

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Duty Officer Edgardo Ferrer was stabbed at around 8:40 am by a prisoner who was "suffering from schizophrenia." 

Ferrer survived the attack and suffered only a "superficial stab wound" on his lower torso, according to the DOJ's report. He is already being treated by medics, the DOJ said. 

During the probe, Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon floated the idea that the incident may be the result of deep corruption plaguing the BuCor. The DOJ and the police have yet to reach a conclusion.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/09/12/palace-next-bucor-chief-should-be-honest-competent/

In his Thursday press briefing, Panelo reiterated the President’s standards in appointing someone to a government post. 

“Apart from being a killer, per Senator Bong? Well, the President has only two qualifications: honesty and competence,” he said.

Honest and competent? This is the Philippines so not likely.