Firefighters Armed With 9mms But Without Proper PPE

I don't usually post a lot about firemen but it seems firemen have been behaving rather silly recently.  First there was the fireman who killed his colleague in a drunken fit at a Christmas party last year. Then there were the firemen who hung a sign on their truck notifying that in case of fire to call someone else because the truck is under repair.

Those same firemen who got into a fight last Christmas, their station is being rebuilt.

There is absolutely nothing silly about a new fire station being built. That's a good thing.  But look at the sign that's posted. 

"To our valued clients."  I don't think I'd call anyone who needs the assistance of firefighters clients. That's what a hairstylists calls the people who she regularly works on. It's just silly. Get rid of the salutation and the sign would be fine. It's a common case of over-politeness. Filipinos are guilty of being overly polite to the point of obsequiousness from sales clerks watching your every move to people repeatedly calling you sir.

Perhaps the silliest thing involving firemen is DILG Secretary Año's pledge to arm them on the orders of Duterte.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/725719/ano-says-firefighters-must-have-firearms-this-year/story/

"Maintaining law and order is not an easy task. Despite the decreasing crime rate in the country, having the BFP's firefighters in our peace and order campaign is a boost and welcome addition in ensuring a safe and secure country," Año said. 

He further said arming the BFP personnel was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's previous directive of "engaging the help of the BFP to maintain law and order and not to limit themselves to fire-fighting." 

"The BFP also does law enforcement functions because they enforce the Fire Code so they already have some experience in this regard," Año said. 

"The BFP can help ensure public safety, as a support to the PNP (Philippine National Police) and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) but of course, their primary responsibility is still preventing and suppressing fire and enforcement of the Fire Code," he added. 

According to Año, the firefighters will be armed with 9mm pistols, adding that the BFP already requested funds from the Department of Budget and Management to finance the purchase of the said weapons.

Prior to the issuance of firearms, firefighters will undergo marksmanship and gun safety training, Año ensured.

Pretty silly, huh?  More like downright stupid.  What ridiculous reasoning.

"The BFP also does law enforcement functions because they enforce the Fire Code so they already have some experience in this regard," Año said. 

Every government agency is tasked with enforcing laws.  Why not arm agents of the BIR, the BuCor, the DFA, or how about about Forest Rangers?

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1829982

Cimatu then called on lawmakers to pass a measure that would establish an enforcement bureau within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and an enabling law that would authorize forest enforcers to carry firearms.  

Cimatu, a former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), had been appalled by the brutal death of a forest ranger from Nueva Ecija who died two days after he was shot several times by an unknown assailant. 

Forest Ranger Ronaldo Corpuz, who was assigned at the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) in the municipality of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, died of multiple gunshot wounds. 

Corpuz was shot by an unidentified assailant while he was closing the gate of their house around 7:35 p.m. of October 25. He was declared dead on October 27 at the Premier Hospital in Cabanatuan City. 

Prior to his death, Corpuz, together with members of Bantay Gubat, conducted a surveillance operation against timber poaching and illegal transport of forest products in Barangay Portal in Rizal town on October 22.

Illegal loggers pose a deadly thereat to forest rangers. Several have been killed in recent years. As for firefighters, there was an incident in 2015 when firefighters were attacked by those they were helping.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2015/03/18/news/national/2-die-in-malabon-fire-firemen-attacked/170304/170304/

A still undetermined number of firefighters were injured, some allegedly stabbed after some irate residents allegedly assaulted them at the height of the fire. 

Volunteer firefighters had to withdraw from the area after residents started pelting them with rocks, which broke their firetruck’s windshield. 

Responding firemen explained that they were hampered by residents who swooped down on their fire trucks and grabbed the firefighting equipment so they could train the hoses on their houses.

At least no one was killed.  The same can't be said for two firemen who were having a drinking spree at a colleague's house.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/09/11/1194521/2-firemen-dead-bataan-shooting

In a report, Chief Inspector Arnel Dial, Orani police chief, identified the victims as SFO2 Charlie Mendoza, 52, and FO2 Enrico Caraan, firefighters in Dinalupihan and Orani towns, respectively. Wounded was Arlyn Lopez, 47. 

Dial said Mendoza and Lopez went to Caraan's house where they had a drinking spree. Mendoza and Lopez later had a verbal tussle, leading to a fistfight. 

Dial said Caraan tried to pacify the two, but Mendoza reportedly drew his gun, fired at Caraan and Lopez, and then shot himself in the abdomen.

Drunken firemen killing each other. How is it so many drinking sprees end up in bloodshed in the Philippines? It's not just firemen. It's men from all walks of life. Friends drinking themselves silly and then killing each other is an all too common news story in the Philippines. And to top it all off it seems everyone is either packing heat or a pistol is within easy reach. 

How about instead of arming firemen the government provides the proper PPE so they can do their job?

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/08/12/1942614/50-firefighters-dont-have-complete-protective-gear-bfp

Around 50 percent of firefighters of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) do not have a complete set of personal protective equipment. 

BFP spokesman Chief Inspector Jude delos Reyes said yesterday about half of their bureau’s 25,000 personnel risk their lives combating fires without complete protection. 

“There are still about 50 percent of the firefighters na hindi kumpleto yun PPE,” he said in an interview over dzBB. 

Among these equipment are helmets and boots, said Delos Reyes. Also included as PPEs are respirators, gloves, blankets and gas masks. 

The lack of protective equipment is one of the problems which they are hoping will be addressed by the current administration. 

The BFP is also short of manpower as it needs around 11,000 firefighters to cover the entire country. 

President Duterte earlier said he wants to arm firefighters so they can help fight communist rebels and other lawless elements. 

Delos Reyes said Duterte’s statement is a welcome development as they also need to protect themselves during firefighting operations where they deal with uncooperative civilians who would forcibly take their water hoses and use these for themselves.

Duterte wants firemen armed so they can fight commies while the BFP spokesman says civilians who want to commandeer the hose are the bigger threat. Either way without helmets, boots, and gas masks firefighters are unable to do their job. Providing them the proper equipment should be the Duterte administration's priority, not arming them with guns.

Is Fear of the Novel Coronavirus Getting Out of Hand?

The novel corona virus is a bioweapon. It comes from eating bat soup. The Chinese are carriers of the disease.  We have to ban everyone from Wuhan province.  Everyone needs to wear face mask.  Face masks are sold out everywhere!!  We are all going to die!!!

A lot of hysteria is sweeping the world about the novel corona virus. Several cases have been confirmed in the  Philippines already.  Face masks are indeed sold out and people have been warned to not buy face masks from street vendors. Hundreds have already died from the disease so it's not unwarranted to want to keep oneself safe from contracting it.  But perhaps some of these measures are just plain dumb and only serve to perpetuate the panic.  How about this poster at Robinsons Mall?

It's an informative poster no doubt. But is that little bit at the bottom in big red print necessary?

"Wear a mask at all times." Seeing everyone in a masks surely isn't going to cause a panic right? Of course all the stores are out of masks so it is just not possible for everyone to wear one at all times.  Unless perhaps you run across Paolo Duterte handing them out.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/03/paolo-duterte-distributes-free-face-masks-to-dabawenyos/

The Office of Davao City first district Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte distributed on Monday, February 3, around 10,000 face masks in various areas here amid the scare created by the novel Coronavirus (nCoV). 

Duterte said the activity was conducted in line with the growing clamor of the Dabawenyos for face masks considering that several stores have stopped selling the merchandise due to very high demand. 

“Tabang namo ni sa atong mga igsuong Dabawenyo tungod kay daghan ang wala nay mapalit nga face masks tungod aning (We would like to help our Dabawenyo brothers and sisters because a lot of them were not able to purchase the masks due to) coronavirus scare,” Duterte said. 

The presidential son, however, clarified that they did not want to sow panic, and just wanted to provide what his constituents have been clamoring for. 

“We also wanted to advice the public not to panic. What is important is we maintain proper hygiene. Mask alone would not protect us from any virus if we do not observe proper hygiene. Wash your hands regularly and make sure your environment is clean,” the young congressman said.

Where in the world did he get 10,000 face masks from? No wonder everyone is out of stock! Did he buy them all for this publicity stunt? If you are in Cebu and you drive a taxi, jeepeny, bus, or other PUV then you had better be wearing a face mask or you will have to cough up P5,000!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1092884

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 (Central Visayas) on Tuesday apprehended 10 drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) for violating the new policy requiring them to wear a protective face mask while on duty. 

The operation was conducted Tuesday morning after the central office issued Memorandum Circular 2020-005, which set the guidelines for all public utility drivers, conductors, and terminal operators in ensuring safe public transportation because of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) scare. 

The circular has directed “all PUV drivers and conductors to properly wear a face mask at all times while on duty and for all franchise holders to ensure compliance” with the policy. 

Meanwhile, Montealto advised the drivers to just follow what has been required of them under the new memo to avoid being fined. 

His reaction came after some drivers complained about social media that the PHP5,000 penalty for not wearing a face mask is too big. 

“They can devise a mask. They can use their handkerchief or face towel to cover their nose and mouth. Table napkin can even be used, as long as they are protected from the virus,” Montealto said.

Wow!  A handkerchief, a face towel, and even a table napkin are enough to protect one from the deadly novel corona virus!  What a joke! No way will a flimsy table napkin protect you from the virus but it will protect you from the egregious fine.

SM Supermarket is also warning their customers about the virus and how to protect themselves from infection.

Cleaning ones hands figures big into all this preventative advice. Inside the store management was kind enough to provide a bottle of hand sanitizer for all customers to use.

Even Metro Supermarket is getting into the game by leaving out a big bottle of hand sanitizer for everyone to use.

Banks are also offering hand sanitizer. Did you know money is the dirtiest thing we touch every day?

Question: If everyone is touching the bottle won't that defeat the purpose? Or does the hand sanitizer cancel out that risk? Germs can be spread via hands through handshakes but what if there were no more handshakes?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1093143

The chamber adopted during Wednesday's plenary session House Resolution No. 408, which urges the promotion of the simple act of gracefully laying the palm of the right hand over the center of the chest with a simultaneous slight head nod as a customary Filipino gesture of goodwill, praise, and respect. 

The resolution was adopted amid the threat of the novel coronavirus, wherein the Philippines had three confirmed cases of the virus, one of whom died in February. 

Marikina City Rep. Bayani Fernando, the author of the HR No. 408, said the medical profession has established that the traditional, well-meaning and innocent gesture of handshake transmits communicable diseases and is a risk to one's health. 

Fernando said the alternative of placing the hand over the chest is a universal gesture of good faith coming from the heart, while a nod is a traditional Filipino gesture of respect. 

"The Philippine Government is urged to promote this gesture of goodwill and praise so that this will become a customary practice of all Filipinos," the resolution read. 

"All government agencies are encouraged to promote this practice in their respective offices and areas of jurisdiction, with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) taking the lead in the wider dissemination and promotion of this Filipino gesture,” it added.

This might not be as bad of an idea as one thinks because Filipinos do not use toilet paper! A new gesture of respect to replace the handshake might be a silver lining during these trying times. However there is something even better to look forward to as a result of the virus: thriving tourism!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1226053/mindanao-tourism-to-thrive-amid-ncov-threat-execs-say

Tourism officials in various areas of Mindanao expressed confidence the new coronavirus (nCoV) epidemic that’s gripping more than 20 countries will only have minimal impact on tourist arrivals this year. 

The optimism is mainly based on the rising number of local tourists, and the minimal count of Chinese nationals compared to the total expected influx of visitors. 

The large bulk of tourists into Caraga are Europeans, Americans, and Australians; they constitute some 90 percent of tourist arrivals in Siargao, the DOT said. 

Roel Catoto, a resort operator in Siargao, told the Inquirer by phone that so far the nCoV scare has not affected the island’s tourism. 

“We can still see the same [number] of tourists, and maybe more these past few days. People still pack the party spaces at night and the island-hopping bookings are still up,” said Catoto, who rents motorcycles to tourists and co-owns the Payag Suites and Chef Justice Restaurant. 

“Unlike Boracay, Siargao’s tourism fortunes were never dependent on Chinese visitors. Most of the tourists here come from Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world,” added Catoto.

While there is a ban on Chinese tourists Siargao Island doesn't get a lot of them anyway so it's no big deal! The white guys like to visit and they will keep on visiting.  Meanwhile since flights to China have been put on hold Filipinos will have no choice but to visit local farms for vacation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1226033/senator-villar-ncov-scare-to-boost-local-tourism

Senator Cynthia Villar told hundreds of farmers during the 1st Agribusiness Tourism event here that the novel coronavirus (nCoV) would boost local tourism in the country. 

“Since there’s a ban on any flight coming in from China, Hong Kong, and Macau, so they can’t cruise for fear of getting infected of nCoV so we will rely on farm tourism and it is local tourism,” Villar said. 

She said this is a great chance for Filipinos to explore the beautiful local sceneries, particularly the farms, as promoted by the Department of Tourism.

Remember when anything happens in this county be it a natural disaster, terrorism, or a pandemic the first thing officials are worrying about is how it will affect tourism. Even during the recent eruption of Taal volcano official's thoughts turned towards tourism. It seems the (nCoV) won't be affecting tourism at all but actually increasing it domestically. Hooray for pandemics and quarantined countries!

Despite all the fear of contracting this deadly disease there really is nothing to worry about. The Duterte administration is going to defeat the virus.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/02/11/1992184/we-can-defeat-virus-duterte

In a speech before local government executives, Duterte slammed the “idiots” and “kibitzers in politics” who are using the nCoV crisis to sow fear. 

“If it goes out of hand, do not worry,” Duterte said. “I can assure you we can defeat the virus… just believe in the government. In a crisis involving deaths and getting people safe, we will do our very best.”

See? There is nothing to worry about. Just believe in the government. Everything will be fine. Stay safe out there, always know where your towel is, and whatever you do, DON'T PANIC!

Insurgency: Peace Much Earlier

This week Duterte said something rather surprising. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1093178

“With the rate that the NPAs are surrendering, mukhang I think we’d be able to realize peace much earlier,” the President said during the mass oath-taking of new presidential appointees held at Palace’s Rizal Hall. 

To recall, Duterte on Jan. 23 led the distribution of government assistance packages to at least 263 former communist insurgents in San Isidro, Leyte. 

Duterte, in his previous speech, hinted that he might give in to the demands of the communist movement in a bid to realize long-lasting peace in the country. 

The President, however, did not elaborate on the communists’ specific favors for the possible revival of peace negotiations between the national government and the CPP’s political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF). 

“The most important thing is to come up and comply with the promise to the rebels,” he said. 

“Kaya sabi ko doon sa mga sundalo, bitawan na lang niyo. Umalis na lang kayo diyan. Ibigay na lang ninyo sa mga NPA. Lagyan na lang natin ng… Ah ayaw kong sabihin kasi may gusto akong ilagay (That’s why I told the soldiers, just let go. Leave the place and just give it to the NPA. We’ll just place a… I don’t want to mention it but I want to place something there),” Duterte added.

It is not clear what it means that he would give into the demands of the CPP since their only one demand is the implementation of the CASER agreement. In the meantime Duterte is handing out money and cellphones to rebels who surrender.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091866

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday renewed his call to rebels in Leyte province to lay down their arms and avail of land distribution and livelihood assistance. 

“We can’t solve the problem in the Philippines by revolution. It has to be evolution,” he said.  

So far, under the Duterte administration, some 140,000 hectares of land have been distributed to farmers nationwide.  

According to Leyte local officials, 2,000 hectares could be distributed to farmer-beneficiaries. 

“The 2,200 hectares -- tell your crazy comrades to get down here because they won’t be a part of the distribution if they aren’t here,” the President told the former rebels who were given support by the government. “I will give all the lands to the Filipino.”  

He noted that he wanted those parcels of land to be released to beneficiaries in three months. 

Duterte asked the Department of Agriculture to assist farmers in analyzing the soil to determine the crops suitable to their locations. 

During the event, eight representatives of 262 former rebels received the multi-million financial aid from the President. The former rebels were also given remuneration for their firearms. 

Duterte handed over some PHP11.9 million in cash and livelihood assistance to rebel returnees during the mass awarding of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) benefits.  

This is on top of the additional PHP5,000 cash assistance and mobile phones for each former rebel from the Office of the President. 

Of the 262 who surrendered, 33 of them were New People’s Army (NPA) fighters and 229 were members of the Militia ng Bayan (MB). 

That is a lot of money and land to be handing out which should be going to help law abiding citizens who were never part of the insurgency. The Militia ng Bayan, while not the same as regular NPA soldiers, functions as a sort of training school for future rebels.  From the DND:

Militia ng Bayan - refers to individuals who have been indoctrinated and may or may not  be directly involved in violent armed struggle but, when organized, can provide mass support to the "revolutionary movement" of the CPP/NPA/NDF. These organized individuals form part of the mass-base that serves as revolutionary enforcement in the barrio. They secure the NPA forces while int he community and, at times, are even armed to reinforce the NPA during encounters. They are trained with sniping and Improvised Explosives Device (IED) deployment and detonation, among other armed activities, which eventually qualifies them to become the main source of NPA regulars.

http://dnd.gov.ph/PDF2018/IRRofAO10,s-2018.pdf

Duterte and even some top AFP brass think the E-CLIP program of giving away money and other goodies is the way to end the insurgency and bring peace so the program will continue. Peace is a funny word in the Philippines which has different meanings for whoever is employing it.  Remember this definition of peace from former MILF Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar?

Jaafar said it was important that government and the MILF are on the same page on the definition of peace “kasi the way we look at it, ang definition ng gobyerno sa peace is the absence of fighting. That is not the peace that we want. There can be no peace if the Bangsamoro agenda is not addressed to the satisfaction of the greater majority of the Bangsamoro people. This can be addressed if ma-realize yung demand ng Bangsamoro people na meron silang gobyerno and government they will run for everybody, Muslims and non-Muslims alike and a democratic government and still under the Republic of the Philippines.”

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/03/martial-law-isis-is-rising.html

Peace for the MILF is not the cessation of fighting but the fulfillment of the Bangsamoro agenda which is ultimately an independent Mindanao. BARMM Chief Minister and leader of the MILF Ebrahim Murad has also said that decommissioning does not mean they have given up on their struggle.

“We have not given up on our struggle.” 

“We are not surrendering. Decommissioning is not tantamount to surrendering,” said Ebrahim, who is also Chief Minister of the interim Bangsamoro government. 

“I would like to emphasize that the decommissioning doesn’t mean we have given up on what we used to fight for,” Ebrahim emphasized.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/martial-law-insurgent-free.html 

Given Murad's very violent and unpeaceful career as well as his insistence that the struggle is not over it is strange he recently received an honorary degree for being a humanitarian and peace builder.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/03/msu-confers-honorary-degree-on-murad/

The Mindanao State University (MSU) system has conferred on Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of his “exemplary contributions to humanity and peace building” in the south. 

“I am accepting this honorary degree not for myself, but for the Bangsamoro struggle and the Bangsamoro people,” Ebrahim told some 1,500 graduates during the conferment ceremony at the MSU system’s Dimaporo gymnasium in Marawi City. 

Ebrahim’s choice as graduation speaker and recipient of honorary doctorate degree in peace and development was opted by the MSU Board of Regents on recommendation of MSU President Dr. Habib Macaayong. 

In his speech, Ebrahim recalled that he was once an MSU student, 55 years ago. After being granted a government scholarship program, he then transferred to Notre Dame University in Cotabato City and took up Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. 

“And yet, with another twist, before finishing my fifth year in college, I decided to pursue a calling bigger than all of us – the rise of the Moro movement. Without hesitation, I left the university and joined the movement’s military training in 1970,” he added. 

“Fast forward, that revolution has enabled us to establish a new bureaucracy that reflects our ideals and aspirations,” said the MILF chairman cum chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

I am not aware of how many men Murad has personally killed or how much bloodshed he is actually responsible for but he sure is strange choice for a degree honoring his "contributions to humanity and peace building" in Mindanao. His is a legacy of violence. Mindanao State University in Cotobabto City giving Murad award is basically the Bansamoro people patting one of their own on the back.

Contrary to what some people may think ISIS was not defeated in the Marawi Siege.  ISIS was not defeated last year either.  Though they have been relatively quiet and their numbers are low they still pose a threat. This threat is what makes Duterte's determination to terminate the VFA because Bato's US visa was cancelled all the more dangerous.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1093298

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to transmit the Philippines’ formal notification to the United States (US) with regard to its termination of the 22-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Malacañang announced on Friday. 

The President’s order came a day after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. warned that the revocation of the VFA might have a “negative” impact on the Philippines. 

“PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) is instructing (Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to tell (Locsin) to send the notice of termination to the US government,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

I understand that the above story has been called fake news by DND Sec. Lorenzana which goes to show the miscommunication between the members of the Duterte administration. But the gist of it remains true.  Duterte is hellbent on scrapping the VFA to the detriment of the nation.

It's real funny how Teddy Locsin has changed his tune from "Good idea" to "bad idea." It's yes men like him who are an danger to this nation. Quite frankly Duterte has lost his mind about the VFA. Without it all US-PHL military operations will come to a halt and ISIS and other rogue elements will regain strength. It's a wonder no one has spoken out in the strongest terms against this foolish and rash decision.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1225923/military-officers-worry-about-loss-of-us-surveillance-aid

Field-based officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has expressed worry over the possible cut in the United States government’s assistance for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) activities should President Duterte proceed with terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). 

The officers, who asked not to be named, said US support is crucial in running after Islamic State (IS)-linked militants. 

Without US support, one officer said, it would be like “fighting the militants with blurry eyes or a hazy vision.” 

“Some of our operations will be affected,” the officer further said. 

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, in a recent visit here, has said the country stands to lose US support for ISR operations without the VFA. 

Lorenzana said the support is made possible through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) which was inked in 2014. It allows the United States to rotate troops into the country for extended stays, and to build and operate facilities on AFP bases. 

“I think EDCA will become useless if there is no more VFA. Who will man these bases,” said Lorenzana, referring to the US military facilities that’s providing the intelligence and surveillance support, one of which is in Zamboanga City. 

Along with the Zamboanga US facility, Lorenzana said the surveillance flights provided by Dyne Corporation, a service provider of the US Department of Defense, will also stop its operations in Southern Philippines. 

Another military officer has told the Inquirer the Zamboanga facility was instrumental in the recent successful operation that led to the killing of a local IS affiliate in Lanao del Sur.

Surveillance aircraft operated by DyneCorp helped government troops defeat in 2017 IS militants who laid siege on Marawi City. 

Apart from aiding the AFP in war-fighting, some other AFP officers pointed to logistical assistance from the US military towards rescue and relief operations in times of disasters like after typhoons Sendong, Pablo and Yolanda.

DND Sec. Lorenzana admits scrapping the VFA will render EDCA useless but he still says Duterte has his"unqualified support" if he decides to terminate it.

The defense chief, however, said that ultimately, the decision rests on the President, and Duterte had already decided. 

“The pros and cons were laid out and it is clear that we also benefit in terms of grants (mil equipment, training, HADR) from the VFA. But the President, as the ultimate authority on foreign relations, has decided. And whatever he decides on this matter has my unqualified support.”

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/07/20/duterte-to-pursue-scrapping-vfa-despite-concerns-lorenzana-says

That is the sound of a weak man who is wiffle-waffling to keep his job. He knows scrapping the VFA is a bad decision but he goes against Duterte at his own risk. He has had to walk the same fine line about China and the UN arbitral decision so he has plenty of practice of supporting Duterte doing things which endanger national security.

One person who supports the idea of Duterte scrapping the VFA is CPP founder Joma Sison.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1226037/joma-sison-supports-duterte-move-to-end-vfa

“I tell Duterte, go right ahead,” Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder, said in an online interview from Utrecht in The Netherlands on Saturday.

Of course a terrorist leader would applaud such a move. If they were polled Abu Sayyaf, BIFF, MNLF, and MILF would probably approve too.

I started off by writing that Duterte said a surprising thing.  What he said was that peace might be realized much earlier. This is surprising because without the VFA it is a sure thing that terrorism will only increase as the AFP will be less able to deal with the threat. Is Duterte even thinking holistically about how the VFA enables the US and the AFP to work together to combat both ISIS and the communists? Certainly not.

The God Culture: Dishonestly Edited Videos

It was my intent in three blog posts to look at the God Culture's claims and give them an honest critique.  I posted links to two of those blogs on the God Culture's Facebook page so they would have a chance to respond. Instead of dealing with the issues I raised they insulted me and made emotional appeals while copping an attitude of victory as if my criticisms were nothing and they did not care what I had to say. All the while behind the scenes it appears I really struck a nerve so much so that Tim and his gang have taken the time to remove and edit three of the very videos I criticized. I am aware they edited a few other videos too but I didn't watch those so I won't comment on them.

Here is the message they left on my previous post:

There is nothing erroneous in our research. A YouTube Channel quoting a source is normal. It is rare a YT channel sites anywhere near as much as we have and this is a ludicrous track of negative nothing. We have been updating our videos with more extensive sources and even page #s so thank you for pointing this out but let us not pretend you have a gotcha because you do not and you can stop with the act. What is truly laughable is we went back and listened and we never mention Suarez in that slide at all but the Periplus. We have removed Suarez completely and we have added quotes from Nowell proving your thinking that Suarez was right is wrong and Magellan proved that. You found nothing. Enough. We have more than satisfied your questions and we changed our videos already accordingly as one seeking truth should and would. We are also focused on larger print for the sources as the one you criticized was actually even larger than 30 pt but 40 pt in our program but we do get your point on that and we are responding to that as we have responded to your questions fully. There is nothing further to discuss on these

http://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-god-culture-100-clues-philippines.html?showComment=1581003123603#c7535920846141965828

They changed their videos! I couldn't believe it but it's true.  They deleted videos 2, 3, and 4 from their 100 Clues series in order to alter them. You know I feel a little flattered.  Now if only I could get the Senate to launch a proper investigation into the causes surrounding the Marawi siege!

What did they change?  Let's take a good hard look. Here is the playlist once again.

Clue #2

This is the video where they claim that the Philippines is the ancient source of Greek gold. Here is the very first change in their slides.

Original:

Edited:

You see what Tim did here?  He excised the reference to Thomas Suarez's book "Early Mapping of Southeast Asia" from the slide. But that does not matter because he is still referencing it in the audio when he talks about Chryse and Argyre.

Contrary to what the God Culture says their reference is not in 30 or 40 point font but is in VERY TINY FONT at the bottom of the slide. If you do go to the link they provide which is https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/periplus/periplus.html you will find nothing about Argyre, the legendary island of silver, in the whole text of the "Periplus of the Erythaean Sea." Because the audio has not been changed from the original any talk of Argyre in the edited video still comes directly from Suarez who mentions Argyre by quoting Pompoinous Mela. Tim also falsifies what Mela actually wrote about Argyre by claiming it is "placed beyond the Ganges" rather than "in the vicinity of the Ganges."  Here is the quote from Saurez:

Gold and silver, in fact, characterize the earliest extant specific Western Reference to Southeast Asia. Pomponius Mela (37 - 43 A.D.), a Roman geographer and native os Southern Spain, largely carried on the Greek tradition about the East, perpetuating stories about Amazons, people without heads, griffins, and other such characters, but adds two lands which lay to the east of India. One was Chryse, said to boast soil of gold, the other, Argyre, said to have soil of silver: 

In the vicinity of Tamus is the island of Chryse, in the vicinity of the Ganges that of Argyre, According to olden writers, the soil of the former consists of gold, that of the latter is of silver and it seems very probable that either the name arises from this fact or the legend derives from the name.

Early Mapping of Southeast Asia: The Epic Story of Seafarers, Adventurers, and Cartographers Who First Mapped the Regions between China and India, Thomas Suarez, Pg 62-63

This makes the God Culture's claim:

"we never mention Suarez in that slide at all but the Periplus"

just another lie. Did Tim not realize there is no mention of Argyre in the "Periplus?" At 2:20 he says the following:

"Periplus of the Erytheaen Sea in the first century records Chryse and Argyre as being located in "the last part of the inhabited world toward the east, under the rising sun itself beyond the land of China which brought silk to India." Gee, umm I don't know which islands are east of China? Wait! Ethiopia? Nope, that's not it! Yemen?  No. India? Ugh! Someone must know their geography very well in speculating that those guys could possibly be this ancient land of gold. It's the Philippines. Oh yeah! And they also map it.  So really this is not rocket science folks."

The section highlighted in red italics shows just how condescending Tim is to his listeners. He talks this way in every single one of his videos. Here is the section from the Periplus he is referencing.  

63.   After these, the course turns toward the east again, and sailing with the ocean to the right and the shore remaining beyond to the left, Ganges comes into view, and near it the very last land toward the east, Chryse. There is a river near it called the Ganges, and it rises and falls in the same way as the Nile. On its bank is a market-town which has the same name as the river, Ganges. Through this place are brought malabathrum and Gangetic spikenard and pearls, and muslins of the finest sorts, which are called Gangetic. It is said that there are gold-mines near these places, and there is a gold coin which is called caltis. And just opposite this river there is an island in the ocean, the last part of the inhabited world toward the east, under the rising sun itself; it is called Chryse; and it has the best tortoise-shell of all the places on the Erythraean Sea.

Not only does the Periplus not mention Argyre but it locates Chryse as being near the Ganges. "Just opposite this river" in fact. Tim claims this text says it is located "beyond the land of China." Did he even read the Periplus? Or did he pick through it, combine information from elsewhere, and make up his own facts? Let' compare where Tim, Mela, and the Periplus' locate Chryse and Argyre.

Tim: Chryse is beyond the land of China and Argyre is beyond the Ganges. 

Mela: Chryse is in the vicinity of Tamus and Argyre is in the vicinity of the Ganges. 

Periplus: Chryse is near the Ganges just opposite of it and there is no mention of Argyre. 

See how Tim does not agree with the sources he is quoting? He says something completely different from both Mela and the Periplus.

Tim kept the same audio which refers to Suarez and changed the slide to appear as if he did not. He also misrepresents the Periplus as saying it mentions Argyre and that the island of Chryse lies "beyond the land of China" when it makes no mention of Argyre and clearly says Chryse lies just opposite of the Ganges. That is deception. But why be so deceptive? It doesn't make any sense and it doesn't further his cause.  It only exposes him as at best a poor researcher who misrepresents and does not read his sources and at worst a liar.

Starting at 3:26 in this video is where we get an entirely new section. In this part he quotes from a different  source, "Magellan's voyage around the world; three contemporary accounts," by Charles Nowell.

This book contains the account of Pigafetta and other documentation. Tim does not quote from any of the primary sources but only from the introductory material by Nowell. This is all rather dumbfounding because the subject of this video is the Philippines being the ancient source of Greek gold and Nowell's book says absolutely nothing about the Greeks. It's totally out of place.

Tim quotes a bit from pages 21 and 22 but I think it would behoove us to quote a little more starting on page 20 and going to page 23.

Duarte Barbosa, who wrote a geographical account of the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean and those within range of the ocean, has this to say of the Ryukyu inhabitants:  

From Malaca they take the same goods as the Chins [Chinese] take. These islands are called Lequios [in one version ‘Liquii']. The Malaca people say that they are better men, and richer and more eminent merchants than the Chins. Of these folk we as yet know but little, as they have not yet come to Malaca since it has been under the King our Lord.”  

The Duarte Barbosa who wrote this book has been identified by some with the Portuguese of the same name who became Magellan's cousin by marriage and accompanied him on his great voyage. Medina has shown that this was probably not the same man, but it makes little difference.” The Barbosa book was finished by 1516 and was available in manuscript to Magellan as he studied to complete his plan in Portugal before transferring allegiance to Spain. Magellan digested Barbosa's work and with his own hand rewrote one passage, which consisted of a list of places between the Cape of Good Hope and the Lequios that were known but not yet occupied by the Portuguese. Magellan's version substitutes for Barbosa's “Lequios” the words “Tarsis” and “Ofir.”” 

These are, of course, the biblical Tarshish and Ophir associated with Solomon and his trading partner, Hiram of Tyre. In I Kings 10:11 the statement is: “And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.” II Chronicles 9:21 says: “For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.” Elsewhere these Old Testament books agree in saying that Solomon received more than four hundred talents of gold from Ophir. 

We shall not enter into the centuries-old debate as to what and where these lands actually were. The writer of I Kings certainly meant that the journey to Ophir began by way of the Red Sea, because in connection with Ophir (9:26) he says: “And the king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.” Later Christian writers for centuries associated the gold of Ophir with East Africa, but at the time of the Portuguese discoveries Ophir was thought of as the Aurea Chersonnesus (Golden Peninsula) of Ptolemy, in which that Greek geographer also placed Cattigara, mentioned by Pigafetta as the immediate transpacific goal of Magellan. But Magellan connected Solomon's treasure with something else he had read in Barbosa:  

"Facing this great land of China there are many islands in the sea, beyond which [on the other side of the sea] there is a very large land which they say is mainland, from which there come to Malacca every year three or four ships, like those of the Chins, belonging to white men who are said tobe great and rich merchants: they bring much gold, and silver in bars, silk, rich cloth, and much very good wheat, beautiful porcelains, and many other merchandises.”  

Barbosa, in mentioning this great land across the water from China, might have been referring to Japan. More likely, though, he meant the island of Taiwan, or Formosa, separated by the Gulf of Fukien from mainland China. At the time Barbosa wrote, the Portuguese can scarcely have had information about Japan. They had some regarding Formosa and the Ryukyus, whose exact latitudinal position they did not know but correctly placed northward of Malacca and the Moluccas and hence north of the equator. These are obviously what Magellan took to be Tarshish and Ophir.  

If further proof is needed that he sought these places in addition to the Moluccas, we have it in the agreement between the Spanish crown and Sebastian Cabot. On April 4, 1525, less than six years after Magellan sailed, Cabot, now pilot major of Spain, signed a contract to make much the same voyage, though with objectives more concisely stated. He offered to go with three ships through the Strait of Magellan to reach the Moluccas “and other islands and lands of Tarshish and Ophir and eastern Cathay and Cipangu.” “The Spanish government had preferred to leave the names Tarshish and Ophir out of the earlier Magellan contract, but now that the western route to the Orient had been discovered, security regulations could be relaxed to the extent of openly mentioning the biblical lands. 

We now see what Magellan's aim in the Far East was: He expected to claim for Spain the Moluccas and the lands known to Solomon and Hiram of Tyre. It remains to be shown how he expected to reach those lands, and for this we must understand his mental image of the New World across the Atlantic.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822013755558&view=1up&seq=34

It is a long quote but rather necessary. What we see here is Magellan himself falsifying Barbosa's text and inserting "Ophir" and "Tarshish" when Barbosa had written no such thing. We also see that Nowell refers just as everyone else does, including Suarez, to the Aurea Chersonnesus as being the Golden peninsula. That is literally what the name means. But Tim discounts everything Nowell has written, admits he is a good scholar, and calls his conclusions wrong. He says at 8:44

"One blogger even said, "Why use an author if you do not agree with his conclusions?" Well, a lot can still be gleaned from the research many times so obviously it's a good thing to do that.  It is unwise not to."

Tim is not just gleaning from one author. He is gleaning from multiple sources and no one of any repute identifies the Aurea Chersonnesus as anything except the Malay peninsula.

Yes I know Tim does not quote this book. The title and subtitle is what is important.

However Tim doesn't care what any scholar says. It is Timothy Jay Schwab, (a man who is no trained cartographer, geographer, oceanographer, historian, linguist, or theologian), who is right, and all the academics who have dedicated their entire lives to studying history, languages, cartography, theology, or geography are wrong. Don't misunderstand me here. Sometimes the scholars, academics, and experts are wrong. Case in point Heinrich Schliemann the amateur archaeologist who discovered the ruins of Troy.  But what Tim is doing is rejecting a solid body of geography and history stretching back to Ptolemey which identifies the Aurea Chersonnesus as the Malay peninsula and twisting it to fit his pseudo-history of the Philippines being both the Garden of Eden and Ophir and Tarshish and Filipinos being members of the lost tribes of Israel.

Tim mentions Columbus and says the following at 9:27

Are we to now call America "Southeast Asia" because Columbus said it was Southeast Asia? Of course not. 

But this is exactly what Tim is doing with the Philippines! He is calling this place Ophir because Magellan falsified Barbosa's book and introduced the names Ophir and Tarshish. Tim is ok with this falsification.  In fact in the video "Solomon's Gold Series - Part 6: Little Known History of Ophir. Philippines History" at 7:46 Tim says the following:

https://youtu.be/12tOU7Szbpk

"In "Magellan's Voyage Around the World" the author Charles E Nowell, notes that Magellan himself had rewritten part of Barbosa's book referring to the Lequios and in his version Magellan substituted "Tarsis" and "Ofir" for the word "Lequios." So "Lequios" equals "Tarshish" and "Ophir." This is huge."

Wow this really is huge!  Magellan falsifies a book and Tim thinks what he wrote is the truth. In Tim's world truth is whatever you want it to be. Lequios is Ophir and Tarshish because Magellan said so. Just as, despite the Philippines being comprised of 7,000 islands, two tiny islands on an old map are the Philippines because Tim says so.

In numerous videos Timothy Schwab claims the two mythical islands of gold and silver, Chryse and Argyre, are Luzon and Mindanao respectively and he uses Mela's map as proof. However not only does Mela have Argyre located at the mouth of the Ganges near India while Mindanao is nowhere near India but none of the rest of the Philippines is accounted for! Tim expects us to believe that the Greeks visited the Philippines and accurately mapped the Philippines BUT somehow forgot to include the Visayas and misplaced Mindanao thousands of miles away at the mouth of the Ganges River!

The next edited slide is the one with the Greek armor.  

How can Tim with a straight face tell us at 13:56

"The thing is these are indisputably Greek from the symbols and structure and they are dated all the way back to 800 B.C. up to about 480 B.C."

when on the slide he has written "Archaeology confirmation pending?" Is it confirmed and indisputable or is the confirmation still pending? As with the first edited slide he keeps the original audio and only changes the slide. The result is a contradiction between the audio and the visual. What a boner from Tim the Joker!

Thankfully Tim listed the place where he saw this armor which is the Balanghai Hotel and Convention Center Museum in Butuan. Sadly there is no website for this hotel/museum and thus no online collection to look at.  However I was able to find a picture of the armor displayed in a glass case outside the entrance to the museum.

Why not just tell everyone the first time around where he saw it? How is anyone supposed to confirm all things when information is being withheld? 

That's it for Clue #2. Let's recap everything we have learned so far.  Tim excises Suarez as a a source but still utilizes him when talking about Argyre because the Periplus of the Erythaean Sea does not mention Argyre. He misrepresents the Periplus' location of Chryse and Mela's location of Argyre. He quotes from Nowell but ignores everything he says especially his identification of the Aurea Chersonnesus. He is ok with the fact that Magellan inserted "Ophir" and "Tarshish" into Barbosa's book thus falsifying it. He says the armor is indisputably Greek while on the slide he contradicts himself by having written "Archeological confirmation pending!"

This edited video is worse than the original because it contains blunder after blunder as Tim tries to cover up his tracks, like removing Suarez from the slide but not from the audio, and it is also about 10 minutes longer because he added the totally unnecessary section with Nowell!  Moving on.

Clue #3

This is the video where we are told Philippine gold was found in first century Egypt. My criticisms of this video were that Tim did not quote from any of the three sources he cites and one of them, J.T. Peralta, he cites erroneously. So what does Tim do to rectify this mess? Does he make a correction of the Peralta citation? No! He gets rid of Peralta altogether!

Original:

Edited:

Let's look at his new sources which are still in the same VERY TINY FONT!

Sources: Wikipedia, Ancientblogspot.ph cite 

1. Legeza, Laszlo, "Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art," Arts of Asia, July-Aug, 1988, pp 129-136. 

2 Villegas, Ramon N. "Ginto: History Wrought in Gold", Manila: Bangko Central ng Pilipinas", 2004

Tim in his infinite wisdom eighty-sixed the Peralta citation as if that clears everything up. If he was attempting to be honest he would have corrected the citation and not deleted it. He still does not prove to us Philippine gold was found in first century Egypt by quoting the relevant matter from the two remaining sources he listed. It is also still badly cited. What Wikipedia page is he sourcing? What is Ancientblogspot.ph? That is not even a website! It is just another boner on Tim's part. How many more boners can Tim make?

Towards the end of the video he inserts a new section which is a timeline. 

This timeline is supposed to prove that the Philippines has more gold than any nation in the world at any time. I never disputed that. What I did dispute is Tim's baseless assertion that Philippine gold has been found in first century Egypt. Since he took the time to edit this video and still did not include any quotations from Legeza or Villegas it's a safe bet he has not actually read those sources.

Clue #4

Tim edited this video but I don't care because I never took any issue with what was in the original.  The Boxer Codex shows Filipinos decked out in gold. That was never under question.

Summation and End

I only have a few more things to show before I close out. In my original post I wrote:

I can just hear Tim now excoriating me for watching only 6 videos in the 100 Clues series rather then the whole Solomon's Gold series and saying I am uninformed, a hack, and a fraud. Such would be pure deflection on Tim's part as I have already demonstrated his research is incredibly biased, faulty, and downright dishonest. If he cannot deal honestly with his sources here he won't be dealing honestly with them there either. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-god-culture-100-clues-philippines.html

Sure enough I was called all of those names and Tim's editing of these videos shows his outright dishonesty in dealing with sources both in the 100 Clues series and elsewhere. He may have edited out Suarez from Clue #2 and Peralta from Clue #3 but these two sources are scattered throughout the rest of his videos including the Solomon's Gold series. 

In the video for Clue #30 at 12:11 we see Timothy quoting Suarez. 

https://youtu.be/mCM371q6_AU

Of course in discussing Argyre he is compelled to cite Mela via Suarez because the "Periplus" does not mention Argyre. Remember every slide that follows which claims the Periplus locates Chryse "beyond the land of China" and Argyre "beyond the Ganges" is a lie. As I demonstrated above the Periplus does not say that nor does Mela.

Clue #33 at 21:23 contains this same quotation from Suarez.

https://youtu.be/q0zY1NYsJCA

In the video "Solomon's Gold Series Part 1C: UPHAZ GOLD & OPHIR. Origin of Gold Sheba, Tarshish, Havilah" at 8:27 we see the following slide:

https://youtu.be/jQWp_OPfEXA

In the video "Let There Be Light... Philippines? Origin of Ophir, Sheba and Havilah. 12G" at 12:58 we see this slide:

https://youtu.be/Xm6REaRW7nw

Suarez is quoted again in the video "Solomon's Gold Series - Part 6: Little Known History of Ophir. Philippines History" at both 18:19 and 19:29.

https://youtu.be/12tOU7Szbpk

https://youtu.be/12tOU7Szbpk

It is pretty clear that Thomas Suarez's book "Early Mapping of Southeast Asia" is an important source for Tim. So why did he delete it from Clue #2 when he includes it in several other videos? He still rejects what Suarez has to say as to the identification of Chryse, Argyre, and the Aurea Chersonnesus but that is no big deal to Tim who picks and chooses, or rather gleans, what will confirm his thesis like any good and honest scholar.

At 32:03, and for almost seven straight minutes, in the video "Solomon's Gold Series - Part 6: Little Known History of Ophir. Philippines History" we see the same three citations that were used to claim Philippine gold was found in first century Egypt which are Legeza, Peralta, and Villegas. But again no actual quotations from them.

https://youtu.be/12tOU7Szbpk

Look closely because those citations are in VERY TINY FONT underneath all the text. At 41:40 in the same video we see this slide:

It's the same claim of Philippine gold being found in first century Egypt with the same three citations and with no actual quotations from those sources. Tim goes on to show us not actual Philippine gold found in Egypt but the similarity between a Philippine gold necklace and an Egyptian gold necklace. As if similarity of style proves his claim. 

In the video "Solomon's Gold Series Part 1D: Testing the RESOURCES of Ancient Ophir, Tarshish, Sheba" we see the following slide at 21:39:

https://youtu.be/gG39WFEYfiU

The same claim about Egypt with the same three sources as were in the video Clue #3 before he edited it is to be found right here.  Obviously Tim thinks these three sources are important which is why they are included in the main series Solomon's Gold which he tells everyone to watch!

What is going on here? Why is Timothy Schwab and the God Culture being dishonest about their sources? Why edit information out of some videos when other videos include the exact same information? These edits do not make any sense whatsoever. They are totally absurd and don't add to the veracity of their claims. They are not even good edits because, as in Clue #2, the original audio is kept and only the slide is changed!

The God Culture has been posting HUGE BLOCKS of text in the comment section on this blog. They have insulted me, they have made appeals to emotion (like the testimony of the lawyer), and they have manifested a triumphalist attitude ignoring everything I wrote about their poor research and documentation. In comment after comment they disdain what I have written as the work of an ignorant hack. They even called me a communist agitator twelve times!

But in private it is obvious I struck a nerve or they would not have edited their videos. They put up an offensive front when they knew I was right all along as these edits prove. But the edits cannot obscure what is in the main series Solomon's Gold which is Thomas Suarez and J.T. Peralta being used to bolster their claims.  Is Tim going to edit those videos too?  Will he be an honest man and quote the Periplus accurately? Will he be a good researcher and actually order the articles by Legeza and Peralta from Arts of Asia? The burden of proof lies squarely on Tim, not me. It would be better if Tim and the gang simply believed the sources they cite rather than make up their own facts, like Magellan did when he rewrote Barbosa's book, in order to propagate their pseudo-history.

As I wrote before, "If he cannot deal honestly with his sources here he won't be dealing honestly with them there either." Tim's quick editing and reposting of his videos without the same sources he utilizes elsewhere reeks of dishonesty. This is just a tiny sampling of the God Culture's output. I can't imagine what duplicitous twisting of facts lies in their other videos. And yet thousands of people are being taken in by this garbage.

P.S. 

After writing all of the above I must add a postscript. The God Culture is adding links to their videos which have sources for people to check up on and confirm. That's a good thing. Why didn't they do this earlier? However they are still making blunders.

https://f2568e15-4b6b-4cbb-b68a-3d729eeed9e4.filesusr.com/ugd/e23929_c5850fbfa12d4a3390a6a541db01540d.pdf

Let me this get this straight. Tim edits Suarez out of the video for Clue #2 saying he wasn't quoting Saurez anyway but now he includes him in this PDF as a "Supporting Research Source!?" Then why did he edit him out of Clue #2?  It makes zero sense!

The little note requires our attention.

NOTE: Under Fig. 31 is the exact quote we cited for the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st Century C.E.)

“the last part of the inhabited world toward the east, under the rising sun itself”

The note says the exact quote is "“the last part of the inhabited world toward the east, under the rising sun itself.” But in this video Tim says much more than just that. He says at 17:36

"the last part of the inhabited world toward the east, under the rising sun itself beyond the land of This (China) which brought silk to India"

https://youtu.be/12tOU7Szbpk

Tim says this making it appear as if he is quoting the Periplus as locating Chryse beyond China! It doesn't. It says it is just opposite of the Ganges. Why doesn't he tell us exactly what he is quoting and what are his own words? It's simply confusing and dishonest. See above where I already discussed this.

In this PDF mention is made of Peralta and the Philippine gold allegedly found in Egypt. See the relevant slide above.

16. PH Gold found in Egypt: Wikipedia, AncientBlogspot. ph and many others cite 1 Legeza, Laszlo. “Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art,” Arts of Asia, July-Aug. 1988, pp.129-136. 2 Villegas, Ramon N. Ginto: History Wrought in Gold, Manila: Bangko Central ng Pilipinas, 2004. (FYI. Peralta is out of print but cited as well.)

This is basically the same edit as was made in the video for Clue #3. Instead of correcting the erroneous Peralta citation they leave it in the video and remove it from the sources listed in this PDF. Why didn't they just give the correct citation?

They also mess up the citations again. What Wikipedia article or articles are they sourcing? AncientBlogspot.ph IS NOT A WEBSITE!!  The FYI about Peralta being out of print is a non-issue because so is Legeza and it is Legeza, though not cited here as such, that has the reference to Philippine gold being found in Egypt.

"Legeza, Laszlo. "Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art," Arts of Asia, July-Aug. 1988, pp.129-136. (Mentions gold jewelry of Philippine origin in first century CE Egypt)" 

Both Legeza and Peralta can be ordered and shipped to the Philippines for $15 per article. I'm not going to do any research for Tim and order those articles. The burden of proof lies on him not me.