Monday, July 27, 2020

The God Culture: More Stuff The God Culture Says

Time for more Stuff The God Culture Says. Tim has made over 200 videos just talking and talking. Every time you listen to or watch a video it's exciting because he has you on the edge of your seat thinking, "What's this meshuggeneh gonna say next?" That's what this series is for: to tell you the crazy things he says next!


You know what philosophy is right? The word literally means "love of wisdom." There are two whole books about philosophy in the Bible, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, as well as numerous references to wisdom and knowledge being gifts from God Himself throughout all of the other books. But Tim doesn't understand that. He thinks philosophy is evil and was taught to men by the Nephilim. He is especially against the philosophy of Descartes.

Colossians 2. What Did Paul Say? Not What We Are Told.
But here he tells us: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy."  Who does that? "And vain deceit." Who does that? "After the tradition of men." Who does that? Who is rebuked in scripture by Messiah Himself? The Pharisees do. "After the rudiments of the world and not after Yahusha, Christ." Who is doing this? Well many there's no doubt it's not just Pharisees, no. Its Sadducees, it's also pagans, it's Essenes, it's Gnostics they have lots of names for their different groups although it really is one attack on the Word. The Greeks with their Greek Philosophy indeed but there is little difference with them and Pharisee Philosophy really. In fact you'll find Pharisees within Greek Philosophy even. Certainly not with Kabbalah especially as they really share the same philosophy which is more obvious today than probably ever.

Philosophy originates in the likes of the Nephilim and Watcher fallen angels. It is really their doctrine and so is modern Judaism. Some of it sounds smart but it is pretty stupid to elevate oneself above Yahuah which it does often. For instance we've used this example before: "I think therefore I am." Ohhh! That's so profound! You mean you create you? I don't think so. What a moron. I mean anybody that would say something so ignorant is obviously just espousing the doctrine of Satan from the Garden of Eden.  That's what that is. I create me. That's what that says. And who says that? Satan does! So no thank you.
"What a moron," indeed. Tim's moronic and asinine intellectual habits are on full display in this imbecilic rant against philosophy. Who knew that metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology all originated with the Nephilim!? But Tim has no idea what those words mean anyway just as he has no idea what Descartes meant by his famous Cogito.


Descartes is not saying he creates himself and is a god. What he is doing is attempting to find certainty via a principle of doubt. How can he know anything? So he doubts everything. But in the process of doubting he finds that he is thinking. Only an existent being can think. Hence I think therefore I am. Now Descartes has a foundation on which to build, namely his thinking. That is the philosophy called rationalism.
But immediately upon this I observed that, whilst I thus wished to think that all was false, it was absolutely necessary that I, who thus thought, should be something; And as I observed that this truth, I think, therefore I amwas so certain and of such evidence that no ground of doubt, however extravagant, could be alleged by the Sceptics capable of shaking it, I concluded that I might, without scruple, accept it as the first principle of the philosophy of which I was in search.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum
What Tim has done here is latched onto, "I am," and conflated it with the tetragrammaton of Exodus 3:14. Of all the controversy Descartes' philosophy caused during his day no one ever accused him of making himself a god. It took Tim 300 years later to make this truly and massively ignorant assessment. If Tim's "wife" asks what he is doing and he says, "I am making another heretical and blatantly false video about the history of the Philippines," does that mean he is declaring himself to be a god? According to Tim's logic it does because he said, "I am."

One fan of The God Culture commented on Tim's absurd interpretation of Descartes and the following exchanged ensued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6UQu5ajLsc&lc=UgzbmjfyL9wKImp1ST94AaABAg
Gilvids: ”I think therefore i am" quote has to do with conciousness and idealism. In other words reality exist through conciousness. Because what actually exists outside of conciousness if no one is concious to observe it. Thats why "i think therefore i am" means i am concious therefore i am real. It doesnt disprove God or anything satanic, its just another perspective of looking at the world. In fact the theory points to a omnipotent being. 
The God Culture: It’s vain philosophy and you just attempted to reform this yet saying the same thing. Consciousness has much to do with Yahuah. We are not conscious without His spirit. We are not conscious if He did not create not only mankind but a planet in which we can survive, perfectly balanced. You are not thinking this thru but stuck in the weeds in Jesuit semantics often applied in occult thinking not Bible. For anyone to say "I think, therefore, I am" is most certainly to say I create me or I create my own consciousness which are the same thing essentially which is exactly what satan was speaking of in the Garden of Eden. If you create your own consciousness, you are a god. You are not a god nor can you in any sense create your own consciousness. This ignorant so-called theory is against scripture period. Yah Bless. 
Gilvids: @The God Culture there is no such thing as "most certainly" in an interpretation. Its like an opinion, we all have one.  Again i said, one interpretation of "i think therefore i am" is i am aware that im aware therefore i must be real (in its simplest form). It doesnt mean "youre creating your conciousness" at all. The person is merely observing its own existence. There are many angles one can look at this idea. For example everything in the universe is the product of a dietys conciousness and human conciousness is merely a part of it (which sort of ties into your point of "we are not concious without his spirits"). Not everyone comes into a belief from the inside out meaning they were born and raised into a belief that formed their world view. Some people started from the outside and came into a belief after it made an impact on them. Like CS Lewis, Ravi Zacharias for example. 
Gilvids is closer to the truth than Tim will ever be in this regard.

If you thought Timothy Schwab was a White man you better think again. Tim claims he's part Native American. "A good portion" of his bloodline is Native American Indian in fact!
Even another channel responded to our last video with no actual facts to refute anything we said by they way, and let's note that, because they cannot, but offering racism calling us Japhethite White Boys! Or at least me I reckon you know, "Mr. Culture." Of course let's forget that a good portion of my bloodline is actually Native American Indian who by the way have been far more decimated in history that even Ophirians and certainly more than Africans who were taken into slavery. My people were just plain killed! So don't tell me about your racist crap. Thank you. And that's from Mr. Culture.
Colossians 1. What Did Paul Say? Not What We Are Told.
Which tribe? The Mohonk tribe? Is Tim or anyone in his family on the register of a federally recognized tribe? Just look at this guy. Doesn't he look like a Native American Indian with his white skin and caucasoid features?


"A good portion of my bloodline" is how much exactly? More than 50%? Does the man in the above picture look like "a good portion" of his bloodline is Native American Indian? He probably has as much red native blood coursing through his veins as pasty-white socialist shrew Elizabeth Warren.


Lest you have forgotten "Ophirians" is his term for Filipinos because, according to his false history, the Philippines is Ophir.  He also mentions negroes who were sold into slavery and that is because, again according to his false history, Hamitic sub-Saharan African negroes are Israelites along with Filipinos. Tim is saying that he belongs to a people group that has been more oppressed than the Filipinos and negroes!  Imagine the gall of this white man saying, "My people were just plain killed," in an attempt to outdo negroes in the racial grievances department and shed his White identity! Talk about playing the race card. He takes offense at being called a White Boy and pulls out the Native American trump card thereby absolving him from the sin of being White. "See everybody I'm not white at all and in fact I belong to a dark skinned people group that has been more oppressed than you!" Touché, Mr. Culture. 

Timothy really does believe Google is persecuting The God Culture. Censoring them in fact!

The God Culture: Are you kidding YouTube?!!! We uploaded this video almost 1 hour ago to 85,000 subscribers and you are caught censoring this channel. 200 views in the first hour from 85,000 subscribers? Are you on crack YouTube? You thought we wouldn't catch you? We did not post anywhere else or send our eblast but just relied on you to do your job and follow your own guidelines. YouTube is guilty of religious discrimination and censorship. You better stop this now. How dare you! 
The God Culture: Is YouTube and Google Philippines censoring our channel? Are you here to help Filipinos or tear them down? Are you good or evil? Will you do the right thing or make up your own law? Hope you aren't too comfortable in the Philippines Google Philippines to think that this society will allow this. It will not. 
Is Timothy so self-absorbed that he does not realize that other people are having this same problem? Even people with millions of subscribers??

https://reclaimthenet.org/logan-paul-youtube-no-notifications/
Logan Paul, the YouTuber with more than 20 million followers, has lashed out against the large online video platform, stating that working on the site is like “walking on eggshells” because of the difficulties that content creators face. 
Despite being one of the most influential YouTubers with varied content that includes the publication of multiple videos throughout the week, his audience has allegedly been struggling to get alerted to his most recent videos. 
Logan Paul’s case is definitely not an isolated problem. 
Many YouTubers have complained about YouTube not sending out notifications. 
One of the Twitter users that reported the problem also shared a screenshot where he suggests that several YouTubers do not appear in his feed.
According to Polygon even Pewdiepie, the biggest Youtuber wth over 100 million subscribers, is having the same issue. Is Google trying to censor or persecute Pewdiepie?

This is all ridiculous and part of Tim's martyr complex.

The martyr complex is fundamental to the nature of schismatic groups like The God Culture, the Mormons, JWs, the Protestant Reformed Church, and the like. These small groups always pit themselves against the world. In a time of ignorance their group has been given the light of revelation and now stands all alone on the side of truth while the rest of the world has been hoodwinked by Satan. They are the remnant. They are the true Church.
24:06 The world will hate you and I if you are serving Him. He said so. If the world does not hate you may want to do some soul searching. Are you really serving Him?
Sabbath Series: Part 3C. Did Messiah Break the Sabbath?
In Tim's view the mean, evil Google is purposefully targeting The God Culture because they bring a new and fresh revelation from God Himself. Google does not want anyone to hear that message. But that is not what's happening here. What is happening is that many people are having this same problem. Here is a two year old Reddit thread about the problem. If Google really wanted to shut down The God Culture they would do it. Ask Stefan Molyneux.

Did you know the 1994 animated film The Lion King is actually about the Babylonian lion god named Nergal?

Psalm 83 War: Pharisees and Assyrians. Lost Tribes 8C
Nergal is the Lion Man or really the Lion King. Yes if you saw that cartoon you are not watching a harmless account of an animated lion with human features which would be called a Nephilim hybrid and uh not at all but you are watching this guy really. It's his story. He is the hero. Same title as the Nephilim really The Mighty Men of Renown. He's the god of battle.
Silly me, all this time I thought Disney's The Lion King was a rip-off of Shakespeare's Hamlet (a prince is visited by the ghost of his dead father, the king, who was killed by a jealous uncle to steal the crown and now he must prove this to all).

https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28376309/the-lion-king-hamlet-comparison/
In a 2011 interview with Blu-Ray.com, Minkoff said the film, which went into development six years before its release, was initially "thought of as a Bambi in Africa." He said the filmmakers believed that "because The Lion King was considered an original story, there was always the need to anchor it to something familiar. " 
While it does share a crucial plot point or two with the 1942 tearjerker (the pivotal sudden death of a parent, for one), unintended parallels to another story emerged during a roundtable meeting. 
"When we first pitched the revised outline of the movie to Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Peter Schneider and Tom Schumacher, someone in the room announced that its themes and relationships were similar to Hamlet," Minkoff said. "Everyone responded favorably to the idea that we were doing something Shakespearean, so we continued to look for ways to model our film on that all-time classic."  
"I'd be happy if we had even unconsciously channeled the old Bard!" added Allers.
and a Japanese anime called Kimba The White Lion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimba_the_White_Lion#The_Lion_King_controversy
Matthew Broderick has said that when he was hired as the voice of adult Simba in The Lion King, he presumed the project was related to Kimba the White Lion. He explained that he "thought he meant Kimba, who was a white lion in a cartoon when I was a little kid, so I kept telling everybody I was going to play Kimba. I didn't really know anything about it, but I didn't really care." Animators Tom Sito and Mark Kausler, who both have story credits, have admitted to watching Kimba, and assumed many of their colleagues had too, especially if they grew up in the 1960s.
Who knew that the original anime was not just going to be plagiarized but radically altered to represent the life and times of the Babylonian god Nergal? Or maybe the original anime was based on him?


They don't even look remotely similar. Tim claims Simba has human features and is a Nephilim hybrid but that is clearly not the case. Simba is a lion with hardly any anthropomorphic features except for his facial expressions. He certainly does not use his paws like hands to wield an axe nor does he walk on two feet.  A better comparison to Nergal would be Lion-O.


Now that's more like it. Lion-O is definitely more of a "god of battle" than Simba. Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats...HOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Tim doesn't know a thing about philosophy and it appears he doesn't have a clue about 80's cartoons either. Oh well. Hakuna Matata.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Retards in the Government 164

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government. 

The Police Regional Office (PRO) 10 (Northern Mindanao) on Friday issued an apology over an infographic posted by the Malaybalay City Police Station (MCPS) on its Facebook page claiming that the activists are supporters of terrorism. 
Lt. Col. Mardy Hortillosa, PRO-10 spokesperson, said the regional police has already ordered the MCPS to delete the controversial post, which showed faces of activists holding placards calling for the junking of the Anti-Terror Law and not to shut down the ABS-CBN media network. 
Hortillosa said the police office was also asked to explain why they made the infographic, which caused a stir among activist groups and prompted criticisms from community journalists. 
"We have already issued a directive not to touch that issue since it's not under our power. We ask apology to ABS-CBN employees since we know how hard for them to think when they will settle for a living in the coming days. Airing grievances is not a crime. Doing something bad during the rally against the properties and individuals can be considered a crime. Again, our sincere apology to our friends from ABS-CBN and the whole media in general. We will always protect your press freedom," he told local reporters in an online interview.
The PNP are already doing exactly what those opposed to the anti-terror law said they would do which is tag activists and protesters as terrorists. This is not the first time this happened. Doubtful this will be the last time.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1308942/isabela-town-vice-mayor-7-others-held-over-mahjong

Maconacon town Vice Mayor Jolly Taberner was arrested along with two policemen and five others for alleged illegal gambling, authorities here said. 
Police Brig. Gen. Crizaldo Nieves, Cagayan Valley regional police director, said Taberner and his companions were caught playing “mahjong” inside a house near the national highway in Barangay Balzain West here on Saturday afternoon. 
Also arrested were police officers Christine Ruiz and Maconel Pascua, house owner Peter Laggui, and their companions who were identified as Pedro Baggay, Gerry Adducul, Grace Laggui, and Marlene Bautista. 
Seized from them were mahjong sets and tables, a .45-caliber pistol with magazines and other paraphernalia.
The Vice Mayor and two cops arrested for illegal gambling.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109383
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday confirmed that a sexual harassment complaint was filed against a former Filipino Ambassador to South Korea. 
The agency did not identify the envoy but said the Philippine embassy in Seoul received the complaint in February when the latter was in Manila on official business. 
The complaint was then referred to the DFA, which tasked its Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) to look into the allegation.
A former ambassador charged with sexual harassment.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/747644/honeylet-s-cousin-sued-for-perjury-over-alleged-false-entry-in-career-executive-service-application/story/

A perjury complaint  was filed Monday against Assistant Secretary Melissa Avanceña-Aradanas of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development over alleged false entries in her Career Executive Service (CES) Board application. 
In an 11-page affidavit filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) led by Alladin Panganiban accused Avanceña-Aradanas of lying in her CES Board application by failing to disclose that she was dismissed in her previous employment. 
Complainant Panganiban was referring to the time Avanceña-Aradanas and her fellow commissioners in the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor (PCUP) were fired by President Rodrigo Duterte in December 2017  over alleged excessive travel. 
Panganiban argued that the firing of Avanceña-Aradanas in December 2017 violates the rules for CES Eligibility which requires that an applicant must has not been dismissed from the service for cause. 
“This very public fact alone should have prompted the CES Board to decline the respondent’s candidature for CES eligibility and disallowed her from taking the written examination,” the complaint read.
Duterte appointed his mistress' cousin to a position in the PCUP from which she was dismissed in 2017 for excessive travel. She was reappointed to a new position in the government but apparently she should have been disqualified from the position because she was fired from her previous job. She also left this fact off her application.


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/327975/coa-flags-closed-non-existent-balances-in-capitols-2019-cash-in-bank-account
The Commission on Audit has asked the Capitol to reflect the “correct and true account balances” and ensure the fair presentation of its accounts in its financial statements. 
This as the state auditors noted that the Capitol’s “Cash in Bank-Local Currency, Current Account” included balances from a non-existing account and three closed bank accounts. 
Those included of the closed and non-existent accounts resulted in an overstatement of P504,004.11 in the Cash in Bank-Local Currency, Current account for the year 2019. 
The closed accounts are those maintained by Capitol-run hospitals.
Bad accounting from Capitol-run hospitals which are managed by the provincial government of Cebu. Maybe it's deliberate?


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/327460/coa-flags-93-1-land-swap-deal
 State auditors flagged down the decades-old 93-1 land swap deal between the provincial government and city government of Cebu. 
The Commission on Audit (COA) called out the attention of the two local governments for proceeding with the land swap deal despite the absence of approval from the commission. 
“We recommended that management (Capitol) require the persons responsible to explain why COA approval was not secured prior to the execution of the deeds of conveyance by way of donation relative to the subject properties,” stated COA in their 167-page report to the Capitol for the fiscal year 2019. 
It can be recalled the previous administrations of the Capitol and the city government entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to formalize the swapping or exchange of several city-owned and Province-owned lots covered by 93-1.  
The two local governments then sealed the deal by issuing the Deeds of Donation and Acceptance last August 2018. 
Under the MOA, the province will transfer to the city government the ownership of the disputed residential lots along with a 1.5-hectare lot within the Department of Agriculture (DA) compound in Barangay Guadalupe, a 2,358-square-meter property along Gorordo Avenue in Barangay Lahug and a portion of a property in Barangay Capitol Site. 
In earlier reports, the present administrations of the Cebu Provincial Government and Cebu City Government eyed to renegotiate the 93-1 land swap deal, saying that the process undertaken by their predecessors was “erroneous.” 
The Capitol, in 1993, issued Provincial Ordinance No. 93-1 that directed 5,000 families to pay a monthly amortization for residing in province-owned lots in Cebu City. The Cebu City Government decided to intervene through a land swap deal after no payment was made to the province
The City of Cebu entered in an agreement with the provincial government to swap land in 1993 and the COA is just now flagging this agreement because it did not receive approval from the COA. Why did they wait so long?

https://www.panaynews.net/retired-soldier-robbed-shot-to-death-in-roxas-city/
A retired member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines was robbed and shot to death in Barangay Bolo, Roxas City, Capiz. 
The 54-year-old Junifer Borda, a supervisor of a security agency, sustained gunshot wounds on the body, a police report showed. 
According to Roxas City police station chief Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Jomuad Jr., the shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. on July 20. 
Borda was onboard his motorcycle going to the agency when two unidentified motorcycle riding-gunmen shot him from behind.  
The suspects then took the P100,000 cash of the victim which was intended for the wages of the agency’s security guards. 
Borda was rushed to a private hospital where the attending physician declared him “dead on arrival.” 
According to Jomuad, they are considering inside job as a possible motive behind the incident. 
“Maybe the suspects knew the victim was carrying a big amount of money and that he came from the bank,” said Jomuad. “We are now coordinating with the agency to help us possibly identify the suspects,” he added.
Retired AFP solider assassinated by unknown motorcycle men. Could be robbery. Could be more.


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/328358/coa-tells-capitol-to-deduct-excess-in-overpriced-tuburan-road-project
The Commission on Audit (COA) has asked the Cebu provincial government to deduct about P2.7 million from the remaining collectible of the contractor of a road concreting project in Tuburan town after it found that the contract price of the project was “excessive” by over 22 percent. 
In its 2019 audit report for the province, COA said its Regional Technical Services unit rendered a report that the contract price of the concreting project of a portion of the Alegria-Kabangkalan Road Section in Tuburan which was pegged at P14,954,525.39 exceeded the agency’s computed cost which was only pegged at P12,177,474.33. 
Under a circular that COA issued in 2012, the Commission defined “excessive expenditure” as those that are unreasonable or were incurred at an “immoderate quantity or exorbitant price” and exceeds the “usual or proper” cost. 
According to COA, the program of works and estimates prepared by the Provincial Engineering Office was exceeded by 23.21 percent or byP2,825,526.66 compared to the COA computed cost, resulting in an overstated approved budget for the contract (ABC) of P14,999,999.99. 
Following the audit observation, COA recommended for the Provincial Engineering Office to deduct P2,780,051.07 from the remaining receivable of the contractor to avoid disallowance in an audit. 
As of January 2020, the project contractor has already received P12,099,418.60. 
This means that instead of receiving the balance of P2,855,106.80 from the project, the contractor is now only entitled to receive the remaining balance of P75,055.73. 
The COA has found that a road project funded by the Cebu provincial government was overpraise by 23% or almost P3 million. Luckily they caught the error in time before the sum was paid to the contractor. But why was it overpriced to begin with?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109692
Law enforcement authorities arrested a government employee in the Davao del Sur town of Padada during a buy-bust operation on Tuesday, a police official said. 
Captain Arnold Absin, Padada police station chief, identified the suspect as Allen Rey Guitguit Cabiad, 32, a resident of Barangay Harada Butai, Padada, who works as an administrative aide at the town's municipal engineering office. 
Absin said Cabiad is listed as "number 4 high-value target" provincial-level drug personality, who was arrested by a combined team of the local and provincial police, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Barangay Tulogan, Padada town. 
Cabiad yielded a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP13,600, a .45-caliber pistol, and other pieces of evidence, police said.
High valued drug target who also worked for the government arrested in Davao Sur.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1285439922472538112
Another unprofessional and undiplomatic tweet from the nation's top diplomat directed toward Senator Pangilinan.

The police have launched an in-depth investigation to identify the riding in tandem gunmen behind the attempt to kill an elected government official in Zamboanga del Norte, an official said Wednesday. 
Maj. Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the victim as Estrella Asman Tayrus, 47, a councilor in Barangay Tinuyop, Leon Postigo town, Zamboanga del Norte, who was shot and wounded around 4 p.m. Tuesday in a hilly area in Sitio Pitogo, Barangay Delusom, in the town. 
Galvez said an investigation showed that Tayrus was riding a motorcycle on the way home when shot by one of two men riding tandem on another motorcycle that tailed the victim and her companion.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday said it had filed administrative complaints against the mayor and councilor of Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan for organizing a birthday party last May 6. 
“DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said that two (2) cases have been referred to the Ombudsman, particularly against the mayor and a councilor in Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan, for holding a birthday celebration/mass gathering which violated social distancing and the prevailing curfew,” read the statement from DILG Public Information Office.
Charges finally filed against the mayor of Pangasinan and a city councilor for holding a birthday party in violation of the curfew and social distancing measures.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1310799/arrested-southern-leyte-village-head-faces-raps-for-illegal-drugs
A village chief of Maasin City in Southern Leyte is facing charges after he was arrested by authorities in a drug bust on Wednesday, July 22. 
Serafin Omega, Jr., chairman of Barangay Mantahan, was charged for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly the selling and possession of illegal drugs. 
The suspect, considered a high-value target, was detained at the Maasin City Police Office’s lock-up cell.
A barangay captain was arrested for selling drugs.  Turn out he was a high-value-target.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Coronavirus Lockdown: Bent Curve, Armored Personnel Carriers, and More!

More news about the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.

The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise and the DOH continues to issue misleading statements about the nature of the situation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1307260/duque-retracts-covid-19-infection-curve-bent-not-flattened-since-april
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has taken back his earlier pronouncement that the country’s COVID-19 infection curve has been “flattened” since April, this time saying it was “bent”. 
In a series of tweets hours after making the controversial remark, Duque “clarified” the statement he made during a pre-State of the Nation Address forum. 
“Our case doubling time in April passed the 3-day doubling time mark,” he explained. 
Forward to July 15, the Department of Health (DOH) chief said, case doubling time is eight days which is past the seven-day doubling time mark. 
“This means we bent the curve in April after the March ECQ but we are seeing an increase in cases due to the expanded testing capacity and community transmission as we allow movement of people,” he continued. 
(What’s important is we maintain the number of cases at manageable levels so that our healthcare workers will not be overwhelmed and overworked.)
Whether or not the rise in cases is to attributed to the "movement of people" due to the reopening of the economy or "expanded testing capacity" or it is certain that the number of infected continues to rise faster than predicted.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/07/16/20/up-predicted-the-ph-would-have-60000-covid-cases-by-end-julybut-we-crossed-that-today
As of 4 P.M., we have crossed the 60,000 mark with 2,498 new confirmed cases out to 84.5 percent (71 of 84 labs) reporting. We now have 61,266 total cases with 75.5 percent or a whopping 1,886 cases coming from National Capital Region (NCR) alone. The remaining provinces that round up the top five: Cebu with 198; two provinces in Region IVA, namely, Cavite with 57 and Laguna with 44; and Davao del Sur with 44 cases. 
This is the most number of cases NCR has ever registered since the start of the pandemic. And if we review the breakdown of the data yesterday on the 708 cases in NCR, one should not be surprised at the hospitals hollering that they’re full to the brim with their COVID wards. 
Of the 1,310 new confirmed cases yesterday afternoon, 54 percent (708) were from NCR alone. The other contributors included Regions IVA (169 cases), VII (208 cases), Region VI (134 cases), Region X (47 cases), and Region IX (42 cases). Only BARMM did not have a case reported yesterday.
One  certainly would expect hospitals to be filled to the brim with COVID-19 patients but tens of thousands of actively infected patients are not being quarantined in a hospital.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/747247/over-33k-active-covid-19-cases-not-in-hospitals-doh-figures-show/story/
Over 33,000 active cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of July 15 have not been admitted to hospitals, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed 

According to Mariz Umali’s Thursday report on “24 Oras”, the DOH's data drop for July 15 showed that there were 33,786 cases of COVID-19 outside the hospitals. 

The number represented 93 percent of the active cases. 

According to the DOH Data Drop, 31,090 or 92 percent of active cases are mild, 2,551 are asymptomatic, while 2,184 are confined in hospitals. 

The GMA News Research team’s analysis of the DOH data found that the majority of active cases are in Metro Manila, followed by Central Visayas and Calabarzon.
If the NCR has the most number of emerging cases then why not go back to ECQ? Why not bring in armored personnel vehicles like in Navotas which has started a two week lockdown and is part of the NCR and Metro Manila area?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/747118/armored-personnel-carriers-deployed-as-navotas-starts-two-week-lockdown/story/
On the first day of the city-wide lockdown on Thursday, armored personnel carriers were deployed to Navotas City to assist in the strict enforcement of the lockdown measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Major General Debold Sinas also visited the city to inspect the situation in the area. 
"Right now, our deployment and the rotation of our troops are good. Because we are training, this is the first day of deployment," Sinas said in Allan Gatus' live report on Dobol B on News TV. 
Sinas said the two armored personnel carriers are not meant to scare the residents but only to remind them about the presence of policemen in the area. 
"[We are not intimidating]. This is to show [that] the SAF (Special Action Force) helped us, to remind our countrymen that we are there, the SAF, that is also the police. .. with us ... reminded that we follow the directives of the city mayor of Navotas, "Sinas said.
A show of force by the SAF is not intimidating at all sure. They are just a reminder to "follow the directives of the city mayor of Navotas."
Duque mentioned making sure that healthcare workers won't be overwhelmed but how is that possible when they are undermanned?
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/16/20/manpower-shortage-is-biggest-challenge-in-coronavirus-testing-official
A shortage of personnel remains the "biggest challenge" to the Philippines' coronavirus testing drive, an official leading the effort said Thursday.  
Lack of laboratories initially hounded the campaign. But the Philippines has increased its screening capacity to 85 laboratories that can run about 25,000 tests per day, said testing czar Vince Dizon.  
"Now that we already have 85 labs, our supplies are coming in, our biggest challenge now is personnel," he told ANC. 
As an example, Dizon cited the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the country's biggest testing lab, which recently downgraded screenings after some personnel caught the respiratory disease.  
"Getting more medical technologists, getting more lab personnel is a big challenge. And we have to really find a way to address this by even maybe asking for volunteers from our schools to provide us with skilled technicians," said Dizon, who is also deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19. 
There might not be such a shortage of medical technicians if many of them did not go overseas for better pay. But perhaps the golden lining of the pandemic is that some of those OFWs in the medical field will be repatriated.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/747134/remittances-plunged-to-4-year-low-in-april-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/story/
The decline in cash remittances was attributed to the unexpected repatriation of some OFs (overseas Filipinos) deployed in countries heavily affected by the pandemic, and temporary closure/limited operating hours of some banks and institutions from both the sending and receiving ends that provide money transfer services during the lockdown,” the BSP said. 
“OFW remittances could remain relatively low/sluggish in May 2020 as many host countries remained in lockdown and also in view of the continued repatriation of tens of thousands of OFWs back to the Philippines,” Ricafort said. 
“The height of the lockdowns may have also hampered/disrupted the sending and receiving of OFW remittances through various non-digital/non-electronic channels, thereby also contributing to the reduction in OFW remittances volume/amounts,” he added.
Nurses are already feeling the burden of dealing with the pandemic and are demanding better working conditions.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/18/2028768/overworked-underpaid-nurses-want-better-conditions
The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) said yesterday that the continuing increase in COVID-19 cases is now taking its toll among nurses that have expressed fears for their safety and that of their families. 
FNU vice-president Eleonor Nolasco said yesterday that nurses are restless as they are being swamped with patients who may be infected. 
Nolasco said that the protest actions happening at the San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) in Manila are expected to “snowball” to other health facilities as more nurses are coming out to call on the government to improve their conditions. 
“Our nurses are very worried because the more the number of cases is increasing, the greater the chance for them to get the virus, especially if they do not have adequate supply of PPE (personal protective equipment),” she added. 
Aside from safety concerns the nurses also complained of the non-payment of hazard pay or inadequate compensation, extended working hours and the charging of required quarantine period on their leave of absence, among others. 
Nolasco added that if not sufficiently protected, more nurses would be infected by the virus, which is what is happening at SLH. 
Nolasco gave assurance that nurses are not about to give up but being in an environment where they feel they are not protected is demoralizing them.
No hazard pay, inadequate PPE, and long hours is demoralizing nurses who already weren't adequately compensated before the pandemic.

The Palace and the DOH both claim that the number of cases started rising once the economy was reopened. But how to balance fighting the virus and keeping the economy open?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109271
The Taguig City government is focusing on the decisive and proactive localized lockdowns to balance the response to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and keeping the economy open, Mayor Lino Cayetano said on Friday. 
"Localized lockdowns are the key towards the MGCQ (modified general community quarantine) and the new normal. Where there is a high figure of infections, whether it is a building or just a floor, street or cluster of houses, we will implement a localized lockdown so that other areas will not be affected," Cayetano said in a Laging Handa briefing. 
He said such a measure was the consensus of all Metro Manila mayors, noting that putting a village or a city under lockdown is something that they cannot afford anymore.
Cayetano added that localized lockdowns help in keeping the economy open that result in continuity of jobs for the people.
 
"We are doing this in line with the direction of the national government. We were talking to DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) Secretary Mon Lopez, one of his reminders is to prevent closure of businesses and loss of jobs while we continue to battle the pandemic," he said.
Rolling, localized, lockdowns in areas with a high infection rate. Two weeks here, two weeks there, and the economy isn't completely shuttered.

And what's the solution to understaffed hospitals? Utilizing AFP medics.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109246
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) can activate field hospitals and deploy medical units to augment public and private hospitals treating people infected with the coronavirus virus disease (Covid-19) should the need arises. 
"We can but we may need additional personnel. Our hospitals are also now treating Covid-19 patients and we have also fielded two teams to Cebu," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a message Thursday night when asked if the military can lend a hand should the number of Covid-19 patients continue to rise. 
Last June 28, the AFP deployed a military medical team composed of nine doctors, 10 nurses, and 13 medical aides in Cebu to help in ongoing efforts to contain the spike of Covid-19 cases in the city.
Last week DILG Secretary Año said:
"So what we will do, with the help of LGUs (local government units) and PNP (Philippine National Police) we will house that house and bring the positives to our COVID isolation facilities," he added. 
https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/07/coronavirus-lockdown-new-normal-gadgets.html
Very clearly it means the PNP will be going house-to-house searching for those infected with COVID-19. Now Año says that is fake news.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1308184/cops-leading-house-to-house-search-for-covid-19-patients-ano-says-fake-news
Reports of police and military forces leading the house-to-house searches for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients to be taken to isolation facilities are fake news, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Friday. 
In a statement, Año said the reports are “part of the disinformation campaign by unscrupulous individuals.” 
Año also reiterated that police officers will only be escorting local government and city health officials during the conduct of “Oplan Kalinga,” which aims to transfer COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms, to government isolation facilities to ensure that they will finish the quarantine period. 
“Again, I repeat, the police are there merely in a supporting role,” Año said.
Whether leading the searches of simply assisting LGUs the concern is that the PNP is involved in an capacity with house-to house searches. What exactly will their role be? Will the forcefully extract unwilling patients by gunpoint?

The BFP will also be assisting in house-to-house searches.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/18/2028767/bfp-assist-house-search
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has deployed its chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives or CBRNE teams to assist in the house-to-house search for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. 
BFP chief Director Jose Embang Jr. said yesterday these special response units natiowide would help local government units in the implementation of Oplan Kalinga, a government program aimed at relocating COVID patients under home quarantine to state-run quarantine or isolation facilities. 
Embang said BFP personnel are well-trained in handling hazardous materials and are also equipped with protective gear. 
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año ordered the BFP to help local health officials in the search for COVID-19 patients.
Good thing BFP personnel have now been issued guns. At least the order has been given and they should be armed soon if not by now.

Wearing a mask is supposed to help deter the transmission of COVID-19 but what if there was a super mask which could prevent 99% of germs from reaching the wearer?

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/383975/coppermask-the-new-normal-of-protection-has-finally-arrived
One development aimed at checking the spread of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,  is the CopperMask, which is now here in the Philippines. 
It’s a special facemask made of infused copper strands that have natural anti-microbial properties that protect anyone wearing it not only from SARS-CoV2 but other harmful microorganisms as well. 
Most studies show that the coronavirus can last for some time on different surfaces — three to seven days on plastic and stainless steel, up to four days on glass and paper, and a day or two on wood and cardboard. 
But most viruses “don’t” stay long on copper surfaces,” according to a recent study conducted by the National Institute of Health in the United States. 
The study shows that SARS-CoV2 can last on copper for only four hours.
It's P350 plus shipping for a box of these masks if you care to test them out. Needless to say some experts are not keen to buy into the claims of these kinds of products. Either way Duterte thinks anyone who does not wear a mask of some kind should be jailed so as to be taught a lesson.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/21/2029547/duterte-urges-police-have-no-qualms-arresting-those-not-wearing-face-masks
"I have no qualms in arresting people who are not wearing [face] mask. It seems to be trivial, but during a time of pandemic, it can be a serious crime. You are transmitting virus, you are a carrier," Duterte said in a meeting with cabinet officials taped Monday but aired Tuesday morning. 
"We'll have to ask our police to be more strict," he told Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. 
"If you are brought to a police station and detained there, that will give you a lesson for all time." 
He added that he hates to arrest people for a "mere violation," but sees such a move as necessary to ensure cooperation.
In this same speech Duterte also advised people to disinfect their masks with gasoline.

https://www.newsweek.com/philippines-rodrigo-duterte-people-disinfect-face-masks-gasoline-diesel-1519329
Those wishing to reuse masks can "spray it with alcohol" or "Lysol if you can afford it," and then hang the mask up to dry, Duterte said. 
But for those who can't, the president suggested they "soak it in gasoline or diesel." There is no evidence to suggest that gasoline or diesel can kill the COVID-19 virus, and contact with or inhalation of these fuels can cause other health problems. 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency list of COVID-19 disinfectants for use on surfaces does not include either gasoline or diesel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that inhaling gasoline can cause asphyxiation, while repeated or prolonged contact with the skin can cause irritation, dermatitis and even burns. 
But Duterte appeared convinced of its effectiveness, though The Manilla Bulletinreported that the president was joking. "That son of a b**** COVID won't be able to fight that," he said of his advice. "It's true, if you want disinfection, look for gasoline. Soak your hands. Just do it far away, don't do it inside your house."
Just another joke? Jailing those who do not wear a mask appears to be no joke at all.


https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/747996/those-who-don-t-wear-face-masks-may-be-imprisoned-for-10-to-30-days-ano/story/
"We will have a uniform implementation on how to enforce health standards ... number of days in prison if you violate not wearing a mask. We suggest 10 to 30 days, physical distancing also 10 to 30 days imprisonment," Año said during a pre-SONA forum and press conference. 
"If you are fine, it's about P1,000 to P5,000. So that will be our uniform implementation," he added.
Crowding the jails with make violators seems counter productive since the DOJ has been releasing inmates in a bid to stop the spread of the virus in the jails. 22,000 so far.

Why the tough talk about mask compliance when the majority of people wear them?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109641
Malacañang on Tuesday was elated that majority of Filipinos are complying with the government’s protocol of wearing face masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country. 
This, after a survey conducted by a think tank from the United Kingdom (UK) found that most Filipinos wear face masks whenever they leave their homes. 
(Because the wearing of face masks lowers the chance of spreading the disease, congratulations Philippines. Let us continue wearing face masks, observing social distancing, and washing hands),” he said. 
From June 22 to 28, around 91 percent of Filipinos have worn face masks whenever they are outside of their homes, according to a survey conducted by UK think tank YouGov in partnership with the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London. 
The study revealed that only 1 percent of Filipinos refused to wear face masks.
All that bluster over 1% of the people who refuse to wear a mask which offers little to no protection against the virus anyway.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2006372
We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.
That's medicine talking.  That's science speaking. And yet Duterte declares he is making his decisions based on science?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1309664/duterte-science-only-thing-keeping-me-from-reopening-pandemic-hit-economy
(Just like you, I am mad with what’s happening. You wanted me to open the doorway. I want that. I want, but what holding me back is science.) 
(I want, because I got mad, even I was locked up for months. I was also became ineffective, I have become except for the voluminous papers, I became ineffective and there is nothing I can do.)
He does not say what science is holding him back but arresting and imprisoning those who refuse to wear a mask is not based on any kind of science whatsoever.