Coronavirus Lockdown: Years of Evaluation Needed, Booster Shots, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government. 

Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez has now changed his mind and thinks vaccination should be mandatory.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1510275/galvez-now-favors-making-covid-19-vaccination-mandatory

National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. is now in favor of making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory in the country.

Galvez said Thursday that such a policy will ensure that the public will be safe from the severe respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“Yes, I’m in favor. Nakita natin ‘yung higher interest [of being vaccinated] in the pandemic. Everyone is not safe if everyone is not safe, meaning kapag lahat tayo vaccinated, doon lang tayo magkakaroon ng safety and protection,” he said in an interview over ABS CBN News Channel.

(We see that there is a higher interest in being vaccinated in the pandemic. We will only be safe when everyone is vaccinated.)

Galvez earlier thumbed down proposals to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory, citing vaccine supply problems.

He, however, said a law should be enacted in order to enforce it.

“Talagang we’re at risk if we will not vaccinate everybody and we’ll have a sizable amount of 20 million people roaming around, those anti-vaxxers roaming around, it will threaten those that are vaccinated,” Galvez said.

If the vaccine works how exactly do the unvaccinated place the vaccinated in any danger? They don't and the relationship problem is that the vaccine is not effective. Despite being vaccinated one can still become infected. Not only that but the vaccine loses what little effectivity it does have.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1510360/octa-research-warns-spike-in-covid-cases-if-booster-shots-not-given

COVID-19 cases in the country could again increase rapidly if booster shots will not be administered to Filipinos, considering the waning efficacy of vaccines, OCTA Research said Thursday.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David cited a theory that other countries experienced a resurgence of cases since the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines has already diminished.

“There is one, I would say, a small concern na nakikita natin (that we see) in other countries. It’s the waning of the vaccine efficacy after a period of six to nine months, and there is a theory na kaya nagkaroon ng (the reason why there are) spikes in some countries after six months is because of the waning efficacy,” he said at the Pandesal Forum.

“Ibig sabihin, once the vaccines start losing their effectiveness, we may see more outbreaks. That is possible. That is why we support having the booster shots even before it happens,” he added.

The Philippines is not even halfway to their vaccination goal and people are already talking about booster shots. And after that? Will there be booster shots every six months?

Its not only Galvez who has changed his mind about making the vaccine mandatory. Now the DOH is spouting that same line.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1511127/doh-now-considering-mandatory-vaccination

“Now [this is] one of the things we are looking at because we will never achieve the immunity needed by our population if there are still sectors of society that remain unvaccinated,” Vergeire said.

“One of the ways we can do this is to make it mandatory,” she said during a press briefing.

But she also said that people had the “moral obligation” to protect themselves, their families and communities, and the “whole population” against COVID-19. Vergeire added, however, that vaccination could not yet be mandated because the vaccines then were at the “developmental stage.”

"Moral obligation." That's the phrase that will disarm the public and make them not kickback against the government forcing people to take a vaccine they don't want for a virus that has an almost 100% recovery rate. Even more insidious than a law mandating vaccination is establishments such as supermarkets and government programs requiring vaccination in order to participate.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/809864/dilg-wants-no-vaccine-no-subsidy-for-unvaccinated-4ps-beneficiaries/story/

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is looking at how it can implement a “no vaccine, no subsidy” policy for unvaccinated beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Interviewed on Dobol B TV on Saturday, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said that many 4Ps beneficiaries still refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

With this, the agency is proposing to “disincentivize” the unvaccinated government aid recipients.

(The 4Ps is called conditional cash transfer because before you can get your regular subsidy from the government, you have to meet certain conditions.)

(You go to a health center, you undergo deworming, your children are in school and are enrolled. So we will add another condition which is vaccination.)

The DILG official said the proposal not to give cash grants to unvaccinated 4Ps beneficiaries was already submitted to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Malaya said the government is also looking at the legal issues which could affect the implementation of the proposal since conditional cash transfer is already institutionalized.

(We are studying the legal issues because we are in a public health emergency. Those from the DWSD said that the health component of 4Ps is flexible… Our lawyers are already studying this.)

If you already have to deworm yourself to get benefits then it is not unreasonable to mandate the vaccine. It is a slippery slope and sooner or later those who remain unvaccinated will be shunned from society.

Just how much longer will the pandemic go on? How about 3-5 years.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/809736/doh-years-of-evaluation-needed-before-declaring-covid-19-endemic/story/

The Philippines must conduct a three- to five-year evaluation before declaring that COVID-19 has become endemic in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday. 

At a media briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the evaluation will be conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO). 

"It's about three to five years of observations, of notations, of taking blood tests or taking swabs kung COVID 'yan [if it’s COVID] among the general population," Vergeire said. 

(We use certain criteria in order to declare that a virus is already endemic in an area. We cannot say it is endemic just because cases are going down.)

Who could stand 3-5 more years of this pandemic and all the burdensome health protocols? The so-called new normal is not looking anything like normal. Imagine being required to wear a facemask while singing karaoke.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1510872/videoke-bars-can-operate-under-alert-level-2-patrons-urged-to-sing-with-masks-on

Now that entertainment businesses like videoke bars are allowed to open in areas under COVID-19 Alert Level 2, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has this piece of advice to those who are ready to belt it out: Better sing with a face mask on.

Roque said karaoke bars in areas placed under Alert Level 2 are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity for fully vaccinated customers. The employees and workers of these establishments have to be vaccinated as well.

(For me, we still have to be careful. If you can sing with your face mask on, then do that because despite wanting to help our industries recover, we do not want for these to become superspreader events.)

(If you can sing with your face mask on although maybe it is not a requirement if there is enough space between the person singing and their friends. But it would be better if you sing with your face masks on.)

Vaccines are not mandated by law but in Baguio City only vaccinated drivers can operate taxis, jeepney;s and buses.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/810158/only-vaccinated-drivers-allowed-to-operate-in-baguio-city-starting-nov-10/story/

Drivers who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer be allowed to ply Baguio City's mass transport routes starting November 10, GMA's Unang Balita reported Tuesday.

In an advisory, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said only vaccinated drivers of public utility jeepneys, taxis, and UV Express, even those who received their first dose,  will be allowed to operate in the city to protect the riding public against COVID-19. 

Drivers of essential and non-essential cargo vehicles are not included and will continue to be afforded unhampered passage. 

Based on the directive, if the driver is not vaccinated, whether Baguio resident or not, he or she will be taken to the Baguio Athletic Bowl to get a drive-thru vaccination.

What about passengers though? Will they be required to be vaccinated? It would only make sense. It's not as if there is a huge anti-vaccine contingent in the Philippines. Already 30 million people have gotten the jab. Anyone who has not been stabbed yet can go to the closest Jolibees or McDonalds.

https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/11/10/204152/rare-team-up-jollibee-mcdonalds-offering-branches-as-covid-19-vax-sites/

Jollibee and McDonald’s Philippines have offered their restaurants as COVID-19 vaccination venues to encourage more Filipinos to get inoculated against the coronavirus and to assist the government in meeting its target.

Their nationwide branches will participate, with a focus on Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and other key cities outside Metro Manila.

The initiative, if proposed, will run for two weeks in November to help local government units (LGU) administer COVID-19 vaccines to Filipinos, including teenagers.

The restaurant brands will work with LGUs where their branches are located. The government units will be responsible for implementing the vaccination program, including their storage and disposal.

“Our teams can work with the DOH regional offices to ensure safety measures and proper implementation of the vaccination in the identified stores to be used as vaccination sites. We expect that we can achieve 150 to 300+ jabs per day depending on the location, size and store layout,” Pepot Miñana, chief sustainability and public affairs Officer of Jollibee Group, said.

The proposal has been endorsed by National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez and deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon to LGUs all over the country.

Come for the Jollibee burger and stay for the shot. This program will only last two week and is only in Luzon. Those in Cebu will have to go elsewhere and if they are government employees they better hurry. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1512760/no-vax-no-christmas-bonus-for-cebu-city-govt-workers

They better be vaccinated when the City Hall “Santa Claus’’ comes to town.

Acting Mayor Michael Rama wants to play Santa to more than 5,000 city government employees, but there’s a catch: They all have to get inoculated against COVID-19 before they can receive a P20,000 Christmas bonus each.

As in Christmases past, the city government has set aside a sizable amount for the bonus of regular and casual employees in December this year. But Rama said the P100-million fund will be released only if all the employees are vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Giving bonuses is a prerogative of the city government. We may grant it or not,” he said after last Monday’s flag-raising ceremony at City Hall. “I am very serious. I won’t release the bonus until all city employees will be vaccinated.”

Job order employees are not entitled to a bonus, but will receive a “gratuity pay” of P3,000 each.

Every single city employee has to be vaccinated in order for anyone to receive a bonus. That's a great way to pit everyone against each other. The Palace is just fine with this decision.

Picture of the Week: Asleep in the Rice

 I was at the market to buy some coffee when I saw a lady asleep on the rice she was selling.

It's not the best place to sleep. Probably not very comfortable. Probably not so hygienic either. When I passed by on m way back she had switched positions which means she was out like a light.

Insurgency: Major Blow

Coincidentally there recently occurred two events which the AFP claims are both major blows to the communist and the Islamic insurgencies. The first was the killing of the leader of Dawla Ismiyah and his wife.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/29/21/military-top-terror-leader-killed-in-maguindanao-ops

A leader of terror group Daulah Islamiyah was killed early Friday in a joint police and military operation in Talayan, Maguindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. 

Salahuddin Hassan or Orak was believed to be the "overall Amir" of Daulah Islamiyah. Hassan was also considered as the most wanted terrorist in the group, authorities said. 

AFP Chief-of-Staff Gen. Jose Faustino, Jr. said the alleged leader was behind the bombings and terror attacks in Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. 

His wife Jehana Minbida, alleged finance officer of the group, was also killed during the operations, Joint Task Force Central said in a statement. 

It said Hassan was trying to escape authorities but was "seriously wounded." He and his wife were left by their group. 

The military also claimed that the Daulah Islamiyah leader replaced Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, slain leader of the group, after his death last year.  

Hassan was also believed to be a former leader and founder of the Al-Khobar Group, which authorities said was involved in "different terroristic attacks in Mindanao" between 2007 and 2015.  

In a statement, Faustino described Hassan's death as a "significant blow against the DIHG and another victory in our thrust against terrorism." 

"Peaceful activities such as preventing and countering violent extremism... programs, which address the root causes of terrorism, prove to be effective in denying terrorists the opportunity to recruit members and stage atrocities in vulnerable communities," he said. 

Hassan's death could signal the end of the terror group, Army Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy said, urging its other members to surrender.  

“With the help of the community and other stakeholders, we can defeat these terrorist groups and realize our desire of a safe and peaceful community. And I continue to call on the community and our partner LGUs to help us totally defeat terrorism and violent extremism," said Uy. 

The death of Salahuddin Hassan is nothing to be sneezed at and the troops who carried out the operation should commended. But is it really "a significant blow" that "could signal the end of the terror group? Salahuddin replaced Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan after he was killed in July 2020. In January 2021 the AFP also referred to his death as significant blow that signaled the end of the ASG.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/ampArticle/1881658

THE Army’s 11th Infantry Division (ID) is optimistic that with the support of all stakeholders, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) will soon be irrelevant and peace will rain in the province of Sulu.

Major General William Gonzales, commander of the 11ID, issued the statement Saturday, January 2, 2021, as the command celebrated the New Year with hope and optimism.

“As we have done relentlessly, our units will continue to serve you as we battle the threat of terrorism and pandemic here in Sulu,” said Gonzales, who is also the Joint Task Force Sulu commander.

The 11th Infantry “Alakdan” Division was activated on December 1, 2018, to pursue and eliminate the ASG in the province of Sulu.

The Alakdan Division have yielded significant intelligence and operational accomplishments in 2020, including the death of Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the leader of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (Isis)-linked ASG in the province of Sulu.

"Soon be irrelevant" and "defeated soon" are assessments give year after year as they fight but the communists and the Muslims. Here is one glaring incident from April 2017 where the deafest of a high-ranking Muslim terrorist was called a significant blow and signaled the imminent end of the ASG.

https://apnews.com/article/43785cdca12b4888a967287e769bf9d5

The killing of a Muslim extremist leader on a resort island in the central Philippines this week was a clear victory for the military, but it also drove home an unsettling reality: that the militants are venturing farther from their jungle hideouts to spread terror.

Military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano said that troops recovered and identified the remains of Abu Sayyaf group commander Moammar Askali at the scene of the battle in the coastal hinterlands of Bohol island. Five other Abu Sayyaf gunmen, three soldiers and a policeman also were killed in Tuesday’s clashes.

“This is a major blow to the Abu Sayyaf,” Ano told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “If they have further plans to kidnap innocent people somewhere, they will now have to think twice.”

“We are gaining important headway in our fight to degrade the ASG in regard to our timeline,” Ano later told a news conference, referring to a military objective to considerably cripple the extremist group of more than 300 armed fighters within six months.

Of course, a month and a half later the Marawi siege happened. It's hard to believe General Año could have been so confident that the fall of ASG was just over the horizon when the AFP had prior knowledge about the siege. It's less being overconfident and more like lying. 

In 2010 another ASG leader was killed and it was also declared to be a big blow for the group.

https://www.france24.com/en/20100222-philippines-sayyaf-militant-muslim-commander-leader-killed-albader-parad-dolorfino-blow

The Philippine military said Monday its killing of a "ruthless" Abu Sayyaf commander had inflicted a major blow on the Al-Qaeda-linked group, as it pursued his fellow militants on a remote island. 

"It is a big blow in the sense that he (Parad) is a very notorious and ruthless leader," Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, head of military forces in the south, told AFP by telephone.

"He always played a big role as far as the effectiveness and capability of the group is concerned, and the group always reflects the personality of the leader."

Parad, who was believed to be in his late 20s, made world headlines last year when he led an Abu Sayyaf cell that kidnapped and threatened to behead three Red Cross workers on Jolo. 

Dolorfino said Sunday's killings, which occurred after the military acted on information provided by informants, gave hope that the Abu Sayyaf could finally be crushed.

"Without the leaders, the members will be directionless and, if no new leader emerges, they may crumble," said Dolorfino.

Dolorfino said the Abu Sayyaf was now believed to have only 330 fighters on Jolo, with another 61 on nearby Basilan island. This is down from a peak of about 1,200 fighters in 2002.

Nevertheless, Dolorfino insisted there were strong reasons aside from Sunday's military victory for believing the Abu Sayyaf could be becoming much weaker, chiefly that were no signs of significant new leaders emerging.

"We have not seen any new member who has the reputation of the current leaders. We have not seen any influential sub-leaders who might take the leadership when the current leaders are neutralised," he said.

Here the AFP was hoping the ASG could finally be crushed way back in 2010 all because of the death of one guy. Lt. General Dolorfino underestimated the group by saying they didn't see anyone capable of leading the group. That assessment is stunning in it's lack of foresight because in 2010 Isnilon Hapilon was already part of ASG leadership and it was he who, four years later, would lead them to pledge allegiance to ISIS. In 2017 he would lead a group of roughly 1,000 men to take the city of Marawi. It seems the AFP has a perennial intelligence problem. 

The second event, which the AFP claims is a major blow to the NPA, is the killing of a top leader, Ka Oris.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/809065/afp-says-cpp-top-leader-ka-oris-death-a-major-blow-to-communist-group/story/

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday said the death of top Communist Party of the Philippines leader George “Ka Oris” Madlos in an encounter with government troops ''is a major blow" to the communist group. 

"This is a major blow to the Communist Terrorist Group in Mindanao, and will usher in eventual peace in the region," the AFP said in a statement. 

Madlos died following an encounter with government troops in Bukidnon on Saturday, according to the military. 

According to the Philippine Army's 4th Infantry Division, the encounter, which took place in a mountainous area in Barangay Dumalaguing, Impasugong town around 11:30 a.m., also killed another rebel. 

The gun battle between the soldiers and around 30 rebels lasted half an hour. 

Madlos' body and that of another rebel was found by the military during clearing operations. The soldiers also recovered an M14 rifle, one KG9 rifle, ammunition, other war materiel, and assorted belongings. 

"He was wanted for criminal cases such as murder, multiple murders with double frustrated murder, and robbery with double homicide and damage to properties," the AFP added. 

The military also said Ka Oris "was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of soldiers and civilians for decades." 

"His death will deter the activities and plans by the NPA for he can no longer direct the communist terrorists’ violent actions against our people," the AFP said. 

The military also called on CPP-NPA leaders and members "to surrender and return to the fold of law."

Ka Oris was a spokesman for the NPA and NDFP. He was responsible for planning attacks. His death is indeed a victory for the AFP. But is it really a major blow that signals the end of the NPA? They certainly think so.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/01/death-of-ka-oris-boosts-confidence-of-military-to-defeat-reds-by-2022/

The death of Jorge Madlos, who was popularly known as Ka Oris, has apparently boosted the morale of the military that its Army commanding general was prompted to express optimism of the defeat of the New People’s Army (NPA) by next year. 

“We are optimistic that we can comply with the President’s order to end the communist armed conflict by 2022,” said Andres Lt. Gen. Centino, commanding general of the Philippine Army.

“We are on track with what the president has mandated us to do. We are capable of doing this. Everything is in place. We have the support of the people, which is the most important. We also have the full support of the administration,” he added.

Bully for them if the communist armed conflict is ended by 2022. That would be a phenomenal feat. The death of Ka Oris is not the only "major blow" dealt to the NPA this year. Here are just a few.

https://www.kalinawnews.com/surrender-of-seven-red-leaders-a-major-blow-to-the-cpp-npa/

Seven more leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) capitulated in June for what is deemed to be a major blow to the decades-old communist insurgency. 

EastMinCom Commander Lieutenant General Greg T. Almerol said this latest development puts the CPP-NPA to shame and will likely encourage their remaining members and allies to finally embrace the government.

“The surrender of these CPP-NPA leaders speaks volumes of how many of their comrades have grown averse to the violence means which the communist ideology is being carried out by the reds. Corruption and internal politics within their rotten system also further led others to abandon their cause,” Lieutenant General Almerol said.

https://www.kalinawnews.com/joint-forces-of-5id-and-7id-deliver-devastating-blow-against-the-disintegrated-npas-in-cordillera/

CAMP MELCHOR F DELA CRUZ, Upi, Gamu, Isabela- Troops of 72 Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) under the operational control of 54th Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Division scored against the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) in an encounter in Barangay Mainit, Bontoc, Mt. Province on September 28, 2021.

Major General Laurence E Mina, Commander of 5ID warned the remaining CTGs to stop their so-called armed revolution that wasted the lives of many individuals. “Barangay Mainit, Bontoc, Mt Province is not a place for you to hide. The people are giving us information about your presence in their community. We are one with the peace-loving residents of the said locality.”

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1150695

The death of 16 armed rebels and recovery of several firearms in Dolores, Eastern Samar on Aug. 16 is a “big blow” to the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Samar, a top military official said on Tuesday.

“The recovery of several firearms means that many fighters were wounded as they abandoned their firearms to flee from our troops. This will further weaken the NPA organization in Samar Island,” Diñoso said in a virtual press briefing.

Certainly those three news stories represent victories for the AFP. Only time will tell if these operations were "major blows" that dented the operational capacity of the NPA.  Here is a news story marking the 40th anniversary of the CPP.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/features/12/29/08/40-years-and-counting-communist-movement-mindanao

Jorge Madlos, a.k.a. Ka Oris, apologized for the bad weather and offered us lunch consisting of rice, slice of roasted pig, pork adobo, beef stew and menudo all neatly pack in separate cellophanes. 

At 59 years old, Madlos, a member of the CPP Mindanao Commission and Mindanao spokesperson for the National Democratic Front (NDF), still carries the zeal of a man on a mission who has seen the ebb and flow of "people's war" in Mindanao. 

Himself a veteran of almost four decades of life in the underground movement spiked by several years of detention under the Marcos dictatorship and Cory regime, Madlos read a four-page statement of the rebel movement in Mindanao and later held a press conference with select members of the press from all over the island. 

"We are on the verge of entering a new stage of our revolutionary struggle and have fully recovered from our debacle in the mid-80s," he told reporters. 

He said the CPP-NPA has re-established a strong presence in "more than 2,000 barrios (villages) of 200 municipalities in 19 provinces in the island." 

They have also added four new guerilla fronts this year, bringing the total to 39 fronts, and they claimed they did not lose a single guerilla zone in 2008. 

In addition, Madlos said the Communist rebel group was able to launch more than 300 tactical offensives (up from last year's 190 NPA-initiated attacks) and seized over 200 high-powered firearms throughout the island. 

"All these are signs of the growth of people's war (in Mindanao)," Madlos quoted one Ka Puman who signed the CPP-Mindanao Commission's statement on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. 

AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano said the government is right on target in making the NPA irrelevant by 2010, the year President Arroyo said the Communist movement will be decisively defeated. 

"Defeating and reducing them into irrelevance is the same.  We are on pace," Yano said in a mobile phone interview. 

General Yano said the Communist rebels will no longer be treated as a national security threat by 2010, and that the insurgency would become a police matter. 

Major Gen. Armando Cunanan, commanding general of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) of the AFP, on the other hand, said the number of armed NPA guerillas dropped by four per cent this year. 

Eastmincom spokesperson Major Randolph Cabangbang placed the total strength of the NPAs on the island at no more than 1,400 armed regulars. 

"They have been reduced to criminal activities, preying on helpless businessmen," Cabangbang quoted Gen. Cunanan as saying. 

In October, defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the CPP-NPA has been reduced to holding criminal activities.  He said the Communist movement in Mindanao is extorting money from small-scale miners and large mining companies.

This article from 2008 is very educational. In this article Ka Oris says the NPA is strengthening itself while the NPA says they are on target to make the NPA irrelevant by 2010. Here it is 13 years later and the NPA remains a relevant national security threat. Let us all wish the AFP the best of luck in finally defeating the NPA in 2022 but history is simply not on their side. 

The problem is that they are underestimating this group. Ka Oris is dead, a few leaders have surrendered, weapons have been seized, but there are always men and weapons to take their place. Same with the Muslims. One leader is dead but a new one will emerge at some point. Why does the AFP continue to be blind to this fact? Take a look at this statement from 2014 after a leader of the ASG was captured.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-militants-idUSKBN0EM0N320140611

The head of military intelligence, Major-General Eduardo Ano, said the captured militant, Khair Mundos, was an expert bomb-maker and the “spiritual leader” of the Abu Sayyaf faction, which rose to notoriety early last decade by kidnapping foreigners. 

“This is a big blow to their organisation,” Ano told reporters. “They lost one of their leaders and they now feel insecure. We will try to get them one after another, we will not stop.”

What would make Año claim that the Abu Sayyaf "now feel insecure" just because a leader got caught?  By 2014 Isnilon Hapilon was leading them. Did he not know this? Every time this language appears (major blow, irrelevant, soon to be defeated) we can chalk it up to being propaganda. The fact is the AFP has no idea when or if they will ever defeat the Islamic and Communist insurgencies. 

The Influence of Netflix on Philippine Politics

As improbable as it seems Netflix is having an influence on political discourse in the Philippines. Remember this photo showing Duterte watching Django Unchained on Netflix?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/world/asia/duterte-philippines-absence-health.html

There is nothing wrong with watching a good movie or show. The problem is when fiction begins to influence one's political or world view. Remember during the martial law hearings before the Supreme Court when Justice Bersamin was worried that scenarios like those in White House Down and London Has Fallen could come true if martial law were lifted?

“How can the republic survive if there was another kind of threat worse than rebellion or invasion,” a Supreme Court Associate Justice asked Tuesday as he noted that President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law is already emasculated compared to that of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. 

“Oh I watched so many movies like White House has fallen, London has fallen. These are very terrifying realities that could happen in a few years’ time,”  Bersamin said, adding that the framers crafted a constitution “that constricted the use of the ultimate power to actual invasion and actual rebellion.”

“What if these [movies] become a reality,” Bersamin asked. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/filipinos-and-movies.html 

Then there was Senator Lacson who, after watching a show on Netflix, actually introduced legislation inspired by that show.

Legislation loosely based on a popular Netflix political thriller called the “Designated Survivor” have been filed in the Senate and the House of Representatives to deal with such a situation. 

In the show, actor Kiefer Sutherland plays Housing and Urban Development Secretary Tom Kirkham, who is hidden away during the State of the Union. He was thrust into the US presidency when the Capitol building is bombed during the address, killing the president and everyone in it. 

The Philippine proposal is called the Presidential Succession Act, referred to simply as the designated survivor bill.

Sen. Ping Lacson wrote the Senate version of the bill, while Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito introduced the House counterpart proposal. 

Lacson told reporters on Thursday that his proposal was inspired by the Netflix series.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/filipinos-and-movies.html 

Lacson is back in the news telling us all that a movie he saw on Netflix has influenced him to now be against the death penalty.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1510389/no-longer-for-death-penalty-lacson-says-netflix-show-changed-his-beliefs-on-capital-punishment

Senator Panfilo Lacson now says that if he is elected president in the 2022 national elections, he will no longer push for the death penalty despite previous statements advocating for the reinstitution of capital punishment.

Asked about how his opinion about the death penalty changed, Lacson attributed this to a movie on streaming site Netflix, which talked about an activist who set himself up for a crime just to prove that innocent people could be punished.

He says that his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, also shares his views.

“In the course his (Sotto) perspective changed. I’m like that, I’m also a convert. Did you know, did you watch ‘The Life of David Gayle’ on Netflix? "I watched that, that activist, that's where he set-up himself," Lacson told reporters in a media forum on Thursday.

"He was not the one who killed but he set-up just to prove that the innocent man could be executed," he explained.

Lacson admitted that in the past, he has been a stern advocate of the death penalty for certain crimes like plunder, high-level drug trafficking, law enforcers proven guilty for planting evidence, and other heinous crimes.

But the Netflix show changed it all, Lacson claimed, who is now saying that saving the life of a wrongly accused person is more important than executing a criminal.

"That changed my attitude, my outlook, and my perspective on the death penalty. I am also an author, I have been infinite several times, I have even included the plunder and then the various crimes as heinous crimes, which should be punishable by the death penalty, ”he explained.

"But then I realized that it is more important to save the life of an innocent person who has been convicted so that we can execute someone who is really convicted and really convicted. "When I weighed it, I thought it would be more important to save the life of a wrongly convicted person," he added.

Are we really to believe that Senator Lacson, who was once Chief of the PNP and who admits he has written numerous articles advocating for the death penalty, had never considered that an innocent person could be wrongly convicted of a crime and placed on death row until he saw The Life of David Gale!?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_David_Gale

This 2003 film starring Kevin Spacey as an anti-death penalty advocate who conspires to get himself executed for a crime he did not commit to show how bad the death penalty is because innocent people could be executed is one of the most ridiculous and convoluted films ever made. It is right up there with Crash which, to the consternation of everyone, won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006. Roger Ebert thought The Life of David Gale was so stupid that he gave it zero stars.

The secrets of the plot must remain unrevealed by me, so that you can be offended by them yourself, but let it be said this movie is about as corrupt, intellectually bankrupt and morally dishonest as it could possibly be without David Gale actually hiring himself out as a joker at the court of Saddam Hussein.

I am sure the filmmakers believe their film is against the death penalty. I believe it supports it and hopes to discredit the opponents of the penalty as unprincipled fraudsters.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-life-of-david-gale-2003

Unless you are a small-brained normie there is absolutely no way you can walk away from this movie thinking that it is anything like a coherent argument against the death penalty. Sadly it is true that there are and have been innocent men on death row for years. There is a documentary streaming on Netflix titled  Fear of 13 which is about this very subject.

The Fear of 13 is a 2015 British documentary film. It tells the story of Nick Yarris, who was convicted of murder and spent 22 years on Death Row in Pennsylvania. He was released in 2004 when DNA evidence proved he was innocent of the crime.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fear_of_13

There are actually a whole lot of documentaries about wrongly convicted people. The Innocence Project has a list. Surely a few of them are streaming on Netflix. But no. The one film that changed Lacson's mind is the impossible fiction titled The Life of David Gale.

There is absolutely no problem with the death penalty just as there is no problem with incarceration. The problem is a corrupt justice system which allows innocent people to be convicted. It is a multifaceted problem involving overzealous prosecutors, corrupt judges, incompetent defenders, and many other factors which I will not be discussing in this article. 

Did Panfilo Lacson, as an officer in one of the world's most corrupt police organizations, not think about these things? Did he not consider that people could be wrongly convicted or wrongly accused? It is absolutely ludicrous that Lacson has changed his mind about the death penalty because he saw The Life of David Gale and thought it had a great message. 

You know what else is absolutely ludicrous? That the DFA got so upset over a Netflix series called Pine Gap that they asked the MTRCB to demand they delete two episodes. The reason? Becasue in those two episodes there is a map of China's 9-dash line.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/01/media/netflix-philippines-pine-gap-intl-hnk/index.html

Netflix Inc has removed two episodes of spy drama "Pine Gap" from its streaming service in the Philippines, after the Southeast Asian country rejected scenes involving a map used by China to assert its claims to the South China Sea. 

The Philippines on Monday asked Netflix to remove certain episodes of the six-part Australian series, saying the map depicted on the show was a violation of its sovereignty.

The second and third episodes of the show were no longer available in the Philippines by late Monday, with Netflix announcing on its platform that those episodes had been "removed by government demand". It did not elaborate.

After a thorough review, the Philippines' movie classification board has ruled that certain episodes of Pine Gap were "unfit for public exhibition", the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement. 

Earlier this year Netflix removed "Pine Gap" from its services in Vietnam following a similar complaint from the country's broadcast authorities. 

The Philippine films board, acting on the DFA's complaint, handed down its ruling on Sept. 

It was not clear why the decision was only made public now. 

The board, according to the DFA, noted that the appearance of the map was "no accident as it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message that China's nine-dash line legitimately exists". 

The board believes that "such portrayal is a crafty attempt to perpetuate and memorialize in the consciousness of the present generation of viewers and the generations to come the illegal nine-dash line," the DFA said.

The last two paragraphs of that article are very important. The DFA is claiming that the inclusion of a map showing the 9-dash line legitimates China's claim. This is an outright lie. While that line is shown in a map in the background there is nothing to indicate that it conveys "a message that China's nine-dash line legitimately exists." Here is some dialogue from the offending scene in episode 2.

Episode 2 12:28 

 Jacob: Is the Rha Two in Chinese territory?

Gus: Which is disputed territory.

Eloise: Well, they’ve been saying it's theirs since 1948. 

Jasmine: Actually, according to them it’s been theirs since 3,000 BC. They just went to sleep for a hundred years and everyone just took it off them.

Gus: They still lost the court case. 

Eloise: Well, these are the Fiery Cross Islands. Where China’s built a navy base.

Gus: And I love the way they just "take" islands.

Does that dialogue sound like they are giving legitimacy to the 9-dash line? Of course not. And that kind of banter goes on throughout the series. How about this screen cap from episode 3 saying point blank that China ignores international law?

Episode 3 25:16  Will China retract its territorial claims in the South China Sea or continue to ignore the decision of the International Court that America has sworn to uphold? 

Did anybody at the DFA or the MTRCB actually watch the show?  I mean the entire show which is not very kind to China. In this show China is the enemy. If they had watched the show they would know that every single episode except the first one mentions the nine-dash line or shows it on a map. But for some odd reason only episodes 2 and 3 offended them enough to be removed.

The reason the 9-dash line is shown on a map in this show is not because the creators of the show are giving it legitimacy. It's there because China considers it legitimate and these analysts at Pine Gap are monitoring China. It's really that simple. China rejects The Hague ruling and acts in accordance with their claims. They really do see that line as legitimate and one cannot ignore that fact. That is why they continue to build island bases within that area. But the Philippines does not care about that. Instead, while Duterte calls the International Court ruling just a piece of paper he will throw away, the DFA and MTRCB boldly claim that some silly Netflix show which got bad reviews and shows a map of the 9-dash line in two episodes, it actually shows up in five episodes, violates the Philippines' sovereignty.

One idiot, the executive director of the MTRCB Jose Benjamin Benaldo, even calls the removal of these episodes a victory for the Philippines.

“After a thorough review, the Board ruled that certain episodes of Pine Gap are ‘unfit for public exhibition.’ The MTRCB also ordered the immediate pullout of relevant episodes by its provider, Netflix Inc, from its video streaming platform,” the DFA said in a statement. 

In its decision, the MTRCB underscored that “under a whole-of-nation approach, every instrumentality of the government, whenever presented with the opportunity, has the responsibility to counter China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to assert the Philippines’ territorial integrity.” 

“And we’re very happy Netflix has done that. This is another victory for our country,” Benaldo said.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/11/05/2139086/netflix-appeals-mtrcb-order-episode-pullout

"Another victory?" The only victory so far has been the initial ruling against China. Since the day that ruling was handed down it's been loss after loss as the Duterte administration refuses to even attempt to enforce that ruling. But who knows. Maybe now that these two episodes of a Netflix show depicting the 9-dash line have been removed so only Filipino viewers cannot see them, just maybe China will stop its island building program and vacate the West Philippine Sea.

Retards in the Government 231

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

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/10/31/2137986/former-dbm-exec-faces-contempt-raps

The former budget official embroiled in the questionable supply deals that ran up to billions is at risk of being held in contempt by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee if he fails yet again to attend Thursday’s investigative hearing.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he would make sure to have former Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who headed the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), cited for contempt for snubbing Sen. Richard Gordon’s committee.

“He (Lao) is no longer a government employee, (but) he has not attended the last two hearings. It seems to be an insult (to the Senate),” Lacson said when interviewed by dwIZ about the Senate’s ongoing probe into alleged corruption in the procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020 in which P42 billion was transferred by the Department of Health (DOH) to the PS-DBM then headed by Lao.

A former government employee faces raps for refusing to testify before the Senate.

https://news-abs--cbn-com.translate.goog/news/11/02/21/barangay-chairman-sa-caloocan-patay-sa-pamamaril?_x_tr_sl=tl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fil&_x_tr_pto=nui

The barangay chairman of Barangay 143 in Caloocan died after being shot by an unidentified riding-in-tandem around 6 p.m. Monday night. 

During the initial investigation by the police, it was found that the victim was just sitting in his shop when he was suddenly shot several times by one of the perpetrators. 

The victim died on the spot while his wife who was with him when the shooting happened was injured. 

According to barangay executive officer Alexander Dulce, they see no motive behind the killing of their captain because they have no known enemy.

A barangay chairman in Caloocan was assassinated by unknown men for unknown reasons while sitting his shop.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/04/21/cops-who-grabbed-donations-took-photos-were-overly-excited

A police official confirmed Thursday that some "overly excited" police officers grabbed relief packs and took photos of a relief-distribution project in Cagayan but said the incident was a misunderstanding. 

In a series of now-viral tweets, Oplan Bangon Cagayan project implementer Zach Singson said several police officers put up a “Duterte Legacy” tarpaulin near their area while they were distributing relief packs in Barangay Mission, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan last October 31. 

“We arrived there at 3 o’ clock and there’s still no police there at the barangay hall,” Singson told ANC’s “Rundown.” 

“But we were just surprised that while we’re still distributing our relief goods, nagpunta na po sila doon and immediately put up the tarpaulin. They didn’t introduce themselves first or even approached us,” he said. 

“But after setting up the tarpaulin Sir, they approached us and asked us kung okay lang ba na sila na manghiram ng relief pack for their photo ops, in which I explained, well, that we do not agree.” 

Despite this, however, Singson said the police personnel still took a couple of their relief packs and took photos of them handing these out to typhoon victims.  

“While we were still talking to one of their police officers, they’re already taking photos without our consent.” 

“And right after that they grabbed our relief goods and then, they had their photo ops and of course for us, we cannot say na 'Please delete it' because it’s not our place, and we’re afraid because of our fear that they might harm us or do something negative against us,” he said. 

On ANC, PNP Region 2 public information officer Lt.Col Andree Abella said the personnel involved in the incident have been “relieved from their present designations at Sta. Teresita Police Station” and are now under the Cagayan Police Provincial Office. 

Abella noted that the cops involved admitted to their wrongdoing when asked by their superiors about it. 

She stressed, however, that what happened was a mere misunderstanding, and there was no deliberate credit-grabbing on the part of the cops. 

“The incident that happened in Barangay Mission, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan is one of a sort of a misunderstanding and lack of proper discernment on the part of our PNP personnel,” she said. 

“Siguro they were overly excited, or something like they did not, it was a lack of proper coordination as this group coordinated with the local government unit and also the MSWDO so upon learning of the activity, our police officers, believing that it was another activity of the Duterte caravan, kasi yun po yung previously, they had that activity at that place,” she added.

PNP officer showed up at an event where relief goods were being handed out, erected a Duterte Legacy tarp, took a few pictures of them handing out goods, and then left. The excuse is that they were excited and thought "that it was another activity of the Duterte caravan." But if that is true why did they leave after they took the pictures?