Insurgency: Flaws in MILF Decommissioning Process

In a bid to woo investors and appease the higher-ups the AFP have reaffirmed the insurgency-free status of Ilocos Norte. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188544

Ilocos Norte officials on Monday reaffirmed the province’s insurgency-free status, assuring investors of its readiness for development.

This as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP or provincial board) unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming the declaration of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) that the Ilocos Region, which includes the two cities, 21 municipalities, and 559 barangays of Ilocos Norte, is under a state of stable internal peace and security.

“This means that residents here continue to enjoy generally peaceful communities with no monitored atrocity by communist rebels in the province so far.” said provincial board member Elmer Faylogna, sponsor of the measure.

Nonetheless, Ilocos Norte has welcomed the presence of additional troops composed of the 4th Marine Brigade here in September after their last deployment in Ilocos Norte back in 1983.

During their courtesy visit at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Monday, BGen. Vicente Mark Anthony Blanco reassured fellow Ilocanos that the Marines will stay in the north for good. Blanco is a native of this city as his family resides in Barangay 46 Nalbo.

Since they arrived at the Laoag International Airport, the Marine units from Sulu have been augmenting counter-insurgency operations in Central and Northern Luzon.

They have also assisted the province in its disaster and rescue operations, as well as in the clearing of roads and bringing of relief goods to typhoon victims, particularly in the hard-hit towns of Adams and Pagudpud.

“Being [declared as] insurgency free is not the end. We are here to assist the Philippine Army and help sustain it,” Blanco said on Monday.

Despite being declared insurgency free the AFP has sent in the Marines to secure the area. After all the peace needs to be sustained and the NPA needs to be prevented from regrouping. In Northern Samar the AFP is confident 4 more NPA fronts will be dismantled soon. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188795

The Philippine Army is eyeing to completely dismantle the remaining four guerrilla fronts of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Samar Island in the early part of 2023 through the whole of nation approach.

Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said these remaining fronts have been weakened in the past few years due to the surrender of active fighters and withdrawal of support from villagers.

“We are confident that the three Samar provinces will be cleared from NPA by early of 2023. The government have done a lot to address insurgency down to the community level,” Ligayo said in an interview on Thursday.

Most of the active NPA fighters are operating in Northern Samar and some in the upland areas within the boundaries of Eastern Samar and Samar provinces.

The military estimated that there are still about 300 NPA fighters hiding in the mountains of Samar belonging to the four fronts.

“With National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), our job has been hastened. Ending insurgency is not just a military solution since we need roads, livelihood, health services and education for people not to be influenced by rebels,” Ligayo added.

National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos said in a summit in Palo, Leyte on Wednesday that she will regularly visit the region to assess the situation in Samar and see what the national government can do to attain lasting peace.

“I will always come here until Samar is declared as insurgency-free. We want to make Samar as one of the top tourist destinations in the country,” said Carlos who have presided the regional task force ELCAC meetings twice since October.

Carlos said among the strategies to end an insurgency is to set up libraries in Samar to educate the young generation, build more infrastructure under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, and increase the budget for Support to Barangay Development Program intended for areas previously influenced by rebels.

How will libraries end the insurgency?  Obviously they are not directed at the 300 remaining fighters hiding in the mountains. The libraries are "to educate the young generation" which means they are worried about recruitment. But if the young generation sees "good government" and all the infrastructure being built then won't that automatically deter them from joining the NPA? That seems to be what the AFP and NTF-ELCAC and Sara Duterte have all been saying for quite some time now. 

Last week the MILF and AFP were at it again despite having a peace treaty. Oddly enough even though the MILF started it the families of the dead will receive money from the government!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188814

The national government’s Joint Task Force (JTF)-Basilan extended financial assistance to the families of seven Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members killed in last week’s skirmishes with military forces.

In a statement Thursday JTF-Basilan commander Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway said the financial assistance was distributed to the wives and families of the slain MILF members in a simple ceremony at the headquarters of the 18th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Campo Uno, Lamitan City, Basilan.

Dan Asnawie, a member of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao parliament and commander of the MILF’s 114th Base Command in Basilan, joined Gobway in Wednesday’s aid distribution.

Both Gobway and Asnawie agreed to strengthen their partnership in forging peace, security and sustainable development in the province.

The two also considered the incident as lessons learned by both parties that communication and common understanding plays a vital role as peacemakers.

The clashes erupted on Nov. 8 after a soldier stationed at a detachment in Barangay Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan town, was slightly bruised by sniper fire from an area occupied by MILF members and lawless elements.

On Nov. 10, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the MILF agreed to a cease-fire ending the sporadic clashes between the soldiers and MILF forces in the area.

Three soldiers were killed and 12 others, including a junior officer, were wounded during the skirmishes.

Lessons learned? They are going to chalk this up to "lessons learned?" But what was the cause of this firefight? Why exactly did the MILF fire upon the AFP? According to Basilian Representative Hataman the roots extend into the flawed decommissioning process. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/851363/basilan-rep-hataman-sees-flaws-in-milf-decommissioning-process/story/

Armed conflict is likely to persist in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) given the current state of the decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters, a Mindanao-based lawmaker said Monday.

According to Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman, only 62% of the target 40,000 MILF combatants have been decommissioned eight years since the group signed a peace deal with the government.

"We should prioritize decommissioning of armed combatants so nobody can take up arms anymore, because we are addressing armed conflict here," Hataman said during a congressional briefing on the state of the peace process and on the peace and order situation in BARMM.

Hataman was referring to the normalization phase of the peace agreement inked between the government and the MILF in 2014 wherein MILF combatants will abandon armed struggle by turning over their functional firearms to the government in phases, depending on the progress of the implementation of the peace deal.

The lawmaker said the bloody encounter between the military and MILF forces in Basilan last week, which left three soldiers and three MILF fighters dead, would not have happened if only the government did have a full list of the 40,000 MILF combatants that are due for decommissioning.

"But up to now, we don't have a list. That is a violation of the signed agreement, right?" Hataman asked, to which Diciano replied, "For that particular agreement, it is being violated, sir."

Hataman then urged both the government and MILF peace panels to resolve this.

"This is a weakness of [the] normalization [process]. This is a wake up call to all of us. Let us be honest with each other. Huwag tayo maglokohan kasi niloloko lang natin ang sarili natin," he said.

(Let us not fool each other because we will just be fooling ourselves.)

"If the decommissioning process goes on like this, this decommissioning will never end," Hataman added.

Representative Hataman claims they have no official list of MILF fighters needing to be decommissioned and that this is what lead to the recent deadly encounter and will lead to more armed conflict. Presidential Peace Advisor Galvez denies that accusation.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/851737/galvez-denies-missing-list-of-milf-forces/story/

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. on Thursday denied that there was a missing list of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces.

“We would like to set the record straight that it is inaccurate to claim or allege that there is a missing list of MILF forces,” Galvez said in a statement.

“The list of decommissioned combatants is safely secured and maintained by the [Independent Decommissioning Body] and the [Department of Social Welfare and Development],” he added.

Galvez issued the statement after Leyte Representative Richard Gomez slammed the agency over the “missing” list during a recent House briefing on the state of the peace process in the Bangsamoro.

Galvez said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) has a copy of the list of decommissioned MILF combatants that was prepared and vetted by the IDB, a third-party body.

According to OPAPRU, IDB is composed of international experts from Turkey, Norway, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, and the designation of competent and local experts from the Philippine government.

“The processes, protocols and mechanisms established in the decommissioning program of the MILF forces were crafted under the peace agreement to ensure integrity, professionalism and level of trust and confidence in the process,” Galvez said.

“It is a product of careful and several consultation processes with various stakeholders, taking into account the best practices from disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes from other peace processes in other countries,” he added.

If Galvez is right then why would Representative Hataman make such an accusation? From where is he getting his facts? 

Aside from the international experts overseeing the decommissioning program the OPAPRU also thanks the USA for helping with the peace process.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188873

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) thanked the United States for its continued support for the country's peace education efforts and other major initiatives.

OPAPRU chief Carlito Galvez made this statement during a courtesy call of US Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson on Thursday, the OPAPRU said in a Facebook post.

During her visit, Carlson pledged the US government’s commitment to supporting the Philippines' comprehensive peace process under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

“We are committed to working with you for peace, not just in the Philippines. But what that means is we are reverberating for this whole region and globally,” Carlson told the OPAPRU chief. “It’s whole-of-embassy effort from our part, reflecting our inter-agency in Washington.”

Galvez, meanwhile, thanked the US government for its assistance to the Philippine government in various areas, such as in promoting peace education, coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, counter-terrorism, disaster relief, and other major peace initiatives.

“I personally thank the United States government and its people for (their) support even during the time when I was the commander of Western Mindanao Command. The US forces provided significant intelligence and technical support during the liberation of Marawi," he said.

Galvez also thanked Washington DC for extending tremendous support when he was leading the country’s vaccine efforts.

"And now, the US government is also actively involved as we are ensuring the implementation of the comprehensive peace process,” he added.

Another official admitting the USA gave substantial support during the Marawi siege. 

3 recently surrendered members of the BIFF have offered their assistance to the government. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188879

Three members of the extremist Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) yielded with their guns to the military, an Army official said Friday.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Cadiente Jr., Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion commander, said the three belonged to the BIFF - Kagui Karialan faction who peacefully surrendered in Barangay Zapakan, Rajah Buayan town, Thursday.

“They feared for their lives because of our relentless campaign against them. That is one of the reasons they decided to yield,” he said.

The trio turned in two Carbine rifles and a Garand rifle to Cadiente.

Alias Tiu, one of the surrenderers, said they were extremely exhausted from always being on the run from pursuing military forces.

“Our fight is going nowhere, we want to live normal lives with our families,” he was quoted by the military as saying in the vernacular.

Tiu vowed to help the government "convince our colleagues in the mountains to give up and avail of the government programs for surrendering rebels.”

If these men ever killed a solider it's a safe bet they will never be held accountable for it. 

Dangerous Spaghetti Wires Are A Nationwide Problem

Much like electric poles blocking roads dangerous  spaghetti wires are a nationwide problem. While they are certainly less deadly than unmoved electric poles sitting squarely in the middle of roads they are unsightly and do pose potential problems. Several cites have begun the arduous task of untangling and removing those wires.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188937

Some 44 tons of old and unused telecommunication (telco) wires mounted along the city’s major roads have been removed from July to November this year to clear the hazards and nuisance in public pathways, data of the Task Force Spaghetti Wires on Friday showed.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the “spaghetti” wires were brought to the stockyards of the telco companies and these can be endorsed to the city through a deed of donation.

The collected wires will be donated to the farmers in Barangay Alangilan to be used as trellises in vegetable production.

Last July, Benitez issued Executive Order (EO) No. 3 for the removal, clearing, and reorganizing of all “spaghetti” wires located in the main streets, sidewalks, alleys and public places.

44 tons of spaghetti wires have collected in five months. In Mandaue City 700 kilograms of spaghetti wires have been collected since September.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/475097/mandaue-city-collects-700-kilograms-of-dead-wires

About 700 kilograms of “dead” wires were collected from the wire clearing and bundling operation of Mandaue City and telecommunication companies.

Engineer Marivic Cabigas, head of the Department of General Services (DGS) on Wednesday, November 16, said that 9 mini dumptrucks of dead wires were collected since the start of the operation in September wherein each truckload weighs about 75 kilograms.

Engineer Lee Naya, DGS Building Maintenance, said that the wires were temporarily stored at the city’s old dump site in Barangay Umapad.

Assistant City Administrator Architect Florentino Nimor said that dangling wires in the city’s major intersections that were blocking the view of CCTV cameras were already cleared and bundled.

Nimor said their operation will now focus on the streets located at the city’s core.

Currently, they are clearing the dangling and spaghetti wires along A. Del Rosario St. and will be clearing the dangling wires along S.B Cabahug next.

Nimor said they may ask the telecommunication companies to possibly provide additional personnel to expedite the clearing operation.

The city government is providing most of the infrastructure support when it comes to equipment and logistics with boom trucks and assistance to ensure there will be no obstruction during the operation.

They mayor should not be considering to ask telecommunications companies to provide personnel. He should be DEMANDING that they do so and that they provide all equipment and cover the cost since these wires belong to them. It is Globe, PLDT, and other private companies who have left these unused wires to rot overhead. 

Cebu has been steadily clearing spaghetti wires since typhoon Odette hit. The goal is to remove all wires by December, 2022. Telecommunications companies say they will pitch in and help.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1943155/cebu/local-news/telcos-back-december-target-to-get-rid-of-spaghetti-wires

CEBU City Councilor Jerry Guardo said the challenge of Mayor Michael Rama to eradicate all “spaghetti wires” in the city by December is “doable,” and the country’s top telecommunication firms offered support to meet this goal.

During a meeting with the city’s Technical Infrastructure Committee on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, Rama expressed his disappointment over the entangled wires that can still be seen in the city.

Rama himself had sustained a forehead injury after bumping into a dangling wire while walking, the City’s Public Information Office said.

Currently, there is only one team that handles the removal of the dangling and idle wires, he said.

Guardo added that to achieve Rama’s goal, two more teams will be deployed to cover the city’s northern, central and southern areas.

The councilor clarified that the city’s spaghetti wire eradication program started right after Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit Cebu on Dec. 16, 2021.

City Hall is not spending government funds on this initiative since the clearing operation is part of the telecommunication companies’ (telcos) corporate social responsibility.

In separate statements sent to SunStar Cebu Tuesday, PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom said they are coordinating and supporting the goal of the Cebu City Government to remove all spaghetti wires.

Cathy Yang, PLDT and Smart Corporate Communications Group head, said their company has been in constant coordination with the Cebu City Government to clean up dangling wires throughout the city.

Patrick Gloria, Globe’s director for external affairs-Visayas and Mindanao, said they support Rama’s timeline of removing all spaghetti wires by December 2022 to ensure public safety.

Gloria added that they would also like to call for a “concerted effort among key stakeholders, including all telco, electric and cable operators in the city to ensure the success of the mayor’s vision.”

Quennie Bronce, Visayan Electric’s reputation manager, said their electric wires do not contribute to the spaghetti wires.

To get a sense of how enormous this problem is in 2018 Cagayan de Oro removed 238 KILOMETERS of spaghetti wires. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1057698

A total of 238 kilometers of dead wires and cables were untangled and cleaned up by the city's Task Force "Hapsay Kable (cables in order)" throughout the year of 2018 or an additional of 104 more kilometers since its last report in June.

According to Teodoro Buenavista Jr., vice chairperson of the Task Force and Regional Director of National Telecommunications Commission in Region 10 (NTC-10), there were also 69 poles that were "retired" and another 108 alley arms removed.

To put that in perspective that is roughly the distance from Manila to Baguio!

The unanswered question no one seems to want to ask is how did this happen? How did Globe and PLDT cause this nationwide problem? Through years of neglect. Even though these wires pose a grave threat to the public some people choose to ignore the danger.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/metro/686406/tangled-wires-threat-to-safety-eyesore-in-some-parts-of-metro-manila/story/

The cable wires, many hanging loosely, from street posts pose as serious threats to the safety of pedestrians and residents in some parts of Metro Manila.

In an episode of GMA News TV's Brigada, Cesar Apolinario reported about the situation in Isla Puting Bato in Tondo, Manila where electric cable wires are obstructing the way.

"Our residents here are really struggling because first of all, of course, the security of the people who live here, because it's like that, it's really low," said Rebecca Sanchez, a ward leader in the area.

The wires have gone down below their original installation height after some residents tampered with them when they encountered electrical problems, she added.

A 68-year-old carpenter living in the compound almost lost his life after the roof of the "kiliglig" vehicle he was riding got entangled with the drooping wires.

"The driver stopped because the electricity would be cut off. If he continued, the electricity would be cut off, we would be dead," the victim Roberto Aday said.

On the other hand, this danger does not seem to bother the residents of Barangay Damayang Lagi in Quezon City where convoluted electric cable wires also abound.

They casually hang their clothes on the wires.

"When we were hanging inside the house, there wasn't much sun, then when we cooked, we smelled what we were cooking, so why are we hanging here because it's sunny," resident Lorna Danes said.

Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga warned the public against this practice.

"Let's not do that, especially since we cannot mix electricity with water, so if the clothes are wet and you hang them, it's a live wire, you might have an accident. It's more likely than not, so let's just avoid it," he said.

Zaldarriaga also noted that not all these wires are from the electric company. Some, he said, are used for telecommunication, cable and internet connections.

"First of all, there is a difference in height. The Meralco lines stand alone 25 feet. Usually the attachments are around 15 feet, so you can really see the difference," he added.

Meanwhile, a concerned netizen also uploaded a video of a footbridge affected by the same problem.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago said the said overpass was supposed to be closed to the pedestrians due to pending removal of the wires.

Some people, however, have managed to illegally pass through it, she added.

Authorities have already taken action to make the footbridge safely passable.

Aside from posing threats to safety, the tangled wires also serve as "eyesores," according to urban planner, Architect Felino Palafox Jr.

"The cables, overhead wires, visual pollution, eyesore, it's not good to look at, so the urban landscape is destroyed. It's not safe because during storms and typhoons, they get cut, it falls to the ground, so sometimes it hits houses. It's really dangerous," he said.

He suggested the use of submarine quality cables that would be installed underground and could withstand flooding.

Palafox said that stronger political will of the national and local officials is needed to implement such a shift.

Some from the electric power industry, on the other hand, pointed out that this proposal would entail additional costs to customers.

"At the end of the day, you also have to be cognizant of what the consumers will be able to afford," Zaldarriaga said.

Installing all cables underground would effectively end the problem of dangling wires. However, in Cebu City such has been the law since 2001!

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1845650/cebu/local-news/imminent-danger-revives-call-to-untangle-spaghetti-wires

THE Cebu City Council has renewed its call for utility firms to get rid of dangling “spaghetti wires” along roads.

Councilor Antonio Cuenco delivered a privilege speech on the matter last Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020.

“I am alarmed that several electric posts with matching dangling spaghetti wires are hanging all over our city. Clearly, this is an imminent danger to public safety, an accident just waiting to happen,” said Cuenco.

The official wants to know why utility firms in the city still failed to comply with a local law requiring them to place underground all utility lines to address the problem.

City Ordinance (CO) 1894 approved on April 25, 2001 requires all public utilities to transfer their overhead utility cables underground. It was penned by Councilor Nestor Archival.

CO 1894 provides for the medium-term objective of implementation of the underground installation of utility lines five years after the approval of the law. The long-term objective is the mandatory grounding of all utility lines within 10 years after approval of the ordinance.

The same ordinance penalizes the president and/or general manager of the company that violates its provisions. The year 2012 marked the 10th year of the local law.

Spaghetti wires along roads, though, remain an “eyesore” nearly two decades since the passage of the legislation.

Archival said because utility firms failed to comply, former mayor Tomas Osmeña introduced a color-coding scheme instead to address the problem of unsightly, dangling wires.

The scheme was established as a temporary solution, which allowed utility firms to fix tangled wires immediately since the cables’ colored tags made it easier for them to identify.

What is the good of having laws no one will follow or enforce? Instead of introducing a color coding scheme Osmeña should have begun fining companies whose wires remain overhead in defiance of the law. Much more than political will is needed to solve this problem. Telecommunication firms need to realize their obligation towards the public and implement safety practices which would entail removing dead wires. But we all know that's not going to happen. Even if Cebu does remove all the dead wires by December, without true reform they will only be facing the same problem in a few years. Same for Bacolod and Manduae. 

Retards in the Government 284

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

  

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/474909/argao-barangay-councilor-who-was-arrested-for-failure-to-submit-saln-posts-bail

An incumbent barangay councilor of Argao town in southern Cebu who was arrested on Monday for failing to submit his 2021 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) has posted bail.

Personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Cebu Province Field Unit (CIDG PFU) served the warrant for the arrest of Danilo Filomeno, 54, of Barangay Bogo.

Filomeno, however, was released from jail at 10:04 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, after he posted bail worth P30,000, said Police Corporal John Mark Canonigo of the Argao Police Station.

According to Police Major Nazarino Emia, chief of the CIDG PFU, the arrest of Filomeno happened after the barangay’s treasurer, Annade Davin, filed the complaint last June 2021.

Filomeno was accused of violation of Section 28 in relation to Section 11 of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

A barnagay councilor has been arrested for failing to file his SALN.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1693830/ombudsman-suspends-nia-chief-over-workers-gripes

The Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday ordered the suspension of National Irrigation Administration (NIA) acting chief Benny Antiporda for grave misconduct, among other charges, following a lengthy complaint filed by the agency’s employees.

Antiporda confirmed to the Inquirer that the suspension order had been served on him and that his office was padlocked.

He dismissed the allegations against him as “petty” and suggested that they were in retaliation for his anticorruption drive in the agency.

The six-page order signed on Tuesday by Ombudsman Samuel Martires stated that Antiporda’s six-month preventive suspension was without pay.

The complainants are officers and members of NIA Employees Association of the Philippines, the NIA Concerned Employees, and the agency’s lawyers.

The complaint alleged that Antiporda humiliated and berated NIA employees; prohibited managers of NIA’s central office from traveling, “which is counterproductive to their work”; and reassigned and transferred some personnel “without valid grounds.”

He was also accused of placing some employees on floating status; allegedly harassing NIA corporate board secretary Michelle Raymundo by placing a security guard and a closed-circuit television camera at the door of her office and locking her office then turning off electricity at 5 p.m.; and “falsely accusing” NIA legal services chief Lloyd Allain Cudal of corruption and asking Cudal and other legal services members to retire or resign, or face charges.

Antiporda was also alleged to have threatened employees with nonrenewal of their appointments “if they do not side with him or do not act in consonance with his policies.”

He allegedly made “bootlicking” as a basis for promotion, used flag ceremonies as an “avenue for his bullying and fake news” and maligned employees through the media.

“These acts of Respondent Antiporda, according to the complainants, allegedly created a chilling effect on NIA employees,” the Ombudsman said.

After “careful evaluation” of the complaint’s records, the Ombudsman said it found that his guilt was “strong” for committing grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and oppression, exposing him to possible removal from office.”

The NIA Chief has been suspended over a litany of complaints from NIA employees. He claims these are malicious claims meant to humiliate the President. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1693864/violation-of-the-law-tesda-chief-grilled-over-excess-execs

The law allows the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to have only two deputy director generals, but it has five.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva sounded the alarm on Tuesday on the excess deputy director generals appointed in the agency.

Under the Tesda Act of 1994, the president can only designate two on the recommendation of the Tesda board.

“We have four and just recently, we appointed another deputy director general. My question is, do we need additional deputy director generals?” Villanueva asked during the Senate plenary session on the proposed national budget for 2023.

The senator also noted that Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, who sits at the helm of the Tesda board, “was not consulted when the appointment came.”

Tesda chief Danilo Cruz affirmed that the law allows for the appointment of two deputy director generals.

“But during the last administration, this was increased to four deputy director generals so when we assumed the position a few months ago, we submitted the application for four deputy director generals,” he explained.

Cruz said he was likewise not consulted nor requested to endorse the latest appointee. But he said the four deputy director generals could already handle the existing tasks of Tesda.

“Having received the appointment of the fifth one, everybody can contribute to the job of Tesda, and right now, we’re just thinking of designating him as deputy director general for a special concern,” he noted.

But Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri further grilled the Tesda chief over the excessive appointment of deputy director generals.

“You came up with two new items without amending the law. Therefore, you are in violation of the law,” he said.

In defense, Cruz said: “This is happening to a lot of government institutions.”

“The reasoning that it is being done by others should not be the right and legal reason,” Zubiri said. “Just because it is being violated by other agencies, it should also be violated by Tesda. What we should do is clamp down on those other agencies as well.”

Not only is TESDA in violation of the law regarding how many deputy generals they have appointed but it seems so are many other government institutions. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/474970/indirect-contempt-case-filed-vs-paf-personnel-who-stopped-demolition-in-lot-937

A case of indirect contempt has been filed against some personnel of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), who interfered in the demolition of Lot 937.

The case was filed by Mazy’s Capital Inc., the claimant of Lot 937 in Sitio San Miguel, Barangay Apas.

Mariano Godinez, who serves as the plaintiff, represented by the sheriff, filed a manifestation with a motion for a finding of indirect contempt against the PAF personnel involved.

Godinez was the former owner of the 4.6-hectare lot that was allegedly sold to Mazy’s Capital Inc. Godinez was already deceased.

On November 14, 2022, the 7th day of the demolition, special sheriff Edilberto Suarin and assistant sheriff Ernesto Joseph Baz III along with the demolition team and crew were prevented from entering the vicinity of the lot by a barricade manned by the members of the PAF.

“A Lt. Col. Efren Cudal, Legal Officer of 560 Air-Based Group of the Philippine Air Force claimed that the Philippine Air Force is the administrator of Lot 937 and that they are ordered to secure the area,” the manifestation reads.

Edgar Erice, the spokesperson of Mazy’s Capital Inc., said that the move of some members of PAF was clearly a violation of the court’s order.

“Unless there is a TRO or injunction from any courts, hindi pwedeng ihinto,” Erice said.

He added that although they claimed that they are the administrator of the lot, they have not shown any document to prove their claim.

Erice said that around 30 PAF personnel will be included in the case.

30 PAF personnel are being sued for preventing the demolition of a lot. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1694337/bantags-pool-project-in-bilibid-surprises-doj

Officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said they were unaware of the excavation that was going on inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) reservation until it was exposed by the officer in charge (OIC) of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) last week.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, who was justice secretary under the Duterte administration, said he also had “absolutely no knowledge about this alleged excavation.”

“The same being an operational matter, the BuCor probably did not find it necessary to inform, much less seek authorization from, the DOJ,” he added.

Bantag admitted to the same network a day after Catapang’s interview that he had directed the excavation six months earlier near the eastern part of his official residence inside the NBP reservation.

He said he had intended to build the “deepest swimming pool at least in Metro Manila” which he planned to be used by many BuCor personnel who were scuba diving enthusiasts like him.

Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, the department’s spokesperson, said they were not aware of the excavation prior to its discovery by Catapang.

“Not at all,” he told the Inquirer. “We were all surprised to see pictures and videos.”

Clavano said Catapang had been directed to investigate the excavation and submit a report.

According to Catapang, part of the excavation was an unfinished “tunnel,” which was around 170 centimeters high at the entrance. He said the tunnel could extend to Muntinlupa’s Poblacion River, and might be an escape route for inmates.

BuCor records show that the agency awarded a project worth P994,000 in July to a construction company based in Canaman, Camarines Sur, for the “renovation of directors quarters’ facilities.” 

According to Catapang, they also found metal detectors at the excavation site, fueling speculations that officials of the previous prison administration were “treasure hunting.”

Venancio Tesoro, a former superintendent of NBP, said there was an “urban legend” that Japanese soldiers buried treasures, including gold, at the NBP reservation during World War II.

The former BuCor Chief was digging a pool and no one knew anything about it. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: More Filipinos Obese, Unvaxxed Kids Start Outbreaks, and More!

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

The government wants the public to think that the economy is back on track with a decrease in unemployment which was very high during the pandemic.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1691134/dark-side-of-ph-jobs-numbers-more-filipinos-in-outright-informal-work

The ease in joblessness last September, as stressed by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), is one of the gains of the resumption of economic activities following nearly two years of COVID lockdowns.

This, as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed on Tuesday (Nov. 8) that the unemployment rate dipped to 5 percent (2.50 million) from 5.3 percent (2.68 million) in August and 8.9 percent (4.25 million) in September 2021.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said “the government will leverage on this momentum by strengthening policy interventions and investing in innovation and technology systems.”

As he stressed in a statement, these interventions and investments are “geared toward generating higher-quality employment that provides adequate income for Filipino workers and their families.”

With the 5 percent jobless rate in September, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the Philippines is now closer to the pre-COVID full-year average employment rate of 5.1 percent, considering that joblessness had eased for a third month in a row.

But economist Sonny Africa said the only reason unemployment eased was because “millions of discouraged jobless Filipinos are not being counted and millions in pseudo-work are called ‘employed’.”

This, even if the employment rate improved to 95 percent from 94.7 percent in August.

As Mapa explained, the drop in the number of employed individuals was because of the decline in the number of Filipinos 15 years and older who have jobs or are actively looking for work.

According to PSA data, the average weekly hours of an employed person in September was 39.6 a week. This was lower than the average weekly hours spent at work in August 2022 of 40.5 a week.

This, as those who worked for less than 40 hours was at 34.2 percent, which is higher than 33.2 percent in August, while those who worked for over 40 hours dipped to 64.7 percent from 65.6 percent in August. Those “with a job, not at work” was at 1.1 percent.

Africa told INQUIRER.net that the drop in the number of employed Filipinos was mainly driven by the decline in full-time work by a huge 610,000 “that was only partially offset by a 378,000 increase in part-time work.”

“It appears that a large part of this decline is from the notable 118,000 drop in wage and salary workers in private establishments, according to employment data by hours worked,” he said.

He stressed that “this draws attention to how economic activity is faltering amid weakening household purchasing power from high inflation and weak family incomes.”

The economy is "recovering" post-pandemic because the government is not counting everyone! 

COVID-19 cases are down and this is being attributed to "hybrid immunity."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188237

The downtrend in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections could be attributed to the public’s hybrid immunity against the disease, an infectious disease expert said Thursday.

This, after the positivity rate or the number of individuals testing positive for Covid-19 in the National Capital Region went down to 7.8 percent, the lowest in the past four months.

“We also have developed some form of population immunity, nakukuha na natin dun sa na-infection naka-develop na ng mga antibody against BA.5 at dun naman sa mga kumpleto ang bakuna at na-booster tuloy-tuloy rin ang protection (we get it from those who got infected and have developed antibodies against BA.5 and from those vaccinated and received booster),” Dr. Rontgene Solante said in a televised public briefing.

The country has overcome the “worst of BA.4 and BA.5 sub variants wave” and its hospital utilization rate has remained low, he added.

Currently, the country’s average daily cases range from 1,000 to 1,500 unlike three months ago when it reached over 2,000 infections.

When asked about the possible effect of the All Saints’ Day celebration on the Covid-19 numbers, Solante said it would manifest on the second or third week of November as the incubation of the virus takes seven to 10 days.

“It’s difficult to predict what will happen to us in December because we’re considering many factors, one is for the new sub variants of Omicron like BQ.1 not to enter the country,” he said.

Solante advised the public not to be complacent in December and to continue wearing face masks during Christmas gatherings especially indoors to avoid virus transmission. 

This is great new but they still can't help but fear monger about what will happen in December with Christmas parties and such.

The Mayor of Manila wants everyone to act like the pandemic is in full effect and continue wearing face masks even in doors. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188383

Now that restrictions against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have been relaxed, the City of Manila on Friday urged its constituents to get inoculated, including booster shots, and the vulnerable population to continue wearing masks indoors.

During her Capital Report, Mayor Honey Lacuna made the oft-repeated reminder that getting vaccinated is both for self-protection and for the welfare of the general public.

Children should especially complete their vaccine shots because nearly all schools are back to face-to-face classes.

“We urged parents of elementary students to bring their children to our health centers. As we all know, some classrooms are crowded. It’s much better if they are vaccinated,” Lacuna, who is also a medical doctor, said in her speech.

Likewise, she asked Manileños to still wear masks indoors, particularly the immunocompromised, although the government said it is no longer mandatory.

“We encourage the elders, those who are immunocompromised, with comorbidities, pregnant, non-vaccinated, with incomplete vaccines, and without booster shoots, to still wear face masks,” she said.

Even the Catholic Church wants the people to keep their masks on. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188399

The Archdiocese of Manila will continue to implement the wearing of face masks inside its churches.

In Circular 2022-85 signed by Fr. Carmelo Arada Jr. dated November 8, the archdiocese advised monsignori and priests to urge churchgoers to wear their face masks while attending Masses and other religious activities inside churches.

“The Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission and the Ministry on Health Care of the Archdiocese of Manila request that we continue to encourage our parishioners to wear face masks in our churches during liturgical celebrations and other gatherings in compassionate regard to the elderly and the vulnerable,” read the circular.

“The pandemic difficulties stirred us to take care of each other and by this, we will be known that we are disciples of the Lord.”

The Archdiocese of Manila encompasses the cities of Manila, Makati, San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Pasay.

The circular was issued after the government’s relaxed restrictions on wearing face masks.

Remember that part in the Bible where following restrictive and unnecessary health protocols is how we are known as disciples of the Lord? Neither do I. 

If you need any more proof that the government does not want the pandemic to end, how about this:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1188382

The Department of Health (DOH) has proposed that the country's emergency response to the coronavirus continue even after the state of national calamity ends this year.

In a media briefing Friday, DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said they have submitted to the House of Representatives the Public Health Emergency for Emerging and Reemerging Disease proposal which President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assigned as a priority bill.

"In this bill you'd find the different components, kung ano ‘yung dapat ginagawa natin even if wala tayong state of calamity, magagawa pa rin natin (what we must do even if we don't have a state of calamity, we can still do them)," she said.

Among these are the purchase of vaccines against Covid-19, provision of benefits for health care workers, and discounts on medicines used for the treatment of Covid-19.

"If this law will be passed, we don't have to worry about anything because this replaces and this will become the basis of the different actions that we'll do in terms of public health emergency," Vergeire said.

She said the bill has been discussed during Marcos’ first ever Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council meeting on October 10.

Vergeire said they explained to the legislators that Filipinos are all linked or tied to the state of national calamity declaration, hence a replacement is significant.

"During the meeting, the President specifically said this is a priority bill and it has to be passed," she said.

The DOH and Marcos want the powers given under the state of national calamity to become permanent and enshrined in law. If such a law is not passed soon the DOH says they will recommend an extension of the state of calamity for 2023. 

Not only do they want these powers entrenched in law they also want people wearing face masks all the time.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1693630/covid-19-must-not-be-the-only-basis-for-face-mask-use-policy-expert

The COVID-19 pandemic must not be the only consideration in crafting the government’s policy on the wearing of face masks, an infectious diseases expert said Tuesday.

During the Laging Handa briefing, Dr. Edsel Salvana pointed out that face mask use has also been proven beneficial against other airborne and respiratory diseases.

According to him, infection rates for influenza and other airborne diseases like the respiratory syncytial virus have increased in the United States (US). He stressed that the policy- and decision-makers must not have COVID-19 infections as the sole basis to either relax or tighten up face mask-wearing in the country.

“So for me, rather than thinking about if we need to completely lift masking protocols, the more important thing is that throughout the pandemic we learned that the mask can help prevent not only COVID-19, but a lot of respiratory diseases,” he explained.

“So we should transition [that] instead of masks being coupled with high case cases of COVID-19 or low cases, we should use it as one of our public health interventions that we can employ if number one, we are at risk; or number two, if we have a spike in cases of any respiratory virus in the community,” he added.

The logic here is insane. For thousands of years people have gotten along just fine without wearing face masks. Then for two years everyone was forced to wear one and public health deteriorated. Why woudl any sane person thinks continuing face masks for any reason is a wise idea? 

According to the DOH's Officer in Charge unvaccinated children could start an outbreak.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1692619/doh-unvaxxed-kids-could-start-outbreaks

Department of Health (DOH) Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire has warned that children who had not been given their routine vaccines could be “the source of outbreaks” as the country struggles to achieve the ideal immunization target of 95 percent of all kids against vaccine-preventable diseases.

“So, what we are doing right now … we are mobilizing the catch-up vaccination in the local government units,” she said at a recent press briefing. “Aside from COVID-19 vaccination, we are focusing on vaccines for children.”

Routine vaccines for children, starting when they are just weeks-old, protect them from life-threatening diseases, such as polio, measles and tuberculosis (TB).

“I would say that it is a cause for concern if your children are unvaccinated,” Vergeire said.

About 2 million Filipino children under 2 years old have not received their shots against vaccine-preventable diseases, she said.

Notice how she says they want to protect children from life-threatening diseases and COVID is not on the list. 

Remember how the economical crippling lock downs were all for the public health? Turns out forcing people to stay in one place and order take out doesn't actually make them healthy.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1693295/more-filipinos-got-obese-during-pandemic-survey

Did the COVID-19 pandemic that limited people’s mobility for the sake of their health worsen the rising incidence of obesity?

There were no upsides from the restrictions, apparently, as obesity among children, adolescents and adults rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new government survey that measured the country’s food security and nutrition status.

Released on Monday, the 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) found obesity rates among children age 0 to 5 and 5 to 10 at 3.9 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

The same trend was seen among older people, with one in every 10 adolescents and four out of 10 adults were either overweight or obese.

The survey further said 10 percent of adults aged 20 to 59 were obese.

Among the elderly aged 60 and above, 6.2 percent are obese and 11.8 have chronic energy deficiency.

On another aspect, the survey said one in every four Filipino children under 5 years old is experiencing stunted growth.

"There were no upsides from the restrictions" is putting it mildly. 

Did you know there has yet to be an accounting of how much the Duterte administration spent on COVID vaccines? Senator Lacson says that could be a cover-up for misuse of funds. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1694011/non-disclosure-of-covid-19-vaccine-deals-could-be-a-cover-up-for-misuse-of-funds

The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) between the government and pharmaceutical companies on the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines “could very well be a ‘cover-up’ for the unconscionable misuse of public funds.”

This is according to former Senator Panfilo Lacson after it was revealed Tuesday that until now, there is no detailed audit yet on how much money was spent by the previous administration for Covid-19 vaccines.

For Lacson, “there are hundreds of billions of reasons to audit the government procured vaccines especially after the issues that we repeatedly raised in the last Congress have not yet been answered concerning the grossly overpriced Chinese brand vaccine Sinovac compared to the other brands like AstraZeneca, Moderna and even the US brand Pfizer.”

“The NDA could very well be a ‘cover-up’ for the unconscionable misuse of public funds at a time when our economy was already taking a beating because of the Covid 19 pandemic,” he said in a text message to reporters Tuesday night.

Concerned government officials had repeatedly invoked the NDAs with various vaccine suppliers when the Senate was investigating the alleged overpriced pandemic supplies bought by the past administration.

Lacson said they tried but failed to have a look on these NDAs even in an executive session.

“The new administration should pursue and resolve this matter to its logical conclusion. The Filipino people deserve no less,” he the said.

This is the result of the state of emergency which gave the government the power to procure vaccines with absolutely no oversight. And to think the DOH and Marcos want that power made permanent law.

An expert says the pandemic is over and you'll never guess why. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/11/14/22/covid-19-pandemic-not-yet-over-expert

The COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, a doctor said Monday, even as the Philippines reports fewer new case numbers.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday reported 1,858 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the country's total to 4,018,253.

“We can't say yet that the pandemic is over because at this point in time, the case numbers are low, but the virus is still here.,” Dr. Rontgene Solante told TeleRadyo.

“The mutations are still here, and new variants of concerns are being reported in other countries.,” he noted.

The infectious diseases expert said that once more countries continually report no new COVID cases, then scientists can say that the pandemic is coming to an end. 

“Once countries are not reporting any more cases, then that’s already the end of the pandemic.”

This man cannot be that stupid. He knows what he is saying. He knows that the virus will become endemic and never disappear. It's statements like these that prove they don't want the pandemic to end.