Coronavirus Lockdown: So Near Yet So Far, COVID-19 Benefits, and More!

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

The Philippines has secured a major grant from the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to bolster their pandemic response. 

https://business.inquirer.net/489771/ph-secures-24-9-m-grant-to-bolster-pandemic-response

The Philippines has received a $24.9-million grant from the World Bank (WB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to help the country fight off animal and human health threats.

The Philippines is one of 50 countries chosen to benefit from the two institutions’ Pandemic Fund Grant worth $547 million, intended for strengthening disease surveillance and upgrading laboratories, among others.

The Philippines’ grant for the Resilient Philippines project forms part of the second funding round by the WB and FAO to beef up pandemic prevention, preparedness and response of many recipients worldwide.

The project calls for implementing the One Health approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture said the grant would help the Philippines invest in early warning systems, laboratory infrastructure and the development of a skilled health workforce.

“This grant will not only enhance our pandemic preparedness but will also strengthen the nation’s agricultural sector, which is vulnerable during outbreaks,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Constante Palabrica said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the grant was a “game-changer” for the Philippines.

“It will not only reinforce our capacity to respond to future pandemics but also ensure the continuity of essential sectors, such as agriculture,” Tiu Laurel said.

“By investing in disease surveillance and health infrastructure, we safeguard food security, protect our farmers and secure the well-being of the entire Filipino community,” he added.

The FAO said last month said it was “timely” for the Philippines to secure the grant as it topped the World Risk Index for the third consecutive year.

“The rapid decline in biodiversity—driven by deforestation, ecosystem destruction and habitat loss—has triggered the emergence and re-emergence of transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses, or diseases transmitted between species, such as from animal to human,” FAO country representative Lionel Henri Valentin Dabbadie said.

The G20 launched the Pandemic Fund in 2022 as a direct response to the global vulnerabilities caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

It finances vital investments to beef up the pandemic preparedness and resilience of most at-risk countries.

It's only a game-changer if the money is used properly. So it's a wait and see game. Everyone is preparing for the next pandemic which means it could only be a matter of time. 

The tourism forecast for 2024 has been lowered because targets are not being met. 

https://www.panaynews.net/ph-24-tourism-arrivals-forecast-cut-to-6m/

THE volume of tourist arrivals in the Philippines is expected to reach just 6 million by the end of the year, according to BMI Research, a unit of the Fitch Group.

This is a downgrade from an earlier projection of 6.6 million, as the sector is yet to fully recover from the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

BMI Research said that while tourist arrivals hit 4.5 million from January to October, which was higher than the 4.1 million tallied in the comparable period in 2023, it was still not enough to pull up the numbers to what they were before the global health crisis hit in 2020.

“This is just 66.5 percent of the tourist arrivals during the comparable period over 2019, highlighting how the sector is still in a postpandemic recovery phase,” the report read.

“With 10 months of tourist arrivals data published for 2024, we maintain our view that arrivals over the year will fall short of a full pandemic recovery,” the report also said.

The latest projection would still mean a 19.5 percent growth for 2024, although still considerably less than the 8.2 million recorded in 2019 and short of the government’s target this year of 7.7 million.

Bank of America said in an earlier report that the Philippine tourism sector’s recovery has been hampered by the lack of Chinese tourists, with arrivals from China just at 20-30 percent of prepandemic levels.

Global inflation that has reduced discretionary spending is another factor.

4.5 million tourists is still not enough to get those numbers up. That means the tourism sector "is still in a post pandemic recovery phase" and has not fully recovered. 

Health allowances for COVID-19 frontliners in the BARMM are just now being released by the Bangsamoro government. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/11/14/2400137/allowances-barmm-2020-2023-anti-pandemic-medics-released

The Bangsamoro government has started releasing allowances for 4,000 frontline medics involved in COVID-19 mitigation efforts in the autonomous region from 2020 to 2023. 

Radio reports in Cotabato City on Thursday, November 14, stated that among the recipients of the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) are barangay volunteer emergency responders, personnel of different Army battalions and brigades and members of units under the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. 

The Ministry of Health-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao started releasing on Monday, November 11, the HEA from the national government, ranging from P3,000 to 9,000 per health worker, depending on the extent of services of each to the local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employees of the municipal and provincial health offices and hospitals in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao shall also receive HEA, according to BARMM’s health minister, Kadil Sinolinding Jr.

The physician-ophthalmologist Sinolinding, a concurrent member of the 80-seat BARMM parliament, said they are grateful to the national government for providing the HEA funds earmarked for health workers in the autonomous region.

That is rather shocking. Funny that the lack of pay for BARMM health workers was not mentioned in all the other news about the situation.

Much has been said about how the Philippines economy has recovered from the pandemic and is now robust. But according to outside observers that is not the case. 

https://fulcrum.sg/so-near-yet-so-far-the-philippines-lower-middle-income-country-trap/

If you listen only to the Philippines’ economic managers, you’d think the country is one of ASEAN’s bright spots.

On 8 August, Arsenio Balisacan, the country’s socioeconomic planner, proudly exclaimed that the 6.4 per cent GDP growth in the second quarter of the year meant that the Philippines kept its rank as “one of Asia’s best-performing major emerging economies”. He added, “For East Asia’s economies that have released their second quarter 2024 GDP growth, we follow behind Vietnam at 6.9 per cent while leading Malaysia at 5.8 per cent, Indonesia at 5.0 per cent, and China at 4.7 per cent.”

But in fact, a disturbing number of indicators point to the Philippines lagging behind the region.

First, we need to go back to the start of the pandemic. In 2020, the Philippine GDP dropped by nearly 10 per cent, the worst recession among all ten ASEAN countries (Figure 1). This is hardly surprising, given the mismanagement of the previous administration of Rodrigo Duterte, which led to one of the world’s longest pandemic lockdowns.

Because of this, the pandemic scars on the Philippine economy are now permanent. The Philippines needs GDP growth in excess of 10 per cent yearly to return to its pre-pandemic GDP trend. This puts the perceived “high” growth of 6.4 per cent into proper perspective.

Second, Vietnam officially overtook the Philippines in per-capita income during the pandemic. This is a remarkable development because just a few decades ago, Vietnam was economically worse off than the Philippines. Even Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar have made significant strides. When we contrast all 10 ASEAN countries, the Philippines’ trend of GDP per capita sticks out as a sore thumb: the country’s trend line is distinctly flatter compared to the rest of the region (Figure 2).

The Philippines’ slow progress is underscored by a frustrating failure to transition into an “upper-middle-income country”. The economy has been stuck in the “lower-middle-income” category since 1989 when the World Bank first developed its country classification by income.

To be sure, growth in recent decades means that the Philippines has been inching closer to the upper-middle-income status. Most recently, Balisacan said the Philippines will be upper-middle income “towards the latter part of 2025 or early 2026”. However, the Philippine government has been promising this status change every year since at least 2017. Every year, too, this promise has been broken.

The Philippines is by no means unique in being a perennial middle-income country. But its case is special because the Philippines has been stuck in lower-middle-income status for at least 35 years. This long period allowed several ASEAN countries to overtake the country economically.

When we contrast all 10 ASEAN countries, the Philippines’ trend of GDP per person sticks out as a sore thumb: the trend line is distinctly flatter compared to the rest of the region.

What gives? How can the Philippines escape this lower-middle-income trap?

Sound macroeconomic fundamentals would be key, and in this regard, the Philippines has no major problem. It has come a long way since the gross economic mismanagement during the Marcos dictatorship (1972-1986), which culminated in the country’s worst post-war recession from 1984 to 1985. Growth is steady, overall inflation has been in single digits for decades, and unemployment recently reached a historic low.  

The bigger sticking point lies in the economy’s structure and how it is transforming. Figure 3 shows a spurt of industrialisation in the 1960s and 1970s, peaking in 1981. But since then, the share of industry in GDP has gradually declined and stagnated.

By contrast, the Philippines is now a service-driven economy, with services accounting for 62.3 per cent of its GDP in 2023. The predominance of services in the Philippines is part and parcel of a growing trend in many developing countries called “premature deindustrialisation”. More and more countries have leapfrogged from agriculture to services, bypassing industry — and this is not necessarily bad.

Yet the Philippines seems to have largely missed out on the promise of industrialisation, insofar as industry — especially if export-oriented — holds out great potential technological progress and positive spillovers.

Indeed, export-oriented industrialisation has brought many Asian economies on a path towards prosperity. Vietnam, for instance, is now a manufacturing hub for many prominent tech companies such as Samsung, Intel, Apple, and LG. It is also leading in electric vehicle exports. Leaning into this export-oriented strategy has resulted in massive dividends for Vietnam, whose electronics exports amount to US$11.5 billion monthly. By contrast, the Philippines’ exports remain stuck in low-value-added semiconductors and other electronic components. Its total exports are a little over US$6 billion monthly.

A recent World Bank study showed that Vietnam’s booming exports have made ripples across its economy so that even workers in non-export-oriented industries have benefitted. The export boom has lifted wages and promoted employment across Vietnam, especially among lower-income groups. The export boom also tended to reduce the premium on college degrees while fostering wage growth for non-degree-holding workers, allowing better chances for economic mobility for those with lesser education. Women, too, benefitted a lot more in terms of wages.

Vietnam’s experience offers hope for countries like the Philippines, which are stuck in a rut. Some economists have argued that the Philippines has lost its chance at industrialisation. But Vietnam’s case suggests it may not be too late for the Philippines.

The first step is to address the dearth of investments, especially in export manufacturing. As early as 2007, South Korean investments flocked to Vietnam, attracted by cheap labour, good infrastructure, and a host of incentives. By contrast, the Philippines’ foreign direct investments of late have declined steadily since 2021, precisely because of opposite factors: expensive labour, bad infrastructure, and insufficient incentives.

It is not too late for the Philippines, but its leaders must step up and not be lulled into complacency by the sparkly growth figures.

According to this article "the mismanagement of the previous administration of Rodrigo Duterte, which led to one of the world’s longest pandemic lockdowns" and "because of this, the pandemic scars on the Philippine economy are now permanent." Who would have thought?

In a bid to cut costs and increase benefits elsewhere PhilHealth has reduced COVID-19 benefits.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2006410/philhealth-reduces-covid-19-benefits-amid-calls-for-better-fund-use

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has cut case rates for “severe” and “critical” COVID-19 amid calls for the overfunded state health insurer to increase its benefits.

Retroactive to Nov. 1, PhilHealth began to cover only up to P590,000 in expenses for adults who contract critical COVID-19, a 25-percent decrease from the previous P786,384.

For children who get critical COVID-19, the new benefit package is P275,000—down by 65 percent from P786,384.

Severe COVID-19 benefit packages were also reduced: P250,000 for adult patients and P230,000 for pediatric patients (down by 25 percent and 31 percent, respectively, from the previous case rate of P33,519).

The case rate cut stemmed from PhilHealth Circular No. 2024-0026, signed by PhilHealth president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. on Oct. 30, which listed separate benefit packages for adult and children COVID-19 patients.

The rate for moderate COVID-19 with pneumonia for pediatric patients also decreased from P143,267 to P92,500 (down by 35 percent).

Nevertheless, the new circular also increased the remaining COVID-19 rates.

For adults contracting moderate COVID-19 with pneumonia it is now P157,000 (up 10 percent from P143,267), while adults who got infected with COVID-19 without pneumonia may get up to P55,000 (up 25 percent from P43,997).

For children who get mild COVID-19, the benefit package went up by 16 percent from P43,997 to P51,000.

In a message to the Inquirer, PhilHealth vice president for corporate affairs Rey Baleña said the benefit cuts were based on the minimum standards of care under guidelines established by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Society of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Under the new rules, Baleña said COVID-19 patients admitted to basic rooms or ward accommodation in government hospitals shall not be charged more than their PhilHealth coverage under the no-balance billing policy.

“However, patients admitted to nonbasic accommodation may be charged a copayment or out-of-pocket payment for services beyond the essential health services,” he noted.

From April 2020, when the benefit packages for COVID-19 were first implemented, to June 2024, PhilHealth paid almost 7 million claims, amounting to more than P76.3 billion.

The state health insurer paid the most claims in 2023—when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and its subvariants caused surges of cases in the country—amounting to P35.4 billion, or 14 percent of PhilHealth’s total claims payments.

In May 2023, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern, although health authorities clarified that the pandemic itself was not.

In June this year, the DOH reported a surge of COVID-19 cases in the country, which it attributed to the so-called “FLiRT” COVID-19 subvariants.

These are the JN.1.18, JN.1.7, KP.2 and KP.3—which are considered variants under monitoring and descendants of JN.1, an earlier detected subvariant of Omicron.

The DOH has stopped publishing cumulative COVID-19 data since January this year, with the country’s number of cases stuck at 4.1 million, with 66,864 Filipinos who died from the disease.

The real question is, with the DOH no longer publishing cumulative COVID-19 data, how many people have had to avail of these benefits? How many people are actually being hospitalized for COVID and how many of those people have pre-existing co-morbidities. 

The God Culture: 100 Lies About the Philippines: Lie #31 The Santa Cruz Junk is of Philippine Design

Welcome back to 100 lies the God Culture teaches about the Philippines. Today's lie concerns a the Santa Cruz Junk shipwreck which was found off the coast of Zambales. Timothy Jay Schwab says the ship is of Philippine design and is a Philippine Junk. 

Of course, that is pure junk.

In his book the Search for King Solomon's Treasure Tim writes:

The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, pgs. 142-143

However, there is a shipwreck of what appears to be a returning Philippine-built junk dating prior to the Spanish.

“Due to the extent of the vessel’s preservation, the archaeologists have also been able to understand how the ship was loaded and what kind of goods were stored in its different compartments.”

“...clear evidence that this ship was built in the Philippines.”

– Marine Archaeologist Franck Goddio

The renown French archaeologist says the evidence is clear this was built in the Philippines even according to the way the ship was loaded. Unfortunately, The National Museum of the Philippines suggested this as a Thai ship based largely on Thai artifacts found in the lower cargo holds and the construction both speculation easily challenged. However, that is the published consensus in “suggestion.” The Santa Cruz Junk discovered in 2001 off of Zambales is documented to the 1400s. 

In a now deleted comment on one of his videos Tim elaborates further claiming Marine Archaeologist Franck Goddio said the Santa Cruz is of Philippine design and a Philippine Junk.

A perfect example we cover in The Search For King Solomon's Treasure is the Junk ship found off the coast of Zambales dating to the 1400s. The French Marine Archaeologist who was brought in to study and assess the ship determined it was of Philippine design and a Philippine Junk. Then, the National Museum idiot got ahold of these obvious, proven findings wrapped in a bow as one of the greatest finds in Philippine history and published in a science journal that the ship was a Thai ship because he is part of those who think only shame belongs to the Philippines uneducated in the slightest of ancient history as are most.

None of that is true. The French Marine Archaeologist, Franck Goddio, never said the "Junk was of Philippine design and a Philippine Junk." That is pure junk. What he actually said is the Junk is of Chinese design and was likely built by a Chinese community in the Philippines because it was made of wood found in the Philippines and shipbuilding at that time was forbidden by the Ming Dynasty.

Vessel architecture, date and nature of unearthed material as well as shipwreck location (west of the island of Luzon), make it highly to be a “Chinese” wreck – in the broadest sense of the term, namely travelling to or from China. Certainly built outside of China – most likely in the Philippines – it was loaded with an eclectic cargo of goods from all the major production centres of the Celestial Empire, collected in the harbour warehouses of southern China, but also Siam, Vietnam and elsewhere, before travelling to their final markets .The junk was as “Chinese” as the ships in the western Mediterranean from the imperial era were “Roman”.

The junk was also “Chinese” in its construction, with a hull shaped as a piece of split bamboo, transverse bulkheads with a compartmented hold serving as frame, hull planks joined with iron nails but also, following the traditional hybrid Southern China Sea style, with the keel playing an essential structural role, and using timber of tropical origin. All the wood species used in the construction of the Santa Cruz are found in the Philippine archipelago and most of the islands in the South China Sea, but not in China. The merchants who had chartered it therefore could not belong to the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, sailing on ships built in China. The essentially “Chinese” architecture seems to rule out the possibility that it was chartered by the peoples of South East Asia, very active on the eastern route between Melaka and Manila Bay (Reid, 1996: 34-35), but who sailed on craft built with local traditional techniques (Manguin, 2001).

Ultimately, given the assumed departure port of the ship, wrecked off the coast of Luzon, and the fact that its ceramics all date from a period when the prohibition to build ships and trade abroad was strictly applied by the Ming, it is highly unlikely that the ship and its charterers were of continental origin. It is much more likely that they belonged to a Chinese community located in the commercial towns of the archipelago. Certainly made in collaboration with local shipbuilders, the junk benefited from their particular expertise. Its construction is consistent with a “tendency to crossing, identified in shipbuilding technology evolution, with a new type of ship in archaeological sites from between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, probably coinciding with the increasing role played by Chinese trade and ‘merchant adventurers’ in Southeast Asia” (Manguin, 2001: 15). 

http://www.themua.org/collections/files/original/d983306f20edca8a8e0889272ba30e0b.pdf

The problem is Tim did not read the whole paper. He stopped at the part he liked and went no further. Tim's citation of Goddio is found on page 134 of his Sourcebook.

Tim appends a rather interesting note to this citation.

NOTE: Archaeologist Goddio above writes that there was "clear evidence that this ship was built in the Philippines." He could be wrong yet he continues to publish this 19 years later on his website indicating he did not see evidence which changed this perhaps. It leads us to question this. Using a bit of logic the conclusion already seems to have no basis. If Thai cargo was found in the lower cargo holds, it means they were the first stop on this very clear extensive International route of the Far East. Trade cargo from the nation of origin would not likely be found on the bottom as they would off-load it at every port from the furtherest point which sounds inefficient to us logically. It makes far more sense we are looking at a fully loaded ship returning to the Philippines in which it likely got caught in a storm and could not make it to shore. It is very odd that all the junks found in the Philippines are dismissed away as belonging to other countries and the Philippine history ignored by their own community of archaeologists it appears. It begs whether they have accurately attributed most of these in fact including the Lena Shoal. WE HAVE NOT EXAMINED THESE BUT THIS IS WORTH FURTHER RESEARCH. This is a discipline which typically sticks in it's paradigm and interprets only based on such paradigm. This is how they lost Ophir and cannot find it nor will they ever until one comes along outside of the box and thinks things through outside of such false paradigms. Good news, that someone is here. 

Tim says outright he has not even fully examined the case of the Santa Cruz or the Lena Shoal Junks. Then, after saying these archaeologists operate within a false paradigm and someone is needed to think outside of the box, with an air of pride he proclaims: 

Good news, that someone is here. 

How ridiculous.

What is needed is not someone who thinks outside the box but someone who can actually take the time to research everything related to his thesis and someone who actually reads through the papers he cites. Tim is not that person. He reads and quotes selectively and does not bother to thoroughly research anything. We see this time and again which is why I am convinced there is no God Culture team. 

The fact is French Marine Archaeologist, Franck Goddio says the Santa Cruz Junk is of Chinese design. Though it was likely built in the Philippines it was not built by natives but by a Chinese community located in the Philippines. It is not only more bad research but one more lie about the Philippines taught by Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture. 

Insurgency: Infant's Remains Found in Abandoned NPA Lair

The AFP has given an update on how many NPA rebels and fronts remain. As of now there are 1,100 rebels and only 4 weekend fronts. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/926473/afp-npa-4-weakened-fronts-1-100-rebels/story/

The military is now working on eradicating the four remaining weakened guerilla fronts of the New People’s Army (NPA), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawer Jr. said on Friday.

In a press briefing, Brawner said the military targets to eradicate four weakened NPA guerilla fronts by the end of the year.

“About three months ago, we reported that there were seven remaining weakened guerrilla fronts. Now, there are only four. And we are expecting that by the end of the year, we will have finished all the guerrilla fronts. We will have reduced them to zero,” Brawner said.

He said these remaining weakened guerrilla fronts are operating in the Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Visayas areas.

According to Brawner, NPA’s strength has been reduced from 2,200 fighters last year to 1,111 now.

(In terms of the strength of the New People's Army, they are really weak. So they only have about 1,111 fighters left from the 2,200 last year. So that is a big reduction in their manpower. And in terms of firearms, the reduction is the same, about 1,000 firearms have been reduced.)

Here the AFP admits there were 2,200 NPA rebels last year. But just two weeks ago they claimed 2,000 rebels had surrendered between January and October of this year. Now we see that is impossible. So who exactly composes those 2,000 NPA rebels who allegedly surrendered? 

The new Army commander of the Eastern Visayas has vowed "to strengthen the whole-of-nation approach to end insurgency in Leyte and Samar provinces." 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237529

The new commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division covering Eastern Visayas has vowed to strengthen the whole-of-nation approach to end insurgency in Leyte and Samar provinces.

In a statement Monday, Major Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio highlighted the role of government agencies and civil society organizations in addressing the insurgency problem and encouraged collaboration among local government leaders, government agencies, peace partners, and the community.

“I strongly believe that we cannot solve our longstanding insurgency problem through military solutions alone. A proactive and effective whole-of-nation approach is essential to achieving our goal,” he said.

Orio vowed to step up the implementation of Executive Order No. 70 —institutionalizing the whole-of-nation approach to end local communist armed conflict in the region. The initiative is supported by local government units, stakeholders, and the private sector.

He also reminded the troops to perform their duties with the utmost commitment, noting that the public relies on the military to bring peace and development to the community.

The military earlier said deaths, surrender, and capture of high-ranking leaders of the New People’s Army will further diminish the communist terrorist group's strength in Eastern Visayas.

The region, specifically Samar Island, is considered the country's last bastion of insurgency.

Recently, the military dismantled NPA front committees, prompting its remnants to regroup into a sub-regional guerilla unit.

Although there are still active fighters in Samar Island, they are no longer in control of any village in three Samar provinces, according to the Philippine Army.

How much more can these ties be strengthened? The whole-of-nation approach has been on going since 2017.

More weapons caches have been uncovered. This time in Caraga. 

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/4id-troops-seized-5-firearms-and-mortar-weapons-discovered-arms-caches-in-caraga/

THE 4TH Infantry Division seized five firearms, a mortar weapon, and other war materiel during a series of surrenders by members of a communist terrorist group (CTG) and the discovery of arms caches in the Caraga region over the weekend. 

Acting on tips from former CTG members, troops from the 75th Infantry Battalion, along with the 3rd Special Forces Battalion under the operational control of the 401st Infantry Brigade, successfully discovered two separate arms caches in the vicinity of Old Marang and Old Decoy, both located in Sitio Panukmoan, Brgy. Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur, on November 8 and 9. 

Brigadier General Francisco F. Lorenzo Jr., commander of the 401st Brigade, reported that the arms caches contained various war materiel and armaments, including a .50 caliber sniper rifle, a 60mm mortar, a .30 caliber Browning machine gun, magazines, and several live ammunition rounds. 

“The discovery of these arms caches follows the recent surrenders of Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) terrorists, who provided critical information leading us to these hidden stockpiles of weapons. This is another significant development after the all-out offensives we launched in September, which resulted in the deaths and mass surrenders of CNTs. We believe these weapons were intended for use in CTG atrocities, particularly in vulnerable areas within our area of responsibility (AOR), and we are grateful to have captured them with the assistance of those who surrendered,” Lorenzo added. 

Brig. Gen. Arsenio DC Sadural, commander of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said these developments show the disarray among members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG). 

He noted that they lack direction and are suffering from hunger, exhaustion, and fear of dying in confrontations. 

“The CTG must now recognize the futility of their cause. They need to peacefully surrender because we will not cease our efforts in this fight. Their terrorist agendas have no place in the peace-loving communities within our area of responsibility. It would be better for them to surrender and take advantage of the reintegration programs offered by the government,” BGen. Sadural said. 

In his statement, Major General Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II, commander of the 4ID, emphasized that these recent accomplishments significantly weakened the capabilities of the CTG to carry out violent acts. 

He noted that these successes support the 4ID’s ongoing campaign to dismantle the CTG, aligning to end the local communist armed conflict within its area of responsibility.

“Their ability to conduct attacks and destabilize our government, as well as disrupt the peace of our communities, has been largely diminished. This allows us to advance our campaign to ultimately defeat this criminal group and work towards declaring every province a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS). This declaration will pave the way for peace, development projects, and new opportunities,” Cuerpo said.

Of course this means the NPA remnants are exhausted, hungry, and fearful. That's why they have all surrendered. Right? 

In another abandoned NPA lair not weapons but an infant's remains were found. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237872

The Philippine Army has uncovered the remains of an infant in an abandoned lair of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the mountains of Catubig, Northern Samar, indicating a possible violation of human rights and the International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion reported on Thursday that troops also found some baby clothes, a milk bottle, and a baby pillow.

Lt. Col. Richard Villaflor, commander of the 20th Infantry Battalion, said the discovery on Nov. 11 highlights the risks and hardships civilians, including infants, face in conflict areas controlled by armed groups.

“The discovery cites the presence of civilians in hostile environments and the alleged use of non-combatants in terrorist-occupied zones,” Villaflor said.

Reports indicate that some communist group members may have been pregnant or have given birth under unsafe and difficult conditions within the encampment, according to the official.

“We are committed to protecting the rights and welfare of civilians, especially the most vulnerable, and will not tolerate violations of human rights or humanitarian law,” he added.

The Army unit, in coordination with the local government, is arranging a decent burial for the infant.

Catubig Mayor Solomon Vicencio, in a statement, expressed his deep sadness that the conflict has claimed a young, innocent life.

“It’s heartbreaking to see that a child must bear the burden of the choices made by others. I appeal to those who still consider the path of violence to think of the families, the children, and the future generation that suffers as a result. Let us work together toward peace and development, giving our children the opportunity to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment, free from the consequences of armed conflict,” Vicencio said in a separate statement.

The discovery of abandoned lairs is part of the intensified hunt of the Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion for remnants of NPA combatants engaged in a series of clashes in the mountains of Catubig town.

The series of gun battles in Catubig began on Nov. 5 after soldiers responded to reports from civilians about armed NPA members extorting and intimidating farmers in the area.

It is a very creepy and sad discovery. Remember in 2020 when the AFP found birth control pills and condoms in an abandoned NPA lair?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1103830

Birth control pills were among the personal items recovered by Philippine Army troops inside the lair of New People’s Army (NPA) in a remote village of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental over the weekend. 

Photos of three stubs of oral contraceptive tablets were released by the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) on Saturday afternoon, a day after soldiers of 94th Infantry Battalion engaged communist-terrorists in a firefight in Barangay Buenavista and found their hideout in the area. 

Col. Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of 303IBde, said in a statement on Sunday that the recovery of birth control pills is an indication of sexual abuse suffered by female NPA members and recruits. 

“It clearly manifests the ongoing and rampant sexual abuses among their ranks especially by NPA commanders against their female members,” he added. 

Pasaporte reiterated his call on the female NPA combatants to abandon the armed struggle and go home to their respective families. 

“Don’t let the NPA leaders take advantage of you. They are just making you their sex slaves,” he added. 

On April 23, troops of 20IB also found boxes of birth control pills inside an NPA hideout in an upland village of Catubig, Northern Samar. 

Also on October 22 last year, soldiers of 88IB recovered some contraceptive pills, condoms, and pornographic materials from another NPA hideout in the forested area of Barangay Kibongkog, San Fernando, Bukidnon. 

Earlier this month, two pregnant NPA medics surrendered to the 23IB in Buenavista town, Agusan del Norte.

Plenty of pregnant NPA women rebels have surrendered but this is the first time an infant's corpse has been found. 

Rebels continue to surrender. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237627

Three New People’s Army (NPA) members surrendered to the military in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte on Monday, according to the Philippine Army.

Lt. Col. Mark Tabon, commander of the 29th Infantry Battalion, said in a statement Tuesday that the former rebels, identified only by their aliases “Desna,” “Daryl,” and “Joshua” operated under the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).

The trio, who surrendered in Barangay Del Pilar, handed over two .45-caliber pistols, a 9mm Ingram machine pistol and ammunition.

“We welcome their surrender and assure them of the government’s support as they reunite with their families and communities,” Tabon said.

He urged them to encourage remaining NPA members to consider a peaceful return, emphasizing the hardships of life within the armed struggle and growing discontent with NEMRC leadership.

Tabon noted that disillusionment, coupled with ongoing government operations in the region, pushed the rebels to leave.

The three former fighters are currently undergoing assessments for enrollment in the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, which provides support for former rebels reintegrating into society. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/15/5-communist-rebels-surrender-1

Five New People’s Army (NPA) fighters have surrendered to the military in Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte. 

Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division Public Affairs Office (4th ID-PAO) chief Lt. Col. Francisco P. Garello Jr. said the surrenderers belong to the Sub-regional Sentro de Grabidad Westland of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee. 

“Tired of running in the mountains, hunger due to lack of logistical and food support, dwindling leadership, and longing to be with their respective families, especially the upcoming Christmas, are the main reasons they came down and back to the fold of the law,” Garello added. 

The rebel returnees who yielded guns and ammunition turned themselves in to 29th Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Mark Tabon and 30th Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Albert Batinga in Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte. 

“I encourage all remaining active CTG members to seize this opportunity to surrender in order to be with your families, and benefit from the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP), a government livelihood and cash assistance, in relation to the Marcos administration’s peace and development program,” Brig. Gen. Arsenio Sadural, commanding general of the Army 901st Infantry Brigade, said.

 

These guys are disillusioned which means they are not true believers in the cause. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/15/2-young-npa-rebels-from-capiz-surrender

Two young New People’s Army (NPA) rebels surrendered to the 12th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army in Tapaz town, Capiz province.

The Army identified them as 22-year-old John and 20-year-old Kate.

The two rebel returnees said they joined the now dismantled Central Front of the NPA when they were only 17-years-old.

With a team from the 12th IB, they visited Mayor Roberto Palomar of Tapaz.

The 12th IB is working closely with the Municipal Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) of Tapaz to ensure that John and Kate are integrated back into the community with the help of other government agencies.

“We will also facilitate their enrollment in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) for them to avail of livelihood assistance, training, and other support to aid their transition to a peaceful and productive life,” said 12th IB chief Lt. Col. Vicel Jan Garsuta in a statement.

These two surrenderees are young. Perhaps they are an item. Either way they will now have the chance "to avail of livelihood assistance, training, and other support to aid their transition to a peaceful and productive life." Why not do it together?

Seawalls and School Classrooms

Seawalls are an important defense against storm surges. They prevent flooding and save lives. Walling off the entire Philippine coast is not feasible of course. However there are seawalls throughout the country. One of those seawalls was recently damaged in during a tropical storm. President Marcos has assured the wall's reconstruction will be expedited. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237510

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday said the government will expedite the reconstruction of the damaged seawall in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte to protect communities from storm surges and flooding.

Marcos made the announcement during the aid distribution of over PHP70 million in livelihood and financial assistance for thousands affected by Typhoon Marce at Pagudpud Cultural and Sports Complex.

Following his inspection of the damaged seawall, Marcos said the plans for its reconstruction were already in place and progressing swiftly.

"Good thing, that seawall is in process, it's already being built," he said.

 "It will be bid out in two weeks? Three weeks? The project is already up for bidding, so it will proceed quickly. We won't go through the process of finding funds, appropriating, and we're actually doing it, so we'll just continue with it," he said.

He said the construction of the elevated road near the seawall would also be prioritized to enhance the area's resilience.

"If you see, there is already a road -- there is something like a seawall but the new one has a road on top. And that's what we will continue with," he said.

Marcos also inspected classrooms of damaged by Marce and coordinated with the Department of Education to expedite repairs, ensuring students can return to school as soon as possible.

“We are looking for a way to fix it quickly so the kids can return [to schools]," he said, noting that alternative learning spaces were established to serve as temporary classrooms for the students.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 9,340 individuals, or 2,903 families, were affected by Marce in Ilocos Norte. A total of 540 families or 1,635 individuals are in evacuation centers.

But how long will it take to rebuild? Years??

The seawall in Leyte has been under construction for 9 years and is only 64% complete.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237375

After nine years of construction, the Leyte tide embankment project designed to shield coastal communities from big waves is 64 percent complete, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Friday.

DPWH 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Edgar Tabacon admitted that building the 38.12-km. storm surge protection from this city to Tanauan town continues to be a challenge 11 years after Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) struck the region.

“Since the start of construction in 2016, we have been addressing several issues. We are a democratic country and we cannot ignore oppositions but we will try our best to complete this project within the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” Tabacon said in a phone interview.

The project completion date depends on the available funds downloaded by the central government, he said.

Of the estimated PHP12.17 billion required budget, PHP9 billion has been released from 2016 until this year for the 19-km. flood mitigation structure and a 5.43-km. backwater dike.

As of the end of October, the DPWH reported completing 19.51 km. of the 38.64 km. of structures, while construction of 5.52 km. is ongoing and work has yet to begin for 13.6 km.

The project covers the construction of 22.63 km. of flood mitigation structure and 16 km. of backwater dike structure.

The flood mitigation structure aims to protect communities in this city and the nearby towns of Palo and Tanauan from destructive waves. It has stainless steel flap gates and river gates with actuators.

It also has a bike lane with railings, ramps, and streetlights.

“From San Juanico Bridge to downtown, the embankment will also be a parallel highway to address traffic congestion from the city to the Samar area. We still have to coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for environmental consideration and hold a series of public consultations,” Tabacon added.

The project stretches from Diit village here to Cabuynan village in Tanauan town, aiming to protect 33,000 residents from big waves based on a 50-year projected population.

Sections 1 to 3 are in the northern part of this city to downtown areas, Section 4 is from the San Jose district in this city to the Palo town boundary, Section 5 is in areas of Palo and Tanauan, and Section 6 is in Tanauan town.

In most sections, the four-meter-wide structure has a bay walk and bicycle lane.

The project, built 30 meters from the shoreline, will protect 33.7 square meters of properties and 33,185 houses and buildings.

Building the four-meter-high structure came after the 2013 storm surges whipped by Yolanda’s fierce winds wiped out neighborhoods in Leyte province.

This story is ridiculous. Everyone still talks about the horrors of Super typhoon Yolanda which caused much devastation. This wall was implemented to prevent such destruction from happening again yet after 9 years it is only 64% complete. It requires 12 billion pesos but only 9 billion has been released. Why isn't there a fund dedicated to constructing this wall?

9 years with only 64% constructed means it will take another 5 to 6 years to finish. Meanwhile tropical storms come and go and the citizens of Leyte are at the mercy of the national budget. Why hasn't the project been completed sooner? Perhaps the government doesn't care as much as they claim.

Even worse than the story of this seawall is students in Leyte are still suffering the consequences of Yolanda. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/11/leyte-school-still-using-temporary-learning-spaces

Eleven years after Typhoon "Yolanda" ravaged the Philippines, a school in Leyte continues to rely on temporary learning spaces, highlighting the disaster's long-term impact on the region’s educational infrastructure.

On Monday, Nov. 11, the Department of Education (DepEd), led by Secretary Sonny Angara, visited schools in Leyte to assess the implementation of digitalization programs and identify gaps in facilities.

DepEd visited St. Francis Elementary School, which was severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Despite various recovery initiatives, some schools continue to face significant challenges in rebuilding, leaving students and educators to make do with makeshift classrooms.

"The school is currently experiencing gaps in facilities and classrooms, as it is housing 547 learners in Temporary Learning Spaces," DepEd said.

Angara, along with the agency’s Executive and Management Committee members, monitored schools in Leyte as part of DepEd’s ongoing efforts to address challenges on the ground.

11 years later and some schools are still using makeshift classrooms. That is absolutely shameful. What is really going on in Leyte? Where are the funds to rebuild? It is mind boggling that after 11 years Leyte has yet to recover from Yolanda.