Martial Law: I am Not A Catholic

It's that time of the year again. Time for the annual Balikatan war game exercises.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/166698/8000-us-ph-troops-take-part-war-games

Up to 8,000 US and Philippine forces have begun their largest annual military exercises under President Rodrigo Duterte, who had wanted to scale down America’s military presence and involvement in combat drills as he sought closer ties with China and Russia. 

The Balikatan exercises opened on Monday and were to involve combat drills in mock urban settings to train special forces in battling terrorists in cities, following the siege of Marawi City last year by local terror groups which had ties with Islamic State (IS). 

After rising to power in 2016, the President vowed to scale back the presence of US troops involved in counterterrorism training in Mindanao and once threatened to end the annual drills with American forces, which were provided for by a defense treaty between the two countries.

These exercises are tangible proof of Duterte's failed promises. For all his anti-American sentiment and vows to exorcise the Philippines of an American military presence the US remains an integral part of the Philippines defence plans. Marawi must have opened his eyes to just how ill prepared the AFP is to handle a large scale terrorist attack. With continual training perhaps the AFP will become an elite force. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/05/08/1813321/philippine-military-capability-among-weakest-asia-pacific-report

"The Philippines' strongest performance is in future trends, ranking in place with a score of 4.0. Its lowest ranking occurs in the military capability measure, in 19th place with a score of 4.1," the report read. 

The report noted that the Philippine Navy operates only one frigate and does not have destroyers, cruisers or carriers.

An island nation with no navy. An army with not enough armour on its vehicles to protect from RPGs so they have to "innovate" with wood.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/907313/wood-reinforced-vehicles-foil-maute-antitank-weapons

It's all so silly. Maybe this wood-armoured vehicle is what the wounded AFP soldiers were thinking of during their yoga laughter session.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/986150/wounded-soldiers-in-stitches-after-laughter-yoga

A new player has emerged in the Philippines' fight against Islamic terrorism.  Actually two new players. Hamas and Israel.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/05/10/1814100/hamas-establishing-presence-philippines-says-israeli-official

Israel has confirmed that the recent capture of a scientist from Hamas is part of a larger trend of the group’s effort to establish its presence in other regions including the Philippines. 

According to Ned Bashard, the deputy head of the counterterrorism department of the strategic affairs division of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas has been trying to get better warheads and improve its weapons development capability to harm Israel even more.  

When asked if Israel is open to forging agreements with the Philippines to improve its cybersecurity framework and monitoring of chemical weapons, Bashard said, “We have the intention of cooperating with everyone that is willing to cooperate and collaborate on the cause of limiting these organizations.”

So this alleged member of Hamas who was arrested in Angeles City was in the Philippines to acquire rockets to bring back to Palestine to blow up Israel? Acquire them from who? Transport them how? Are there rockets in Angeles City? The goal of Hamas is reclamation of Palestine from the Jews so I doubt they will be establishing any kind pf presence in the Philippines. But the potential involvement of Israel in Philippine affairs is interesting.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/988693/govt-reds-ok-interim-peace-pact

The peace process between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is now making progress as back channel talks had started, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said on Tuesday.

The peace process is making progress?  Don't believe the hype!

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/988307/cop-killed-in-ambush-in-sorsogon

Suspected members of New People’s Army waylaid and killed a police officer in Pilar town in Sorsogon province on Monday afternoon.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/989689/soldier-dead-3-hurt-in-camarines-sur-clash-npa-communism-army

A soldier was killed and three members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) Active Auxiliaries were injured in a firefight happened after an ambush by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Libmanan town, Camarines Sur province Friday afternoon.

The NPA continues to ambush the AFP and the PNP, senselessly killing as if more bloodshed will force the government to kowtow to the demands of the CPP. Why all the killing?

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/989693/duterte-asks-rebels-why-are-we-killing-each-other-duterte-rebels-npa-communism-palace 

“Why are we killing each other?” 

This was what President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday asked rebels even as he urged them to work with him. 

If they did not want to work with him, President Duterte said rebels can just go to Malacañang and occupy the Palace instead of shooting people. 

“You rebels, I will let you go to Malacañang. If they want they can take over it, I’ll just build a new one,” he said.  

President Duterte warned that killing people would result in a never ending violence.

The irony of President "Kill 'em all" Duterte  lamenting all the killing and never ending violence is off the charts. If the NPA did show up at Malacañang would he really just hand them the keys and walk away? Of course not. So his "hyperbole" is pointless and foolish. The goal of the CPP is to occupy the Palace meaning to overthrow the government and institute their own. 

This speech Duterte gave in Marawi is filled with all kinds of ridiculous statements. Like this one:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/989717/duterte-vows-to-give-marawi-back-to-its-native-people-duterte-marawi-regions-news

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday asked the people of Marawi and the Maranaos in general to spare a lot of patience, saying the government remains determined to rebuild the city and give it back to them.

The President said in the rehabilitation of the city, the poor will benefit first. 

“The targets are the poor Maranao. They will become the priority. The house that will be built will go to those who don’t have one. I will return it to you,” he said. 

Saying the poor will be the priority is such obvious nonsense. The city will be rebuilt and it will be all shiny and new and the poor will have no place in the fancy new city which the government hopes to construct out of the ashes and rubble. Already the price of land has gone up. And the native Maranos have already expressed their displeasure at being shut out of the whole rebuilding process.

Here's another dumb thing he said during his Marawi speech.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/989766/palace-willing-to-help-ex-maute-members-who-surrendered-to-govt-maute-marawi-duterte-palace

President Rodrigo Duterte said he was willing to be visited by the 25 surrendered Maute group members in Malacañang so they could chat. 

“I told them ‘go to Malacañang and we will talk,’” Duterte said in a speech here. 

He said he even told the surrendered Maute gunmen he would send them to Malaysia so they can study there. 

“You study how to plant rubber and palm oil there,” he said.

Would Malaysia really give visas to ex-Maute group terrorists so they can learn how to plant rubber? Will they allow that? These are the same men, group anyway, who sieged the city of Marawi last year which resulted in mass death and destruction. And he wants to meet with them in Malacañang and then send them to Malaysia for schooling. How about arresting them for being members of a terrorist group seeking the overthrow of the government? One of these surrenderees is the son of Mohammed Maute. 

And now for the finale.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/989687/duterte-narrates-his-moro-lineage-during-marawi-event-maranao-duterte-catholic-tausug-muslim

“I am not a Catholic,” President Duterte said in a speech at the provincial gymnasium here, where he was presented with surrendered firearms and Maute gunmen who have yielded to the military. 

Duterte did not say what his religious affiliation was, but he said he had grandchildren who were Muslims because their mother, Lovelie Sangkula, was a Tausug.

Sangkula was resigned vice mayor Paolo’s former wife. 

President Duterte also said his daughter Sara was a Catholic. 

But he said all of them had Moro blood because of his grandmother—the mother of her late mother, Soledad—was a Maranao. 

Addressing extremists, he said he could not understand why they call him infidel. 

The Maute group had previously threatened to kill the President for supposedly waging war against Islam. 

“That’s really not needed,” he said of the threat. “We’re all the same, Moro.” 

"We're all the same." This speech reeks of desperation and ignorance. "I am just like you," he says in a desperate bid to win the hearts of the terrorists. Duterte does not understand why he has been branded in infidel because he does not understand that it is a religious war that is happening in Mindanao. That is the nature of jihad. His pleas for unity because of a shared ethnicity will fall on deaf ears because the criteria for unity in these jihadi groups is not ethnicity but religion. Does he forget there were foreign fighters in Marawi? Foreign fighters in Mosul? If Duterte wants peace maybe he should convert to hardline Wahhabi Sunni Islam.