Recently in Manila a jeepney driver was gunned down on the job. The news did not tell us what his jeepney looked like or if it had any neat artwork painted on the side. Maybe one of his friends in Manila will pain a jeepney in memory of him.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Martial Law: A Legitimate Act of War
Remember in the aftermath of the latest suicide bombing the PNP and the AFP both said they would beef up their intelligence gathering? It seems they have not done this most simple thing.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/236102-afp-reports-foreign-terrorists-sulu-basilan-maguindanao |
Seven “foreign terrorists” are at large in Sulu, Maguindanao, and Basilan, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom).
WestMinCom chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said the 7 foreigners are “embedded” with local terror groups with links to the international terror group, the Islamic State (ISIS): the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Another 42 people are “watchlisted and being monitored” for possible terror links.
Sobejana said the foreign suspects are grooming the groups’ members to become bombers, or even suicide bombers, and training them in “other terroristic actions.”
The AFP has confirmed the presence of at least 7 foreign terrorists in Mindanao. But the PNP must have been cut out of the loop because they say this information needs confirming.
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| https://globalnation.inquirer.net/178247/pnp-to-verify-reports-on-foreign-terrorists-working-with-asg-in-mindanao |
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it has yet to verify reports of seven foreign terrorists suspected to be in southern Philippines working with local terrorist groups in the area.
“Of course, hindi naman natin pwedeng ma-confirm or deny. ‘Yung intelligence kaya nga tinawag na intelligence information — these are all needing of confirmation from the ground by our intelligence agency [and] for that matter kailangan nating i-verify,” PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde told reporters in Camp Crame in Quezon City on Wednesday.
This is contrary to Armed Forces of the Philippines’ report which stated that foreign terrorists are “grooming” future suicide bombers from local groups that have pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
Of course it is contrary and it indicates that the PNP and the AFP are not sharing information. Why not? They are both tasked with securing the nation and they should coordinate with each other. That would strengthen both agencies and prepare them for the realities on the ground. And the reality is that there are foreign terrorists in the Philippines. Just this week it was finally confirmed that an Indonesian couple was behind the January cathedral bombing.
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| https://globalnation.inquirer.net/178273/indonesian-couple-behind-jolo-cathedral-blasts-afp-confirms |
“The AFP has shared notes and provided vital information with Indonesian counterparts. Those data which were based on our own inquiry and intelligence contributed to their deliberations that led to this confirmation,” he said in a statement.
Rullie Rian Zeke and his wife Ulfah Handayani Saleh carried out the suicide bombing at Mt. Carmel Cathedral last January 27, Indonesian police said. The bombings left at least 20 killed and about a hundred wounded.
Arevalo said this development stresses “the importance of cooperation and information sharing between and among countries in the region particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.”
“Not only on matters with relevance to the military but also those that impact on the police to bolster our security postures,” he added.If the AFP can share information with their foreign counterparts then why can't they share information with the PNP? Why are those two agencies not on the same page?
Just a few days after Westmincom said there were only 7 foreign terrorist in Mindanao a stunning new piece of information emerged. Now there are reports, needing to be verified of course, that 100 foreign terrorists have made their way to Mindanao.
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| https://www.manilatimes.net/entry-of-foreign-terrorists-being-verified-dnd/590154/ |
Department of National Defense [DND] chief Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said he received “substantial” information about the presence of 100 foreign terrorists in Mindanao, but their exact whereabouts or their nationalities have yet to be determined.
A report from a source indicated that there were “new arrivals” of foreign jihadists in the country, particularly in Mindanao.
Of the 100 foreign extremists, 45 are Indonesians, 10 Malaysians, 10 Arabs, seven Sri Lankans, three Thais, five Chinese Uyghurs and the others are from Bangladesh, Singapore, Turkey, Morocco and even from Europe, according to the source.
Lorenzana said the details pertaining to the “new arrivals” would have to be confirmed first.
“We still do not know their nationalities. The report says that they are in central Mindanao,” the Defense chief said.
If this information turn out to be correct it would not be surprising as analysts around the world have been warning for years that the Philippines is now the new land of jihad. But fret not. Any foreign terrorists in Mindanao will be contained to Jolo and wiped out within three to six months.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/702727/military-to-contain-foreign-terrorists-in-jolo-lorenzana/story/ |
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said the military was closing in on foreign terrorists in Sulu's Jolo town, as these radicals no longer had the ability to shift their activities to other parts of the country.
"We hope to contain them in Jolo where they are now so that they cannot move to Basilan or Cotabato or in Central Mindanao or other places... Visayas and sa Manila. That's what we are guarding against," Lorenzana said on news channel CNN Philippines.
Furthermore, Lorenzana was confident the military would wipe out these foreign terrorists in the next three to six months.Fulfilling this goal would require lots of manpower and firepower. It would be a huge operation.
“We have a huge operation going on in Jolo to ... finally stop this Abu Sayyaf,” Lorenzana told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Monday.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/7/29/Jolo-terrorists-wipe-out.htmlThree to six months to finally stop Abu Sayyaf? That sounds very familiar. Where have I heard this before? Oh! I remember now!
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/04/09/1685469/abu-sayyaf-crushed-three-months-afp |
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is confident it can wipe out the Abu Sayyaf within three months.
AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military is making headway in its campaign against the Basilan and Sulu-based bandit group.
President Duterte has ordered the military to sustain the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and to finish them off within the six-month deadline.
“We are confident that we will meet our targets and deadline. We expect more support and cooperation form the communities where we operate as well as from the local government units,” Padilla said.
Last week I wrote about all the NPA surenderees and how the government is excited that it means the communist insurgency is on the wan. That in two years time it will all be over. However the NPA is is still going strong. Recently they ambushed 4 PNP officers and then tortured them before executing them.
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| https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/23/pnp-identifies-11-rebels-who-executed-4-cops-in-negros-oriental/ |
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified 11 of the communist rebels who allegedly tortured and executed four police intelligence operatives in Ayungon town of Negros Oriental last week.
PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said that the 11 communist rebels will be among those who would be slapped with criminal charges, along with the 30 others who participated in the killing of four intelligence operatives of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion.
“The barangay captain is not also off the hook. Based on the investigation, he did not participate but it appears that he had knowledge of what was going to happen,” said Albayalde.
Based on the initial report, the four cops were about to meet with an asset when they were waylaid in front of the house of a certain Oto Anadon in Sitio Yamot in Barangay Mabato.
But during the probe that was backed by Crime Laboratory results, the cops appeared to have been seized by the rebels before they were tortured and later executed one after the other.
The NPA does not deny they killed these cops though they do deny they tortured them.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/236360-ndf-denies-npa-tortured-slain-negros-oriental-cops |
The NDF, however, called the torture accusations “false claims made by Duterte.”
“They were armed adversaries of the NPA and died in a legitimate act of war. Duterte and the police are making up stories in a vain attempt to gain public sympathy,” the NDF said. “Unlike the AFP and PNP, the NPA strictly prohibits the use of torture. The NPA’s rules prohibit even lifting a finger against its captives or prisoners.”
A legitimate act of war. That should tell us all about their mindset. They are not ready to call it quits and the government should not be saying it will all be over in two years. What they should be doing is concentrating on extinguishing the insurgency instead of setting ephemeral goals.
It's that time of the year again. You know, the time of the year to start thinking about extending martial law.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1145316/1-year-mindanao-martial-law-extension-pushed |
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. on Tuesday said he will recommend the extension of martial law in Mindanao for another year due to the sustained rebellion in the region.
“I will. I’ll go for one year,” Esperon told reporters on Tuesday after the post-Sona press briefing of the Duterte Cabinet.
Esperon noted that terrorism in Mindanao continues to thrive, as shown by recent bombing attacks in the area.
The former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff, however, said he is open to lifting martial law in some areas, such as Davao City.
“Why not (lift martial law) kung kaya na? You know why? Davao City is already a hardened area,” Esperon said.One would think that it is too early to be deciding about another extension of martial law. After all there are so many parameters that need to be looked at in order to come to a decision.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/702226/another-martial-law-extension-afp-to-look-at-various-parameters/story/ |
The military will look at various parameters in deciding if it will recommend yet another extension of martial law in Mindanao, the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Wednesday.
"One of those variables is the prevailing security situation on the ground as it bears on the constitutional requirement for martial law," Marine Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said.
"Another consideration is the approval of important amendments to and introduction of new provisions in the existing Human Security Act that the DND (Department of National Defense) is espousing which will be key to our recommendation," he added.
According to Arevalo, it will also take into account the assessments of local chief executives.
Blah, blah, blah we are going to look at the variables and blah, blah, blah the situation on the ground and....
Whatever. We all know they will probably recommend an extension and if they do they will surely get it. Some men are already firm in their stance to extend martial law once again.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1146720/no-second-thought-for-bato-in-supporting-martial-law-extension-in-mindanao |
“I’m in favor,” he said. “I’m from Mindanao and I know the situation there,” said Dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and architect of the now controversial anti-drug campaign “Oplan Tokhang (Knock and Plead)” which is being blamed for hundreds of summary killings.
“I am from Mindanao,” Dela Rosa, one of Duterte’s closest allies, said. “No one can question me if I would be in favor of extension because I felt the positive effects of martial law as far as peace and order is concerned,” he said.
He said he would agree if the military or PNP recommended to Duterte another extension of martial law because he said he believed that criminals and terrorists still roamed Mindanao. An extension of six months to a year was perfectly fine with him, Dela Rosa said.Don't question this guy! Seriously. Don't ask him about all the terrorists and criminals now in charge of the BARMM and who will also be allowed into the ranks of the PNP and AFP. He would probably spit out talking points about how the MILF are now all good guys and he BARMM will bring peace. Don't think such a set up will ever bring peace to Mindanao. It won't. Even sensible Muslims recognise this.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1147297/muslim-group-chair-wants-mindanao-martial-law-extended |
The chairman of the Metro Manila Muslim Community for Justice and Peace said he would ask for an extension of martial law in Mindanao as it had brought peace in the region.
“Our stand on Mindanao is very clear: Extend martial law in the whole of Mindanao,” Datu Basher Alonto, speaking in Filipino, said during the Balitaan sa Maynila forum on Sunday. “This is the medicine that I have seen in the two years that we have had martial law. What happened was so good.”
According to Alonto, martial law resulted in fewer violent incidents in last May midterm elections in the region.
“If only everyone in Mindanao would remain radical,” he said. “I can see that in Mindanao it’s as if there’s no law, no government. So we’re grateful that we have a President who thinks of what should be done.”There is a law and government in Mindanao and it is "Do as thou wilt." That is the whole of the law in Mindanao. Groups doing all they cant to wage jihad and immanentize the eschaton by setting up a Muslim paradise, and Islamic State, in Mindanao. The communists want their workers paradise but they operate by the same principles of violence and fear.
The only thing that would be interesting about extending martial law is if it is not extended over the whole of Mindanao. As noted above some think certain places like Davao could have martial law lifted. Mayor Sara Duterte has asked for martial law to be lifted over economic concerns. But what if martial law was extended beyond Mindanao? That idea has been floating around since May 2017.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1147193/13-killings-in-5-days-stoke-martial-law-talk-in-negros |
Militant groups expect the violence to be made the excuse for a crackdown on political dissenters and government critics.
“The killings will be used as a pretext for declaring martial law,” said Michael dela Concepcion, secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros.
In the capital city of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo said he was open to placing specific areas, like Guihulngan City, not the whole province, under martial law if warranted and if it could stop the killings.
Asked if he was amenable to placing the province under martial law, Degamo said: “Not all (of the province). If that will be the solution to the problem and that will be only in Guihulngan, that is OK.”
Central Visayas PNP director Police Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, however, has played down the killings.
“These are just few isolated cases … I don’t think so this is alarming. Negros Oriental is still in normal situation,” Sinas said.
The PNP said it was taking measures to prevent a spillover of violence from Negros Oriental to Negros Occidental.So will they or won't they? I am certain they will extend martial law once more but as to extending it beyond Mindanao...I think not. I also do not think Davao will be exempt from martial law either. Better to just have the whole island of Mindanao under lock and key. But we will all know come December.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Hi, my name is...6
I suppose this feature has morphed into a regular rogue's gallery featuring grisly crimes and depraved criminals one would never want to meet. Nevertheless say Hello!
Hi, my name is Reynante Otero. I won't lie, I'm a bad man. A robber. A notorious robber even part of a band of highway robbers. I've been in and out of jail on robbery and weapons charges. Everyone knows who I am. Well someone got tired of my antics and they kidnapped me, tied my hands behind my back with my belt, covered my face with a cloth, then tied a rope around my neck and shoved my off a bridge to hang to death. Oh and they shot me a few times for good measure. They also wrote a sign and attached it me: “ayaw ko ninyo sunda tulisan ko (do not follow me. I am a robber).” No more robberies for me!
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| https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/22/salvage-victim-hung-from-bridge-in-talisay-city/ |
Hi, my name is Dominico Servandel. I am a security guard. I work the night shift at a gas station. It's not very busy at night which means I have some time to get a little shut eye. I mean it just happens really. When you are sitting down in a chair in the cool night air and yawn a few times...boom! out like like a light. This time it really was BOOM! when a couple of robbers showed up while I was asleep.
One of the suspects, later identified as Reymark Pumatong, 27, allegedly took Servandel’s service firearm, a shotgun, and shot Servandel in the head, killing him instantly. The other suspect was identified as Bernie Doldol, 28.
Axcel Rose Gemino, 25, cashier at the Phoenix station, was hit in the face. She was brought to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center for treatment.
Police said the suspects took off with P25,000 from the station’s cash register.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1144372/guard-shot-in-the-head-cashier-wounded-during-armed-robbery-at-gasoline-station |
Hi, my name is Anthony Trinidad. I am a lawyer who focuses on famers and activists. That's probably how my hame ended up on an anti-communist hit list. On July 23rd I had a court date in Guihulngan City. It's never safe there for me which is why I always ask the PNP for additional security when I do business there. It was on my home from a court hearing that a motorcycle creeped up on me and fired at the car and shot both me and my wife multiple times. I lost control of the vehicle and hit a pedicab driver before I crashed into the wall. They took me to the hospital but I was dead DOA. Now instead of defending the poor I am just another statistic. Another assassinated Filipino lawyer.
Hi, my name is Sotero Manuguid Jr. I am a construction worker in Taguig City. One afternoon at about 3pm I saw a sweet little girl so I offered her some money to come with me to a vacant lot. Then I raped and choked the life out of her. She was dead so I stuffed her in a sack and ran. But it turns out she wasn't dead. She was able to get out of the sack and run home and tell her mom. Eventually they found me and now I am probably going to die in jail.
Hi, my name is Jamie Matthew Flanagan. One night after a heated argument with my girlfriend I woke from the couch to find that she had hung herself with 3 of my neckties. How awful and sad. Only whats really awful is the cops say I am the one who did it. I killed her. I deny the accusations of course. If I can make it through the legal process without dying perhaps I can prove my innocence. Even if it takes a few decades.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/702005/8-year-old-allegedly-raped-placed-in-sack-but-lives-to-tell-tale/story/ |
Hi, my name is Jamie Matthew Flanagan. One night after a heated argument with my girlfriend I woke from the couch to find that she had hung herself with 3 of my neckties. How awful and sad. Only whats really awful is the cops say I am the one who did it. I killed her. I deny the accusations of course. If I can make it through the legal process without dying perhaps I can prove my innocence. Even if it takes a few decades.
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| https://philippineslifestyle.com/australian-girlfriend-hanged-subic-murder/ |
Hi, my name is Roel Malagiño and I am a jeepney driver. I am also the vice president of the local Stop and Go chapter. You remember us right? We are very much against jeepeny modernisation and phasing out. We even held a strike back in 2017. We cannot lose our livelihoods! Perhaps it is my activism that put a target on my back. Perhaps that is why I was shot dead on EDSA while driving my beloved jeepney.
Hi, my name is Nelson Siacor Torayno. I am a 32 year old Filipino and I love to have sex with children. Nobody pays me. I just do it and then upload it to the "dark web" for fun.
“There is no evidence he may have benefited financially from this,” Marshall said.
“You need to understand Mr. Torayno is a pedophile himself so there is an element of personal gratification from what he is doing,” he pointed out.
Virtudazo also admitted that this is the first case the PNP encountered that no money was involved in the uploading of child porn.
“This is the first case we have encountered na walang money (no money) involved, just sharing of child abuse materials in the dark web,” he said.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/25/europols-most-wanted-sexual-offender-arrested-pinoy-pedophile-did-it-not-for-the-money/
Yeah I am a sicko but who cares? I had my fun. And now I am famous.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/236280-europe-most-wanted-child-sex-offender-arrested-cebu-july-2019 |
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Picture of the Week: Pinoy Ingenuity
We've all heard of Filipino ingenuity. When in need of a fix Pinoys can come up with a solution rather quickly. Remember the tank with wooden armour during the Marwai siege? Popular Mechanics said of this quick fix:
The armor is well-meaning, but probably not up to the job. So could wood armor actually work?
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26804/wooden-armor-tank-rockets/
"Well meaning but probably not up to the job." That is an apt description of the Philippines' construction industry. It's also a very fitting description of this week's picture of the week.
Nice door handle! Why even bother buying a new handle or door when you can fashion a handle out of some wire? Forget about the fact that the door does not need a handle to function properly because it pushes open and does not have a latch. It's a door and it needs a handle no matter what. I bet the security guard thought up this contraption.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Retards in the Government 112
It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/07/19/1936037/pnp-files-sedition-raps-vs-leni-opposition-bishops |
Police have filed sedition and other criminal complaints against Vice President Leni Robredo, several members of the Catholic clergy, all but one of the opposition senatorial candidates and other administration critics for their alleged role in making and spreading the six-part “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos.
Aside from Robredo, also named in the complaint filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday afternoon were Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, and former senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV.
They were among the 35 respondents in the criminal complaint of sedition/inciting to sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa and harboring a criminal/obstruction of justice filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) represented by Lt. Col. Arnold Thomas Ibay.
In a statement, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he would form a panel of state prosecutors to hear the complaint and conduct requisite preliminary investigation.
The last sentence is the most important. What is tell us is that the PNP has NOT conducted an investigation to find out wether or not the accusations against all these people are true. Instead they are taking the accusations at face value even though the one making them, the alleged Bikoy, has changed his story several times and is not a credible person. Just more drama which we will have to wait and see how it plays out.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1143439/7800-police-in-philippines-punished-for-deadly-drug-raids |
Communications Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael Banaag told a news conference that 14,724 police were investigated for their involvement in police drug operations that led to deaths from July 2016 until last April. She said 7,867 of them received administrative punishments for unspecified lapses.
A tally presented by Banaag showed that 2,367 police officers have been fired, 4,100 suspended while the rest were reprimanded, demoted, had their salaries forfeited or deprived of certain privileges.
Banaag, however, did not say how many officers have been criminally charged for serious lapses or outright crimes committed while enforcing the crackdown, which was launched by President Rodrigo Duterte as his centerpiece program when he took office in mid-2016.
The amount of cops criminally charged for actions during drug raids is probably to low to even mention. Right now all I can think of are the cops who were convicted of murdering Kian Delos Santos.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1144476/house-obeys-duterte-elects-cayetano-as-speaker |
The House of Representatives elected Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano as its Speaker on Monday in a win for President Rodrigo Duterte who has tightened his grip on the chamber dominated by pro-administration congressmen.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1144518/paolo-sara-duterte-to-respect-presidents-decision-on-house-leadership |
President Rodrigo Duterte’s children will respect his decision on the House leadership, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte said Monday.
“To respect the decision of the President,” Paolo said when asked what his sister and Davao Mayor Sara Duterte told him.
Asked if there will be a coup against presumptive Speaker Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano in the coming days, Paolo did not answer directly and said: “Saan si congressman (Martin) Romualdez? Siya makasagot nyan.”
In a short speech during Cayetano’s breakfast, Paolo also said the “Davao Coalition” in the House would respect the President’s stand on the speakership.
“The Davao Coalition, we respect the decision of the President tutal magte-term sharing, ‘yun ‘yung napag-usapan nila. Pero sabi ko nga ‘yung term sharing nila is an agreement between them and the President,” he said.
Despite all this assertions to the contrary everyone knew the decision of House Speaker would be Duterte's. Now at least his children admit it if no one else will.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has failed to collect some P251 million from the beneficiaries of its flagship Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (Setup), meant to empower micro, small and medium enterprises, the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed.
Under the program, qualified beneficiaries receive financial assistance, with the commitment to refund the money to the DOST once they start earning.
However, in its annual audit report, the COA said that due to premature termination of some contracts, the DOST failed to collect millions meant to be returned to them, the COA said.
But since the businesses of the beneficiaries were not very successful, this led to the DOST’s failure to collect, the COA said.
“Other receivable balances pertaining to Setup projects include P461.150 million past due accounts for over one to 10 years, of which P251.040 million reported with uncollected refunds due to the inadequate/ineffective monitoring and evaluation on the viability of projects,” the COA said.
“Termination of contract agreements by various beneficiaries was due to the following: weak market demand, health problems of the owners, internal conflicts with the organization, low sales and others which ultimately led to nonpayment of their obligation to the government,” the COA said.
The audit body also flagged the “lax enforcement” of the provisions of the memorandum of agreement between the DOST and the beneficiaries as another factor for the millions of pesos which remain uncollected.Perhaps the government should not be in the business of financing small businesses. Funny how the government touts the strength of the economy and business climate but small business entrepreneurs aren't doing so well even with the assistance of the government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1145423/negros-oriental-village-chairman-dies-after-allegedly-drinking-pesticide |
The chairman of Barangay Mabato in Ayungon, Negros Oriental died Tuesday after allegedly drinking pesticide, days after he was invited for questioning over the murder of four police officers on July 18.
Col. Raul Tacaca, provincial director of Negros Oriental police, told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that Sunny Calderon died at around 11 a.m. in a hospital in Dumaguete City.
Tacaca confirmed Calderon was being investigated on the murder of intelligence officers, reportedly perpetrated by the communist New People’s Army.
The police official, however, said investigators have yet to confirm Calderon’s motive for his alleged suicide or if he had any involvement in the ambush of four officers.
The four officers were believed to be ambushed, then dragged, beaten up, hogtied, and buttstroked by several armed men on their way to the house of a supposed contact to confirm reports of alleged presence of NPA fighters in the area.
His suicide basically an admission of guilt.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona), Duterte, as if posing a challenge to critics, said: “Extrajudicial killings? Report to the ICC (International Criminal Court)? Go ahead. As long as I have a comfortable cell.”
“It should be heated during wintertime, installed with air-conditioning during the hot weather,” he added.
Further, the President suggested, “And conjugal visits, unlimited. Para we can understand each other,” drawing chuckles from his Sona audience of lawmakers, Cabinet Secretaries, celebrities, and dignitaries at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday.Nothing new here really. Making light of EJKs with a sexual joke and getting laughs from the audience composed of those who run the government.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/236051-duterte-sexist-remarks-sona-2019 |
Fresh from Malacañang's announcement of his signing the Bawal Bastos or Safe Spaces Act, President Rodrigo Duterte let forth sexist remarks in no less than his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA).
During his July 22 speech, Duterte made 3 remarks that objectified women, sexualized them, or stripped them of self-determination – definitions of sexist remarks.
Rappler wants us to know that Duterte has violated a law he recently signed into being. But the real problem here is that he makes these comments all the time. Perhaps he should get a speech writer especially for the SONA which is arguably the most important speech of the year which is to tell the nation what is going on. Who cares if he had a stinky girlfriend at one time?
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1145443/ex-cebu-city-mayor-osmena-says-he-just-restored-mayors-office-to-2016-state |
It was a restoration and not demolition.
This was how former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña explained why he stripped his office bare before his term ended on June 30.
On June 30, Labella was surprised to find the mayor’s office stripped to its raw concrete floor.
The glass dividers were gone along with the ceiling and some ceramic tiles. The kitchen tiles were also gone.
All tiles in the washroom had also been removed.
Bimbo Fernandez, then Osmeña’s executive assistant, said the former mayor owned the fixtures and furniture after he spent for office renovation as the council denied his budget request of P2 million.
Now Osmeña is changing his story. Previously he only said he was taking back what was his. Now he is saying he was in the process of resorting the office but was stopped before it could be finished. But he never mention restoring the office before. The bolded last sentence is very important as it shows us the way his mind is working. The city council denied a budget request to renovate his office so he used his own money to do the renovations therefore all the renovations belong to him. It's ludicrous but that's his claim.
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| https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/22/swift-passage-of-death-penalty-bill-seen-after-president-dutertes-renewed-call/ |
President Duterte’s renewed call on Congress to pass a measure restoring the death penalty in the country would help ensure the swift passage of death penalty measures in both houses of Congress, one of the authors of the bill said Monday.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said Congress will unlikely turn down the request made by President Duterte during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“It will hasten the deliberations of my proposal and may result to no objection,” he said in a text message.
President Duterte called on Congress anew to reimpose the death penalty for heinous illegal drugs-related crimes and plunder, citing that illegal drugs and corruption remain to be the country’s problems.
Barbers earlier filed House Bill 2026 seeking to reimpose the death penalty on certain heinous crimes.
“Crimes disturb the order of society. The alarming rise of heinous crime in our country calls for the re-imposition of capital punishment. The death penalty is said to be the strongest deterrent society has against such crimes. It aims to restore order and adequately punishes criminals. The death penalty also serves as retribution for victims and their families,” he said.
“Since the government has the highest interest in preventing heinous crime, it should use the strongest punishment available to deter unlawful acts—the death penalty. If criminals charged guilty of committing heinous crimes are sentenced to death and executed, potential criminals will think twice before committing crimes for fear of losing their own life,” Barbers pointed out.With all his men in place Duterte can basically say what he wants and expect the proper legislation to follow. The problem with the death penal bill is it only allows death for drug related offences and not violent crimes qua violent crimes. Murder must be committed under the influence of drugs to qualify for the death penalty. At least that is how it was last time around when this was all debated. I cannot find HB 2026 on the Barbers' Congressional profile online.
UNIDENTIFIED gunmen chased and fired upon a vehicle loaded with a village chairwoman and members of her family, including children, in Jaro, Leyte on Sunday, July 21.
Initial police investigation revealed that the victims were onboard a brown Suzuki Ertega headed to Tunga, Leyte from Tacloban City when the gunmen chased their vehicle and shot them.
Police identified the victims as Leopoldo Po, 44, driver and businessman who sustained a gunshot wound in the head; Estrella Geraldo, 62, married, chairwoman of Barangay San Pedro, Tunga, who sustaindd a gunshot wound in the back portion of her body; Ailen Po, 40, married, a teacher, with gunshot wound in the head; and Rachel Cuña, 27, married, with gunshot wound in back portion of her body.
At least no one died but if the barangay chairwoman was the target then the assassins will likely try again.
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| https://globalnation.inquirer.net/178244/sotto-on-ph-china-fishing-deal-how-can-we-act-on-something-we-dont-have |
But in a statement, Sotto said the Senate does not “practice motu propio ratification or repudiation on something not submitted to us.”
The President’s appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr., had earlier said that the Duterte-Xi verbal fishing deal could not be enforced.
“The verbal agreement cannot be enforced because it’s verbal, exactly as (Senator) Frank(lin) Drilon said that you need a document to prove an agreement. It’s just the way it is,” Locsin said in an interview last July 3.
The foreign affairs chief also said that allowing China to fish in the country’s EEZ is “not policy.”
But the stance of the two Cabinet secretaries differ from that of Duterte’s chief legal counsel and spokesman.
For Secretary Salvador Panelo, the Duterte-Xi unwritten fishing pact was “legally binding.”
“It’s legally binding… Alam mo, there are as many opinions as there are lawyers. It’s a free country. They interpret it that way, eh ‘di hayaan mo. Basta ako, kung ano ‘yung sinabi ni Presidente ‘yun na ‘yon,” Panelo previously told reporters at Malacañang.
Sotto is being disingenuous here. Of course there is an agreement. Duterte as said as much. Panelo says it is legally binding. Contrary to Locsin the Palace says allowing China to fish in the EEZ is policy. What Sotto should be doing is finding a way to hold the President accountable for his actions rather than throw up his arms and say we cannot do anything.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1815647/Pampanga/Local-News/Ex-cop-nabbed-for-criminal-activities |
A former police officer was nabbed recently for his alleged involvement in various illegal activities during a drug bust launched in Porac town recently.
The suspect was identified as Police Officer 1 Mark Anthony Gamit, who went on absence without official leave (Awol) from his service, and is included in the high-value targets’ list of the Porac Police Station.
Confiscated from the suspects’ possession are five sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, a fake firearm and hand grenade, the marked money used in the operation, as well as a police uniform.
Further investigation revealed that Gamit was also involved in several other cases including robbery and extortion in the said municipality.
An AWOL cop involved in robbery, extortion, and drugs. A paragon of the PNP ethos.
Initially, Sen. Manny Pacquiao wanted the death penalty done by hanging, but now he would prefer capital punishment by firing squad or by lethal injection.
The senator said on Tuesday that he would want a public firing squad execution of those convicted of drug-related crimes, while plunderers would get the lethal injection.
“Kung sa droga siguro firing squad para makita ng tao na huwag tularan. Pag plunder, pwede na ring lethal injection,” Pacquiao told reporters in an interview.
[If it’s a drug case, maybe it should be done by firing squad so that people would not do other same. For plunder, maybe lethal injection would do.]
Manny may not realise that death is death. Countries where the death penalty is enforced do not have various types of deaths for various crimes. And as to the issue of lethal injection...
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1146105/pnp-chief-death-penalty-via-lethal-injection-is-enough |
Death penalty through lethal injection is enough for drug-related and other heinous crimes, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said Thursday.
Albayalde, however, explained that the means for enforcing capital punishment will “depend on what the law will say.”
“We are civilized people here so probably lethal injection would suffice,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
His preference differs from that of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, his predecessor as PNP chief, who wants death penalty through a firing squad to instill fear among criminals.
Albayalde stressed that enforcing capital punishment, aside from good law enforcement, will be a “good deterrent” against crimes.The Philippines civilised? Sure, whatever. But aside from that the death penalty is not a deterrent, it is punitive and leah injection is not exactly humane. It is painful if not administered correctly and the cocktail of drugs needed for the procedure are not being manufactured anymore which is why the USA is having a hard time administering lethal injections.
Some P367 million worth of medicines and medical supplies being kept by the Department of Health (DOH) are set to expire or have already expired, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
In its annual audit report, the COA said that as of January 2018, the DOH had stored in warehouses medicines and medical supplies valued at P294.767 million and with expiry dates set 12 months later or earlier.
Medicines worth P72.391 million had been distributed to regional offices and hospitals less than a year before the expiry dates.
In its recommendations, the COA ordered the DOH to revisit its policies on determining which medicines are needed.
Executives of the inventory committee and pharmacy division of the department were told to plan procurement based on “need, past consumption data, expiration, inventory balance and utilization of inventory items,” to prevent wastage of government funds.
It seems the DOH bought a lot of drugs they did not need and did not even distribute them properly. Now they are rotting away in storage. What a waste.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1146008/go-files-resolution-congratulating-pacquiao-for-victory |
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go filed a resolution congratulating and commending Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao for defeating reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Welterweight Champion Keith Thurman jR. on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada to claim the said title.
“His victory is the victory of the whole nation,” Go said. “His life story, hard work and dedication to serve God and the people is an inspiration to all Filipinos.”
This happens after all of Pacquiao's victories but it's not any less stupid and pointless. Will any Senator ever file a resolution to investigate Marawi?
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1146140/bikoys-statements-substantially-accurate-supported-by-evidence-pnp-chief |
“Remember, the statements of Bikoy or Peter Joemel Advincula accordingly were substantially accurate because they are supported by other documentary evidence and other sources,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
“That is according to the investigation conducted by the CIDG,” he explained, adding that those accused “will have their time in court.”
But despite the filing of the cases, Albayalde said the PNP is not saying that it trusts Advincula and his claims. He said it is up to the court to decide on Advincula’s credibility.
“The filing [of cases] as I have said is already substantiated by evidence that necessitates [and] that would suffice for the conduct of preliminary investigation, and now the DOJ (Department of Justice) has the sole discretion on the case, not us to determine if the VP is involved,” Albayalde said.
“I think since the start we already said that Bikoy has to support his allegations with evidence. That’s precisely what he did. He came out with this CPU, this computer, his laptop, and all other sources according to investigators,” the PNP chief said.
Read these statements closely. Albayalde says Bikoy is telling the truth and that the VP and all the other caused are basically guilty BUT then he says they don't necessarily trust him despite just saying his allegations are supported with evidence!
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075992 |
A barangay captain and two employees of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental were shot dead hours apart from each other early Thursday for still unknown motives.
A report from the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) identified the victims as Romeo Arbole Alipan, 64, married, the barangay captain of Buenavista, Guihulngan and a resident of Larena, Barangay Poblacion of the same city, and Arthur Cordevilla Bayawa, 55, single, school principal of Guihulngan Science High School and his younger sister, Ardale Cordevilla Bayawa, 49, single, CID chief of DepEd Division of Guihulngan and both residents of Barangay Hibaiyo of that northern city.
Initial sketchy police reports said that at around 12:55 a.m., unidentified armed men forced their way inside the house of the Bayawa siblings by destroying the padlock of the main door and shot the two DepEd employees.
So just a few days ago a lawyer was assassinated in this same town and now a barangay captain and school principal and his sister have also been assassinated for unknown reasons by unknown people.
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