Insurgency: Elite Force Deployed

The AFP is beefing up anti-insurgency efforts in Northern Samar by sending in an elite force.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195608

The arrival of Scout Rangers in Samar from Davao would intensify the government’s campaign against the New People’s Army in Northern Samar, the Philippine Army said Monday.

The 4th Scout Ranger Battalion troopers will be placed under the operational control of the Joint Task Force Storm and will “help increase the operational tempo” in Ending Local Communist and Armed Conflict in Samar Island, said Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division.

"Truly it is overwhelming feeling how the higher headquarters manifest their support to the division's campaign by sending the elite forces to augment our troops deployed on this island. With their vast experiences, am confident with these advantages surely, we will be victorious in this battle,” Ligayo said.

Before their arrival on Feb. 18 at the 8th Infantry Division headquarter in Catbalogan City, Samar, the troops underwent training both locally and abroad to enhance their capability in counter-insurgency operations.

The elite force were credited for their significant accomplishments against the NPA operating in Paquibato District in Davao. They also took part in the four-month-long battle against the ISIS-Maute Group in Marawi City in 2017.

“Despite the success in combat operations from their previous assignments, we urged the Scout Rangers not to be complacent and remain vigilant since they will be confronting the NPA in this last bastion of insurgency,” Ligayo added.

Northern Samar has been considered the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-NPA’s last bastion.

Despite the deaths and capture of several fighters, there are still an estimated 400 active combatants in Samar provinces belonging to four remaining NPA guerrilla fronts. 

In addition to these elite troops the AFP has sent in two battalions.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195700

The Philippine Army has welcomed the arrival of two battalions from Mindanao tasked to help suppress the New People’s Army (NPA) in Northern Samar province, considered the last bastion of insurgency in the country.

The Army’s 8th Infantry Division formally welcomed around 1,000 soldiers from the 74th Infantry Battalion (IB) and 42nd IB during a ceremony at the Government Center here late Monday.

Before their deployment in the region, the 74th IB troopers fought the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan province. The unit also took part in the campaigns of the Western Mindanao Command under the Operational Control of Joint Task Force Zamboanga.

The 42nd IB was also cited for its performance in the conduct of offensive operations against armed rebels operating in Quezon and Bicol areas. The unit has been assigned in the provinces of Camarines Sur, Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao Del Sur and Sulu.

They contributed to the liberation of Marawi City, where they took part in the six-month battle against the ISIS-Maute Group.

The battalion was also instrumental in neutralizing key NPA leaders and personalities and dismantling the regional leadership of NPA’s Western Mindanao regional party committee.

Army 8th Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo said the two additional battalions will boost the anti-insurgency campaign in the region, especially since four of the last five remaining guerilla fronts in the country are in Samar Island.

“We are in the winning momentum in dismantling the four active guerilla fronts in our areas of operations. Thus, an additional force would be great as we continue to strike hard on the communist terrorist groups and will shorten the time in attaining strategic victory and to finally put an end to this insurgency,” Ligayo said during the ceremony.

The official is upbeat about ending insurgency in three to six months with additional troops and new recruits.

“The higher headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is very supportive, from additional forces to war-fighting equipment, they really ensure that we are fully equip in this fight. And, in no time we can totally eradicate NPA in the region,” Ligayo added.

With these additional troops the AFP now thinks the insurgency will be ended in 3 to 6 months. But is that the only in Northern Samar or nationwide? We shall see after 3 to 6 months where things stand.

Ex-rebels from Samar are of course receiving money for having surrendered. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195882

A total of 22 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Samar province have received financial assistance from the national government under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) as they prepare to start a new life after years of armed struggle.

Each was granted immediate assistance worth P15,000. Also, 12 of them got P50,000 livelihood assistance each, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office here on Thursday.

The DILG said those who surrendered their firearms got higher benefits as remuneration from the central government. The amount varies according to the kind of firearms surrendered.

During the awarding on Wednesday, DILG Eastern Visayas regional director Arnel Agabe welcomed the surrender of the rebel returnees and offered various assistance from the different national government agencies.

"It’s not easy to attain peace and we have to work for it daily. We urge you to work with the government to attain peace and justice in our communities,” Agabe said during the awarding of benefits at the Philippine Army’s 78th Infantry Battalion in Lalawigan village in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.

"It’s not easy to attain peace and we have to work for it daily." Yeah, and apparently peace has to be paid for as well and that comes at the behest of all the taxpayers. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195987

Fifty-two former members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) and 200 of their barangay-based supporters in Agusan del Sur province have pledged allegiance to the government Thursday and received benefits from the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

In an interview Friday, Maj. Jennifer Ometer, the Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) information chief, said the batch came from various towns of the province.

“These former rebels and supporters surrendered to field units of the PRO-13 on different occasions last year and in the early part of 2023 in Agusan del Sur,” Ometer said.

Leading the distribution of the E-CLIP benefits held in Patin-ay, Prosperidad town, Agusan del Sur, were Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Secretary Gilberto DC Cruz; Lt. Gen. Filmore Escobal, the Area Police Command in Eastern Mindanao commander; and Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo, the Philippine National Police - Special Action Force director.

They were joined by PRO-13 director, Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II; and Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane Jr.

The beneficiaries received educational assistance and scholarship for their children, sets of livelihood training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and livelihood support from the provincial government’s Upland Sustainable Agroforestry Development (USAD) program, among others

Meanwhile in South Cotabato a high ranking NPA leader has been killed.  Will this end the insurgency?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195723

A communist rebel leader linked to various crimes was killed during a militaroperation over the weekend in an upland town in South Cotabato province, military officials said Tuesday.

Brigadier Gen. Pedro Balisi Jr., commander of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Brigade (1MBde), identified the slain rebel leader as Martin Min Fay, also known as Diego or Kidlat, who was with his group during the clash in Barangay Laconon, T’boli town, on Saturday.

Balisi said Fay, the subject of a search warrant, resisted and fired at government forces from the 1MBde and the Army's 5th Special Forces Battalion who were approaching his safehouse during the 5 a.m. operation.

“There was no casualty from the government side,” Balisi said in a statement. 

At the time of his death, Fay was the vice commanding officer of the front organizational command of the New People’s Army (NPA) Guerilla Front Musa under the Far South Mindanao Region.

There is no pronoucement that this is a big blow to the insurgency so maybe it's nothing?

Let's not forget the Muslim Insurgency.  This week at least 29 BIFF members surrendered. 

 https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195793

Twenty-nine members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have voluntarily surrendered with their firearms to authorities here, an Army official said Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. Leodevic Guinid, the Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team commander, said the surrenderers turned over assorted high-powered rifles, homemade explosive devices, mortar rounds and ammunition on Tuesday afternoon at the brigade headquarters in Barangay Pigcalagan here.

“I commend the decision of the surrenderers to lay down their arms and denounce the terrorist organization,” Guinid said in a statement.

The surrenderers belong to the BIFF-Kagui Karialan faction operating in the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and North Cotabato.

During the surrender rite attended by police, military, and local officials, Guinid urged the former militants to “tell your companions still out there to come forward, surrender and the government will help all of you become productive citizens.”

Datu Anwar Emblawa, Shariff Aguak's municipal executive secretary, handed over financial assistance to the former extremists who were from their town in Maguindanao del Sur.

Some 50 BIFF have surrendered to military forces in the area of operation of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division that included the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and parts of Sarangani, North Cotabato, and Lanao del Sur.

Abu Sayyaf remains active and is still causing trouble. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195708

An Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandit was killed while two soldiers were wounded in two separate clashes in the hinterlands of Sulu province, a top military official said Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, 11th Infantry Division commander, said the first clash broke out around 7 a.m. Monday in Barangay Kabbon Takas, Patikul town, Sulu.

Patrimonio said the fire fight ensued when the troops of the Army's 111th Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) and 32nd Infantry Battalion (IB) chanced upon the group of ASG leader Mudzrimar Sawadjaan while on a combat operation.

“Due to the superior firepower of the 111DRC troopers and 32IB, the enemies quickly withdrew,” Patrimonio said in a statement.

Another firefight ensued as the reinforcing 32IB troops chanced upon the fleeing ASG bandits, he added.

Patrimonio said the bandits are believed to suffered casualties.

While scouring the encounter site, the troops recovered the remains of an ASG bandit, an M-14 rifle, ammunition, an analog cellphone, and three backpacks loaded with assorted stuff and personal belongings.

Patrimonio said the slain ASG bandit was later identified as Rhudymar Habib Jihiran, one of the followers of Sawadjaan.

They only found one body but believe there were more casualties? Then where are the bodies? And just think if these terrorists surrendered they would be given free money, job training, and housing. 

Hi, my name is...33

Farmers are the most important and most neglected people there are in the Philippines. Without them everyone would starve. So say hello and thank you to these brave men, those who have not been murdered anyway!

Hi, my name is Jovanie Padere. I got in an argument with a fellow farmer and I chopped his head off. Some people called the cops after they saw me carrying a rice sack with the man's head. The cops were called and they tried to arrest me. When I fought back they shot me dead. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1727615/farmer-who-allegedly-beheaded-another-farmer-shot-dead-in-davao-de-oro

A farmer who allegedly beheaded another farmer was shot dead in Davao de Oro after he reportedly attempted to fight back authorities who tried to arrest him.

In a police report on Thursday, the Nabunturan Municipal Police Station (MPS) identified the suspect as Jovanie Padere.

According to the MPS, it conducted a response operation against the suspect after receiving a complaint about a hacking incident in Sitio New Badian, Bukal, Nabunturan on Wednesday morning from two witnesses.

One of the witnesses testified that he saw the suspect with a rice sack containing the head of another farmer.

This prompted police officers to respond to the scene, where they saw the headless body of the victim, identified as Joel Avila, 58. The headless body, according to police, was found in the ravine while its head was recovered more or less 500 meters away.

Authorities then received information that the suspect was located in a small hut near the crime scene. They proceeded to the site to arrest the suspect.

Upon their arrival near the hut, police officers asked Padere about the hacking incident but the suspect reportedly raised his bolo and rushed towards the law enforcers.

This prompted a member of the responding team to shoot the suspect, who instantly died.

Hi, my name is Michael Cardenas. I was out having a drinking session with two friends who are brothers. One of them was a soldier named Mark. He got real wasted and his brother Jomar advised him to stop drinking but he didn't take kindly to that. A fistfight ensued and Jomar pushed Mark into me. That was when I stabbed him repeatedly until he was dead. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1646057/police-hunt-down-farmer-for-slay-of-soldier-in-samar

Police are going after a farmer who allegedly stabbed dead a soldier during a drinking spree in Calbayog City, Samar on Thursday night.

The fatality was identified as Private First Class Mark Dian Fuentes, 32, and assigned to the 19th Infantry Battalion based in Matuguinao town, also in Samar.

Reports reaching the regional office of the Philippine National Police based in Palo, Leyte, said that the victim had a drinking spree with his elder brother, Jomar; an uncle; and the suspect, Michael Cardenas, 36, at past 9 p.m. at his house in Barangay Marcatingog, Tinambacan District in Tacloban.

The victim’s brother advised him to stop drinking as he was already drunk. However, this was misconstrued by the victim. A fist fight between the two ensued.

During the commotion, the elder brother pushed the victim towards Cardenas who stabbed the soldier repeatedly hitting him on his chest, abdomen, stomach, and front hip.

The victim was immediately brought by his relatives to the St. Camillus Hospital, Calbayog City but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

The  suspect fled towards an unknown direction.

Hi, my name is Mario Telibangko. As a farmer land is very important to me. If I don't have land then I can't grow crops and I can't make money. That's why the argument between me and my brother over land was so heated. In fact I got so angry that I hacked him the neck with a machete, killing him. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1947483/cebu/local-news/farmer-hacks-brother-in-law-to-death-while-arguing

A LABORER was killed by his own brother-in-law in Sitio Tagaytay, Barangay Pansoy in the northern town of Sogod, Cebu, on Tuesday afternoon, November 29, 2022.

The victim was identified as 41-year-old Froilan Orlanes, a resident in the area.

The suspect, Mario Telibangko, a 62-year-old farmer, continues to be at large.

According to Lieutenant Phil Restauro, based on their initial investigation, Orlanes had been drinking before the incident.

Around 4 p.m., he went to see Telibangko, who was feeding his goats.

The two ended up arguing.

Orlanes reportedly tried to physically intimidate the suspect, which irked the latter.

Telibangko pulled out a machete and hacked Orlanes in the neck.

Due to the size of the wound, Orlanes died.

“They had been at odds with each other. They were fighting over land,” Restauro said in Cebuano.

Hi, my name is Antonio Marquez Barcenal. Some neighbors wanted to ask my permission to hunt for boars on my property. Since I wasn't home when they came to ask they went hunting in my cornfield anyway. They heard a noise in the middle of the field and fired. When they went to inspect the fresh boar they had just shot they found me!

https://mb.com.ph/2022/12/02/farmer-mistaken-for-wild-boar-shot-dead-in-zamboanga-del-sur/

A 70-year-old farmer was shot dead after he was mistaken for a wild boar by a neighbor in Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Major Shellamie Chang, Police Regional Office-9 information officer, identified the victim as Antonio Marquez Barcenal.

Chang said farmers Limpiado Tapic and Dennis Bacus Laure sought Barcenal at his corn storage to ask for permission to hunt wild boars in his corn field. They did not find Barcenal there and proceeded to the corn field to hunt.

Tapic heard noise and fired at the middle of the corn field. He proceeded to inspect but found out that he had shot Barcenal by mistake.

The incident was reported the following day to the police.

Hi, my name is Ricardo Mendoza. I was out for a walk on Valentine's Day when I encountered a wild boar. He charged me and took a bite out of my right upper thigh. Then he wandered off and left me to bleed to death. A passer-by found me later. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/15/farmer-dies-in-wild-boar-attack-in-quezon/

The body of a 64-year-old farmer suspected to have been killed in a wild boar attack was found in a grassy lot on Valentine’s Day in Barangay Mangahan here.

Police identified the victim as Ricardo Mendoza, a resident of Barangay Mangahan.

Investigation said a passer-by found the body of Mendoza lying face down at about 5:30 p.m. The passer-by reported his discovery to the police who informed his relatives.

Police inspected the victim’s body and found what appears to be the bite of a wild boar in his right upper thigh.

Mendoza’s body was taken to a funeral home and subjected to an autopsy facilitated by the municipal health officer.

Hi, my name is Jerry Enisimo. I was riding my motorcycle to work when I happened to meet a guy in the middle of a sugarcane field. Our conversation quickly turned into an argument and he shot me once in the shoulder and in the head.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/01/14/farmer-shot-dead-in-negros-town/

A farmer was gunned down by an unidentified attacker at Sitio Ka Blas, Barangay Tabun-ac, Toboso, Negros Occidental on Friday, Jan. 13.

Killed was Jerry Enisimo, 45, of Barangay Tabun-ac.

Toboso police chief Maj. Jun Ray Batadlan said the victim was riding a motorcycle on his way to work when he chanced upon the suspect in the middle of the sugarcane field.

A heated argument allegedly ensued between them, resulting in the shooting incident, Batadlan said.

Batadlan said the suspect shot the victim in his left shoulder, and shot him again in the head when he fell from his motorcycle.

Police recovered from the crime scene two fired cartridges and a dud bullet of .45 caliber pistol.

Hi, my name is Clemente Cochapin. I went to go inspect my farm equipment one Sunday night to make sure everything was ready for the morning. But I never made it. On a path in a cornfield I was assailed and assaulted. I was hacked to death by an unknown person. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1717203/farmer-hacked-to-death-in-ilocos-norte-town

Police were hunting down the suspects in the fatal hacking of a 48-year-old farmer from Paoay town in Ilocos Norte province, police said Monday, Jan. 16.

Investigators identified the farmer as Clemente Cochapin. His body was discovered by a resident in a cornfield in the town’s Sta. Rita village.

Police said Cochapin went out at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday to check on his farm equipment.

“While on the pathway of the cornfield, he was hacked and stabbed by unidentified suspects,” police said in a report.

The police report noted that the victim sustained multiple wounds, causing his instantaneous death.”

Hi, our names are Sorbeto Quinto, Arnold Cullamar, and Erl Danielle Gulinao. Quinto was a barangay tanod who was gunned down. Guilano was a government worker who was gunned down on his way home. And me, Arnold Cullamar, I was a sugarcane farmer who was killed when someone barged into my house and shot me while I was asleep. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/02/03/2242119/batangas-village-watchman-shot-dead

A barangay tanod was killed in a gun attack in Batangas on Wednesday night, police said.

Sorbeto Quinto, 53, village watchman of Barangay Wawa in Batangas City, was about to enter his house at around 9 p.m. when the assailant appeared from behind and shot him in the head, Col. Pedro Soliba, Batangas police director, said.

Quinto was declared dead on arrival at the Golden Gate Hospital.

Meanwhile, sugarcane farmer Arnold Cullamar was sleeping when an unidentified man barged into his house and shot him at around 8:20 p.m.

In Bulacan, Erl Danielle Gulinao, 27, an employee of the Sta. Maria municipal government, was on a motorcycle on his way home when he was gunned down.

Hi, my name is Lopez Guiama. I was transporting a bag of cement back to my place in order to do some repairs when a motorcycle pulled up next to me and the guy riding tandem started firing. They did not kill me but only wounded me. I am part of a series of killings happening in Pikit. Last year there were 30 killings all of which remain unsolved. Pikit is part of the BARMM which is run by the MILF terrorist group. BARMM Minister and MILF Chairman Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim has thankfully assured everything these shooting and killings is not part of a Muslim-Christian war. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/17/situation-in-pikit-amid-spate-of-shooting-incidents-under-control-cppo/

The Cotabato Provincial Police Office has assured the public that the situation in Pikit, North Cotabato is still manageable amid the series of shooting incidents that left two minors dead and three others wounded in a span of two days.

Due to these series of shooting incidents, CPPO director Police Col. Harold Ramos said that combined police and military forces have beefed up their security measures in the municipality.

Ramos added they have intensified police checkpoints in all entry and exit points of Pikit.

On February 14, a 13-year old high school student was gunned down while he was walking with his fellow students on their way home. 

Police identified the lone fatality as Fahad Dilabuan Guiamalon while those injured were identified as Jenuar Abdul, 13, and Marjan Amerol Iskak 14.

On February 16, a 16-year old boy was shot by still unidentified assailants while sitting inside their store in Barangay Fort Pikit.

Earlier on the same day, a 42-year old farmer identified as Lopez Guiama was shot by riding-in-tandem suspects while transporting a sack of cement.

Guiama, who sustained a gunshot wound on his arm and neck, is now recuperating in a local hospital.

The police officer admitted that maintaining the peace and order in Pikit is generally challenging given its geographic location. 

“One big problem here is the proliferation of loose firearms in the area,” Ramos said over the phone.

Directors Guild of the Philippines Says Banning Movies Violates Free Speech

Let it be known I criticized the movie Plane before it was cool. Though it was tounge-in-cheek because it's an OK movie and represents Jolo as well as a Hollywood movie can be said to represent Jolo. Now Senator, actor, and pardoned criminal Robinhood Padilla wants the movie banned and condemned because he says it represents the Philippines in a bad light. According to Padilla the MTRCB said they would enact his proposal. 

https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/movies/2023/02/19/2246107/robin-padilla-says-mtrcb-commits-ban-movie-plane

Senator Robin Padilla on Saturday said that he received a response from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to ban the movie "Plane" from screening in local theaters.

"Yes. They told me, they talked to the distributor. And now we want to write to the producer himself," Padilla said in an interview with DWIZ.

The former action star said he met with the agency headed by chairperson Diorella "Lala" Sotto-Antonio in his office last Friday.

Holy moly they are going to be writing to the producer??  That would be.....a whole bunch of people including the star of the movie!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plane_(film)

Will Padilla and the MTRCB really be writing to and perhaps speaking with them? And what will each party say?  It's too ridiculous to comprehend especially since the movie has made double its budget and a sequel is in the works. 

The most interesting response to Padilla's call to ban the movie is from the Director's Guild of the Philippines. Note how Philstar uses the same graphic to illustrate both of these articles.  But admittedly they do have the better headline. 

https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2023/02/20/2246350/why-trolls-historical-revisionism-allowed-filipino-directors-question-banning-hollywood-film-plane

The Directors' Guild of the Philippines (DGPI) opposed the government’s plan to stop the theatrical release of the controversial Hollywood movie “Plane.”

In a statement released on their Facebook page, DGPI said that the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) already approved its release but politicians are just opposing it. 

“A proposed ban on the public exhibition of the film 'Plane' has been making the rounds of the news cycle,” DGPI said.  

"The Directors' Guild of the Philippines (DGPI) opposes to stop the showing of this movie, as we believe agency and free choice must remain with the public, rather than imposed by politicians. To out rightly ban the film, especially one already approved the MTRCB, is a cure much worse that the illness itself, injurious to free expression and sets a precedent for films to be held hostage by imagined slights to our country’s reputation,” it added.  

The DGPI also compared the movie to the fake news and troll armies who are revising history. 

"If the state can tolerate free expressions for trolls, fake news, and historical revisionism without worrying about their effect on the country's prestige, then the state can do the same for a work that members of the foreign press have regarded as mindless B-movie entertainment rather that a reliable commentary on our country's affairs,” it said.  

“We support allowing the film to screen, informing the public of any problematic claims it makes, inviting open debate, or simply ignoring the film altogether. But we stand against censorship or banning the exhibition of this film from screening,” it added.  

The petition was signed by DGPI president Mark Meily, board members Carlos Siguon-Reyna, Perci Intalan, Ed Lejano, Marlon Rivera, Roni Berfubi, Keith Sicat and Remton Zuasola.

What? Banning a movie is a free speech issue? Where were these guys when the MTRCB banned Uncharted, Abominable, and that Netflix show Pine Gap because they BRIEFLY showed China's 9-dash line?? Why can't the state tolerate China's 9-dash line being shown briefly in a film?  In some cases it was very relevant. But since these directors cannot be called upon to uphold free expression at all times they are not relevant at all. 

Supreme Court Declares The Marcos Family Has No Place in Philippine Society

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling stating that "a father who rapes his daughter has no place in society."

https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/12/father-who-rapes-own-daughterhas-no-place-in-ph-society-sc/

The Supreme Court (SC) declared: “A father who rapes his own daughter, whom he is supposed to protect, descends to a level lower than the lowly animal….”

“Such a ‘father’ deserves no place in Philippine society, whose fundamental law considers the family as a basic autonomous social institution and the foundation of the nation, recognizes the sanctity of family life, and cloaks with special protection the right of children against all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development,” the SC stressed.

With its declaration contained in a resolution made public last Feb. 9, the SC affirmed the two life imprisonments imposed on the father who sexually abused (incestuous rape) his own daughter in 2014 and 2016.

Case records showed that the victim’s parents separated when she was still young and when she was five years old her father was detained. Her mother started a new family. She stayed with her aunt.

When she was 13 years old, her father was released from jail and she was taken in his custody.

In her testimony before the trial court, she said she was raped by her father several times and could only recall two specific dates of the sexual abuse – Aug. 13, 2014 and Oct. 14, 2016.

Manila Bulletin decided not to publish the gory and revolting details of the sexual abuses.

After every abuse, she said she was threatened by her father not to tell anyone or she would be killed.

But after the Oct. 14, 2016 incident, she said she decided to tell everything to her neighbor whom she called “Ate” (elder sister) who helped her report the abuses to the police. 

While this is a disturbing story there is a parallel here with Bongbong Marcos who, as president, is the "father of the nation."

https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin/posts/10161810082992985

As a “proud” father of the nation, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. showcased the achievements of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in his latest vlog and vowed to protect their rights and the families they left behind.

His own father who was also president is also referred to as "father of the nation."

https://twitter.com/BeverlyB322/status/1523952999432744960

Father of the nation, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., Divine Justice is served by the will of the maharlikans and now it is time for your vindication.

It is beyond dispute that the Marcos family raped the nation of its wealth and stored it in offshore accounts. It is beyond dispute that Marcos even killed his enemies, those who exposed his crimes. It is beyond dispute that these activities have been proven in a court of law with Imelda Marcos being convicted and other cases where the Marcos family has been forced to give up their ill-gotten wealth. 

As father of the nation Marcos Sr. raped his daughter the Philippines. As father of the nation Marcos Jr. continues to deny that crime and defend his father. Yet the crimes have been indisputably proven. Based on the precedent of this Supreme Court ruling the Marcos family has no place in Philippine society. 

Retards in the Government 298

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

  

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1731687/village-councilor-3-drug-suspects-nabbed-in-bicol

A village councilor and three other drug personalities were arrested on Friday, Feb. 17, in buy-bust operations in the Bicol region, police said Saturday.

Colonel Julius Caesar Domingo, Camarines Sur police chief, said in a report that Noel Viñas, 47, was collared at 5:45 p.m. for selling a sachet of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P500 to an undercover agent in Barangay Kilomaon in Sagñay town.

Domingo said Viñas was an village councilor in the area and previously surrendered to the police at the height of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

During the body search, the authorities recovered two sachets of shabu worth P1,564.

A village councilor has been arrested on drug charges. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1731103/leonen-corruption-still-exists-in-courts

Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen urged lawyers on Thursday to speak out against corruption, saying it still exists in the government, including the judiciary, and remains “a significant factor in engendering inequality in our society.” “Impartiality suffers when corruption infects courts,” Leonen said at the 19th National Convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Davao City, according to a tweet by the Supreme Court public information office.

According to him, any court that is corrupt “becomes an instrument only by those in power and will favor only those who have resources.”

“A public office is always a public trust,” Leonen said, emphasizing that “corruption weakens the rule of law and therefore the confidence of people in the government.”

To lawyers attending the convention, he encouraged them to report any incident of corruption, especially when it involves attempts to rig decisions in cases, even including those pending in the high tribunal.

“No retired justice of the Supreme Court has control of any member of the [Supreme] Court, let alone a majority of the court,” Leonen said.

“Should any of them imply, should any of those that came from the judiciary imply that they can facilitate the outcome of a case pending in our court, you are obliged to report them to us, through the Office of the Chief Justice,” he added.

“This applies to any former member of the Judiciary who approaches you, be it a judge, former judge, a Justice of an appellate court, or of the Supreme Court,” he stressed.

Previously, Leonen said that keeping silent allows the abuse of the system to favor those who have the means, can legitimize greed and cause injustice.

With this, he urged lawyers and law students to have the courage to do what is right.

Supreme Court justice Leonen says there is still corruption in the judicial system. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/17/23/lanao-del-sur-governor-injured-4-others-killed-in-ambush

Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. was injured after unidentified gunmen ambushed his convoy Friday, police said.

Adiong and his staff member, Ali Macapado Tabao, sustained gunshot wounds and are now being treated in Bukidnon Provincial Hospital in Kalilangan town, according to the municipal police station.

Four others were reportedly killed in the ambush.

After attending an event, Adiong's convoy was ambushed at around 4 p.m. in Maguing town by unknown perpetrators, said the Police Regional Office - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The convoy was supposed to get to Wao town.

"Governor Bombit Adiong is safe and out of danger," the governor's office said Friday night.

Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. has survived an assassination attempt. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/18/village-chair-eludes-arrest-in-anti-drug-operation/

Police have launched a manhunt against a barangay chairman who escaped an anti-drug operation in Pikit, Cotabato on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Brig. Gen Jimili Macaraeg, Police Regional Office 12 director, said the suspect Sindato Karim eluded arrest after authorities stormed his house in Barangay Lagunde.

However, they arrested his wife, Nor-am, who yielded 30 grams of suspected shabu worth P130,000 and improvised explosive device.

Police tagged Sindato as a narco-politician involved in illegal drug trafficking in the provinces of Cotabato and Maguindanao.

Macaraeg said the Karims were placed under surveillance in the past months for their alleged involvement in illegal drug trade and other criminal activities.

Charges for illegal possession of prohibited drugs and explosive will be filed against Nor-am.

A village councilor tagged as a narco-politician and found to have drugs and an explosive device in his house has eluded capture by the police.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1731855/paranaque-mayor-13-others-face-graft-raps

Several officials of the Parañaque City government, including first-term Mayor Eric Olivarez are facing graft complaints before the Ombudsman for approving an allegedly “railroaded” contract worth almost P415 million with a new garbage hauler last year.

Aside from the city mayor, also named in the complaint were bids and awards committee (BAC) chair Voltaire dela Cruz; BAC vice chair Johnson Ong; and BAC members Rosa Rebecca Viñas and Josephine Mary Centena.

Also named as respondents were members of the BAC technical working group: Mark Espinosa, Kristine Joy Teston; Francisco Agamata; Ivan Hortilano; Maan Shayne Pausanos; Ricardo Factor; Ronald Austria; Danilo Nopuente; and Leonard John Navata.

In his 25-page compliant filed on Feb. 16, Genaro Clemente, Jr., a resident of Barangay San Antonio, urged the Ombudsman to put Olivarez and his co-accused under preventive suspension “in order to avoid the destruction or manufacture of evidence and to prevent them from threatening and harassing employees of the local government of Parañaque.”

Olivarez awarded the contract to Metrowaste Solid Waste Management Corp. on Dec. 27, 2022, amounting to P414,803,520.

This was just 25 days after the BAC published its call for bidding at the PhilGEPS website on Dec. 2, 2022.

Clemente claimed that Metrowaste failed to acquire the necessary documentary requirements of the bid, which resulted in garbage piling up in the streets of Parañaque during the holidays.

Last month, Olivarez ordered an investigation of possible “sabotage and deliberate acts” by Leonel Waste Management Corp. that resulted in pileup of trash during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Several officials of the Parañaque City government, including first-term Mayor Eric Olivarez are facing graft complaints over an allegedly anomalous waste management deal. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1732023/aparri-vice-mayor-5-others-killed-in-nueva-vizcaya-ambush

The vice mayor of Aparri in Cagayan and five of his companions were shot and killed by unidentified men clad in police uniforms and riding in a government car in Bagabag town in Nueva Vizcaya on Sunday.

Nueva Vizcaya police information officer Major Jolly Villar said in a phone interview that Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda, who is serving his third term as vice mayor, and five of his aides and companions were traveling in a Hyundai Starex van on their way to Aparri when they were waylaid by the gunmen in Sitio (sub-village) Kinacao in Barangay (village) Baretbet at 8:45 a.m.

Investigations revealed that the suspects were wearing police uniforms with masks and were using a white Mitsubishi Adventure with a red license plate number SFN 713, indicating that it was a government car.

The killers allegedly barricaded the section of street in front of MV Duque Elementary School in Baretbet. When Alameda’s car arrived, they peppered the vehicle with bullets.

The vice mayor and his companions died on the spot but were still taken to the Region 2 Trauma and Medical Center where they were declared dead on arrival. The report did not identify the names of the vice mayor’s companions.

The killers later fled going to Solano area.

The Vice Mayor of Aparri and five others have been killed after being ambushed apparently by members of the PNP. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1733744/300-unqualified-bucor-workers-face-termination

Over 300 Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) personnel who are in danger of being terminated next month for failing to earn a college degree and pass the civil service examination have asked for a two-year extension to comply with the law.

Under Republic Act No. 10575, or the BuCor Act of 2013, which took effect on March 15, 2018, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and possess the appropriate civil service eligibility. Current employees who do not meet the requirements were given five years or until March 15, 2023, to do so.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, lawyer Jose Ventura Asturias, the counsel of the affected personnel, some of whom have been with the BuCor for 30 to 40 years, said the two-year extension covers the period lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic, or from 2020 to 2022.

“The requirements, including off-campus programs and review classes, were not provided to the BuCor employees. The biggest justification [for their request] was the COVID-19 pandemic, where services provided by the BuCor and the CSC (or Civil Service Commission) were paralyzed,” he said.

He stressed that under the law, government agencies should help affected BuCor employees, saying they were hopeful of getting the support of new BuCor and Department of Justice officials.

According to Asturias, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had said that he would look into the matter.

“While there is already a law to be implemented, if its implementation becomes prejudicial and compromises those who are to be affected, then automatically there’s got to be a way to adjust it,” he said.

BuCor acting Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., however, seemed less sympathetic, saying that the bureau had “made rigorous efforts” to address the concerns of affected personnel.

300 BuCor personnel are about to be laid off for not meeting proper requirements for employment. Some have been with the bureau for 30-40 years and yet they were not grandfathered in.