Happy Marawi Siege day everyone! Let's eat some cake and celebrate.
Mmm doesn't that look delicious? The good folks at Goldilocks sure do know how to bake a cake and properly decorate it. That chocolate icing is very thick. Let's dig in.
Now maybe you are asking what is so Happy about Marawi Siege Day? It was a day of woe and lamentation of blood and bodies, of gunpowder and smoke, a song of fire and ice. True enough the shrieks of the dying and the burst of machine guns were heard throughout the city and people ran away in terror not knowing what was happening. Of course some stuck it out for a few days because they didn't take it seriously because they were accustomed to hearing the gunshots of rido and thus had no idea that war had come to town.
What makes Marawi Siege Day a Happy Day, a day that will live in the complete opposite of infamy, is that it marks a new beginning and new beginnings are always worth celebrating. First of all take the city and her people. Marawi was destroyed and the people fled to refugee camps where they lived and some still live, in tents for months. If you want to know what your life is made of and what is really important the hardship of having to flee everything couldn't possibly be a better teacher. One Marawi refugee said, “We have nothing left except my children. They are my only priceless possession.” Having had to divest themselves of everything all those refugees now know what is most important in life. It will be a lesson not soon forgotten.
With the city completely destroyed a new one will rise out of its ashes. A city built by Chinese contractors using only the best Chinese technology and latest Chinese designs. Maranaos need not worry about submitting designs or plans to rebuild their city. They have been through enough. It's better to let foreigners do all the heavy lifting and thinking. Sure there has been some delay because the companies chosen did not have the proper permits despite having begun clearing operations but good things come to those who wait. The longer the refugees of Marawi wait for their homes to be rebuilt the better those homes will be. If it had not been for the siege those refugees would still be living in the same homes they had been living in for generations. Now there are better, more modern homes to come just around the corner. By 2022 for sure.
How about the brave men and women who fought in the Battle of Marawi? Both sides fought valiantly. The Maute group to establish a caliphate in the city and the AFP to take back what Maute had stolen. During this fight the AFP experienced their very own new beginning by having to relearn urban warfare which they stopped training for sometime prior to the siege. If it had not been for the siege the AFP would have remained without the skill set required for urban warfare. Now not only are they trained in theory but in actual practice. The Philippine Military Academy has even began offering a new course inspired by the Marawi siege, the Bachelor of Science in National Security Management and they are also "integrating urban warfare training in the curriculum to make future [military operations] successful." If anyone dares lay siege to a city again the AFP will be quick on their toes to cast them out.
Maute didn't exactly experience a new beginning due to the Marawi siege. They basically ended. But ISIS has had somewhat of a new blossoming in the Philippines precisely because the actions of Maute showed just what is possible when a happy few, a band of brothers work together towards a common goal. Jihadis from Europe and Middle East are not flocking in droves to the Philippines just yet but they are coming to Mindanao one by one. Even former AFP Chief Galvez stated, "The greatest threat we have now is really ISIS." That is a testament to resiliency.
Don't forget about the people of Mindanao. The whole of Mindanao. In his infinite wisdom President Duterte declared martial law over the entire island and not just the area of battle. For two years now Mindanao has been under martial law. The result has been very happy. Crime is down and tourism and investments are up. Even economic development was spurred on by the imposition of martial law. The people love martial law and rightfully so. Without it Mindanao would still be a violence plagued island full of terrorism, rido, kidnapping, and which many foreign governments warn their citizens to avoid completely.
Duterte also benefited greatly from the Marawi siege. For months since before he was even a candidate for President he had been mulling over declaring martial law if he in fact ever became president. Then with the attack in Butig in November 2017 he told DND Secretary Lorenzana to prepare for a future declaration of martial law. Without the Marawi siege Duterte would never have had that opportunity. And as noted above without that declaration peace would not have come to Mindanao. It would still be a land plunged into chaos.
The Marawi siege also gave Duterte a chance to put his China first policy into action. What better way to say "F-you America," than to take all the free weapons and intel offered by the US Army and yet publicly declare not only disdain for the US military by denying he sought their help but also that the Chinese and Russians lended help at the most crucial moment of the siege? Even going so far as to say that a Chinese made weapon fired the shot which killed Isnilon Hapilon. What better way to snub the Americans than to sign the EDCA and take in billions in free money for the Marawi rehabilitation but hand the job of rebuilding to the Chinese even as China continues to encroach on Philippine territory in the WPS? If there is one thing Duterte is good at it is sleight of hand. The whole nation has watched him pull a Chinese rabbit out of his hat but no one saw him deftly pull Operation Pacific Eagle out of his sleeve.
There is one person you may not realise to whom the Marawi siege and the subsequent declaration of marital law has been good. That would be me.
Yes the Marawi siege has been a happy event to me as well as to Duterte and the people of Marawi and Mindanao. Every week since the beginning of the siege I have written a martial law update on this blog. Taking the most important and sometimes least noticed stories of the week I have expertly crafted them into easy to follow narratives. During the siege each column was about the progress that AFP had made that week. After the siege there has been time for reflection and looking back into the causes of the Muslim insurrection, the rise of ISIS, the ARMM, the CPP-NPA, and a host of other issues relevant to the broader war on terrorism in the Philippines. I have learned quite a lot about Mindanao and her MILFs and MNLFs since beginning to write about them each week. I don't want to brag but I think I just might be an expert on the MILFs by now.
Out of the martial law column I write each week has been borne what I think is my best article on the whole blog. Best because of it's importance and the time I put into it. That would be "Intelligence Failures and Prior Knowledge of the Marawi Siege." The article is basically a transcript of a video I made. A video which took a month to compile and edit and make all nice and neat. The video tells the story of a tiny island nation whose military and defence department is aware of an impending terrorist attack. The President is also aware of this attack. But no one does anything to stop it. Not only that but foreign intelligence agencies attempted to warn this nation of the same attacks but the tiny island nation ignored them completely. Meanwhile in the city which was about to be attacked many of the residents knew that terrorists were stockpiling weapons but they were sure they would be spared because they shared the same religion as the terrorists. I don't want to give too much away but suffice it to say the video is about the Philippines and how the Duterte administration knew in advance about the Marawi siege and did nothing to stop it. Give it a watch if you haven't.
The information in that video is truly a bombshell. Duterte, Abella, Lorenzana, Calida, and Bato all admit prior knowledge of the attack. Lorenzana claims the DND had a man inside the Maute Group. He also admits that they ignored foreign intel reports. Duterte blames the Maranos as being in cahoots with the terrorists and the Maranaos admit to Presidential Peace adviser Dureza that they did in fact know terrorists were stockpiling weapons but thought they would be spared because they too are Muslims. Former ARMM Assemblyman Adiong admits that everyone in Marawi knew about Maute and their ISIS connections.
Those are bombshell revelations that should be prompting the Senate and professional investigative journalists to investigate what happened in the lead up to Marawi. Sadly nobody cares. And I should know. I see how many views that video and the accompanying article get. I see the responses I receive when I post those links on Twitter. Nobody cares. Not the people, journalists, investigative reporters, pundits, bloggers, or politicians. Nobody!
I have to ask myself are Filipino journalists so air headed and stupid that they would ignore this report I have put together and sent to them on multiple occasions? Are they too busy trying to pry open Duterte's bank accounts and verifying fake videos of drug allegations and crying over enemies lists to see what is right in front of their faces? Are they too stupid to realise that the things I have compiled together they have reported on yet they completely memory-holed them? Is the Senate too dumb to realise finding out just what happened that allowed the siege to occur despite the AFP having prior knowledge of the event is an important matter of national security?
If George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld and Cheney and Powell and Rice and all those people said they knew the 9/11 attacks were coming and that they ignored foreign intel reports about these same attacks and that there were intelligence failures which allowed the attacks to happen and that they even had men inside the group which carried out the attacks and airline employees admitted they knew the attacks were being planned but said nothing do you not think the Americans would have been calling for their blood? Would not "Bush Administration Knew About 9/11 Attacks in Advance" have been the headlines 24/7? I am not talking about crazy conspiracy theories I am talking about the very words of Duterte, Lorenzana, Calida, and Bato in which they plainly declare they knew about the attacks in advance and intentionally ignored all warnings and intelligence!! How is that not news worthy or worthy of a Senate investigation?? The Senate should have initiated an investigation as a matter of course once the siege ended!!
What the hell is wrong with these people!??
Wow. I should stop. Where is the happiness now? I said this was Happy Marawi Siege Day and now I'm all worked up about people not reading the blog of an unknown anonymous person because it is telling them something important like the Duterte administration is 100% complicit in what happened to Marawi and offering indisputable proof. I need to step back and take a break and calm down.
How about another slice of cake?
The Marawi siege also gave Duterte a chance to put his China first policy into action. What better way to say "F-you America," than to take all the free weapons and intel offered by the US Army and yet publicly declare not only disdain for the US military by denying he sought their help but also that the Chinese and Russians lended help at the most crucial moment of the siege? Even going so far as to say that a Chinese made weapon fired the shot which killed Isnilon Hapilon. What better way to snub the Americans than to sign the EDCA and take in billions in free money for the Marawi rehabilitation but hand the job of rebuilding to the Chinese even as China continues to encroach on Philippine territory in the WPS? If there is one thing Duterte is good at it is sleight of hand. The whole nation has watched him pull a Chinese rabbit out of his hat but no one saw him deftly pull Operation Pacific Eagle out of his sleeve.
There is one person you may not realise to whom the Marawi siege and the subsequent declaration of marital law has been good. That would be me.
Yes the Marawi siege has been a happy event to me as well as to Duterte and the people of Marawi and Mindanao. Every week since the beginning of the siege I have written a martial law update on this blog. Taking the most important and sometimes least noticed stories of the week I have expertly crafted them into easy to follow narratives. During the siege each column was about the progress that AFP had made that week. After the siege there has been time for reflection and looking back into the causes of the Muslim insurrection, the rise of ISIS, the ARMM, the CPP-NPA, and a host of other issues relevant to the broader war on terrorism in the Philippines. I have learned quite a lot about Mindanao and her MILFs and MNLFs since beginning to write about them each week. I don't want to brag but I think I just might be an expert on the MILFs by now.
Out of the martial law column I write each week has been borne what I think is my best article on the whole blog. Best because of it's importance and the time I put into it. That would be "Intelligence Failures and Prior Knowledge of the Marawi Siege." The article is basically a transcript of a video I made. A video which took a month to compile and edit and make all nice and neat. The video tells the story of a tiny island nation whose military and defence department is aware of an impending terrorist attack. The President is also aware of this attack. But no one does anything to stop it. Not only that but foreign intelligence agencies attempted to warn this nation of the same attacks but the tiny island nation ignored them completely. Meanwhile in the city which was about to be attacked many of the residents knew that terrorists were stockpiling weapons but they were sure they would be spared because they shared the same religion as the terrorists. I don't want to give too much away but suffice it to say the video is about the Philippines and how the Duterte administration knew in advance about the Marawi siege and did nothing to stop it. Give it a watch if you haven't.
The information in that video is truly a bombshell. Duterte, Abella, Lorenzana, Calida, and Bato all admit prior knowledge of the attack. Lorenzana claims the DND had a man inside the Maute Group. He also admits that they ignored foreign intel reports. Duterte blames the Maranos as being in cahoots with the terrorists and the Maranaos admit to Presidential Peace adviser Dureza that they did in fact know terrorists were stockpiling weapons but thought they would be spared because they too are Muslims. Former ARMM Assemblyman Adiong admits that everyone in Marawi knew about Maute and their ISIS connections.
Those are bombshell revelations that should be prompting the Senate and professional investigative journalists to investigate what happened in the lead up to Marawi. Sadly nobody cares. And I should know. I see how many views that video and the accompanying article get. I see the responses I receive when I post those links on Twitter. Nobody cares. Not the people, journalists, investigative reporters, pundits, bloggers, or politicians. Nobody!
I have to ask myself are Filipino journalists so air headed and stupid that they would ignore this report I have put together and sent to them on multiple occasions? Are they too busy trying to pry open Duterte's bank accounts and verifying fake videos of drug allegations and crying over enemies lists to see what is right in front of their faces? Are they too stupid to realise that the things I have compiled together they have reported on yet they completely memory-holed them? Is the Senate too dumb to realise finding out just what happened that allowed the siege to occur despite the AFP having prior knowledge of the event is an important matter of national security?
If George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld and Cheney and Powell and Rice and all those people said they knew the 9/11 attacks were coming and that they ignored foreign intel reports about these same attacks and that there were intelligence failures which allowed the attacks to happen and that they even had men inside the group which carried out the attacks and airline employees admitted they knew the attacks were being planned but said nothing do you not think the Americans would have been calling for their blood? Would not "Bush Administration Knew About 9/11 Attacks in Advance" have been the headlines 24/7? I am not talking about crazy conspiracy theories I am talking about the very words of Duterte, Lorenzana, Calida, and Bato in which they plainly declare they knew about the attacks in advance and intentionally ignored all warnings and intelligence!! How is that not news worthy or worthy of a Senate investigation?? The Senate should have initiated an investigation as a matter of course once the siege ended!!
What the hell is wrong with these people!??
Wow. I should stop. Where is the happiness now? I said this was Happy Marawi Siege Day and now I'm all worked up about people not reading the blog of an unknown anonymous person because it is telling them something important like the Duterte administration is 100% complicit in what happened to Marawi and offering indisputable proof. I need to step back and take a break and calm down.
How about another slice of cake?
Have a Happy Marawi Siege Day and never forget what the Freemasons, such as DND Secretary Lorenzana, say: "Ordo ab Chao" and "Lux e Tenebris." Order out of Chaos and Light out of Darkness. Surely a new and greater Marawi will be born out of the Chaos and Darkness of the old one.
