Willful Ignorance

In a previous post I proposed that Duterte might be waking up to the very real threat ISIS poses to the Philippines.  It looks like I was wrong.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/888414/afp-chief-saw-no-terror-threat-day-before-bohol-clash

The Bohol fighting between government troops and suspected Abu Sayyaf men erupted on Tuesday a day after Armed Forces Chief Eduardo Año said that the military did not see any terror threat in the Philippines despite the recent warning by the US Embassy in Manila to Americans to avoid going to Central Visayas. 

“We have to be vigilant. We would like to encourage the public to report suspicious people, suspicious objects or circumstances so the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) can take immediate, fast counter actions,” Año told reporters during a pre-departure press briefing of President Duterte at the Davao International Airport on Monday. 

“But right now, we don’t see any terror threat,” the military chief added. 

President Duterte likewise downplayed the US travel warning, saying the government could handle any terror threats. 

“Kaya natin ang threat of terrorism. Why should you worry about the (US) embassy? I should be worrying about my country, not the (American embassy),” the President said. 

In its travel advisory on Sunday, the US Embassy cautioned Americans against traveling to tourist resorts in Cebu and Bohol in Central Visayas, citing “unsubstantiated yet credible information” that terrorists might kidnap foreigners there.

How is it that neither the chief of the armed forces nor Duterte didn't "see any terror threat" when both the US Embassy and the chief of the PNP confirmed that there is a threat? The Philippine Army has an intel problem.  They cant even see what is so plain to the entire world. 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/606521/news/nation/bato-dela-rosa-confirms-threat-in-central-visayas-but-says-pnp-ready-for-it

How can Duterte be so blithe regarding the threat warning issued by the US embassy? 

 "Why should you worry about the (US) embassy? I should be worrying about my country, not the (American embassy),” the President said." 

He should be worrying about his country.  He should be worrying about the threat that ISIS poses to the stability of his country. When the US Embassy issues a threat warning he should not brush it off as being of no substance. With information drawn from the CIA, the NSA, and numerous other black-ops organisations US intel is highly reliable. 

It's not just the US embassy that recognises the threat ISIS poses to the Central Visayas.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/clashes-in-bohol-spark-concerns-that-abu-sayyaf-may-be-moving-into-central-philippines

In 2014 Barack Obama made the grave mistake of underestimating ISIS as the JV team but he was wrong as they have proven to be resilient and effective killers. They have stated their goals for all to see.

ISIS makes no secret of its ultimate ambition: A global caliphate secured through a global war

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/11/middleeast/isis-syria-iraq-caliphate/ 

ISIS is in the Philippines and they are not going away. Until the president and the army take their heads out of the sand this threat will continue to grow.  They won't stop until they are dead or they have won. Send the whole army into Mindanao and destroy them all before it's too late.

Listen, and understand. ISIS is out there. They can’t be bargained with. They can’t be reasoned with. They don’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

Duterte is on a Fool's Errand in the Middle East

OFW's are routinely abused by their employers.  None more so than those who work in the Middle East.  Take this latest case.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/887697/drug-war-sends-ofw-rushing-home-for-son-who-couldnt-run

She said she learned about her son’s fate through a message sent by a niece on Facebook: “Tita, Raymart’s gone. Bonnet-wearing men killed him.” 

Her world shattered in an instant, Siapo asked her employer to allow her to leave immediately. The answer was no. 

She begged her boss for days and had to show online news of Raymart’s death as proof of the tragedy back home because her employer, cold and unmoved, kept saying that “you’re just making that up.” 

She was finally granted permission after going down on her knees to kiss her employer’s feet. 

Siapo arrived in Manila practically empty-handed; the employer asked her to leave her belongings behind as a sort of guarantee of her return to Kuwait. When met by her elder brother Bong at the airport, all she had was a handbag and two boxes of toys for her other child, a 10-year-old girl

Pretty disgusting.  She, ostensibly a Christian, was forced to kneel down and kiss her Muslim employers feet in order to come home to bury her dead son. What an outrage.  This kind behaviour is typical of the abuse that OFWs endure at the hands of Muslims.

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/balikbayan/110485-ofw-rina-saudi-arabia-dies

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/599120/news/pinoyabroad/abused-ofw-from-kuwait-admitted-to-mental-hospital

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/597866/news/pinoyabroad/ofw-allegedly-abused-by-employer-dies-in-kuwait-nbsp

You can read more about abuse of Filipino OFWs here: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6g/entry-3921.html

A simple Google search for "abused OFW Middle East" brings up 675,000 results! 

Clearly there is a problem with Muslim employers in the Middle East abusing their Filipino guest workers.  Reforming the system that allows these abuses is one reason why Duterte is visiting Saudia Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.

President Rodrigo Duterte will leave for the Middle East today for a weeklong state visit that aims to secure good working conditions for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Labor Secretary Silverstre Bello 3rd said Sunday. 

We are going for a bilateral agreement with these countries concerning our household service workers (HSWs). We are eyeing fixed minimum salary rate for HSWs, insurance coverage, securing a day off and fixed working hours,” Bello said in a phone interview with The Manila Times. 

http://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-middle-east-trip-boon-ofws/321924/

I will make a bold prediction: agreements will be drawn up and signed but horrendous mental and sexual abuse will continue. Why?  Because the Muslims do not see the Filipinos as people.  Filipinos are Christians and therefore kafir.  

The language of Islam is dualistic. As an example, there is never any reference to humanity as a unified whole. Instead there is a division into believer and kafir (unbeliever). Humanity is not seen as one body, but is divided into whether the person believes Mohammed is the prophet of Allah or not. 

Kafir is what the Koran and Islam call the unbelievers. Kafir is the worst word in the human language. 

The word kafir should be used instead of “unbeliever”, the standard word. Unbeliever is a neutral term. The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life. Kafirs can be tortured, killed, lied to and cheated. So the usual word “unbeliever” does not reflect the political reality of Islam.

https://www.politicalislam.com/kafir/ 

This idea of "kafir" is also why Duterte's quest to "seek their support for our efforts to bring just and lasting peace in Mindanao" is a fools errand. 

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/10/17/duterte-leaves-for-middle-east-to-seek-support-for-peace-efforts-in-mindanao

But there is an even more disturbing reason why seeking support for peace efforts in Mindanao is pointless.

The Philippines is fighting Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao. This group has aligned itself with ISIS and Saudia Arabia and Qatar are both financing ISIS!

http://www.salon.com/2016/10/11/leaked-hillary-clinton-emails-show-u-s-allies-saudi-arabia-and-qatar-supported-isis/

Duterte is a tough guy when it comes to the war on drugs.  He is so tough he says outright that he will kill drug pushers and users.  Why can't he be that tough in the war against ISIS?  

There is no compromise with ISIS and there is no peace with the kingdoms who support and finance ISIS.  Duterte has no business seeking peace in the Middle East because none will be found.  The best thing he could do for the Philippines is to recall and ban all OFWs from working in the Middle East.

There is no peace with Islam.

Duterte says "Hello America"

At first he was like:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/150839/duterte-says-bye-bye-america

But then he was all:

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/09/17/duterte-calls-on-us-to-help-fight-terrorism

So what's it going to be?  He can't have it both ways. What would prompt such a change? I think it's because the Philippines is finally waking up to the real threat that ISIS poses to both the country and  the  SEA region.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/06/17/bi-officers-nab-2-suspected-isis-members

The arrest for the first time confirmed earlier suspicion that the militant group, responsible for deadly attacks in key cities around the world, had reached the Philippines. 

Confirmed for the first time?  First time? Abu Sayyaf publicly pledged allegiance to ISIS last year.

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1980725/southeast-asian-islamic-state-pledges-allegiance-abu-sayyaf

Just a few days ago it was reported that ISIS fighters returning from the Middle East would be regrouping in the Philippines.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/04/04/1687663/returning-fighters-regroup-philippines-experts

Battle-hardened Southeast Asian Islamic State (IS) fighters returning from the Middle East following the group's setbacks are expected to rebase in Mindanao, a security conference heard Tuesday.

Instability and the easy flow of weapons have made Mindanao and nearby Philippine islands attractive to extremist groups, said speakers at the Milipol conference on homeland security in Singapore.

"Currently, IS is moving towards creating a territory in southern Philippines. The most recent communication issued by IS has announced that they have formally declared an East Asia division of IS in the southern Philippines," counterterrorism analyst Rohan Gunaratna told the conference.

"Our forecast for 2017 is that the threat in this region will grow because of the creation of an IS nucleus in the southern Philippines," added Gunaratna.

"The instability in the southern Philippines and the availability of weapons, internal displacement, refugee flows... create the ripe conditions for foreign terrorists to come," he told AFP after his speech.

Abu Sayyaf's modus operandi is kidnapping foreigners and holding them for ransom. The threat from this group has moved from the fringes of Mindanao to the Central Viayas.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/606521/news/nation/bato-dela-rosa-confirms-threat-in-central-visayas-but-says-pnp-ready-for-it

Is the Philippines finally waking up to the threat that Abu Sayyaf poses? It seems so.  It also seems that Duterte realises the Philippines cannot contain this problem on their own.  They simply do not have the firepower.  Or the troops.  They are resorting to using civilian militiamen rather than only professional soldiers.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/04/10/1689559/3-militiamen-killed-11-others-injured-basilan-clash

The military said soldiers from the 4th Special Forces Battalion and members of the the civilian active auxiliary (CAA) were on patrol after setting up their detachment when they encountered the Abu Sayyaf group at Barangay Cabcaban around 7:15 a.m.

Why is the Philippine Army using civilian soldiers?  What is stopping them from sending every professional soldier into Mindanao and absolutely destroying Abu Sayyaf?

We all do stupid things we later regret and of which we repent. Hopefully Duterte's repentance is genuine. History, past and present, has shown that the Philippines cannot fight terrorism on its own.  They have neither the firepower nor the will.  If they had the will they wouldn't be waking up just now to the fact that ISIS has established itself in the Philippines and poses a grave threat to the country and the region.

On the other hand the United States has no obligation to help the Philippines. Can they even trust the waffling Duterte? Without a declaration of war by the US Congress any military action would be unconstitutional.  A little known fact is that the US has not declared war since WW2.  That makes every conflict since then illegal.

Surely the USA can help out by providing logistical and tactical support and arms rather than putting troops in a another Southeast Asian jungle. It remains to be seen what kind of aid will be provided and what Duterte will accept.

Let's hope this is a prelude to victory against ISIS in the Philippines.

This is What Happens When You Politely Ask Your Neighbour to Turn Down Their Karaoke

Today a neighbour celebrated his 60th birthday. By 9pm the party had been going on for 12 hours. I was headed to slumberland except for the loud music barring my entrance.  So I walked over to my neighbours house and politely asked them to turn down their karaoke so I could get some sleep.

Thirty minutes later this happens:

A loud motorcycle, a thrown bottle, and a kick at the gate to the house.  I got to the window just in time to see two men speed off.  I couldn't make out who they were but I knew where they came from.

Despite the people at the party admitting the thrown bottle came from them the police could do nothing because I could not identify the assailants.  But the police did admonish them to turn down their karaoke because they had received other complaints.

So this is where politeness gets you in the Philippines. 

Nowhere.

Here They Come to Save the Day

The call has been heard and now the troops are coming to the aid of Senator Leila De Lima.

http://interaksyon.com/article/138317/global-interparliamentary-body-to-visit-de-lima-conduct-fact-finding-mission-on-leilas-case

What is the Inter-Parliamentary Union?

The IPU is the international organization of Parliaments (Article 1 of the Statutes of the Inter-Parliamentary Union). It was established in 1889.

The Union is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy.

To that end, it:

• Fosters contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experience among parliaments and parliamentarians of all countries;
• Considers questions of international interest and concern and expresses its views on such issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians;
• Contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights - an essential factor of parliamentary democracy and development;
• Contributes to better knowledge of the working of representative institutions and to the strengthening and development of their means of action.

http://www.ipu.org/english/whatipu.htm

Sounds like a whole lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.  So they foster dialogue between governments in an effort to further the cause of democracy in the world.  Their website lists "women in politics", "human rights", "sustainable development", and "education, science, and culture" as a few of their main areas of activity.  http://www.ipu.org/iss-e/issues.htm

That is a far cry from the initial reason of its foundation:

The organisation's initial objective was the arbitration of conflicts. The IPU played an important part in setting up the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Over time, its mission has evolved towards the promotion of democracy and inter-parliamentary dialogue. The IPU has worked for establishment of institutions at the inter-governmental level, including the United Nations, an organization with which it cooperates and with which it has permanent observer status.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Parliamentary_Union 

Basically the IPU is just another worthless international governmental body.  Human rights and women in government?  Members of the IPU include Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, and Myanmar as members. Those are countries known for their disdain of both human rights and women in government.

Now forgive my ignorance but I have never even heard of this body until today. Not even during my schooldays when studying WW I and the League of Nations did the IPU cross my radar. Why is that? It's because the United Nations does exactly what they do on a much larger scale which makes the IPU even less relevant than the UN. The IPU may have been first but the UN has taken the lead.  The IPU has permanent observer status at the UN and the two organisations work together closely. Seems like the IPU might as well be absorbed into the UN somehow.  

Here is the document where the IPU recommends inquiring further into De Lima's case. The section concerning her starts on page 33.

http://www.ipu.org/pdf/hrres200-en.pdf?utm_source=Inter-Parliamentary+Union+%28IPU%29&utm_campaign=cf9a2e712a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_04_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d1ccee59b3-cf9a2e712a-258895453

I will spare you from having to read the whole thing and tell you that it ends with 11 statements wherein the IPU expresses deep concern, regular concern, wishes for more details, and a request that the case continue to be examined with a visit to the Philippines to meet with the Senate, De Lima, and her lawyers recommended.

In short it's a whole lot of hot air. It's less than sound and fury signifying nothing.  It is pure bureaucratic nonsense and gibberish, a thick fustian of bombast, and the most pompous baboonery typical of any government document. These resolutions resolve to do nothing more than to continue gathering facts of which it already has plenty. What more will a visit to the Philippines get them?  A good tongue lashing from Duterte no doubt.

Robredo appeals to the UN in a video. De Lima looks to the EU Parliament and the ICC to secure her release.  And this is the international body coming to the rescue of Senator Leila De Lima? The irrelevant and invisible Inter-Parliamentary Union? It's like asking the President to send the Army but instead he sends the Cub Scouts.

What a joke.

This is What Foreign Intervention Looks Like

In 2013 the world was up in arms that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons in his war against the rebels.  The world hemmed and hawed and spoke out passionately and said "Something Must be Done" but ultimately did nothing.  Two days ago another alleged chemical attack occurred and this time the United States intervened unilaterally.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/04/06/trump-launches-tomahawk-missile-strikes-after-syria-chemical-attack.html

Let this be a reminder to Leni Robredo that this is what foreign intervention looks like.  You call to them and then they bring out the big guns and shoot you down all in the name of peace and safety and humanity.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/880967/robredo-slams-drug-war-calls-for-intl-scrutiny-on-crackdown-2

What does she seriously expect the international community to do?  There is no talking to Duterte. In very plain, foul, and harsh language he has already told the EU, the UN, and the USA (under Obama) to back off and keep their noses out.  So what other option is left but force?  

Robredo, De Lima, Trillanes, the Conference of Bishops, and everyone else who is appealing to the international community for help had better watch out.  They might just get their wish.

The Philippine Basketball Association is an Advertising Gimmick

Basketball is so popular and important to the national consciousness of the Philippines that in 2014 special legislation was passed making NBA player Andray Blatche a Philippine citizen just so he could play on the national team during the FIBA World Cup because having a tall black American on the team would surely guarantee winning the championship.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2014/05/27/welcome-to-the-philippines-andray-blatche-is-granted-citizenship-to-play-for-countrys-national-basketball-team/

The Philippines did not win the FIBA World Cup.

Nevertheless basketball remains an integral part of Filipino culture. But there is one crucial difference between basketball in the Philippines and basketball in the USA: there are no city-name teams!

In fact all the teams in the Philippines are corporate owned entities that represent a brand. They are a part of the marketing and advertising arm of each corporation.  Check out these brands, I mean teams:

Rain or Shine Elastometric Waterproofing Paint

Pure Foods Hot Dogs

Batangas International Port

Alaska Powdered Milk

San Miguel Brewery

It's a genius move for any advertiser. Filipinos are consumed with basketball and by watching these teams the brands are constantly in their heads. The sheer cost of running a team are made up by the returns in sales and reduction in advertising overhead. Don't take my word for it.

“It’s an advertising vehicle first and foremost,” PBA Operations Director Rickie Santos told BusinessWorld in an interview, wherein he discussed the intricacies of owning a PBA franchise.

“In the PBA [companies] have advertising mileage. We have the television coverage. We have the radio coverage and the newspapers. On game day itself there are already stories, which we call ‘advancers.’ Then the game stories,” Mr. Santos said. 

He said that while it takes no small amount of money to maintain a PBA franchise -- P100 million alone for a franchise fee apart from the operational costs -- companies however are not left short-changed. 

“What teams spend on their operations are already part of their advertising costs,” Mr. Santos said. 

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Weekender&title=pba-as-a-marketing-platform&id=101335

An outsider would laugh and scoff at the team names and the whole set up but not Filipinos. In the Philippines the marriage of basketball and advertising is normal.

What do fans think of team names in the PBA? Do they cringe, or at least chuckle, when an announcer introduces the Burger King Whoppers? Hardly: These are just the names of companies and products that pop up in everyday life. Bartholomew, who was introduced to the PBA when doing a Fulbright in the Philippines, says that he found the names to be distractingly amusing at first, but that they have come to seem normal enough. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/05/philippine-basketball-association-weird-team-names/484733/ 

Exposure to any situation long enough will lend a semblance of normalcy. While there are pluses about having corporate sports (would there even be professional basketball teams in the Philippines if they weren't owned by corporations?) there is also a big minus.

The marriage of basketball and advertising reduces the relationship between the teams and the fans to one that is purely economic. Each corporation has converted the athletes into its paid wage labourers. Each player becomes a salesman when he wears his branded jersey.  Athletic ability is cultivated not for its own sake but because winning games translates into sales.  The need to be selling its constantly expanding product lines causes each team to frequently change its name with the advent of a new product to sell. With corporate teams there is no rooting for the home team or hometown pride for having a winning team. Rather, the corporations have torn away from basketball its sentimental veil, and have reduced the team-fan relation to a mere money relation.

Is this how Filipinos want to be thought of?  As degraded entities whose essential value lies in their function as consumers? To have the game of basketball falsified into a means of consumption? Must everything in this country be a lie? 

Filipinos may not care or have even given it much thought but the current PBA system is dehumanising and can only be called sport in the most peripheral way. To quote the PBA Operations Director once more:

“It’s an advertising vehicle first and foremost.”