A Dog's Life in the Philippines

In the Philippines dogs are routinely neglected.  Owners let their dogs roam free to dig through trash and mate with any other dog that comes by. Unrestricted mating leads to a plethora of puppies no one wants and no one cares for. They become strays and the cycle repeats itself.

Stray dogs frequently run and play near the highways so it was no surprise when I found a dead dog laying next to the curb while I was waiting for a jeepney.

20 April 2017

On closer inspection I could see that the dog was breathing. Barely. A conundrum arose: should I continue on my errands or should I try to save this dog's life?  Was he able to be saved?  There was no blood or sign of physical trauma but surely this dog was on death's door. 

I headed back to the house to retrieve the animal carrier so I could transport him home.

Physically the dog was fine. No broken bones, no cuts, no bleeding from the mouth or the anus. The problem seemed to be severe dehydration. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to take the dog to a vet just yet because the dog was too close to death we decided to call the vet for advice and he recommended we feed the dog liquids  We filled a syringe with water, sugar water, gatorade, yakult, anything with nutrients and forced it down his throat.

All of a sudden, after about 5 hours, the dog woke up and started screaming in the most mournful dog screams ever heard.  A real low painful howl that crawled up your skin. The dog was in shock and most certainly suffering psychological trauma. This was a good sign.  It showed the dog was reviving and could be saved.  So we took him to the vet.

20 April 2017

The dog came back with an IV in his paw and with a full examination done. The vet said there was evidence of broken bones in the dog's front shoulder but that the bones had healed. He also said the dog was severely dehydrated but that he was going to survive.

21 April 2017

21 April 2017

The difference between this picture and the very first picture is not so remarkable as might be imagined.  In the first picture, when I found the dog, he looks like he is hairless.  But he is not.  He is just wet. Someone tossed water on the dog to cool him off.  This means that the dog was likely placed on the side of the road and left to die. That is incredibly cruel.

The dog stayed in this condition with the IV in his arm for a few days gradually regaining his appetite and his strength.  Throughout the night the dog would emit the most dolorous howls because of the IV and the psychological trauma.

Eight days later the IV had been removed and the dog was able to sit up and eat normally.

29 April 2017

You can see the shock in this dog's blank thousand-yard stare.  He is back from the precipice of death.  He has seen and experienced things no dog should ever see or experience.

His legs were not very stable and he was still weakened from the being dehydrated but it was necessary to get him fully rehabilitated so we placed him a large open area where he could test his legs.

29 April 2017

Fast forward to May 11 and you can see that the dog is fully recovered from his ordeal.  His coat is colourful and he is walking around sniffing and exploring his new home. He even has a brand new collar.

11 May 2017

11 May 2017 

11 May 2017

I do not know for sure who this dog belongs to but I do have a very good idea. This dog will not be going back to them.  He does not deserve to be placed back in a home that will neglect him.

While this puppy has gotten a second chance at life many dogs are not so lucky.

Stray dogs roaming through neighbourhoods eating trash, spreading trash all over the roads, biting children, pooping everywhere, unrestrictedly mating, barking and disturbing the neighbourhood, is huge problem in the Philippines.  What's needed in the Philippines to curb the stray dog problem is the same kind of public awareness programs as in the West.  Dogs need to be neutered and spayed. Dogs need to be kept inside fences and fences need to be patched up and strong enough to contain a dog.  A flimsy fence that a dog can easily knock down endangers both the dog and the community.

The stray dog problem is solvable.  It starts with proper pet ownership.

For more information on proper pet ownership please contact the Philippine Animal Welfare Society.

http://www.paws.org.ph

https://www.facebook.com/pawsphilippines/

Does the Philippines Care about Protecting Its Children from Pedophiles?

The Philippines has a problem with child pornography and pedophilia.  In 2016 UNICEF declared the Philippines to be a global epicentre of online child pornography.  Sex tourists frequently come to the Philippines looking for children to abuse. What is being done about this problem and why is it not more in the public consciousness?

Let's look at three incidents that typify this problem.

1. Romeo Jalosjos

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/887285/child-rapist-jalosjos-seeks-pardon-so-he-can-run-again

Convicted child rapist Romeo Jalosjos is asking President Duterte to grant him absolute pardon in an apparent preparation for his plan to run in the midterm elections in 2019. 

In a public notice of the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP) published in newspapers yesterday, Jalosjos’ name was included as one of the 36 convicts seeking the President’s executive clemency this year. 

Jalosjos was released from the New Bilibid Prison in March 2009 after spending only 12 years in prison for raping an 11-year-old girl. 

His conviction in 1997 for child rape was commuted by his political ally, then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In 2013, the Commission on Elections disqualified him from the mayoral race in Zamboanga City because of his conviction. The Supreme Court later upheld the election body’s decision.

Romeo is currently barred from running in any elections because of his conviction for raping a little girl. Why does this man think President Duterte would grant him an absolute pardon? Does he really believe that Duterte would allow this man to place himself in a position of power which he could abuse again?  Does he think Duterte would turn a blind eye to his heinous crime because his "political ally" granted him a presidential pardon?

President Arroyo commuted Jalosjos’ original two life terms on June 13, 2007 to 16 years. In the original sentence, Jalosjos was also ordered to pay P400,000 in civil indemnity and P400,000 in moral damages. 

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/449593/jalosjos-convicted-rapist-walks-free

What would prompt him to run for office again? Does he think the Filipino people would vote for a child rapist?  Is it fitting that a child rapist should be the mayor of a city? Who would be proud to live in a city where the mayor is a child rapist? Does this man have no shame?  Does he have no remorse for his crime of raping an 11 year-old child?

And what about his victim?  Doesn't anyone care about the fact that he RAPED AN 11-YEAR OLD GIRL? What about the impact this would have on the victim?  What good does a full pardon do for the victim and the Filipino people?  This man should still be in prison serving his full term.

2. Child sex tourists

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-09/afp-250-australians-child-sex-convictions-travelled-philippines/6379794

About 250 Australians with child sex convictions have travelled to the Philippines in the last four years, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has revealed. 

Filipino police are currently pursuing a case against Australian man Peter Gerard Scully for what they allege are some of the worst child sex offences in the nation's history. 

The AFP was involved in the investigation and arrest and says 250 known Australian child sex offenders travelled to the Philippines in the past four years. 

A spokesman has told the ABC that Australia alerts Filipino authorities when a sex offender boards a flight, but it is up to them whether to refuse entry.

Why did Filipino authorities allow these sex offenders into their country? The authorities knew they were coming but declined to refuse entry. Why?

Seeing as how Australian national Peter Truong and his partner were both part of an international pedophile ring and seeing as how Australian national Peter Scully was in the Philippines since 2011 operating a large scale child pornography business and seeing as how the Philippines allowed 250 known child sex offenders into its country over a four year period between 2011- 2015 it is likely that there was (and still is) a pedophile ring operating between Australia and the Philippines.

http://archive.is/1KYJa

There is simply no excuse for this laxity. None.

3. UNICEF declares the Philippines a global epicentre of online child pornography

http://www.manilatimes.net/philippines-is-no-1-global-source-of-child-pornography/267148/

What are the causes of this problem?

“This has been going on a few years now, but we’re seeing more and more cases,” says Sarah Norton-Staal, Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF Philippines. “Increased Internet access and cheaper devices have brought poor communities online. The standard of English is very high and child sex offenders have been visiting since the 1970s. There’s a large Filipino diaspora that regularly sends money home from abroad. And there’s a culture of silence and deference to elders, which keeps abuse hidden. All of this contributes to creating an easy environment for criminals.”

https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/philippines_91214.html

An unintended consequence of the OFW culture has been the growth of online child pornography in the Philippines.  Millions of dollars are sent to the Philippines every year from overseas workers.  This has lead to a booming industry of remittance centres which in turn has made it easier for anyone from anywhere to send money to the Philippines. The financial infrastructure required to sustain the child pornography industry is well in place and will remain in place as long as the OFW culture continues.

Filipino culture, including poverty and not speaking out, also contribute to this problem. That means its not going away anytime soon.

At the Philippines Department of Justice, Assistant Secretary Monica Pagunsan says the government is taking a comprehensive approach to the issue. “The Philippines is said to be the top source of ‘child pornography’ globally,” she says. “The passage of an Anti-Child Pornography Law and creation of the Office of Cybercrime gave impetus to the campaign against online child sexual abuse. We have extradition treaties with at least 13 countries and work closely with Interpol.” 

However, despite these efforts, conviction rates remain low. Ms. Pagunsan highlights the need for greater cooperation with the private sector. “The government cannot do this alone,” she says. “We need help from the private sector, especially the telecom companies and Internet service providers. We’re concerned about the length of time it takes to remove content, identify victims and perpetrators, and preserve evidence.”

Passing laws will not help stem the tide if the community and if the telecoms do not help to end child pornography.

Blocking pornographic websites which do not host child pornography will not end child pornography.

Popular pornography websites XVideos, Redtube and Pornhub have been blocked by two ISPs in the Philippines. 

Customers of Smart and Sun Cellular said they could no longer access the sites on portable devices or desktop computers. 

Instead, users see a message saying the sites have been blocked because of anti-child-pornography laws. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38637003

Denying the problem will also not end the problem.

An official of the National Bureau of Investigation took exception to an assessment made by a senior official of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) who described the country as the “epicenter of live-stream sexual abuse.” 

NBI Cybercrime Division executive officer Victor Lorenzo said Unicef cited figures that were “way too high” compared to the volume recorded by his agency.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/789968/nbi-exec-disputes-unicef-data-on-ph-child-porn

Conclusion

There is a connection between the UNICEF report and the case of Romeo Jalosjos: culture.  There is no way Romeo would feel emboldened to ask Duterte for a full pardon so he can run for mayor if there were not a culture of apathy and absolute respect for elders in the Philippines whereby any and all crimes no matter how horrific are passed over in silence. How else does one explain the election of Joseph Estrada as mayor of Manila? This man was ousted from the Presidency, convicted of plunder, and pardoned by Gloria Arroyo, the same woman who pardoned Romeo Jalosjos, and yet he managed to win the mayorship of Manila.

From these three cases it certainly seems, despite the busts and crackdowns that have been made, that  ending child sexual abuse is not a priority for the Philippines and it is a gross crime to which Filipino society is willing to turn a blind eye. Duterte has not mentioned child pornography in his crusade against crime and corruption. His focus is on drugs. Yet the problem of pedophilia in the Philippines has grown to the point that the Philippines is now the global epicentre of child pornography.

If people do not speak up about these horrific abuses they will only continue to worsen. 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/american-expat-nabbed-child-porn-bust-philippines-article-1.3149392

Deakin’s arrest April 20 reveals one of the darkest corners of the internet, where pedophiles in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia pay facilitators on the other side of the world to sexually abuse children, even babies, directing their moves through online livestreaming services. 

The relatively new crime of webcam sex tourism is spreading rapidly, with new digital technologies sparking what the United Nations calls an “alarming growth of new forms of child sexual exploitation online.” The FBI says it’s epidemic, and that at any given moment, 750,000 child predators are online. 

Almost every case stems from the Philippines, where good English speakers, increased internet connections and widespread international cash transfer systems combine with widespread poverty and easy access to vulnerable kids. There have been as many as three busts a week there this spring. The youngest victim ever, rescued a few weeks ago, was an infant, two months old. Most are under 12.

Corrupt PNP Let Probable Pedophile Go Free!

A lady familiar to me because of her work with dogs posted a video on Facebook that showed an old American man with a southern accent offering 100$ for her friend's baby.  Of course such a video went viral:

http://pinoytrendingnews.net/tag/is-this-a-pedophile-to-you/

This lady went to the police the next day and gave them all the details about the situation.  After leaving the police station she ran into the guy again. Immediately she called the police and asked for their assistance.  Here is what she says happened:

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=636470116558757&id=379907168881721

Isn't that great?  This guy is caught on video acting suspiciously like a pedophile and the police won't do anything about it. Not even take him in for questioning.  Not even get a name!  So this nameless man is walking around town doing who knows what! Is he a child trafficker?  Was he joking?  Now we may never know!

What's all this nonsense about having a warrant anyway?  The Filipino justice system is all messed up.  Have they even heard of "probable cause?" 

This really makes me angry. The justice system here is all DIY as far as I have been told.  YOU have to file a report. YOU have to wait until an arrest warrant is made because the PNP cannot do anything without first your report and secondly the warrant. (I have heard of cases where a thief was caught redhanded but the PNP could do nothing until a report was first filed!)  YOU have to press charges.  YOU have to prosecute.  YOU have to hire a private lawyer to do the prosecution.  There is no state, no DA to do this.  It's no wonder the wheels of justice are ossified and rusted and do not move in this country.

Duterte-man where are you now?

This decision by the PNP to not bring this guy in for questioning and getting all his info is a major PHILIPPINEFAIL!!!

Even Filipinos Wish they Weren't Filipino

We all know the stereotype.  Just go to the mall and you will see it: an old white guy with a young Filipina.  It's what happens in the Philippines.  It's accepted for a white guy to prefer having a young Filipina cutie having off his arm.  But with the roles reversed it's apparently not acceptable anymore.

 

Lily May Mac is one of Instagram’s most followed darlings, with over 3 million fans and counting.Thanks to her social media following and popularity, she was able to collaborate with a few brands and eventually got the opportunity to launch her own makeup and lipstick collection. 

However, since she became Insta-famous, some redditors couldn’t help but wonder what she used to be like before she hit the jackpot, and what they dug up was not pleasant. 

From screencaps of Mac’s previous Twitter conversations years ago, she revealed her secret desire to be half white, her attraction towards white men only, and her prejudice against Asian men.

Uh-oh it turns out this Filipina model is a nasty, mean ol' racist!  And all because she prefers White guys to Asian guys.

Who knew that having a preference is racist?  Of course in this day and age if someone does not wish to have a relationship with anyone else they are either racist, sexist, homophobic, fat phobic, or any other number of -phobes and -ists.  Today people cannot have preferences.  If an obese, homosexual likes you and you don't like them back then you are in the wrong!

Why would she even have a particular dislike for Asian guys? She does not appear particularly Asian.

She was also previously slammed by Filipinos for allegedly concealing her roots. For those who do not know, Mac, whose birth name is Lily May Macapinlac, is pure Filipino. She moved to Australia with her family and has been living there since.

Wow she disguised her Filipno-ness!  Why would she do such a thing!?

Her mother also came under fire for criticizing Filipinos after she answered a question about Lily’s ethnicity. 

“Yes, she’s pure pinoy not really to be proud of cause of the mentality of the pinoy. That’s why we migrated to Australia,” an Elsie Ponio Macapinlac said.

Not proud to be Pinoy?? Because of the crab mentality??

This whole family is so not proud to be Filipino that they moved to Australia!

If even Filipinos don't want to be Filipno then what hope is there for the Philippines?

For a nation who can't take criticism of any kind, even from their own, there is no hope.

Filipinos Have Lost Their Minds

Agnes Callamard, at the invitation of the University of the Philippines, has been in the country to speak at the UP's drug policy forum. She is not in the country in an official capacity as a representative of the UN.  She is in the country as an academic to speak to other academics.

Agnes Callamard, United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, on Friday clarified that she is not on an official visit in the country. 

Callamard delivered the keynote speech in a two-day drug policy forum at the University of the Philippines organized by the Free Legal Assistance Group. 

Speaking to reporters, the UN special rapporteur said that she is only in the country to attend the two-day conference. 

"I am not here on an official visit. I am here in response to an invitation to participate to an academic conference," Callamard said. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also clarified that Callamard is not in the country for an official visit as such visit would have to go through diplomatic channels. 

Callamard stressed that she would not be conducting an investigation into the killings of drug offenders while she is the country.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/05/05/1697015/callamard-i-am-here-academic-visit

Agnes Callamard is a staunch opponent of Duterte's war on drugs and this opposition is enough to make her enemy number one in the eyes of Duterte's supporters.  Upon her arrival her Wikipedia page was altered to read:

“She is a highly paid consultant of the Liberal Party of the Philippines dedicated into overthrowing one of the best President (Duterte) the country has ever had.”

https://coconuts.co/manila/news/un-rapporteur-agnes-callamards-wikipedia-page-hacked-says-dedicated-overthrowing-president/

Many Filipinos are crying out to declare her "persona non grata."

But perhaps the weirdest and most incoherent bit of indignation aired against Agnes Callamard comes from Atty. Bruce Rivera.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10155336477039637&id=620699636

WOW! This is a whole lot of........huh???

"Your meddling is the real why terrorists are born."

Completely laughable. Atty. Bruce makes this outlandish claim and does not even tell us what he means.  What meddling? Her giving a speech at a University?  How would her speech give brith to terrorists? He does not say.

Does he know what terrorism is and how it functions?  Does he not know that terrorism in the Philippines is born of religious (Islam) and political/economic ideologies (NPA communists)?

"You come from a Western perspective and insist on the western concept of morality, values and freedoms. And if we do not follow you, you tell us it is wrong. But we are NOT the WEST. And we no longer want to be like you."

Does Atty. Bruce not realise that the Philippines has a Western form of government, economics, and religion?  Does he not realise that the Philippines is very much a Westernised nation?  Does he not realise that all the economic gains Duterete is working towards contribute to even more Westernisation?  Does he not realise that all the technology he uses and clothes he wears and even his mindset is entirely Western???

As an attorney is his training in purely Eastern jurisprudence or is it all grounded in Western concepts of law? Is he going to withdraw his support for federalism? Federalism is a very Western form of government.  Why does he say we no longer want to be like (the west) and yet is giving all his support to the federalist movement?  That's called hypocrisy.

"Our morality does not always involve organized religion. And our concept of public welfare involves listening to the voice of the majority and not just to the first one who whispers it to your ear."

When did Agnes Callamard bring up religion?  Being a modern Frenchwoman she is more than likely an atheist of some hue.

Is he saying that in the West the voice of the public and the majority is not taken into consideration? Does he even know how Western government functions? Has he heard of Brexit?

What's all the hubbub about morality anyway?  Atty. Bruce Rivera is a homosexual who masquerades as a "woman" named Minerva.

http://www.abogado.com.ph/bruce-is-now-minerva/
https://www.facebook.com/MinervaFuschia/

ATTY. BRUCE RIVERA HAS NO MORALITY!!

"And most important, our concept of independence does not involve always listening to what you have to say especially when situations are not the same. "

Another incoherent statement. Agnes Callamard is not forcing anyone to listen to what she has to say. Nor is she speaking in an official capacity for the UN.  SHE IS GIVING HER OPINIONS AT A FORUM TO WHICH SHE WAS INVITED!

"Ergo, you do not know shit of our problems so stop telling us what to do."

Now we get to the crux of the matter.

Filipinos cannot take criticism.  Of any kind.  Solicited or not.  If they hear you say something negative about the Philippines they will pull out the "persona non grata" card and wave it in your face.  It happened to Claire Danes.  Last year Donald Trump was threatened with the same card.

If you ask a Filipino to do anything (like if you politely ask your neighbour to please turn down their music so you can go to sleep) they will become very indignant and transform into the hulk and shout:

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!"

Atty. Bruce Rivera is so blinded by and full of Pinoy Pride that he cannot understand that Agnes Callamard is not telling Filipinos what to do.  She gave a speech at an academic forum and set forth her opinions.  If Filipinos want to implement her suggestions then fine.  If not then that is fine too.  She is not telling anyone what to do.

What we see in this tirade is nothing less than the mind of an overeducated Filipino going berserk and on the glitch. It's a temper tantrum more than a measured piece of criticism.  It's like someone poured a glass of water on a computer keyboard and out came a lot of drivel. Atty. Bruce has something to say but it's obfuscated by so much incoherence that it makes no sense. And it's also insincere.

He starts out:

"I mean this with no disrespect"

and ends with the very disrespectful remark:

"Ergo, you do not know shit of our problems so stop telling us what to do."

Neither intellectually honest nor professional.  

This guy is an attorney? Does he use this kind of language while arguing a case?

Now let's imagine Atty. Bruce Rivera, Mocha Uson, and every other Filipino who speaks out against so-called Yellow party conspiracies to destabilise the country and overthrow the government got worked up about issues that really matter and that have overtaken the Philippines.  Here is a sample list of things Filipinos should be very indignant about:

1. Child Pornography
2. Terrorism
3. Sexual exploitation of women throughout the country
4. The endemic corruption at every level of government
5. Chinese hostility

There is a power in the people.  If only Filipinos could harness that power and direct it in the right place then change might come.  Revolution is possible.  It has happened in Russia, China, Cuba, the United States. It can happen in the Philippines. Filipinos have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a country to win.

I will conclude with the musings of Alexander Solzhenitsyn on this power of the people.

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

ATM Brownout?

A while back I was having trouble finding a working ATM at the mall.  There used to be a line-up of four ATM's I could rely on but they were removed and replaced by four different machines in another place inside the mall.  None of the new machines accept my card and what used to be quite easy has become a bit of a hassle. I think the reason the machines don't take my card is because none of the replacement ATM's are affiliated with a bank.  So that leaves me with BDO.

There is a BDO branch in the mall but both of their ATM's were offline so I trudged back across the mall to where I knew there was a third BDO machine.  This is what I came across:

No Power? Brownout!?  The kiosk light is on!  What Brownout!??

  

It's scary enough having my card rejected by these machines because I'm not sure if it's the machine or if my bank has put a hold on my card because I have made too many withdrawal attempts. But stupidity like this is completely dumbfounding.

Well it was worth a laugh I guess.

I did manage to find a fourth BDO machine that was working.

But why is such a hassle to use the ATM in the Philippines in the first place? Why does the bank allow the machines to run out of money? Why is it always a gamble whether or not the machine is online? Why do people take so long to do one transaction? Why aren't there more ATM's to ease the long lines? Why did the mall replace four ATM's connected to major banks with four no-name ATM's that not everyone can use? Why do ATM's dispense only large bills for which no one has change?

Why have an ATM in operation if no one can withdraw money? What's the point of that? Who uses an ATM just to check their balance?

Just more questions with no answers.

Everything is Hearsay!

Critic of President Dutere and his war on drugs Agnes Callamard is in the country to give a speech at the University of the Philippines about the war on drugs.  Shenanigans ensued immediately upon her arrival.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/05/17/un-rapporteurs-wikipedia-page-defaced-upon-visit-to-ph

Hours after the arrival of Agnes Callamard in the Philippines, a paragraph accusing her of being "a highly paid consultant of the Liberal Party of the Philippines dedicated into overthrowing one of the best President (Duterte) the country has ever had" (sic) appeared on her Wikipedia page.

Who did it?  WHO CARES!?  

Duterte supporters will say the Liberals did it to discredit them.  Liberals will say Duterte supporters did it because they are intellectually dishonest.

Tis merely a symptom of the political disunity which has sharply divided the Philippines. Everyone  is a loser in this battle.

More important are remarks said by Salvador Panelo, Chief legal advisor to Duterte.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/156125/panelo-callamards-conclusions-drug-war-based-hearsay

“She just cannot come here and read newspaper reports and hear the talks of some critics and watch some videos and make a conclusion that there is something wrong the way this government is doing its job,” Panelo told reporters in an interview.

“First, how did she know that that’s the way the drug operations are being conducted? What’s the basis?” Panelo said. 

“What I’m questioning is the basis of her conclusion, which is based on hearsay and some reports coming from whoever and from wherever,” he added. “It’s not an independent study. It’s not an objective study. It’s just a conclusion on the basis of things that she heard.” 

“She was saying she read reports. She saw some videos. And on the basis of that, she made a conclusion that the operation against the drug menace in this country is wrong,” he added. “How can she make that kind of conclusion when she only read the reports of some people and saw some videos?”

Panelo says that Callamard cannot base her conclusions on newspaper reports or videos or on "things she has heard."  

She needs to be objective and have an indent study to ascertain the truth of what is really happening.  

Fair enough.  Right?  Wrong!

Go through those statements and replace "she" and "her" with "Filipino citizens" and "they."  The only way for anyone to know anything about what is going on with the government, with the drug war, with anything they are not personally acquainted with is through the media: newspapers and video and yes even "things they have heard."

What Panelo is admitting is that Filipinos, and the entire world, cannot trust Philippine media to tell the truth. That everything being reported in the media is a lie.  That the only way to know the truth is to actually investigate it for yourself.

Many would agree that the media is not reporting the truth.  

They are wrong.

Did Duterte visit the Middle East?  Did Duterte host the ASEAN 2017 summit? Has Duterte launched a war on drugs?  Did a former beauty queen get shot in the face?  Is Agnes Callamard in the country? Did Salvador Panleo make the statements above about Agnes Callamard? Is Abu Sayyaf expanding operations to the Visayas?

According to the newspapers and videos and "things people have said" the answer is "Yes."

According to Panleo the answer is "I don't know!"

This extreme skepticism is known as Pyrronhism.

The main principle of Pyrrho’s thought is expressed in the word acatalepsia, implying that one cannot possibly know the true nature of things. For any given statement the opposite may be advanced with equal reason. 

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pyrrho_and_pyrrhonism

Such skepticism serves no one and brings no one closer to the truth.

Those who like Panelo would abjure the media as nothing but lies are liars themselves and seek to cover up their misdeeds which the media reports.

"You can't trust the newspapers," they say in a newspaper article or in a news video.

And not seeing the irony, Filipinos nod their heads in agreement and post about it on Facebook.

Instead of rejecting the media outright and abandoning ourselves to skepticism let's learn how to read and discern properly.