Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Martial Law: NGO's and the Peace Process

Because I ended last week's martial law update with a note about a CIA linked organisation, The Asia Foundation, being involved in the peace process I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the many foreign NGO's and local groups working for peace in Mindanao and elsewhere in the Philippines. The questions asked about each group will be as follows:

1. Who are they?
2. Where are they located?
3. What are their sources of funding?
4. What are their goals?

This list will not cover every single group but hopefully it will cover those of most importance. Especially when it comes to financing the name of the game is discretion which means even the revealed sources of funding won't necessarily be all the sources of funding. At this point I do not think it would be wise to make any predetermined conclusions or bold claims about these groups. Let's just look at the information and see what it has to reveal.

The first group to look at is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation or OIC. 



This group helped negotiate the Tripoli Agreement between Marcos and the MNLF which eventually paved the way for the ARMM.
In July 1975, in a second acknowledgment of the MNLF’s status, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)—an international body of Muslim states and institutions later known as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—officially recognized the MNLF as the legitimate representative of the Moro separatist movement. The OIC urged the Philippine government to reach a political settlement with the MNLF.
http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/379
The OIC is still active in the peace process today with the last update on their page specifically about their involvement being from 2016. OIC Continues Engagement with the Peace Process in Southern Philippines. The MNLF is the recognised by the OIC as the only official Moro organisation from the Philippines and in March 2019 Misuari attended two OIC conferences.

The founding history and goals of the OIC is as follows:
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world. 
The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 12th Rajab 1389 Hijra (25 September 1969) following the criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
https://www.oic-oci.org/page/?p_id=52&p_ref=26&lan=en
The OIC is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Funding likely comes from member nation dues but I cannot find any definitive information.

Next is the Mindanao Peaceweavers.


This is an umbrella organisation composed of seven different groups.
Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW) is a convergence of peace advocates in Mindanao. It was conceived during the “Peace in MindaNOW Conference” held in Apo View Hotel, Davao City on May 13-15, 2003, and convened by seven (7) peace groups that coalesced in the spirit of cooperation, complementation and concerted action towards a common advocacy peace platform. It currently represents the broadest network of peace constituency in Mindanao cutting across NGOs, academe, religious, human rights groups, peoples organizations and grassroots communities in advancing a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Mindanao. 
It envisions to promote unity, information-sharing and coordination among peace advocates in the areas of humanitarian protection, peace and human rights advocacy, peace talks and ceasefire monitoring, and peacebuilding. It seeks to engage government and revolutionary armed groups in the formal peace talks, implement civilian-led ceasefire monitoring and broaden the peace constituency. The Mindanao Peaceweavers’ launch pad in pursuing joint-coordinated peace advocacy was the campaign calling for a Bilateral Ceasefire between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The seven groups are:
Inter-religious Solidarity Movement for Peace
Agong Network
Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society
Mindanao Peace Advocates Conference
Mindanao Peoples Caucus
Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement 
Mindanao Solidarity Network 
Four groups are listed as being the secretaries of the Mindanao Peaceweavers and they are not the same as the founders.
Initiatives for International Dialogue
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Mindanao
Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN) Mindanaw
Technical Assistance Center for the Development of the Rural and Urban Poor (TACDRUP)
Both the Initiatives for International Dialogue and Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement appear on the 2009 project list of CIA founded group The Asia Foundation while the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society appear on the 2010 project list. Catholic Relief Services receives some funding from USAID which has links to the CIA.

Next is the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute which is located in Davao.


The Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) is an Asian training institute grounded in the Mindanao, Philippines, context that provides a space for people of diverse backgrounds to gather together, share and learn in a safe environment where all viewpoints are encouraged and respected. MPI is a resource for peacebuilders: providing skills, conducting research and building solidarity within the Asia-Pacific Region. 
MPI was established in the year 2000 through the collective effort of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to bring together peacebuilders of diverse cultures from the Asia-Pacific Region to participate in its annual peacebuilding training. Since its inception, MPI has been a meeting point of peacebuilders from countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji Islands, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, USA, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The MPI is a school for training peace builders.  Their international partners include:
Bread for the World – Protestant Development Service
Catholic Relief Services
DKA - Austria
Elizabethtown College Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking
Mennonite Central Committee
Northeat Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute
Summer Peacebuilding Institute
United Methodist Church - USA
Philippine partners include:
Ecosystems Works for Essential Benefits, Inc.
Mindanao Peaceweavers
Pikhumpongan Dlibon Subanen, Inc.
Mindanao Peaceweavers and Catholic Relief services are both listed as partners and both receive money from CIA linked organisations.


UK based charity Oxfam is also involved in the peace process in the Philippines.


We will work towards the transformation of ideas, beliefs and institutions ot end violent conflict and promote sustainable peace in the Bangsamoro by:
  • Young men and women recognise the identity, diversity, and unique needs and aspirations of the Bangsamoro;
  • Bangsamoro leaders and citizens develop and implement inclusive development plans and achieve greater social accountability;
  • Essential services that support human development and gender equity are prioritised and resourced to benefit women in the Bangsamoro.
https://philippines.oxfam.org/what-we-do/we-work-peace
According to their latest annual report Oxfam receives grants and funding from governments, corporations, and trusts including UNICEF, USAID, EuropeAid, Asian Development Bank, Paypal, Unilever, Google, Comic Relief, and The World Bank.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue is another big player in the Philippines Peace Process.

This group, located in Switzerland, first became involved in the Philippines in 2005 helping to negotiate the release of Misuari from detention. They also set up the Peace Working Group which was later renamed Tumikang Sama Sama which brings local native Tausug groups together to solve their differences. In 2007, after the collapse of the Memorandum on Ancestral Domain, they created the International Contact Group. This group is comprised of:
the Governments of Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom as well as international non-governmental organisations: Conciliation Resources, Muhammadiyah and the Community of Sant’Egidio (an original member, the Asia Foundation later joined the Third Party Monitoring Team in 2013).
https://www.hdcentre.org/activities/philippines-mindanao/
Funding for the CHD comes from a variety of sources.
In 2016, HD’s annual income reached CHF 31 million from 25 government, private foundation, organisation and individual donors including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the European Union, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Peace Support Fund, the Bosch Foundation, the Hoffmann Foundation, the Third Millennium Foundation, Humanity United, the United Nations, and the City of Geneva.
https://www.hdcentre.org/who-we-are/about/
Peering back behind the curtain to 2004 we see that CHD received funding from USAID and the Rockefeller foundation both which have connections to the CIA.

https://web.archive.org/web/20060701000000*/http://www.hdcentre.org/Funding
How much funding is still received, if any, from USAID and the Rockefeller Foundations is unclear.

As for the International Contact Group it consists of:

Conciliation Resources
Muhammadiyah
The Community of Sant’Egidio
The Asia Foundation was an original member and we will look at TAF separately.

Conciliation Resources is a UK based NGO which does work in West Africa and other conflict ridden areas.
Conciliation Resources is an international organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies. We work with people impacted by war and violence, bringing diverse voices together to make change that lasts. 
Working across society, we connect community perspectives with political dialogue. Learning from peace processes around the world, we share experience and expertise to find creative solutions to violent conflict.
https://www.c-r.org/who-we-are
Their latest audited account is from 2017. Sources of funding range from USAID, the NED, and various embassies. For their work in the Philippines they list the following as their sources of funding:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Department of Foreign Affairs, Canada
UK Aid
European Union
United Nations Development Programme
https://www.c-r.org/downloads/Directors’%20and%20trustees’%20report%20and%20accounts%202017.pdf
Muhammadiyah is an Islamic NGO based in Indonesia.
The organization was founded in 1912 by Ahmad Dahlan in the city of Yogyakarta as a reformist socioreligious movement, advocating ijtihad - individual interpretation of Qur'an and sunnah, as opposed to taqlid - the acceptance of the traditional interpretations propounded by the ulama. Since its establishment, Muhammadiyah has adopted a reformist platform mixing religious and secular education, primarily as a way to promote the upward mobility of Muslims toward a 'modern' community and to purify Indonesian Islam of local syncretic practices.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammadiyah
Exact funding for this NGO is not clear but they have received grants from USAID and AusAid.

The Community of Sant’Egidio is a lay Catholic group.
Sant’Egidio is a Christian community born in 1968, right after the second Vatican Council. An initiative of Andrea Riccardi, it was born in a secondary school in the centre of Rome. With the years, it has become a network of communities in more than 70 countries of the world. The Community pays attention to the periphery and peripheral people, gathering men and women of all ages and conditions, united by a fraternal tie through the listening of the Gospel and the voluntary and free commitment for the poor and peace.
https://www.santegidio.org/pageID/30008/langID/en/THE-COMMUNITY.html
Funding for this group is not easily available but USAID is interested in partnering with them.


The Third Party Monitoring Team is the next group to take a look at.


The purpose of this group is as follows:
An independent body mandated by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to monitor, review and assess the implementation of all GPH-MILF signed agreements, including in particular the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its annexes.
It is composed of four NGOs.
United Youth for Peace and Development, Inc.
Gaston Z Ortigas Peace Institute
IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation
The Asia Foundation
UNYPAD is a group based in Cotabato City. Their stated goal is:
The UNYPAD envisions to be an excellent youth development center that works for the attainment of a prosperous and peaceful society and champions just and holistic approach to developments.
http://unypad.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/UNYPAD-Org-Profile-2018.pdf

Funding for their projects comes from the following sources:
The Asia Foundation
The European Union
Save the Children Philippines
EU via the United Nations Development Programme
UNICEF
The Asia Foundation in partnership with the Australian Embassy
The Asia Foundation through generous support of United Kingdom's Department for International Dev. Program Partnerships Agreements (DFID PPA)  
The Embassy of Japan
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) thru TAF 
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ("FAO")  
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)  
Latter Day Saint (LDS) 
Lutheran World Relief (LWR)International Organization for Migrants (IOM) 
The Asia Foundation (TAF)/USAID
That is just a sampling from 2018. Of course TAF and USAID are CIA linked organisations and thrown into the mix are the Lutherans, Mormons, Canadians, Australians, and the UN.

The Gaston Z Ortigas Peace Institute's mission is as follows:

The Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute commits to provide, nurture and shelter for Philippine Basic Sectors and Citizen Peacemakers in the search for, creation of, and insistence on the peaceful settlement and transformation of conflicts, even as it continuously organizes a constituency committed to freedom and social justice.

https://gzopi.wordpress.com/about-gzo-peace/brief-history-vision-and-mission/
They are also associated with Ateneo de Manila University. I cannot find anything about their funding.

The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is a Turkish NGO located in Istanbul.
IHH has been working since 1992 with the purpose to deliver aid to all people who are in need, who had a catastrophe, who are victims of war, natural disaster, etc. or wounded, crippled, starved, homeless and persecuted thereof, wherever they are regardless of their religion, language, race or sect and to prevent the violation of the basic human rights and freedoms of those people. IHH’s voluntary relief activities have evolved to an official organization in 1995 and spread around five continents as it established a bridge of goodwill stretching from Turkey to 135 countries and territories.
https://www.ihh.org.tr/en/about-us
This foundation is a member of:
  • United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) membership of a consultant status
  • Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) membership of a consultant status
    •
  • Organization of Islamic Cooperation Humanitarian Funds (OICHF) councillorship
    •
  • Humanitarian Forum (THF) membership
    •
  • Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (IDSP) membership
    •
  • Turkey Voluntary Agencies Foundation  (TGTV) membership
    •
  • International Council of Voluntary Agencies
    • https://www.ihh.org.tr/en/about-us
    As for funding:
  • In 2014 had reported income of 411.4 million Turkish lira (~$141.8 million) and reported expenses of 372.8 million Turkish lira.
  • According to the New York Times (June 1, 2010): “The organization is funded entirely on donations…money that comes from Turkey’s religious merchant class, an affluent section of Turkish society that has brought the party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to power.” Another Times report expanded on IHH’s “extensive connections with Turkey’s political elite,” and cited a Turkish paper’s editorial that referred to IHH as a “governmental-nongovernmental-organization” (GNGO).
    • https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/ihh_insani_yardim_vakfi_/
    Interestingly this NGO is a member of the Union of Good.
    IHH is a member of the Union of the Good, an umbrella of 50+ Islamic organizations, which was designated by the US government as “an organization created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization.”
    https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/ihh_insani_yardim_vakfi_/
    The Union of Good's executive leadership and board of directors includes Hamas leaders, Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), and other terrorist supporters. The secretary general of the Union of Good, for example, also acts as the vice-chairman of the United Kingdom-based Interpal, which was designated in 2003 for providing financial support to Hamas under the cover of charitable activity. As of mid-2007, this official served on the Hamas executive committee under Hamas leader Khaled Misha'al.
    https://web.archive.org/web/20090403105313/https://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/hp1267.htm
    Is a terrorist organisation actually part of the peace process in the Philippines?

    Finally there is The Asia Foundation.


    TAF is an NGO based in San Fransisco. Their website relates the following about their founding and mission:
    In 1954, a group of forward-thinking citizens who shared a strong interest in Asia, distinguished personal achievements, and dedicated public service established The Asia Foundation— a private, non-governmental organization devoted to promoting democracy, rule of law, and market-based development in post-war Asia.
    The truth is a lot more storied as TAF started out under a different name.
    "The Asia Foundation (TAF), a Central Intelligence Agency proprietary, was established in 1954 to undertake cultural and educational activities on behalf of the United States Government in ways not open to official U.S. agencies."
    The Asia Foundation is an outgrowth of the Committee for a Free Asia, which was founded by the U.S. government in 1951. CIA funding and support of the Committee for a Free Asia and the Asia Foundation were assigned the CIA code name "Project DTPILLAR".
    In 1954, the Committee for a Free Asia was renamed the Asia Foundation (TAF) and incorporated in California as a private, nominally non-governmental organization devoted to promoting democracy, rule of law, and market-based development in post-war Asia.
    Aside from the US government TAF receives funding from a variety of private donors, governments, and corporations including The Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation, Starbucks, Asian Development Bank, UNICEF and the European Union.

    The TAF then takes that money and distributes it amongst the many programs they work with throughout Asia. TAF's annual project list only dates back to 2011. Looking back we see the following groups TAF partnered with in regards to the peace process over the past decade.

    2011
    Basilan Advocates for Peace, Environment, and Sustainable Development Association Inc.  
    Mangungaya Center for PALMA Inc. 
    Ranao Institute for Peace and Development, Inc. 
    Ulangig Mindanao Inc. 
    Young Moro Professionals Network

    https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/ProjectList2011FINALWEB.pdf
    2010
    Ateneo de Zamboanga University
    Basilan Advocates for Peace, Environment, and Sustainable Development Association
    Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace in the Philippines, Inc.
    Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA)
    Bangsamoro Muslim Aid Phils., Inc.
    Bishops-Ulama Conference
    Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Inc.
    Government of the Republic of the Philippines Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities; Institute of Bangsamoro Studies
    Integral Development Services Philippines, Inc.
    Liguasan Youth Association for Sustainable Development, Inc.
    Magungaya Center for PALMA Inc.
    Mindanawan Community Development Organization, Inc.
    Mindanao Economic Development Council
    Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Centre
    Peace and Development Advocate League, Inc.
    Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc.
    Philippine Political Science Association
    Reconciliatory Initiatives for Development Opportunities, Inc.
    Research, Education, and Institutional Development Foundation, Inc.
    Regional Conference on the Role of Religious and Community Leaders in Advancing Development in Asia
    Sultan Kudarat Descendants Organization of the Philippines
    Sustainable Alternatives for the Advancement of Mindanao, Inc.
    The Samdhana Institute
    Ulangig Mindanao, Inc.
    United Muslim Professional for Peace and Development Association
    United Youth for Peace and Development
    https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/2010ProjectList.pdf
    Similar project lists can be found for 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005. TAF supports governance programs, economic programs, as well as conflict resolution initiatives throughout the Philippines. Many of these are one-off's such as support for a TV debate forum on ABS-CBN titled, "Mindnano: The Way Foraward" in 2009. 

    What can we learn from all this?  For one thing the same groups, notably the UN, the EU, and the US government, are funnelling enormous sums of money to various NGO's in the Philippines to facilitate the peace process. Many of these NGO's are also funded by corporations and private foundations. The money trail leading to the Philippines is surely tangled and complicated. Even aside from the peace process foreign NGO's are funding many projects in the Philippines. Vice President Leni Robredo's Angat Buhay program has the US embassy as a financial backer.
    Vice President Leni Robredo awarded here Thursday 10 youth groups P25,000 cash each in support of their peace-bulding programs addressing violent religious extremism. 
    The selection of the 10 organizations, from among 28, was premised on extensive assessments initiated during a prior Angat Buhay Summit facilitated jointly by the Office of the Vice President and the executive department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. 
    In a statement, the Bureau of Public Information-ARMM said it was the United States embassy that provided for the cash awards Robredo released to the 10 peace-advocacy groups. 
    The US Embassy is a key benefactor of the Angat Buhay program of Robredo’s office.
    In 2019 her goal is to find more partnerships abroad to sustain Angat Buhay. Does receiving foreign aid for her pet project make her a puppet? Are all the groups which receive foreign funding puppets? The Philippine government receives millions each year from the EU and the USA who also provides military training and equipment. Is the Philippine government a puppet?

    I would say no. It takes more than funding to make one a puppet. To be a puppet means one is doing the bidding of the one handing out the money. If any of these NGO's are puppets and puppet masters it would require a lot more investigation to figure out the details. More than mere guilt by association. That does not mean some NGO's  in the Philippines are unwitting puppets. When Trump threatened to cut foreign aid to Central American countries who did not stop sending illegal aliens the USA Sen. Bob Mendez had this to say:
    "U.S. foreign assistance is not charity; it advances our strategic interests and funds initiatives that protect American citizens,” Menendez said. "This latest reported move shows the Administration still does not understand that the United States cuts foreign aid to Central America at our own peril."
    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-administration-says-it-will-cut-foreign-aid-guatemala-honduras-n989246
    That is quite a revelatory statement. Just how it applies to the Philippines, what strategic interests are being advanced, I do not know but it is not out of the question that foreign NGO's funded by the US government and other governments are doing that very thing. Why has peace in Mindanao become a global concern? How does peace in the Philippines benefit the West? Surely foreign governments are not giving billions to NGOs working the Philippines out of the kindness of their hearts.
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    Monday, May 13, 2019

    A Bato Mural

    Out of the blue a Bato mural popped up downtown.


    It's a moving tribute to the former PNP Chief and Senatorial aspirant but this looks less like Bato and more like a horse.


    Again out of the blue and apparently overnight this Bato mural was altered. Maybe the artist reconsidered his depiction of Bato with a horsey grin and wanted something more realistic.


    That is certainly a realistic depiction but not of Bato. 


    In this altered version not only has Bato been transformed into Bruce Willis but he has also been forced into the background. Whereas in the first version BATO was writ large in huge capital letters now his name relegated to a tiny caption under his chin. BACOLOD has been substituted for BATO which doesn't make any sense if this mural is to be a tribute to Bato.  He is not from this city. Even the horse faced Bato looked more like Bato. 


    I am sure the real Bato would not be displeased. After all it is the thought that counts.


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    Election Campaign Poster Violations Bingo

    Now that the election campaign season is over don't count on any of the myriad of campaign posters being removed anytime soon. Many of them will stay up until the wind blows them away or the sun rots them through. The proliferation of so many posters transforms the cityscape into a sight even more ugly and crowded than is usual. Also many of the posters have been hung in areas forbidden by Comelec rules. How hard is it to not hang a poster on a tree or an electrical post?  Here is huge display in a very public space informing electioneers of where to not hang their banners.



    Let's see how many violations we can find. Can we get a bingo?

    1. Trees



    2. Light Posts


    3. Traffic Signs

    4. Waiting Sheds




    5. Sidewalks

    6. Bridges

    7. Overpasses and Underpasses

    8. Road Centre Islands

    9. Electrical Wires




    10. Schools




    11.  Barangay Halls



    12. Health Centers

    13. Public Shrines




    14. Public Transport Terminals

    15. Airports

    16. Seaports

    17. Government Patrol Cars, Ambulances

    18. Trains and Their Stations

    19. Public Announcement Boards



    How does the board look now?  Is there a bingo?


    Sadly there is no bingo. Only 8 of 19 prohibited spots have been crossed off but that is merely from my observations. I am quite sure elsewhere in the country, like Manila, I could have gotten not only a bingo but covered the whole board.

    A word about number 19 though. The category is "public announcement boards" and is illustrated by a picture of a billboard but the picture I have included is a public announcement board letting the public know about ongoing construction projects. I think it falls under the category so it's staying.

    Even though I did not get a bingo maybe you can get one. Take notice as you go about town and mark off each violation you see. You could be a winner!
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    Saturday, May 11, 2019

    Picture of the Week: Elsagate

    I was at someone's house and a little girl was watching a video on a phone with the volume kind of loud.  So I leaned over her shoulder to see what was on Youtube and I was pretty shocked by what I saw.


    That is an Elsagate video. What is Elsagate you ask?
    Elsagate is a neologism referring to the controversy surrounding videos on  and YouTube Kids that are categorized as "child-friendly," but which contain themes that are inappropriate for children. Most videos under this classification are notable for presenting content such as violence, sexual situations, fetishes, drugs, alcohol, injections, toilet humor, and dangerous or upsetting situations and activities.
    The videos often feature popular characters from family-oriented media, sometimes via crossovers, used without legal permission; the term itself is composed of Elsa (a character from the Disney animated film Frozen, who is frequently depicted in such videos) and -gate (a suffix for scandals). However, the Elsagatecontroversy has also included channels such as Toy Freaks that do not feature child-/family-friendly characters but real children, and have raised concern about possible child abuse. 

    Most videos in this category are either live action films or crude digital animations, although a few channels have been using more elaborate techniques such as clay animation. Despite YouTube's age restriction policies, these videos are sometimes tagged in such a way to circumvent the inbuilt child safety algorithms, even making their way into YouTube Kids, and are thus difficult to moderate due to the large scale of the platform. In order to capture search results and attract attention from users, their titles and descriptions feature names of famous characters, as well as keywords like "education," "learn colors," "nursery rhymes," etc. They also include automatically-placed ads, making them lucrative to their owners and YouTube. Despite the objectionable and often confusing nature of these videos, many attract millions of views.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate
    In a nutshell these are videos directed towards children featuring well-known characters involved in inappropriate situations that are not child friendly. In the video the little girl was watching a pregnant mermaid was put in jail by a witch and two sisters were fighting over the same witch's broomstick with both sisters ending up bloody.  The background music was a loud pop song before it switched to a tranquil version of London Bridge is Falling Down.  That is as much as I saw before mom snatched the phone away so she could make a call.

    I have read about these videos before and watched a few but never did I think I would see a child actually watching one. What this means is that mom and dad don't know what their little girl is watching on Youtube. They are handing her the phone and using it as a babysitter. 

    Obviously this kind of situation is not unique to the Philippines. But here is the thing. Mark Zuckerberg has used the Philippines as a testing ground to roll out free Facebook an internet access to the entire nation. That has radically changed the way people communicate with each other and experience the internet. I would be surprised if this little girl does not have a Facebook page already. Surely her mom has posted photos of her since birth. By handing off her device to her daughter mom is already conditioning her to being a netizen and that is absolutely not a good thing. Mom doesn't even have a clue. She doesn't know what her girl is watching on Youtube and goodness knows what online shenanigans this girl will become involved with in the future.
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    Friday, May 10, 2019

    Retards in the Government 101

    It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics. 



    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1113157/marcoses-keep-control-of-ilocos-norte
    Outgoing Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas on Thursday dropped his bid for governor, leaving Matthew Manotoc, a son of Gov. Imee Marcos, unopposed in the race and ensuring that the Marcos family will stay at the provincial capitol after the May 13 elections. 
    Fariñas, who is serving his last term as representative of Ilocos Norte’s first congressional district, went to the Commission on Elections provincial office here at 9:30 a.m. to withdraw his certificate of candidacy (COC). 
    He said he never intended to seek the post and was only “provoked” to run when former Ilocos Norte Gov. Michael Keon, a member of the Marcos clan, decided to challenge Chevylle Fariñas, his niece, for city mayor of Laoag, the provincial capital. 
    Fariñas, in a statement last year, had said he had been given assurance that no Marcos family member would run against any of his relatives in the 2019 polls. 
    “From Day 1 of the campaign until today, having covered 272 of my district’s 285 barangays, I’ve been announcing in my speeches that I was not running for governor,” he added.
    The ego of Filipino politicians knows no bounds. He was running for governor out of revenge but on the campaign trail he announced he was not running for governor. That makes zero sense and it will be a good thing when he retires later this year since he obviously does not view himself as a public servant.

    https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068839
    The former mayor of Bugasong, Antique, convicted for gun ban violation, can still run for re-election on May 13, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here. 
    Antique Comelec acting provincial election supervisor Atty. Wil S. Arceño, in an interview Friday, said former mayor John Lloyd Pacete can still run because his conviction has no final decision yet. 
    Pacete was convicted by the Branch 64 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), 6th Judicial Region here but it is currently on appeal before the Court of Appeals (CA). 
    He said that although Pacete’s conviction can still be appealed with the higher court, but then it has no probation. 
    “Pacete will really have to serve his conviction,” he said.  
    He said that should Pacete win in the May 13 election, the Comelec can proclaim him. But whether he could really sit or not as mayor of Bugasong is up to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to resolve. 
    “The decision whether Pacete would be installed as re-electionist mayor would be up to the DILG,” Arceño said.
    The Comelec will allow him to run because he can still appeal his conviction which is a process that could take years. But why would anyone vote for him?

    https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/231950/persons-in-white-van-attack-osmena-allys-car-showroom
    The Chevrolet showroom of Franklin Ong, president of the Association of Barangay Councils in Cebu City, was peppered with bullets by unidentified persons around 1:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, 2019. 
    The showroom is located in Mandaue City. 
    Ong is allied with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), the party led by Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
    Lots of political violence in Cebu that extends even to the friends of politicians.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1113917/village-leaders-trade-blows-over-rice-campaign-giveaways
    Five kilos of rice for your vote? It’s not that cheap or uncomplicated, as a candidate in the May 13 elections in Isabela City, Basilan, may soon find out. 
    Not after village officials fought over the distribution of the rice packs to residents and ended up punching each other. 
    Gadayan said Barangay Riverside Councilor Nurmina Abduhalim Abbas, 43, complained to the city’s police station that one of her colleagues, Councilor Kadil Bapora, 53, punched her in the face while they were trying to get hold of the rice packs being distributed at the barangay hall. 
    “Abbas suffered facial injuries and her denture was broken,” Gadayan said. 
    He did not say what prompted Bapora to punch Abbas or whether Bapora also sustained injuries. 
    After the 2013 midterm polls, the Commission on Elections disqualified the Mayor of Roxas, Isabela province, for vote-buying. 
    The petition for the disqualification of Mayor Benedict Calderon accused him of distributing cash gifts, rice and pigs to voters. 
    Election observers in Isabela City said candidates in past elections in the city usually distributed rice packs to residents in hopes of securing their votes.
    Vote buying using rice as a gift.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1114025/village-watchman-to-file-rap-vs-mayor-he-accuses-of-slapping-him
    Mateo Ribagos Mondaga said Trinidad Mayor Judith Del Rosario-Cajes hit him four times as two men held his hands. 
    During the altercation, Mondaga said Cajes accused him of spreading lies to malign town councilor Joan Robie Cajes, her daughter. 
    Mondaga said he would file charges against the mayor so that justice would be served.
    Five witnesses, in an interview, said they saw the mayor slap Mondaga. 
    Both Mondaga and Cajes have reported the incident to the police. 
    The mayor said Mondaga bumped her on her way to the barangay hall’s comfort room. 
    “After which he (Mondaga) threatened her (Cajes), saying ‘Mr. BB, you won’t reach the election,” the mayor alleged.
    Stupid drama.

    https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/05/05/1915242/2-barangay-captains-shot-dead-zamboanga-peninsula
    Police Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Luis Licup, director of Police Regional Office 9, identified the victims as Edgardo Podpod Viñas, 49, barangay chairman of Dapaon, Sindangan town, Zamboanga del Norte and Ibrahim Ungad, chairman of Barangay New Labangan in Labangan town, Zamboanga del Sur. 
    Licup said Viñas was gunned down just before noon on Saturday in the ABC Hall at Barangay La Roche, Sindangan town by an unidentified gunman. He said the victim had just adjourned a session at the ABC Hall when the killer emerged with a long firearm and shot him dead. 
    Police said the shooter escaped on a motorcycle.

    Ungad, on the other hand, was gunned down by two unidentified shooters in front of his residence in Purok Caimito, Tuburan District in Pagadian City on Saturday evening. 
    Ungad was coming out of his house when he was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun. His killers fled on a motorcycle in the direction of Barangay Tiguma in Pagadian City.
    Police aren't sure if this is election related violence because violence happens all the time in the Philippines. Could be drugs or a family feud or who knows what.
    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1114234/batocabe-slay-case-daraga-mayor-baldo-ordered-arrested
    The Legazpi City Regional Trial Court Branch 10 has ordered the arrest of Daraga, Albay Mayor Carlwyn Baldo for the murder of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police escort.
    Finally arrested for a murder he was accused of being the mastermind of back in December. But he was already arrested on separate charges a few months ago.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1114271/reelectionist-camarines-sur-mayor-3-others-survive-ambush
    Only a week before the May 13 midterm elections, incumbent Garchitorena town, Camarines Sur Mayor Nelson Bueza, his wife, his running mate, and a driver were attacked by still unidentified armed men before dawn Monday, police said, and survived. 
    The 57-year-old reelectionist and wife Yolly, 50; Garchitorena town councilor and vice mayoral candidate Marcelo Aragdon, 58; and driver Errol Arcilla, 30, were aboard an SUV and negotiating Fuentebella Highway in Barangay (village) Toytoy when gunmen attacked them around 1:25 a.m. 
    Police said aside from gunshots, an explosion was also heard during the ambush. 
    The four were unharmed, according to police, but the vehicle was damaged by a suspected improvised explosive device.
    An IED used in a political assassination attempt is a new twist. Usually it's just guns.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1114357/moises-padilla-town-in-negros-occidental-placed-under-comelec-control
    In an advanced copy of the resolution read by Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez on Monday, the poll body cited the “intense political rivalry” in the municipality as the reason for placing it under Comelec control.
    Surely the violence will stop now.

    https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/232303/osmena-documents-say-cebu-city-police-director-is-illegal-gambling-protector
    Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña released a bombshell in his grand rally speech on Sunday, May 5, 2019: Cebu City’s police director is a protector of illegal gambling operations in Central Visayas. 
    Osmeña made this announcement on the same day that a photo of a group of men allegedly involved in an illegal gambling activity in Cebu City circulated online. One of the men in the photo is believed to be Osmeña.
    Cebu's Mayor is accused of being involved in illegal gambling and the local police chief is accused of being involved in illegal gambling. Just accusations being thrown back and forth like mud.

    https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/232316/do-not-vote-for-me-if-you-fear-for-your-safety-osmena
    Incumbent Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña told supporters to not vote for him if it means putting their lives on the line. 
    Osmeña made this statement a day after another strafing incident transpired at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, in Barangay Sudlon 1. 
    A group of unidentified men, armed with pistols, reportedly went to the house of Amor Cabiles, head of the Barangay Mayor’s Office. 
    About the same time, another group of unidentified men forcibly opened the wooden door of Dennifer Aguilar and slapped her several times on the face. The men reportedly fired shots on the air before the left.
    Election time is very vibrant in the Philippines. You can get killed just for voting for the wrong guy!

    https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1069008
    Motorcycle-riding gunmen shot dead a village chairperson in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat and his aide along a busy street here before noon Monday, police said. 
    Lt. Colonel Jeofil Siason, Tacurong City police director, said Abdul Daud, 44, chairperson of Barangay Lilit, Lambayong town, died while undergoing surgery at a private hospital following the 11 a.m. shooting. 
    Daud's unarmed escort, Tahir Tangkilisan, a member of Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT), was killed on the spot, Siason said.
    Another dead LGU official. Election related? Sultan Kudarat is violent even without elections.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1114861/court-allows-brains-of-jee-ick-joo-killing-to-post-bail
    The Angeles City Regional Court has allowed the alleged mastermind in the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo to post bail. 
    The court granted the prayer of Police Lieutenant Colonel (formerly Superintendent)Rafael Dumlao to post bail for his temporary liberty. 
    Dumlao has been identified by witness Police Executive Master Sergeant (formerly SPO4) Roy Villegas as the “sir Dumlao” who talked on the phone with accused Police Chief Master Sergeant (formerly SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel before Jee was strangled to death. 
    Sta. Isabel, Jerry Omlang and Dumlao are charged with kidnapping for ransom and homicide, while Gerardo “Ding” Santiago, owner of the Gream Funeral Services in Caloocan City where the body of the South Korean businessman was brought, was charged as an accessory to the crime. 
    Why? WHY!?

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1115129/driver-wounded-as-gunman-fires-at-govt-ambulance-in-cebu
    A government ambulance carrying supporters of Mayor Lakambini Reluya of San Fernando town in Cebu province was fired at by an unidentified gunman in Naga City on Monday night, police said. 
    The ambulance driver, Arman Navarro, was wounded while his three passengers were unharmed. 
    Investigators were looking at political feud as a motive in the attack.
    A shameful new low in Philippine politics.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1115283/leyte-town-administrator-shot-dead-in-mayors-house
    The municipal administrator of San Isidro town in Leyte was killed after unidentified assailants strafed the house of Mayor Susan Ang in Barangay Capiñahan past 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8. 
    Levi Mabini, 44, a resident of Barangay Daja Diot in San Isidro, suffered gunshot wounds on his back and left foot. 
    Zendy Bonite, secretary of the mayor, said in an interview that the victim had just arrived at the mayor’s house when the assailants on board a gray Ford Ranger opened fire at the mayor’s home.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1115418/village-councilor-slain-in-samar
    A village councilman was shot dead by an unidentified assailant in Barangay Poblacion Oquendo District, Calbayog City at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8. 
    Lt. Col Joie Pacito Yape, chief of the Calbayog City police, identified the victim as Benjamine Mayran, 57, and a councilman of Barangay Cagbilwang, Calbayog City. 
    Investigation revealed that the victim was driving his motorcycle on his way to Calbayog when two men on board another motorcycle drove alongside him.
    Two more LGU officials gunned down.

    https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1115303/breaking-lp-magdalo-media-outfits-tagged-in-duterte-ouster-plot
    “The President has received intelligence information that has been validated and appears to show that there is deliberate attempt to discredit this administration, as well as to boost the candidacies of the opposition, senatorial candidates,”  Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing. 
    “And it appears that there are certain groups who are working together to achieve this goal. This group appears to be the Liberal Party. Some personalities identified as advocates or very active in social media, dishing out anti-Duterte statements and sentiments and validated to be allied with the Liberal Party,” Panelo added. 
    ”The other group by the way is Magdalo. It appears from this diagram that Liberal Party, the Magdalo and other groups indicated in the matrix are working hand in hand,” he said. 
    Duterte is actually calling the normal way of doing politics evidence of an ouster plot.
    https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/693868/judge-killed-in-zamboanga-del-norte-sc/story/
    The Court said Lacaya is the 30th judge to be killed while serving in the judiciary since 1999. 
    Under the 2005 guidelines, a judge who receives a direct threat may apply for protection with the Philippine National Police or the Court's Security Committee, it said. 
    The Court added that judges "are granted permits to carry firearms even outside their stations" under a memorandum of agreement the tribunal signed with the Philippine National Police in 2005.
    “Yung election violence po ngayon ay worrisome. I am worried about it, because before this has never happened in Negros Occidental   but it’s happening now,” Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon said in her interview on GMA News’ Balitanghali.
    Election violence might have never happened in Negros Occidental before but it happens in spades elsewhere.  The shedding of blood is simply part of the political process in the Philippines.
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    Thursday, May 9, 2019

    Ferdinand Marcos' Greatest Achievement

    If you ask anyone what Ferdinand Marcos' greatest achievement is you will get a host of varied answers. Many think it's his multitudinous public works projects including roads, public buildings, power plants, and universities. On this list the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is touted as an accomplishment despite the fact that it was never even operational.

    Are public works really the greatest accomplishment of Marcos? What makes an accomplishment great? The great men of the past are men who transcended their nation and their culture and their era, men who tapped into the eternal longings of humanity and have shown us what we are capable of. Think of the deeds of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Plato, Da Vinci, Columbus, or any other man who has brought light to humanity.

    What did Marcos do that transcends the bounds of the Philippines and rises above all his other works? No one in Germany or the USA will be driving down roads he built or use electricity from power plants he constructed or study at universities he founded. There is only one thing that Marcos did which extends beyond the bounds of the Philippines and qualifies as a great achievement.

    He allowed Francis Ford Coppola unlimited use of the military to film Apocalypse Now in the Philippines.

    The Apocalypse Now Book, Peter Cowie, pg 15

     Background

    President Marcos and his wife were patrons of the arts. Imelda built the Philippine Cultural Centre as well as the Manila Film Centre. Marcos knew the power of film in molding society and encouraged Filipino filmmakers to improve their art. In a September 26, 1970 speech before the Manila Motion Pictures Producer Association he said:
    When I speak to this gathering of film producers, artist and technicians. I am aware that I am speaking to a group whose work is vital and whose influence is enormous in our society. Those of us whose work is to lead and govern; look to this community to provide our people a vital and purposive entertainment industry and to harness that industry for the task of building progressives and healthy nation.

    The present state of the industry, where it is indeed and how it is making use of its opportunities, suggest to my mind that there is a great deal that we can do to upgrade the quality of our films and to make them  truly relevant to our  lives and to our history as a nation. 
    Philippine cinema has simply reached the point where it must either advance or regress, either live or die. 
    It is for us now to seize these opportunities and make our film industry a truly vital force in the lives of our people and in the economy of our country. And I would like to tell you tonight that you are not alone in dreaming of this advancement; this concern, this hope, we share in common.
    Perhaps it was not what Marcos had in mind but during the 70's the Philippines attracted low budget sleaze and grindhouse film productions from America.
    They Call Him Chop Suey. They Call Her Cleopatra Wong. They also called them cheap trash. Low-quality American-produced ‘70s movies for kids to make out to in drive-ins and small town cinemas. But they were also some of the most fun films ever to come out of the Philippines. 
    Standing in for other tropical locations, the filmmakers would often, whether by design or not, obscure their actual settings. The jungles of Quezon province and beaches of Baler became the homes of crazed American doctors, the Viet Cong, even Satan himself. Filipino henchmen’s voices were dubbed to sound stereotypically Chinese, female Filipino prison guards were the “best gunslingers south of Pango Pango,” and black pirates attacked remote Philippine islands. Sometimes, Filipinos remained behind the camera, directing American actors.
    Apocalypse Now co-producer Fred Roos cut his teeth in the Philippines making these types of films.
    Production coordinator Fred Roos had already made two low-budget films there for Monte Hellman, and had friends and contacts in the country.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Now
    These films would go on to inspire the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Perhaps Marcos saw some of them. Surely he saw both Godfather films and knew the name Francis Ford Coppola.

    Securing Marcos' Support

    The production of Apocalypse Now is the stuff of legend. Everyone went crazy and the principal actors were all stoned out of their minds during the whole shoot. Getting the film off the ground and greenlit was a chore as well. What Coppola needed was the support of the US military who had bases in the Philippines at that time. From Peter Cowie's book, The Apocalypse Now Book, pages 14-16 we read:
    Still hoping for support from the American military, Frederickson dispatched the following brief to both the Deaprtment of National Defense in Washington, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines HQ in Manila. 
    The story is set in Vietnam in 1968. It is about the demoralization wreaked by the Vietnam war on the young Americans who reluctantly served in the most unpopular war in US history. Nothing in it is derogatory to the Vietnamese nor American people, although its effect would be to question certain once-popular values and attitudes that made the Vietnam possible. 
    Frederickson requested military technical advisers, military escorts, aircraft (mostly Huey helicopters), ordnance (firearms, artillery, etc.), military vehicles, and a radio communication system. The project budget is $13,000,000…Preparations and construction will take about 3 to 4 months. Actual filming, desired to start January 1976, may take anywhere from 4 to 6 months. Principal stars will be Marlon Brando, Steven McQueen or Clint Eastwood, James Caan, Yves Montand and Maria Schneider…There will be a staff of 65 foreigners plus about 500 Filipinos. As much as 2,000 local technicians, bit players and other talents will be hired…Locations for the filming have not been finalized. Pagsanjan, Los Baños, Batangas, Zambales, Davao, Mondora and Baler are tentatively considered. 
    Meanwhile booth Roos and Frederickson had returned several times to the Philippines, criss-crossing the country in search of locations and dealing with the government. One of Frederickson’s best pals during his school days in Switzerland had been Giovanni Volpi, whose family had founded the Venice Film Festival. During a trip to Manila, Frederickson and Volpi met again by chance in the lobby of thier hotel. They chatted beside the pool and Frederickson explained his need to get the Filipino generals to provide Apocalypse production with helicopters and permit access to their military facilities. “He invited me to dinner that night,” smiles Frederickson. 
    I went down to meet him in front of the hotel and there were these long limousines with flags on the fenders, and we drove over to the palace and had dinner with President Ferdinand Marcos and his aides. They put us in touch with the generals, and from then on its was pretty smooth. 
    Coppola and Roos subsequently had an audience with Marcos to formalize his support for the venture. 
    So, in the face of continued aloofness from Washington, a contract was signed between the Philippines Department of National Defense and Coppola Cinema Seven, dated 1 October, 1975. This imposed on the production no fee as such for the use of equipment and personnel, other than actual expenses and insurance against death and damages. Had there been no assurance that twenty Huey helicopters would be made available for the aerial attack sequence, the Philippines would never have been chosen as the site for filming and quite possibly the project might have been scrapped.
    What a coincidence that co-producer Gray Frederickson just happened to run into an old friend in Manila. What an even stranger coincidence that this man happened to the be the son of the founder of the Venice Film Festival and was able to set up dinner with President Marcos that very night! Could it be that Volpi was assisting Marcos with putting together the 1975 Metro Manila Film Festival? That is likely and would be in line with his desire to advance the Philippine film industry into the future.

    Filming

    Filming the movie was, of course, a nightmare. Typhoons, drunkenness, drugs, uncooperative actors, pressure from the studios, and pressure from the AFP.
    The Filipino Army and Air Force had, following Roos and Frederickson’s negotiations, been placed at Coppola’s disposal. President Marcos was involved in continual skirmishes with the “Communist“ rebel forces, and so the Huey helicopters assigned to Apocalypse Now were sometimes recalled at short notice throughout 1976.   
    Cowie, pg. 49 
    The first two weeks of April involved daily use of the helicopters on loan from the Philippine Air Force. There were only twenty-four operational Hueys in the country, and Coppola demanded fifteen of them for Kilgore’s dawn attack at Baler (after all, the US Army had ordered 838 Huey Cobras by the spring of 1968!) The machines were painted with US Army markings in the morning and repainted with Philippine Air Force decals at night. On 2 April, in the midst of rehearsing for a complicated shot, the choppers were diverted urgently to engage rebel forces in the south of the country. 
    Cowie, pg. 50
    Because of the civil war in the south, everyday, the government sends different pilots who haven't participated in the rehearsals, wrecking tens of thousands of dollars worth of shots. All day today, a Philippine air force general was on the set. There were rumors that the rebels were in the hills about 10 miles away. The Filipino commanders were afraid there could be an attack on the helicopters we were using. In the middle of a complicated shot, the helicopters were called away to fight the rebels.
    Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse



    Marcos even showed up on set towards the end of filming.
    The loss of his leading man made Coppola even more defiant. He refused to shut down the production, however temporarily, and shooting continued at the Kurtz compound. Tavoularis had constructed a kind of bunker at the very core of the complex, packed with wires and switches that enabled both lighting and pyrotechnics to be operated by remote control. On one of these March days, President Marcos visited the area and no explosions could be set off by the crew in case he thought it was a rebel attack. 
    Cowie, pg. 94
    How fitting that President Marcos visited the set while scenes at the megalomaniac Kurtz's compound were being filmed. That particular set employed hundreds of Ifugao's as extras and the atmosphere was very wild.

    Filming Apocalypse Now in the Philippines is best summed up this way:
    For Coppola, the Philippines was a cheap stand-in for Vietnam. Where else could he rent an army, build and destroy whole villages and enlist thousands of extras for pennies a day? 
    Premiere and Legacy

    Apocalypse Now had its premiere at Cannes on May 10, 1979 as a work in progress but ended up winning the Palme d'Or.
    Apocalypse Now won the Palme d'Or for best film along with Volker Schlöndorff's The Tin Drum – a decision that was reportedly greeted with "some boos and jeers from the audience".
    The film was a success upon release earning a Best Picture nomination but winning for Best Cinematography and Sound and has gone on to be included in many lists as the best film of all time and certainly the best war film of all time.

    Aside from influencing filmmakers and popular culture the world over the film also turned the spotlight on the Philippines' film industry. The contract Coppola signed with DND Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile set a precedent for future productions to be filmed in the Philippines.
    Through it all, the movie left a lasting impression on the thousands of Filipinos who worked on the production, hung out with production staffers, and rubbed elbows with some future Hollywood heavyweights. Careers have crashed, burned, and flourished in the shadow of Apocalypse. Across 1976 and 1978, the Philippines became the unwitting center of Coppola’s hurricane. For a brief pocket of time, the country became a place of interest for Hollywood productions looking for cheap but adaptable locations. According to Henry Strzalkowski, an extra in Apocalypse’s production, George Lucas expressed interest in shooting Star Wars here, only to change his mind after hearing about Coppola’s troubled production. 
    “It was Martial Law and we had a contract with the Department of National Defense,” explains Juban. “Naka-pirma si Enrile [Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile signed]. It was an honored contract. . . . The guns came from the Philippine Army, the AK47s came from the Philippine Constabulary, the trucks came from the Army Support Command . . . anything they wanted was here.”  
    “That contract was the first of its nature done and it set the precedent for other films,” he says, “films like Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July.” Coppola had a deal with Marcos, according to the documentary. Production was to pay the military thousands of dollars per day, as well as overtime fee for the pilots. In return, Coppola could use the government’s entire fleet of helicopters, as long as they weren’t needed for the communist insurgency in the South. 
    Remember the surfing scene with Robert Duvall? Charlie don't surf but Filipinos do. Apocalypse Now gave birth to Filipino surfing culture.
    https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21941069
    When a scene from Apocalypse Now was shot on an obscure beach in the Philippines in the late 70s, little did the film-makers know they were giving birth to the country's surfing culture. 
    Apocalypse Now was not actually filmed in Vietnam, but in the little fishing town of Baler in the northern Philippines. 
    As the cameras rolled, local Filipinos like Edwin Nomoro watched from the sidelines.  
    Nomoro was 10 at the time, and he came down to the beach every day to see it transformed into a battle scene, complete with an entirely fake Vietnamese village and helicopters swooping overhead. 
    But what excited him most was the sight of the actors surfing - something he'd never seen before. 
    "When the filming finished, some of the crew left their surfboards behind, and my friend and I picked up the boards and taught ourselves how to surf," he says. "We've been surfing ever since." 
    At first, Nomoro and his friends found it difficult because there was no-one around to teach them. 
    "But we studied it, and learned, and now - no-one can explain what it feels like. Only a surfer knows the feeling," he says, smiling. 
    Once they got the hang of it, the boys started teaching others, and as word spread, tourists began coming to the little town to learn to ride the waves at Charlie's Point, as it became known. 
    Nomoro was able to turn his passion into a way of making a living, and more than 30 years on, he still earns money from the industry he helped to create. 
    "I have several rooms to rent. I also have some surfboards for hire," he says. "It's really improved my life. It helps me feed my family." 
    Baler's success as a surfing centre has rippled out to other parts of the Philippines, such as Surigao, La Union and Pagudpud. 
    "Baler is the birthplace of Philippine surfing," says Mac Ritual, a local tour guide.
    Apocalypse Now continues to live and breathe. In 2001 Coppola released an extended version, Apocalypse Now Redux. This year, the film's 40th, anniversary, he has released a third version of the film, Apocalypse Now: Final Cut. 

    Without Marcos allowing Coppola unlimited use of AFP equipment, during martial law and a communist insurgency no less, this film would not have happened. In light of the impact Apocalypse Now has made globally I believe Marcos' deal with Coppola is his greatest achievement.  Just imagine if Marcos had denied Coppola's proposal and he was forced to abandon the project?

    "The horror, the horror."
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    Wednesday, May 8, 2019

    Blaring Election Truck Speakers

    If you think those trucks blasting out popular songs with altered lyrics all about a candidate are annoying then you ain't seen nothing yet. Check out this behemoth!







    Just look at that huge stack of speakers! When I walked by I could feel my whole being rattle. What is the point of that? This is not the only candidate using a wall of speakers to get your vote.




    Again what is the point?  I hope the point is that as this was a festival these guys are not driving around every day blaring music from these speakers but they are just being festive. Somehow I doubt it.

    Remember BOOM BOOM BOOM to BOOM BOOM BOOM vote for BOOM BOOM BOOM me!
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