The Philippines is Great for Expats, Not So Great For Filipinos

It's a tale of two surveys released within a few days of each other. One ranks the Philippines as the 24th best place to live and work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2019/07/06/dutertes-philippines-among-the-best-places-to-live-and-work-ahead-of-china/#c11313f676b8

Philippines has been ranked 24th best place to live and work, just behind the US, which ranked 23rd, and ahead of China, which ranked 26th. 

That’s according to the 2019 HSBC Expat’s annual survey, which is based on responses from more than 18,000 expats across 163 markets on three metrics: living, career opportunity, and family life. 

The Philippines jumped up the rankings from 26th place last year.

The other ranks the Philippines as the fourth most dangerous country in the world for civilians.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/177866/us-based-data-group-ranks-ph-fourth-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-for-civilians

The Philippines ranks high among countries where civilians are most unsafe as a result of what was described as “targeted attacks” arising from government policy, landing at No. 4 next to civil war-torn Yemen on a list of countries where violence against civilians is leading to rising casualty figures, according to a United States-based research and analysis group.

Quite a stark contrast and like all of the regular surveys taken in or about the Philippines ripe for politicisation. 

https://twitter.com/MarkYu_DPT/status/1147867067112153089

https://twitter.com/gorilla_truth/status/1149979268337659904

Both of these Twitter armchair assessments are wrong. The HSBC survey has not "slapped the life out of the dilawans" (which means the Liberal Party but can be extended to mean all those who oppose Duterte's policies.) Neither is all the killings "the way we like it." Plenty of Filipinos are worried about the flood of violence surging across the county. The ACLED is also not a human rights organisation. They merely collect data about political violence and analyse it. They do not advocate policy.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is a disaggregated conflict collection, analysis and crisis mapping project. ACLED collects the dates, actors, types of violence, locations, and fatalities of all reported political violence and protest events across Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. Political violence and protest includes events that occur within civil wars and periods of instability, public protest and regime breakdown. ACLED’s aim is to capture the forms, actors, dates and locations of political violence and protest as it occurs across states. The ACLED team conducts analysis to describe, explore and test conflict scenarios, and makes both data and analysis open to freely use by the public.

https://www.acleddata.com/about-acled/

Let's take a look at the second report first which consists of two reports. The crowning of the Philippines as the 4th most dangerous country in the world actually took place back in May with the release of ACLED's "Fact Sheet: Civilians in Conflict."

https://www.acleddata.com/2019/05/28/fact-sheet-civilians-in-conflict/

There are two sets of data in this first report. "Countries with the highest number of civilian targeting events" and "Countries with the most reported fatalities from civilian targeting." As you can see the Philippines did not make the second list. This data also extends only from January 1 to May 18, 2019. 

The second report about the Philippines from ACLED has data that extends to June 29th, 2019.

https://www.acleddata.com/2019/07/03/press-release-data-confirm-wave-of-targeted-attacks-in-the-philippines/

The report states that there have been 450 attacks targeting civilians which have resulted in 490 fatalities. I suppose that would have to include a single attack where multiple people are killed. They don't explain the math here. How do you get 490 deaths out of 450 attacks? The majority of the deaths are of drug suspects and the rest are of current and former government officials. State forces, the PNP, log the most kills but the ACLED posits that many of the motorcycle assassins could be linked to the state. 

With only 490 fatalities that would tie the Philippines with Mali but since the first data set is only from January 1 until mid-May it is likely that Mali has now surpassed 490 fatalities. I think this data needs a lot more clarification. It's not clear that the Philippines is the 4th most dangerous country in the world. According to ACLED's own data that honour goes to Mali. The data set being used to label the Philippines as the 4th most dangerous country does not include fatal events but only non-fatal events where civilians were targeted. Not to downplay the seriousness of 340 non-fatal events targeting civilians but a fatal event is certainly more dangerous than a non-fatal event.

The ACLED does include an "other" category in this data set but it is much smaller compared to drug suspects and government officials. However that data should not be ignored. The deaths of farmers, activists, and lawyers at the hands of unknown men, often alleged to be government assassins, is appalling. I also find it strange that police operations against drug dealers constitutes political violence.

It must be kept in mind that the ACLED is also only tracking political violence and not regular murders so the numbers represented here are a lot lower than they would be if all types of violence were factored in. What is clear is that being a politician or a drug user could lead to your death at the hands of the state or of assassins likely connected to the state. 

While Filipino politicians and drug users are being killed foreign expats are having the time of their life. Here are the results of the 2019 HSBC Expat Survey which ranks the Philippines as 24th best place to live and work.

https://expatexplorer.hsbc.com/survey/country/philippines/chart:table

What these numbers mean I have no idea but here is Forbes to give us some useful analysis.

That may come as a surprise to some for a couple of reasons. One of them is that the Philippines has a reputation for sending its own people overseas in droves rather than attracting foreigners who want to live and work there. 

The other reason is that the country is mired in violence, which has taken a huge human toll. 

Apparently, that isn’t what foreign expats are concerned about. They find it easy to relocate to a country of friendly people and a reasonable cost of living. “With its tropical climate and steadily growing economy, the Philippines is quickly becoming one of the most popular expat destinations in Southeast Asia, “ says the report. 

Meanwhile, the results of the expats survey should be interpreted with extreme caution. People surveyed are usually more affluent and better educated than the average immigrant, and they are on short assignments. This means that an overseas assignment may be seen as an “adventure.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2019/07/06/dutertes-philippines-among-the-best-places-to-live-and-work-ahead-of-china/#c11313f676b8

Foreigners aren't concerned about violence because it does not affect them. They are not the targets of motorcycle assassins. That is not to say foreigners are never targets. Plenty of foreigners have been murdered in the Philippines but when you are working for a company making Dollars or Euros in a land where the Peso is devalued and you can purchase more why would you care about anything else? With more money to spend foreigners are also more likely to live in gated communities where less violence occurs. 

A judgement about the state of the economy or the strength of Duterte's polices cannot be made with this survey. Expats come and go and many may have no real grasp on the political or even economic situation as they are busy with work. Many are even busy with play. Anecdotal stories about Filipinas being easy pickings for any foreigner abound!

Then again there are also horror stories about having to deal with the minutiae of Philippine bureaucracy which can require stacks of paperwork just to get your factory running. Foreigners also cannot own real property in the Philippines meaning land or houses. Any foreign business must be 60% Filipino owned. How is the Philippines a good business environment when you cannot even wholly own your business? At least the labor is cheap!

Overall these two surveys don't really tell us anything meaningful about the Philippines. One is a survey of expats and the other is data about political violence. Anyone who reads these surveys will inevitably project their own interpretation upon them. Labelling the Philippines as the 4th most dangerous country in the world is misleading as there are two lists in the ACLED data and the one with fatalities does not feature the Philippines. Also political violence is going to be directed at a very small subset of the population. Thinking a true picture of the Philippine economy will emerge by surveying expats is foolish because of their tenuous and brief connection to the country. Who did they survey anyway? I assume it's the more affluent Westerners and not the Chinese being sneaked over here to work in illegal online gambling casinos.

One thing is for sure though: The world of the poor Filipino with a target on his back because he is a drug user or a land activist and the world of the Foreigner expat with a target on his back because he is white and wealthy live in two different worlds. 

Picture of the Week: Exact Change

What is this sign? No, really. WHAT is THIS....SIGN!!!??

Why is she wearing sunglasses on that hat!!!?

Do I need to tell you what it is? It's a sign of what you can expect from the Philippines. 

Does SM really need to post a sign at the cash register telling customers they will be provided exact change? That should be a given! Not an extra. Everyone should expect exact change when they make a purchase. 

It's so hilarious how when you give any cashier at any store any amount of money they will say, "I receive xyz pesos." Hilariously pathetic.

It's all about the culture of distrust that is prevalent throughout the Philippines. Sad but true. It's hard to trust anyone here so these kinds of measures are taken to reassure folks.

Retards in the Government 110

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

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138105/shit-happens-bato-says-after-a-child-got-killed-in-drug-bust

After a 3-year-old girl was fatally shot in a police antidrug operation, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday said policemen did not want to harm innocent civilians, but “shit happens” in an “imperfect world.” 

Dela Rosa made the remarks in the wake of reports that the father of the child, Myka Ulpina, allegedly used her as a human shield during a shootout following a police buy-bust operation on Saturday in Rodriguez town, Rizal province. The girl was hit by a bullet in the neck and died a day later in the hospital. 

A police officer, Senior Master Sergeant Conrad Cabigao, who posed as the “shabu” (crystal meth) buyer, and another drug suspect were also killed. 

Under the police rules of engagement, officers must make sure there would be no “collateral damage,” said Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief. 

“But of course, we are in an imperfect world. If you’re a policeman, do you want a child to be hit? Never, because you have a child as well. You don’t want something like that to happen. But shit happens during operations, shit happens,” he said at a news forum in the Senate.

Could this man be any more callous and heartless?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/699821/coa-army-yet-to-give-out-p47-6-m-aid-to-soldiers-hurt-in-marawi/story/

Based on an annual audit report on Philippine Army, a total of P47.6 million out of the P235 million assistance for the wounded army personnel from general headquarters of the Armed Forces and the Philippines and various private donors remained unused as of December 2018. 

“Verification of the cash donations so far showed that the Army had not crafted specific guidelines for the receipt and utilization and liquidation of donations, especially for those intended for the wounded Army personnel," COA said in its report.

"This is a contributing factor in the slow utilization of the donations and works against its intended purpose,” it added. 

COA said the Army donations for financial assistance to legal beneficiaries of killed-in-action Army personnel amounted to P147 million. 

Of the P147 million, P128.5 million have been utilized. 

A P40.122 million was also spent for the travel of female Army personnel to Hong Kong on Observation Tour on Safety and Security.

Audit of the disbursement vouchers and documents supporting this utilization, however, showed that the Army exceeded the financial assistance granted to 118 certified killed in action beneficiaries by P9.98 million.

The AFP has millions for wounded soldiers but has not utilised P47.6 million because they have no guidelines on how to utilise the funds. But on the other hand 118 families have been overpaid. The AFP has also denied that any money was used for trips to Hong Kong.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/04/funds-for-female-soldiers-hk-travel-not-from-marawi-siege-donations/

Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto, commanding general of the Philippine Army, clarified this as he explained that the travel funds for the female soldiers’ trip in early 2018 to Hong Kong for Observation on Safety and Security were not sourced from the donations for the killed and wounded soldiers during the five-month Marawi City siege.

“Those funds were really intended for the travel of these female soldiers. It was provided by the President through his friends who donated the money,” said Alberto. 

“It was not only male soldiers who took part in the firefight. There were also female combatants. Some female soldiers were also nurses and some were assigned in evacuation and rehabilitation centers,” said Alberto 

“The President was impressed of what he saw so he made a promise that he would treat our female soldiers for a travel abroad,” he added. 

“It’s not fair. Our soldiers worked so hard in Marawi, they made sacrifices and these negative reports are what they get in return. That’s really unfair,” said Alberto.

Interesting tactic how Alberto calls the COA report a negative report about soldiers who fought in Marawi when in fact that report is about how the top brass is misusing funds meant for the soldiers who fought in Marawi.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/05/leyte-lawmaker-faces-complaint-over-falsified-coc/

Newly elected Leyte 2nd District Rep. Lolita Karen Javier was slapped with a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman due to the reported falsification of her certificate of candidacy (CoC). 

The complaint was filed Friday by her political opponent, former Leyte Rep. Henry C. Ong. Ong, who said that Javier made “several untruthful statements” in her CoC, such as her status as a voter and residency. 

Ong bared in his complaint that Javier filed her CoC on October 17, 2018 as a private individual. Javier also stated that she was already a registered voter, but Ong said the Commission on Election (Comelec) registration board had not yet approved her voter registration application because it only came on October 25. 

Ong also questioned Javier’s residency. She wrote in her CoC that she has lived in Jaro, Leyte for 44 years and two months. But in her voter registration filed just a month earlier, Javier said she had been a Jaro resident for 43 years. 

Moreover, Ong found it curious that Javier’s voter registration was as a first-time voter in a town where she had been a resident for over 40 years, especially since her husband, Leonardo Javier, served as mayor of Javier. 

“It is quite perplexing as to how a publicly recognized married couple such as Lolita and Leonardo were allowed to assume their previous and current official positions despite the stark difference in their places of residence,” the complaint read. 

All of that is quite interesting. Will the Comelec even take cognisance of it?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138392/duterte-dares-us-to-declare-war-with-china

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday dared the United States, a longtime ally of the Philippines, to send “all their armaments” to the South China Sea and stop Beijing’s militarization in the disputed sea. 

“Let America declare the war. Let them assemble all their armaments there in the South China Sea,” Duterte said in his speech in Alangalang, Leyte. 

“Fire the first shot, and I’d be glad to do the next. May RP-US pact man kaha tayo (We have a US-RP pact), then let us honor it. Do you want trouble? Okay, let’s do it,” he added.

It's comical how Duterte only thinks in terms of war and submission. No room for firm diplomacy for him!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138380/duterte-i-fired-gsis-chief-aranas

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he fired Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President Jesus Clint Aranas even as Malacañang claimed he quit for “personal reasons.”

“I will deal with corruption. I’m dealing with it until now. I just fired the president of GSIS,” Duterte said in a speech at the inauguration of Chen Yi Agventures Rice Processing Complex in Alangalang, Leyte.

The Inquirer earlier reported that Duterte confronted Aranas after the Cabinet meeting on Monday as the President accused the official of being untruthful in claiming that the Enrique Razon-led International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has not been paying rent.

Panelo says one thing and Duterte says another. They can't get their stories straight. Another official fired for corruption.  Alleged corruption. So fired for nothing.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/243149/sinas-reminds-cops-of-consequences-if-caught-using-illegal-drugs

Police officers will face administrative charges and be terminated from service if they will fail the random drug tests for law enforcers and be proven to have used illegal drugs. 

Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas again gave this warning to police officers about the consequences they would face if they would be caught using illegal drugs.

He has to give this warning because there are so man cops involved with drugs.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138600/look-duterte-siblings-meet-with-bets-for-speaker

Two of the President’s children — Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio — met with House members vying for the speakership in the 18th Congress in Davao City on Saturday. 

Those who attended the meeting are Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco and Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano. 

In a statement sent to reporters, Paolo described the meeting as “cordial” during which they discussed the progress of the Philippines.

Now why would they do that? I'm sure it does not mean that the Duterte's will be making choice of next Speaker and that he will have to cater to his whims. Surely "Progress of the Philippines" means objectively "progress of the Philippines" and not Duterte's plans for the Philippines.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138756/dinagat-board-member-gunned-down-bag-ao-calls-for-justice

Wenefredo Diofernes, 52, who won a second term as Dinagat board member in the May 13 midterm elections, was driving a motorcycle on Kilometer 2 at the village of Luna around 9:18 a.m. when he was shot by two motorcycle-riding men. 

Bag-ao said Diofernes ran as an independent candidate but still emerged on top of the race for board member in the first district of Dinagat, a province long under the reign of the Ecleo clan which founded the powerful group Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association or PBMA.

Another motorcycle assassination but this time with a twist. Dinagat Island has been ruled by the Ecleo clan for quite a while. The PBMA is a basically a Christian cult with the Ecleos running the operation. This could be a case of a religious leader ordering an assassination of a political rival.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1074296

Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, NCRPO director, ordered the relief of Senior M/Sgt. Arnulfo Ardales from Police Community Precinct (PCP) 3 of San Juan City based on the complaint of Aaron Estrada, a city resident. 

“The viral video in San Juan City on abusive police, pina-relieve ko na sa (I ordered him relieved from) PCP 3 of San Juan, lipat na muna siya sa (he was transferred for the meantime at) District Headquarters Support Unit (DHSU) of EPD (Eastern Police District) while being investigated,” Eleazar told the Philippine News Agency. 

According to police report, the incident took place around 11 p.m. on Saturday (July 6) inside a restaurant in Barangay Ermitaño, San Juan City when Ardales accosted Estrada, a 21-year-old call center agent, for alleged disrespect to police officer. 

Based on video which has now over 3,500 shares, Ardales claimed he was already buying food when Estrada arrived and put his hand in front of the cop, also to buy food. “Thereat, said police officer uttered invectives against the complainant. Unknowingly, somebody is taking a video on the incident,” a police report read. 

It appears that the Estrada was the one who took the video, prompting some netizens to comment that it was a trap to provoke the policeman.

I haven't seen this video so I have no idea what it means that the man "put his hand in front of the cop." What I do know is that this is just another "bad egg" being disciplined. Just like these two PNP bad eggs:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138761/2-cops-arrested-as-suspects-in-lawyers-killing-in-rizal-town

A CIDG report said  Corporal Alberto Umali and Senior Master Sergeant Michael Eralino, both assigned to the Rodriguez police station, were arrested in separate operations on Saturday (July 6) as suspects in the ambush of Edilberto Golla Jr. in the same town last May.

It's nothing new for PNP officers to be accused of being or  to actually be assassins.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138858/suspicion-over-armed-govt-agents-sparks-people-power-at-iloilo-village

Officials and residents of a village here on Sunday (July 4) accosted and briefly detained two armed men believed to be targeting a leader of a militant urban poor organization. 

The men, who identified themselves as Art Diaz and Rey Gomez purportedly from the National Bureau of Investigation and Army, were later allowed to leave Barangay Bito-on in Jaro District after they were questioned by village officials. 

Their identities and affiliation could not be confirmed as no copies of their identification cards were shown to and recorded by the barangay officials. 

But the Katilingban sang Imol sa Syudad (Kaisog) said it believed the men were planning to abduct, attack or intimidate Wilfredo Panuela and wife Josephine, local leaders of the organisation. 

Panuela said they were already suspicious and concerned over their safety after two men approached and talked with them in a beach resort in Leganes town on June 30. 

The man who talked to Panuela later told him that he was already known “upstairs” because he was a leader of Kaisog. He later gave him P500 in cash.

It appears the the government is attempting to harass these two leaders of Kaisog. Will we see them next in the papers as victims of a motorcycle assassin?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138931/coa-cites-2-denr-projects-for-delay

In its annual audit report of the DENR, the COA found that the Forestland Management Project (FMP) and the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Project (Inremp), both foreign-assisted projects, reported low physical progress, which caused the government to pay a commitment fee of P10.707 million for 2018. 

Due to the delay in the implementation of the projects, the government was forced to pay a total of P10.707 million in commitment fees, of which P6.927 million went to the Inremp and P3.78 million for the FMP. 

In addition to costing the government money, the COA said that the delay also “defeats the project goals of inclusive growth and poverty reduction for the Inremp and integrating conservation and development-oriented activities with full participation and capacitation of local communities for the FMP.” 

The COA recommended that the DENR instruct its FASPS office to “conduct periodic reviews to ensure that bottlenecks and issues affecting the project implementation are immediately addressed.”

Another project not meeting its goals and costing the government millions of pesos.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1139243/sc-asked-to-unseat-termed-out-senators-congressmen-local-execs

Petitioners specifically want the poll body to implement Sections 4 and 7, Article VI, 1987 Constitution by requiring Comelec to deny giving due course to the certificates of candidacy of “termed out” elective officials starting in the next elections in 2022. 

Section 4 provides that “no senator shall serve for more than two consecutive terms” while Section 7 states that “no member of the House of Representatives shall serve for more than three consecutive terms.” 

Based on the said provision, petitioners said a senator cannot serve for more than two terms of six years each or a total of 12 years, while a member of the House of Representative has a term limit of nine years for three consecutive terms of three years each. After that, they can no longer run for the same office again even after taking a hiatus, said the petitioners. 

Currently, according to petitioners, the following are the “termed out” senators or those that has served for two terms already – Senate President Vicente Sotto III, and Senators Franklin Drilon, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Lito Lapid, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Pia Cayetano and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

It's an interesting argument and if the SC decides to hear the case it wold at least define what those sections of the Constitution means and whether or not a politician can run for the same office as long as he takes a hiatus.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1074381

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar filed administrative charges against three city government engineers for gross neglect of duty. 

Named respondents in Salazar's July 5 complaint are Engineers Romeo Hiso, Santiago Solis Jr., and Sherwin Alan Rabago-- all of the City Engineer’s Office. 

Salazar said the charges were filed before the City Grievance Committee, a body organized to specifically handle administrative charges against city officials and employees. 

The charges against the three stemmed from the June 24 incident, where at least nine students were injured when the covered court of the Sinubong National High School collapsed. 

Salazar also placed the respondents under 60-day preventive suspension. 

The mayor said on Monday she decided to press charges following the results of a preliminary investigation that found probable cause for gross neglect of duty against the three engineers.

It's too bad we are not told just what is meant by "gross neglect of duty." There could be any number of factors why the building collapsed. Did they design it wrong? Were substandard materials used in the construction?

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/7/8/Duterte-Cayetano-House-Speaker.html

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday bared his choices for the House Speakership: Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano will go first, then Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco wil serve the remaining term. 

"It was what was agreed upon," Duterte said in an ambush interview in Malacanang. "Just to do away with the conflict." 

"The President, to save the unity of the alliance and avert its fragmentation, obliged to the request of the three [Speaker] candidates, who to their credit agree to respect the choice of [Duterte]," Panelo said in a statement. 

Duterte said he recognizes the independence of Congress. 

"I am not interfering in the work sa legislation. Leaders lang itong pinagusapan natin [We're just talking about leadership]. It has nothing to do with the independence of the legislative body. Up to that point, it's all politics," he said. 

Cayetano expressed gratitude over President Duterte's decision, and called on the "die-hard Duterte supermajority" in the House of Representatives to support him, as he plans to institutionalize reforms in accordance with the President's campaign promises. 

"All members of the House are welcome to join, whatever political or ideological persuasions, for as long as we agree on an agenda for a safe and comfortable life as envisioned by our President," he said.

Duterte at first said he would not meddle in the choosing of a new Speaker now he says the exact opposite and even though he protests that he is not interfering with the work of legislation Cayetano says the House must come together and agree on an agenda "as envisioned by our President." Simply put now Duterte has his rubber stamp.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1074366

Another cop from the Eastern Police District (EPD) has been relieved from his post for beating up an 8-year-old boy in Pasig City, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Monday. 

Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, NCRPO director, ordered the relief of Staff Sergeant Nicolas Lapie Jr. of the Marikina City police and reassigned him to the District Headquarters Support Unit (DHSU) of the EPD. 

Initial investigation showed that the 8-year-old victim was watching a basketball game at the covered court of Barangay Bambang in Pasig City around 7:56 p.m. Sunday when Lapie placed his left arm around his neck and started beating him up. 

The victim tried to ran away but the suspect grabbed his arms and pulled him towards him. 

At this juncture, people attracted by the commotion came to the rescue of the boy and pacified Lapie.

There are a lot of unanswered questions this article leaves out.  What was the relation of the boy to the cop? Was the cop on duty? This is the second cop from the EPD relieved this week for abusive behaviour.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/09/19/palace-says-duterte-may-have-coup-information

President Rodrigo Duterte possible received information that the military might plot to oust him, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday, after the President earlier said the military was already "hot" on him.

Now we are back to coup allegations once more. How many more times will Duterte allege there is a coup plot against him brewing?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1139911/barangay-officer-shot-dead-in-manila

A barangay tanod team leader was shot dead by a lone gunman in Parola Compound, Manila on Tuesday afternoon, police said on Wednesday. 

Manila Police District (MPD) Homicide Division chief Capt. Henry Navarro told INQUIRER.net that the victim, Dario Habal is an executive officer (Ex-O) of Barangay 275. 

Initial investigation showed that Habal was sitting in front of his store when the suspect shot him point blank,  Navarro said. 

The gunman fled after the attack while Habal was rushed to Gat Andres Hospital by his relatives.

At least this time it was not a motorcycle assassin. That's different.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/177708/drug-cartels-to-give-bonuses-if-iceland-resolution-wins-locsin

Should the resolution that would prompt the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to look into the human rights situation in the Philippines be adopted, everyone who worked for it would receive their bonus from the drug cartels. 

“If the Iceland resolution wins that means bonuses for everyone who worked for it — from the drug cartels,” the country’s top diplomat wrote on Twitter. 

The draft resolution, which Iceland submitted on July 4, was co-sponsored by 27 other member states of the United Nations (UN).

What Locisn is absurdly insinuating is that all 27 nations who sponsored this resolution have connection to drug cartels and have only field this resolution on behalf of those drug cartels. It's a charge as ridiculous as the bow-tie he is wearing.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1139788/arroyo-thanks-duterte-for-providing-atmosphere-that-led-to-her-plunder-acquittal

“Most of all, I thank you that when you become President, you provided the atmosphere in which the Court had the freedom to acquit me of the trumped-up charges my successor and your predecessor filed against me, so that the Court voted 11-4 in my favor, including half of those who were appointed by my accuser,” Arroyo said during her speech at the appreciation dinner organized by her fellow legislators for her.

Array's statement is a little confusing especially because she was acquitted only a few weeks after Duterte became President. While he did vice his support for her during his campaign there are many other factors as to why she was acquitted such as the Aquino administration not building a tight enough case. But despite all that the fact that she made such an admission and believes that Duterte really did create an atmosphere where she could be acquitted is telling. It tells us that the Supreme Court is not independent.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1139875/pnp-launches-cleansing-program

“This is one way of changing the [police] attitude … This includes [building] the spiritual and familial values,” he said. 

“We want to create God-fearing personnel, a family-based and service-oriented organization,” he added.

Another internal cleansing program. Maybe it will work this time?

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/243541/tomas-43-others-face-ombuds-complaint-for-demolition-of-office-of-the-mayor

The head of the Building Maintenance Section of the Cebu City Hall has asked the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas to investigate former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for allegedly acting as mastermind in the “destruction” and “demolition” of the Office of the Mayor which he vacated on June 30. 

Mejelito Cajes asked the Ombudsman to indict Osmeña for theft and malicious mischief and file an administrative complaint against him for grave misconduct, grave neglect of duty and the conduct unbecoming of a public official.

This whole incident is absolutely ridiculous and pales in comparison to just about anything that has happened in recent memory in Philippine politics.  Imagine tearing up the Mayor's Office just because you lost the election!

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/07/11/1933822/coa-calls-out-pcso-p8-b-unremitted-earnings

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) over its continued refusal to remit to the national treasury 50 percent of annual earnings as required by law, noting that the state gaming firm’s unremitted earnings or dividends stand at P8.426 billion as of 2016. 

“PCSO has not declared and remitted dividends to the national government for dividend years 1994 to 2016 in the total amount of P8.426 billion, contrary to the provision under Section 3 of Republic Act 7656,” the COA’s 2018 annual audit report on the PCSO read.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1140555/pcso-told-return-p2b-spent-on-extravagant-expenses-unauthorized-benefits-since-2013

In their 2018 audit report, State auditors said that P811.463 million of the total disallowance issued against PCSO was used for “unauthorized benefits, unnecessary and extravagant expenses amounting to P519.925 million, P291.482 million and P56,540, respectively.” 

According to the report, PCSO spent P56,540 on “12 pieces of San Miguel Beer Light and 30 liters of Draft Beer” that were consumed during its Christmas party on December 19, 2017 while the P291.482 million represents the “overpriced” procurement of lotto paper supplies from TMA Pty Limited, through its subsidiary TMA Group Philippines.
The P519.925 million, on the other hand, was spent on various allowances, bonuses, and other personal benefits of the officials and employees of PCSO. 

The rest of the P2 billion, COA said, was spent by PCSO in prior years for various bonuses like car loan and assistance plan, excess representation and transportation allowance and clothing allowance, staple food allowance, medicine allowance, hazard pay, and weekly draw allowance. 

The PCSO can find time to spend money on millions for unauthorised expenditures yet for 22 years failed to give the government its slice of the pie. Is it any wonder that the PCSO is referred to as the most corrupt government agency?

Hi, my name is...4

Meeting new people isn't as hard as you think. It's as easy as saying "Hello."

Hi, my name is Archela Caballero. There's not a lot to tell about me. I'm 28 and single. I'm also  a kleptomaniac. Stealing is my mental illness. That must be why I was shot in the chest by a motorcycle man who quickly fled the scene.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/244083/police-identify-woman-found-dead-in-minglanilla

Hi, my name is Jay-ar Suplena. I am a sales agent based in Manila. After a long hard day of work my friends and I were out drinking having a good time. All of a sudden a motorcycle with three men pulled up and they started shooting me. What was that all about? I will probably never know because they got away and now I am dead.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1134747/sales-agent-shot-dead-by-3-men-in-manila

Hi, my name is Harriz Bell Olivo. At 21 years old I am the oldest student in my grade 10 class. Somebody decided they did not like me and beat me to death with a hammer. Bludgeoning is not a very efficient way to kill someone and my moronic murderer also left the hammer next to my body. Hopefully the PNP can extract some fingerprints and run them through a database and catch the killer like they do in American movies. Aww who am I kidding?

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/242988/student-found-dead-in-moalboal

Hi, my name is Mark Anthony Miranda.  I am a 15 year old grade 7 student. My living arrangements aren't very traditional as I live with my 30 year old boyfriend Renan Estrope Valderama. We had what you might call a lover's spat but this time it went a little too far. While I was in class hanging out with my schoolmates Renan burst into the room and shot me twice before running away. Now I am dead.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138009/grade-7-student-shot-by-boyfriend-in-laguna-dies

Hi, my name is Hutch Abadia and I'm a fixer. No not a repair man.  I'm not going to fix your pipes or or repair your wall.  I'm a fixer.  That means I can arrange for you to get easy access to the documents and people you need. Specifically I'm a fixer for a notary public. Well someone had it out for me and as I was on my way to work a man riding a motorcycle approached me and shot me in the head! I  pretty much died instantly. Chalk it up to those anonymous motorcycle assassins.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/242519/fixer-shot-dead-in-duljo-fatima

Hi, my name is Colin Akinchang.  I was walking down some stairs minding my own business when all of a sudden I was pushed from behind. I fell head first and cracked my skull on the pavement. I died while being treated.  Thankfully all of this was caught on CCTV.  That means the PNP will catch these men in a timely manner and I and my family will receive justice by seeing these men rot in jail. Right?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/700071/man-crossing-a-footbridge-in-baguio-dies-after-being-hit-by-passerby/story/

Hi, my name is Chop Chop.  Well that's not actually my name but it does describe me very much since my body was chopped into pieces and thrown into a bag. At least they had the dignity to bury it unlike another bag of body parts which was dumped in front of the Senate. Believe it or not there are many Chop Chop's in the Philippines. I am only the latest.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1138385/mans-chopped-up-body-parts-found-in-camarines-sur

Hi, my name is Roy Ponggawton. I'm a lucky guy you could say. Three guys in a car pulled up to my house and tried to assassinate me but I jumped off a cliff and saved my life. Out of the frying pan and into the fire right? Well that's life!

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/243830/man-escapes-death-by-jumping-off-a-cliff

Elementary School CR

With all the news about teachers renovating CR's to use as faculty rooms what better time than to post these pictures of an  actual elementary school CR.

There it is all its disgusting glory. The toilet is a seatless bowl and the only way to flush it is by filling up the bucket and pouring it down the drain. There is also no toilet paper. Instead there is the tabo. Here is how to use the tabo:

Upon entering the toilet, you should make sure that the pail have enough water. If it's not full... start refilling it while getting out of your pants and panty. Yepp... use the hook at the door to hang them there. This way you can be sure that your clothes will not be soiled while you are doing your business.  

It might be a little bit scary at the start but all you have to do is like this: sit or squat in the toilet bowl then do your business. After that get the tabo with your right hand and put some water in, wet your left hand and get a little soap and then wash your buttocks with soap and water. After that get some more water again using the tabo just to continue washing your buttocks till it's thoroughly clean. Now it's the time you need a toilet paper or towel to dry your buttocks. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20150514063839/https://www.the-philippines.info/toilet_hygiene.php

Heaven forbid if one of the children have to go number 2. There is certainly no towel or soap in that CR. The soap and towel are outside at the sink where the hands are washed. No doubt the door handle is contaminated with faecal matter.

With no roof over the CR everything that happens in there can be heard by everyone in the classroom. Who wants to hear the splashing of urine or the grunts of a bowel movement? No roof over the CR also means that every smell made in there will pollute the breathing air of the classroom. How can anyone study with the smell of piss and poop stinking up the room?

On the plus side at least no one has to leave the room if they have to go. No hall passes needed!