Martial Law: Gov Offers Cash to Surrender

The Philippine Government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, E-CLIP, is bribery plain and simple. Through this program communist rebels and Muslim terrorists are given huge sums of money, huge swaths of land to farm, housing, and training if they surrender. Meanwhile poor farmers get gunned down by government forces for being suspected rebels and regular poor people get nothing and remain mired in their poverty. If anything is unjust it is rewarding rebels and terrorists out of the nation's coffers. Read the past martial law archives and you will see I have written about this program at length.

One local government has taken this program to a ridiculous level by offering P2 million to surrendering rebels.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1191870/davao-occidental-gov-offers-reds-cash-to-surrender-p2m-per-ranking-npa-leader

The provincial government of Davao Occidental is offering as much as P2 million each to lure ranking leaders of New People’s Army (NPA) to surrender. 

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Gov. Claude Bautista. 

Bautista said the sooner guerrillas yield, the better. He did not explain where the money would come from. 

Aside from the cash offer, house and lots and scholarships await families of rebel leaders if they gave up, said the governor. 

Ranking rebel leaders could get P2 million each while those with lower ranks could get P1 million each, he said. 

He said the cash offer doesn’t run into conflict with an earlier declaration by the provincial government of rebels as persona non grata or unwelcome. 

“I am giving them the best chance they could get,” Bautista said. 

With the money and other packages, the governor said rebels could start a new life and engage in businesses 

The incentives being dangled by the provincial government is on top of that which the national government is offering under what is called as Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip). 

Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, head of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion, said rebels who would surrender with their firearms would get payment for the guns.

Cash, houses, scholarships, payment for weapons....that is all bribery. What is to prevent these people from fake surrendering and sending the money to their comrades? How can the Philippines end the communist insurgency if it does not want to actually crush them to pieces like any enemy of the state? 

CPP founder Joma Sison claims the E-CLIP program is the milking cows corrupt officials.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1192198/govt-anti-insurgency-programs-milking-cows-of-corrupt-officials

Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, said the government’s counter-insurgency programs have become milking cows for corrupt military and civilian officials. 

“The corrupt military and civilian officials would rather make money on fake development and fake community support projects and fake surrenders, and fake casualties for pure psywar, thus further bankrupting the reactionary government,” Sison said in a statement from in Utrecht in the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Whether corrupt officials are making money on fake projects and fake surrenders a lot of money and benefits are being given to those who surrender. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086715

At least 26 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in South Cotabato province have received some PHP465,000 in financial assistance through the government's flagship reintegration program. 

Grace Rodel, focal person of the local reintegration program of South Cotabato, said Thursday the beneficiaries comprise the latest batch of returnees who qualified for the livelihood and immediate financial assistance from the provincial government and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). 

Rodel said six of them received a combined PHP65,000 in livelihood assistance while 20 others got PHP20,000 each as immediate financial assistance. 

“These were among the rebels who surrendered last year and qualified to receive financial grants under the E-CLIP (Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program),” she told reporters here. 

Rodel said some of the beneficiaries graduated earlier this month from the 33-day Animal Production (poultry production) training provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). 

She said the training is among the requirements for the release of livelihood assistance to the former rebels.  

Aside from the skills training, she said the beneficiaries also underwent seminars and orientations on financial literacy. 

“We’re training them to become entrepreneurs so they could sustain the assistance provided by the provincial government,” Rodel said. 

She said these interventions were led by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry and TESDA. 

Under the E-CLIP, rebel returnees may also avail of livelihood financing of at least PHP100,000 from the Land Bank of the Philippines, housing assistance worth PHP450,000 and firearms remuneration of up to PHP500,000.

The E-CLIP program is insane. Imagine if instead of paying rebels to surrender the government gave free training and money to those who are poor enough to qualify. Imagine if the Philippine government invested in Filipinos in the manner described in the Constitution. The country could become prosperous in a short time.

Aside from offering bribes the AFP is trying a new and rather confusing tactic to bring down the NPA.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1192850/army-files-case-vs-npa-for-violating-intl-law

The Philippine Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade has filed a court case against four alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA), which it claimed violated the international humanitarian law (IHL) during an attack on Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon on May 28. 

Rommel Alonto, the provincial prosecutor, said a case had been filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 against a certain Omben alias Ronron and alias Jhon; Lino Namatidong alias Dahun; Mylen Colita alias Maymay; and Toto Taquin alias Jepoy. 

The respondents were alleged members of the subregional committees of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front 89 and the NPA’s north-central command, who were allegedly involved in the attack. 

In a resolution prepared by the Bukidnon provincial prosecutor, Ramiro Melgo, a member of the barangay tanod in Santo Niño, said he was handcuffed and maltreated by NPA fighters during the May 28 attack. 

“He (Melgo) was not armed and not part of the conflict. But he was subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment,” Alonto said. 

Brig. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, 403rd Infantry Battalion commander, claimed that by launching the attack in Sitio Aurora, Barangay Santo Niño on May 28, the rebels committed IHL violations, which stated that civilians should be spared in the armed conflict between state forces and the rebels. 

He said the act was a violation of the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity. 

“The NPA, as a party to the armed conflict, must comply with the IHL, foremost of which is the protection of civilian lives and properties. They (NPA) must not violate the IHL. Everything they do must comply with the IHL,” he told reporters during a press conference after submitting the prosecutor’s resolution to the court. 

He said the filing of the case was just the first of a series, as the military was compiling reports on the NPA’s other alleged IHL violations, including the destruction of private properties, farm equipment, and vehicles in Bukidnon and other areas.

"The NPA, as a party to the armed conflict, must comply with the IHL, foremost of which is the protection of civilian lives and properties. They (NPA) must not violate the IHL. Everything they do must comply with the IHL."  That is, as they say, pants on head retarded! The AFP expects a terrorist organisation to comply with international law?  Is the AFP really expecting to try NPA members in a court of law? Ridiculous! Everything about the AFP's war against the communists is ridiculous which is why it has lasted for 50 years. 

Aside from the surrendering communists Abu Sayyaf is also hoping to make some money.

https://mindanaoexaminer.com/sayyafs-demand-p30-million-for-3-indon-hostages/ 

THREE INDONESIAN FISHERMEN kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf terrorists have pleaded with Jakarta for their safe release after the Abu Sayyaf demanded P30 million in exchange for the trio’s freedom, Malaysia media reported. 

The Star said the fishermen – Maharudin Lunani, 48, and his son Muhammad Farhan, 27; and crew member Samiun Maneu, 27, appealed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in a video clip posted on Facebook. 

“We were caught by the Abu Sayyaf Group on September 24, 2019. We ask the Indonesian president to help free us. The ASG (Abu Sayyaf group) has demanded 30 million pesos in ransom,” said Maneu.

No word yet if the ransom will be paid but ransoms have been paid before which his how they have been able to continue to operate. At least Abu Sayyaf won't be able to make any ransom money from the British man and his wife who they kidnapped in October.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/182209/military-rescues-kidnapped-british-filipino-couple

Soldiers from the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion have rescued a kidnapped British national and his wife, more than a month after they were abducted by armed men believed to be from the Abu Sayyaf group. 

Soldiers recovered businessman Allan Arthur Hyrons and his wife, Welma Paglinawan-Hyrons around 8:30 a.m. after a firefight with Abu Sayyaf gunmen along the border villages of Silangkan and Taha in the town of Parang, Sulu, regional military commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said. 

“We successfully rescued Allan and Wilma Hyrons,” said Sobejana. 

Sobejana said the rescue of the couple was a result of three days of intensified military operations. Seven members of the Abu Sayyaf were killed in separate encounters with the Army over the weekend, including a suspected liaison of the Islamic State to the Abu Sayyaf Group, Talha Jumsah or “Abu Talha.” 

“We pursued, we did a hot pursuit so it’s a convergence of efforts among our forces on the ground,” Sobejana said. 

A 10-minute running gunbattle between the bandits and soldiers took place before the British-Filipino couple were secured by government troops. 

“This is has a major impact on our efforts and it will cause a huge setback on our enemies. This is a big blow to their morale. We can see they are demoralized so we need to take advantage of this,” Sobejana said.

The fishermen have been held hostage since September which is also ridiculous because the AFP has assured the nation that they will eradicate the ASG by year's end.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/06/25/incoming-westmincom-chief-vows-to-end-abu-sayyaf-by-year-end/

Major General Cirilito Sobejana, incoming commander of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), is seeking to end the exploits of the Abu Sayyaf Group before the end of 2019 upon the orders of President Duterte. 

“That is our objective because no less than the President gave the guidance to us to end the Abu Sayyaf before the end of the year,” Sobejana said in Filipino. 

“That’s [why] we deployed all forces in Sulu for that purpose without creating any vaccum in any areas within the Western Mindanao Command,” he added. 

Sobejana, an awardee of the top military honor for courage — the Medal of Valor, believes that the plan to end the Abu Sayyaf Group is “feasible.” 

“[It is] feasible especially now that we see the amount of cooperation among local government units, the civilian authorities and even the community as a whole. They are tired of the menace, tired of terrorism that’s why they are very supportive to us,” he noted.

It is going to take a lot more than cooperation among LGU's and the community to defeat ASG.  It's going to take direct military action. Why don't they do that? Just get in the jungle and blast them away. How hard can it be to find their lairs and drop bombs on them.  The US military is assisting the AFP with gathering intelligence. It can't possibly be so difficult. With the rescuing of the British and Filipina hostages and alleged demoralisation of the ASG it should be a little easier.

With all these silly tactics being employed to fight the war on terrorism is it any wonder that the Philippines remains high on the list of nations affected by terrorism?

https://www.cnn.ph/news/2019/11/21/ph-global-terrorism-index-2019.html

The Philippines remains the only Southeast Asian country which ranked in the top ten countries most impacted by terrorism, even climbing up to the ninth spot in the 2019 Global Terrorism Index. 

With a “high” score of 7.137, the country recorded 424 terror-related attacks which resulted in 297 deaths. This is a 13 percent decrease from 487 terror-related incidents in 2017. 

The report, conducted by think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, noted that the communist group New People’s Army (NPA) remains the deadliest terror group in the country after it dominated extremist violence in the country with 36 percent of deaths and 39 percent of terror-related incidents at 107 and 179, respectively. 

A total of 39 provinces recorded NPA attacks in 2018, predominantly in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. This is equivalent to a 111 percent increase in Negros Island since 2017, with violence committed against police, military and the government on land rights issues. 

The NPA has engaged in an insurgency against the government for over 50 years, causing 2,387 deaths since 1970.

Despite all the bribery the NPA remains the nations deadliest terror group with attacks in Negros Occidental increasing by 111%!!  The Philippines is also the only SEA nation in the top 10 and climbed a notch to 9th place. How is that the AFP is so optimistic about defeating the NPA soon and very soon but outside organisations say otherwise? Who is right here? I have written extensively in this series about the follies of the AFP over the years which makes me inclined to say the AFP is not right. Their analyses continue to be wrong and they cannot sustain what victories they have won in the past. No way will bribery end the insurgency. It only means criminals will continue to get off scot-free and walk away with thousands, maybe even millions.

The Gory Philippine Media

God bless the Philippine media. I mean it. Really. The Philippine media does not sugarcoat reality. No, no. They show you just how it is.  Take this motorcycle accident.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1085373

It's just a regular motorcycle accident so who cares about the story? We have heard it all before. The picture of these two fools who did not wear helmets speaks a thousand million billion words.  Let me enlarge it for you.

The lesson, which no one is going to learn, is WEAR A HELMET!!! These guys might be alive if they had worn a helmet. Maybe not. A van sideswiped them sending them to their doom so the lesson also is STAY IN YOUR LANE!! 

Everyone in the Philippines is a bad driver. Everyone except Roland Quitevus who was given a medal by the Queen of England for his work as a chauffeur for the British Embassy. The baddest of all the bad drivers are the motorcyclists. They zoom in and out of traffic and into oncoming lanes and sometimes whole families with infants included are seeing riding together. Will seeing a photo like this help tame those morons? Of course not.

But it sure is a messed up and gory photo which no Western outlet would ever print!

Retards in the Government 129

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086058

A former ex-officio provincial board member of South Cotabato province who was tagged by police as a “narco-politician” was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a village in Polomolok town at past noon Thursday. 

Lt. Col. Lino Capellan, public information officer of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-12, said Vicente Yungco Jr., 47, was driving his white Isuzu Crosswind along Dahlia Street in Barangay Poblacion when he was waylaid by two motorcycle-riding suspects around 1 p.m. 

Capellan said Yungco, who was an incumbent councilor of Barangay Poblacion, came from his house in Purok Malinawon and was with his wife and youngest son when the shooting happened. 

Yungco bore multiple gunshot wounds on the head and body, and was declared dead upon arrival in a nearby hospital. 

He was arrested by operatives of the PRO-12’s anti-illegal drugs special operations task group during a raid at his house on Oct. 13, 2016 for illegal possession of firearms. The guns turned out to have been issued by the provincial government. 

The PRO-12 then described Yungco as a narco-politician and was allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade as protector. 

A local government official accused of being a narco-politician gunned down by motorcycle assassins. Nothing new here.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1190287/drunk-cop-nabbed-for-indiscriminate-firing-in-pasig-city

A policeman allegedly intoxicated by alcohol was arrested in a bar after he allegedly fired his gun indiscriminately in Pasig City. 

Police on Friday identified the suspect as Staff Sgt. PercilIto Club, who was arrested at about 5:20 a.m. on Thursday along J. Vargas Avenue in Barangay Ugong. 

According to police, personnel of the Pasig City Police Community Precinct 10 were conducting establishment visitation at the bar when they suddenly heard a gunshot at the entrance. 

When the policemen went to check, they saw a man holding a firearm. 

Police said they noticed that the man, who later introduced himself as a police officer, was “very drunk.”

A drunk policeman firing off his weapon. Nothing new here.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1190272/sandiganbayan-finds-grace-padaca-guilty-of-graft-malversation

The Sandiganbayan third division has found former Isabela governor Grace Padaca guilty of graft and malversation in connection her involvement in the alleged misuse of some P25 million in agricultural funds in 2006. 

In a decision rendered in open court, the Sandiganbayan found Padaca guilty and sentenced her to up to 14 years for the graft charge, and up to 10 years for the malversation charge. 

The court also allowed Padaca to double her bail bond of P70,000 for her provisional liberty while she appeals the verdict.

For her part, an emotional Padaca said she was surprised by the verdict, and maintained that she did not personally benefit from the P25 million. 

“I don’t even know what to say.  With the P25 million, I didn’t personally gain even one cent. That all went to the farmers of Isabela,” Padaca said, adding that the program was put into place so that the farmers don’t have to take out disadvantageous loans with traders and financiers. 

Padaca also said she had the blessing of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan before entering into the Memorandum of Agreement. 

“They gave me authority to enter into the MOA, this was notarized, which if why the decision baffles me,” she said in Filipino, adding that she is hopeful that the decision will be reversed.

A Filipino politician convicted of graft to the tune of millions but how is really innocent. In fact she really might be innocent and something corrupt is going on.  Nothing new here.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1190602/dont-telegraph-our-moves-to-drug-lords

“We should not telegraph our moves to the drug dealers.” 

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said this Saturday as he expressed agreement with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino on not giving a list of high-value drug targets to the Vice President. 

Aquino previously said that there is no need for Vice President Leni Robredo to obtain a list of high-value targets, saying it is not part of their mandate as co-chairpersons of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs  (ICAD). 

Sotto said a list of the drug syndicates will “merely leak if agencies concerned will submit to the ICAD.” 

Sotto also warned the media not to publicize ICAD’s strategies and planning against high-value drug personalities. 

“ICAD should inform media when there are major achievements and accomplishments, not when planning strategies,” he said.

This is total hypocrisy. Duterte's modus operandi has been to wave around a narco list and threaten to kill everyone on it. The PDEA recently called out by name an alleged drug queen and she was able to flee the country before they could arrest her. The Duterte administration has constantly telegraphed all of its moves through the media. All Robredo is asking for is a list of high value targets and everyone is losing their mind. Could it be that Duterte will dismiss her from the post as drug czar on a pretext?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1190795/duterte-to-remove-robredo-from-anti-drug-post-if-she-reveals-state-secrets-to-foreign-entities-palace

“The President stated that disclosing classified information of the Philippine government to foreign individuals and entities will cause the removal of the Vice President from her current post,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement on Sunday. 

This comes after Robredo, who the was designated as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), held meetings with anti-drug officials from the US and the United Nations.

Despite all the cooperation between the security forces of the US and the PHL who knows but Duterte could suddenly decide Robredo's consolation with the US and UN could be treasonous. After all he says he does not trust her.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/245348-duterte-does-not-trust-robredo-no-cabinet-post

Going against his own word, President Rodrigo Duterte said he did not appoint Vice President Leni Robredo to a Cabinet post simply because he does not trust her.  

In a late night press conference on Tuesday, November 19, the President said he disliked how Robredo began consulting foreign organizations like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) after she agreed to be co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD). 

(The problem with Robredo is that, right after she was appointed, she began talking publicly about inviting the Human Rights Commission. She was talking to the United Nations. She wants to talk to the European...and she said so many things. If that's the case, I said, I cannot appoint her as a Cabinet member.) 

(If that's the way her mouth behaves, there can never be a position for her. Because if she's in the Cabinet, she would be an alter ego of me. The problem here is this: I cannot trust her not only because – not only, okay? – not only because she is with the opposition; I do not trust her because I do not know her. I don't know who she was talking to before, who were the politicians and the people she's talking to.)

He cannot trust her because, among other things, he does not know her. That is pathetic.  Robredo is the Vice President and they should have been working together for the past 3 years. Is there any other nation where the Vice President and the President are strangers to one another?

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/270801/cop-accused-of-shooting-man-in-a-wake-in-dalaguete-surrenders

The cop who was accused of shooting a man who refused to continue to play a card game in Dalaguete town, southern Cebu was turned over to the police station in-charge by his station commander. 

Police Staff Sergeant Mario Cartociano, who was assigned as an investigator at the Waterfront police station in Cebu City, was brought to Dalaguete police station around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, November 17, 2019. 

He was to be investigated for the accusations that he shot a certain Bobet Delpuso, 30, in Barangay Langkas, Dalaguete, Cebu, for refusing to continue playing the card game  ‘tong-its’ during a wake. 

Pomarejos added that if ever his officer will be found guilty, certain consequences will eventually be imposed.

This cop is accused of shooting a man for not wanting to play cards at a wake.  How about don't play cards at a wake? How about don't have a weeklong 24 hour a day vigil with people drinking?  How about respect the day and bury them as soon as possible without any shenanigans?

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/11/17/1969442/duterte-admits-suffering-illnesses-related-old-age

President Duterte admited that at his age, 74, he is suffering from health woes that  come with a person getting older. 

“At kung sabihin mong may sakit ako, meron (If you talk about my being sick, yes). You name it, I have it. Para wala na lang (So there won’t be any) debate,” said Duterte. 

Duterte said he has been beset by various illnesses related to his being 74-years-old.  

“Lahat ng sakit, nandito na sa akin kasi matanda na ako. Kung sabihin mo, OK ka ba President (All the sicknesses, I have them because I’m old. If you ask me, are you OK Mr. President)? Are you in the best of health? Of course not. I am old, life has begun to take its toll on my health,” Duterte told GMA TV during a trip to Tacloban City the other day. 

Hopefully we can put this all to rest now. Duterte is old and sick. But we already knew that. Nothing new here.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086416

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a village councilor in Kabacan, North Cotabato on Monday, a police official said. 

Col. Maximo Layugan, North Cotabato police director, identified victim as Freddie Balansiawan, 49, a village councilor in Barangay Cuyapon in Kabacan. 

Layugan, quoting a report from the Kabacan police station, said Balansiawan was riding his motorbike when waylaid along a dirt road in Barangay Lower Paatan, also in Kabacan at about 3:30 p.m. 

“The victim sustained fatal gunshot wounds in the head and body,” Layugan said. 

Witnesses told police investigators that they saw four men leaving the crime scene after the shooting.

Another village councillor shot dead. Nothing new here.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1190385/another-warrant-of-arrest-issued-vs-ilocos-sur-town-mayor-over-serious-illegal-detention

Another warrant of arrest was issued against former Cabugao, Ilocos Sur Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang over the padlocking of a local beach resort—trapping its operator, her four-year-old son, and several employees inside. 

The warrant, dated October 22 and signed by Executive Judge Gemma Bucayu-Madrid of the Regional Trial Court Branch 12 of Sanchez Mira, Cagayan, orders the arrest of Cobangbang and 19 others over the non-bailable offense of serious illegal detention. 

Records showed that Ong took over the operation of the resort following Valera’s filing of a quit claim in 2016. 

The municipality, however, passed a municipal ordinance and refused to accept Ong’s payment for monthly rental. 

Cobangbang then asked Ong to vacate the property, which she refused to do and led to the padlocking of the property that trapped her, her four-year-old son, and several employees inside until the following day when their lawyer and the police arrived.

This case has been ongoing for a while now. No resolution in sight!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1191371/bato-dela-rosa-i-could-be-the-most-effective-chr-chairman

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa believes he could be the “most effective” head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) should he be given the chance to do so. 

During the Senate deliberation on the proposed 2020 budget of CHR on Monday, Senator Panfilo Lacson suggested in jest that Dela Rosa should be appointed as the next chair of the government’s rights body. 

This after Dela Rosa went on about how reformed heinous crime convicts should be given a second chance in life. 

(If the person really changed, why won’t we give him a second chance? A lot of inmates really underwent reform inside Bilibid… but due to public uproar, the issue was politicized, suddenly there were no more GCTA which the purpose of which was to give everyone a chance, a second life. That’s my take on that. Please don’t get me wrong).

(Many inmates are crying inside ‘Sir, our lives would have been better. Before we die, we want to feel the fresh air outside Bilibid but now because there’s no more GCTA, our lives have become worthless). 

Bato is so dumb. It's not even endearing but it will give life to this blog for the next six years. Is he talking about rapist/murderer Antonio Sanchez? Is he really saying the man reformed but because of public uproar he was not able to go free? Is he saying that if he was CHR head he would let rapist/murderers go free? It sure seems that way!

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/19/19/amid-graft-complaint-labor-chief-says-foreign-trips-authorized-by-duterte

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Tuesday said all his overseas trips were work-related and authorized by President Rodrigo Duterte, as he faced a graft complaint filed against him by a radio commentator. 

In a 78-page complaint, Adolfo Paglinawan said Bello made "at least 40 trips abroad from January 2017 to October 2019" and accused the labor chief of graft and corruption over his travels, which Paglinawan said cost government at least P40 million.

So the DOLE Secretary is being accused by a RADIO COMMENTATOR of graft but he says all his trips were authorised by the President.  Maybe that's true, maybe it's not but why is he being sued by a radio commentator?  What standing does that man have to sue the DOLE Secretary??

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1191236/bacolod-bishop-slams-locsin-for-calling-cbcp-head-moron

Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon has slammed Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. for calling Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Romulo Valles a “moron” in a “white Mu-Mu.” 

“He puts not just himself but his country to shame,” Buzon said. 

Locsin, who on November 5 was named an Outstanding Negrosanon in public service, criticized Valles in a Tweet after the latter urged Catholics to pray for Vice President Leni Robredo when the latter accepted the position of co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD). 

“Say Thank You to the President you moron in a white Mu-Mu. Without him, she’d be stuck with her retarded retinue and ecclesiastical idiots like you. How did you pass theology? You’re a disgrace to what is supposed to be the world’s most intellectual religion,” Locsin said in a Tweet on Thursday that has since been removed.
Buzon reminded Locsin to act accordingly. 

“It’s just unfortunate that he speaks in a way that is unbefitting of his position,” he said.

Bishop Buzon really sums it up when he says. "It’s just unfortunate that he speaks in a way that is unbefitting of his position." Teddyboy is constantly tweeting out so much dreck it is ridiculous. He should delete his Twitter account or at least refrain from tweeting all his unfiltered thoughts.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1191957/order-to-suspend-yap-as-bohol-governor-for-90-days-handed-over

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday, Nov. 19,  served an order on Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap suspending him for 90 days for alleged involvement in a scam involving pork barrel, or the now notorious Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). 

Yap has been charged at the Ombudsman with misusing the pork funds of Misamis Occidental Rep. Marina Clarete when Yap was still agriculture secretary under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. 

Yap issued a statement denying the charge that he helped Clarete misuse her pork barrel funds through projects in the Department of Agriculture that either involved overpriced fertilizers or were simply nonexistent. 

Yap pointed to a manifestation filed by the Office of Solicitor General at the Supreme Court as part of his denial. He said the OSG manifestation stated that there was no evidence of Yap’s involvement in anomalous transactions involving Clarete’s pork barrel funds. 

In a radio interview, Yap said the OSG had asked the Supreme Court to stop the Ombudsman from further prosecuting him and nullify the anti-graft body’s resolution suspending Yap for pork anomalies.

Another politician involved in the PDA scam this time for buying overpriced fertilisers. Why do politicians buy so much fertiliser? This time however he has the OSG behind him. 

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/11/20/2-taguig-city-employees-nabbed-for-extortion/

Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano lauded the arrest of two city hall employees for alleged extortion in an entrapment operation led by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday. 

Cayetano commended PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica for the arrest of Emma Robianes and Edward Buncab of the Local Building Office. 

The two were apprehended at the Taguig City Satellite Office at the SM Aura Office Tower in Bonifacio Global City by joint police operatives along with the PACC and the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) 

The suspects, according to police, allegedly tried to extort P10,000 from a complainant, Rodrigo Cueta, a building permit applicant.

LGU officials committing extortion. Nothing new here!

https://www.rappler.com/nation/245382-pnp-arrest-vape-users-without-duterte-executive-order

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has begun its crackdown on vape use effective Wednesday, November 20, even without an executive order from President Rodrigo Duterte clearly outlining the grounds for making the arrests. 

"PNP officer-in-charge Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa has directed, effective today, all police units nationwide to enforce the ban on use of vapes; ensure that all violators will be arrested and properly recorded in the police blotters; confiscated items are accounted for and disposed of properly; and coordinate with local government units and agencies, vape stores and owners to enhance the enforcement of the ban," the PNP said in a statement sent to police reporters. 

The PNP's sweeping reaction stemmed from President Rodrigo Duterte verbally ordering them on Tuesday night to arrest people who used vape, also known as electronic cigarettes. This is the latest case of the PNP eagerly enforcing a high-stakes campaign even with just the President's vague and emotionally charged words as basis. 

"I'm now ordering all law enforcement agencies to arrest everybody vaping in public, that like smoking...you contaminate people," the President said in his briefing.

No EO, no law, no nothing, and yet they will be arresting papers for violating......what exactly? How is this not unconstitutional? Furthermore Duterte has even warned the judiciary to not mess with him regarding vaping.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/20/19/duterte-warns-judiciary-vs-interfering-with-vaping-ban

President Rodrigo Duterte warned the judiciary on Wednesday against interfering with his order to arrest people vaping or using e-cigarettes in public, as well as those engaged in their importation. 

Should a court decide to block Duterte’s directive, the President warned that he would not heed it. 

“Judges, I warn you, do not issue restraining orders to the Customs, to the Coast Guard,” he said in a speech during the 80th anniversary celebration of the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. 

“I will not obey your order because of the peculiar situation this country finds.”

What kind of garbage is this?  This not separation of powers. Is this the dictatorship Duterte promised?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086686

Police and anti-narcotics operatives here arrested in a predawn raid Thursday a former soldier for drug peddling and illegal possession of firearms and explosives. 

Lt. Colonel John Calinga, Midsayap police chief, said joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Region 12, the police’s Special Action Force, and members of the local police who were armed with a search warrant raided the house of Mark Macasarte, 44, in Barangay Bual Norte here. 

“The 3 a.m. raid surprised Macasarte, a former Army corporal,” Calinga said. 

Calinga said Macasarte’s home yielded 50 small sachets of shabu weighing 12 grams and with a street value of PHP100,000; a fragmentation grenade, three magazines for the M16 rifle, a 9mm pistol, and several bullets. 

“Macasarte was kicked out of military service because of his alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade,” Calinga added. 

Macasarte, who was once detained for selling illegal drugs, was placed under surveillance for three weeks before Thursday’s law enforcement operation.

An AFP Colonel involved in the illegal drug trade.  

The Best Toilet in the Philippines

World Toilet Day 2019 has come and gone and most people probably did not even notice. World Toilet Day is not about celebrating toilets, of which there are many varieties in the world, but about raising awareness about toilets. Lack of toilets, especially in poorer countries, is a serious health threat.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/11/19/doh-stresses-need-for-toilet-in-every-filipino-household/

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said that Filipino households should prioritize building toilet facilities as the practice of open defecation poses health risks. 

“Many Filipinos can buy their cellphones but their households do not have proper toilet facilities. Maybe you can also prioritize the dignity of your family,” said Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo during the observance of the World Toilet Day in Baseco Compound in Port Area, Manila. 

“Having a toilet is actually not a luxury. It is a requirement for the health and safety of your family,” he added. 

Bayugo said that the practice of open defecation is connected to different diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and polio; as well as poor health conditions such as stunting and malnutrition. 

Moreover, the DOH said that the act of defecating in open spaces such as in fields and bodies of water, “also put children and women at risk of sexual harassment and abuse.”

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Representative Julia Rees echoed the importance of the use of toilets. 

“Always use toilets to prevent the existence of flies [and] to be healthy and safe from the dangers of open defecation. [We] also advocate the practice of handwashing with soap before eating [and] after using the toilet to prevent eating your excrement,” said Reese. 

“We are challenging all local government units to prioritize sanitation in its effect to health, nutrition, education, and security of Filipino children. It’s time for the Philippines to focus on addressing the sanitation needs of people in urban slums, in remote and geographically isolated areas, and in indigenous communities,” she added. 

“As of 2015, about seven million Filipinos ay wala pang toilet; and 3 ½  million of them are in Metro Manila,” said Villar. The senator added that 5,000 toilets need to be constructed in Baseco Compound alone.

3.5 million people in Metro Manila do not have access to a toilet!  No wonder that city and its waterways are so disgusting. The DOH is talking about open defecation but I think a problem equally as great is that while some families do have toilets they are not proper toilets.  Remember the toilet  in an elementary school I wrote about?

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/07/elementary-school-cr.html

That is not a proper toilet.  No seat and no way to flush except dumping water down the hole. This is not an anomaly either.  Here are more toilets just as filthy.

The last one is at SM Supermarket. Gross huh? A company worth billions of dollars and this is the toilet they provide for their customers. 

Pooping outside and not burying it is certainly filthy and a health hazard but I would like to see the DOH address the issue of inadequate toilets as well.  And what about toilets at the mall which have no toilet paper?

Just kidding.  There is toilet paper in this bathroom but you have to grab as much as you need before conducting your business.

It's the same old same old. Everyone knows comfort rooms in the Philippines are not comforting in the slightest. Except for one.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1192072/and-the-best-toilet-in-ph-can-be-found-in

Far Eastern University (FEU) has the best and the brightest “kubeta” in the Philippines. 

FEU, one of the country’s leading universities established by Dr. Nicanor Reyes in 1928, emerged as the big winner in this year’s Golden Kubeta Awards bankrolled by water distributor Maynilad Water Services Inc. 

It topped the schools and universities category and won the People’s Choice Award with more than 10,000 social media votes.

Is this really the best toilet in the Philippines? Really?

Look at that open bowl!  You have to take a dump with everyone watching! This is what passes for the best toilet in the Philippines.

Pure Kino Bootlegs at The Chinese Mall

You have been to the Chinese Mall right?  It's full of fake phones, fake shoes, fake everything.  There might be an original in there somewhere. You just have to look. Bootleg DVD's also abound.  When you pass by the vendor she says, "Sir, you like movie?"  All the movies they have available are just common dreck I can get from the internet. In fact you can get practically ANY film from the internet.  Who needs physical copies?

This is all a preface to say that in the Chinese Mall in Bacolod, 888, there is a DVD/Blu-ray shop that is selling pure Kino and I am very impressed by their offerings despite the fact that they are all fakes. Let me show you just a sample.

To begin with we have the Stanley Kubrick collection. This is all of his films on 2 Blu-ray discs. Stanly Kubrick is the man who filmed the Apollo moon landing and filmed Barry Lyndon by candlelight! What an auteur. A real artist. But look at the bottom of the box.  It says "1080P Beyond High Definition." There is nothing beyond 1080P.  That is as high definition as you can get aside from 4K Ultra HD. Just about every film for sale in this shop had that "Beyond High Definition" tag.  This collection is not original and is fake.

Next up we have the Hayao Miyazaki collection spread across three discs.  Probably there are more than three discs since there are about 12 movies in each box. There is also a huge problem with this collection which screams bootleg. That is the films included are all Studio Ghibli and not exclusively Miyazaki films. Now he did found that studio but he did not direct all the films they produced. The gibberish translation on the cover also hints that these films are not genuine.

"Classic Works of Injury." I do not know what those Japanese characters actually mean but "classic works of injury" is not it.  There is a discussion about these particular bootlegs on Reddit. A good collection nevertheless.

This all 7 American Pie films.  You read that right. All 7 of them. This is not necessarily pure Kino but it is very interesting and you won't get it from regular bootleggers. This box lacks the "Beyond High Definition" tag on the bottom of the box.

Here we have a collection of films from Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. I have seen all these films.  The first one is 120 Days of Sodom and it is the most reprehensible film ever made. Bar none. Nothing compares to the filth is this movie. It also has nothing to do with the other three listed. There is in fact no Tetraology of Life which is how I can tell this is fake. The 1001 Nights, The Decameron, and The Canterbury tales are all part of Pasolini's Trilogy of Life.

Although the outside of this box screams bootleg the inside does not reflect that.

There are 4 discs.  One for each movie. Each disc has their own artwork and it looks legit. I did not preview them but I bet the image looks good because they are probably ripped from the original DVD's.  

Finally we have a 4 disc set of the classic BBC series Civilisation. Who will buy this? Who cares enough to buy this? I am simply amazed this TV show is being stocked. You can watch it on Youtube. In episode one we are told:

Of course, civilisation requires a modicum of material prosperity. Enough to provide a little leisure. But far more, it requires confidence. Confidence in the society in which one lives, belief in its philosophy, belief in its laws, confidence in one's own mental powers. The way the stones of that bridge are laid is not only a triumph of technical skill, but it shows a vigorous belief in discipline and law. Energy, vitality - all the great civilisations or civilising epochs, have had a weight of energy behind them. People sometimes think that civilisation consists in fine sensibilities and good conversation, and all that. These can be among the agreeable results of civilisation but they are not what makes a civilisation. And a society can have these amenities and yet be dead and rigid.

How can Filipinos relate to that?

This TV series from 1969 is all about Western European art and architecture. A good series. The box it comes in leads me to think it could be original. The vendor did say the Blu-rays where this one was were all originals but I have my doubts.

Having said all that let me clarify what I mean when I say these are all likely fakes. These movies are most likely pirated copies burned to a disc and cleverly printed with legit artwork on the top of the disc. The Pasolini and Miyazaki collection's certainly are. Contrast that with regular bootleg DVD's which do not have any type of artwork on the disc so you have to look hard to figure out the top and bottom. The box artwork, at least for Kubrick, is the same as that of the original. Over all these fake Blu-rays are well done versions of the real thing. A lot of thought and work went into their production. You aren't getting merely a pirated movie burned to a disc. You are getting a very lovely package to go with it.

The whole enterprise is impressive to me. Somewhere in China someone is bootlegging art films and shipping them to the Philippines. Surely it must cost a lot to make them but then again there must be a market or else they would not be made.