Thursday, July 30, 2020

Coronavirus Lockdown: A Living Experiment, Major Changes, And More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.


One newly minted lawyer was not about to let social distancing rules bar his parents from his signing-in ceremony at the Supreme Court.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/748126/new-lawyer-brings-cardboard-standee-of-parents-to-roll-of-attorneys-signing/story/
Told that visitors are not allowed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new lawyer found another way of bringing his parents to his signing of the roll at the Supreme Court on Thursday. 
Instead of physically bringing his parents, Atty. Ivan Torres just brought a standee of them. 
According to Torres, he wanted to share the moment with his parents but was told he could not bring guests. 
Torres' parents are in Pampanga.
That's interesting but it would have been even more interesting if he had been living streaming the whole ceremony but cutting out a tiny hole in one his parents eyes and attaching a phone to the other side of the cardboard cut-out.

Contact tracing is a hard task and the Philippines does not have the manpower to accurately do it. The PNP has a solution though.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/328407/chismosas-helpful-in-contact-tracing-says-pro-7-chief
Being a “chismosa” or “chismoso” may help during these trying times. 
It may sound funny, but Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), believes gossipers could be useful as contact tracers who can help stop the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) here. 
According to Ferro, gossipers usually know the latest news about other people and this may be a way to help gather information useful for the government in its bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus. 
“As what I have said in several pronouncements, it is not only the job or responsibility of the police, military, health workers, and the government. This is a responsibility of all Filipino citizens,” said Ferro. 
He said that some members of the community who might be despised for being gossip peddlers could help the community in the fight against COVID-19. 
Contact tracing is believed to be one of the most effective tool to be able to contain the spread of the virus, which, according to Ferro, would need more contact tracers. He said help from “chismosas” may make tracing easier.
He doesn't say exactly how those who know the latest gossip would be able to actually help with contract tracing which is a good indication that he has no idea himself how it work. The governor of Cavite outright rejected this proposal.
“I am sure there are better, more efficient and intelligent ways to make the people cooperate with the government,” he added.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1310893/cavite-gov-shuns-hiring-of-gossipmongers-to-help-in-contact-tracing
Perhaps PNP Brig. Gen. Ferro has time to make such silly suggestions because there is less crime to fight.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109725
The government's intensified efforts to uphold the rule of law resulted in a 51-percent decline in the country's crime rate since the start of community quarantine measures in the country, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday.
Citing data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Lorenzana said only 10,145 crimes were reported nationwide from March 17 to July 20, compared to the 20,575 crimes reported from Nov. 17, 2019 to March 16, 2020. 
Rule of law (is) strengthened, pinalakas natin ang pananaig sa batas ng ating bansa. Napanatili ng ating kapulisan ang kapayapaan at kaligtasan ng ating mga pamayanan. Bumaba ang bilang ng krimen, napabilis ang pagresolba sa mga ito at napaigting ang kampanya laban sa iligal na droga (we strengthened our commitment to uphold the law. Our police officers have maintained the peace and safety of our people. Crime incidents decreased and the resolution of these crimes were fast-tracked and we also strengthened the campaign against illegal drugs),” said Lorenzana, head of the Security, Justice and Peace Cluster at a pre-SONA forum. 
The data covers the eight focus crimes of murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, car theft, and motorcycle theft. 
The crime rate in Luzon declined by 52 percent, from 10,870 from Nov. 12, 2019 to March 16, 2020 to 5,267 from March 17 to July 20, while the Visayas registered a 53-percent decrease from 5,236 to 2,519, and Mindanao saw a 46-percent drop, from 4,379 to 2,359 over the same period.
Most of that undoubtedly has to do with curfews and quarantines which are still in effect to varying degrees around the country.

Cebu City is seeking to employ around 300 village watchmen and volunteers to help with contact tracing.

The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO – 7) announced on Thursday, July 23, 2020, that they will be conducting seminars for individuals tasked to help the city’s contact tracing initiatives. 
“We have to maximize the number of contact tracers in the city. We encourage all – policemen and barangay tanods – to be contact tracers themselves,” said Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of PRO – 7. 
Ferro said the first round of training will be held Thursday, which will be hosted by police officers from Cebu City.
No mention by PNP Brig. Gen. Ferro of gossipers in this bunch of volunteers.
From what I hear the COVID-19 swab test is not pleasant as it consists of a huge q-tip being shoved up your nostril and into the back of your throat. No wonder people want to fake their results.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110010
Authorities have arrested two women for selling falsified coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) test results at a computer shop in Caloocan City on Thursday afternoon. 
In a phone interview on Friday, Brig. Gen. Rhoderick Armamento, deputy director for administration of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said suspects Angelica Dellola and Jeshel Mohad were nabbed in an entrapment operation inside the TJ Computer Shop in Barangay 177. 
"We had an entrapment operation. There is one police officer who needed a rapid anti-body test and for PHP500, he got the results," he said in Filipino. 
The operation stemmed from a viral Facebook post where a netizen said that while waiting for her turn at the said computer shop, she saw a female employee of the shop change the name on the supposed rapid test result certificate through Photoshop, printed it and gave it over to the customer. 
"We have identified the clinic, it is One-rad Medical and X-ray Clinic, and through our coordination with them, we found out that they were apprehensive because this might affect their services but they said they will cooperate with us," he added.
These two ladies only got caught because of one nosy customer. Just goes to show that people should be more discrete.

Those who refuse to take a swab test may be subject to arrest says the DILG.


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/329279/dilg-exec-warns-residents-who-refuse-swab-test-you-may-be-arrested
Assistant Secretary Alexander Macario of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) warns the residents who refuse to be swabbed during contact tracing. 
Macario said that DILG Secretary Eduardo Año already made a statement that those who refuse to be swabbed may be arrested on site and be forced to undergo the swabbing.  
This is because they can be considered as a threat to public heath if they refuse to be tested even if they have been traced as contacts to a positive or potential coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient. 
They do not say if this mean that people will be placed in jail or simply be restrained and forcibly tested.

The IATF on COVID-19 has mandated that all motorcycles install a barrier for tandem riders. Not everyone thinks that is a good idea.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110068
In a statement on Saturday, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he has received hundreds of appeals from poor families in Mindanao who depend on motorcycles for livelihood. 
Piñol said the "motorcycle barrier policy" has only added undue financial burden and will affect efforts to restart the economy in Mindanao, especially in rural areas of the country where the motorcycle is the main vehicle for transport and livelihood. 
Based on the gathered feedback by MinDA, Piñol said the public voiced out three primary reasons for asking reconsideration on the controversial policy. 
First, the policy is impractical because the barrier poses danger to the riders during strong gusts of wind caused by huge vehicles coming from the opposite direction, which could throw the motorcycle off-balance and may lead to accidents. 
Second, MinDA said the public viewed the barrier to be "expensive" and "oppressive." 
Piñol said the excessive fines on violators of the policy could open a new window for corruption,” he added. 
Third, Piñol said many viewed the policy to be discriminatory because the concern on the possible transmission of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) between two people traveling together is only focused on motorcycle riding but ignores those traveling inside air-conditioned private cars face greater risks. 
"We support the IATF's effort to control the spread of the virus but surely, there are other ways of doing it other than implementing measures that would make life more difficult for our people," the MinDA chief added.
Will there be more motorcycle accidents once this policy is in effect? We will find out soon. However the barrier will come in handy in another way beside social distancing.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/07/29/20/another-practical-use-of-motorcycle-riders-barrier
As protection from the rain!  But look! The driver is now driving with one hand in the rain!  That's not safe at all.

The PNP are being accused of violating social distancing rules.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1312396/serenading-the-stranded-pnp-defends-music-treat
Drawing sneers from netizens, the Philippine National Police on Sunday sent a music band to supposedly entertain the thousands of stranded people whom the government sheltered over the weekend at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, where they were made to undergo rapid testing for the coronavirus before being allowed to board buses taking them to the provinces. 
Some of the comments on social media likened the PNP’s gesture to having the band on the Titanic play amid the chaos on deck as the ship slowly sank. 
Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, the PNP spokesperson, defended the musical treat, saying the musicians were there to cheer up the so-called locally stranded individuals (LSIs) as they wait for their ride. 
“As a big number of LSIs continue to cram… the stadium, all wanting to return to their home provinces through the government-sponsored transport program, our police had to think of ways to cheer the people up,” Banac said. “In such a big facility as a stadium, a musical band was deemed more suitable given the situation.” 
Social media photos of the crowd since Friday drew public criticism over the way authorities gathered the stranded travelers on the bleachers apparently without observing social distancing. 
But according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, health measures were still maintained at the sports venue. 
“They (the travelers) brought along many of their belongings, that’s why the place looked crowded,” said Lorenzana, who also chairs the National Task Force against the New Coronavirus Disease.
Why does the PNP think they have to cheer people up? Lorenzana says the stadium only looked crowded because people brought their luggage with them but the picture clearly shows a crowded stadium and the PNP admits the stadium was crammed full. Later the Palace would admit mistakes were made.


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1313666/stranded-in-the-stadium-palace-admits-lapses-lack-of-system
“I would be blind if I will say there were no errors there. There were lapses,’’ presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said. “There should have been a system, that even though there were many people at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, social distancing should have been ensured.” 
He appealed to the public to understand the plight of the stranded Filipinos who wanted to avail themselves of the government’s Hatid Tulong program so that they could go home to their provinces. 
The Palace official made the remarks amid criticism of the Hatid Tulong program after photographs of people crowding Rizal Memorial Sports Complex without enough physical distancing went viral on social media. Some were seen outside the stadium enduring the heat and rain. 
Hatid Tulong is the government’s transportation assistance to ferry stranded Filipinos to their home provinces amid the new coronavirus pandemic. 
Even the Department of Health (DOH) had lamented the lack of physical distancing in the management of stranded people at the sports complex, which placed them at risk of infection from the coronavirus.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, at least the Palace and the DOH did not deflect the same way the PNP and DND did.

Senator Lacson has alleged out irregularities with PhilHealth giving money to hospitals to fight COVID-19.


https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/329359/philhealth-gave-p200-m-to-hospitals-with-only-one-covid-19-patient-each-lacson
Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) released over P200 million worth of funds to hospitals treating only one COVID-19 patient each, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday. 
One hospital is in Bicol and another in Eastern Visayas, Lacson said in a radio interview over AM radio station DWIZ, but he did not identify the hospitals. 
“And the money was released quickly,” he added, speaking in Filipino. 
In Bicol, P247 million was released in just two weeks, and in Eastern Visayas, P196 million was released in just a week, he said. 
“But they only have one COVID-19 patient [each],” he added. 
Lacson lamented that there were other hospitals full of COVID-19 in dire need of funds from PhilHealth. 
“This is a surprising allegation. We got this report and we will ask [at a planned Senate hearing] if this is true. But this has records,” he said.
It's not really a surprising allegation.  PhilHealth has always been wracked with corruption.

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines now surpass those recorded in China.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/29/2031562/covid-19-cases-philippines-exceed-tally-mainland-china-where-coronavirus-emerged
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines surpassed Wednesday the national caseload of China—where the severe respiratory illness emerged last year. 
The Department of Health reported 1,874 additional COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 85,486. 
Mainland China had a total of 84,060 cases as of Wednesday morning, according to the latest bulletin posted by the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region. Cases in China’s special administrative regions of Hong Kong (2,884) and Macau (46) were separately tallied.
Even though the Philippines has surpassed China in COVID-19 cases President Xi said he would give the Philippines priory access to a vaccine should they develop one.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/29/2031514/after-duterte-plea-china-says-it-will-prioritize-philippines-vaccine-needs
China said it would give priority access to the Philippines once it successfully develops a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 
Beijing gave its assurance after President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned in his fifth State of the Nation Address that he “made a plea” to Chinese President Xi Jinping to prioritize the Philippines when providing a COVID-19 vaccine. 
The president did not say how he sent his plea to Xi, although he has been effusive with praise and appreciation for China in the months since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the Philippines. 
“The Philippines is a friendly close neighbor and we will give priority to its needs once we succeed in developing a vaccine,” Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a briefing.
Duterte is pinning his hopes on a coronavirus vaccine, which he claimed would be “around the corner.” 
But while laboratories across the world are racing to develop a vaccine to help end the health crisis that has infected over 16 million people globally, the World Health Organization said that COVID-19 vaccinations cannot be expected until early 2021.
Why is Duterte "pinning his hopes on a coronavirus vaccine" when any vaccine is a long way off? Could it because the government is not doing such good job at stemming the number of cases? They will have to change their game.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/749002/metro-manila-will-be-a-living-experiment-on-covid-19-response-palace/story/
In an interview with CNN-Philippines, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque refused to give a categorical statement when asked if there is a big chance that Metro Manila will return to modified enhanced community quarantine or stricter lockdown on August 1. 
President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce on Thursday the new quarantine classifications across the country. 
“If I were to answer that, then that precludes the President,” Roque said. “Metro Manila will be a living experiment and it’s an experiment that we believe we can be successful at, and it will be something that we can be proud of.”
What will this experiment look like? Maybe like this:


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110471
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, emphasized the need to rely less on classifications, and instead be more “innovative” in terms of Covid-19 response. 
“The people will now see the difference in the response that we will have, it is now thoroughly invigorated and part of it, is we build capacity and we now have the capacity to do what we wanted from the very beginning,” he said in an interview over CNN Philippines. 
Roque said expanded targeted testing will soon be possible after pool or batch testing, which makes use of one reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kit for 10 to 20 persons, has been approved in principle. 
“There will be expanded targeted testing, beyond numbers that they probably would not have imagined,” he said. 
He said they would also reinvigorate tracing by building an army of volunteers, enhance isolation by building more isolation centers for mild and asymptomatic patients, and improving treatment with the use of life-saving equipment such as high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) machines.
"We now have the capacity to do what we wanted from the very beginning." That does not sounds experimental at all. That sounds like they are going to be doing what they should have been doing from the beginning!

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

A Momma Abroad: My Sons Are Filipinos Because Life in the Philippines Is All They Know

I have written several blog posts about what it means to be Filipino-American. How can one born in a foreign land to a Filipino parent still claim to be a Filipino when they know nothing of the Philippines? While there are many Fil-Ams because of the OFW program/problem there are not many Am-Fils. This rarity makes the case of Amber Folkman's three boys Aaker Nuke, Oz Mounce, and Wells Finn (yes those are their actual names) rather interesting and unique.
https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/parenting/real-parenting/i-want-to-raise-my-boys-knowing-filipino-values-a1746-20180329
I was raised in a small town in Northern California in the valley of two mountains. We lived an hour away from a mall and 30 minutes from our dentist. I never imagined that I would raise my boys across the world in Manila, one of the world's most densely populated cities in South East Asia surrounded by skyscrapers and high rises. 
I cannot imagine a more opposite experience than the one I had. But that is part of the magic of living abroad. 
Besides having an endless summer, the best mangoes in the world and the most fun modes of transportation, the Philippines is where my boys have learned valuable life lessons that I hope will guide them through the rest of their lives. We predominantly have an American culture in our home, but outside we embrace everything that is Filipino.
In the headline Amber declares her boys are Filipinos because life in the Philippines is all they know but in the article she says they have an American culture in their home. What else could they have? Mom and dad are Americans and they are going to impart American values to their offspring because that is all they know. It's only natural. But if she is imparting American values and culture to her sons how can they be Filipinos? Amber goes on to say that outside the home they embrace everything that is Filipino. 

Going through her blog the "everything that is Filipino" boils down to food apparently. Even in this article she has much to say about food. First she mentions the best mangoes in the world. Next she gets excited that her little boys prefer to eat with their hands just like real Pinoys.
Never would have I ever thought my sons' preferred meals would be galunggong fried to a crisp with a heaping pile of rice, AND eating it with their hands, the Pinoy way! I never imagined that the Kuya of our family could switch his accent like a light switch depending on who he was communicating with (Filipino vs. non-Filipino). 
Of course she never would have thought her boys would not be civilized enough to use forks and spoons. Who would want to think something so sad? She also mentions the hilarious fact that one of her boys switches his accent when he talks with Filipinos. Is learning to dumb down your speech depending on who you talk to one of those valuable life lessons that will guide them through the rest of their lives that her boys are learning in the Philippines? Remember how Hilary Clinton switched her accent in front of various audiences? Perhaps that skill will combine handy if her boys become politicians.

The end of this article really sums up how she views her boys living in the Philippines and her whole philosophy about culture and nations.
One of my most tender memories is my bunso learning his body parts in Filipino before English. These lessons have taught us all that there is no one "right" way to live. 
May my three Pinoy boys always remember that they are world citizens and life is much bigger than one country and one culture. 
Since my boys were born and raised in the Philippines (minus one year for my eldest son), I have declared them Fil-Am. We may not have the passport to prove it, but they have the heart of the Filipino, and they are better for it.
No right way to live, they are world citizens, they have the heart of the Filipino and are better for it. All of that screams California liberal but apparently Amber is a Mormon. That does not mean she can't be a liberal but what it does mean is she has no idea what it is to be a Filipino. Filipinos are quite patriotic and have a lot of pride in their ethnicity. They may be scattered all over the world but they never assimilate into the local culture. Instead they bring their culture with them and send their money back to the Philippines where they hope to eventually retire after earning lots of money abroad. Filipinos are not cosmopolitans. Only silly white women like Amber are and after falling in love with a foreign culture and telling everyone back home, "We are all the same," they often end up dead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippa_Bacca
How can her boys have the heart of a Filipino when she admits they have an American culture inside the home? Home is where the heart is, right? Incidentally you can take a tour of her house at the following article:


https://www.chuzailiving.com/american-expat-home-philippines-amber-folkman/
Amber's house is immaculate. It is straight out of Good Housekeeping. In fact her house was featured in Real Living and she had an article published in Good Housekeeping.

https://amommabroad.com/blog/2016/07/25/magazine-feature-in-real-living-i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing
When Shine of Real Living mentioned some months ago that our house might be up for a feature I was over the moon. Real Living was THE only publication I bought regularly for the last couple of years. (Yummy and Good Housekeeping are also winners! I actually have a short recipe in Yummy's July issue and an article in Good Housekeepings' August issue.) Summit Media produces such quality material. It took a few months and some more nesting on my end but eventually it worked out. To be honest, I was proud of myself that I had created a home out of love, creativity and frugality and that a magazine, one I respected, thought our home was up to par. It felt like my motherhood was being recognized.
The only bad thing about this tour of her home is that we don't get to see the bathroom. We do see that the boys bathroom is Batman themed but we don't see the commode. Is there toilet paper in all the bathrooms? American culture after all. But then again she did write a "love letter" to the tabo.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zCvuZpVrV/
“Dear Tabo, I am sorry I had an aversion to you all these years. When I saw you and judged you as unsanitary. After your support in thoroughly cleaning my toddler and his extremely soggy swimsuit full of [poop] I owe you the sincerest apology and deepest gratitude. Now, I would like to continue our relationship if you’ll have me, Truly yours, an ignorant Momma Abroad. You tube: how to use a tabo. Fascinating!” -@amommabroad
There is quite a lot I could say about this lady and her assertion that her American children are Filipinos. As I noted they do pose an interesting case. The boys have grown up in the Philippines and the Philippines is all they know. So they are Filipinos right? Wrong!


These boys do not face the same trials as Filipinos do. Likely they live in a wealthy, gated community. They eat Filipino food but imbibe American values at home. Eating and washing your butt with your hands does not make one a Filipino. It just makes you gross.

Looking at her blog one does not see the Philippines in all its grit and gory. What one sees is the whitewashed fantasy of an American momma trying to build a magazine perfect life for herself and her children. One that is safe and wholly American but with tinges of the most superficial aspects of Filipinoness. What does make one a Filipino or an American? Her boys are going to have to face that existential crisis when they come of age.

This family is the perfect WHITE family. And that is very problematic because right now those boys are being sheltered from the cultural shift which is happening in America namely the demonizing white people as the cancer of the world as Susan Sontag disgustingly phrased it long ago. When they go back to America they will be blindsided at all the hate directed towards them. They will say we grew up in the Philippines, we aren't racist and they will not understand why no one will care. And with good reason! Because they are growing up rich and sheltered in the Philippines. That is what they call white privilege. The privilege to have a dad with a good paying job where you live in a third world nation and can live like kings because the peso is so devalued. The privilege where you can eat with your hands while squatting and pretend you are a native.

Aaker Nuke, Oz Mounce, and Wells Finn are not Filipinos. This lady is delusional. She has been demoralized by the melting-pot relativism of mainstream America. How could any foreigner live in this country and come to the conclusion, "we are all the same??" Cockfighting, littering. trash burning, exploiting relatives, exploiting those with whom you are tasked to protect and serve, an inability to plan for the future, the list goes on. Filipino culture is not like American culture and vice versa. That is because the internal workings of the Filipino mind are not at all like those of anyone else's. We see that evident in the society and culture Filipinos have built in this nation. There is a biological aspect to being Filipino that Amber's white children will NEVER have. They do not have a Filipino brain, will never think like Filipinos, and thus they will never be Filipinos. To ignore human biodiversity is to remain forever ignorant why societies and cultures differ among people groups.

What does this mean anyway??
"We predominantly have an American culture in our home."
What is the American culture in her home that those boys are being raised in?  Does daddy read the Constitution at night like a bed time story? Does momma extol the virtues of not burning garbage? Do her boys know anything about the United States which would make them good citizens? She should go to Booksale, look for a copy of the Federalist Papers (I have seen copies there) and read it to her sons. Or maybe print out a PDF, go to Recto, and have it bound. She should pay special attention to Federalist no. 2!
With equal pleasure I have as often taken notice that Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people--a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs, and who, by their joint counsels, arms, and efforts, fighting side by side throughout a long and bloody war, have nobly established general liberty and independence. 
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed02.asp
That little paragraph speaks volumes about what real American culture is and from whence it originates. This lady's idea of what it means to be Filipino is incredibly shallow.

https://amommabroad.com/blog/2016/08/04/becoming-filipino
While on this search for happiness I have found that the more I embrace the culture the deeper my roots sink and the more fulfilled I am. Although I am clearly not, part of me feels Filipino. It is a gift this country and culture have given to me, embracing me wholeheartedly. It might sound silly but a part of my heart will forever belong to The Pilipinas. So I dedicate this post to those who are Filipino or are on this journey to becoming Filipino. I will follow Kyle's lead of Becoming Filipino for this post. It may be kind of corny but whatever, I'm going for it. 
You may becoming Filipino if you... 
Are a pandesal addict. 
Are a suman, turon or hot tsokolat addict. 
Consume multiple varieties of bananas a day. :) 
Can make your own coconut milk. Bonus: eat it while doing the Pilipino squat.  
Eat a whole fish. Except the eyes. I just can't do that yet. My American side keeps telling me no. 
Your kid uses a tabo like a boss. 
Get excited when this very sanitary and nice toilet greets you on your road trip. You may becoming Filipino if you have to remind yourself to flush the toilet paper when you visit America instead of throw it in the rubbish bin.
She says this list is just for a little corny fun but I don't buy it. This lady is serious. She loves the Philippines and she loves the Philippines for these very reasons which have mostly to do with food! Amber really loves to eat. So here she is dressed in Pinoy-face stuffing her maw with pandesal, mangoes, bananas, and rice saying, "Look ma! I'm a Filipina and my boys are Filipinos toooooooo!" 

But an interesting thought occurs. Barack Obama grew up in Indonesia, not far from here, and eventually became the President of the USA. What if Aaker Nuke, with his Filipino heart, grew up to become President of the USA? Who would want a man with the heart of a Filipino to be President of the USA? 

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Insurgency: Former Rebels as Peace Advocates and Peace Builders

In the fight against the CPP-NPA and Islamic terrorists it sometimes seems as if everything is upside down. PNP officers execute AFP soldiers as they hunt after ISIS and NPA rebels become peace makers.

http://archive.is/14YoL
The Former Rebels (FRs) of Matuguinao, Samar are now peace builders of the said town as they participated in a round table discussion with the Samar Task Force-ELCAC. 
They are now called peace builders because they participate in the discussions and formulation of plans that will ultimately usher in lasting peace to their communities, said  Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, Ms. Alma Austero.  
The discussion centered on the joint efforts of the government and the FRs in addressing the insurgency problems in Matuguinao. 
LTC Jasper Pecson, Battalion Commander of 19IB, Philippine Army, assigned in the area said the ELCAC aims to create long lasting peace not just in Matuguinao but all over the country. 
“No amount of money can compare to the joy of having a peaceful community, and living a normal situation where one can engage freely in the community,” Pecson said. 
Austero of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, discussed to the FRs the benefits of their surrender under the E-CLIP Program as well as the Local Social Integration Program of the provincial government. 
The Local Peace Engagement Cluster is set to have another round of discussion with the peace builders to further identify the basic services they need.
It sounds like "peace building" means that they are telling the government what kind of freebies they need to have a better life. Surely they can do better than that right? 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109946
A top official of the Philippine Army in the Caraga Region commended 12 former communist guerillas who pledged to help the government's peace and development efforts. 
Brig. Gen. Maurito Licudine, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade (402Bde), underscored the role of New People's Army (NPA) surrenderers in helping end the communist rebel movement's "influence and harassments" on several upland communities in the region. 
“These FRs (former rebels) are the most credible persons to convey and encourage the remaining members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) to surrender and reconcile with the government," Licudine said in a statement Friday. 
He said the 12 new rebel returnees can also "effectively convince" their former comrades to lay down their arms and return to their families. 
Major Francisco Garello Jr., 402Bde civil-military operations officer, said the 12 ex-NPAs who recently surrendered to the different battalions of the brigade completed their four-day "de-radicalization" training held in Camp Bancasi from July 18 to 21. 
Garello said the "de-radicalization" program is part of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) process and a critical component of the reintegration of the former rebels into their communities. 
“The program redirects our FRs from their deceptive views and delegitimizes the Communist NPA Terrorist (CNT) rhetoric and tactics in order to complete their transformation that will lead them to leave the path of violence and false indoctrination,” Garello said. 
One of the highlights of the training, he said, was the session on psycho-social moral recovery where the rebel returnees are asked to give "personal reflection" on their "past mistakes". 
He said the sessions aim to "deepen their commitment" and accept the challenge to become "peace advocates". 
Licudine hopes the de-radicalization" process led former rebels to "join the peace and development initiatives of the government" and aims to "transform their outlooks towards peace".
The headline is a bit misleading. These rebels have recently surrendered and Brig. Gen. Maurito Licudine hopes they will be peace advocates. But what do they know about peace? How long were they in the NPA that a mere 4-day de-radicalization training program is enough to make them abandon the communist cause? It's like alchemy. Take former rebels, send them to class for 4 days, and voila! a law abiding citizen who has abandoned communist ideology is born anew.

10 BIFF members recently surrendered and will surely be up for freebies from the government's E-CLIP program.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110060
Tired of running away from government forces and wanting to be with their families, 10 members of Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) voluntarily surrendered with their firearms to the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade on Friday. 
Lt. Col.Michael Maquilan, the Army's 90th Infantry Battalion commander, and Col. Donald Gumiran, 602nd Infantry Brigade deputy commander, led the surrender ceremony at the Sangguniang Bayan session hall of Pagalungan, Maguindanao. 
The rebels turned in various high powered firearms that included sniper rifles, grenade launchers, explosives, and bomb-making components. 
“We do not have peace of mind, we always run whenever we see government forces near our area of operation,” Alik Sanday, one of the surrenderers, told reporters in the vernacular. 
The surrenderers all belonged to the group of Commander Gani Saligan of the BIFF Karialan faction. 
In exchange for the rifles they turned over, the local government of Pagalungan gave financial aid to start their own livelihood project.
What a nice story. These men just want to be with their families. So they turn in their weapons and receive money to start a "livelihood project." How much money and whether they were actually vetted the AFP does not say. Did they immediately receive money? 10 more men who will never be held accountable for their crimes against the state. Perhaps they even killed!

Meanwhile the AFP continues to fight the NPA and rout them out of their hidey-holes.

Government troops have recovered an arms cache of the communist terrorists New People’s Army (NPA) in a remote village in Zamboanga del Norte, military officials said Wednesday. 
Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, the Army's 53rd Infantry Battalion commander, said the arms cache containing several high-power firearms was unearthed in a follow-up operation Tuesday in Barangay Pange, Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte. 
Herrera said the troops launched the follow-up operation based on information provided by a former member of the Main Regional Guerilla Unit (MRGU) of the NPA’s Western Regional Party Committee (WMRPC). 
Herrera said the discovery of the firearms was proof that many are disgruntled with the "communist terrorist NPA". 
“If it's not the community, it's the former rebels who disclose the locations of their firearms. This is proof that the FRs (former rebels) are tired of the NPA atrocities and also want this insurgency to end,” he said. 
The troops recovered the arms cache a day after government forces clashed with a group of rebels that led to the recovery of an M-16 Armalite rifle with several rounds of ammunition, medical supplies, personal belongings, and propaganda materials.
Th location of this cache was found using information provided by a former rebel. A cache found in Negros however was found after the AFP engaged in a firefight with 20 NPA rebels.

His men found the area after engaging some 20 members of the NPA’s South West Front Platoon 2, Sentro de Grabidad in a 15-minute firefight. 
They recovered from the hideout an improvised explosive device, a generator set, electrical wires, a pair of binoculars, a blood pressure apparatus, and a computer printer. Other items found included subversive documents, teach-in materials, office supplies, a map of Negros, containers of gasoline, personal items, foodstuff, and cooking utensils.
A hideout was also found in Bicol yielded explosives among other materials.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109581
Army operations in Barangay Calpi, Bulan, Sorsogon resulted in two encounters with members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and seizure of explosives and food from the communist rebels. 
Capt. John Paul Belleza, 9th Infantry Division spokesperson, in an interview on Tuesday, said the first encounter that lasted for 30 minutes occurred when Army troopers responded to a report from residents that a group of communist NPA terrorists (CNTs) was lingering in the outskirts of the village. 
“Two hours later, reinforcing troops received another tip-off from the concerned citizens which triggered another encounter with the escaping CNTs,” he said. 
Belleza said the terrorists were believed to be members of Larangan 2, Komiteng Probinsya 3 of the Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC) who, accordingly, were planning to disrupt the Community Support Program (CSP) peace initiatives in the said area. 
“Troopers seized three anti-personnel mines, electrical wires, food supplies and other CNTs' belongings from the encounter sites,” he added. 
Meanwhile, Joint Task Force Bicolandia (JTFB) commander Maj. Gen. Henry Robinson Jr. said the Army in Bicol will continue to enforce more stringent measures to protect the communities against the communist terrorists. 
“To further prevent any terroristic acts which hamper government efforts to uplift the people’s welfare through community development, we will continue to enforce measures and preempt any unlawful activities,” he added. 
Robinson added that the CSP Team is conducting immersion activities in the communities to know the needs of the residents and to bring these to the government for appropriate actions. 
“But the CTG’s terrorism disrupts this operation, thereby delaying the delivery of needed services to the local populace. We will not allow this. Our intensified operations are meant to go after these terrorists, encourage them to return to the folds of the law and totally eradicate the insurgency in Bicol,” he added.
What Maj. Gen. Henry Robinson Jr. is talking about is the whole-of-nation-approach whereby more services are given to those out in the provinces to deter them from joining the CPP-NPA. Recently a team was went to Samar to assess the needs of various communities.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109865
“Their mission is to identify the issues of the people that will be raised to the concerned government agencies and local government for them to address it accordingly. This is a way for the government to reach its services to the far-flung areas of the country and let people feel that no one is left behind,” the Philippine Army 63rd Infantry Battalion said in a statement issued on Thursday. 
The Philippine Army said the task of the teams is to facilitate solutions for those identified problems through the convergence of efforts of different government agencies supervised by the local task force of ending local communist armed conflict (ELCAC). 
The military initially identified 100 remote villages in the Eastern Visayas region as a priority for RCSP deployment due to threats of the NPA. 
As of mid-2020, the NPA in Eastern Visayas has 384 fighters with 363 firearms, influencing 162 villages, a small fraction of the 4,390 villages in the region’s six provinces, according to a report of the regional task force ELCAC.
Where did the PNP obtain such specific information about the number of NPA fighters and firearms in the Eastern Visayas? It would seem 21 NPA rebels do not have firearms.

The new anti-terror law is now in effect but there is a catch. As of this moment there are no implementing rules and regulations (IRR). The would seem to make the law inutile. The PNP thinks so.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1309567/police-cant-enforce-antiterror-law-without-rules-pnp
Philippine National Police chief Archie Gamboa on Monday maintained that the police force still cannot enforce the antiterrorism act in the absence of implementing rules and regulations (IRR). 
“Many are saying there are provisions of the antiterror law that are already executory and do not require the IRR but nevertheless we still have to study this and [find out] what these [provisions] are so that this will be part of the [police] training,” the PNP chief said at an online briefing on Monday. 
“We are on the stage of preparing, waiting for the IRR and then creating units for the specific task of implementing the antiterror law,” he said, adding that a specialized unit, the composition of which has not yet been specified, would be enforcing its provisions.
SolGen Calida disagrees with this assessment.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109866
Solicitor General Jose Calida on Thursday said the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) is already in effect even if the government has yet to craft its implementing rules and regulations. 
In a statement, Calida, citing precedent cases previously decided on by the Supreme Court, such as SEC v. IRC decided in 2008, said laws are not contingent on the implementing rules. 
"To claim that the law is ineffective until implementing rules are promulgated creates an absurd situation where an agency can delay the effectivity of the law by delaying promulgation of its rules. To argue that a law is less than the law because it is made to depend on a future event or act is to rob Congress of its plenary power to act wisely for the public welfare," Calida said. 
Even while the IRR is still underway, the ATA is already in force, Calida said. 
"First, the promulgation of the IRR is not a condition precedent for the effectivity of the ATA. The pending issuance of an IRR cannot defer the law coming into force. A law is presumed to be valid when there exists an interpretation favorable to its effectivity. Unless there are clear and unmistakable showing of the law’s constitutional and statutory infirmity, the presumption of validity subsists, and the law is binding and effective," he added.
Sure the law is in force but how are the authorities to implement the law without the IRR? This is another good reason why the Congress should fashion the IRR along with the law itself. Perhaps DILG Sec. Año had the most absurd comment on this situation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1310375/law-enforcers-may-wait-for-anti-terror-law-irr-if-theres-no-terror-threat-ano
Law enforcement agencies may wait for the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the anti-terror law if there is no terrorist threat in the country, Interior and Local Government Secretary  Eduardo Año said on Wednesday. 
“If there is a terrorist threat, we have to apply the law. Kung nakabingit yung buhay ng mamamayan, we have to implement it. Now kung walang malakihang terrorist threat, we will have to wait for the IRR,” Año said in a televised pre-State of the Nation Address forum when asked if police will heed the Department of Justice’s call to wait for the promulgation of the anti-terror law’s IRR. 
(If there is a terrorist threat, we have to apply the law. If it is already threatening our countrymen, we have to implement it. If there is no big terrorist threat, we will have to wait for the IRR.) 
The law, however, is already in effect but it still needs the IRR to prevent issues with its promulgation, the Interior and Local Government chief said. 
“The only question is since there is no IRR, there are so many people who will question the law enforcers on carrying out this law on certain provisions and applications. To avoid that, wait for the IRR because it is open to questions,” Año said in mixed Filipino and English.
What does he mean, "If there is a terrorist threat?" The NPA, the BIFF, Abu Sayyaf, they all pose a terrorist threat to the nation. They are also all engaged in activities which do not need the anti-terror law to be classified as criminal.