Insurgency: Agents of Peace

Last week the AFP said surrendering rebels are heroes. Not only are those people heroes but they are also "agents of peace." At least the government is training them to be such. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117149

At the heart of the Duterte administration’s Peace and Development Agenda is the ongoing transformation of more than 15,000 former rebels and insurgents into peaceful and productive civilians. 

Amid the challenges brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the government, through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), continues to push forward the comprehensive Philippine peace process. 

From the decommissioning of ex-fighters, to the virtual peace dialogues, to the community-driven projects in conflict-affected areas, to fulfilling the government’s commitments under signed peace agreements, OPAPP has continued to sustain the gains of peace. 

Twenty four years after the signing of the Final Peace Agreement between the government and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Duterte administration continues to engage the organization’s two groups -- led by Founding Chair Nur Misuari and Yusop Jikiri -- in peaceful dialogue. 

“Our primary goal is to fulfill all the promises we have made under the 1996 peace agreement. This is among the marching orders of the President,” Galvez emphasized. 

Since President Duterte took office, he and members of his cabinet have held several meetings with Chairman Nur Misuari, where the latter committed to help the government ensure peace and development specially in the province of Sulu.

The OPAPP has multiple peace programs throughout the country. From touting gains with the MILF via the BARMM to localized peace agreements with various rebel groups the government is doing what it thinks best to sustain peace in the Philippines. 

Funny that Galvez says the government has as a primary goal the fulfillment of the 1996 peace agreement. They fulfilled that agreement and the Tripoli agreement with the establishment of the ARMM. It is the MNLF that reneged on the deal. Why even continue to bother with Misuari?

The troops have also been told to ramp up their peace efforts.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116926

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, has urged all Southern Luzon Command (SolCom) officers and enlisted personnel to intensify their efforts so that peace can be won against communist terrorists in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions. 

"We must prove through our actions the qualities that distinguish the Filipino soldier. Always remain respectful and humble. We should never be complacent and sit down on our laurels. We should always do our jobs and accomplish them to the best of our abilities," he said in a statement released on Tuesday. 

"I am proud and elated to know that SolCom continues to gain ground in sustaining our joint and interagency operations that have resulted in the significant reduction of communist insurgents in your area of responsibility," he added. 

He cited the surrender of eight New People's Army (NPA) members at Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro last September 20, which according to him, showed the sincerity and genuine efforts of the government in employing the whole-of-nation approach. 

A total of 408 communist armed members and supporters were neutralized in Southern Tagalog and Bicol so far this year. 

This includes 35 who were killed, 334 who surrendered, and 39 apprehended in various internal security and community support operations. 

"Let us sustain this momentum so that we can finally bring just and lasting peace in the country," Gapay said.

What does he mean by intensifying their efforts so that peace can be won? Out of 408 NPA terrorists neutralized this year only 35 were killed. Of the 334 who surrendered it is not clear how many are actually NPA fighters.

The AFP has many ways of fighting the NPA to win the peace. One of them is posting on social media.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116966

"The AFP views Facebook and other (social media) outfits as platforms to disseminate accurate information that would empower our people to see through the lies and reject terrorist organizations masquerading as pro-people," AFP spokesperson Marine Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a media statement. 

He also expressed hope that Facebook could be the medium that will help consolidate peoples’ support to the AFP as their true defenders of the state against its enemies. 

The AFP thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for questioning Facebook's decision to take down accounts and pages advocating “something” that is good for the people. 

"We are thankful (for) the Commander-in-Chief’s expression of support to the AFP’s campaign that, after all, may well be every Filipinos’ war against the Communist Terrorist Group NPA—to include affiliated underground mass organizations— that have caused the misery of our people for more than 50 years," Arevalo said.

This is an admission that Facebook was correct in saying that the pages they took down were linked to the PNP and AFP. How effective is the AFP's social media campaign in sustaining peace? The head of the Philippines' intelligence agency, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Director-General Alex Paul I. Monteagudo, says sharing anti-red propaganda on Facebook is a way to defend the nation.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117500

"I am sharing the posts of the officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) because I believe that it is the duty of every Filipino to defend our  Constitution,  our democracy,  and our people against groups such as the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front) that seek to violently overthrow our duly constituted government," he said in a statement forwarded to the Philippine News Agency Sunday. 

"Thus, I shared posts in my FB because I see them as artistic expressions of our people similar to the sentiments of former rebels, Indigenous  Peoples  (IPs)  victims, and parents who have finally gained the courage to stand up and reveal the truth about members of the CPP who are now in  Congress, the  Makabayan bloc led by Congressman Zarate, masquerading as defenders of  'human rights', when they are actually part of a terrorist organization that has killed thousands of Filipinos, destroyed many families and robbed the Filipino people of the peaceful and prosperous lives we all dream of," he added.

Sharing posts from the AFP and the NTF-ECLAC is one thing. They are official government agneinces after all. But what are these posts he calls "artistic expressions?" 

Monteagudo confirmed that he had shared “quite a number of times” posts from Facebook pages titled “Global Public,” “Peace Philippines,” “Pinoy Exposé,” and “Philippine Untold News.” 

The NICA chief frequently shares the contents of these pages, four of the 21 sites he often takes posts from, according to Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago. 

“What these pages are sharing are not a joke as they endanger the lives of people contained in these posts. Shouldn’t the NICA chief be more responsible since he is the director general of the premier intelligence agency of the government?” Elago said.These pages, Elago said, also supported the shutdown of ABS CBN and the filing of criminal cases against Rappler and its president and CEO, Maria Ressa.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1342278/intel-agency-chief-grilled-over-fake-news-posts-he-shared

Those FB pages could certainly be called "artistic expressions." They are full of bad memes, heavy handed propaganda, and very little substance. It's not enough to accuse Makabayan of being communist terrorists.  If they have the evidence then those people should be arrested and prosecuted accordingly. 

These accusations, red tagging, are not going away anytime soon. If the AFP and PNP have evidence that these groups are CPP fronts then why aren't they using that evidence to shut them down? Why are they allowed to exist? Why are alleged communists allowed to be members of the House of Representatives?

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/09/insurgency-front-groups.html

Another way the AFP and the government is fighting the NPA to win the peace is by building roads

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117200

The continuous opening and rehabilitation of roads undertaken by Army engineers in remote areas, coupled with military offensives, suppressed the movements of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists in the province. 

Col. Emerito Pineda, commander of the Army's 547th Engineer Battalion, underscored Thursday the importance of infrastructure projects in helping eradicate insurgency in far-flung villages by accelerating the delivery of basic services and the government's anti-poverty programs. 

Pineda said a battalion from the Army's 55th Engineer Brigade based in Baloi, Lanao del Norte, was sent to reinforce the 547th Engineer Battalion on Wednesday to undertake a road opening and rehabilitation project in barangays Datu Tutukan and Labangon in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur. 

Once completed, he said the project would put more pressure on the NPA rebels in Dumingag, the site of recent clashes between the government troops and the rebels. 

“Once development reached their communities, NPA recruitment and support will stop and basic services could reach these isolated communities as they have now their roads,” he said.   

Pineda also called on the remaining NPA rebels to surrender, lest they "face the might of the military. They could either get wounded or worse, killed in encounters."

These kind of projects are part of the anti-insurgency task force whose budget is being questioned.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1342769/p16b-for-anti-insurgency-task-force-questioned

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) does not have to provide P16.4 billion worth of development projects to barangays already freed from communist rebel influence, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who said the money would be better used for health programs. 

Under the government’s anti-insurgency campaign, 822 remote barangays will each get P20 million from the fund allocated in the 2021 budget of the task force to improve the conditions of the villages to prevent them from being swayed again by the New People’s Army (NPA), the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. 

Such development projects could be handled by existing departments, Hontiveros said at Thursday’s hearing on the 2021 budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. 

She said the task force itself was a nonessential agency and expressed concern that the P16.4 billion might be used for the next elections or to curry political favors. 

“The NTF-Elcac entered the picture even if the script of good local governance, of the interior, is clear to address the roots of the insurgency. It appears the NT-Elcac is miscast,” Hontiveros said, calling the task force a “surplusage.” 

At an online press briefing also on Thursday, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, the NTF-Elcac vice chair, defended the proposed allocation for the so-called Barangay Development Program (BDP). He said those who opposed it could be rebel supporters. 

“Who is against the project? Who doesn’t want this to happen? I think if you are against this, if you don’t want this to materialize, maybe you are in favor of the NPA, right?” Esperon said.

Building roads is good. Developing communities is good. One wonders why the various agencies tasked with such endeavors have not done so before. Being concerned about government waste does not mean one is in favor of the NPA as Esperon alleges.

Esperon alleges that these projects will develop the economy and weaken the communists.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1342684/p16-4b-for-villages-to-weaken-reds-develop-economy-says-esperon

The P16.4 billion budget being sought for a counterinsurgency program to bring projects to villages would lead to economic development in the long-run and weaken communist rebels, according to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday (Oct. 1). 

“In the long run we will not be continually addressing a conflict. Instead, we are building resilient communities that will bring economic development to the countryside,” Esperon said. 

“NPA will lose its source of strength,” he said in Filipino, referring to New People’s Army, the armed component of Communist Party of the Philippines. 

The NPA has been waging a countryside rebellion for 50 years already, fuelled by agrarian unrest and social injustice in areas where there’s barely any government presence. It has become one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies. 

Esperon said while the village development programs appeared to be costly, it would be more expensive to “forever maintain” one company of an infantry unit, which he estimated would cover three villages. 

“If there would be no guerrilla bases, they can’t hide anymore,” Esperon said in Filipino about communist rebels. He said the villages had been “neglected that’s why they cling to an organization that gives false hopes.”

Again one wonders why there has not been constant development of the nation for the past 50 years. Why allow the nation to rot? Why not connect it with electricity? Why does everyone not have clean water and proper toilet facilities? Those are not question we can answer here.

Aside from building roads and posting on social media there is always the good old fashioned way to quench the rebellion. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117480

"In order to address the challenges of our campaign against the communist terrorist group, I direct our commanders to focus on the dismantling of the enemy's so-called guerilla fronts," he said in a statement late Sunday. 

Gapay made the announcement following the AFP's dismantling of eight guerilla fronts in the first three quarters of the year – three in Mindanao, two in Visayas, and three in Luzon. 

The AFP also prevented eight already dismantled guerilla fronts from recovering this year. 

"The AFP has achieved significant gains in our campaigns in the areas of internal security and external defense. I urge everyone to continue to exert utmost effort and dedication in the performance of respective tasks towards the accomplishment of our mandate," he said.

It's not as if the AFP has let up on their efforts to hunt down Muslims and communists.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117414

Government troops discovered a hideout of the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Ampatuan town on Friday afternoon. 

In a report, Lt. Col. Omar Orozco, commander of the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion (MIB), said the BIFF lair was discovered by patrolling soldiers in Sitio Talpok, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan. 

“The camp can accommodate some 50 persons,” he said. 

Found in the camp were three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with accessories, assorted ammunition, a handheld radio, and a bag with personal belongings. 

“Military bomb disposal experts immediately deactivated the IEDs and took it to safety,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117399

Two communist guerillas were killed during an encounter with government forces in the hinterlands of Magpet, North Cotabato on Friday. 

The clashes occurred in Purok 3, Barangay Malire, Antipas town, reported Lt. Col. Rey Alvarado, commander of the Army’s 72nd Infantry Battalion (72IB). 

Alvarado said residents have repeatedly told soldiers about the presence of some 30 heavily armed fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the village, apparently waiting for food supplies from the locals. 

Following a 30-minute firefight, the guerillas withdrew deep into the forest and left two dead comrades. 

Found beside the slain rebels were an M14 rifle, three M14 magazines with ammunition, one bandolier, an anti-personnel mine, an improvised explosive device switch detonator, subversive documents, medical supplies, and personal belongings of their fleeing comrades.

After 50 years the insurgency remains mainly a war of attrition. A commie here, a muslim there. Whether surrendered or dead it's one rebel at a time.

The Truth About the Manila Bay White Sand Project

Ever since the news broke that the DENR had dumped a massive load of litter on the shores of Manila Bay in order to beautify it I have been collecting news stories so that at a later point I could put the pieces together of this silly and awful story. It really was an absurd decision to dump crushed dolomite sourced from Cebu all over Manila Bay to "beautify" it. 

There are a lot of dumb stories like this one:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115063

Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso on Thursday thanked the national government for the rehabilitation and beautification of the Manila Bay shoreline, saying it will attract more tourists and investors and will create more jobs for the people. 

“Maganda yun kasi urban eh, highly urbanized tapos bigla kang me beach (that is very nice because it’s a highly urbanized city then you have a beach) that’s a good attraction for the city, the business, employment and the people as habitants of the city,” Domagoso said in an interview over ANC on Thursday. 

Domagoso said the “beach nourishment” project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in a portion of Manila Bay’s shoreline is a welcome development. 

“If a year or two or five from now, our next generation will experience what our lolos and lolas (grandparents) experienced in the heyday, times of Manila when the Manila Bay is clean and there is a beach in the area, siguro yun ang regalo natin sa next generation (that could be our gift to the next generation),” he said. 

He said this is not the first time that crushed dolomites are being used for shoreline beautification, citing the Monte Carlo, Monaco in Europe, the Plantation Bay Resort in Cebu, and several other big hotels that used dolomites for their man-made beaches. 

To protect the crushed dolomites from being washed out, Domagoso said DENR has applied engineering mechanisms. 

However, he said the city government of Manila will file charges if the rehabilitation of Manila Bay is proven to have violated environmental laws. 

He added that Manila is willing to spend money in the future to help preserve the rehabilitated Manila Bay.

This article really touches on what is wrong with the so-called Manila Bay beautification project. There is so much nonsense and baloney in the above paragraphs I can't even break it down properly. Dumping crushed dolomite on a small section of Manila Bay and treating that event as if now Manila Bay is clean and beautiful and will attract investors and tourists is RIDICULOUS!!

Why would pouring crushed dolomite on a beach entice investors to spend millions of dollars in the Philippines? This is an incredibly dumb assertion to justify the unjustifiable. Investors want a functional government and economy to protect their investments. Foreign investors especially want to own their businesses and not share it 60/40. Everyone wants endless red tape and runarounds eliminated. They don't care about crushed rocks on a beach!

A group of marine scientists from the UP did a write up about the stupidity of this situation.

http://www.msi.upd.edu.ph/?fbclid=IwAR0t3SKIpPO9mE9nDqUE4QPdAgdXCCc5B2O3968bgnp0PALXBxsKITRTbdg

There are no short-cuts to a cleaner environment.  The use of crushed Dolomite sand will not help solve the environmental problems in Manila Bay.  At most, it is a beautification effort that is costly and temporary.  The task of cleaning and restoring Manila Bay may be daunting but it needs to be done for future generations of Filipinos to benefit from its many uses.     

You don't need to read that report. The concluding paragraph is enough. Anyone with a lick of common sense would have come to the same conclusion.

Bypassing all the other stories about the Manila Bay white sand project (such as the Cebu provincial government being unaware that dolomite was being mined and transported to Manila and apparently no one takes the time to actually read the budget before it is passed) let's cut to the chase and to the truth of the matter about the Manila Bay white sand project.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/30/20/manila-lgu-sets-up-portable-toilets-in-tondo-to-stop-or-minimize-open-defecation-in-manila-bay

The local government of Manila City said Wednesday it teamed up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to install portable toilets in Parola, Tondo to stop or minimize open defecation affecting Manila Bay. 

Mayor Francisco 'Isko Moreno' Domagoso and DENR Director for Administrative Service Rolando Castro on Wednesday signed the supplemental memorandum of agreement. 

Under the "Kubeta Ko" project, the local government will install portable toilets in Parola, Tondo for the use of informal settler families in the area. 

The DENR allotted a total of P10 million to the City of Manila for the said project, with an additional P5 million to "cover operational costs" during the duration of the project. 

"Kubeta Ko" will be using the viable portable, container-based toilet technology developed by Loowat, Limited. The said company also managed to secure funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for the project. 

The project will be implemented for a year.

That headline alone tells the whole story. Manila Bay is literally full of human feces and garbage. And the morons in charge think dumping crushed dolomite sourced from Cebu onto the shores of Manila Bay will change a thing?  It won't! 

Retards in the Government 174

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116637

The Sandiganbayan has convicted a retired bank branch manager of fraud and graft charges for allegedly conniving with a former city accountant of Meycauayan City, Bulacan in altering checks issued by the city to contractors. 

In its 42-page decision written by Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez released on Friday, the Sandiganbayan's Third Division found Alberto Victoria Reyes guilty of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and, sentenced him to six to eight years in prison and to pay the government PHP2,006,218 representing the undue injury that it suffered; and to pay the costs. 

In separate cases for seven counts of estafa arising from the acts committed by Reyes in 2007, the court likewise sentenced him to four to 10 years imprisonment for each count and a fine of PHP100,000 for each count. 

Meanwhile, the anti-graft court also ordered the arrest of former Meycauayan City accountant Ma. Victoria Z. Atienza, who remains at large. 

"In the meantime, let alias warrants for the arrest of accused Atienza be issued forthwith," the court said. 

Atienza and Reyes were accused of conspiring with each other on a check rediscounting scheme where Atienza would approve checks of the city which had been altered with a new payee and in excess of the true amount to be paid by the government to a contractor.

The check was "rediscounted" by the Philippine Business Bank branch where Reyes was the manager and confirmed he would sometimes get a share in the exchange for the rediscounting his bank allowed for the check.

A banker who conspired with the Meycauayan City accountant to alter checks has been convicted. The accountant remains at large.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1340749/2-cops-shot-dead-in-northern-samar

Two policemen were killed by still unidentified assailants in San Isidro town, Northern Samar on Saturday evening. 

Patrolmen Jessie Golondrina, 30, and Fernando Velarde, 25 — both members of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion — succumbed to gunshot wounds on their bodies. 

Based on the report from the San Isidro Municipal Police Station, the two police officers were on their way to Barangay Buenavista at around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday to verify reports about the presence of armed men who were transporting illegally cut lumbers. 

When they arrived in the area, they saw a group of armed men who, without provocation, fired at them.

Two cops assassinated by unknown men.  Sounds like its related to illegal logging but it could be another matter altogether.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/342502/former-village-chief-who-escaped-medellin-jail-killed-in-shootout-with-police-in-negros-occ

Jennifer Mercader, a high-risk inmate and former Barangay Captain of Lugo in Borbon town, Cebu, was killed in a police operation in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia town, Negros Occidental on Monday morning, September 28, 2020. 

Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), told reporters  that Mercader, who escaped from the Medellin jail facility in March 2019, was killed in a shootout as police defended themselves in the armed confrontation. 

“Naay nahitabo nga armed confrontation, the police were defending themselves… the long hand of the law will surely get you if you are a criminal. So that’s the only time that justice will be served if you will be able to arrest them,” said Ferro. 

Two loose firearms and P472,000 worth of illegal drugs were reportedly found in Mercader’s rented home after the shootout. 

Mercader was arrested for possession of illegal drugs last 2017 and was jailed. Before he escaped in 2019, Mercader admitted he was once a hitman. 

He was later linked to the killing of then Police Lieutenant Colonel Joie Yape, who was shot dead along Molave Street in Cebu City last November 21, 2019.

A former barangay captain was arrested on drug charges in 2017, escaped in 2019, and was killed in a shoot out this week. She also admitted she used to be a human and is linked to the assassination of a PNP officer in November 2019.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116777

A town councilor was killed in an ambush perpetrated by still unidentified gunmen in Guindulungan, Maguindanao past 7 a.m. Monday, police said. 

The Guindulungan police, in a report submitted to Col. Arnold Santiago, provincial police chief, identified the victim as Morsid Lauban, a councilor of the municipality. 

The victim was on board his black Toyota pickup truck going towards the municipal hall for the flag-raising ceremony when waylaid along a secluded section of the highway along the border of Guindulungan and Talayan towns. 

The councilor died on the spot. Two other companions of the councilor, whom police declined to identify for security reasons, were injured.

Another town councilor assassinated.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116764

Sandiganbayan found officials of the National Printing Office (NPO) guilty for awarding a PHP1.2 million contract without public bidding in 2010. 

In a ruling, the Sandiganbayan Third Division convicted officials of the NPO of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019). 

The charges filed in 2016 were in connection with the 2010 awarding of a contract for printing services of 1,000 boxes of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) travel clearance certificates for PHP1.2 million. 

The contract was awarded to Advance Computer Forms Inc. without conducting a competitive bidding or public bidding nor justified by the condition provided for by law in resorting to alternative method of procurement in violation of the Procurement Act. 

Prosecutors said the transaction “deprived the government of the opportunity to obtain the lowest calculated responsive bid or the most advantageous and beneficial contact, to the prejudice of the government”.

In 2010 the NPO awarded a printing contract without public bidding. In 2016 charges were filed. This week in 2020 they have finally been found not guilty. A very long road to justice.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116772

The Sandiganbayan has acquitted the governor of Camarines Norte of graft charges stemming from the local government's refusal to comply with a 2012 order from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to reinstate the provincial veterinarian back to his post. 

In a ruling dated Sept. 25, the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division found provincial legal officer Sim O. Mata Jr. guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him to six to 10 years in prison. 

The court cleared Gov. Edgardo Tallado, saying that while he may have been negligent in heeding the recommendations of Mata, "the prosecution evidence fail to unequivocally show that his reliance on his subordinates was coupled with an ulterior, fraudulent and dishonest purpose". 

The complainant, provincial veterinarian Edgardo S. Gonzales was dropped from the rolls after Tallado, Mata and supervising administrative officer Mario T. de la Cruz ignored CSC's orders to reinstate him.

Tallado, for his part, claimed he had relied solely on the advice of his staff in deciding Gonzales' case. 

“It was the mandated duty of accused Mata Jr. as provincial legal officer, to soundly advise accused Tallado on all legal matters involving the province," the ruling read. 

In convicting Mata, the court said “the removal of Gonzales from the rolls of service without supporting documents, and without adherence to the procedures …shows evident bad faith and the criminal design" on his part.

Carmine Sur Governor Edgardo Tallado did not heed an order from the Civil Service Commission to reinstate the provincial veterinarian to his post.  He failed to do so at the advice of provincial legal officer Sim O. Mata. The court says Tallado had no ill motive but only followed bad advice while Mata exhibited bad faith and criminal design.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1341418/33-elected-officials-among-1121-hvts-arrested-in-2020-pdea

Anti-drug enforcers have so far arrested over 1,000 high-value targets this year, including 33 elected officials and 11 uniformed personnel. 

During the Senate hearing on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Director General Wilkins Villanueva said 1,121 high-value targets were nabbed from January to July in 2020. 

Based on the table Villanueva presented to senators, the arrested high-value targets included 33 elected officials, 11 uniformed personnel, 54 government employees and 57 foreign nationals.

98 out of 1,121 HVT's arrested for drugs are government employees at various levels.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1341710/gun-attack-in-pma-air-force-man-killed-2-others-wounded

An Air Force man was shot and killed and two others were wounded in a gun attack at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) on Tuesday (Sept. 29), police said. 

The suspect has been identified as Airman 2nd Class Christopher Lim, who allegedly used an M-16 Armalite rifle in the attack on two Army soldiers inside the B-1022 EP Barracks around 4:30 a.m., according to initial investigation reports. 

Investigators identified the fatality as SSgt. Joefrey Turqueza while wounded was SSgt. Vivencio Raton. Both were with the Philippine Army. 

Raton managed to stop Lim from continuing to fire the assault rifle during a scuffle, wounding Lim, too. 

Police said the three had a heated argument prior to the attack.

Three military men were arguing. One of them pulls out a gun and starts shooting killing one man and injuring another. The shooter then shoots himself and dies. It turns out the shooter has a mental illness which begs the question of how he was able to enlist.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117106

The Sandiganbayan has found three officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and a private individual guilty of corruption in connection with irregularities in the procurement of decorative lamp posts along several thoroughfares of Mandaue and Lap-Lapu City in Cebu for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in 2007. 

In a separate criminal information filed before the prosecutors, it showed the four conspired to corner a contract for 120 sets of decorative park lamp assembly worth PHP35.63 million without competitive bidding to Surla's Gampik Construction and Development Inc. 

The Office of the Ombudsman computed that the project was priced in excess by PHP12.6 million and was undertaken without competitive bidding. 

The other criminal charge sheet involved a contract of 300 sets of decorative park lamp assembly between DPWH and Gampik worth PHP24.9 million, which was in excess of PHP17.4 million based on the Ombudsman's computation and in excess of PHP11.03 million as against the Commission on Audit's cost evaluation of comparable imported lamps.

Overpriced decorative lamp posts and the whole project was undertaken without public bidding. Imagine going to prison over a lamp post.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117036

The National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) regional office here is optimistic that President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to extend the term of the body tasked to oversee recovery efforts for Super Typhoon Yolanda-affected areas would ensure the completion of housing projects.  

The extension would give enough time for the national and local governments to work together to complete still ongoing resettlement projects, especially in Leyte and Samar provinces, NEDA 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Meylene Rosales said. 

“All recommendations have been discussed and raised to the top through a series of consultation with beneficiaries and local officials. We hope that through the term extension, all housing units will be completed and occupied before the end of the President’s term,” Rosales told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a phone interview on Tuesday night. 

Administrative Order 33, signed by Duterte on September 16 but was released only on Monday, extends the term of Inter-Agency Task Force Yolanda until June 30, 2022, unless earlier terminated by the President. 

The task force's term expired last August 12.

It is absolutely pathetic that the Philippines is still recovering from super typhoon Yolanda seven years after it hit.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117068

A 50-year-old public school teacher was collared with PHP1.7 million worth of suspected shabu during a drug sting on Tuesday night in Nabua town, Camarines Sur. 

Maj. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Police Regional Office-5 (PRO-5) spokesperson, on Wednesday said arrested was Tirzo Rolando Duran of Barangay Sto. Domingo in the said town. 

The suspect, a high-value target (HVT) illegal drug pusher, was caught selling shabu to an undercover police agent in the village at around 8:50 p.m. 

The drug operation yielded two knot-tied and several medium-sized sachets of shabu approximately worth PHP1.7 million and the PHP75,000 marked money.

A school teacher is also a high-value target drug dealer.  He was caught ager selling to an undercover.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/343025/former-assistant-files-charges-of-libel-defamation-against-councilor-mabatid

Roland Delos Reyes, who previously filed a complaint against Mabatid for anti-graft and corrupt practices, said he had to file the case to protect his family against her allegations over his work ethics. 

This after the councilor allegedly tagged him “alcoholic” and “lazy” in her defense over his complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman that he was fired for refusing to sell dressed chickens and work for her “side-business.” 

The statements Mabatid released to the media did not sit well with Delos Reyes, saying the statements were an attack to his persona, especially since Mabatid said he would never be hired by any other employer. 

The councilor also allegedly mentioned his parents as well, further damaging their reputation when they were not involved in the controversy. 

(I filed the charges for my parents because in the first interview with another media outlet, she made a statement that she knew my parents. It’s a lie because my parents never met her. They don’t like her.) 

Mabatid brushed off the case and said it was just another attempt to smear her name. 

(Well that is his prerogative. But it is public knowledge, especially government employees that he is one. He shamed himself for what he has done? Would he have been fired if he was not lazy? No one else would employ him. The mess will come out later.)

There is certainly a lot of drama surrounding Mabatid and her alleged corrupt practices of selling dresses chickens on the side. Funny how she digs in asserting that Delos Reyes is in fact lazy and everyone knows it.

Coronavirus Lockdown: Pacquiao vs McGregor, Christmas Surge, and More!

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

Boracay is open to tourists. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/09/24/20/3-piece-swimsuit-boracay-beachgoers-must-don-anti-virus-masks-says-official

Boracay will implement protocols to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus when it reopens next month, including a rule for beachgoers to wear anti-virus masks, an official said Thursday.  

The resort island will have 9 swimming areas where authorities are tasked with monitoring the wearing of masks and physical distancing, running thermal scans, and getting the personal information of tourists for contact-tracing, said Acting Malay, Aklan Mayor Frolibar Bautista.  

(At the beach area, you have to wear a face mask. You can remove it when you swim. But as long as you're in a public area, you should really use a mask. Swimsuits will now be a 3-piece set, instead of 2-piece.)  

What exactly is a 3-piece bathing suit? And will men also be required to wear one? As tourists spots being to open the PNP will be there to assist.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116377

As some of the country’s tourist spots prepare to reopen, Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Wednesday ordered all police units to start coordinating with their respective local government units (LGUs) to maintain strict implementation of health and safety protocols against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). 

“Early planning is essential in the success of local tourism. As police commanders, we have the obligation to ensure that there must be a balance between the revival of the local economy and the health safety of the people in this time of pandemic,” Eleazar said.

Being on the frontlines has put the PNP in the crosshairs of COVID-19. Cases within the ranks continue to rise.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116569

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that 119 more police officers contracted the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), bringing the total number of cases among its ranks to 5,650. 

Meanwhile, 4,407 PNP personnel have recovered from the disease while the death toll stands at 17. 

The PNP Health Service is also monitoring 1,226 active cases. 

Cops tested for Covid-19 observe a 14-day quarantine and undergo another test. 

Once cleared, they have to rest for seven to 10 more days before going back to duty.

Only 17 dead is not bad. However the DOH says critical cases have been rising.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/09/25/2044999/doh-covid-19-critical-care-cases-spiking

“You know, this 3.1 percent is an increase by two percentage points, which we noticed since two days ago,” he said in Filipino. 

Vega said DOH officials were surprised at the surge, but downplayed any worries about a shortage in beds at Metro Manila hospitals, saying the capacity for “critical care” cases has not been strained. 

“We are now validating in the intensive care units and critical units because you will notice that there are still adequate beds in Metro Manila. We also have adequate number of ICU beds,” he said. 

“But we’re also trying to find out the reasons why there is an increase of two percentage points,” he added. 

He acknowledged that this “new development” should be verified from the ground and that the patients who turned critical should be profiled.

It remains to be seen what the reasons for this increase are but it is likely to due the patients having existing co-morbidities.

In these trying times people are doing all it takes to care for their families. One young man biked hundreds of kilometers to seek help for his family.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1339954/teen-bikes-850-km-to-seek-help-for-family-hit-hard-by-pandemic

As the coronavirus pandemic has made life more difficult for his family, 19-year-old Peter Roncales decided to leave their house in San Pedro City, Laguna province, to seek help from relatives in Eastern Samar province. 

But he did not have money for public transportation, so he grabbed his bike and pedaled more than 850 kilometers to reach his parents’ hometown in Oras, Eastern Samar. 

The 10-day trip turned out to be a nightmare. Roncales had a flat tire seven times, got sideswiped by a motorcycle, and lost consciousness at least twice from hunger, thirst and fatigue. 

Some thugs even tried to get his bike but left him after he pleaded tearfully. 

Thoughts about his family’s future kept him going. When he arrived at the provincial checkpoint in Eastern Samar at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21, he was extremely exhausted and famished. 

Roncales did not have the required travel documents or coordinated with the local government, but those manning the checkpoint were more concerned of his condition and immediately gave him food and water. 

In a telephone interview this week, Roncales recalled how life had been difficult in San Pedro, especially when the pandemic struck in March. 

“Since the lockdown, we hardly ate three times a day,” he said. 

His father, Mariano, 62, a “taho” (soybean curd) vendor, could not go out of the house and sell due to quarantine restrictions. His mother, Liza, 60, is a laundrywoman. 

The sixth in a brood of seven, Roncales said three of his siblings had families of their own and could not help them. 

He said his family had planned to return to Oras for good but never had a chance.

Perhaps if the silly and arbitrary age restrictions were not in place this man's father could leave the house to sell his bean curds and make money for the family! This boy is not the first person to make an incredible journey because of the pandemic.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117038

After walking hundreds of kilometers from Metro Manila and being stuck in a quarantine center in Sorsogon, a jobless man finally arrived in Eastern Samar on Tuesday.  

The story of Roel Navidad, 27, has gone viral on social media after Vince Yadao, an employee of the Department of Public Works and Highways assigned at a checkpoint in Taft, Eastern Samar posted a photo of the man wearing a worn-out shirt, pants, and slippers. 

Yadao said Navidad left Manila in the third week of August and arrived in Sorsogon early in September after walking for about 600 km. 

Navidad, a native of General Macarthur, Eastern Samar, lost his job as a construction worker. 

Without money in his pocket, he walked the seemingly endless road to be with his family, Yadao said. 

Some people he met along the way gave him food and water. 

After hours of rest and good meals at the border control point, the local government of General Macarthur picked him up at 10 p.m. on Tuesday and brought him to the quarantine center where he will stay for 14 days, Yadao said in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Would have been nice if some people had also given him a ride in the back of their truck.

Manny Pacquiao could be fighting again and if he does some of the proceeds will go to COVI-19 efforts.

https://www.philstar.com/sports/2020/09/26/2045277/pacquiao-camp-confirms-mcgregor-fight-talks-plans-donate-proceeds-covid-19-efforts

Sen. Manny Pacquiao's camp on Saturday confirmed that the Filipino boxing icon and former UFC champ Connor McGregor are finalizing details for a fight next year. 

News of the fight first came from McGregor's agent Audie Attar, who claimed that the fight will likely happen in the Middle East some time in 2021. 

Pacquiao's special assistant Jayke Joson then released a statement confirming the news. 

"We won't deny it. In fact, our lawyers are finalizing all the confidential details, but both fighters are getting ready for this one epic last boxing fight," Joson said. 

Joson also revealed that a portion of the senator's earnings from this blockbuster fight will be used to fund efforts against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). 

"As what our senator says, all his fights are dedicated for the welfare and unity of all Filipinos, including this one," added Joson.

How will that work exactly?  Will Pacquiao be donating the money to the government?

A COVID Christmas is just around the corner and some experts have issued guidelines to celebrate safely.

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/health-and-family/2020/09/26/2045272/heres-what-celebrating-christmas-2020-could-look-like-according-medical-experts

Be mindful if local ordinances prohibit gatherings.

Virtual activities should be practiced instead in areas with high local transmission of COVID-19.

Face-to-face social activities are possible as long as proper distancing, contact reduction and protection precautions are observed, especially for more vulnerable family members.

Wear face masks and face shields (except for children under two years) during gatherings.

Practice proper hygiene, particularly handwashing.

Family and neighborhood gatherings should be held as much as possible outdoors, such as in a garden or lawn.

Guests should be limited and screened, with a strict schedule observed during the gathering.

Members of the same household should be seated together.

Anyone experiencing symptoms such as coughing or fever prior to the event should not attend.

Videoke and alcohol should not be at the venue.

Notify other guests if symptoms are experienced after the gathering.

Online shopping for gifts is preferable.

With all those guidelines a good time is guaranteed for all. One public health expert says that to have a very nice Christmas Manila should remain under GCQ until the end of October. The government thinks so too and has opted to follow this advice.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1341422/philippines-extends-coronavirus-curbs-for-another-month-to-prevent-christmas-surge

Current quarantine restrictions in the Philippine capital Manila and five other urban centers will stay till at least October, as the government heeds experts who warn that reopening the country too early may lead to a surge in coronavirus infections by Christmas time. 

The rest of the country will be under the less restrictive “modified general community quarantine”, Health Secretary Francisco Duque announced during a meeting late on Monday (Sept 28) with President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Data crunchers and health experts at the state-run University of the Philippines said indicators had so far been encouraging. 

“Based on past data and trends, a premature downgrading of the quarantine status may increase the risk of a surge in December, around Christmas time,” they warned.

Who's to say another month of GCQ in Manila will stop the uptick in cases? It has been 9 months and the longest lockdown in the world has done nothing to slow the spread of the virus.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1340659/longest-lockdown-lost-opportunities-300k-cases

The country reached an undesirable milestone when its total COVID-19 cases topped 300,000 on Saturday, nearly eight months to the day since the country recorded its first infection in a visiting Chinese woman. 

With 2,747 new infections, the national total rose to 301,256, a reminder of how the government is still grappling with how to stem the spread of the new coronavirus virus that causes the severe respiratory disease. 

Despite the world’s longest lockdown, the country has not significantly reduced the number of new COVID-19 cases. 

In the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 22-member Western Pacific region, it is only the Philippines that continues to report cases in the thousands daily. 

The additional cases reported on Saturday show an apparent slowdown in new infections. There were only three times in September when daily cases went beyond 4,000. There has been an average of 3,169 cases daily this month.

Thousands of new cases are being reported every day. This is despite all the stringent protocols foisted on the public like mandatory face shields by all workers. One group has asked the DOH to reconsider this policy.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/757174/biz-groups-seek-factory-office-workers-exemption-from-mandatory-wearing-of-face-masks-shields/story/

In a joint letter addressed to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases through Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who co-chairs the body, business groups proposed the “implementation of practical workplace protocols.” 

The groups include the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce (PSRICC), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport). 

In its proposal, the business groups said the private sector is “one with government in helping ensure that the workplace is safe for our stakeholders.” 

However, the groups said that except for the frontliners, “we respectfully take exception to the wearing of face shields inside the office and factories for the rest of our employees, since this can adversely affect their vision, physical safety and productivity.” 

The business sector explained that wearing of face masks and face shields is particularly a serious concern for the construction and manufacturing industries such as electronics and automotives which work with minute parts and sensitive production lines. 

“Please note that the situation in the workplace is not the same as on the streets, since office movements are controlled and guided by the safety and health protocols such as temperature checking, washing of hands and sanitizing footwear,” it said. 

Meanwhile, business groups also said that the mandatory isolation rooms for every 200 employees also pose major issues. 

“First, there is the problem of space on where to locate these rooms. Second, why is the government passing the responsibility to the private sector when obviously we are not competent to handle this?” the groups said. 

“The in-house isolation rooms will even endanger the people working in the same building, causing much apprehension that they are within the vicinity as the infected people,” the groups added. 

The business sector, likewise, recommended to relax the rules for other non-essential sectors.

The DOH of course said, "No," to these common sense proposals. The Palace has envy weighed-in on this situation saying that face shields are supported by science.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/09/28/2045743/palace-not-unreasonable-require-face-masks-shields-work

"You know, it has been proven by science that the wearing of face shields can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. If I'm not mistaken, the wearing of face (masks) is 94 percent effective in preventing COVID while face shields provide an additional three percent, so 97 percent protection is provided to the people," Roque said at a press briefing.

He's actually wrong about that and you can check for yourself at all the studies linked on this page: https://cv19.fr/eng/english/

Since the beginning of the lockdown 424,000 people have been nabbed for quarantine violations.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/757390/424-000-accosted-so-far-over-health-protocol-violations-eleazar/story/

“Based on our daily monitoring for the past 194 days, we have already charged 424,000 violators. But if we look, it averaged around 2,186, ”Elezar said. 

Eleazar encouraged strengthening the barangay reporting system for better monitoring of violations. 

“After booking, they are given an ordinance violation receipt and sent home. And in due course, they must pay a penalty in accordance with the provision of the ordinance, ”he said.

It's really a no brainer that when the government makes up new rules, rules that are actually burdensome such as wearing a face shield or maintaining a certain distance from people, that there will be violators.

The COVID-19 lockdowns have hit Pangasinan's say industry rather hard.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1340841/covid-brings-pangasinan-towns-salt-industry-to-a-standstill

Warehouses storing salt harvested in the town of Dasol in Pangasinan province would have been empty by this time of the year. 

But since March, when the community quarantine was imposed by the government to control the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the sprawling salt industry there had to hit the “pause” button. 

Companies that heavily rely on soy sauce, “patis” (fish sauce), “bagoong” (fish paste) and other salt-based products have cut their production since March, said Mayor Noel Nacar. 

“Our warehouses are still full with salt harvested last summer and we will produce some more two months from now,” Nacar, who engages in the salt-making business, told the Inquirer. 

Nacar said most salt farm and warehouse owners like him were still hoping to get buyers of their stock until December. 

“We believe that the slump in our sales is only temporary. Salt farm workers, on the other hand, are not losing their jobs,” he said.

The slump in salt sales is surely temporary but for how long? Could be a lot longer and that could be bad.