insurgency: Kill Terrorism

This week the name of the game is "surrender." No, not the Cheap Trick song. Though some would say this is cheap trick by the AFP. I'm talking about rebels laying down their arms.  The AFP claims that since Duterte took office, for some reason all statistics about the insurgency seem to start with when the current president took office rather than offer a wholistic analysis of the problem, is upwards of 18K.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142270

A military official said July 2016 to May 2021 saw the return of close to 18,000 communist rebels and supporters to the government fold.

Navy Captain Ferdinand Buscato, executive director of the government’s Task Force Balik-Loob, said the 17,958 returnees from July 1, 2016 to May 28, 2021 include 3,684 New People's Army (NPA) regulars, 2,039 members of the Militia ng Bayan, 1,736 from underground mass organizations, 636 from Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad, and 7,074 communist mass supporters.

Some 2,789 supporters are still being validated and verified by the Joint Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Committee (JAPIC).

This report says 3,684 NPA regulars have surrendered since 2016. That sounds like great news. But NTF-ELCAC spokesman Esperon says there are 4,000 NPA regulars left.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1439527/esperon-sees-police-leading-counterinsurgency-if-npa-numbers-fall-by-1500-fighters

The police could take the lead role in dealing with communist insurgency once New People’s Army (NPA) strength has declined by 1,500 fighters, according to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon on Monday (May 31).

There are still currently 4,000 regular NPA members, according to Esperon, who is also vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).

“Personally, this is just personal, if we could reduce the strength by another 1,500 then they can become a concern for the police, like they are already bandits,” Esperson said at an online press briefing.

While police and military have reported the surrender of thousands of fighters and supporters of CPP-NPA since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016, Esperon said rebels continued to be active in recruitment.

He said recruitment by members of NPA and underground communist groups continues among farmers, fishermen, workers and “very especially students.”

“So there’s resupply,” Esperon said. “Many people continue to be deceived of the promises of this long-running insurgency that seems to have no ending at all,” he said.

This article exemplifies everything that is wrong with how the AFP's handling the insurgency. First of all it should never be a police matter. Why would the AFP hand the reins over to the PNP just because the number of rebels falls to a certain level? There are far less Abu Sayyaf and BIFF fighters but the AFP has not handed that fight to the PNP.  The AFP actually did this very thing in 2011 when they turned over security operations in 23 provinces to LGUs because the NPA had become "so insignificant."

AFP public affairs chief  Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said the presence of NPA guerrillas in these provinces had become so insignificant that the military had turned over the job of maintaining security in these areas to the local government  units. 

“These are indicators that there is now unhampered progress in these provinces without major incidents of violence and extortion by the NPA rebels,” he said in a phone interview. 

“We can’t say there’s zero presence but we can say that it is no longer significant,” Burgos said. 

Only “less than 5,000” NPA rebels remain in the countryside waging their decadeslong revolution, he said.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/martial-law-insurgent-free.html

In every single one of those provinces the NPA was able to regroup and reform because the AFP failed to go the distance and finish the job.

Second of all is that Esperon admits the NPA is actively recruiting members and that their ranks are growing. If there are 4,000 left and 3,000 have surrendered since 2016 that means beginning in 2016 they were at 7,000. But in 2010 the AFP estimated their numbers at less than 5,000. This on-going recruitment belies the AFP's assertions that the NPA is weakening and lays bare their repeated and baseless assertion that the NPA is irrelevant as a total lie. If they can attract recruits and grow their ranks then they are neither irrelevant nor desperate to recover their influence. It would seem they never lost their influence.

For instance, in a tragic act of violence a football player was killed when he and his friend encountered an IED planted by the NPA. The AFP says the use of IEDs, or anti-personnel mines, are a sign of weakness.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142805

A ranking military official in the Bicol Region said the recent anti-personnel mine (APM) blast that killed two civilians and wounded another in Masbate is a manifestation of communist terrorist groups’ (CTGs) weakening capability as they can no longer face the security forces head-on.

Army Major Gen. Henry A. Robinson, Joint Task Force (JTF) Bicolandia commander, in a statement Sunday, strongly condemned the terrorist attack as he extended his condolences to the bereaved family of Kieth Absalon, 21, a promising football player of the Far Eastern University, and his cousin Nolven Absalon, 40. Kieth’s 16-year-ol nephew, Chrisbin Absalon sustained injuries.

The fact is the NPA has been using landmines for decades. IEDs are nothing new to them. Here is a report from 2006 about the NPA's use of landmines.

http://archives.the-monitor.org/index.php/publications/display?url=lm/2006/philippines.html

Key developments since May 2005:  The rebel New People’s Army stepped up its use of command-detonated improvised antivehicle mines, resulting in many more casualties. Landmine Monitor media analysis found 145 mine/IED casualties reported in 2005, a nearly 300 percent increase on the 47 casualties reported in 2004. The Armed Forces of the Philippines reported seizures of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines from the NPA. 

NPA admits that it produces explosive devices for use in warfare, claiming it has “strict standards in producing and employing” them. In November 2005, a spokesperson for the CPP-NPA-NDFP, Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, said that the rebel group makes improvised explosives out of materials salvaged from World War II-vintage bombs that they buy from fishermen and treasure hunters. Soldiers of the 48th Infantry Battalion seized an NPA “training manual for making land mines” among the documents recovered from an NPA camp in Sitio Alasanay, Bgy. Dimanayat, San Luis, Aurora on 27-28 September 2005.

The NPA intensified its offensives against the government in 2005, including increased use of command-detonated improvised antivehicle explosive devices, resulting in a considerable increase in the number of casualties recorded. 

Based on this report it highly disingenuous for the AFP to say the use of landmines shows the NPA is weakening when this has been their modus operandi for decades. They have also certainly not lost their ability to face security forces head on as the ambush in Davao two weeks ago proves.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142197

Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang said Tuesday the ambush perpetrated by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Mati City on Sunday was a desperate move aimed at recovering its influence over its lost mass base and supporters.

In a statement, Dayanghirang said the attack was the NPA’s desperate attempt to show strength despite the capture of comrades and the loss of members and mass supporters who have already surrendered to the government.

On Sunday, a soldier was wounded in a 10-minute firefight between government troops and rebels in Barangay Badas, Mati City, Davao Oriental.

Based on the report of the 10th Infantry Division (10ID), members of the Alpha Company of the 66th Infantry Battalion (66IB) were on board a military truck bound for Banaybanay town from Barangay Taguibo when they were ambushed by about 10 fighters of the NPA Guerrilla Front 18 near Punta Tagawisan.

“The Philippine Army reported that the NPA numbers are dwindling and only a few remain active. Our citizens don’t need to worry because our soldiers are spread all over the areas where they might hide or escape,” he said.

What does this governor mean by saying the army reported that "NPA numbers are dwindling and only a few remain active?" Perhaps in Davao that is the case but the NTF-ELCAC says there are still 4,000 left and that recruitment is on-going. Why is there so much contradictory information about the strength of the NPA? Perhaps the AFP has no idea what the real numbers are and are just guessing. And why lie about the NPA's strength or lack thereof based on the guerrilla tactics of ambushes and IEDs which the NPA has been using from the beginning of their fight? It smacks of propaganda.

In Davao the AFP claims the number of terrorists has decreased since 2018 when the ELCAC program was implemented.

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1076973

Besides winning the war thru combat operations, the 10th Infantry Division thru Assistant Chief of Staff of the Civil Military Operations Lt. Col. Louie Dema-ala bared in an interview over One Davao Virtual Virtual Presser that much of the efforts now of the military group is focused on community support programs.

“ Aside from the red area or where the CTGs are usually situated, we also focus on the white area. There is a symbiotic relationship between the red and the white areas. (The white area gives financial support to the CTGs in the red area, in the white areas, recruitments are made for the armed group),” Dema-ala explained.

He cited some gains of the military in weakening the CTG’s strength in the white area along with the initiative and support of the Regional and Provincial Task Force ELCAC.

 The closing of Salugpungan schools across Davao Region was considered a major win for the uniformed men.

Aside from the Salugpungan schools, the issuance of a freeze order by the Anti Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on united Church of Christ in the Philippines - Haran (UCCP- Haran) bank accounts was also a significant gain in the insurgency war.

The 10th Infantry Division reported to have organized 443 People’s Organizations (POs) composed of Underground Mass Organization (UGMOs) member.

Dema-ala explained that there is a need to sustain government’s efforts in engaging UGMO members by providing skills trainings and livelihood opportunities.

The AFP claims to be winning the fight via a combination of combat operations and social work. All of that comprises tasks that the public cannot do. Yet the AFP continues to chide the public as if fighting terrorism is their work too.

AFP Chief of Staff Sobejana says the public must "kill terrorism" to end the insurgency.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/790355/afp-s-sobejana-urges-families-academe-to-kill-terrorism-to-end-communist-conflict/story/

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff General Cirilito Sobejana Jr. appealed to families and the academe to join the effort to end the local communist armed conflict, urging them to "kill terrorism."

In a statement, Sobejana said parents and teachers have a role in ending the conflict, adding that good governance should also be practiced at home and in schools.

“While your soldiers kill terrorists, you in the academe should kill terrorism. If you are effective in countering terrorism, there are no terrorists. The Armed Forces will then serve as support in the development of our country, rather than going to war,” Sobejana said, partly in Filipino.

"We do not fight because we hate those who are in front of us; we fight because we love the people behind us,” Sobejana added.

He said the “formula” for ending this country's security problems was for citizens to do their part in the whole-of-nation approach to end the local communist armed conflict. This also includes non-government institutions and civil society organizations.

What does it mean to "kill terrorism?" How does one "kill terrorism?" Sobejana likely does not know as he does not offer an explanation. Or, if he did, GMA has neglected to include it. Fighting terrorism is not the job of the citizens. It is wholly the job of the AFP. There is a pattern here where the government constantly blames the public for the woes of the country. COVID cases are on the rise because the public won't follow safety protocols. The insurgency continues because the public won't do their part. Funny that no one blames the public for choosing lame duck and brain dead politicians to run the nation.

The preferred way to fight the insurgency these days is building roads and strengthening the infrastructure.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142716

The Rizal town in Kalinga province has received around PHP20 million to fund its anti-insurgency projects in Balabag East village.

According to a report by Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), Rizal Mayor Karl Bugao Baac was thankful to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF ELCAC) Barangay Development Program (BDP) for allotting funds for Balabag East village that is now cleared of infestation of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Of the PHP20 million, around PHP15 million will be used for the rehabilitation of the Barroga-Baggas farm-to-market road, Bugac said.

Baac added that about PHP3 million will be used to improve the water system and the remaining PHP2 million will be allotted for the rehabilitation of the health center building in Balabag East village.

Balabag is one of the 822 villages initially identified by NTF ELCAC to have been cleared of NPA influence.

Imagine calling roads and clean water "anti-insurgency projects." That is insane. Those are projects that should have been completed long ago as the people pay taxes for that kind of infrastructure. Not to mention the area has already been cleared of NPA influence. So, how exactly will these projects fight the insurgency when it appears there is no insurgency in their village to fight?

Hanging the Wash Out to Dry

When you've washed your clothes they have to be hung out to dry somewhere. The best way is to hang them on a line in the sun but a line isn't always available which is what leads to the vaunted Filipino creativity. This is the same creativity that gave us tanks plated with wood armor to protect them from RPGs during the Marawi siege. Necessity is the mother of invention, they say.

A tree is not such a bad place to hang your clothes out to dry. A few hours in the sun and it will be harvest time for this strange fruit. 

If a tree is not readily available then perhaps the next best thing is some grass.

Like an egg these mats will have to be flipped after one side has been heated enough.  Thats actually problematic because you really want your clothes to have room to breathe so the air can dry them on all sides. Not to mention all the dirt and dry dog piss that is certainly in that grass.  That's why a wall might be a better place to hang them out to dry. Admittedly a wall is not the optimal place to hang your clothes because you still don't get the proper air flow.

There is no bird in that rooster hut and good thing. He might not appreciate his house being used to dry the laundry. He might foul them up!

Laying your clothes out on the roof might not be a good idea either because, like the wall, there is no room for them to breathe and dry out.  It's just as bad as tossing them on the bushes.

But you have to work with what you got. Even if it is just a roof. Or a car.

Whoever thought a car could also function as a laundry dryer? That's the genius of Filipino creativity. They can look at an object, imagine all the possibilities it holds, and then actuate all those possibilities.  Bricolage construction is a way of life in the Philippines and it separates the Filipino mind from all the rest of mankind. Like, have you ever considered using an old dirty refrigerator as a pond to breed your fish?

No, you say? Well, that's your problem bud. Start thinking outside the box and get creative like a Filipino. Embrace the art of bricolage.

Retards in the Government 209

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

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1438141/albay-village-chief-shot-hurt-in-gun-attack

The chairperson of a remote village of Camalig town in Albay province was wounded in a gun attack Friday morning, a police report said. 

Salvador Nuarin, the village chief of Taladong, survived the attack but suffered gunshot wounds on his body, according to Major Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson of the Bicol police, in a report. 

The report said Nuarin was shot and wounded by armed men at his village around 7 a.m., but he managed to call the town police station for help.

Village chief survives an assassination attempt.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141790

Members of the anti-scalawag unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have arrested a retired cop for alleged extortion in an entrapment operation in Laguna. 

Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) director, Brig. Gen. Thomas Frias, identified the suspect as Mariano Garcia, formerly assigned at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 4A, who was caught in the act of receiving money worth PHP5,000 from the complainant in a gasoline station in Barangay Calo in Bae, Laguna on Thursday afternoon. 

“We have arrested a retired PNP member accused of extortion affecting the public perception. This is in line with the guidance of our Chief PNP (General Guillermo Eleazar) in adherence to Intensified Cleanliness Policy (ICP) not only by the “Cleanliness in the Offices” but also by the “Cleanliness of our Ranks” Frias said in a statement on Friday. 

He said the operation stemmed from the report of the complainant that the suspect is extorting money from cargo trucks coming from Batangas and Quezon province passing by Laguna. 

The complainant also reported the illegal activity since it is disturbing the legal operation of the trucking business. Accordingly, the suspect is demanding weekly “payola” from the complainant. 

Frias bared that the suspect initially demanded PHP40,000 each from the operator on a weekly basis for them to able to pass freely through checkpoints in Laguna.

A retired cop has been busted for extortion.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/379781/asturias-raid-two-brgy-dads-2-brothers-nabbed-with-8-unlicensed-guns

Two barangay councilors are among four men caught with 8 unlicensed firearms in Barangay Tag-amakan, Asturias town in northwestern Cebu during a Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) operation in the area on May 25 and 26.

Barangay Cabagdalan councilors Jonathan Alfeche, 42; and Peejay Tautjo, 37; and brothers Elorde, 56; and Ismael Jayme, 47; were arrested after they were caught with the illegal firearms, said Police Lieutenant Colonel Hector Amancia, chief of the Cebu Provincial Field Unit of CIDG-7.

Amancia said the CIDG-7 operatives were there to serve a search warrant against Elorde Jayme.

He said that they secured the search warrant after they received complaints about Elorde’s alleged indiscriminate firing in the area.

Seized from the Elorde were a .45 caliber pistol, a KG9 submachine pistol, a 357 Magnum (Taurus) revolver, a silencer, and magazines and ammunition.

Barangay councilors Alfeche and Tautjo were each caught with a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition while taken from Ismael were a .45 caliber pistol and a KG9 submachine pistol.

Two barangay councilors arrested for unlicensed firearms.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=tl&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.abs-cbn.com%2Fnews%2F05%2F30%2F21%2Fbarangay-chairman-nahulihan-ng-di-lisensiyadong-baril

A barangay chairman in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo was arrested after being found with an unlicensed firearm on Saturday, according to authorities. 

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Iloilo (CIDG) filed a search warrant against the said chairman in Barangay Cruz after receiving a report that he always carried a gun. 

During a search of the home, the chairman was found with a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition.

A barangay chairman caught with an unlicensed pistol.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1141970

A police officer in Lanao Del Norte fell in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Del Carmen, Iligan City on Saturday night.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar identified the arrested officer as Pat. Saidamin Bonsalagan Bagul (alias Borge), assigned at the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office (PPO).

According to a news release, the PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group led the operation in coordination with the Lanao Del Norte PPO, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Provincial Intelligence Unit, Special Intelligence Unit, Regional Mobile Force Battalion, the military, and National Bureau of Investigation.

Also seized were four pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing approximately 20 grams, buy-bust money, mobile phone, rifle with five magazines loaded with live ammunition, pistol with one magazine loaded with ammunition, and a car.

PNP officer busted for selling drugs.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/379959/policeman-dies-in-second-ambush-girlfriend-injured-in-barili-attack

Police Master Sergeant Raymund Zozobrado has already cheated death in April 2018 when he survived an attempt on his life. 

But the 40-year-old active police officer was not as lucky on Saturday morning, May 29, 2021, after he failed to dodge the bullets being rained on him by unidentified assailants on board a van in Barangay Dakit, Barili town, southwestern Cebu. 

Police Major Romeo Caacoy Jr, Barili Police Station chief said Zozobrado was an active police officer assigned in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental who was a resident of Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City. 

Caacoy added that the victim was declared dead on the spot by Dr. Michelle Ann Dagoy, municipal doctor of Barili town. 

The victim was with his ‘girlfriend’ Vanessa Tura, 30, a resident of Barangay Upper Mohon, Talisay City who also sustained gunshot wounds and is now being treated at the Barili District Hospital. 

Zozobrado and Tura were reportedly on board the former’s motorcycle when they were ambushed. 

Caacoy said that as of now, they are considering all possible angles including Zozobrado’s work as a police officer and personal matters. They are also not discounting the love triangle as a possible motive behind this ambush although both are reportedly single.

A cop dies after being ambushed for the second time in 3 years. But the cops think it might be a love triangle. Why? You can read the news report from 2018 concerning the first assassination attempt and see that this was certainly not the result of a love triangle.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1439053/qc-cop-shoots-self-after-drinking-spree-with-2-other-policemen-1-civilian

A police officer assigned at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) was said to have shot himself in the chest after a drinking spree with three other cops on Sunday.

In a statement, QCPD director Brigadier General Antonio Yarra identified the policeman as PCpl Higinio Wayan, 31, who was assigned at the Kamuning Police Station.

It wasn’t clear if this was a case of accidental shooting due to Wayan’s inebriation, or if he really had intention to shoot himself.

Initial investigations showed that Wayan was with fellow police officers identified as PCpl Harold Mendoza, PCpl Sherwin Rebot and a civilian, identified as Lorenzo Lapay, who owned the room where the drinking spree took place in Barangay Commonwealth.

Based on police report, Lapay and Wayan were talking at around 3:50 AM Sunday, while their companions Rebot went to the restroom to relieve himself. Mendoza, meanwhile, said that he was sleeping after having too much to drink.

Lapay told investigators that while he and Wayan were talking, the latter suddenly took Rebot’s service firearm, a caliber .40 glock, which he left on the top of the table and pointed at his chest, saying: “Gusto mo iputok ko pa ito sa sarili ko? (Do you want me to shoot myself?).”

Wayan then pulled the trigger, leading to his instantaneous death.

Were these cops off duty? Why do so many cops die in shooting incidents while drinking? This is not the first time and will certainly not be the last time this happens. But it tuns out this initial story is all a lie.  Here is the real story:

https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/01/cop-vs-cop-police-shoots-dead-fellow-cop-after-losing-in-arm-wrestling-in-quezon-city/

The police officer who was initially reported to have shot himself dead in Quezon City turned out to have been killed by a fellow police after losing in an arm wrestling during their drinking session. 

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) bared Tuesday after a follow-up investigation that Cpl. Higino Wayan was shot by Cpl. Sherwin Rebot after Lorenzo Lapay, a civilian driver who witnessed the incident, retracted his earlier narrative that Wayan killed himself. 

But when members of the investigating team conducted a deeper investigation, they found out that Wayan and Rebot “had an arm wrestling” and Wayan “overpowered Rebot during the arm wrestling which prompted” the suspect to get his service firearm and shoot the victim, it added.

The QCPD said both Rebot and Lapay were tagged in the killing of Wayan. Another police officer, Cpl. Harold Mendoza, who was resting at the time of the incident, was also implicated in the crime. 

“Both police officers will face administrative and criminal charges while the civilian driver will face criminal charges,” the QCPD said. 

Rebot will be charged with murder and violation of illegal possesion of firearms and ammunition as he was found to be in possession of an unlicensed firearm. 

Mendoza and Lapay, meanwhile, will face murder by conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges.

What a stupid reason to kill somebody!!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142139

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday announced the arrest of an ambulance driver of the Health Service in Caloocan City for allegedly offering to facilitate the application of an aspiring policeman in exchange for PHP100,000.

Eleazar said the suspect identified as S/Sgt. Joel Bunagan, 37, was arrested in an entrapment operation by members of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) in Barangay 175, Camarin, Caloocan City on Monday.

The suspect yielded PHP1,000 marked money, a mobile phone, and a motorcycle.

Eleazar ordered the conduct of summary dismissal proceedings against Bunagan, who was already arrested last year for a similar offense.

The suspect was first arrested on April 8 last year in an entrapment operation by operatives of the IMEG and the Intelligence Group (IG) which stemmed from a complaint of another police applicant.

According to a report from the IMEG and IG, Bunagan promised applicants with health issues that they will "pass the medical examinations smoothly" in exchange for a fee ranging from PHP100,000 to PHP150,000.

PNP officer arrested for extorting police applicants. He was arrested on the same charges last year but not dismissed from the service.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/789668/drunk-cop-allegedly-shoots-dead-52-year-old-woman-in-qc/story/

A 52-year-old woman was shown in a video shot dead by a drunk police officer in Barangay Greater Fairview, Quezon City on Monday night.

The victim was identified as Lilibeth Valdez, according to a report by James Agustin on Unang Balita on Tuesday.

According to the victim's daughter, her mother was at the store when the police officer who was allegedly intoxicated approached her, pulled her hair and shot the victim in the neck.

The victim's son and the same police officer were engaged in a fistfight last May 1 and after the incident the same cop issued a threat.

A cop makes good on a past threat by Brantley murdering the mother of a man he got into a fight with.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/789713/ex-congressman-andaya-survives-slay-try-in-camsur/story/

Unidentified suspects on Tuesday shot at former Camarines Sur Representative Rolando Andaya Jr. while he was driving his vehicle in Pili town, but the erstwhile lawmaker was unhurt.

A statement from Police Regional Office 5 (PRO5) said the suspects were on board a motorcycle. Two fired cartridges of calibre .45 were recovered from the area.

Police said the incident took place along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Palestina around 5:45 a.m.

PRO5 chief Police Brigadier General Jonnel Estomo ordered an investigation into the incident. A special provincial investigation team was created to speed up the identification of the perpetrators.

A former Representative survives as assassination attempt by unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle. Andaya believes this was politically motivated as his security detail was withdrawn without notice just prior to the assassination attempt.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142166

An incumbent Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson in Barangay Carmen East in this town has been arrested for alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

 

In an interview on Tuesday, Rosales Police chief, Maj. Fernando Fernandez Jr., identified the 21-year-old suspect as Prince Cyrus Concepcion.

 

He said Concepcion was arrested on Monday by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued on May 27 this year for the sale and possession of dangerous drugs.

 

“The illegal sale of dangerous drugs has no recommended bail while the illegal possession of dangerous drugs has PHP200,000 recommended bail,” he said.

 

Fernandez said the suspect was arrested a few months ago by the regional drug enforcement group but the fiscal dismissed the charges filed against him. 

 

However, it was appealed to the provincial prosecutor and was granted hence the warrant of arrest, he added.

Another elected official busted for drugs.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142450

A barangay councilor was shot dead by motorcycle-riding suspects inside his home in Dauin, Negros Oriental Thursday morning.

The incident occurred just days after President Rodrigo Duterte told the Philippine National Police (PNP) during a joint national and regional peace and order council meeting here to solve the series of killings in Negros Oriental.

A police report identified the victim as Agustin Rusil Aragones of Barangay Maayongtubig.

Initial police investigation showed two unidentified male suspects riding in tandem on a motorcycle arrived at Aragones’ house around 10:40 a.m., entered through the open gate and shot him at close range while he was watering his plants in the yard.

The victim was rushed to a private hospital in this capital city while the suspects fled southward to nearby Zamboanguita town.

He expired at around 11:22 a.m., the Dauin police said.

The motive for the shooting is not yet known while hot pursuit operations are ongoing.

Last month, the village chief of Barangay Bagacay in Dauin was also shot dead by suspects who were arrested several hours later, although the motive for the killing was also not known.

For the second time in two months an LGU official has been sot in the village or Dauin, Negros Occidental, by unknown men for unknown reasons. Who is next?

Coronavirus Lockdown: Transmitting the Virus is a Crime, Free Cow, and More!

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

Bribing people to take the vaccine has reached new levels of weirdness as one Mayor vows to raffle off cows for those who take the jab.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/27/21/cow-raffle-covid-19-vaccine-san-luis-pampanga

The local government of San Luis town in Pampanga will be raffling off cows to residents who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in a move to boost their vaccination program. 

Mayor Jayson Sagum said the raffle will begin in July once vaccine supply picks up.  

(Every end of the month we will raffle off one cow for residents who have been vaccinated.) 

The raffle, he said, will last for 12 months or until June 2022. Residents who had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for the raffle. 

(Don’t be scared, have yourself vaccinated and get the chance to win a cow.) 

That is certainly more of an incentive than a free donut. A cow could be someone's livelihood. One local government is offering free sacks of rice as an incentive while another is offering free houses. The Senate thinks these raffles and incentives to entice people to take the vaccine are a good thing.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/789279/senators-okay-with-incentives-raffle-for-those-vaccinated-vs-covid-19/story/

Senators on Friday said they are open to the idea of raffles and incentives for those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 as this will encourage more Filipinos to get immunized. 

This after Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar announced an incentive program to her constituents where individuals who already got at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine could win a brand new house and lot as well as groceries and motorcycles. 

Senator Panfilo Lacson said any legal and creative means could be used to encourage more Filipinos to take part in the national immunization program against COVID-19. 

“By all means possible, yes. A chance at winning the lottery and other forms of incentives, and for that matter - any legal means to attract more Filipinos to get themselves vaccinated are good moves by the government, both national and local, and even the private sector to attain herd immunity at the soonest possible time not only for our people's healthy well-being but to make our economy vibrant again and get back our normal lives again,” Lacson said in a text message to reporters.

One thing the government will absolutely not do is tell the public the truth about the vaccines which is that they do not prevent infection. They do not immunize you from catching the virus.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1438186/mindoro-town-mayor-tests-covid-19-positive-after-1st-jab

A mayor of a town in Oriental Mindoro tested positive for COVID-19 days after he got his first dose of a vaccine.

Naujan Mayor Mark Marcos, in a social media post Friday, said he first had an antigen test Tuesday, May 25, and when he tested positive for the virus, he underwent a Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test on the same day.

The result came out Thursday, May 27, confirming his infection.

“But only my office (at the municipal hall) is on lockdown,” he said in a phone interview Friday morning.

He decided to have a swab test even after he was vaccinated against COVID-19 on May 18 because of a persistent nose congestion. “Before vaccination, my body was in good condition,” he said.

Funny that the brand of vaccine the mayor was given is not mentioned.

Face masks are stupid. They make it hard to breathe and hard to understand people and, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, they function more as a talisman than offering any real protection from the virus. But even worse are face shields which are required inside government buildings and on public transportation. One doctor says it's time for them to go.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1437374/time-to-drop-those-face-shields

The government must now rethink the policy requiring people to wear face shields when leaving their homes, since there is no systematic study proving it has significantly reduced COVID-19 transmission, according to some doctors. 

“What do all countries that have controlled COVID have in common? They never required face shields,” Dr. Gideon Lasco, a medical anthropologist, said in a recent post on social media. 

“It’s time to end the Philippines’ baseless, inconvenient, and environmentally harmful face shield mandate, especially in outdoor spaces where there’s zero evidence of its benefit,” said Lasco, who also writes a column in the Inquirer. 

But according to Dr. Edsel Salvana, a government technical adviser and infectious diseases expert, Filipino doctors have calculated that wearing both mask and shield, plus social distancing, is 90-percent effective in preventing COVID-19 transmission. 

“Unfortunately, [there is] still only about 30 percent compliance [with the requirement to put on] face shields,” Salvana said on Wednesday. 

Salvana disagreed with Lasco and Co, saying that in countries where people never used face shields—like the United States, France, United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal — COVID-19 deaths “are 10 times (that in Philippines) per million population.” 

To say that only the Philippines required face shields and other countries did not was “a nonsensical argument,” Salvana said. 

Peru has also made face shields mandatory in indoor public places. 

In the US, studies conducted at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, showed that the use of both plastic face shields and surgical masks provided the best protection against infection, but that combining the two made little difference over the use of masks alone.

It's interesting that Dr. Salvana would appeal to Peru cornering face shields. Recently Peru has mandated people wear two masks in potentially crowded areas. Is double masking in the future for the Philippines? 

One research at the OCTA is imploring the government to relax health protocols for those who have been vaccinated. However, the government is not inclined to relax health protocols at all in the near future. In fact, Duterte has declared transmitting the virus is illegal and that he will find a way to arrest you for doing so.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1437406/duterte-wants-mass-gatherers-to-be-jailed

“Most of you are committing a crime because you know that after gathering, after swimming together, a lot of you will get positive for COVID-19,” he said.

“It seems you’re ignoring the government’s plea and it’s criminal for you to get COVID-19 and pass it on to another innocent person. It is really a crime,” he continued, speaking partly in Filipino. “I will look for a suitable law because you are now forcing my hand to get into this thing and control it.”

If he has to "look for a suitable law" then obviously there is no law against transmitting the virus. And how would they prove that anyway? It's more ridiculous bluster from Duterte.

Actor Robin Padilla posted a video of himself administering a COVID swab. DOH Secretary Duque says such a test is not acceptable as it could produce false results.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1437592/no-to-self-swabbing-says-duque-after-actors-viral-clip

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said performing self-swabbing for COVID-19 is not advisable since it may render the results questionable. 

He made the remark after actor Robin Padilla shared a video of him conducting a COVID-19 swab test by himself.

Duque said there are protocols and standards that are being followed in conducting swab tests.

(You can’t do it on yourself because the results will be questionable.) 

In his post, Padilla said he was forced to conduct the swab test on himself due to the alleged unavailability of a healthcare worker.

Why would one even consider administering this test on themselves?

The USA is donating Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines next month according to the Philippines' ambassador to the USA. He also says the US and the PHL are seeking to partner in making vaccines locally.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/789354/philippines-us-seek-partnership-in-vaccine-manufacturing-distribution/story/

The Philippines and the United States are seeking possible cooperation in manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the country in a bid to speed up local access to the crucial jabs against the deadly viral infection, Manila's envoy to Washington said.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, in a statement Saturday, said the COVID-19 pandemic and the limited global supply of vaccines "have magnified the importance of building domestic capacity that would ensure some degree of vaccine self-reliance critical to prepare countries to deal with future pandemics.”

Under the proposal discussed in a forum between Philippine and US officials last week, both sides would seek "suitable investment partners" to set up manufacturing hubs in the country.

During the discussion, the Philippines highlighted vaccine development and manufacturing roadmap and international cooperation on technology transfer, capacity-building, and financing. 

The Philippines, with a sluggish vaccination program amid global shortage of the crucial shots, has one of the highest COVID-19 infections in the region. 

DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara said that in the medium term, the DOST Pharma Center will be reinstituted as “a way to bridge the gap between the academe and the industry for pharma development."

It also intends to establish a Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines through a law, Guevara said.

Setting up the infrastructure to manufacture vaccines will certainly not happen overnight. Until the Philippines can be independent in that regard they will have to buy from or accept gifts from others. Novavax has expressed interest setting up a factory in the Philippines but of course that will be long time from now if it happens.

The DOH says the top reason for vaccine hesitancy in the Philippines is fear of side effects. Tell that to all the Filipinos illegally overstaying in Hong Kong just so they can get vaccinated.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/news/789426/more-than-1-000-filipinos-illegally-staying-in-hong-kong-to-be-vaccinated-vs-covid-19/story/

More than 1,000 Filipinos overstaying or illegally staying in Hong Kong will be included in the COVID-19 vaccination scheduled in July, according to a report on News TV Live on Saturday. 

They will be among the thousands of illegal immigrants and refugees to be vaccinated, the Hong Kong government said. 

Demand for Sinovac and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines was not that high among residents, prompting the government to offer the jabs to illegal immigrants and refugees. 

Some of the vaccine doses are set to expire in August. 

Data from the Hong Kong government showed that at least 1,000 Filipinos are overstaying or staying illegally there.

This is actually a very bad article because it does not say definitively that any of those 1,000 people will be getting vaccinated. Right now it's just a potential scenario.

"You are either on the bus or off the bus," says Ken Kesey. The vaccination bus is the bus you want to board to get the vaccine if you live in Taguig.

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1076376

Taguig City has officially launched its Vaccination Bus, a new and innovative way of vaccinating more people against COVID-19.

According to the Taguig Registry for Access and Citizen Engagement (TRACE), the Vaccination Bus is now making its stop around the city to serve as a pop-up vaccination center and get more people to receive their vaccination.

The vaccination bus also aims to target Taguigeños in hard-to-reach areas, vulnerable communities, and those who are unable to personally come to Taguig vaccination hubs, it added.

It cannot be said that the government is not reaching out to the people the best way it can to take the vaccine. Yet vaccine hesitancy allegedly continues to be an issue. Of course those in charge appear to be doing everything they can to erode confidence in the vaccine's efficacy. Now the people are being told to not get an anti-body test after being vaccinated.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/02/2102597/experts-advise-against-antibody-testing-after-vaccination

Getting antibody tests after getting a COVID-19 vaccine is not advisable, medical experts said, as they typically do not paint a full picture of immunity against the coronavirus and may even cause unnecessary worry over the effectiveness of the shot.

“The immune system is amazingly sophisticated. So one measurement cannot totally measure the entire immune response of your immune system to the COVID virus,” de Vera said during the briefing to lawmakers.

She said that there are still no studies which suggest how many antibodies a person needs to be considered to be protected against COVID-19.

She added that while they will also use antibody tests in their study to check if people involved have developed an immune response, they will also be looking at the cellular response and will monitor study participants to check if they develop COVID-19.

I do not know why anyone would take such a test but the reasons given not to do so tell the public that the vaccine is simply not effective as immunity is not guaranteed. But one does not need a test to know that. There have been several reported cases of people getting vaccinated and still getting infected. Those who are hesitant about the vaccine are hesitant for good reason.

Picture of the Week: On the Take

Imagine a police department so corrupt they have to launch a PR campaign to convince the people that they are not corrupt.

Well, that's the Philippine National Police for ya. But despite all their PR drives the public knows the truth. There are too many bad cops. It's not a problem of a few bad eggs or a few bad apples. No. The problem is a system where corruption is allowed to happen. Sure, they arrest the extortioners and drug users in their ranks. But why are there so many? Why would they do those things unless they thought no one would care and they would never be punished for it?

Tarps like this only serve to reinforce and confirm the fact that the PNP is a very corrupt organization.