Insurrection: Killing of Absalon Cousins

Last week landmines placed by the NPA killed a young man and his cousin. This was nothing out of the ordinary as the NPA has used landmines for decades. However this particular incident has the potential of being a watershed or turning point in the 52 year war against the CPP-NPA.

First of all, after much cajoling over the years, the Makabayan Bloc has finally condemned an action of the NPA.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1443655/masbate-blast-makabayan-bloc-condemns-npa-units-military-action

The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives called on the families of the victims of a landmine explosion in Masbate City to file a complaint as they condemned Wednesday the “military action” of a unit of the New People’s Army that led to the incident.

This came after the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA have taken “full responsibility for the tragedy” in Masbate and declared “deep remorse” for the “untimely and unnecessary” deaths of Far Eastern University football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven Absalon.

“We condemn the military action by a unit of the NPA in Masbate City that caused their death and injuries to others for violating international humanitarian law,” the Makabayan bloc–which is composed of Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro; Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas; and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago–said in a statement.

“Our commitment to human rights binds us to condemn any and all acts that harm or kill unarmed civilians, non-combatants, and protected persons in situations of armed conflict,” the bloc added.

The lawmakers likewise urged the Absalon family to report the incident to the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), the body that accepts complaints on the non-compliance by either the CPP-NPA or government forces such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP) on the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

“Filing a complaint with the JMC will serve as an important reminder on the need for both the signatories to the CARHRIHL – the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) that represents the CPP-NPA –  to always abide by the laws of war: all non-combatants, civilians and civilian populations should be spared and protected, so that there will be no more Absalons to be needlessly lost,” the Makabayan lawmakers said.

“We welcome the CPP-NPA statement acknowledging and accepting full responsibility and expressing deep remorse over the Absalons’ deaths. We look forward to a full and impartial investigation into the incident, and to the CPP-NPA’s response to any complaint to be filed against them with the JMC,” they added.

The Makabayan lawmakers likewise said that the Absalons’ deaths and the “rising number of CARHRIHL violations by the PNP-AFP” should compel the government and the NDFP to fully reactivate the JMC and “to reopen the formal peace negotiations and to fully address the root causes of the raging armed conflict.”

This is a highly duplicitous condemnation. They are not condemning the military action in and of itself or the NPA but they are condemning that the military action resulted in the death of unarmed civilians and non-combatants. Implicitly that means any deadly attacks against the PNP or AFP are not to be condemned.

Next they advise the family of the slain to file a complaint with the JMC (Joint Monitoring Committee) which takes complaints on the non-compliance of the CPP-NPA and government forces with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). Then they accuse the PNP-AFP of committing a rising number of violations against the CARHRIHL and suggest the government and the NDFP should reactivate the JMC and reopen peace talks. 

That is all problematic because, as Makabayan even admits, there is no JMC. So why advise the family to file a complaint with them?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/790967/dilg-makabayan-bloc-deceiving-kin-of-masbate-mine-blast-victim/story/

The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Thursday slammed the Makabayan Bloc for urging the Absalon family to file a complaint before the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) for the death of FEU athlete Kieth in a landmine blast in Masbate last Sunday.

In a statement, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the JMC no longer exists as peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines has ended.

“The Joint Monitoring Committee was disbanded many years back. It no longer exists,” Malaya said.

“It’s unfortunate that the Makabayan Bloc is misleading the Absalon family who is demanding justice for the death of Keith and Nolven Absalon,” he added.

This misleading statement coupled with their blaming the PNP-AFP for rights violations, a classic tu quoque fallacy wherein one's opponent is discredited because of their behavior, caused DND Secretary Lorenzana to call their apology "half-hearted." 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1143203

"Their comrades, the NPA, were caught in flagrante delicto (in the act) kaya no choice sila (they have no choice) but to acknowledge it. But their condemnation is half-hearted," he said in a message to the Philippine News Agency when sought a reaction on the progressive lawmakers' condemnation of the incident.

Also, Lorenzana slammed the Makabayan bloc for being silent over past similar atrocities committed by the NPA.

"There were hundreds of such atrocities committed by the NPA before and the Makabayan Bloc’s silence (was) deafening. Worst (of all), they impute them to the AFP-PNP (Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police)," he added.

The reason that they did not speak up is because attacks against the PNP-AFP are OK since they are enemy combatants of the NPA. 

The second indication that this atrocity might be a turning point is that the CHR has condemned the CPP-NPA and demanded they turn over those responsible.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1444828/chr-tells-reds-yield-rebels-in-killing-of-absalon-cousins

The commission said if NPA was “serious and sincere about taking accountability,” it should “identify all those responsible and surrender them to lawful authorities to face justice within the court system.”

The CHR said communist rebel leaders should go “beyond owning responsibility, offering indemnity and promising an investigation.”

“They should likewise be held accountable for all other crimes they have perpetrated in violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws since they began pursuing this armed conflict,” it added.

Though they have before, usually the CHR does not speak up on the atrocities committed by the NPA as they are not a police agency. Their mandate is to monitor the government and any of their abuses of human rights. That confusion leads some morons to ask dumb questions like, "Does CHR condemn Kieth’s murder or the use of APMs?"

https://www.pna.gov.ph/opinion/pieces/438-does-chr-condemn-kieth-murder-or-the-use-of-apm

The prejudiced of the CHR against the police and military oftentimes elicits doubts on its fairness and sense of justice. In July 2013, Sally Chua, a businesswoman from Quezon City was kidnapped but later rescued in Davao City by police operatives led by then Col. Bato dela Rosa. Three of the four kidnappers who fought it out with the law were killed. When the raw video clip that showed the dead bodies of the kidnappers in the aftermath of fighting was seen by  CHR Chair Etta Rosa, she exclaimed: “...but this is murder”.  

The CHR is not supposed to be friendly toward the PNP and AFP because those are the groups they are monitoring and with the PNP's long track of corruption and human right's violations such prejudice is certainly warranted. One could ask this guy, "Do you condemn the AFP's use of psy-ops and lies?" 

This brings us to the third indication that this atrocity could be a turning point. The AFP alleges that not only were these two young men blown up but were shot afterwards.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/10/2104482/absalon-cousins-killed-npa-blast-were-also-shot-military

"Our investigation shows that aside from being blown up, they were also shot," AFP spokesperson Edgard Arevalo said in Filipino over state-run People's Television.

Arevalo said they are now determining whether the two men were shot first or were first injured by the explosion and then shot.

Autopsy reports prepared by the Masbate City Health Office which were sent to reporters late Wednesday night said that the Absalon cousins died from blood loss due to gunshot wounds and blast injuries they sustained.

Kieth, 21, sustained a gunshot wound in the right eye, while Nolvin, 38, had gunshot wounds on his right shoulder blade and his thigh.

The older Absalon also had a “gaping wound” on the left side of his head “with brain tissues exposed.” They also sustained numerous wounds across their body, according to the autopsy reports.

One expert says a full autopsy is needed to determine whether or not these two men were actually shot.

Forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun told Philstar.com that Masbate City Health Officer Victoria Manalo only conducted an external examination on the bodies of the two men, when other procedures like X-rays should have been done.

“This requires a full forensic autopsy and crime scene investigation, a full forensic investigation,” Fortun said in an online exchange.

A full forensic investigation, she said, would answer a lot of questions surrounding the blast that killed the Absalon cousins last week, including if they were finished off by being shot.

“To finish the victim off, you aim for usual head and chest fatal shots. In this case, shoulder and thigh gunshot wounds? Report says gunshot wound near eye, but again, I ask what’s the doctor’s basis for identifying them as a gunshot wound,” she said.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/12/2104978/full-forensic-autopsy-needed-absalon-cousins-expert

Could the AFP be lying? Sure. These two men were victims of a bomb blast which means their bodies were mangled with all sorts of lacerations and wounds. A full forensic examination should be done on the bodies. It also does not make any sense. Why would the NPA blow them up and then finish them off by shooting them anywhere except the head? Why fire any finishing shots when they were blown up?

While the PNP, AFP, CHR, and others are imploring the NPA to give up those involved in the bombing the AFP says they already killed three men responsible for the attack.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/790674/3-suspects-behind-masbate-bomb-attack-killed-in-hot-pursuit-ops-military/story/

Three alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who were suspects in Sunday's bomb attack in Masbate City were killed during a hot pursuit operations on Tuesday, government forces said.

In a statement, the Joint Task Force Bicolandia said the 9th Infantry Division and Police Regional Office 5 conducted the operation after residents reported about the presence of the rebels in Barangay Anas.

Around 5:30 a.m., the operating troops scoured the area and encountered at least 30 NPA members. The firefight lasted for 15 minutes until the rebels fled.

Recovered items were 11 M16 rifles, an M653 rifle, three M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, various war materials, and propaganda materials, the task force said.

Lieutenant Colonel Siegfried Felipe Awichen, commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion (2IB), attributed the operation's success to the informants who tipped off the location of the communist insurgents.

How many men were involved if the AFP killed three and yet continues to call for the NPA to give up those involved? The Makabayan Bloc, however, denies this report saying the three men were only farmers.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/791134/3-slain-suspects-just-farmers-solon-seeks-probe-military-cries-propaganda/story/

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate on Friday called for a thorough investigation on the killing of three individuals being linked by the military to last Sunday's deadly bomb attack in Masbate.

At a virtual presser of the Makabayan Bloc, Zarate claimed that those killed were farmers, citing information from their families. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the three, who were killed in an operation, were communist rebels.

(The military claimed that they were rebels but according to the families, they were farmers. They were tagged as among those behind the blast that killed the Absalon cousins.)

"Panawagan din natin na magkaroon ng masusing imbestigasyon [We are urging for a thorough investigation into the matter]," he added.

Were they farmers or were they NPA fighters? One group says yes and the other says no. It does not really matter. What does matter is that this event, the killing of the two cousins, seems to be a turning point in the insurgency. People are tired of it all. It's high time for it to end. 52 years is more than enough to wage a rebellion. But the onus is on the AFP. They'd rather give these men houses, money, and jobs than run through the jungles and mountains finishing the job.

The Philippines Is the World's Biggest Contributor to Plastic Pollution

The Philippines is a land of deception. The Department of Tourism tells the world "It's More Fun in the Philippines"and shows enticing pictures of impossibly beautiful and pristine places. But those places are not representative of the Philippines over all. They are anomalies. The sad fact is that so much of this nation is ugly and polluted. The air, the waterways, and the land are all covered in garbage of various kinds. Now the Rotterdam-based Ocean Clean Up has laid bare the truth for all the world to see.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/06/10/news/national/pasig-river-worlds-top-plastic-polluter/1802635

The Pasig River as well as 18 other rivers in the Philippines were identified as among the top 50 polluting rivers in the world, a study released by the Rotterdam-based Ocean Cleanup said.

Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit engineering environmental organization based in the Netherlands that develops technology to extract plastic pollution from the oceans and intercept it in rivers before it can reach the ocean. It also conducts scientific research into oceanic plastic pollution.

The study found that a quarter of the rivers that were found to be responsible for 80 percent of ocean plastic pollution are found in the Philippines.

The study found the Philippines as the biggest contributor to plastic pollution. Of the 1,656 rivers monitored worldwide, 466 were in the Philippines. Together, the rivers dumped more than 356,371 metric tons of plastic waste annually.

The 27-kilometer Pasig River, which runs through Metro Manila, accounts for 63,000 tons of plastic entering oceans from rivers per year.

The study also said that coastal countries like the Philippines have a relatively high probability of plastic entering the ocean due to various factors, including short distances from land-based sources to rivers and much shorter distances to oceans.

Plastic also flows more easily into rivers from paved urban areas than it does in rivers from forests and travels farther in rainy climates than dry ones.

The researchers also considered the proximity of landfills and dumpsites to riverbanks, finding out that those within 10 kilometers of rivers are likely to spill into them.

The Ocean Cleanup study was released as San Miguel Corp. (SMC), in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), other national government agencies, and Metro Manila mayors, launched its ambitious, five-year plan to clean up and rehabilitate the Pasig River.

The project is set to become the largest river rehabilitation project in the country, with SMC President Ramon Ang announcing that the company's budget for the undertaking is being doubled to P2 billion.

"There have been many cleanup efforts in the past, and government has successfully implemented a number of programs these past few years," Ang said. "But decades of pollution and compounding problems that have rendered the river biologically dead since the 1990s are too significant and complex to overcome - even for the best-intentioned advocates and organizations."

It is rather astonishing that 466 rivers, 25% of those surveyed, on this list are all in the Philippines. You could call it the Philippines' dirty little secret except it's not so secret anymore. It is interesting that the San Miguel Corporation's five-year plan to clean up the Pasig River is mentioned in this article. Why is a private company taking on this task? Becasue Duterte abolished the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, transferring it's powers to the DENR, the Manila Bay Task Force, the DHSUD, the MMDA, and the DPWH. Do you see the problem? Instead of one agency overseeing everything the task was divided up over several agencies who have other jobs to complete than cleaning the Pasig River. Duterte did this because he declared the river uncleanable.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1182766/duterte-to-congress-abolish-pasig-river-rehab-agency

“If Congress is listening, abolish that [PRRC]. There is nothing to clean in the Pasig River. It’s already clean. That’s (already) the state of the art of Pasig,” Duterte said Monday during the oath-taking of newly appointed government officials at Malacañang.

The President lamented that the government is just wasting time and resources with the PRRC which he said “cannot do anything” to revive Pasig River.

“Unless we require every building not only along the river but everybody who has a waste to dump in a sewage or sewerage, nothing will happen. You’re wasting time. You’re paying people for nothing. They cannot do anything,” he said.

This was another one of Duterte's many rash and misinformed decisions. If the river is uncleanable then why would he divide the task to clean it among several agencies? The fact is the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission was formed in 1999 and worked for two decades to clean the river. In 2018 their labor was recognized.

https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2018/10/22/136383/award-winning-rehab-of-biologically-dead-pasig-river-how-it-happened/

It took years of cleanup and follow through not often seen in government projects.

On October 16, Australia-based International RiverFoundation recognized the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission’s efforts to restore the notoriously polluted Pasig River, which runs across the national capital Metro Manila.

The foundation rewards “exceptional efforts in the protection, restoration and sustainable management of the world’s rivers.”

The inaugural Asia RiverPrize for the Pasig River beat the Asian Development Bank and Chinese government’s Yangtze River initiatives.

For almost two decades across administrations, the agency launched “quality projects, programs, activities and advocacies in easement recovery, riverbank development, waste and water quality management, and public awareness,” according to a brief released by the RiverFoundation.

The work is far from over, but the PRRC and its partners believe a complete rehabilitation can be achieved, estero by estero.

The commission projects 14 more years for the Pasig River to be alive again. Its 2017 master plan aims to make the river capable of sustaining biodiverse ecosystems by 2032. It should also become a source of livelihood and recreation.

After 20 years of hard work the PRRC believed they could clean up the river, estero by estero.  That means cleaning the river up one area at a time. They also believed this could be done by 2032. Too bad they had no idea that Duterte destroy their work by shutting them down. 

The fact that the PRRC won an award for their hard work in cleaning up the river shows that Presidential Spokesman Roque is a lair.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1143250

Malacañang is saddened that Pasig River has been named as the world’s most polluting river when it comes to plastic waste.

“Nakakalungkot po iyan (That is saddening). That’s not something that we should be proud of,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser on Thursday when sought for reaction. “Dati nga po, meron pa tayong commission just on Pasig River pero wala ring nangyari (There was a commission just on Pasig River before but nothing happened).”

"There was a commission just on Pasig River before but nothing happened." What an outrageous lie. I just showed you that after 20 years the commission's work was recognized. They had a plan and were cleaning up the river piecemeal. Now Roque blusters out "nothing happened." What a profoundly ignorant buffoon he is. And not just Roque. Duterte, the DENR, all of them are deceptive buffoons who think the appearance of cleanliness equals cleanliness.  That is why they are dumping dolomite all over the shores of Manila Bay.

The public has been fooled into thinking that Duterte cares about cleaning up the waterways in Manila because the DENR spent millions to dump crushed dolomite on the shore of Manila Bay. Meanwhile the one body that actually was accomplishing real change, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, was disbanded. It's simply more lies and deceit form the government with the people being the victims. It is because of the deceit and laxity of this administration and past administrations, as well as the nonchalant attitude of the people, that the Philippines has the infamous distinction of being the world's biggest contributor to plastic pollution.

Retards in the Government 210

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

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1441994/cop-4-traffic-regulators-nabbed-for-extortion-in-pampanga

A police officer and four members of the local traffic management office were arrested for alleged extortion in Apalit town in Pampanga province on Friday, a police report said Saturday.

Operatives of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group-Luzon Field Unit (IMEG-LFU) arrested Police Corporal Leomar Calegan, 37; Marlon De Guzman, 39; Menard Mendoza, 32; Michael Maniulit, 50; and Noel Manarang, 23. Calegan’s companions were members of Apalit’s Truck Ban Traffic Management Office.

The five were arrested after an undercover operative of the IMEG-LFU boarded a cargo truck and pretended to be a member of a truck crew. Upon reaching the San Simon North Luzon Expressway access road-MacArthur Highway intersection where the suspects were flagging down trucks, the operative handed over two pieces of marked P500 bills to the group. The suspects were then immediately placed under arrest.

Operatives confiscated P804,170 from the suspects, believed to be the group’s “collection” from truck drivers who passed through the “checkpoint” that day.

A cop and four traffic enforcers have been arrested for extorting truck drivers.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142801

Three people, including a former policewoman, were arrested while close to PHP100,000 worth of illegal drugs seized in separate anti-drug operations in this city and in nearby Zamboanga Sibugay province, a top police official announced Monday.

Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, identified the arrested former policewoman as Charlotte Reyes Foncardas, 39.

Ylagan said Foncardas was arrested by operatives of the Zamboanga City Police Office’s (ZCPO) Station 11 in a buy-bust operation around 5:50 p.m. Sunday in Barangay Pasobolong, this city.

Confiscated from Foncardas were more or less 10 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu packed in 22 heat-sealed plastic sachets worth PHP68,000 and PHP500 marked money.

A former policewoman has been arrested on drug charges.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142981

Three aspiring police officers lost their chance to join the force for submitting fake swab test results in the ongoing recruitment of the Police Regional Office- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Tuesday. 

“I have already issued an order to delist the names of all the applicants who deliberately submitted fake RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests in PRO-BAR. This order extends to other PROs and PNP units to do the same. We will not give a second chance for this year’s recruitment to those who would dare bastardize our recruitment process,” Eleazar said in a statement. 

The three applicants, who are set to face criminal charges, were among 66 applicants who were probed over the incident. 

Meanwhile, nine applicants were already cleared while the remaining 54 are still undergoing investigation.

Nipping corruption in the bud. But there could be 54 more recruits who also get the boot for fake COVID tests!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1143246

The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the dismissal of a worker who tested positive for illegal drug use in January.

In a resolution promulagated in March and published online on Wednesday, the High Court en banc found storekeeper Mark de Guzman guilty of grave misconduct due to the use of a prohibited drug and ordered his dismissal from the service.

The SC Medical and Dental Services likewise directed the referral of de Guzman to a suitable drug rehabilitation facility at his own expense.

The respondent smoked marijuana inside SC premises and cigarettes at the stockroom of the Property Division in the Old SC Building.

Fellow employees also found out he would go to blind spots not covered by security cameras during office hours to smoke. He covered windows with plastic sheets to prevent smoke from coming out.

Supreme Court employee fired for smoking grass and cigarettes on the premises of the SC.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/09/2104254/charges-prepared-against-calbayog-mayors-son-cops-after-ambush-shootout

The Philippine National Police has filed charges against four cops and Ronald Mark Aquino for alleged involvement in the ambush-shooting of the latter's father, Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino. 

This was confirmed by Police Maj. Gen. Alfred Corpuz at Wednesday morning's hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on the incident. 

Corpuz said that the Police Regional Office 8 had already filed homicide and murder raps against those involved in the shootout, including the victim's son. 

Charges have been field against four cops who were involved in a shoot out with the Mayor of Calbayog City a few months ago. The NBI says the PNP fired first. The PNP continues to deny this.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142960

Six village officials have been charged due to the occurrence of recent superspreader events in their areas as the government intensifies its crackdown on violators of health protocols amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

In a Cabinet meeting with President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday night, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said these superspreader events include the incidents at the Gubat sa Ciudad Resort, Barangay 171 in Caloocan City; Recreational Resort and Pool Operations in San Jose, Navotas City; boxing matches in Barangay 181 and 182 in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila; the incident at the Bakas River in Barangay Matictic, Norzagaray, Bulacan; Barangay Balabag, Boracay Island and Barangay Sambiray, both in Malay, Aklan; and the Club Holic Bar and Restaurant in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu.

Six village officials charged with holding super spreader events and not following health protocols.

Coronavirus Lockdown: Possible Murder Raps, the Worst is Not Over, and More!

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

By know we all know the Philippines has had in place the longest running lockdown in the world. The worst thing about this lockdown is that it is not static. It rotates. So one day you might have to do business in a town and suddenly you can't because they have shut everything down. Iloilo City is the latest city to revert back to MECQ.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142237

This highly urbanized city’s (HUC) modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) classification is extended until June 15, 2021 as cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) continue to climb.

Mayor Jerry P. Treñas on Tuesday signed Executive Order number 50 extending the MECQ status of Iloilo City in compliance to Resolution Number 118-A of the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases showing the new quarantine classification of provinces and cities on May 31.

In the EO, the observance of the curfew hours from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. is extended.

The city-wide border control that restricts entry and exit points to and from the city except for purposes of work, medical needs, accessing government services, transport of goods and/or construction materials, humanitarian purposes also continues.

Se what they did? They extended what was supposed to be a one week restriction for 15 more days! This put a huge burden on everyone including those from without the city who need to do business in Iloilo as the mayor has asked the RIATF to halt all travel from Negros Occidental and has reimposed the quarantine pass system.

Cagayan de Oro has also reimposed quarantine passes.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1440744/quarantine-passes-required-anew-for-cagayan-de-oro-residents

The local government here has again required every resident going out of their homes to present a quarantine pass after the national government placed the city under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from June 1 to 15.

Under the MECQ guidelines, only frontline health personnel and workers in government and private establishments who are deemed authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) are generally allowed outside of homes.

Others may go out for essential purposes as long as they have a Barangay Exit Pass issued by the city government and distributed through the village governments.

Like Iloilo City this measure is only until June 15th but these madmen, and they are madmen who have destroyed the economy and people's livelihoods in a way that no other country has done, will likely extend it just like MECQ has been extended in the NCR Plus area. Davao City is also seeking to return to the dreadful MECQ for 25 days.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1440889/davao-city-seeks-stricter-curbs-amid-virus-surge

In an announcement posted on its social media page on Wednesday, the city asked for the declaration of a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from June 5 to June 30 to serve as “a circuit breaker in the surge of patients inside hospitals.”

It also advised residents and businesses to review the guidelines for the new classification while waiting for the approval of its appeal.

Davao City is under a general community quarantine (GCQ) status despite a spike in new COVID-19 cases, which on Tuesday, registered an all time high of 338 cases in a day, according to data from the Department of Health (DOH).

Dr. Ricardo Audan, Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) acting chief, on Monday compared the atmosphere at the hospital’s emergency section to a “midnight sale” at the mall because of the number of people swarming the section.

“Sobrang masikip (It’s too crammed),” Audan said, adding that the hospital already converted part of its outpatient department into an emergency section extension to deal with the problem.

Health-care workers are also suffering from fatigue as the demand for health services in both public and private hospitals continue to grow.

Total COVID-19 cases in the city reached 17,337 on Tuesday, with 1,912 classified as active, the DOH said. Five persons died of COVID-related complications on Tuesday, raising the total death toll here to 760.

Wow. Davao has really been hit hard. 760 people out of 17337 have died. That's a whole whopping 4.3%!!! And five realty died of "COVID-related complications" which means "NOT COVID ALONE." So what is the real death toll from COVID? The IATF has granted Davao's request to downgrade the city to MECQ from June 5th-25th.

The DICT says for sure a vaccine passport is going to be issued for foreign travelers. That should be no surprise. We all know that kind of thing is coming.  The Bureau of Immigration says they back the plan to allow fully vaccinated foreigners into he country to alleviate the country's tourism woes. It's funny because the science says being vaccinated is no guarantee one is not carrying the virus or that one cannot be infected. But the government seems to not care about science despite saying they do.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142475

In a virtual presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said studies have shown that wearing a face shield on top of a face mask can help further reduce the transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country.

“It is a scientific fact that the wearing of both masks and face shields contribute substantially to the reduction of Covid-19 cases,” said Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson.

It's always great how these people NEVER, EVER back up their "scientific facts" with any kind of studies. Here's a study for everyone to read:

https://today.wayne.edu/medicine/news/2021/03/03/plastic-face-shields-add-little-protection-to-face-masks-study-finds-41633

“Surprisingly, when assessing the combined protection of surgical mask and face shield, the level of protection was not enhanced in comparison to using surgical masks alone,” said Teena Chopra, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and lead author of the study. “This result reinforces the fact that a surgical mask serves as an effective intervention, providing protection from aerosol droplets that spread COVID-19.”

When will the madness end? The mandated wearing of face shields must come to an end. It is unscientific, stupid, and a burden to all as we must pay dress up just to leave the house.

The government has done a bang up job when it comes to the pandemic. Specifically they have been adept at scaring the heck out of people.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1441422/more-filipinos-take-back-previous-belief-that-worst-of-covid-19-is-over-sws

Also, the number of those who believe that the worst is yet to come in this pandemic has increased — from just 31 percent in November 2020 to 49 percent in May 2021 — just eight percentage points shy of the 57 percent recorded in July 2020.

According to the SWS report, 89 percent of those surveyed are still worried about catching the disease, while 11 percent are either worried a little or not worried at all.

From confidence that the worst was over to fear that the worst is yet to come and that they might get infected! It's all because the government has been imposing crippling lockdowns wiping out economic gains on a random, rotating basis and imposing health protocols, like wearing face shields, which are not based on science. Add to that the government continually blaming the public for the increase in cases and threatening them with arrest and burdensome fines for not wearing masks and shields properly. No wonder people are scared. That's how the government wants them.

If you think the government's rules regarding COVID could get any more confusing and stupid well, here's something that fits both those categories.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/04/21/quarantine-fully-vaccinated-covid-filipinos-iatf

The inter-agency task force leading the country's COVID-19 response said on Friday travelers who are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus are required to undergo a 7-day quarantine upon entering the Philippines.  

"All inbound fully vaccinated individuals shall be required to undergo a 7-day facility-based quarantine upon arrival. The BOQ (Bureau of Quarantine) shall ensure strict symptom monitoring while in the quarantine facility for 7 days," said IATF and Malacañang spokesman Harry Roque.  

The new rules will apply to travelers who were fully vaccinated in the Philippines, Roque said in a text message. 

The 7-day quarantine protocols do not cover overseas Filipinos workers who were fully vaccinated abroad and would go home to the Philippines. They have to stay 10 days at a quarantine facility upon returning to the Philippines, he said. 

This stupid and confusing rule only applies to those who were vaccinated here in the Philippines, choose to go abroad, and return. It does not apply to foreigners or anyone else who was vaccinated abroad. Totally dumb. And they still have to quarantine despite being vaccinated!  That's because the vaccine does not immunize anyone from the virus. So why even take it? 

The goal of the government is to vaccinate seniors, the indigent, and other vulnerable groups. But if you are a famous actor you can get your whole family vaccinated and the DILG will turn their head.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1441526/dilg-sees-no-violation-in-vaccination-of-muhlach-family-in-muntinlupa-city

In a statement on Friday, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said that the Muntinlupa City local government unit told the department that the Mulach family are qualified to be vaccinated under the protocols set by the Department of Health. 

“They are bona-fide residents of Muntinlupa City. They enrolled at the MUNCOVAC registration portal under A3 category,” Malaya said. 

“Most importantly, they submitted medical certificates/clearance from their attending physician at Asian Hospital and Medical Center to prove that they have comorbidities. The medical certificate was verified by the Muntinlupa City Health Office with the said hospital,” he added.

Very, very interesting that this actor and his two children and wife all have "comorbidities" which allowed them to sneak to the head of the line to get a vaccine which does not immunize you from the virus. No word on what diseases they have. Could be anything from diabetes to hypertension to heart disease to obesity!

Bacolod City appears to have become a police state. The government now disallows home isolation. IF one refuses to go to a government quarantine facility they could face criminal charges.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142631

The city’s Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC) on Friday warned that they will file a police report against individuals refusing to be taken to the isolation facilities after testing positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“We will file a police blotter for those refusing to be extracted,” said Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda, extraction cluster head of the EOC-TF.

The concern was discussed during the EOC-TF’s virtual huddle where Pineda pointed out that the patient’s continued stay in his or her residence will cause exposure of the household members, resulting in the spread of infection to more people.

He cited Section 9 of the Republic Act 11332, otherwise known as the “Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases” as the basis in addressing instances when the patient refuses to cooperate.

It refers to the non-cooperation of the person or entities identified as having the notifiable disease or health events of public concern.

"Those refusing to be extracted." That is totalitarian language. Now a man is not safe even in own house. How does that raise trust in the government or in the vaccine for that matter? 

The DILG says they recorded 50,000 face mask violations during the week of May 31st - June 6th. Duterte says because of this he might have to impose harsher measures. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1442987/i-cant-say-what-but-we-can-place-stricter-measures-to-curb-covid-19

“We might calibrate our response to the intransigence that you will show.  It’s up to you. Then we can go into… there are many things. I could — I just don’t want to say it, but we have the power to control it actually if we want to make it hard for people,” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino.

As always it's just a vague "we might" with absolutely no definite "we will." One thing he might do is charge health protocol violators, specifically those who shun quarantine after testing positive, with murder.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1443105/duterte-warns-of-possible-murder-imprudence-raps-vs-covid-positive-persons-who-would-shun-quarantine

President Rodrigo Duterte said it is “possible” to file murder charges against individuals who are fully aware that they are COVID-positive, yet still wandered around and gravely infected another person.

In a taped meeting aired Monday, Duterte’s chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo floated the idea of filing murder charges against these individuals, to which the President agreed.

(If the person knows he has coronavirus yet he still went out and managed to infect another individual which led to their death, that’s intentional killing. It is within the ambit of murder because it’s intentional.)

Duterte, in response, said reckless imprudence would still be the best complaint against these persons though he agreed that a murder case is “possible.”

(What you said about murder, this is far from what the people think, but it is possible. If he knows that he is sick with COVID-19 and he goes about nonchalant, going around here and there, if it is intentional, that’s far but it could be murder as what Sal said.)

(But if now, reckless imprudence would be the most fit for the situation.)

Panelo says a person who infects another should be charged with murder. Duterte does not scoff at this but says "it is possible." Has anyone else in the world spewed such nonsense? Forget about the impossibility of proving the case it is simply draconian talk meant to scare the people. For a virus that has a 90% recovery rate and that is generally asymptomatic.

Picture of the Week: Truck Blocks Crosswalk

I was waiting for the light to change so I could cross the street when then this happened: 

This is ridiculous. This trucker thought he could make it through a red light but then he realized he could not. So, he stopped well past the light and across the middle of the crosswalk practically into the intersection! This happens all the time. Truck drivers either barrel on through red lights or realize they can't make it and end up almost in the oncoming lane! Just more bad driving habits in the Philippines.