The God Culture: The Dead Sea Scrolls Condemn Timothy Jay Schwab and The God Culture

If there is a foundation for Timothy Jay Schwab and The God Culture's aberrant theology, which includes fantastical prophecies about the Philippines, it is the Dead Sea Scrolls. Tim's thesis is that the community at Qumran was not the Essenes but exiled priests who fled Jerusalem once the temple became corrupted. It is this community whom God entrusted with preserving not only the true scriptures, which Tim says includes Jubilees and Enoch, but also the true interpretation of them. The Dead Sea Scrolls are actually the library of John the Baptist which means in 1947 his voice was crying out once again and we must listen. 

Because Tim has made hundreds of hours of videos discussing this subject there is no way I will be able to cover every claim he has made. I shall instead focus on a few of his major claims and demonstrate how his conclusions are completely wrong. In this article I want to examine three of Tim's claims in regard to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Those three are the identity of the Qumran Community, the Sabbath, and the Name of God.

1. The Identity of the Qumran Community

Who lived in Qumran? Many would say the Essenes. Some would say nobody knows. Tim says it was John the Baptist.

Bible of John the Baptist Found! The Dead Sea Scrolls. Proof It Was John Not Essenes In Qumran

There is a lot happening in this video. To sum up Tim's view, which is also laid out in his introduction to The Book of Jubilees and 2nd Enoch, the Qumran community was located in Bethabara which is where John the Baptist operated. The Dead Sea Scrolls are part of a library that he and his followers maintained. In fact, according to Timothy Jay Schwab, the Dead Sea Scrolls contain two prophecies concerning John the Baptist's eventual joining of the Community at Qumran.

Bible of John the Baptist Found! The Dead Sea Scrolls. Proof It Was John Not Essenes In Qumran

1. The Community Rule, P. 109. Vermes.  

2. Calendars, Liturgies and Prayers, P. 389-390. Vermes. There is nothing to debate here. Fraud obliterated! Yah Bless.

Here these alleged prophecies are explained on page 36 of his new annotated version of 1st and 2nd Esdras.

2nd Esdras: The Hidden Book of Prophecy: With 1st Esdras, p.36

Let's take a look at the Community Rule's alleged prophecy of John the Baptist's future participation in the Community at Qumran.

VIII In the Council of the Community there shall be twelve men and three Priests, perfectly versed in all that is revealed of the Law, whose works shall be truth, righteousness, justice, loving-kindness and humility. They shall preserve the faith in the Land with steadfastness and meekness and shall atone for sin by the practice of justice and by suffering the sorrows of affliction. They shall walk with all men according to the standard of truth and the rule of the time. 

When these are in Israel, the Council of the Community shall be established in truth. It shall be an Everlasting Plantation, a House of Holiness for Israel, an Assembly of Supreme Holiness for Aaron. They shall be witnesses to the truth at the Judgement, and shall be the elect of Goodwill who shall atone for the Land and pay to the wicked their reward. It shall be that tried wall, that precious corner-stone, whose foundations shall neither rock nor sway in their place (Isa. xxviii, 16). It shall be a Most Holy Dwelling for Aaron, with everlasting knowledge of the Covenant of justice, and shall offer up sweet fragrance. It shall be a House of Perfection and Truth in Israel that they may establish a Covenant according to the everlasting precepts. And they shall be an agreeable offering, atoning for the Land and determining the judgement of wickedness, and there shall be no more iniquity. When they have been confirmed for two years in perfection of way in the Foundation of the Community, they shall be set apart as holy within the Council of the men of the Community. And the Interpreter shall not conceal from them, out of fear of the spirit of apostasy, any of those things hidden from Israel which have been discovered by him. 

And when these become members of the Community in Israel according to all these rules, they shall separate from the habitation of unjust men and shall go into the wilderness to prepare there the way ofHim; as it is written, Prepare in the wilderness the way of ... , make straight in the desert a path for our God (Isa. xl, 3). This (path) is the study of the Law which He commanded by the hand of Moses, that they may do according to all that has been revealed from age to age, and as the Prophets have revealed by His Holy Spirit.

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg. 109

How is that a prophecy of John the Baptist? It's not! The prophecy here comes from Isaiah 40:3: 

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

That is indeed a prophecy of John the Baptist. Its fulfillment is to be found in the Gospels.

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

John the Baptist is the voice crying in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord which is Jesus Christ. The Community Rule says the voice crying out is "twelve men and three Priests, perfectly versed in all that is revealed of the Law" and that the path is "the study of the Law which He commanded by the hand of Moses." One cannot possibly read this and think they are talking about John the Baptist. It's pretty clear that the Qumran Community apply this prophecy to 15 people who wander about teaching the law of Moses. This interpretation of Isaiah's prophecy is right in line with the Community's strict observance of the law.

As for the second alleged prophecy, it is not a prophecy either. 

The Master shall bless the Prince of the Congregation ... and shall renew for him the Covenant of the Community that he may establish the kingdom of His people for ever,

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg. 389

What Tim has done is take a passage from the Blessings in the Dead Sea Scrolls out of context. In context the Master is not John the Baptist but the leader of the Qumran Community. He blesses first the faithful, secondly the high priest,  thirdly the Sons of Zadok, and last of all the Prince of the Congregation who is the Messiah. If the Master and Prince were John and Jesus respectively then there is no way that John would bless

the Sons of Zadok the Priests, whom God has chosen to confirm His Covenant... 

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg. 388

John the Baptist would never utter this blessing because the Priest whom God has chosen to confirm His Covenant is Jesus Christ and He is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek forever according to both Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5. Likewise why would John bless the High Priest when Jesus Christ is our High Priest? He would not and this blessing is no prophecy of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

So, who exactly composed the Community at Qumran? Was it really exiled temple priests? The Damascus Document tells us.

But with the remnant which held fast to the commandments of God He made His Covenant with Israel for ever, revealing to them the hidden things in which all Israel had gone astray. He unfolded before them His holy Sabbaths and his glorious feasts, the testimonies of His righteousness and the ways of His truth, and the desires of His will which a man must do in order to live. And they dug a well rich in water; and he who despises it shall not live. Yet they wallowed in the sin of man and in ways of uncleanness, and they said, ‘This is our (way).’ But God, in His wonderful mysteries, forgave them their sin and pardoned their wickedness; and He built them a sure house in Israel whose like has never existed from former times till now. Those who hold fast to it are destined to live for ever and all the glory of Adam shall be theirs. As God ordained for them by the hand of the Prophet Ezekiel, saying, The Priests, the Levites, and the sons of Zadok who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel strayed from me, they shall offer me fat and blood (Ezek. xliv, 15). 

The Priests are the converts of Israel who departed from the land of Judah, and (the Levites are) those who joined them. The sons of Zadok are the elect of Israel, the men called by name who shall stand at the end of days. Behold the exact list of their names according to their generations, and the time when they lived, and the number of their trials, and the years of their sojourn, and the exact list of their deeds...(They were the first men) of holiness whom God forgave, and who justified the righteous and condemned the wicked. And until the age is completed, according to the number of those years, all who enter after them shall do according to that interpretation of the Law in which the first (men) were instructed. According to the Covenant which God made with the forefathers, forgiving their sins, so shall He forgive their sins also. But when the age is completed, according to the number of those years, there shall be no more joining the house of Judah, but each man shall stand on his watch-tower: The wall is built, the boundary far removed(Mic. vii, II).

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg 131-132

According to their very own writings the Priests, Levites, and Sons of Zadok are symbolic names indicating various categories of people who joined the Community at Qumran. There are other passages that seem to contradict this but I will not delve into that discussion because the answer is no one knows for sure who lived there. In ascertaining the identity of this group one must also take into account that some members lived in "the world" apart from Qumran with families and businesses. 

In the ‘towns’ or ‘camps’, as the Damascus Document terms them (CD XII, 19, 23), adherents of the sect  lived an urban or village life side by side with, yet apart from, their fellow Jewish and Gentile neighbours. They had wives and reared children, but clearly their sexual morality followed particularly strict rules.

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg 34

Suffice it to say that in the Dead Sea Scrolls there is no prophecy of John the Baptist and it is highly unlikely that either he or Jesus had any doings with that community. A perusal of the documents shows that they taught a rigorous form of law keeping which Jesus never endorsed. They were also an exclusive group which took about 2 years to fully join. Messing up just once could mean anything from permanent exclusion to prison to probation for months or years.

Every man who preaches apostasy under the dominion of the spiritsof Belial shall be judged according to the law relating to thosepossessed by a ghost or familiar spirit (Lev. xx, 27). But no man who strays so as to profane the Sabbath and the feasts shall be put to death; it shall fall to men to keep him in custody. And if he is healed of his error, they shall keep him in custody for seven years and he shall afterwards approach the Assembly.

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls Geza Vermes, pg. 141

According to the Dead Sea Scrolls one could not even pull an animal out of a pit if it fell in one on the Sabbath day. Nor could one save a man who was drowning by using a rope! 

No man shall chide his manservant or maidservant or labourer on the Sabbath. No man shall assist a beast to give birth on the Sabbath day. And if it should fall into a cistern or pit, he shall not lift it out on the Sabbath. 

No man shall profane the Sabbath for the sake of riches or gain on the Sabbath day. But should any man fall into water or (fire), let him not be pulled out with the aid of a ladder or rope or (some such) utensil.

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls Geza Vermes, pg. 142

Compare those precepts with what Jesus says in Luke 14:5:

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

In contrast, Jesus disdained such exclusivity by openly preaching to and welcoming everyone. Jesus also never mentions a group at Qumran nor does he condemn the current High Priest for being a usurper. Whoever comprised the Qumran Community the fact is they were schismatics who cut themselves off from the God-ordained worship at the temple in Jerusalem. It is always the nature of such groups to proclaim that they alone have the truth. In this respect Timothy Jay Schwab and The God Culture are imitators of the Qumran Community as they have left the Church, which is the Body of Christ, proclaiming it to be the abode of Satan and that they alone have the truth. Remember, no matter how wicked Israel and Judah were God never forsook them but always dealt with them as His people until the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. God does not take schism lightly. There was one Israel and there is ONE Body of Christ.

2. The Sabbath

The issue of the Sabbath involves a lot of material which I cannot possibly cover here. Instead I want to focus on Tim's assertion that the Sabbath begins at sunrise on the 7th day, Saturday. After a tortuous process whereby Tim attempts to prove his thesis using the law of Moses and the timeline of the resurrection of Jesus Christ he ends by telling his audience that the Dead Sea Scrolls agree with him yet he declines to actually cite them.

https://youtu.be/0o7IILG0qbA?t=810

8:20 Now, that's Jubilees, the book written by Moses, as the authority on the calendar specifically. Genesis was not. This is actually the final authority on this topic. Now, some have said, “But the Dead Sea Scrolls say,” we're not gonna cover the Dead Sea Scrolls because we don't have to. This is a Dead Sea scroll, in fact one of the most found books in all of the Dead Sea Scrolls called by the Dead Sea scroll community Torah. So, you can't trump that assuming they are interpreting a Dead Sea scroll documents properly and that is the key here.

The gist of this is that Jubilees and Scripture teach that the Sabbath begins at sunrise therefore the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Community at Qumran also believed this because Jubilees and the Scriptures were found amongst the scrolls. The Bible and Jubilees are literally Dead Sea Scrolls! That is a lie.

The Damascus Document is very clear that the Sabbath begins at sundown on the sixth day and that this is ACCORDING TO THE LAW.

Concerning the Sabbath to observe it according to its law 

No man shall work on the sixth day from the moment when the sun’s orb is distant by its own fulness from the gate (wherein it sinks); for this is what He said, Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Deut. v,12). No man shall speak any vain or idle word on the Sabbath day. He shall make no loan to his companion. He shall make no decision in matters of money and gain. He shall say nothing about work or labour to be done on the morrow.

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg 141

What more can one say? It is very obvious that Tim is wrong about the Dead Sea Scrolls supporting his thesis that the Sabbath begins at sunrise on the 7th day as is clear from this passage which says it begins at sundown on the 6th day and that this is according to the law. This brings up a lot of questions about the Qumran Community's calendar and the extent of the authority they give to Jubilees as well as how they interpret it. Jubilees teaches an impossible 364 day solar calendar.  The calendar to be found in the Old Testament is lunisolar and not solar. That is not an insignificant contradiction and it is one of the many proofs that Jubilees is not scripture.

Tim says one cannot trump the authority of the Qumran Community in regards as to when the Sabbath begins. Will he now submit his interpretation of Jubilees to their authority and retract his erroneous teaching that the Sabbath begins at sunrise on the 7th day?

3. The Name of God

The issue of the Name of God is very important amongst certain modern day Protestant schismatics and heretics, especially those associated with the Hebrew Roots movement. Timothy Jay Schwab, a modern day Protestant schismatic and heretic who admits he has been associated with the Hebrew Roots movement (he really loves the Cepher Bible), is pretty, pretty, pretty sure that he knows exactly how to correctly pronounce God's name.

The Name of God - Part 1: How To Pronounce YHWH May Surprise You

Now, I am not going to quote from this video or anywhere else to contradict Tim about the pronunciation of the Name of God. Instead I will cite the Dead Sea Scrolls. The fact is that the Community at Qumran would have excommunicated Tim for a video like this, and indeed his constant repetition of the divine name (or at least what he thinks is the divine name), which is akin to condemning him to death.

If any man has uttered the [Most] Venerable Name even though frivolously, or as a result of shock or for any other reason whatever, while reading the Book or blessing, he shall be dismissed and shall return to the Council of the Community no more.

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg 107

That is practically a death sentence because to not be in the Community is to be outside of the company of the elect. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls Timothy Jay Schwab is condemned to death for pronouncing the Name of God. How much more so for teaching others to do the same? If you are really interested in how the Qumran Community used the divine name I recommend this paper from Dead Sea Scrolls expert Lawerence Schiffman. It's actually a chapter from a book he wrote about the scrolls.

This tendency to avoid pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton is noticeable in Qumran biblical manuscripts and in the Masoretic text. In both corpora when the Tetragrammaton occurs, ‘adnoaii’  often appears before it. It was probably added at some point by a scribe to instruct the reader to substitute the surrogate name for the Tetragrammaton. 

The study of these two texts has shown that the sect, like the Essenes, the New Testament, Philo, and the tannaim, was very hesitant about oaths. The Qumranites prohibited all oaths by the Tetragrammaton as well as those by other divine names or the Torah. Other uses of the Tetragrammaton for curses, magic, public reading of the Scriptures, and recitation of benedictions were likewise prohibited.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvzpv5js.12?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

The fact is Timothy Jay Schwab would not be welcome in the Qumran Community. For one thing he teaches doctrines at odds with what they taught and for another he is married to a second wife while his first wife is still alive.

The ‘builders of the wall’ (Ezek. xiii, 10) who have followed after‘Precept’ - ‘Precept’ was a spouter of whom it is written, They shall surely spout (Mic. ii, 6) - shall be caught in fornication twice by taking a second wife while the first is alive, whereas the principle of creation is, Male and female created He them (Gen. i, 27)’

Complete Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, pg 132

No matter how you slice it the marriage of Timothy Jay Schwab to the twice divorced Anna Zamoranos is condemned. It is condemned by Jesus Christ as adultery (Matt. 5:32) and it is condemned by the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls as fornication.

This is the end of the article. I admit that not everything is covered here but this article is large enough already. To contradict Timothy Jay Schwab and The God Culture completely on the three issues enumerated above would take a book and I don't have that luxury. What I hope to convey here is that Timothy Jay Schwab is either ill-informed and does not know what the Dead Sea Scrolls teach or he is covering up the parts that contradict him. 

Retards in the Government 216

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

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/07/16/2112793/pangasinan-village-chief-shot-dead

A barangay captain in this province was gunned down before midnight yesterday, the second attack on a village chief in this province this month. 

Frederick Abalos of Barangay Balococ in this town was in a tricycle on his way home when he was shot by unidentified motorcyle-riding men. 

Abalos was taken to the Lingayen District Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

The tricycle driver was unhurt. 

On July 3, barangay captain Eleseo Eslao of Talogtog in Laoac was shot dead on his way home from the barangay hall.

Two barangay captains in one town gunned down in a month!! The PNP says they are probing a person of interest in this particular slaying.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1460898/coast-guard-flagged-for-p-1-3-b-unfinished-projects

State auditors have flagged the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for not terminating 89 unimplemented or uncompleted projects worth P1.359 billion, and for not imposing sanctions on their contractors.

The Commission on Audit (COA) noted that contractors in 14 projects were granted P8.58 million in advance payments even if the projects were still not implemented at end-2020.

“The failure to terminate, blacklist the erring contractors, impose liquidated damages and recover the advance payments from contractors due to lack of adequate control mechanisms in project monitoring deprived the public of the benefits that could have been derived from the immediate and maximum use of the said projects and could lead to loss and wastage of government funds,” a 2020 audit report on the PCG said.

The COA found that 60 projects worth P798.01 million were supposed to have been implemented from 2014 to 2020, but have remained unimplemented as of end-2020.

These projects include the construction of lighthouses, coast guard stations and radar stations across the country; the overhauling of engines and retrofitting of PCG ships; and the purchase of communication equipment, rubber boats, buoys and reflective panel boards.

Another 29 infrastructure projects worth P560.84 million were not completed or were still ongoing at the end of last year, even if the projects were due for completion from 2014 to 2020.

These are the construction and installation of perimeter fence and light; construction of lighthouses; construction and installation of generator set pad and wirings; construction of coast guard stations; and repair of PCG ships.

Despite the noncompletion of the projects, the PCG did not initiate legal proceedings to terminate the contracts.

No penalties and liquidated damages were meted out on erring contractors, contrary to Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act’s implementing rules and regulations.

In addition, a contractor was still allowed to submit bid offers and was awarded five projects in 2018. This was despite its failure to complete five projects for the construction of lighthouses, which were due for completion from May to August 2014.

The PCG, instead of penalizing or blacklisting the contractor for the noncompletion of the projects, “awarded more projects to said contractor.” 

The Coast Guard failed to complete or being 89 projects since 2014 and they did not impose sanctions on the contractors involved. In one case they actually awarded one contractor 5 projects delisted his noncompletion of previous projects.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147582

Police and environment personnel arrested a policeman and two other minors after being caught in possession of illegally hunted bats in a village here over the weekend.

Capt. Abdulsalam Mamalinta Jr., acting chief of city police Station 4, identified the suspects as S/Sgt. Ibañez Faldas, 33, a member of Polomolok municipal police station in South Cotabato, and aliases Kyle, 17, and Carlo, 15.

He said the three were found with 59 heads of large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) in an enforcement operation led by personnel from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) around 2 p.m. Sunday in Purok Guadalupe, Barangay Conel.

Mamalinta said the illegal activity was discovered by CENRO personnel based on a tip from concerned residents.

He said the agency, through its head Elvira Lumayag, immediately coordinated the matter with their station and confirmed the presence of the suspects.

Aside from the large flying foxes, which is considered as among the critical fruit bat species, he said they confiscated from the suspects a 12-gauge shotgun without serial number and six assorted motorcycle units.

A cop was caught with two minors doing illegal hunting.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/389665/coa-to-cebu-city-mayor-correct-delegation-of-authority

The Commission on Audit (COA) has recommended to Mayor Edgardo Labella to correct the delegation of duties in his administration. 

This after the COA found out that the mayor has authorized the City Administrator to sign disbursement vouchers, payrolls, purchase requests, and other official documents without imposing limitations as to the extent and scope of this authority. 

The state audit reminds the city government that this is contrary to the National Guidelines on Internal Control Systems and pertinent Government Accounting and Auditing Manual (GAAD) Volume III, thereby creating a risk that the City can enter into a transaction without the knowledge of the local chief executive and ambiguous accountability on the City’s financial affairs. 

COA noticed that disbursements of vouchers, purchase requests, purchase orders, cheques, obligations, requests and statuses were signed by the City Administrator Floro Casas, Jr., instead of Mayor Labella. 

COA found out that in 2020, disbursement of P25,000,000 was signed mostly by Casas, inferring that the authority and responsibility for these documents were not signed by the City Mayor but by the City Administrator. 

“This is a manifestation of weakness of the City’s Internal Control System that could give rise to different risks. The risk where the City Administrator can enter into a transaction without the knowledge of the City Mayor is very apparent. Likewise, the risk of having ambiguous accountability could occur because of their shared powers and functions. Consequently, the determination of accountability between the two persons can be difficult,” said COA.

The COA has pointed out that the Cebu is facing a potentially risky situation as the Mayor has illegally delegated responsibilities to the City Administrator that should be his.

Coronavirus Lockdown: 1st COVID-19 Case, Drug Related Killings on the Rise, and More!

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

The government received 1 million more doses of Sinovac but see if you can spot what's happening in this pictures.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/14/21/more-sinovac-vaccines-arrive-in-philippines

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1459404/ph-receives-another-1m-doses-of-coronavac

These officials are plastering the boxes of Sinovac with stickers that read RESBAKUNA.  It's a pun. RESBAK means revenge and BAKUNA means vaccine. Get it!? What a waste of money.

Herd immunity is the goal with the vaccines. Many dates have been set but 2021 is probably not going to happen. Now the goalposts have been moved to mid-2022.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1459332/ph-seen-achieving-herd-immunity-in-mid-2022

The Philippines would be among the last countries in the region, together with Vietnam and Taiwan, to vaccinate 70 percent of its population and achieve the so-called herd immunity, UK-based think tank Oxford Economics said on Tuesday.

Vaccinated people are protected from getting the disease and passing on the virus, thus inoculating such a big number would break the chain of transmission and stop the further spread of COVID-19.

Oxford Economics projected that it would take up to the middle of next year for the Philippines to inoculate some 78 million people or 70 percent of its population of 111 million.

Achieving herd immunity is necessary to allow the reopening of more economic activities. The longer it takes to achieve this, the longer the delay in economic recovery.

"Inoculate" is not the right word to use as the vaccine does not offer immunity. The fact that many vaccinated individuals have been infected is testimony to that fact. Getting 78 million people vaccinated will certainly pose a huge logistical challenge since so much of the population lives away from large cites like Manila.

LGU's have some discretion in the way they handle the pandemic but not much. The DOH and IATF are calling the shots. But what if the DOH's data is wrong?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/795440/san-juan-mayor-zamora-questions-doh-data-on-number-of-covid-19-cases/story/

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Thursday said the data of the Department of Health on the number of COVID-19 cases in local government units showed some discrepancies. 

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Zamora opposed the report of the DOH claiming that San Juan City is among the eight cities in Metro Manila with increasing trend over the past two weeks. 

(It’s really because of their reporting system called COVID KAYA reporting system. Because sometimes, the data are not being verified thoroughly that is why there are discrepancies.)

Zamora said the DOH has to reconcile with local government units as many of them are questioning the data of the department. 

Based on the city government’s data, Zamora said San Juan only has 75 cases as of Wednesday. According to him, the DOH data showed a higher number of infections. 

GMA News Online has reached out to the DOH for its comment on the matter, but has yet to reply as of posting time. 

In 2020, the DOH had been criticized for its supposed errors in data. 

The UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team released Policy Note No. 6 which pointed out the “alarming patient-level inconsistencies, if not gross errors” in the DOH's database of cases. 

Several senators expressed concern over the “prevailing data issues” supposedly hounding the DOH COVID-19 tracker. 

Despite the criticism, members of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) stood firm on the accuracy of its data.

Just how many errors are in the DOH database?

Here is a real interesting story that belies any notion of a pandemic.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147232

The remote town of Jipapad, Eastern Samar documented its first coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection on Thursday.

 The patient contracted the virus outside of their town, Rona Mariblanca, municipal health officer, said in a text message on Friday. 

She said the first confirmed case is a 31-year-old female who takes care of her husband currently admitted at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City.

Although already connected to the national road, the town is still considered as one of the remotest areas in the region, which is frequently hit by flooding.

The town is in the northeastern part of the province near the border of Eastern Samar to Northern Samar province, accessible through the national highway from Arteche town in Eastern Samar and Lapinig town in Northern Samar.

With Jipapad recording its first Covid-19 case, the disease is now present in all 136 towns and seven cities in the region.

One really has to ask, if there is a real pandemic happening why is this town only now recording its first case of COVID-19?

People want COVID restrictions to be lifted for many reasons but is that a good idea?

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/16/21/as-covid-restrictions-ease-drug-related-killings-on-the-rise-anew

Drug-related slays are on the rise again, following eased lockdown measures in parts of the country, based on data of the ABS-CBN Investigative & Research Group, which has been tracking incidents since President Rodrigo Duterte announced his controversial war on drugs. 

The number of drug-related deaths that the ABS-CBN Investigative & Research Group monitored in the first six months of 2021 alone is already almost twice the numbers reported in the 9.5 months from March 17-Dec. 31, 2020, when a stricter lockdown was in effect. 

From January to June of this year, there were already 175 deaths reported compared to 195 reported from March to December 2020 when stricter quarantine restrictions were put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

"There were fewer reports of these killings. The numbers declined but when restrictions eased we’ve monitored that the numbers are steadily rising again in the last few months,” Che De Los Reyes, head of the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, said on ANC’s Rundown on Friday.

The group’s interactive map and charts showed a total of 6,840 drug-related fatalities from May 10, 2016 up to June 30, 2021. This is slightly higher than the Philippine National Police’s official tally of 6,117 deaths. However, human rights groups believe that figures could be much bigger.

“Our figures are based on news reports. We’ve been compiling this since May 10 2016, after the May 9, 2016 elections and we’ve been consistently monitoring several print and radio, TV networks all over the country and we also scour websites of the Philippine National Police and PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) and other official websites,” Delos Reyes said.

But aside from those reported killed during law enforcement operations, the group also track those reportedly killed by unidentified assailants, and bodies that have been dumped in public places. She said that is probably why their figures are slightly higher than that of the police.

“We believe that this is just a snapshot of the numbers that have been killed or that has perished in this war on drugs because these are the cases that were reported by the media. We know that there’s underreporting...probably because of the lockdown, many local outlets closed down during the pandemic and the mobility of reporters was affected. We surmise that the numbers are much higher than those reported in the media,” she said.

It appears that the war against drug users and dealers is back on as killings are on the rise.

The pandemic has kept everyone apart and now it may keep one grieving OFW mother from attending her daughter's wake and funeral.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/news/795551/ofw-mom-asks-for-shorter-quarantine-so-she-could-be-at-daughter-s-wake/story/

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) is pleading for a shorter quarantine period so that she can attend the wake and funeral of her daughter, who died last week.

According to Cedric Castillo's report on "24 Oras," Grade 10 student Cherry Mae Saranza was brought to a hospital after her relatives found her looking pale and unable to speak.

A CT scan revealed clumps of blood forming in her brain. She passed away on July 7, just before her junior high school moving up-rites.

Cherry's mom, Rosamil, found it difficult to book flights from the United Arab Emirates, and did not arrive in time to be with her daughter at the end.

Rosamil could not hold back her tears as she recounted that her final moments with her daughter were only through a video call.

[I could not even hold her. I could only see her through the camera. Until she passed away. I was just telling her, 'Wait for Mama, please just stay strong.]

Finally in Tanza, Cavite, Rosamil is only on the third day of the strict 14-day isolation protocol of the national government.

She is asking the national government to allow her a shorter stay at the quarantine center so that she can finally attend her daughter's wake.

[I am begging you to allow me to see my daughter just for a short while, for the last time.]

[I just want to see her. I am already here in the Philippines, just a few miles away. Just a little bit more and I can be with my daughter.]

According to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), only the Department of Health may decide whether to shorten the quarantine period of returning Filipinos.

This is the result of the Philippines' completely unscientific and totally burdensome measures to fight a virus with an official recovery rate of 93.9%.

The Delta variant has arrived in the Philippines. Health officials say private hospitals are understaffed and that more oxygen is needed. The stock market dropped and the peso lost value at news of the Delta variant being detected in the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147577

Both the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) and the peso started the week’s trade in the negative territory partly on concerns regarding the Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). 

 

The main equities index shed 1.59 percent, or 106.63 points, to 6,587.20 points. 

 

All other counters tracked the main gauge, with the All Shares down by 1.29 percent, or 53.39 points, to 4,084.55 points. 

Property registered the biggest drop among the sectoral indexes after it fell 3 percent and was trailed by the Services, 1.73 percent; Holding Firms, 1.19 percent; Financials, 1.17 percent; Industrial, 0.57 percent; and Mining and Oil, 0.38 percent.  

Meanwhile, the peso ended the day at 50.34 from 50.235 last Friday. 

A drop in the peso's value is good for those receiving money from OFWs abroad but here it means more inflation.

Everyone is going crazy about the Delta variant. The MMDA is warning parents to keep their children inside, Duterte has warned about restoring stricter restrictions, and the PNP says they are ready to implement those restrictions.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/07/20/2113833/pnp-ready-implement-stricter-lockdown-vs-delta-variant

The Philippine National Police said it was ready to enforce strict quarantine rules once more should President Rodrigo Duterte decide it necessary. 

This comes after Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque at a press briefing Monday said that a return to a stricter quarantine status was entirely possible amid the risks posed by the more transmissible Delta variant. 

In a statement sent to media, Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar called on the public to cooperate with minimum health standards with the confirmation of 35 Delta variant cases in the Philippines. 

"We have all witnessed what happened in India and we do not want the COVID-19 scandal to happen in our country, especially since there are confirmed cases and there are already deaths in our country due to the Delta variant," the PNP said in Filipino.

"But the safety of our country remains in the hands of every Filipino, all that is needed is to abide by the rules implemented by our government for the protection of everyone," he added.

It remains to be seen just what the government will do in an effort to stop this new variant. Hopefully they do not destroy the country any more than they have already done.

Just Another Case of the Philippine's Messed Up Justice System

Imagine you get shot in the head, miraculously survive, and are able to identify your would be assassin to the police. Normally one would expect the police to chase down the man and charge them with attempted murder. But not in the Philippines.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/389574/drug-surrenderee-survives-shot-to-the-head-reveals-identity-of-his-attacker

Police identified the victim as Jayson Goc-ong, a vulcanizer, who is included in the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council’s list of drug surrenderees. He remains admitted to a hospital in Cebu City for treatment. 

Police Major Alvin Llamedo, Talamban Police Station chief, said that the victim was repairing his motorcycle outside his house when the suspect shot him from behind three times using an unknown firearm. 

After Goc-ong was hit at the right side of the head, the suspect immediately escaped towards a nearby river and disappeared. The victim was rushed to a hospital in Cebu City where he is presently recuperating. 

The police said they have yet to know from the victim whether he would file a case against the suspect. Regardless, they said they will continue their investigation and follow-up operations.

In the Philippines one has to file a case against one's own would-be murderer. Where is the DOJ? What is the point in having a DOJ when the burden to file a case lies with the victims? The man has been shot in the head and they expect him to do anything let alone file a case? Filing a case costs time and money. Many victims do not have those luxuries. That is just one reason why there is supposed to be a local public prosecutor to take care of these things.

Maybe the man will be prosecuted without the victim filing a case but if that is so why ask the victim if he will be filing a case?

It's utter madness and is just another example of how messed up the justice system is in the Philippines. Victims remain victims while the criminals get away.

Insurgency: Killed Due to Promotion of Sports

Remember when a young man and his cousin were killed by the NPA and it was portrayed as a tragic random encounter because he rode his bicycle over a landmine? It turns out he was actually targeted!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147224

Kieth Absalon, the football player from Far Eastern University (FEU) who was killed on June 6 in a New People’s Army (NPA) attack in Masbate, was specifically targeted due to his popularity and active promotion of sports among the youth that was contrary to the advocacy of communist terrorist groups (CTGs).

This was revealed by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. at the recent virtual presscon of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“Why? Because they found out that Kieth is actively promoting sports and activities for the well-being of the youth na kontra sa adbokasiya ng (That is contrary to the advocacy of) CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA-NDF (National Demovcratic Front),” Esperon said.

He said the CPP-NPA-NDF also “want to show that they are still a force to reckon with, as many of their members have continued to surrender in Masbate.”

“(It really seemed like a threat to the people, and that threat was accompanied by murder. So they are really targeted). Meaning they wanted to deliver a message to intimidate the population from whom they are losing support,” added Esperon, also the NTF-ELCAC Vice Chairperson.

What's really interesting here is that Año provides no proof for his claims. Why is that? Why would he not offer anything no matter how obscure it might be to prove that the NPA targeted Absalon for promoting sports? Is he making up stuff? Maybe. Absalon was a football (soccer) player which means he was big into sports. Coincidently there is now a memorial being offered in his name.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146913

Youth and civic organizations will mark the 40th day of the passing of college and national football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven by way of a nationwide cycling event dubbed "Bike for Justice and Peace" on July 17.

Undersecretary Joel Sy-Egco, Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson, announced the activity on Monday during a virtual press conference.

“On July 17, bikers from all over the country will gather in their respective provinces to participate in the Bike for Peace and Justice for Kieth Absalon,” Egco said.

Absalon, 21, was cycling with a group that included his 40-year-old cousin, Nolven, when an anti-personnel mine exploded by the roadside in Masbate City on June 6.

Nolven also died while his 16-year-old son sustained injuries.

The cycling event is initiated by youth groups that include the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through our Youth (Pointy Inc.).

It's not clear from this article exactly who POINTY (Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through our Youth) is but their Facebook page says:

1. Background:

The Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through our Youth (POINTY) Inc. was organized after the conduct of seven provincial-level Youth Leadership Seminars (a three-day seminar which provides an avenue for the youth to enhance their leadership, technical and interpersonal skills through series of lectures, group dynamics, group sharing, team building activities and presentations with the objective to make them more responsible, productive and well-informed youth of our society) in Regions 10 (Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Bukidnon) and 13 (Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur). The POINTY has been registered to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last 01 October2012 through the initiative of the 4th Civil-Military Operations Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army and had its grand launching on 6-7 October 2012 at Camp Edilberto Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City and was recognized and registered at National Youth Commission as Youth Organization (National Based Youth Organization) last 26 January 2015.

Over the years, the POINTY Inc. has been conducting and facilitating various Youth Leadership Seminars (YLS) within the areas of operations of the 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division, Philippine Army through the initiatives and partnership of the Philippine Army, Local Government Units, NGO’s and CSO’s. This paved way to generate numerous YLS graduates who are now members of POINTY Inc. 

In addition to this, the POINTY Inc. also conducts and initiates activities in connection with the involvement of Youths in Nation Building such as: participating National Activities, (namely Bantay Halalan, Brigada Eskwela, Celebrating the Spirit of Volunteerism and Citizenship, Youth International Day, Mindanao Week of Peace and National Youth Congress Philippines) spearheaded Annual Gift Giving Activity and facilitated Informational Drive Awareness. Lastly, the POINTY Inc. has been also very helpful in informing and organizing the youths to shield them against deceptive organizations and was deemed beneficial to the accomplishment of the 4th Infantry Division’s mission and the nation as a whole. 

2. Objectives

a) To support the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division, Philippine Army in facilitating Youth Leadership Seminars. 

b) Be an agent of Peace.

https://www.facebook.com/pointymindanaw/

POINTY is military propaganda!! That means this group is not to be trusted to give anything but the government line. So, who is giving away the bikes?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147110

Some 39 bicycles were distributed by the Philippine Army on Wednesday to commemorate the 40th day of the passing of Kieth Absalon, and his cousin, Nolven, both victims of the New People’s Army (NPA).

The youth sector was the beneficiary of the distribution program at the Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park in Masbate City.

The 21-year-old Kieth, a football player of Far Eastern University, and Nolven, 40, were cycling when anti-personnel mines exploded by the roadside on June 6.

NPA rebels claimed responsibility for the twin deaths.

Capt. John Paul Belleza, 9th Infantry Division (9ID) Public Affairs Office chief, said in a statement on Thursday that the bike distribution was a prelude to the nationwide “Bike for Peace and Justice” on Saturday, organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in coordination with youth and civic groups.

The Army is giving away the bikes and the NTF-ELCAC is the organizer of the "Bike for Peace" event. It's all government propaganda. The 40th day observance, though it be a Filipino funerary tradition, can also be lumped with ant-Communist propaganda because Marxism is inherently atheistic. But nothing screams PROPAGANDA like flag burning. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147420

Lt. Col. Reandrew P. Rubio, commander of the 91st Infantry “Sinagtala” Battalion, 7th Infantry "Kaugnay" Division Philippine Army, said the event was highlighted with the burning of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic front (CPP-NPA-NDF) flag and signing of the peace covenant of the participants, who then biked traversing central municipalities of Baler, Dipaculao, Maria Aurora and San Luis.

The participants of the event include Aurora Ready Reserve Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, Sentrong Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Bayan, people’s organizations, and some sectoral groups.

Other participants were representatives from the provincial government of Aurora, local government units, Baler Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The bike for peace event was attended by the military and representatives of various government agencies and the highlight was the burning of the CPP-NPA-NDF flag. Flag burning is nothing but propaganda. It won't defeat the NPA or make the community safe. So why do it? Because it is propaganda to symbolize the rejection of the CPP-NPA-NDF. How many times must the communities do this? How many times must they declare the NPA persona non grata? How many times must the CPP flag be burned?

CPP npa flag burning

How many times must the AFP put on the same show before they decide to wipe out the NPA for good? After 52 years what has the AFP to show for all their effort? Allegedly there are hundreds of thousands of reds in the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF has the network and the means to take down the government according to one former NPA member. In response the AFP is out hosting biking events and burning flags. 

It's ludicrous to think that Absalon was targeted by the NPA because he promoted sports. Esperon claims that sports are contrary to the CPP-NPA-NDF but gives no explanation or proof for that assertion. We are supposed to believe him based solely on his word. The official statement of the CPP on the killing of Absalon calls his death a tragedy.

https://cpp.ph/statements/on-the-june-6-masbate-tragedy/

The entire Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) express their deep remorse over the untimely and unnecessary deaths of cousins Keith and Nolven Absalon and injury to others resulting from errors in the military action mounted by an NPA unit in Barangay Anas, Masbate City last Sunday.

The entire CPP and NPA take full responsibility for the tragedy. There is no justification for the aggravation this has caused the Absalon family.

We fervently hope that the Absalon family, their relatives and friends, and the entire Filipino people can accept our profoundest apologies, self-criticism and willingness to extend any appropriate form of indemnification.

In waging a people’s war, the New People’s Army is always reminded to give the highest priority to the protection of civilian lives and property. In this regard, the Masbate incident should not have happened.

We are aware that an investigation is already being carried out by the Party’s Bicol Regional Committee and Masbate Provincial Committee of the Party and the higher commands of the NPA to identify the errors and weaknesses that led to this tragedy.

The lessons that will be drawn should guide the NPA to avoid such unfortunate incidents in the future and strengthen its resolve to serve and defend the people.

According to Esperon we will have to now declare this statement to be a big, fat lie because Absalon was actually targeted for death because he promoted sports. Perhaps proof for this motive will be given to the public at some point. But where would the proof have come from? Three of the suspected men behind the blast were killed in a clash with the AFP and the NPA refuses to surrender whoever else is responsible. 

Maybe the proof that the CPP-NPA hates sports is shown in the fact that they allegedly tried to disrupt the biking event in one town.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147524

Army troopers have foiled a communist New People’s Army plot to disrupt the “Bike for Justice and Peace” event in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte over the weekend.

In a statement Monday, the Army's 29th Infantry Battalion said that prior to the event last July 17, the unit received reports from concerned persons on the presence of armed NPA rebels in Barangay Mahayhay, one of the routes of the event.

“The information said that the NPA rebels were planning to stage a sabotage to discourage the residents to participate in the Bike for Justice and Peace activity,” the statement read.

Troopers were dispatched to secure the area last July 17 and encountered twice at least seven NPA rebels belonging to the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda 16A of Guerrilla Front 16, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee in Purok 6 of Barangay Mahayhay.

“The encounter lasted for 25 minutes, after which, the NPA rebels, led by a certain Samuel Batican alias Popo abandoned their position and fled towards the southern portion of the barangay,” the military said.

At around 7:18 a.m. on the same day, the troopers again engaged the same group of armed insurgents in a 30-minute gunfight.

The soldiers also recovered personal belongings left behind by the rebels after their withdrawal from the first encounter site.

Two questions here.

1. How does the AFP know the name of the man who was leading the rebels? If they know who he is then how are they unable to find him and arrest him or take him out?

2. Who the heck brings a a 25 kg bag of rice when they are out on a mission of destruction to stop a bike rally?

The AFP has posted two other pictures on Facebook to prove this encounter happened but neither of them make sense. One is a few items of clothing strung about the forest and the other is a picture of an interior of a shack. 

Maybe the NPA attempted to disrupt a biking event, maybe they did not. With all these conflicting statements from the government and the CPP it's hard to know who to believe. They both probably prefer it that way.

Two Burn Piles at the Hall of Justice

This is going to be rather straightforward. The title says it all. There are two burn piles at the local Hall of Justice.

Maybe you cannot tell that these are burn piles but they are. Littered about each mound are the charred remains of leaves and garbage. I even confirmed it by asking two employees who were sitting out for a smoke break.  Think of the irony here that the groundskeepers at the Hall of Justice are breaking the law when they do their work. That would be R.A. 9003 which forbids open burning of waste.