Coronavirus Lockdown: Delta Now Dominant, Hospitals Close, and More!

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

Remember last month when an OFW was detained in a hotel for a mandatory quarantine and missed her daughter's wake? The was terrible enough but now an OFW has died from cancer during her mandatory hotel quarantine after authorities refused to transfer her to a hospital.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/800831/ofw-succumbs-to-cancer-at-quarantine-facility-despite-pleas-of-hospital-transfer/story/

An overseas Filipino worker succumbed to cancer at a hotel quarantine facility the same day she was set to go home after pleas for a hospital transfer were not granted due to supposed lack of available rooms.

According to Tina Panganiban-Perez’s report on “24 Oras,” Rachelle Sagonoy landed in Cebu on August 10 from Saudi Arabia. She tested negative for COVID-19 and was brought to a quarantine facility.

The family said they pleaded for Sagonoy to be quarantined at a hospital due to her cervical cancer.

(While they were still preparing for her quarantine, she was already having difficulty breathing. She couldn’t move alone anymore.)

(She wasn’t allowed to be transferred to a hospital.)

While undergoing quarantine, Sagonoy was still able to talk to her family through chat and video calls.

(She said she really wanted to be confined. She had no problem with the quarantine, no matter how long as long as it was in the hospital. Why did it have to be in a hotel?)

Her family received news of her death on August 20, the day her quarantine ended.

Her family is mulling to file charges against the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Bureau of Quarantine.

OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac visited Sagonoy’s burial to extend his condolences and apologies.

(We have a nurse looking after her. She also had a roommate but for one reason or another, her condition worsened and she passed away.)

“It’s very unfortunate, indeed. Hindi namin ginusto na masawi din si Rachelle, so I offered my apologies and condolences to the family,” he added.

Cacdac also said that the request for a transfer was not approved as hospitals in Cebu were already full.

“Hindi sya nalagay sa ospital. We were advised that puno ang mga medical facilities within Cebu City at the time and it was not advisable at the time to take her there dahil nga itong situation sa Cebu ng COVID surge,” he said.

It is really not acceptable that this lady was not transferred to a hospital or a doctor sent for to look over her. Are we really to believe that Cebu hospitals are so full of COVID patients that they can't take in a cancer patient in critical condition? What everyone else who gets sick?  Stroke victims, car accident victims, gunshot victims, etc. are they all supposed to just die because of COVID precautions?? That is an unbelievable and unacceptable situation.

If this lady had been in Manila perhaps she could have been transferred to PGH.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/08/26/21/state-of-the-art-isolation-facility-at-up-pgh

A priest blesses the newly constructed state-of-the-art isolation facility at the Philippine General Hospital during its launch on Thursday. The 570-squate-meter isolation facility has 44 beds for severe COVID-19 victims and is equipped with negative pressure alarm system that prevents cross contamination. 

Not only are Cebu's hospitals too full to accept any sick patients but now one city in the province is requiring permits to hold any kind of family gathering.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478648/cebu-town-requires-permits-for-family-gatherings

A town in Cebu province has required its residents to secure a clearance from their respective villages if they want to hold social gatherings, such as birthdays, weddings, and baptisms.

San Remigio Mayor Mariano Martinez has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 21, which aims to monitor the movement of people in the municipality, and stop the spread of COVID-19.

“A barangay clearance/permit shall be required for birthdays, weddings, baptismal, and such other related family events and activities,” the EO read.

Authorized personnel from San Remigio Police Station and representatives of the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force and Barangay Task Force on Monitoring Compliance were tasked to inspect all approved activities.

San Remigio, which has a population of 65,744 based on the 2020 census, is under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions until Aug. 31.

Based on past experience this EO won't stop the spread of COVID-19. In fact nothing the government has done has slowed or stopped the spread of the virus including widespread lockdowns. Finally the DILG is paying attention to that fact.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/26/21/philippines-may-do-away-with-broad-lockdowns-dilg-exec

The Philippines might do away with regional or province-wide lockdowns in a looming "policy shift" to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Thursday.  

A sub-technical working group led by the health department recommended resorting instead to granular lockdowns limited to subdivisions, streets, or several houses, said DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing. 

(What will happen here is we asked local governments to prepare for a so-called policy shift on lockdowns. We are looking at no longer having sweeping lockdowns at the level of the region and province.)  

Unlike the current set-up, a granular lockdown will bar even authorized persons from leaving their homes, which will lessen public mobility and the chances of COVID-19 spread, Densing said.  

The national government will help local authorities provide food assistance in areas under granular lockdowns, he added. 

"There will be a policy shift because we have seen that this method is more effective," said Densing.

Barring even authorized persons to leaven their home will certainly lead to the loss of more jobs. Unemployment claims are up as more and more people lose their jobs. The National Economic and Development Authority says the economy likely won't be back to normal until the end of 2022 or early 2023.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/800882/philippine-economy-s-return-to-pre-pandemic-levels-seen-at-end-of-2022-early-2023-neda/story/

The Philippine economy's return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels is expected late next year at the earliest, according to estimates by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

During the House Committee on Appropriations’ deliberations on the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Karl Kendrick Chua said the recovery prospects for 2021 remain encouraging.

“[This] will allow us to recover to pre-pandemic levels some time at the end of 2022, if not early 2023,” Chua said.

“This will also help prevent long-term scarring and productivity losses,” he added.

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 11.8% in the April to June 2021 period, its highest quarterly reading in 32 years owed largely to “low base effect” since the comparable period in 2020 was at -16.9%.

The second quarter of 2020 was a period when most of the economy was shut down due to the imposition of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to arrest the spread of COVID-19.

While the exit from the pandemic-induced recession is a welcome development, the Philippine economy is still far from reaching the growth levels in 2019, before the COVID-19 crisis.

They are framing this forecast on the GDP. But how does growth in the GDP benefit anyone but the most rich who control all the industries? How does such a forecast take into account the hundreds of thousands of expel who have lost jobs which will never return?

One important thing the pandemic has done is expose the corruptions of the DOH and PhilHealth. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/801021/4-hospitals-close-amid-philhealth-payment-delay-official/story/

Two more hospitals have temporarily ceased operations amid the delayed payments of PhilHealth, bringing the total number to four, the head of the group of private hospitals said on Friday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Dr. Jose Rene De Grano, president of Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi), said one of these hospitals is in Samar while three are in Davao del Sur.

De Grano had earlier bared that two PHAPi member-hospitals have closed amid the issues with PhilHealth payment.

Duterte has ordered PhilHealth to pay their claims but that does not undo the damage that has been done.

Based on genome sequencing the WHO and DOH say that the Dealt variant is now the dominant variant in the Philippines.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/31/2123862/who-says-delta-variant-now-dominant-philippines

A majority of recent samples sequenced by the Philippine Genome Center are of the hyper contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, making it the most dominant variant in the Philippines, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

The Delta variant was found in 68.98% of the 748 samples sequenced recently. 

"The Delta variant is now the dominant variant in the Philippines [based on] existing data we are seeing," Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines, said in a briefing.

Abeyasinghe also confirmed the community spread of the Delta variant, which is the fastest and fittest form of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. 

"Are we in community transmission? Most certainly. We do know the Delta variant spreads very fast, [is] more transmissible, has shorter incubation period. So, yes, with this kind of transmission, with this kind of numbers we are in community transmission with Delta variant," he added.

What does this mean? What will it mean? It means that none of the lockdowns or stringent protocols have been effective in stopping the spread of this variant. It will mean that more lockdowns and more protocols are going to be coming soon.

The past few weeks have been revelatory as the COA has disclosed many financial irregularities in the way the DOH and DBM and other agencies have handled the pandemic. It has provoked Duterte to no end who has defended DOH Secretary Duque. This week Duterte admitted he ordered Duque to skip bidding on PPE's which contract went to a company linked to Chinese businessman and Duterte friend Michael Yang. The evidence is overwhelming that the pandemic has bought out the same old corruptions in the government. Duterte remains defiant about everything that has happened.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/09/01/2123957/duterte-name-country-prepared-covid-19-ill-resign

President Duterte has vowed to step down if anyone can name a country that was prepared for COVID-19 as his administration faces intense criticism over its handling of the pandemic.

Duterte said COVID-19 infections are rising globally and the effects of the pandemic are being felt even in the United States and Europe.

“Who was prepared for this? America? Name a country that is prepared, I will resign.

Name a country prepared for the pandemic, the spread of the virus and I will resign as President,” the President said during a recorded public address aired yesterday.

“You know when the pandemic started, we had nothing. We had no face mask, personal protective equipment, testing kits, nothing. And the same people criticizing today are the same people telling us last year that we were too slow and we’re not prepared,” he added.

This is his justification for ordering Duque to break the law in procuring face masks and other PPE by not having a bidding war. In the process some company named Pharmally, with ties to Duterte friend and Chinese businessman Michael Yang were enriched. I think we can expect more of these shenanigans in the future as the pandemic continues.

Circumcision Season in the Philippines

After delays caused by the pandemic circumcision season is finally open in the Philippines. That is the time of year when doctors hunt down young boys with intact foreskin, hold them down, drug them, and then slice it off.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/30/2123631/philippine-circumcision-season-underway-after-virus-delays

For more than a year, Caspien Gruta has been teased because his circumcision — a rite of passage for boys in the Philippines — was delayed, first by a volcanic eruption and then the coronavirus pandemic.

"I worry if I don't get circumcised now, I will be shamed," said Gruta, 12. 

The Philippines has one of the highest rates of circumcision in the world, with many seeing the centuries-old practice as key for boys to enter manhood. 

Even as circumcision comes under increasing scrutiny elsewhere, with some critics branding it "child abuse", it is rarely questioned in the Philippines and boys face tremendous pressure to undergo the procedure.

Every year, thousands of pre-teens have the operation for free at government or community-sponsored clinics.

But last year, the "circumcision season" was cancelled for the first time in living memory due to the virus outbreak, delaying the milestone for many boys like Gruta. 

Left in limbo — and with their foreskin intact — the boys have been ridiculed by their male relatives and friends. 

Gruta was one of the oldest boys to line up at a covered basketball court turned make-shift clinic in Silang, Cavite south of Manila, one of the few provinces that have slowly resumed the free service since May.

"I feel like I'm a genuine Filipino now because getting circumcised is part of being a Filipino," Gruta said after the 20-minute procedure.

Wearing masks and face shields, the boys sat on plastic chairs near a row of wooden tables surrounded by a red curtain. 

Some looked excited or did their best to appear nonchalant. Others fidgeted as they waited. 

After removing their shorts, the youngsters lay down on a table with their legs hanging over the edge and their groin covered by an operating sheet. 

Some bit into a facecloth or covered their eyes as they were given a local anaesthetic. The surgeon then went to work. 

"I got circumcised because they said I will grow taller and I will get better in sports," said 12-year-old Almer Alciro, who went to another outdoor clinic for his delayed procedure. 

While he waited for the free service to resume, Alciro's friends mocked him as "uncircumcised" — an insult similar to coward in a country where the procedure is a badge of masculinity. 

"I'm happy that I'm finally circumcised," Alciro said.

Boys as young as eight face social pressure to go under the knife. Even hospital advertisements urge boys to "Be Man Enough".

Mass circumcisions are common during the hottest months from April to June when school children are on a long break.

Normally hundreds of boys undergo outdoor surgery on a single day, but Covid-19 rules have drastically reduced group sizes.

Circumcision is an important "demarcating line" between boys and men, when the youngsters take on more responsibility in the family and learn about sex, said Nestor Castro, a professor of anthropology at the University of the Philippines.

"Once a boy gets circumcised, he already leaves the position of being a child and he is now considered... as an adult," Castro said. 

"If you are a circumcised male... you should act as a grown-up man, no longer as a young boy."

Imagine thinking cutting off the most sensitive part of your member will make you grow taller and get better in sports. Whoever told that boy such a thing would happen to him is an awful person. And what kind of relatives would ridicule a young boy about what his dong looks like? That's pretty sick and uncalled for.

The origin of circumcision in the Philippines goes way back before the Spanish arrived. Some think it has to do with the arrival of Islam in Luzon. When the Spanish arrived the Muslims had already made inroads into Luzon and had they been any later this nation would surely be another Muslim stronghold. But even though Ishmael, the reputed father of the Arab Muslims, was circumcised at the age of 13 Muslims are usually circumcised at 7 days of age.

Other groups, such as The God Culture, would say that circumcision is proof that Israelites made it to the Philippines long ago. But Filipino circumcision is not at all like that of the Israelites. For one thing it is the sign of entering manhood and not the sign of being a member of a unique covenant community. For another Israelites were circumcised 8 days after birth. Any delay and they would be out of the community. 

Circumcision in the Philippines is certainly not a Christian practice. In Christianity baptism serves as a new circumcision which cleanses and purifies the heart. Paul the Apostle is very clear that heart circumcision is more important than physical circumcision. Likewise the law of Moses says:

Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

One can certainly be circumcised and a Christian but it is pretty much worthless.

Galatians 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

You also will not become taller and better at sports. 

It is not clear why Filipino boys are circumcised between 8-14 years old. The origins of the practice are lost to time. The only thing really known about it is that it is a voluntary act of self-mutilation, with the help of a doctor of course, which makes one a man. One could say it is a sacrifice because the boy is sacrificing the pleasure he would have experienced with a fully intact member. 

Every culture has its rituals concerning what makes one a man or a woman. As barbaric and pointless as this custom is, it could be worse. The Etoro people of Papa New Guinea have their young boys ingest the semen of their elders in order to become men. 

Get back here you wascally wabbit so I can cut your foreskin off. It's circumcision season!

Insurgency: Tokhang Tactics vs Leftists

There are lots of new ways to fight the insurgency. No need to go out in the bush and hunt down the rebels as in the days of old. How about building a bridge?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151434

The opening of PHP250 million Jipapad Bridge within the highway that links Eastern Samar and Northern Samar to vehicular traffic on Monday is expected to curb insurgency in the two provinces.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Eastern Samar district engineering office chief Ma. Margarita Junia said on Tuesday the construction of the 240-meter bridge makes the town of Jipapad, Eastern Samar accessible to all types of vehicles.

The bridge forms part of the highway that will connect to Las Navas, a town in Northern Samar where New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are frequently sighted while the town of Jipapad is one of the areas in Eastern Samar affected by insurgents.

“We believe that infrastructure development is a key to ending insurgency. We have been working to connect Jipapad to Las Navas to help educate the people and give them work,” Junia said in a phone interview.

This brings the metaphor of "building bridges for peace" to life in a whole new way. Bridge building is very important in a communal sense. That is why in one province authorities will now be going door to door to plead with communists to drop their ideology.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478238/anti-red-campaign-gets-new-name-in-cordillera

A controversial plan to implement the government’s anti-drug tactic “tokhang” (contraction of Visayan terms for “knock and plead”) on activists, journalists, and government employees in the Cordillera has been replaced with a similar anti-communist strategy called “dumanun makitungtung” (Ilocano for “visit and discuss”).

Resolution No. 6 issued by the Cordillera Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (RLECC) in July no longer targets journalists and state workers suspected of having links with communist groups.

Instead, the RLECC, an intelligence-sharing body, will send out teams from the police, civic and religious groups, and village councils to homes of suspected supporters of “communist front organizations,” and talk them out of backing the communist ideology.

The local chief of police is required to vet a list of suspected communists in a community, and all visits must be conducted “with utmost courtesy and respect for human rights,” the RLECC document says.

Should they succeed, the subject of the visit must be accompanied by a relative to the closest police station for “documentation and proper disposition.”

In the Cordillera Region the police will now be visiting suspected communists and asking them to abandon their ideology. If the suspect agrees he will be taken to the closest police station for "documentation and proper disposition." What does that even mean? How will they be disposed of? There are a lot of problems with this method. At first PNP Chief Eleazar was against this program.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/24/2122319/pnp-chief-urges-better-ideas-tokhang-tactics-vs-leftists

The chief of the Philippine National Police called for "better ideas" to address the communist insurgency in the country instead of the "tokhang" reboot that Cordillera officials want to use against activists, organizers and rights workers.

Under the proposal, barangay officials are directed to visit supposed leftists to convince them not to be leftists anymore.

Neither being a leftist nor even a communist are actual crimes under the country's laws.

In a statement sent to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar expressed his misgivings with the strategy, pointing to a "gray area" that he said could potentially violate human rights. 

"In fighting communist insurgency in the country, we in the PNP believe that we have to present better ideas that focus more on winning back the [people's] trust and confidence," he said. 

Eleazar claimed that the PNP is already doing so through its "aggressive support on information dissemination, community mobilization through police-community relations, and barangay development program."

"We will stick to these strategies," he said. 

"While I understand the genuine intention of the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council, I believe that there are some gray areas in this campaign that may compromise the commitment of your Philippine National Police to respecting and upholding the human rights of every Filipino citizen," Eleazar said. 

He did not mention what he felt these "gray areas" were, and it is unclear why anti-drug operations that employ the same template do not receive the same scrutiny from the PNP chief. 

One of those unnamed gray areas has to be the "documentation and disposition" of the subject. It is a fact that being a communist or a leftist is not a crime. Under this resolution the PNP now becomes the thought police. That is a scary proposition and opens the door to many abuses.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/28/2123250/tokhang-campaign-vs-activists-seen-wreak-more-havoc-human-rights

Implementing “drug war” methods in the government’s counter-insurgency campaign is a “recipe for more human rights disaster,” the Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.

In this campaign, police and local officials visit the homes or offices of personalities the government accuses of working with or “fronting” for communist rebels. They “plead” with the activists to stop the communist cause.

But being a leftist is not a crime.

The government equates being left-leaning as support for and membership in the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army. It is an inaccurate assertion that has been used to justify what activists call a crackdown on legitimate and legal organizations.

Conde said the campaign “sows fear and restricts the already constrained democratic space in the Philippines.”

"Being a leftist is not a crime." That's the whole issue here. And being a leftist or even a communist does not mean you support the NPA. Duterte has referred to himself as a leftist.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/563681/duterte-declares-he-ll-be-first-leftist-president/story/

"But I'm not a member of Communist Party or NPA (New People's Army). I cannot join them.... I am for democracy," said Duterte, who added that he was a member of Bayan.

Duterte is a member of Bayan? What!!?? Allegedly Bayan is a communist front group.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151857

The formal surrender of a couple formerly engaged in activism and insurgency in Leyte has further established the ties between the Bayan Muna party-list and the New People’s Army (NPA).

The Philippine Army (PA) on Thursday reported that "Jerry" and "Dalia" (not their real names) walked into the headquarters of the 14th Infantry (Avenger) Battalion, 8th Infantry Division, PA in Barangay Uguis, Mahaplag on August 17 introducing themselves as "former NPA terrorists and as lie-low leaders of the Bayan Muna".

It was not the first time the two reached out to government authorities to leave the communist terrorist group.

"In reality, Jerry and Dalia have long wanted to abandon the violent life of communist terrorism. Having seen enough violence including the infamous Inopacan Massacre in their six-year active involvement with the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front ) from 1986 to 1992," the military said in a statement.

In 1993, the couple with a group of some 200 members and supporters of the NPA yielded to the local officials of Mahaplag, the military statement added.

The two recalled that in 2001, "they were already living a normal life when one Jun Salazar from Inopacan, Leyte, Provincial Coordinator of Bayan Muna, recruited them into the CPP-established party-list."

"Salazar designated Jerry as Bayan Muna municipal coordinator and tasked the couple to organize the farmers and the workers in the area, and to lead them in strikes and anti-government rallies until they went on lie-low in 2004," the military statement said.

"It is part of the NPA doctrine to recruit back former members and those on lie-low status," said Brig. Gen. Zosimo Oliveros, commander of the Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade.

"Hence, their formal surrender is very much welcome as it would afford us the golden opportunity to help them. In the advent of Executive Order No. 70, there is now a mechanism that will ensure their effective reintegration into the mainstream of our society," Oliveros added.

EO 70, signed by President R. Duterte in December 2018, institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach in obtaining exclusive and sustainable peace-giving the country an effective solution against communist-terrorists.

“I welcomed the formal return to the fold of the law of the couple Jerry and Dalia as it would seal their departure from the communist terrorist group and prevent their recruitment again either in the armed underground movement or the open revolutionary mass movement. Moreover, the revelations of the couple gave credence to allegations on the link between the terrorist CPP-NPA and the Bayan Muna,” the military official said.

Surely this revelation will now sink Bayan Muna, right? Probably not. Despite their connections to the CPP and all the allegations logged against them by the AFP Bayan Muna remains a partylist with representatives in Congress. They are a private political group and are not a government bureaucracy. That means calls for the COA to audit them are unfounded.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151348

A former cadre of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) has challenged the Commission on Audit (COA) to audit the funds received from the national government by the House of Representatives’ Makabayan Bloc.

Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz, in SMNI program "Laban Kasama ang Bayan" on Aug. 20, said Makabayan party-list groups receive millions yearly from the government but they are used to advance the programs of the CPP-NPA-NDF (National Democratic Front).

“We are challenging, and calling, and appealing to the Commission on Audit. Make a very credible and incisive audit kung saan napunta ang pondo ng mamamayan at ng taong bayan na nilulustay at inaabuso ng CPP-NPA-NDF gamit ang kanilang Kamatayan Bloc na mga partylist (on where the funds of the people are being spent on by the Death Bloc and being used by the CPP-NPA-NDF),” Celiz said.

He issued the call amid the COA report on alleged deficiencies on the budget of the Department of Health and other government agencies.

The Makabayan Bloc, composed of Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Kabataan, and ACT Teachers party-list groups, is receiving a budget of not less than PHP70 million every year from the national government.

“(We would like to call on COA, if there are funds that you should look into, this is no other than those of the Kamatayan Bloc of the CPP-NPA-NDF, which have spent billions of government funds for the last 20 years),” he said.

Whatever the merits here might be, since Bayan does receive government funds, this is less about Bayan and more about shaming the COA for its audits of the DOH. 

What is the thread here that connects all these stories? It's that the government is NOT going after the NPA directly but is focusing on peripherals. Peripherals are important but whats more important is going after actual insurgents and terrorists. Being a member of the CPP is not a crime. Being a member of Bayan does not make you a member of the NPA. Duterte said so! 

It turns the whole war into a joke.

The God Culture: Past and Future Projects

Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture is a busy man. He has a lot of projects on the way. Let's take a look at some of them.

https://uspto.report/copyright/search/author/schwab+timothy+jay

This is a listing from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. On it we find several projects copyrighted by Tim. It is a varied list with both texts and musical compositions being copyrighted. Some of these date back to the early 90's and shed light on the Christian rock n' roll band Tim used to be in. The list is not in any order so I will examine each item chronologically.

1. God's Bus 1990

This is a cassette tape with two other songs, Call of the Lord and When It's Cold. The music is by Richard Scott Schilling and the lyrics by Timothy Jay Schwab. A Google search pulls up nothing for this cassette. It appears that Richard Scott Schilling released an instrumental album in 2001 titled Earth, Sky, Sea. At least that is the only musician named Richard Scott Schilling on Youtube.  It sounds like something one would hear on Hearts of Space. Interesting fact, Christian band Cademon's Call had a song titled Bus Driver. Were they influenced by Tim? I like Cademon's Call, especially Suicidal Stones and Center Aisle. They are leagues better than Petra ever was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAdyZdkv9ag&lc=UgwdeGqQEBluOzdou-14AaABAg

john lumus  hmm....... Thumb nail looks remarkably like PETRA™ Come And Join Us, 1977 album cover ~ 

The God Culture  Dude! there's a band i haven't in a long time Petra was awesome! Yah Bless 

2.  Nomad collection 2 1990

This is also a cassette tape with music by Schilling and lyrics by Schwab. It also features Nomad collection 1. Was Nomad the name of Tim's Christian rock band?

3.  Welcome Home 1991

Another cassette tape but this time with music and words by Timothy Jay Schwab.

4. Out of the Shadows/Nomad 1993

A cassette with lyric sheet. Music and words by Timothy Jay Schwab.

5. I Give it to You 2010

This is just one song. Timothy Jay Schwab is listed as the copyright claimant but there are several other authors. They are Caleb Clemens, Amy Martin, Pat Donahue, and Dustin short. They are credited with the music while Timothy is credited with the lyrics.

Those are all the projects Tim copyrighted before The God Culture was created. Now we will enter into familiar territory.

6. Ophir, Philippines Coffee Table Project 2020

This is, of course, Tim's huge coffee table book.

This is basically the same book as The Search for King Solomon's Treasure except it has pretty pictures of the Philippines. From the previews I have seen it looks rather nice. Tim's marketing and publishing talents have been put to use skillfully in the production of this book. Such is his forte. He is an adman and marketer above all else.

7. The Search for King Solomon's Treasure Lost Isles of Gold and the Garden of Eden 2020

Again, another book we all know. You can read my review here.

8. Ophir:The Lost Isles of Gold: The Return to the Garden of Eden 2020

This is not a book. This is a dramatic work and music; or choreography. I am betting it is a film script for a documentary. Even though Tim has created hundreds of videos about this subject it would not be out of the realm of possibility that he would whittle it all down into a presentable 2 hour feature. Of course, if he chroeographed a dance about Ophir that would be pretty awesome.

9. The Philippine Gold. Isles of Ophir, Sheba and Tarshish Rediscovered. 2020

This is a text which means it is probably a book. The title is similar to another book The God Culture has claimed they are working on.

Ancient

Philippine

History

Gilded in Gold

A Reconstruction of pre-colonial History and Geography from the Beginning

Perhaps it is the same book but the title has been changed. While there is a cover for "Ancient Philippine History" there is no copyright listed for such a work.

10. Sheba Unveiled 2020

The description says this is a movie script. Isn't that exciting? Now, Tim could have called this project anything but he called it Sheba Unveiled. He also talks a lot about Lemuria and Atlantis. He really believes they both existed. Lemuria and Atlantis play a huge role in theosophy. Could it be that the title is influenced by Helena Blavatsky's Isis unveiled?

As Tim would say, I can't prove this but it makes sense.

11. The Book of Jubilees. The Torah Calendar 2020

Another book that is familiar to readers of this blog. You can read my review here.

12. Zubu: The Real Story of Lapu Lapu 2020

Like Sheba Unveiled this is likely a movie script. Unless it's a dance. Tim has already given us his uneducated and illiterate opinion about the "real story" of LapuLapu. He says that this chieftain stole the Sto. Niño from Cebu and rejected the yoke of the Spanish. He thus killed Magellan in an act of defiance against colonialism. None of that is true. LapuLapu had no problem with submitting to the King of Spain. 

It was the demand of Magellan for him to accept the leadership of a fellow native chief, Humabon, which provoked the Mactan chieftain to anger. Primary sources claimed that the reason which prompted Magellan to explode in anger was Lapu-lapu’s alleged refusal to kiss the hand of Humabon as an acknowledgement of his subordination. Another member of the expedition who made his testimony upon their return in Spain, Fernando de Bustamante, barber-surgeon of the Victoria, in agreement with the other testimonies, also recalled that the natives of Mactan were actually willing to accept Spanish sovereignty but were not disposed to accept Humabon as their overlord: “...those of Mactan wished to obey the king of Castile but the said Ferdinand Magellan told them to kiss the hand of the king of Zebu and those do not wish to kiss the hand of the king of Zebu.” 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-god-culture-lapu-lapu-did-not.html 

He also did not steal the Sto. Niño which was found in Cebu and not Mactan when the Spanish arrived in 1565. The natives worshipped it because it worked miracles for them.

He continued his voyage until reaching the island of Sebu, where he anchored, induced by the convenience of a good port and by the nature of the land. At first he was received peacefully by the natives and by their chief Tupas; but later they tried to kill him and his companions, for the Spaniards having seized their provisions, the natives took up arms against the latter; but the opposite to their expectations occurred, for the Spaniards conquered and subdued them. Seeing what had happened in Sebu, the natives of other neighboring islands came peacefully before the adelantado, rendered him homage, and supplied his camp with a few provisions. The first of the Spanish settlements was made in that port, and was called the city of Sanctisimo Nombre de Jesus [Most holy name of Jesus], because a carved image of Jesus had been found in one of the houses of the natives when the Spaniards conquered the latter, which was believed to have been left there by the fleet of Magallanes. The natives held the image in great reverence, and it wrought miracles for them in times of need. The Spaniards placed it in the monastery of St. Augustine, in that city.

History of the Philippines, Antonio Morga

Given that Tim has royally mangled this story it will be interesting to see what kind of movie he will make about LapuLapu. Remember this man is not a historian. He has a degree in business management and advertising. He is an adman.

13. 2nd Esdras: The Hidden Book of Prophecy 2021

You can read my two-part review for 2nd Esdras here and here.

14. REST:The Case for Sabbath 2021

This is Tim's newest book. Though, as of this writing, he has not officially released it you can buy it on Amazon. Soon it will be available for free at restcase.org. I have already written a critique of the Foreward by Retired Army Colonel Bien Casis. I have a hunch that this book will be very important and serve as a manifesto of sorts for The God Culture. Surely it will be Tim's most definitive theological statement and will show us all just where he stands on several issues not just the Sabbath. 

There are some interesting things on this list. It appears there are two movies in the works. The fact that there is no entry for Enoch is also very telling. It means that, even though Tim says he is working on it, it's just not ready yet. Perhaps it will be soon. None of the instructional editions of Solomon's Treasure appear on this list despite being touted as "coming soon" for almost a year now.

Strangely enough none of these copyrighted works list Tim's second wife, Anna Zamoranos, as an author. Yet, she is listed as co-author on the cover of all his books. Why is this? Perhaps because she is not really a co-author. After all, Anna, like her third husband Tim, has no training as a historian or a researcher or a linguist. She is a licensed real-estate agent. What could she possibly contribute to a project that alleges to be doing "deep research including history, geography, archeology, science, language, etc?" Her skill set does not qualify her for the job.

But there is something even more fascinating here. All of Timothy's copyrights dated from 2020, after he moved to the Philippines, list an address and phone number for Angie Myers in Boca Raton, Fl. Some of these entires even list that his domicile is in the USA. 

https://uspto.report/copyright/31717232

But Tim has not lived in Florida since at least 2019. So, why is he registering everything to Angie Myers in Boca Raton, Florida? Who is this lady?

Born in the Philippines but raised in Boca Raton, Angie Myers is a photographer who worked for Timothy Jay Schwab's now defunct magazine The Shore Life. She even photographed the cover of the premier issue.

http://www.angiemyers.com/blog/2013/3/5/the-shore-life-premier-issue

There is even a picture of Tim in this particular article.

It sure looks like Tim anyway. And why would't he be at the photoshoot for the front cover of the inaugural issue of his new magazine?

Angie also sells CBD products. This includes a topical cream and buds you can smoke or bake into edibles.

Happy national CBD day! This plant has literally changed my life and my health. For anyone with anxiety, pain or sleepless nights - this hemp derived CBD is what you need! You can use it as a topical, edible or smoke it. Zero traceable THC and non psychoactive. A common misconception is that it is weed (that stuff that gets you high). It’s a totally different plant and it’s 100% federally legal.  

https://www.facebook.com/AngieMyersFoto/posts/10218738706770635

Why is this lady being used as Tim's American address? He does not live there. He has not resided in the USA so for at least two years. So, wouldn't listing his domicile as being in Florida be fraud? Remember, this is a guy who says "the law is what redeems us." One would think he would always want to be on the straight and narrow. Apparently not!

Retards in the Government 221

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151112

Police authorities arrested Friday the 49-year-old barangay chairperson of Bulaoen West here for alleged violation of the illegal gambling law.

 

In a phone interview, Sison police investigator, Pat. Allan John Tacderas, identified the suspect as barangay chairman Noli Quirante.

 

Quirante was nabbed by virtue of a warrant in violation of Presidential Decree 1602 prescribing stiffer penalties on illegal gambling dated August 19 issued by Hon. Trinidad Abad-Ferrer.

 

“He was caught along with others engaging in card gambling a few months ago, but he evaded the arrest then,” Tacderas said.

 

The barangay official was released after paying the bail but was expected to appear on the set trials, he added.

Village Chief busted for illegal gambling.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151181

President Rodrigo Duterte has fired National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Edgardo Masongsong due to the latter’s supposed involvement in corrupt activities.

Duterte made the pronouncement in his pre-recorded Talk to the People delivered Friday night but aired Saturday morning.

The President said he booted Masongsong out of office upon the recommendation of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

“I dismiss him from public service,” he said. “PACC conducted an investigation and made the recommendation for his dismissal. So, I have approved.”

In May, the PACC disclosed that it had filed a case against Masongsong before the Office of the Ombudsman over his supposed inaction on the alleged use of public funds for the campaign activities of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca) party-list.

The commission said Masongsong has violated Republic Act (RA) 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines when he allowed the electric cooperatives’ (ECs) continued financial support to Philreca.

NEA administrator Masongsong has been fired over alleged corruption at the recommendation of the PACC.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/20/21/anti-red-tape-body-failed-to-submit-docs-for-audit-coa

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) failed to submit documentary requirements to the Commission on Audit (COA), which prevented the proper audit of its funds in 2020.

Instead of a full audit report for 2020, ARTA got a management letter because of its incomplete set of books. 

“The ARTA’s non-submission of financial reports and other documents prevented timely detection of any deficiency thereof and the corresponding corrective actions to be undertaken,” the audit team said. 

The ARTA, headed by Jeremiah Belgica, is an agency under the Office of the President mandated to implement the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Services Delivery Act of 2018. 

COA noted that the ARTA failed to submit financial statements and other documents. ARTA cited as reasons the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of manpower being a newly created agency. 

ARTA management also told the audit team that the previous personnel in its finance and administration department resigned without proper turnover of the financial documents, with the incumbent accountant informing that numerous vouchers were with incomplete supporting documents. 

The ARTA failed to submit the proper documents to the COA for an audit.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/21/21/coa-flags-ncip-over-p1m-cost-of-ntf-elcac-workshop

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) over its regional office's transactions related to an anti-insurgency "workshop" that cost over P1 million, saying the lack of documents casts doubts on its "propriety." 

"[M]eals and accommodations of NCIP RO XIII (Caraga) amounting to P1,064,219.06 for NTF-ELCAC Regional Action Planning Workshop were not duly supported with sufficient and complete documentations... casting doubts on the propriety and regularity of the transaction... Moreover, the procurement was not done through a competitive public bidding," COA said in its annual audit report on NCIP. 

NCIP is the lead government agency responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies, plans, and programs to protect the rights the indigenous peoples (IPs). 

State auditors flagged NCIP-Caraga for overpaying on food and accommodations when it overestimated the number of participants in the workshop.

"The number of accommodations should have been equal to the number of participants indicated per meal or lower but not higher." 

COA also said it discovered revisions in the attendance sheet of the NTF-ELCAC event. 

"Further scrutiny of the attendance sheet disclosed that there are alterations made with the date, and there are names listed that did not bear signatures of the participants," COA said. 

Financial irregulars in an NTF-ELCAC event held by the NCIP. They overpaid on food and accommodation and did not have the proper paperwork.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1151247

The anti-scalawag unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested a police officer for alleged extortion in an entrapment operation in Zamboanga City on Saturday.

Brig. Gen. Flynn Dongbo, the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) Director, identified the suspect as Cpl. Alexis Garcia, an investigator of the Drug Enforcement Team Police Station 11 of the Zamboanga City Police Office.

He was nabbed during an entrapment operation along Mayor Climaco Avenue shortly after he received marked money from a complainant.

Recovered from the suspect were one PHP1,000 marked money, one bundle boodle money, PNP identification card, one pistol, 22 live ammunitions, and firearms license card.

In a statement on Sunday, Dongbo said they have received numerous complaints on Garcia allegedly extorting money from the family of suspects in exchange for the dismissal of cases or assurance that the suspects will not be transferred to the Zamboanga City Jail.

One walk-in complainant alleged that the suspect demanded PHP120,000 so that an arrested drug offender will remain at Police Station 11.

Another PNP officer arrested for extortion.

https://www.panaynews.net/dbm-unit-sat-on-p10-87-billion-for-years-coa-finds/

The Procurement Service (PS) of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) failed to remit to the national treasury P10.87 billion in unutilized funds that were meant for the purchase of common-use supplies and equipment for government agencies. 

The Commission on Audit (COA) said the unused funds were “dormant for years” and deprived the government of cash that could have been used for other programs. 

This figure includes P10.864 billion in unused balances from government agencies for two years or more, and P5.957 million in dormant funds since 2011. 

“The nonremittance of the total advances of P10.87 billion, or P10.864 billion plus P5.957 million representing unutilized or undelivered [supplies and equipment] and unidentified depositors in the books, deprived the government of the use of funds in the implementation of its projects/programs,” the 2020 audit report read.

How was this missed for so long?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1478868/pagadian-barangay-chief-shot-dead

A barangay chief in this city was gunned down just outside his house on Wednesday morning.

Raymundo Albiar, chair of Barangay Tuburan, was cleaning his sheep when shot by an unidentified gunman on a motorcycle, according to Col. Ruel Lami-ing, chief of the Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office.

Witnesses said the gunman wore a black jacket, cap, and face mask.

Another barangay captain assassinated by unknown persons.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/25/21/unethical-watchdog-blasts-comelecs-deal-with-f2

An election watchdog on Wednesday branded as "patently unethical" the partnership between the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and F2 Logistics Philippines, said to be owned by Davao tycoon Dennis Uy, for a crucial delivery service for Halalan 2022. 

Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo earlier confirmed that the poll body en banc has awarded a P1.61-billion logistics contract to F2, making it in charge of transporting, delivery, and warehousing of election materials, equipment, and other paraphernalia for the May 2022 elections.  

"It just so happened that we are just following the GPPB (Government Procurement Policy Board) rules as I have said that we have to comply with the lowest calculated bid... F2 Logistics [has] the lowest calculated bid in the deployment of AES supplies," Casquejo said.

But for Kontra Daya, the issue goes beyond the legality of the deal.  

"A major campaign contributor of the Duterte presidential campaign gets to be in charge of transportation of election paraphernalia, equipment and supplies. There is clearly something wrong with this picture that no amount of legal technicalities can debunk," Arao said.  

While Uy has not publicly confirmed or denied his ownership of F2 Logistics, ABS-CBN News has obtained an annual report of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2020, where it listed F2 Logistics as a subsidiary of Udenna Management & Resources Corp., under the parent company Udenna Corporation in which Uy sits as chairman and president.  

A Wall Street Journal profile also listed Uy as chairman at F2 Logistics. 

Perhaps the Comelec could have disqualified F2 because of the Dennis Uy connection rather than plead they were just following the rules. Could this lead to long drawn out recounts next year? Time will tell.