The Influence of Netflix on Philippine Politics

As improbable as it seems Netflix is having an influence on political discourse in the Philippines. Remember this photo showing Duterte watching Django Unchained on Netflix?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/world/asia/duterte-philippines-absence-health.html

There is nothing wrong with watching a good movie or show. The problem is when fiction begins to influence one's political or world view. Remember during the martial law hearings before the Supreme Court when Justice Bersamin was worried that scenarios like those in White House Down and London Has Fallen could come true if martial law were lifted?

“How can the republic survive if there was another kind of threat worse than rebellion or invasion,” a Supreme Court Associate Justice asked Tuesday as he noted that President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law is already emasculated compared to that of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. 

“Oh I watched so many movies like White House has fallen, London has fallen. These are very terrifying realities that could happen in a few years’ time,”  Bersamin said, adding that the framers crafted a constitution “that constricted the use of the ultimate power to actual invasion and actual rebellion.”

“What if these [movies] become a reality,” Bersamin asked. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/filipinos-and-movies.html 

Then there was Senator Lacson who, after watching a show on Netflix, actually introduced legislation inspired by that show.

Legislation loosely based on a popular Netflix political thriller called the “Designated Survivor” have been filed in the Senate and the House of Representatives to deal with such a situation. 

In the show, actor Kiefer Sutherland plays Housing and Urban Development Secretary Tom Kirkham, who is hidden away during the State of the Union. He was thrust into the US presidency when the Capitol building is bombed during the address, killing the president and everyone in it. 

The Philippine proposal is called the Presidential Succession Act, referred to simply as the designated survivor bill.

Sen. Ping Lacson wrote the Senate version of the bill, while Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito introduced the House counterpart proposal. 

Lacson told reporters on Thursday that his proposal was inspired by the Netflix series.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2019/09/filipinos-and-movies.html 

Lacson is back in the news telling us all that a movie he saw on Netflix has influenced him to now be against the death penalty.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1510389/no-longer-for-death-penalty-lacson-says-netflix-show-changed-his-beliefs-on-capital-punishment

Senator Panfilo Lacson now says that if he is elected president in the 2022 national elections, he will no longer push for the death penalty despite previous statements advocating for the reinstitution of capital punishment.

Asked about how his opinion about the death penalty changed, Lacson attributed this to a movie on streaming site Netflix, which talked about an activist who set himself up for a crime just to prove that innocent people could be punished.

He says that his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, also shares his views.

“In the course his (Sotto) perspective changed. I’m like that, I’m also a convert. Did you know, did you watch ‘The Life of David Gayle’ on Netflix? "I watched that, that activist, that's where he set-up himself," Lacson told reporters in a media forum on Thursday.

"He was not the one who killed but he set-up just to prove that the innocent man could be executed," he explained.

Lacson admitted that in the past, he has been a stern advocate of the death penalty for certain crimes like plunder, high-level drug trafficking, law enforcers proven guilty for planting evidence, and other heinous crimes.

But the Netflix show changed it all, Lacson claimed, who is now saying that saving the life of a wrongly accused person is more important than executing a criminal.

"That changed my attitude, my outlook, and my perspective on the death penalty. I am also an author, I have been infinite several times, I have even included the plunder and then the various crimes as heinous crimes, which should be punishable by the death penalty, ”he explained.

"But then I realized that it is more important to save the life of an innocent person who has been convicted so that we can execute someone who is really convicted and really convicted. "When I weighed it, I thought it would be more important to save the life of a wrongly convicted person," he added.

Are we really to believe that Senator Lacson, who was once Chief of the PNP and who admits he has written numerous articles advocating for the death penalty, had never considered that an innocent person could be wrongly convicted of a crime and placed on death row until he saw The Life of David Gale!?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_David_Gale

This 2003 film starring Kevin Spacey as an anti-death penalty advocate who conspires to get himself executed for a crime he did not commit to show how bad the death penalty is because innocent people could be executed is one of the most ridiculous and convoluted films ever made. It is right up there with Crash which, to the consternation of everyone, won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006. Roger Ebert thought The Life of David Gale was so stupid that he gave it zero stars.

The secrets of the plot must remain unrevealed by me, so that you can be offended by them yourself, but let it be said this movie is about as corrupt, intellectually bankrupt and morally dishonest as it could possibly be without David Gale actually hiring himself out as a joker at the court of Saddam Hussein.

I am sure the filmmakers believe their film is against the death penalty. I believe it supports it and hopes to discredit the opponents of the penalty as unprincipled fraudsters.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-life-of-david-gale-2003

Unless you are a small-brained normie there is absolutely no way you can walk away from this movie thinking that it is anything like a coherent argument against the death penalty. Sadly it is true that there are and have been innocent men on death row for years. There is a documentary streaming on Netflix titled  Fear of 13 which is about this very subject.

The Fear of 13 is a 2015 British documentary film. It tells the story of Nick Yarris, who was convicted of murder and spent 22 years on Death Row in Pennsylvania. He was released in 2004 when DNA evidence proved he was innocent of the crime.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fear_of_13

There are actually a whole lot of documentaries about wrongly convicted people. The Innocence Project has a list. Surely a few of them are streaming on Netflix. But no. The one film that changed Lacson's mind is the impossible fiction titled The Life of David Gale.

There is absolutely no problem with the death penalty just as there is no problem with incarceration. The problem is a corrupt justice system which allows innocent people to be convicted. It is a multifaceted problem involving overzealous prosecutors, corrupt judges, incompetent defenders, and many other factors which I will not be discussing in this article. 

Did Panfilo Lacson, as an officer in one of the world's most corrupt police organizations, not think about these things? Did he not consider that people could be wrongly convicted or wrongly accused? It is absolutely ludicrous that Lacson has changed his mind about the death penalty because he saw The Life of David Gale and thought it had a great message. 

You know what else is absolutely ludicrous? That the DFA got so upset over a Netflix series called Pine Gap that they asked the MTRCB to demand they delete two episodes. The reason? Becasue in those two episodes there is a map of China's 9-dash line.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/01/media/netflix-philippines-pine-gap-intl-hnk/index.html

Netflix Inc has removed two episodes of spy drama "Pine Gap" from its streaming service in the Philippines, after the Southeast Asian country rejected scenes involving a map used by China to assert its claims to the South China Sea. 

The Philippines on Monday asked Netflix to remove certain episodes of the six-part Australian series, saying the map depicted on the show was a violation of its sovereignty.

The second and third episodes of the show were no longer available in the Philippines by late Monday, with Netflix announcing on its platform that those episodes had been "removed by government demand". It did not elaborate.

After a thorough review, the Philippines' movie classification board has ruled that certain episodes of Pine Gap were "unfit for public exhibition", the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement. 

Earlier this year Netflix removed "Pine Gap" from its services in Vietnam following a similar complaint from the country's broadcast authorities. 

The Philippine films board, acting on the DFA's complaint, handed down its ruling on Sept. 

It was not clear why the decision was only made public now. 

The board, according to the DFA, noted that the appearance of the map was "no accident as it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message that China's nine-dash line legitimately exists". 

The board believes that "such portrayal is a crafty attempt to perpetuate and memorialize in the consciousness of the present generation of viewers and the generations to come the illegal nine-dash line," the DFA said.

The last two paragraphs of that article are very important. The DFA is claiming that the inclusion of a map showing the 9-dash line legitimates China's claim. This is an outright lie. While that line is shown in a map in the background there is nothing to indicate that it conveys "a message that China's nine-dash line legitimately exists." Here is some dialogue from the offending scene in episode 2.

Episode 2 12:28 

 Jacob: Is the Rha Two in Chinese territory?

Gus: Which is disputed territory.

Eloise: Well, they’ve been saying it's theirs since 1948. 

Jasmine: Actually, according to them it’s been theirs since 3,000 BC. They just went to sleep for a hundred years and everyone just took it off them.

Gus: They still lost the court case. 

Eloise: Well, these are the Fiery Cross Islands. Where China’s built a navy base.

Gus: And I love the way they just "take" islands.

Does that dialogue sound like they are giving legitimacy to the 9-dash line? Of course not. And that kind of banter goes on throughout the series. How about this screen cap from episode 3 saying point blank that China ignores international law?

Episode 3 25:16  Will China retract its territorial claims in the South China Sea or continue to ignore the decision of the International Court that America has sworn to uphold? 

Did anybody at the DFA or the MTRCB actually watch the show?  I mean the entire show which is not very kind to China. In this show China is the enemy. If they had watched the show they would know that every single episode except the first one mentions the nine-dash line or shows it on a map. But for some odd reason only episodes 2 and 3 offended them enough to be removed.

The reason the 9-dash line is shown on a map in this show is not because the creators of the show are giving it legitimacy. It's there because China considers it legitimate and these analysts at Pine Gap are monitoring China. It's really that simple. China rejects The Hague ruling and acts in accordance with their claims. They really do see that line as legitimate and one cannot ignore that fact. That is why they continue to build island bases within that area. But the Philippines does not care about that. Instead, while Duterte calls the International Court ruling just a piece of paper he will throw away, the DFA and MTRCB boldly claim that some silly Netflix show which got bad reviews and shows a map of the 9-dash line in two episodes, it actually shows up in five episodes, violates the Philippines' sovereignty.

One idiot, the executive director of the MTRCB Jose Benjamin Benaldo, even calls the removal of these episodes a victory for the Philippines.

“After a thorough review, the Board ruled that certain episodes of Pine Gap are ‘unfit for public exhibition.’ The MTRCB also ordered the immediate pullout of relevant episodes by its provider, Netflix Inc, from its video streaming platform,” the DFA said in a statement. 

In its decision, the MTRCB underscored that “under a whole-of-nation approach, every instrumentality of the government, whenever presented with the opportunity, has the responsibility to counter China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to assert the Philippines’ territorial integrity.” 

“And we’re very happy Netflix has done that. This is another victory for our country,” Benaldo said.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/11/05/2139086/netflix-appeals-mtrcb-order-episode-pullout

"Another victory?" The only victory so far has been the initial ruling against China. Since the day that ruling was handed down it's been loss after loss as the Duterte administration refuses to even attempt to enforce that ruling. But who knows. Maybe now that these two episodes of a Netflix show depicting the 9-dash line have been removed so only Filipino viewers cannot see them, just maybe China will stop its island building program and vacate the West Philippine Sea.

Retards in the Government 231

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

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/10/31/2137986/former-dbm-exec-faces-contempt-raps

The former budget official embroiled in the questionable supply deals that ran up to billions is at risk of being held in contempt by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee if he fails yet again to attend Thursday’s investigative hearing.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he would make sure to have former Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who headed the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), cited for contempt for snubbing Sen. Richard Gordon’s committee.

“He (Lao) is no longer a government employee, (but) he has not attended the last two hearings. It seems to be an insult (to the Senate),” Lacson said when interviewed by dwIZ about the Senate’s ongoing probe into alleged corruption in the procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020 in which P42 billion was transferred by the Department of Health (DOH) to the PS-DBM then headed by Lao.

A former government employee faces raps for refusing to testify before the Senate.

https://news-abs--cbn-com.translate.goog/news/11/02/21/barangay-chairman-sa-caloocan-patay-sa-pamamaril?_x_tr_sl=tl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fil&_x_tr_pto=nui

The barangay chairman of Barangay 143 in Caloocan died after being shot by an unidentified riding-in-tandem around 6 p.m. Monday night. 

During the initial investigation by the police, it was found that the victim was just sitting in his shop when he was suddenly shot several times by one of the perpetrators. 

The victim died on the spot while his wife who was with him when the shooting happened was injured. 

According to barangay executive officer Alexander Dulce, they see no motive behind the killing of their captain because they have no known enemy.

A barangay chairman in Caloocan was assassinated by unknown men for unknown reasons while sitting his shop.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/04/21/cops-who-grabbed-donations-took-photos-were-overly-excited

A police official confirmed Thursday that some "overly excited" police officers grabbed relief packs and took photos of a relief-distribution project in Cagayan but said the incident was a misunderstanding. 

In a series of now-viral tweets, Oplan Bangon Cagayan project implementer Zach Singson said several police officers put up a “Duterte Legacy” tarpaulin near their area while they were distributing relief packs in Barangay Mission, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan last October 31. 

“We arrived there at 3 o’ clock and there’s still no police there at the barangay hall,” Singson told ANC’s “Rundown.” 

“But we were just surprised that while we’re still distributing our relief goods, nagpunta na po sila doon and immediately put up the tarpaulin. They didn’t introduce themselves first or even approached us,” he said. 

“But after setting up the tarpaulin Sir, they approached us and asked us kung okay lang ba na sila na manghiram ng relief pack for their photo ops, in which I explained, well, that we do not agree.” 

Despite this, however, Singson said the police personnel still took a couple of their relief packs and took photos of them handing these out to typhoon victims.  

“While we were still talking to one of their police officers, they’re already taking photos without our consent.” 

“And right after that they grabbed our relief goods and then, they had their photo ops and of course for us, we cannot say na 'Please delete it' because it’s not our place, and we’re afraid because of our fear that they might harm us or do something negative against us,” he said. 

On ANC, PNP Region 2 public information officer Lt.Col Andree Abella said the personnel involved in the incident have been “relieved from their present designations at Sta. Teresita Police Station” and are now under the Cagayan Police Provincial Office. 

Abella noted that the cops involved admitted to their wrongdoing when asked by their superiors about it. 

She stressed, however, that what happened was a mere misunderstanding, and there was no deliberate credit-grabbing on the part of the cops. 

“The incident that happened in Barangay Mission, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan is one of a sort of a misunderstanding and lack of proper discernment on the part of our PNP personnel,” she said. 

“Siguro they were overly excited, or something like they did not, it was a lack of proper coordination as this group coordinated with the local government unit and also the MSWDO so upon learning of the activity, our police officers, believing that it was another activity of the Duterte caravan, kasi yun po yung previously, they had that activity at that place,” she added.

PNP officer showed up at an event where relief goods were being handed out, erected a Duterte Legacy tarp, took a few pictures of them handing out goods, and then left. The excuse is that they were excited and thought "that it was another activity of the Duterte caravan." But if that is true why did they leave after they took the pictures?

Coronavirus Lockdown: Zero Suicide Campaign, Plastic Barriers No Longer Required, and More!

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

It's actually kind of odd that the Philippines is the only Christian nation in Southeast Asia seeing as the Dutch colonized Indonesia. While the Indonesians continue to supplicate Allah the Philippines prays to the true God.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1158045

Leaders of various religious faiths jointly offered a prayer for healing from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) for Bacolodnons in a virtual gathering streamed live by the city government on Wednesday night.

Dubbed “A Solidarity Prayer for Healing from Covid-19”, petitions were said asking for healing for those who are sick and for continued protection and safety of the citizens and officials as well as the frontline healthcare workers.

In his message, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said it is time for the people of Bacolod to reflect on what is happening, which is already beyond human comprehension and to offer prayers to overcome the challenges brought by the global health crisis.

“This is now beyond the power of man to handle this pandemic. The only resort that we can run to is, to pray. We need to ask for guidance and blessings of the Almighty,” he said.

“You can be a prayer group, a brigade, an army so we can fight this together. We just have to pray together. That seems to be not just the best solution now, but maybe the only solution. Keep on praying, please,” the mayor appealed.

Those who offered prayers were Bishop Patricio Buzon of the Diocese of Bacolod, Pastor Keven Giovanni Cañal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Greg Magracia of His Life Ministries, Bishop Virgilio Amihan Jr. of Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Pastor Joe Ascalon of Ikthus Bacolod, Imam Monib Cali of Islamic Center Bacolod, Pastor Fernando Jacolbe Jr. of Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide, and Pastor Dave King of Trinity Christian Fellowship.

Dr. Edwin Miraflor, officer-in-charge of the City Health Office, reminded Bacolodnons to continue following the Covid-19 health protocols, including vaccination, to be protected from the virus.

“It is a solidarity because the virus does not distinguish whether you are a patient or a doctor, whether you are rich or poor. We reflect on the lives of family and friends who succumbed to Covid-19. We honor them in our prayers and we pray for healing for our country and for our city especially,” he added.

This is ecumenism at its finest. But why offer prayers and then tell people to follow health protocols? Who is in charge here? God or the government? Well, both really. But the people do have a say and they have been so indoctrinated by the government that when the government drops a requirement the people still keep on doing it.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1158024

Commuters have welcomed the decision of the city government to allow residents to forego using face shields in public utility jeepneys (PUJ) but said they would remain vigilant.

Joy Carson, a convenience store owner who commutes daily, said despite the new development, she will continue to use the face shield in PUJs amid threats of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“I still worry about catching the virus. I will continue to use it as I value my safety and that of my family,” she told Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview Thursday.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, Davao City Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson, said the new guidelines on PUJs were approved since there is a low risk of spreading the infection inside as long there is proper ventilation.  

“It was clearly emphasized by the mayor when it is closed and confined, the face shield is necessary. So she defined there that jeepney - it is not closed and confined, it is open with free ventilation,” she said.

In a radio interview Monday, Mayor Sara Z. Duterte said based on Executive Order 51 Series of 2021, face shields are to be used only in three C’s - crowded places with many people nearby, close-contact settings, especially where people have close-range conversations, and confined and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.

“Jeepneys do not belong to the 3Cs because the majority of them are not enclosed. The L3 (type of PUJ) is air-conditioned and that is a confined and enclosed space, the taxi is air-conditioned - with a closed window that is an enclosed space,” she said.

She added: “If the windows will be opened, it is no longer a confined and enclosed space because the air from the outside circulates to the inside.”

Sarar Duterte declared that face shields do not have to be worn in jeepnies anymore but the people say they will keep on wearing them. They are obedient sheep.

The vaccine is not mandatory yet in the Philippines but there is every indication that it will be.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1157971

The city government of Surigao on Wednesday ordered businesses in the area to require clients and customers to present their vaccination cards before allowing them to enter establishments.

Surigao City Mayor Ernesto Matugas Jr. issued the new policy through Executive Order (EO) 48.

“The current coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is not only the concern of the government but also that of the private sector and the two must join hands in providing better solutions most especially in the implementation of proactive measures to stop the further spread of the virus and its variants,” Matugas said in the EO.

He added that business establishments have the right to regulate access to their properties to protect the health and safety of personnel, employees, and customers.

The business establishments ordered to require their customers to present vaccination cards include banks, malls, department stores, and supermarkets.

“The continued implementation of proactive measures, such as vaccination, must be put in place to slow down the surge of Covid-19 cases, stop the further spread of variants, buy time for the health systems to cope, and to protect more lives,” Matugas said.

There are a lot of problems here. First is getting the vaccine. Second is vaccine hesitancy.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1507622/vaccine-hesitancy-biggest-challenge-in-covid-19-immunization-program-solante

Vaccine hesitancy poses the greatest obstacle in the country’s COVID-19 immunization program, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said on Thursday.

“The biggest challenge is vaccine hesitancy. And if you look at the data, and there was this report from Octa Research… The vaccine hesitancy is still very high outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) ranging from 21 to 29 percent while in the NCR is only like less than 10 percent,” Solante said during a media table discussion entitled “What’s in Store in 2021 and Beyond.”

Based on Octa’s findings, 61 percent of Filipinos across the country are willing to get inoculated against COVID-19.

Vaccine hesitancy was recorded at five percent in NCR, 19 percent in Mindanao, 24 percent in Balance Luzon, and 32 percent in the Visayas, Octa said.

“So, the acceptance here in NCR is quite high. Probably it’s also driven by some economic priorities that if you’re vaccinated, you can work, you can go to the mall, you can go to the public places, you can eat and dine in. But, what about the provinces outside of the National Capital Region?,” Solante, also a member of the country’s Vaccine Expert Panel, pointed out.

Solante noted that vaccine hesitancy is driven by the brand preferences of the people.

(We reverted to the time when people wanted to wait for Pfizer or Moderna or AstraZeneca. They do not want to line up for Sinovac.)

“In fact, may mga (there are) regional local [governments which] are now incentivizing the local people to be vaccinated by giving incentives. So, I think that’s the most important challenge,” he stressed.

Aside from vaccine hesitancy, Solante said that the government is also facing difficulty in deploying the vaccines in far-flung areas.

“The other challenge there is the logistics of delivering these vaccines to far-flung areas. If you’re delivering a Pfizer which needs minus 60 to 80 degrees, then that can also be a hurdle to topple for the local government,” he said.

Maybe Filipinos are smart and know that the vaccines do not offer any protection from the vaccine. Watch this video before it's gone! 

Apparently there suicide rate is up and it has to do with COVID health protocols.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1157943

Advocates of mental health continue to drum up the campaign for "zero suicide" as more cases are logged here.

Ricky Ducas, mental health nurse and responder at the City Health Services Office (CHSO), who founded the psycho-social support group Baguio and the Anxiety and Depression Support Group-Baguio City, said on Wednesday they have already recorded 26 cases of suicide here from January to end August this year.

"The most recent was logged on October 25," he said. "We hope we won't have others more on the list."

In 2020, the mental health clinic of the CHSO recorded 30 suicide cases. He said most of those who committed suicide were from ages 15 to 35 years old.

He said the most common trigger known to cause a person to end his/her life is the big change in the pandemic lifestyle, environment, and exhaustion with the kind of situation the world is into right now.

"Wearing a (face) mask can (also) cause an impact emotionally and mentally," he said.

"The most common trigger known to cause a person to end his/her life is the big change in the pandemic lifestyle." Has the DOH or the IATF taken this fact into consideration. It's certainly not something one hear's about in the news.

The government has finally admitted that all the plastic barriers that have been put in place are actually harmful and do not prevent the spread of COVID-19. At least the ones inside jeepnies.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/809157/plastic-barriers-no-longer-required-inside-puvs-starting-nov-4-dotr/story/

Public utility vehicles will no longer be required to put plastic dividers separating passengers starting Thursday, November 4, an Unang Balita report said Monday.

(There's no medical findings that shows plastic barriers can lessen the possibility of COVID-19 transmission. Instead, they can even carry the virus because of the plastic material.)

Since they were allowed to operate, PUV drivers and operators have been required to use plastic barriers to separate passengers inside their units and to comply with the 50% capacity rule in public transport.

Also starting November 4, the capacity allowed in PUVs has been increased to 70%.

It's great that the useless plastic barriers will no longer be in place but it comes with an increase of passengers. Knowing how some of these drivers operate people will be sitting on each other's lap again and the fares will not decrease. 

Surprisingly Davao mandated motorcycle drivers to use a plastic barrier when the rest of the country had done away with that nuisance last year.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1158597

The city government has lifted the mandatory use of plastic barriers in public utility vehicles (PUVs) and motorcycles effective Tuesday.

It, however, encouraged its voluntary use among drivers and commuters.

Loraine Vinluan, a private company worker who is usually fetched by her husband using their motorcycle, said the order is a relief for her.

“I am happy. To be honest, it does not help us since its implementation and we did not see it as a tool to prevent Covid-19 because we stayed under one roof,” she said.

For Arjay Delino, a government worker, the lifting of the barrier policy is a big help to riders.

“We thank the local government for heeding our call. It is a hassle on our part to keep on bringing the barrier even if we go to malls because we are afraid it would be stolen when leaving it in our motorcycles in the parking lots,” Delino said.

He also cited that the use of the barrier is risky for the back-rider who holds on to it instead of the driver for safety.

The motorcycle barrier was never safe. All the plastic barriers are evidence of government over reach and busywork thinking they are doing something when they are really not doing anything helpful at all.

A fire in Zamboanga del Sur has destroyed thousands of vaccines.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/11/02/2138462/philippines-probes-fire-damaged-148678-covid-19-vaccine-doses

Philippine authorities said Tuesday they are looking into a fire incident in Zamboanga del Sur that damaged nearly 150,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. 

The National Task Force against COVID-19 confirmed 148,678 doses were compromised after fire hit the health office in Pagadian City on the evening of October 31. 

In a statement, it said the three-storey building was also serving as the province's cold chain storage facility for jabs intended for 26 municipalities and a component city. 

The cause is not yet known, including the cost of damage. But citing initial reports, the task force said those destroyed were: 88,938 Pfizer doses, 36,164 of Sinovac, 14,400 of Moderna, and 9,176 of Astrazeneca. 

NTF said responders are retrieving vaccines as well as refrigerators, carriers, and transport boxes that could still be used.

Authorities vowed for an "intensified" monitoring mechanism. It added a show cause order would be served to Zamboanga del Sur officials for their failure to deliver the jabs three days after receiving it.

It seems impossible that any of the vaccines in that facility could still be usable. It also seems that the local government did not properly distribute the vaccines within the allotted timeframe of three days which is why there were all stored in one central location.

More and More Coronavirus Signs and Situations

Time for more silly coronoavirus signs and situation. With COVID-19 possibly becoming an endemic virus which will never leave we are faced with the possibly of silly coronavirus signs and situations for years to come.

Just imagine that from now on the malls and supermarkets will all be violating fire codes for the foreseeable future. 

How many people will die from fires because of COVID-19 safety protocols? While there were no casualties or injuries reported at the Gaisano Mall fire in Antique on June 17th it could be that many will die because mall officials have locked the doors. The above lock is from a mall back in May.

Every one wants to be cool. Best way to be cool is to join a gang. Then automatically you are cool. 

This lady is probably not out threatening social distance violators by snapping her fingers and dancing around with other club members but if she were that would be very cool.  However, having the security guard blow a whistle and hold up a sign telling you to practice social distance after he saw you getting too close to there customers in the crowded aisles is not very cool.

In the Philippines what is the best brand of face mask to wear underneath your mandated face shield? If you said Pinoy Mask Facemasks you'd be correct.

I saw these at a local store but you can buy them from Shopee. According to their Facebook page:

3PLY Disposable Facemask with meltblown layer, made in the Philippines by Filipinos, for Filipinos.

Pinoy Mask is a Philippine-made brand of facemasks. It is currently more known for its 3-PLY medical facemask. The brand's objective is to provide Filipinos with a reliable mask that is made by Filipinos.

https://www.facebook.com/ThePinoyMask/

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian gives it his seal of approval. Personally, I don't understand why anyone would be buying disposable face masks. Just get a washable cloth mask and save money and the environment. They are literally all the same. I have been using the same mask and shield since last April.

Many health protocols are contradictory. Take these two signs from the same restaurant.

The top signs says:

Couch Potatoes Save Lives

We Are Stronger Apart

#STAYHOME

The second sign says:

There will be one less lonely person when you share this table.

Which one is it? The sign on the wall says I should stay home (ironic since the only way from to see it is to actually go out) yet the sign on the table is suggesting I share a table, ostensibly with someone I do not know. Can they make up their minds please? Cognitive dissonance seems to be the word of the day when it comes to the pandemic.

This place also had a crazy coronavirus sign in the bathroom.

I am not even allowed to dry my hands. I have to shake them off or just let them remain wet. Or maybe not wash them at all to avoid any inconvenience.

If you leave your house and don't care to wear a face mask or follow any of the other silly and unscientific health protocols like wearing a face shield then you had better watch out. 

The cops might beat you over the head with one of their enforcement sticks. Of course to do that they would have to violate their own social distancing rules.

I might be COVID? I might be COVID Red Cross? Looks like there was plenty of room to write out that last word but they were too lazy to do it.

Insurgency: No Longer Relevant

The government continues to proclaim that the communist insurgency is basically over. President Duterte spewed that line recently saying that the NPA is no longer relevant.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/22/no-longer-relevant-duterte-talks-smack-vs-npa-in-anti-insurgency-meeting/

Communist armed group the New People’s Army (NPA) is no longer relevant to Filipinos. 

Thus, declared President Duterte on Thursday night, Oct. 21 during the joint meeting of the National Task Force-Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-RTF ELCAC) in Region IV-A at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City, Quezon Province. 

“You know in all the other programs about ELCAC usually I do not read my prepared speech because I have a very special statement to make to the NPAs,” Duterte said. 

“Kaya lang wala sila dito (But they aren’t here right now) so I would dispense with my usual practice kasi gusto ko talagang sabihin sa kanila na (because I really want to tell them that) you are no longer relevant to the lives of the Filipino people,” he said, to the audience’s applause. 

The NTF-ELCAC has slammed the NPA for its alleged recruitment activities, which usually prey on the youth. 

“But there has been really a — quite a reduction of the NPA activities. They are in Mindanao but limited to Northern Mindanao including Davao City,” Duterte said. 

Turning to his formal speech for the event, the Chief Executive said: “Today, I stand before you to say with confidence that we are winning the war against communist insurgency in our country.”

Calling the NPA "no longer relevant" is a huge blunder the military has made several times over the years.  It leads to complacency. But the PNP says even though the government is winning the war against the communists they will not take the few remaining NPA fighters for granted.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1157582

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the government security forces are not underestimating the capability of the “remaining few” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to regroup and launch atrocities in the country.

This, after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte last week said there are now fewer NPA activities taking place since the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and its regional task forces.

“The PNP agrees with President Duterte’s assessment that we are winning the war against communist insurgency and fully acknowledge the contributions of all government agencies and our LGUs in this endeavor,” Eleazar said in a video message Saturday.

Eleazar, however, said the PNP is “not underestimating the capability of the remaining few especially in the coming election period when they could extort money that could be used to finance atrocities and recruitment and to undermine our democratic process come May 2022.”

He said the PNP will not lower its guard in anticipation of possible attacks by the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) which is desperate to prove it is still a force to reckon with.

“(So we reiterate our warning to the candidates not to conspire with the CPP-NPA-NDF because we guarantee that you will be held accountable once your PNP finds you cooperating with them just to win),” he said.

Despite Eleazar's statement about "not underestimating the capability of the remaining few" it seems the PNP is going just that very thing. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1506653/pnp-blames-npa-for-iloilo-bombing-says-rebels-just-making-it-appear-theyre-still-strong

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has blamed communist rebel group New People’s Army (NPA) for the bombing in Tubungan town of Iloilo, which injured two police officers.

In a statement on Tuesday, PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar however dismissed the recent attacks as a mere strategy to show that the rebels are still strong — which he said would then be used as a leverage for their extortion activities amid the election season.

In line with this, Eleazar said that he has directed unit commanders to remain alert and continue their operations against NPA rebels to ensure a peaceful elections in 2022.

“The NPA attack that resulted to the wounding of two of our policemen is certainly a strategy being employed to make it appear that they are still strong and eventually use as a leverage for their extortion activities to candidates for the next year’s election,” he said.

(Because of this, I have tasked all our unit commanders to be alert and intensify their operations against the CPP-NPA-NDF so that they cannot be given a chance to amass money which would they use for recruitment and terrorism.)

This statement by Eleazar contradicts his pronouncement that the PNP would not underestimate the capability of the remaining few NPA members. If they are capable of setting off an attack that wounded two police officer then they remain very dangerous. To dismiss this attack as a show to scare political candidates into paying extortion money is ludicrous. Just Google "NPA attack" and take a look at all the many news stories. Here is one from September,

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/09/30/2130644/4-government-troopers-killed-agusan-npa-attack

Three soldiers of the 29th Infantry Battalion (IB) and a militiaman were killed in an attack by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Maraiging in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte yesterday. 

Second Lt. Roselyn Matulac, 29th IB spokesman, said around 30 members of the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee fired at government troopers providing security to the construction of a farm-to-market road.

Was this also just a show put on to scare candidates into paying NPA extortion money? Of course not and PNP Chief Eleazar trivializes the wounding of two police officers by the NPA. 

Extortion of political candidates by the NPA is a huge problem. Last election cycle the DILG said they had a list of 349 people who paid that extortion money. If anyone of those people were arrested or held accountable the public was not told about it. Extortion is not the only way terrorism is financed in the Philippines.The PNP says they are intensifying their efforts to stop terror financing.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1157658

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Monday assured it is working together with concerned government agencies in stopping terrorist financing to have the country removed from the "gray list" of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

This came after the Paris-based task force has included the Philippines in its “gray list” following the conclusion of a hybrid meeting from October 19 to 21, stressing that the country needs to develop strategies to effectively address terrorist financing and money laundering.

Eleazar said the PNP, for its part, has entered a number of agreements with the AMLC for the effective enforcement of Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.

“Terrorism financing is a scourge on our country and the Filipino people. We need to always be on alert and come up with measures to stop the flow of money to these terrorist groups who would use these funds to carry out possible attacks,” Eleazar said in a statement.

Eleazar pointed out that in February this year, the PNP and AMLC signed a memorandum of agreement to solidify coordination and boost efforts in enforcing provisions of Republic Act 10168.

“This is in addition to the past individual memorandums of agreement entered into by AMLC with various PNP offices and units such as DIDM, CIDG, and IG, to beef up the campaign against terrorist financing,” Eleazar said.

The MOA between the PNP and AMLC provides for the establishment of a center at Camp Crame which will serve as an information-sharing hub between the two agencies.

It all starts at hone. If the Bayan Muna party list is just a communist front then it's a wonder why the AMLC has not frozen their bank accounts. If they have the evidence then do it and let the courts settle it all out.