Coronavirus Lockdown: Substantial Population Immunity, 'No Vax, No Entry,' and More!

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

The push for mandatory vaccines by excluding the unvaccainted from particiapting in public life continues. This time college students are being bullied by the government to get the jab in order to attend face to face classes.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/12/2/CHED-limiting-face-to-face-classes-to-vaccinated.html???

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said limiting in-person classes to the fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is not discriminatory.

In a press conference in Tacloban City on Wednesday, CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III pointed out that the policy intends to protect the welfare and health of fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff, and it does not violate human rights.

He said there will only be discrimination if the unvaccinated will not be able to continue learning, which is not the case because attendance in face-to-face classes remains optional for college students, so the unvaccinated may still choose flexible learning modes.

[Translation: You know why you can’t join the vaccinated and unvaccinated? If you allow both, you will need testing requirements. Of course, you need to test the unvaccinated, and the question is, when will you test them? When will you do the follow-up test? Who will spend for this?]

These people are brazen liars. Excluding one group from participation is prima facie discrimination. And vaccinated people can still get infected! It has nothing to do with unvaccinated people spreading the virus because both camps can spread it. The vaccine is worthless when it comes to preventing infection.

Cebu City is effectively banning all unvaccinated people from public life starting January 1st, 2022.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523109/no-vax-no-entry-rule-set-in-cebu-city-shops

Mayor Michael Rama has given residents until Dec. 31 to complete their COVID-19 vaccine shots as the city government will start disallowing unvaccinated people from entering local business establishments after the deadline.

But Rama said those unvaccinated could present a negative COVID swab test result should they want to enter shops here.

He said the ultimate goal was to vaccinate all eligible residents of Cebu City.

“By Dec. 31, all residents of Cebu City should be vaccinated. Is that doable? Let’s try. Perhaps, we can do it,” he said in an interview on Wednesday.

Paying every two weeks or even more often for a COVID swab test is not feasible. That makes this effectively a vaccine mandate in order to go shopping for food. Requiring a person be injected with an experimental drug in order to go shopping and participate in public life is incredibly immoral, unconscionable, and unethical. 

Funny that the country is slouching toward mandatory vaccination when there was not even enough vaccines to see their targeted goals during the 3-day vaccination drive.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/813295/lpp-lack-of-vaccinators-stopping-lgus-from-hitting-vaccine-targets/story/

The League of Provinces of the Philippines has cited the lack of vaccinators as the reason why several local government units have failed to hit their targets during the government’s three-day national vaccination drive, the LPP president said Saturday.

“There are several LGUs that have insufficient numbers of vaccinators. That's why they haven’t met their target number to be vaccinated… but their supply of vaccines is enough,” LPP president and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on Dobol B TV.

Velasco said 31 provinces have met 50% of their targets while 45% hit below 50% of their goals.

“Ilocos Norte, Ilocos 

Sur, Batanes, Siquijor, at Camiguin,  reached or surpassed 100% of their target number of individuals to be vaccinated during the ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’,” he noted.

Apart from the lack of vaccinators, Velasco said provinces also encountered problems with their supply of syringes and brand preference among vaccinees.

San Fernando, Pampanga could not meet its goals because they did not have enough vaccines.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523321/pampangas-capital-city-postpones-2nd-dose-of-jabs-due-to-supply-shortage

The City of San Fernando had to postpone indefinitely the scheduled four-day second dose vaccination of residents, who initially received their first dose of Moderna vaccine, due to supply shortage.

The city government advised residents on its social media page on Thursday, Dec. 2, to wait for a notice from the city health office for new schedules.

Several affected individuals have expressed their anger and disappointment over the delay despite the city government’s assurance that it would proceed with the vaccination as soon as it received the Moderna vaccine from the health department.

A lack of vaccines and staff to administer them and problems with the supply of syringes should be obstacles to any vaccine mandate but it's not.

Somebody asked the Comelec if voters will be required to be vaccinated.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523516/no-vaccine-no-vote-unconstitutional-says-comelec

“Unlikely,” Jimenez said in a meeting regarding the elections when asked about the possibility of requiring voters to be fully vaccinated for them to be able to vote.

“Wala dapat [There should be no] additional requirements to exercise their right to vote, that is unconstitutional, I think,” Jimenez added.

Previously, Jimenez also said that the poll body will not require voters to undergo swab tests as a voting requirement.

Unlikely? The correct answer is absolutely not!

The pandemic is slowing down but don't let that fool you. The new Omicron variant has stymied plans to allow foreign tourists. For one artist that means less pesos in his pocket.

https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/12/01/205603/filipino-artist-fears-longer-struggle-as-covid-variant-stalls-tourism-pickup/

Struggling Filipino artist Alberto Nunez was looking for a change in fortunes this week, until news broke of a new COVID-19 variant, which scuppered government plans to loosen restrictions and dashed his hopes for a long-awaited boost in business.

The Philippines on Sunday backed out of a planned reopening to foreign tourists after 21 months of border restrictions, citing uncertainty over the risks posed by the new Omicron COVID-19 variant that has triggered global concern.

Nunez had sold paintings to tourists on the island of Boracay for over 17 years, typically earning $600 a week before the pandemic. Now, he says he’s lucky to take home $100.

“When I heard the news that the entry of foreign tourists was suspended, I was dismayed since our market isn’t that strong yet,” said Nunez.

The Philippines has been one of the worst-affected countries in Asia by the coronavirus, with 2.8 million cases, 48,000 deaths and an economy that contracted 9.5% last year.

Boracay, famous for its white sands and stunning green waters, had benefited from a relaxation of rules to allow more domestic travel, but Nunez fears that might be short-lived.

“I am also worried after hearing the news about the new variant and that we may go into lockdown again,” he said.

The highlighted part of this article is missing some much needed context. Only .04% of the population has died from COVID-19 which is a stunningly small sample of the population. The reason the economy has shrunk by 9.5% is because the government shut everything down in a massive overreaction. This artist is right to fear another lockdown and his plight reflects that of many as the government has destroyed the economy and the lives of many poor Filipinos.

The government has been eager to vaccinate enough people to reach herd immunity and one official says it has arrived.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/07/21/lgus-stable-enough-to-stop-covid-transmission-expert

The decline of COVID-19 cases amid continued relaxed restrictions in the Philippines could mean the country has achieved "substantial population immunity" against the coronavirus, an expert said on Monday.

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, a molecular biologist and member of the OCTA Research group, said that even though the Philippines had struggled coping with the effects of the Delta strain, the "most infectious" COVID-19 variant in the past 20 months, more and more Filipinos are moving around.

According to Austriaco, the country is recording its lowest levels of cases and hospitalization in the past 20 months even as it is currently experiencing the highest mobility levels since it recorded its first coronavirus case and the beginning of its major lockdown in March 2020. 

"It suggests that we have attained substantial population immunity from natural infections and vaccinations in the urban areas of the Philippines because the pandemic has raged and spread primarily in our cities and our first-class municipalities," Austriaco said during a taped public briefing attended by President Rodrigo Duterte and Cabinet officials.

"The fact that the virus is struggling to find new Filipinos to infect, suggests we have attained substantial population immunity."

The DOH has concurred saying 23 highly urbanized cities have achieved herd immunity.

(Out of our highly urbanized cities, 23 cities fully inoculated 70 percent or more of its target population.)

(It means, they have achieved herd immunity among their target population.) 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1524886/fwd-23-highly-urbanized-cities-achieve-herd-immunity

Sounds great but I would not count on them acting on this and continue to mandate vaccines in certain sectors in those cities.

Hi, My Name is...19

A new batch of Filipinos to meet and greet.

Hi, my name is Julito Resquillo. I was holding a grudge with my coworker at the construction site. I was very mad. I planned my killing over a week. On the chosen day we were all in the service vehicle provided by our company. The driver took us to my co-workers house and he ran inside to hand his weekly pay to his wife. When he came back into the vehicle and sat down that is when I struck. I stabbed him several times in the head, chest, and thigh. Then I ran away and surrendered to the barangay captain. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/412952/construction-worker-i-carried-out-my-plan-to-kill-my-co-worker

Julito Resquillo, 38, of Barangay Tulay, Minglanilla town in southern Cebu, surrendered to the barangay captain after he stabbed dead his co-worker, Ronald Pratilla, 38, of Barangay Cadulawan, Minglanilla town at past 8 p.m. of November 20, said Police Staff Sergeant Wilfredo Pada, desk officer of Minglanilla Police Station. 

Resquillo, a construction worker, told police that he had been holding a work-related grudge against Pratilla, a fellow construction worker, for quite a while now and that the former had allegedly planned since last week how to kill the latter. 

Police Staff Sergeant Pada said that night, the service vehicle with Pratilla and another worker inside waited for Resquillo, who got off outside their home to give his salary to his wife. 

Pada said he was not certain why the service vehicle waited for Resquillo, who returned and boarded the vehicle heading to the back where he and the victim were seated. 

He said that it was then that Resquillo pulled out a kitchen knife and stabbed Pratilla several times in the chest, thigh, arms and head. 

Rsequillo then got off the vehicle and surrendered to the Tulay barangay captain.

Hi, my name is Gileen Gutierrez. The happiest day of my life was supposed to be my wedding day on December, 19th 2021. But my fiancee was killed after he "stepped out" of the house to meet someone. Instead he was met with a hail of bullets from an unknown person driving in a Toyota Vios Sedan. The police think his killing was related to the online cockfighting gaming center he operated. It happened while I and our two children were inside our apartment. So, to assuage my grief I married my dead fiancee at his funeral.

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1518114/bride-weds-slain-groom-in-bulacan

Hi, my name is Charlton William Sydney. I am a 72 year old codger who married a Filipina and then got a permanent resident visa. But my wife lodged a complaint against me as being an undesirable alien! She said I abused her physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Now I am going to be deported. Bollocks!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1520224/fwd-authorities-arrest-british-foreigner-in-cebu-after-allegedly-abusing-filipino-wife

Agents from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) have arrested in Cebu a 72-year-old British man tagged by authorities as an “undesirable alien” on allegations he abused his Filipino wife.

In an emailed statement on Friday, the BI said Charlton William Sydney was seized earlier this week at a beach resort in Sta. Fe, Bantayan, Cebu after immigration officials canceled his permanent resident visa.

“Let this serve as a warning to other aliens who maltreat and abuse our Filipino women.  We can always have you deported if you abuse our hospitality and commit acts of violence against our countrymen,” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

BI records show that Sydney has held a permanent visa which he acquired after marrying a Filipina.

However, his visa was nullified last year after his estranged wife lodged a “complaint of undesirability” against him. In the complaint, Sydney’s wife alleged that he physically, psychologically and emotionally abused her when they were living together.

Hi, may name is Cenon Villanueva. I hAve been unjsutly accused of kissing a 6 year old on the mouth but that is not what happened at all. No way. See she was coming towards me and I ducked to get out one her way and I accidentally kissed her on the forehead.  Honestly.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161019

The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the decision of a Manila court sentencing a 64-year-old garbage collector to up to 15 years in prison for kissing a six-year-old in the mouth in 2019.

Aside from the jail sentence, the court also awarded the victim PHP150,000 in indemnity and damages.

In his defense, Villanueva claimed he accidentally kissed the victim on the forehead -- not in the mouth -- when their paths crossed along a narrow alley.

The victim was on her way home from a computer shop.

Villanueva alleged that he avoided clotheslines and had to duck, causing the accidental contact.

He claimed the parents of the victim sued him because they resented his failure to collect their garbage sometimes. He reasoned it only happens when the garbage truck was unavailable.

He also said the parents often saw him drunk.

"There is no showing that the RTC overlooked or misinterpreted some facts or circumstances of weight and substance in convicting appellant. Indeed, appellant’s defense is in the nature of a denial which hardly creates reasonable doubt of his guilt in light of his testimony that he was at the place and time of the act of lascivious conduct," the court ruled in a decision dated November 18.

Hi, my name is Ador Castro. My family was given cash aid from the government to buy food but instead I bought a bottle of wine. My father started yelling at me so I tried to punch him but my younger brother intervened and we got into a fight. I tried to hack him with a bolo but he stabbed me first. Maybe they will drink that bottle of wine during my funeral.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1521491/teen-stabs-older-brother-to-death-in-cagayan-town

A farmer in Allacapan town in Cagayan province was stabbed to death by his younger brother after a heated argument when the former spent his cash aid from the local government on wine, police said.

Maj. Antonio Palattao, Allacapan police chief, identified the fatality as Ador Castro, 43, who sustained a chest stab wound after he was attacked by his 18-year-old brother, identified as Jefferson, with a kitchen knife.

Investigators said Ador was castigated by their father for spending the cash on an alcoholic drink instead of buying food for their family.

When Ador allegedly tried to hit his father, Jefferson intervened, which resulted in a verbal tussle between the brothers.

Ador tried to attack Jefferson with a bolo but the younger brother managed to stab him first, causing Ador’s death. Jefferson told investigators that he acted in self-defense. 

Hi, my name is being withheld. I am the Mother of three kids whose baby drowned in there feet of water while we were on vacation. Please don't judge us.  We did not ask for this to happen. It was a complete accident and not negligence on our part. The kids wanted to go swimming. We told them to eat breakfast first but they would not listen so we let them go off by themselves to the pool. We could see the pool from our window so we thought it was no big deal to let the swim alone with one to watch them and keep them safe. The older kids left the youngest alone in the kiddie pool and she drowned, possibly hitting her head when she fell in the pool. It could have happened to anyone.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/414217/family-outing-turns-into-tragedy-7-year-old-drowns-in-3-feet-deep-pool

(In the morning, the kids were set to take a dip in the pool but the parents of the kids told them that they had first have breakfast. But the three kids insisted because they wanted to really swim in the pool, so they — the victim, her older brother and sister — left and later the victim drowned in the pool.) 

(The parents did not stop the kids, and besides they can see the pool from their room, which was adjacent to the pool. They can just see the pool from their room’s window so they were not worried about their children. (But) a few moments later, there was a commotion outside.) 

The family immediately hurriedly went outside when they learned about the commotion. 

Pacaldo said that the victim was left by her siblings in the three-feet-deep kiddie pool because they went to the nearby kiddie slide. 

The 7-year-old victim had with her a floater, but she was not able to use it when she started swimming at the pool. 

Pacaldo also learned from the representative of the management that there was only one lifeguard at that time because the second lifeguard arrived late. 

(There were supposed to be two lifeguards-on duty at that time but the other lifeguard was late in coming to work. There was only one lifeguard present during the time of the incident. And we talked with the lifeguard, who told us that he was roving at that time of the incident. The resort have a lot of pools.)

Hi, my name is Saiden Esmael. I live in a house on the side of a busy highway. My house isn't exactly well built as it is constructed out of light materials as are my neighbors. One day I was asleep in my hammock inside the house when all of a sudden a speeding van lost control and plowed right through my house killing me. Instead of filing a criminal case my family and the driver's family have agreed to an amicable settlement.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160828

A construction worker resting on a hammock inside his roadside home in Rajah Buayan, Maguindanao died when a wayward passenger van plowed through several homes made of light materials in the area on Wednesday noon.

Rajah Buayan Mayor Jack Ampatuan said the man was asleep in a hammock inside his home when the speeding white Toyota Hi-Ace passenger van hit at least three houses along the highway in Barangay Sapakan.

The mayor identified the fatality as Saiden Esmael, 37, a construction worker of a police station in Rajah Buayan.

“He was resting when the freak accident happened,” Ampatuan said over a local radio station interview.

“Both sides, the van owner and the victim’s relatives, have agreed to a peaceful settlement,” he said.

A witness who saw the incident said in a separate radio interview that the van was speeding at the time of the incident.

“The driver might have lost control of the steering wheel,” the witness, identified only as a certain Datu, said.

Hi, my name is Ronald Tolo. I was having a drinking session with the security guard of my condo up on the roof. It's a lovely place. You can see the whole city. Things spiraled out of hand when we got into a heated argument. Suddenly he pulled out a gun and shot me several times. I stumbled backwards and fell off the roof and plunged seven stories down to the ground below.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1521960/security-guard-fatally-shoots-man-on-makati-condo-rooftop-after-argument

A security guard allegedly shot and killed a man after a heated argument during a drinking session on a rooftop of a condominium in Makati City. The man then fell from the rooftop.

Authorities identified the security guard as Dionisio Tabla, 58 years old, and the victim as Ronald Tolo, 38 years old.

According to a police report, a witness heard gunshots from the building and saw a man fall to the ground before. The person reported the incident to the authorities at around 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

After an initial investigation, the police disclosed that the two were having a drinking spree before getting into a heated argument which led to Tabla allegedly drawing a firearm and shooting Tolo multiple times.

Tolo sustained gunshot wounds to different parts of his body and fell seven stories from the condominium rooftop.

Hi, my name is anonymous nine year old girl. My daddy's friend came over and invited me out with him to buy bread. So I went. But he took me to a vacant lot and crushed my head with a rock and raped me. 

https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/30/girl-assaulted-by-dads-friend-dies-in-hospital/

A nine-year-old girl died Monday, November 29, two days after being found wounded in a vacant lot in Barangay Taculing here, where she was allegedly assaulted by a friend of her father. 

Police Maj. Leo Estopa, head of Police Station 6, said the victim, whose name was withheld, passed away at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) here around 2:55 a.m. due to head injuries. 

Estopa said the suspect went to the child’s house in Barangay Banago here last Friday, as he is a friend of her father. 

He then invited the child to go with him to buy bread, but they ended up in Barangay Taculing. 

Estopa said the suspect alleged that he got irked when he saw his girlfriend allegedly entering a lodging house, and turned his anger on the child. 

Trava, in a media interview, initially denied that he sexually molested the child. 

But, based on the medical examination, the victim was later confirmed to have been sexually abused, Estopa said.

Hi, my name is Zahariya Bansuan. I was out riding my motorcycle with my 14 year old son when all of a sudden men pulled up and fired on us. We were both killed instantly. Now we will join my husband who was killed last month over a long standing grudge. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161898

Police are trying to pursue two “persons of interest” linked to the shooting of a widow and her son in Talayan, Maguindanao on Sunday.

Col. Jibin Bongcayao, Maguindanao police director, said Monday that victims Zahariya Bansuan and her 14-year-old son died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Bongcayao said the mother was driving a motorbike with her son around 5 p.m. Sunday while traversing the national highway in Sitio Matalam, Barangay Poblacion, Talayan, Maguindanao when they were attacked by riding-in-tandem suspects.

The gunmen sped off toward adjacent Datu Piang town after the incident.

“We believed it was due to a long-drawn grudge,” Bongcayao said, adding that the victim’s husband was also shot dead last month in Cotabato City.

Hi, my name is Dr. Raul Winston Andutan. I was sitting in my SUV when all of a sudden a motorcycle pulled up and I was fired upon. I was able to drive away but I ended up crashing and hitting a pedestrian. Later I died at the hospital. It turns out my death was a hit job because of a patient that died while in my care. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523981/cagayan-de-oro-surgeon-slain-for-p150000-bounty-arrested-suspects-confess

For a P150,000 bounty to be shared by four people, a prominent surgeon and urologist was recently shot and killed in this city, according to a confession of two arrested suspects.

The suspects were arrested on Friday, the day they were supposed to collect the promised sum, and some 17 hours after they committed the crime.

Dr. Raul Winston Andutan, 62, medical director of Maria Reyna-Xavier University Hospital (MRXUH), was alone in his SUV when he was shot dead in Barangay Nazareth at past 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Although wounded, he was still able to drive away from the attackers but eventually rammed a vehicle in front of a laundry shop, injuring a bystander.

Andutan was rushed to the MRXUH in nearby Barangay Camaman-an where he was expired.

On Friday, at around 3 a.m., police operatives swooped down on Barangay San Alonzo, Balingoan town, Misamis Oriental, some 88 kilometers away from here, and arrested three suspects, all residents of Bukidnon province.

Lt. Teddy Macarayo, acting Balingoan police chief, identified them as Jomar Pacilan Adlao, 30, of Maramag town; Marjun Abayon Cabug, 39, of Don Carlos; and Joel Arcilla Nacua, 37, of Valencia City.

Interviewed on Friday by local broadcast station Magnum Radyo, Nacua admitted shooting Andutan while on board a motorcycle driven by Cabug.

According to Nacua, Tortosa, who served as lookout outside the home of Andutan, signaled to him that their target had already left his residence.

Alerted by Tortosa of the vehicle’s plate number, Nacua and Cabug then trailed Andutan until they found the chance to carry out the crime.

Nacua and Cabug separately told Magnum Radyo that the hit job was arranged by Tortosa whom they know to be an ex-Army personnel.

Tortosa also owned the Balingoan house where they stayed and the motorcycle, and also the pistols and grenade taken from them, Nacua added.

While claiming they did not know the mastermind, Nacua and Cabug said they were told by Tortosa that Andutan allegedly caused the death of a patient.

 

Hi, my name is sixteen year old boy. I have been under a lot of stress lately with my school modules. So much so that I went wild and hammered in the evening. I took a hammer and went bang bang down upon my mom's head and I made sure that she was dead. Then my father arrived home and since I had that hammer I hammered out a warning on him too. Now they won't badger me to study my school modules.

https://www.panaynews.net/boy-16-hammers-ma-to-death-injures-father/

A 16-year-old student in Anini-y, Antique hammered his mother to death and injured his father. 

“Basi na-pressure ang bata sa iya modules, sa iya studies. Amo to guro nga daw naglain sya,” said Police Corporal Randolf Gomez of the Anini-y police station. 

The 52-year-old Mildred Datuin of Barangay Magdalena, Anini-y died at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital for severe wounds on her head. 

Her husband Rolly, 49, was taken to the same hospital for treatment.

The “hammering” took place on Sunday at the Datuin house around 10:30 p.m., according to Gomez. 

The couple’s son just went wild, he said, and attacked his mother first. 

The mother and son were alone in the house that time. 

When Rolly came home, his son also attacked him with a hammer, said Gomez. 

From what the Anini-y police so far gathered, his parents constantly badgered the teenager to study his school learning modules.

Insurgency: Preemptive Strike

It's disingenuous how the AFP always traces their statistics back to the beginning of the current President. When Duterte is finally gone they will reset and begin anew with "so many X have Y" since 2022. It does not give one the whole picture.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161322

Over 20,000 people linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) have surrendered and abandoned the local armed struggle through the effective whole-of-nation approach of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

During the virtual press briefing of the NTF-ELCAC on Monday, Defense Undersecretary and Task Force Balik Loob (TFBL) chair Reynaldo Mapagu disclosed that since the start of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration, the government has recorded a total of 20,579 surrenderers, which included 5,262 NPA fighters, 3,414 members of Militia ng Bayan, 7,626 mass supporters, and 2,224 underground mass organization members.

Mapagu said these former rebels have revealed to authorities the locations of 51 NPA arms caches nationwide yielding 245 firearms and 100 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and anti-personnel mines (APMs).

“The recovery of these arms cache is reflective of the dwindling warm bodies in the NPA which is a result of the efforts of the NTF-ELCAC, the continuous military and police operations and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip), the government’s flagship program for the reintegration of former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Mapagu said.

Mapagu added that the government has spent over half a billion pesos in various programs to aid former rebels to live peaceful and productive lives.

He said as of November 28, a total of PHP485,462,013 worth of assistance were given to 6,418 individual former rebels nationwide. Of the total, 6,164 of them received immediate cash assistance; 3,744 were given livelihood assistance; 5,198 for reintegration assistance; and 1,430 received remuneration from surrendering their firearms.

Mapagu said the firearms surrendered by the former rebels were all destroyed to show that “there are no so-called recycling of these firearms” and also to end their role as weapons of violence.

He also said there are 623 former rebels who already joined the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with 66 of them "are now enlisted in AFP’s regular forces," while the remaining 557 former rebels are now members of Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU).

That number 20,579 is ridiculously bloated. Only 5,262 of those surrenderers were actual NPA fighters. Once again the AFP's figures are shown to be largely guesswork.  How many NPA fighters were left in, oh, say 2016?

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/10/1541377/afp-releases-conflicting-figures-npa-strength

AFP chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri reported last Friday that the number of NPA members stood at 3,926 as of the end of 2015 from 4,443 in 2014. He said a total of 31 insurgents were captured or killed last year. The military also claimed to have dismantled 13 guerrilla fronts and cleared 292 barangays of communist rebels.

At the beginning of 2016 the number of estimated NPA fighters stood at 3,926. And how many are there in 2021?

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

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

Roughly the same amount as at the beginning of 2016. Yet we are told that since 2016 5,262 actual NPA fighters, not supporters, have surrendered. And that does not include the number of NPA fighters who have been killed. That would mean that since 2016 the NPA gained and lost 5,262 fighters. That would mean the NPA is having no problems recruiting people and that their cause is not seen as lost or worthless. Let's look at it this way:

2016 estimated NPA fighters left:  3,926

2021 estimated NPA fighters left: 4,000

Number of NPA fighters who surrendered since 2016 (not including those killed): 5,262

Where did all these NPA fighters come from? Did the NPA really recruit 5,262 fighters and loose them within the space of five years time? That is incredible and unbelievable. That means 1,000 new recruits each year joined the NPA and and 1,000 more surrendered to the AFP. And we have been told several times during this same period that the NPA is soon to be defeated and is irrelevant! Perhaps the AFP does not know the real strength of the NPA. 

It is best that the AFP does not let their guard down. The NPA is not irrelevant or inutile. They are still out to kill.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161335

The Philippine Army has condemned the New People’s Army (NPA) for attacking government troops serving under a community support program (CSP) in Las Navas, Northern Samar that injured a soldier.

Col. Perfecto Peñaredondo, commander of the Philippine Army’s 803rd Infantry Brigade, said soldiers were in the area on Monday to help resolve issues being exploited by the terrorist group, as well as to deliver the much-needed basic services.

"The attack will again disrupt the delivery of services for the people in the area," Peñaredondo said in a statement sent to reporters Monday night.

It prompted the troops to return fire, causing the terrorists to scamper to the forested areas, Peñaredondo said.

Ah, yes. The NPA fighters scampered to the forest like little rabbits. Did no one pursue them? Was air support not called? Did the Army really just let them go? 

In Iloilo the scene was different as the AFP launched a pre-emptive strike on an NPA hideout killing 16 fighters.

https://www.panaynews.net/preemptive-strike-govt-troops-overrun-npa-miag-ao-camp-16-killed/

To prevent an alleged plan of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to attack a military patrol base in the municipality of Miag-ao, the Philippine Army launched a preemptive strike on a rebel encampment in the town’s hinterland sitio of Burak in Barangay Alimodias beginning 6 a.m. yesterday.

Sixteen suspected rebels were killed, according to Major General Benedict Arevalo, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, last night. This was double the eight casualties initially reported.

High-powered firearms were also seized.

The Army launched the attack after being informed by residents that rebels – believed to be members of the NPA Suyak, Sentro de Grabedad (SDG) Platoon, Southern Front (SF)-Panay – were consolidating in Sitio Burak and planning to attack Army patrol bases in line with the anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines on Dec. 26.

“We are determined to employ all of our military assets to wipe the communist terrorists out from the communities,” said Arevalo.

The overrun NPA camp had an estimated 70 cadres.

“They were in a meeting para planohan ang kanilang attack sa government forces. I believed it was a general meeting,” said Arevalo.

They ran for their lives when government troops launched the attack, he said.

Arevalo believed more rebels died or were injured.

So, they let 54 NPA fighters get away? Did they not run after them to verify if there were more dead or injured? Was air support called in? It's great that they surprised 16 of them but now there are 54 vengeful NPA fighters out there who will no doubt try to strike in the future. And to think those 16 dead men could have availed of the government's lavish bribery program had they surrendered. 

But wait a second. Apparently 16 NPA fighters did not die in this encounter. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161703

The death toll in the clash between New People's Army rebels and government soldiers in Barangay Alimodias, Miagao, Iloilo last December 1 has risen to nine as the military on Friday continued to confirm and identify the fatalities.

“Our clearing and pursuit operations still continue as of now. We are still confirming reports of more death and wounded from their group,” Arevalo said in an interview.

He added that possibly the death count would increase to 16 or 17 and a dozen more could be wounded given the number of casualties.

As acknowledged in the report from Panay News initially there were 8 reported casualties. Then the number rose to 16. Now it has been lowered to 9 but it could go back to 16 as the Army continues to confirm casualties. How could they mess up something so simple as the body count for this operation? How are we supposed to trust their other numbers regarding surrenderers? The math never seems to add up.

The AFP knows the NPA remains a threat and has even warned against recruitment strategies currently taking place.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161420

A Philippine Army official has warned residents in remote communities in Leyte of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) recruitment strategy this pandemic.

Brig. Gen. Zosimo Oliveros, Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade commander, said on Wednesday the NPA has been concentrating on organizing groups of farmers, taking advantage of their need for livelihood opportunities during this health crisis.

“People in far-flung areas are being organized and they were promised with assistance for them to cope up with the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic. They are not aware that they are being exploited by the NPA,” Oliveros told reporters.

The official believes that insurgents resort to other tactics as movement restrictions hindered their regular recruitment efforts, organizing and mobilizing activities, as well as raising funds for logistics.

“In the process of organizing people, they attempt to indoctrinate them on government flaws and eventually convince them to go full-time,” Oliveros added.

There are still 40 remaining NPA fighters hiding in the mountains of Leyte Island with no permanent lair, according to Oliveros.

"No permanent lair." Are these orphaned tigers or NPA fighters we're talking about here? Surely they have some place to lay their head. 

Despite all the LGUs who have declared the NPA persona non grata and despite the alleged loss of community support the government still has to warn people to not give them material support.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/813176/gov-t-warns-against-giving-money-material-support-to-cpp-npa-ndf/story/

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has warned the public against providing money and material support to the Communist Party of the Philippine-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), saying they could be penalized with life imprisonment for doing so.

The AMLC said that recovered CPP-NPA documents, statements of former NPA members, and other reliable sources reveal that communist terrorists raise and collect funds through extortion/taxation, including election fees, such as “permits to campaign/win” from politicians.

“According to a former ranking NPA member, fees collected from political candidates are pro-rated based on the sought position. Other regular and major sources of funds are mining companies, telephone companies, construction firms, and other businesses, including project funds from abroad,” it said.

“These funds amount to billions of pesos, where 60% goes to the CPP Central Committee and 40% remains with the regional units for their terrorist operations,” it added.

Apart from money, communist terrorists also receive firearms, combat boots, uniforms, and technical equipment/gadgets, according to the AMLC.

“Putting an end to the local communist movement entails cutting off their sources of funding and other means of support,” it said.

While some of that money is collected through extorting businesses and politicians it would appear some is freely given. Why else would the government warn the public against giving the NPA material support? 

The new leader of the Dawlah Islamiya was killed this week along with four of his followers.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1523267/terror-group-leader-4-others-killed-in-maguindanao-clash

Military authorities here announced on Friday the death of another ranking leader of the Islamic State-linked group Daulah Islamiyah and four of his followers in a clash with state forces in Maguindanao last Thursday.

Major Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the army’s 6th Infantry Division, identified the slain terrorist leader as Asim Karinda alias Abu Azim.

Karinda and his followers clashed with elements of the Army’s 6th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Dabenayan, Mamasapano town, according to Uy.

Uy said that Karinda was the new emir of the Dawulah Islamiyah terrorist organization operating in Maguindanao following the death of Salahudin Hasan last October.

It idid not take long for a new leader of the DI to emerge and the time it took to kill him was even shorter. But there are others in the wings. The son of a sub-leader of the DI was also killed this week.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161633

A son of a Dawlah Islamiya (DI) terror group sub-leader was killed in an encounter with government forces in Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in this province, the military here said Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) commander and concurrent chief of the military-led Joint Task Force Central (JTFC), identified the slain DI member as Adsam, son of Hassan Indal, a field leader of the terror group in Maguindanao.

Banaag disclosed that the firefight transpired after residents of the village alerted government forces about the presence of armed men extorting food supplies in the village.

Perhaps Hassan Indal will now step up as leader of the Dawlah Islamiya. Either way the AFP is expecting retaliatory attacks for killing the current leader.