Coronavirus Lockdown: Traditional Cockfighting, Face-to-Face Classes Depends on Vaccination, and More!

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

It's official. The IATF has now allowed traditional cockfighting to resume operations.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1528090/iatf-allows-cockpits-to-operate-traditional-cockfighting-to-resume-under-alert-level-2

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases permitted the operation of cockpits and the resumption of traditional cockfighting under Alert Level 2, but subject to the discretion of the local government units (LGUs).

(The IATF decided to allow the operation of cockpits and traditional cockfighting under Alert Level 2 if the LGUs, where the operations will be conducted, have no objection.)

Nograles called on the LGUs to shut down cockpits if operators failed to comply with the health protocols.

“We enjoin LGUs that will allow the resumption of cockfighting operations to strictly, strictly enforce and implement protocols and to shut down operators that fail to adhere to minimum health standards,” he appealed.

Traditional cockfighting is in opposition to online cockfighting which Cayetano says is the next pandemic.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/22/cayetano-online-sabong-gambling-are-the-new-pandemic/

Online cockfighting and gambling have been described by former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano as the “new pandemic” that requires immediate government action in order to save Filipino families from social, moral and economic degradation. 

“There is a new pandemic that the government is not trying to stop, bagkus [ay] baliktad (even more so the other way around). It seems the government is pushing this pandemic through PAGCOR and I hope Congress is not part of it,” Cayetano told a press conference over the weekend.

Why isn't traditional cockfighting a pandemic too? It kills birds and wastes money and destroys homes. Traditional cockfighting is gambling just the same as online cockfighting.

Duterte told the EU F You back in 2016 but the EU is saying Vax You to the Philippines in 2021.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162907

At least three European countries have expressed to continue their support to the Philippines in accessing vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

This, as nearly 7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines donated by Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom arrived on Wednesday, which are part of over 10 million vaccine doses delivered in the country, the highest single-day delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to date.

Two batches of Moderna vaccines donated by the German government arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport -- one in the afternoon with 856,800 doses and the other batch in the evening with 2,840,100 doses.

In total, 3,696,900 doses of Moderna vaccine were donated by the German government through the COVAX Facility.

“We regard it important to support the Philippine efforts in the Covid response for a fast and sustainable recovery, and trust that these vaccines will be used in the upcoming vaccination drive contributing to the vaccination of minors in the context of necessary reopening of schools as well as to the boosters of healthcare workers and front-liners,” German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel said in a media interview.

She added that with the vaccine donations, Germany is living up to its commitment to international solidarity and cooperation, especially in times of crisis.

On the other hand, the Dutch government donated 3,055,200 doses of Janssen vaccines.

“I’m very happy that we can support the Vax to the Max Campaign of the Filpino government and very pleased that we can do that together with the European partner, so it’s team Europe at work,” Dutch Ambassador to the Philippines Saskia de Lang said.

European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron also joined Reiffenstuel and de Lang during the vaccine arrival.

Will European countries also be helping the Philippines implement the kind of draconian mandatory vaccination program as they have?

The unvaccinated are being urged to not attend dawn mass this year.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162866

Unvaccinated individuals may want to reconsider physically attending the traditional dawn masses (Simbang Gabi) that will begin December 15, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said unvaccinated individuals may want to consider attending virtual Simbang Gabi instead to minimize the risk of catching Covid-19.

“Sa mga hindi pa po bakunado, mas mainam po na mag-attend na lang po ng online or virtual Simbang Gabi; mas mainam po magpabakuna na po tayo (To those unvaccinated, it is better if you attend online or virtual Simbang Gabi; but it is better to get vaccinated),” he said in a Palace press briefing.

Meanwhile, Nograles reminded vaccinated devotees attending dawn masses to continue observing minimum public health standards.

“Ituloy po natin i-observe ang (Let us continue observing) minimum public health standards – mag-mask po, hugas, iwas pa rin po tayo lalo na nandiyan pa rin iyong banta ng Omicron variant (let us wear masks, wash hands, keep distance especially now that the threat of Omicron variant is close),” he added.

"The threat of Omicron variant." Four words that will take us back to the worst days of 2020 when the whole nation was locked down. And if that happens the blame is on YOU!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1528416/expert-notes-communitys-role-in-preventing-omicrons-spread

The community has a role to play on how the tracing and isolation of possible close contacts and secondary contacts of the first two Omicron variant cases in the country will be done, an infectious disease expert said Thursday.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, chief of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital and a member of the Department of Science and Technology’s Vaccine Expert Panel, said all of the co-passengers of the first two cases in their flights should be isolated and tested for COVID-19.

“The crucial part here is number one, are they being contacted already? Number two, are they being instructed to isolate themselves even without the symptoms, and number three, were there also secondary contacts of these index cases so they will also be monitored?” Solante told CNN Philippines’ The Source.

“So everything should really be relying now on the community on how the contact tracing, isolation, and observation of symptoms will be done,” he added.

Just look at the picture accompanying this article. How ridiculous. There is no need for health workers to dress like that. They only do so to send a message but the only message I hear is that health officials are fools.

Typhoon Odette caused billions in damage and resulted in a few hundred deaths but the vaccine supply was spared suffering only minimal damage.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/21/2149201/vaccine-wastage-typhoon-hit-areas-minimal-doh

A hundred vials of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines were wasted in Region 6 due to a power outage caused by Typhoon Odette, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

According to DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, they are closely monitoring the situation in typhoon-hit areas.

However, they received reports that the Pfizer vaccines in Tinangawan in Iloilo province got wasted because of a power interruption resulting from the typhoon.

Vergeire assured the public that the cluster would be “replenishing” the wasted jabs in the region.

Citing reports from the National Vaccination Operations Clusters, Vergeire noted that there has been “minimum” vaccine wastage due to the calamity.

“Thanks to the local government units (LGUs), because the impact of the typhoon on our vaccines had been minimized,” she told a press briefing.

Vergeire added the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had reported “no vaccine wastage” while the assessments for Regions VII, VIII and Caraga are still ongoing.

So far only 100 vials of Pfizer were wasted due to power outages but there could be more as they continue to monitor the situation throughout the region.

Do you have children who need to get back in the classroom? Well according to Education Secretary Briones you had better make sure they have been injected with an experimental mRNA drug which neither prevents infection or transmission of COVID-19.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/12/21/resumption-of-face-to-face-classes-relies-on-vaccination-outcome-deped-says/

Education Secretary Leonor Briones strongly encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) noting that this will play a very crucial role in the resumption of face-to-face classes in schools that offer basic education nationwide. 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dec. 21, Briones expressed hope for continuous expansion of limited face-to-face classes. She also highly encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated as the “resumption of face-to-face classes relies on the outcome of the immunization campaign.” 

Briones also expressed hope that the DepEd would be able to continuously expand the implementation of limited face-to-face classes as more Filipinos are vaccinated with the success of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Days.

"(So we are very happy and it’s a great honor for us to work with Secretary Duque and Secretary Galvez and Vince [Dizon] on this campaign because the success of education is very dependent on the health of our children and we need to protect our children not only your 12-17 years old children, but everyone including the parents themselves),” Briones said.

It's a nice sentiment but the expirental mRNA vaccine does not protect anybody. It is in fact what is fueling the spike in variants which are resistant to any protection from the vaccine. Children are the least susceptible group for contracting the virus. But who knew that Briones had any authority to speak on health matters.

The Philippines has loaded a record low amount of new COVID-19 cases but the DOH says that's because some labs were not operating and not because there actually are a low number of cases.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/815407/philippines-registers-only-168-new-covid-19-cases-due-to-low-lab-output/story/

The Philippines on Tuesday reported only 168 new COVID-19 infections, raising the country's total tally to 2,837,719.

According to the Department of Health, four laboratories were not operational on December 19 and 20 laboratories were not able to submit their data on time.

"Based on data in the last 14 days, the 24 labs contribute, on average, 4.8% of samples tested and 4.5% of positive individuals," the DOH said.

It also noted that of the 168 cases, 159 occurred within the recent 14 days. The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were Metro Manila, Region 4-A, and Region 6.

What is the point here? Is it to cast doubt in the people's minds about the objective fact that cases are in decline? Why would they want to add such a caveat especially with their vaccination program needing to look good. Vaccines prevent infection right?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/815542/gov-t-pushing-to-reach-54m-fully-vaxxed-target-by-end-of-year-galvez/story/

With just over a week left until the end of the year, the Philippine government is still pushing to reach its target of fully vaccinating 54 million individuals against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

According to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., this may be achieved through the use of the single-shot Janssen vaccine, which will immediately tag the vaccine recipient as fully-vaccinated.

“We are still pushing since we have the J&J available vaccines and we have 6 million due for second dosing,” Galvez told GMA News Online.

Though he is hopeful that the number of daily jabs administered will increase to over 1 million, Galvez said the closure of more than 1,000 vaccination sites due to Typhoon Odette will affect the target.

Currently, over 45.2 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Optimistic kami dito na maabot natin (we are optimistic that we can reach this). We are around 45 million so we have around 8 something million na kailangan habulin,” Dr. Kezia Lorraine Rosario of NVOC said.

One dose of the Janssen vaccine immediately makes one fully-vaccinated? No boosters needed?  No third and fourth shot needed? The rest of the world has a completely different message and even the Philippines is talking about boosters. Sounds like the DOH just wants to inflate those numbers and look good.

Broken Fluorescent Lights Tossed in the Grass

I have so many pictures of the Philippines that have been holed up on my hard drive waiting to see the light of day. A lot of these pictures are of trash. It really boggles my mind the way people toss their garbage and I don't mean like a bag of household waste or food. That's understandable sure. It's wrong but I get it. What I will never understand is stuff like this:

That is a large pile of fluorescent lights tossed out on the side of the road. How did they get there? Who has this many burned out fluorescent lights to throw on the side of the road? This is not normal house trash. This is the garbage of an electrician. And he did not just toss them on the side of the road. No, he took his time to hide them behind some tall grass.

It's sad but there is nothing to be done about it except look and document. Eventually someone removed these broken lights but they were replaced with bags of garbage and boxes of empty liquor bottles. In the Philippines the environment just can't win.

Insurgency: Rich Kid Spoiled Brat

This week Eastmincom says surrenders among the NPA are up because of their relentless OPs.

https://www.facebook.com/5thcrg/photos/a.282972858394184/4844301965594561

Eastern Mindanao Command’s (EastMinCom) relentless operations against the Communist Terrorist Group, as directed by Commander LtGen. Greg T. Almerol, elicited a spike in surrender as 11 more communist terrorists capitulated while troops also seized high-powered firearms and explosives on separate incidents.

LtGen. Almerol said that the surrenderers belong to the CTG’s Far South Mindanao Region (FSMR) and Sub-Regional Committee 3 of North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (SRC3, NCMRC) who capitulated on December 5 and 7, respectively.

“We will never stop until the remaining CTG members are neutralized. We are determined more than ever to capture them that is why I urge them to surrender peacefully instead of continuing to evade our forces,” LtGen. Almerol said.

“The level of determination that our troops in Eastern Mindanao have since the beginning never wavered. Our men are strong and resolute in ending the local communist armed conflict in the country and finally pave way for unhampered development” LtGen. Almerol added.  

LtGen. Almerol added that troops are also cultivating a culture of cooperation with the Philippine National Police, the populace, and the Local Government Units (LGU) in support of the whole-of-nation approach as ordered by Executive Order 70, the national's campaign in ending the local communist armed conflict.

Has Eastmincom not been cooperating with the PNP or vice versa until recently? It is certainly better if NPA fighters surrender so they can avail of the government's bribery program. Of course that is a burden on law abiding tax payers but that isn't stopping the NTF-ELCAC from gripping on to their funds.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162951

By slashing the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) by PHP10.8 billion, lawmakers have shown that they are not true public servants.

NTF-ELCAC Spokesperson for Sectoral Concerns Lorraine Marie Badoy made this statement after Congress set the 2022 budget of the NTF-ELCAC at PHP17.1 billion, PHP10.8 billion lower compared to the PHP28.1 billion earlier proposed by Malacañang.

Badoy, also Undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), said slashing the NTF-ELCAC budget would adversely affect the government’s Barangay Development Program (BDP) which aims to provide insurgency-cleared villages funds for projects that would improve their quality of life.

“(NTF-ELCAC regrets the bicameral committee's ruthless slashing of the task force's budget that would have provided services to the 1,406 poorest cleared barangays in the Philippines),” she said in a press statement.

She slammed lawmakers for being “deaf” to the appeals made by President Rodrigo Duterte and local chief executives to reconsider their decision to slash the NTF-ELCAC budget.

“(Instead of listening to the pleas of local chief executives that share the same sentiment not to cut the fund that will provide farm-to-market roads, health centers, schools, the bicameral committee is deaf and slashed almost half of the budget of NTF-ELCAC),” she said.

“(They just shrugged when our President asked them to return to the PHP28 billion the cut budget),” she added.

Badoy said the lawmakers have only proved that they cannot be trusted for denying communities "freed" from the influence of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) from receiving much-needed assistance.

Meanwhile, Badoy blamed senators for supposedly “conspiring” with members of the CPP-NPA-NDF with their decision to cut the NTF-ELCAC’s budget.

“(This plague lasted for so long not only because of the CPP-NPA-NDF but also because of the politicians who were conspiring with them),” she said.

While communities have to bear the brunt of the NTF-ELCAC budget slash, she said this move will only make communist rebels happy.

“(Only one group is happy and a winner here and these are the butchers who have caused hardship and grief in the past 52 years: the communist terrorist CPP NPA NDF),” she said.

Lorraine Badoy is a particularly disgusting partisan bureaucrat who was not elected by anybody. If anyone is not a true public servant it is Lorraine Badoy. With her small brain it is not odd that she does not realize that TERRORISTS should not be bribed to surrender. No one is against development in the nation. In fact this should be ongoing and the proper protection provided so that the NPA does not burn or otherwise destroy equipment. It is a shame that there are millions without paved roads, electricity, and clean water. One cannot blame that on the NTF-ELCAC which was only recently formed.

This year marks the 53rd year of the Communist rebellion. That is rather insane. The government says that the Reds have accomplished absolutely nothing but have left a long trail of blood. But what does the CPP-NPA have to say for themselves?

https://international.thenewslens.com/article/160231

The civil war in the Philippines, home to the world’s longest communist insurgency, has been raging for the past 53 years. Since the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was founded in 1968, followed by its guerrillas in 1969, the Philippine government has been in a perennial conflict with the communists. At the height of the pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte singled out the insurrection as the country’s top conundrum. 

While the conflict itself evokes many questions about both sides, the communists ironically have shown more will than the Philippine bureaucracy to rule the country. 

“Red areas,” or areas of political power in the countryside, have been delineated by the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), where they say the reach of state forces is the weakest. In these areas, peasant masses are most exploited and more sympathetic to the cause of rebellion. 

Jose Ma. Sison, founding chairperson of the CPP, told The News Lens,“CPP cadres and NPA units have been organizing as local organs of political power (people’s committees of self-government), the barrio organizing committees, and barrio revolutionary committees.”

Bobby Tuazon, professor of the University of the Philippines and policy director of the Center for People’s Empowerment in Governance or CenPEG, believes that the rebels root itself in the rejection of the authority of the current Philippine bureaucracy driven by “landlords and comprador-capitalists” as the revolutionaries say.

“The armed revolutionary movement in the countryside has long-established some kind of a shadow government or revolutionary committees among the masses. They are sustained through revolutionary taxes, limited agrarian revolution, elimination of usurious practices against the peasants, production projects and other modes,” Tuazon explained. 

The communists boast of a presence in 73 out of 81 provinces in the Philippines, with all major islands and regions populated with their mass base. For them, this is a significant feat more than enough to assert a status of belligerency, or being a sovereign non-state force engaged in armed warfare with the Philippine government. 

NPA fighters discuss medical work while inside their campMarco Valbuena, the CPP’s Chief Information Officer, said, “The organs of political power in the village level and upwards are governed by the constitution and rules of the people’s democratic government. Its representatives are directly elected by the people through assemblies.”

It also has its committees to draw up programs and plans for literacy and education, public health, production, and the economy, peace and order, and culture, he said, along with “funds collected from agricultural taxes (1% of additional income gained by the peasants), its income-generating projects or borrowed from various agencies or organizations. It has its own armed and police force (through the village militias and self-defense units), which help enforce its policies and decisions.”

“In some areas, committees have generated funds to step up the production of palay (rice), root crops, and vegetables to ensure food supplies. They have also pooled funds from members of the barrio who received subsidies to help raise food production. Other areas have set up public libraries where they can make available books, conduct literacy and education programs and provide internet service. Some have established clinics that are run by the village health committee and local medics or health workers.”

Civil war? Shadow government? What are they talking about? To hear the AFP talk about it the CPP-NPA is irrelevant and has been declared persona-non-grata by so many barangays that they are on the run. And what is this about generating funds to "step up" food production?"

Let's look at the profile of one recently captured NPA fighter. She claims she is not with the NPA but is merely a teacher.

https://www.bulatlat.com/2021/12/13/questions-on-peace-rise-again-amid-capture-of-teacher-revolutionary/

A December 11 encounter between the New People’s Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in barangay Tinitian, Roxas, Palawan province resulted in the death of one NPA fighter and the separation of another. 

Justine Kate Raca, a teacher and member of the New People’s Army, was eventually forced to submit to Marines belonging to the AFP’s Western Command and is currently in custody as a prisoner of war. According to human rights watchdog Karapatan Southern Tagalog, however, the military is “coercing [Raca] to surrender” as part of their Enhanced Community Livelihood Integration Program (E-CLIP); something they assert is “against her rights as a prisoner of war.” 

Karapatan ST states that the military’s efforts to force Raca to surrender “impede on her rights and dignity to hold on to her political views and principles,” and is being used as a form of “psychological warfare” against her. 

In an interview for Palawan-based Radyo Brigada, Raca was asked what she was doing with the NPA. She responded that they were “providing a service.” 

“There are so many people that don’t get social services, and are prevented from making a living,” she said. “But the NPA, since we truly serve, that is what we give to those who do not get the services they need from the government.” 

Raca stated that she helped children in their modules. The children would go to the base camps and she would assist them in understanding their lessons. “There are no other teachers,” she said. “I’m the only one they have.”

That is one perspective. This lady is a teacher who instructs children of NPA fighters. She herself is not an NPA fighter. The AFP says differently.

https://palawan-news.com/female-rebel-surrenders-following-roxas-encounter/

A female member of the New People’s Army (NPA) operating in northern Palawan has surrendered to local authorities after being separated from her colleagues during a military encounter with government troops Friday in Barangay Tinitian, Roxas.

A certain Justine Kate D. Raca reportedly presented herself to the village chief of Tinitian after escaping from the firefight and offered to surrender.

Larida voiced concern, however, about the presence of learning modules recovered during their clearing operation, claiming that the NPA is attempting to recruit minors or high school students by offering a kind of tutorial service leading to indoctrination.

“I am sad because of the module [s] eh. It looks like there are high school [students] coming up to their camp, and they are still using this module to attract young people, ”Larida said.

A military source profiled the rebel surenderee, Justine Kate D. Raca, as an education graduate, but not yet licensed, from the University of the Philippines (UP), who is from Bulacan. She’s a UP Batch 15-A Sigma Alpha Sorority member and was a student leader.

"Rich kid spoiled brat siya," the source described Raca.

The AFP says the modules indicate that the NPA is attempting to recruit minors and they say that the teacher they caught is a "rich kid spoiled brat." Do rich kid spoiled brats go out to the jungles to teach children? No, they don't. Perhaps she thinks she is fighting for a cause. Perhaps she believes in something contrary to the AFP calling communism a wholly empty ideology.

Another region is soon to be declared insurgency free.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162937

Authorities have affirmed that Ilocos Region can now be declared as insurgency-free following a year of zero violent incidents involving the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

 

Brig. Gen. Krishnamurti Mortela, commander of the 702nd Infantry Brigade, in a phone interview on Thursday, said the region is qualified to move to the “last stage” in the classification of an area as insurgency-free based on the joint implementing rules and regulations.

 

Mortela said the first is insurgency stage wherein there are influence and presence of armed groups while the second is an area declared as conflict manageable and ready for further development, which has been done in the region as early as 10 years ago when the force of the communist-terrorist group was substantially reduced.

 

He said the third stage is the insurgency-free wherein the government is in full control and there are no longer armed groups. 

 

The territorial defenses are in place and de-radicalization (reorientation and reintegration) was done to the former supporters and the area was cleared of any influence of the communist-terrorist group, Mortela said.

 

“We have done this (third stage) and there has been relatively a year of peace,” he added.

“We affirm what we have been telling you that Region 1 (Ilocos Region) is insurgency-free. The lone KLG group has been dismantled (last year) and the remaining elements (of the group) have transferred to other guerilla fronts in the Cordillera Region, which are also getting dismantled that they are very weak now,” Esperon said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday afternoon hosted by the Philippine Information Agency Ilocos regional office.

The Ilocos Region is now insurgency free because there are no more armed groups in the area. However the reason they are not in the are is because they "transferred to other guerilla fronts in the Cordillera Region." But no worries as those fronts are also getting dismantled and becoming weak. That sounds less like a total victory and more like sweeping the dust from the living room into the kitchen.

Why Do Filipino Women Sell Their Babies and Sexually Exploit Children?

A few years ago I wrote two articles about child-trafficking in the Philippines being carried out through Facebook. This happens under the guise of adoption but it is nothing more or less but trafficking children. The sad truth of the matter is that poor women who cannot take care of their children hook up with shady characters who broker the sale of their child. Channel News Asia did a three part series on this problem last year in March 2020. Here are a few highlights from each part.

Part 1 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/babies-for-sale-an-investigation-into-philippines-adoption-trade-779076

A former midwife named Joyce searches the slums for women who want to sell their babies. She is in it for the money and does not care what happens to the child.

Boys and girls, Filipino and mixed-race, she has brokered them all. A few of them were even flown overseas where they might have joined a good family. But Joyce rarely knows where they ended up or if they are still alive. She does not really care. As soon as she got paid the commission, these babies were no longer her problem.

“If the mother is fine with it, why should I worry?” said the baby broker. She sits inside a van at a secluded parking lot not so far from her house.  

Other women operate in the same slums and claim that the practice of selling unwanted babies is widespread. It is not known exactly how widespread this problem is because the "NBI does not have a unit dedicated to tackling this crime." If they actually started looking then the number of cases would likely increase exponentially.

In the course of investigating the adoption trade, CNA spoke to two other baby brokers in the capital. Both of them said they operate in the same slum as Joyce, where unwanted pregnancies are common and paid adoption is widespread. One of the brokers has arranged three illegal transactions so far. The other has organised two. According to them, sellers tend to be young Filipino women who work at bars and do not want to raise their newborn babies. 

“Most of the time, we find these people in slum areas. They don’t want the pregnancy in the first place. So, the moment the child is born, they try to dispose of it. They try to sell it for money,” said Ronald Aguto, chief of the International Operations Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). 

Last year, he said his agency examined about 10 cases of commercial adoption of children. The case numbers have been "steady" in recent years, but that is because the NBI does not have a unit dedicated to tackling the crime. 

Aguto said that if there were investigators dedicated to this kind of crime, the case numbers would probably shoot up.

There is a high demand for these babies. Some of the buyers say they are not buying the baby for themselves. The baby will then disappear overseas. UNICEF says there is a global demand for tracked children for both cheap labor and sexual exploitation.

High demand for newborn children means orders keep coming in irrespective of whether there is a willing pregnant woman. Prospective buyers usually come to brokers with requests such as preferred gender, age and appearance. Then they will wait for the search to complete. If Joyce cannot find the right one, she said, her business will slow down. 

“But some people would tell me ‘This baby isn’t really going to be mine. I’m also giving it away to someone else’,” she told CNA.  

“They aren’t the ones adopting the babies; they just get them. Usually, we’d find out that babies bought from us are off to other places. How much did they get paid? They said 80,000 pesos (US$1,600)." 

According to UNICEF, there is a demand for trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation. Although there is no case linking illegal adoption to such crimes in the Philippines, Aguto said "it’s a big possibility because otherwise, they’ll go through the legal process to adopt somebody".

Perhaps there is no case yet linking illegal adoption in the Philippines to internationally trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation because the NBI does not have a dedicated unit to tackle those crimes. Perhaps the NBI needs to establish such a unit.

Part 2

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/philippines-mothers-trade-babies-for-illegal-adoption-779736

In the case of one woman, Christine, poverty and the fact that she already had eight children prompted her to sell her ninth child for $200 in hopes of starting her own sari-sari store.

Christine has decided her baby boy is worth US$200 and whoever can afford the price is welcome to adopt him. 

“I could use the money to start a business and sell something. At least something valuable could come out of what I’m about to do with my baby,” said the 29-year-old mother from one of Manila’s slums. 

Christine is unemployed and lives with her grandmother, who makes about US$2 a day. Life is already a constant struggle for them, even without the burden of raising a child. She already has eight children from three husbands. Most of them live with another relative elsewhere and hardly get in touch. 

For the likes of her, their unwanted pregnancy could open up financial opportunities and let them have a shot at a better life. The mother-of-eight claimed the idea of selling her son is painful but necessary, and that the money could help her start over. For that to happen, however, someone needs to buy him before he grows a stronger emotional bond with her.

“Money," Christine added. "Of course, I need that for my children. It’s not that I want to sell my kid. I just need the money.”

Illegal adoption is an open secret. For some women it's either an illegal abortion if they can afford it or selling their baby. One lady who sold her baby for $200 equates the ability to pay with the ability to give her baby a good life.

The sale of children for adoption is an open secret in poor Philippine communities. When someone gets pregnant without planning to, and does not have enough money for an illegal abortion, an option could be to look for an adoptive parent with cash to offer.  

Despite its commercial aspect, Jasmine views paid adoption as a guarantee for her child’s well-being. She believes whoever could pay US$200 to adopt him would be wealthy and able to give him a better life.  

“I don’t think anyone would adopt him to abuse him. I don’t think anyone would adopt him and make him work at a very young age,” she said.

Jasmine is naive but she is not alone in her naiveté Some children who are illegally adopted in the Philippines many find themselves in a loving home but many others are put to work or are sexually exploited.

Children traded in illegal adoption are considered trafficked under Philippine law. According to the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO), a number of children around the world are trafficked to become household servants. 

“The babies that are sometimes trafficked for adoption are sometimes an exception to this rule, because they may find themselves in a loving home. Often, however, they find themselves being raised for a specific exploitative purpose, for example to work on the family farm or in the family business,” it said in the Training Manual to Fight Trafficking in Children for Labour, Sexual and Other Forms of Exploitation. 

However, many Filipinos are still unaware of what constitutes child trafficking or the dangers it could pose to children, according to Coronel. At the same time, she added, the government’s crackdown on human traffickers mostly relies on tip-offs rather than being proactive.

Jasmine, as well as other women. do not care to go through the legal channels such as an adoption agency because she and they think it is too much of a hassle. They ask too many questions.

Part 3

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/facebook-emerging-market-for-philippines-baby-adoption-trade-779986

Facebook has emerged as a lucrative black market for those who wish to sell their babies and those looking to buy a baby. Though illegal adoption has been a problem for decades the use of social media to facilitate this trade is new.

Dalisay is 21 and her husband is 24. She said they can barely afford to even feed themselves and did not plan to have a child. Both are desperate to find an adoptive parent for their baby and to do so, they have opted to use Facebook, one of the most popular social media platforms in the Philippines, with more than 66 million users nationwide. 

According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), a leading agency in the national fight against the illicit trade, commercial adoption of children has existed in the Philippines for 15-20 years. However, its expansion online is a recent phenomenon. 

“Currently, they’re using our social media sites,” said Ronald Aguto, chief of the NBI’s International Operations Division. “They’ve become anonymous.” 

Last year, his division intercepted a gang of child traffickers in an entrapment operation. Following a tip-off and long negotiations with perpetrators, officers managed to catch four Filipinos red-handed, selling an infant inside a department store. Two of them were parents of the child, who Aguto said was six days old. The others were brokers who set up a social media account to look for a buyer and negotiated the price.

Facebook has a zero tolerance for pages which promote human exploitation but they continue to proliferate.

According to Facebook, the company recently consolidated its existing policies into one dedicated section focusing on human exploitation and continues to remove any of such content as soon as it becomes aware of it.  

“We have a zero tolerance policy for human exploitation, including the sale of children for illegal adoption. This is something we take extremely seriously, and we use a mix of proactive detection technologies and community reports to find and remove this content as quickly as possible. We also work with law enforcement in situations where there is immediate risk of harm,” a Facebook company spokesperson told CNA.

Many of these pages are hard to trace because they originate outside of the Philippines.

For years, the DSWD and law enforcement agencies have traced suspicious Facebook pages and groups to investigate possible commercial adoptions. However, according to the DSWD’s assistant secretary Glenda Relova, most of them emanate from outside the Philippines and operate as closed groups. 

“The membership within the groups is closed. So, it’s hard to access without the cooperation of Facebook,” she told CNA.

That fact coupled with the fact that many Filipino babies are being bought for overseas customers is proof enough that something more sinister than merely two loving parents adopting a lovely baby from a needy mother. Undoubtedly these children are being exploited whether sexually or through forced labour.

The first article this series is illustrated with an infographic showing how the baby trade works.

I think we can all agree that the black market for babies is awful and the government should do everything it can to dismantle the networks that support it. That the NBI does not have a unit dedicated to tackling this crime is abhorrent. 

Selling babies is not the only way Filipinas abuse their children. Some of them sell explicit pictures to strangers online. A notable example recently went beyond that.

https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2021/11/ohio-man-gets-27-years-in-prison-for-paying-poor-filipino-mothers-for-child-porn.html

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio says court documents show Frazier used Filipino dating sites to connect with women in poverty. He then communicated with the women using Skype, asking them for sexually explicit pictures of their children in exchange for money, prosecutors say.

Frazier also sent child-pornography images to the women as examples of what he wanted them to create with their children. He also asked the women to show the images to their children in an attempt to convince them to engage in sexual behavior, court records show.

The documents say Frazier discussed committing violent acts against children, including killing infants during sexual assaults.

Can poverty really be blamed for these women selling pictures of their children? Perhaps. But what about enduring conversation about committing violence against them? Would a woman really do that for money? 

Perhaps the most egregious case of a Filipina exploiting children is the girls friend of Peter Scully.

https://www.deepwebsiteslinks.com/daisy-destruction/

It’s a snuff film as I already said, created in 2012  consisting of a series of 3-4 videos. The videos show a masked girl torturing toddlers aged 18 months – 4 years in the most extreme possible ways.

The masked girl was later found to be Peter Scully’s 19-year-old girlfriend, a former prostitute, while Peter was the guy supposedly directing the videos and actually responsible for the whole thing.

Although, this girlfriend of his named Liezyl Margallo was the only one ever seen actually carrying the tortures out (with Daisy), and in an introductory scene to the videos, was referred to as the “mistress” of the victims.

According to the witnesses, the videos consisted of the girl torturing the baby in a number of different ways, for e.g. clipping her private parts with cloth-clips, dropping hot wax (again on her private parts), using the baby to satisfy her own personal sexual needs etc.

She even tied the baby upside down and beat her with rope and various other material for hours, Liza and Cindy too suffered these tortures although their videos were slightly different in type and torture than what Daisy suffered. 

Scully was the mastermind behind a giant Paedophile ring, which he ran from a corner of the world where he thought his chances of getting caught were nill, Philippines.

He recruited his girlfriends to help him out, Carme Ann Alvarez was the first of them, and he asked her “Can we recruit some street-kids”?  To which Alverez said “I’m not sure, what if we bring my sister to live with us”. (Source: Alverez’s Interview in the jail)

But with his ulterior motives, Peter replied he wanted to help only street-kids (cause hey, no one blinks an eye when an orphan goes missing, specially in countries like Philippines and it’s a sad truth).

 Alverez was instructed to bring in kids aged only 9 and 12 specifically, it was quite easy to lure the kids in cause a hungry stomach will follow you just about anywhere, won’t it? So she picked the kids up, and dropped them off with Peter.

Is such horrific torture the result of poverty? Did these women recruit children because they were poor and needed the money? Of course not. Admittedly this is an extreme case and most women would probably not do what she did. 

Recently a man and his Filipina accomplice were convicted of sexual exploitation of minors.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1160761

A Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Iligan City has convicted a man and his female accomplice for sexually exploiting their relatives for online trade.

In a statement on Wednesday, anti-online sexual exploitation on children watchdog International Justice Mission (IJM) said the RTC Branch 2 has found the man guilty of sexually exploiting his sister, who was then 14 years old in July 2021.

The court also convicted the accused for offering his underage female cousin and another female minor for online sexual exploitation.

Did she do it out of poverty? If so why are other impoverished women not driven to such lengths?

The exploitation of Filipino children is an international crisis. Men and women form around the world flock to the Philippines to take advantage of poor women by paying for their babies and paying for explicit pictures of their children. As of 2020 the Philippines remains the world's number one spot for online child exploitation.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2020/05/21/philippines-tops-world-for-online-child-sex-abuse-study.html

The Philippines has become the world's largest known source of online child sexual exploitation, with endemic poverty helping drive a surge in abuse, a report said Thursday.

Parents and relatives were responsible for facilitating the abuse in nearly all cases, according to the International Justice Mission aid group's seven-year study.

The combination of English fluency and high internet connectivity in the former US colony had helped make the country a "global hotspot" for child pornography, the report said.

The proportion of Philippine internet addresses used to host child pornography had tripled in the three years to 2017, said the study, which based its findings on data collected by law enforcement data. 

"The proportion of Philippine internet addresses used to host child pornography had tripled in the three years to 2017." That is an incredible statement a testament to the fact that, despite a few people being caught and convicted for the crime, Philippine authorities seem to not care about its proliferation. They'd rather blast a tricycle driver for smoking meth than do the hard work of tracing ISPs and finding those responsible for harming children. Eradicating child online exploitation, including baby selling, should be a major campaign issue. But it probably never will be.