Coronavirus Lockdown: COVID-19 Vaccines "Will Buy You Freedom to Move Around", Cases Continue to Drop, and More!

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

The public has been told they need to learn to live with new variants.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1171815

The emergence of different Covid-19 variants would always pose a threat and it is up to the people on how they will follow precautions and efforts to reduce transmissions.

Vaccine expert panel chair, Dr. Nina Gloriani, said Friday the world must have learned to live with the coronavirus disease 2019 by now.

“(It’s up to us on how we could prevent the increase in cases. While there are still cases, even if they go down, the transmission has always point of beginnings, its multiplications, the mutations of the virus),” Gloriani said in a virtual public briefing.

Gloriani said the recombinant Omicron XE variant, reportedly detected in the United Kingdom, is about 10 percent more transmissible than its Omicron parent, BA.2, but its biological mutation activity and behavioral characteristics are still being studied.

Translation: COVID is here to stay but any increase in cases is to be blamed solely on the public for not following health protocols. The DOH is preparing for a surge in cases after the election.

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/4/14/COVID-19-surge-May-elections.html

The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday warned of a possible spike in COVID-19 cases in the middle of May if Filipinos continue to disregard health protocols, saying it could surpass the infections recorded during the Omicron variant surge in January.

The compliance to minimum public health standards (MPHS), such as social distancing and proper wearing of face masks, declined by 12% in Metro Manila and 7% nationwide in March and April, according to the sub-Technical Working Group on Data Analytics (sTWG DA) and the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-temporal Epidemiological Modeler for Early Detection of Diseases (FASSSTER) Team.

Based on the disease models, a 20% decrease in MPHS compliance at the national level could lead to around 34,788 active cases with over 564 of these as severe and 267 as critical in mid-May; while a 30% decrease in MPHS compliance might bring the cases up further to as high as 300,000 over the same time period.

Despite the grim projections, the DOH said this is not cast in stone and it can be prevented if Filipinos wear proper fitting masks, isolate when they have flu-like symptoms, complete their COVID-19 shots and booster dose, and stay in well-ventilated areas.

"The good news is, at this point, these are all still projections," she pointed out. "We can still avert these estimates in favor of better scenarios. We can all do our part to help stop transmission and mutation of the virus."

Why are they making these kind of calculations? How are they helpful and not just more fear mongering and blame tossing? If the public are the blame for an increase in cases because they are not complying with MPHS then aren't those who are supposed to enforce those rules even more to blame?

Remember how the government took out a lot of loans to fight the virus? It's going to take 40 years to pay off that debt.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1583691/covid-19-debt-payoff-to-take-2-generations

It will take 40 years, or about two generations, to repay the P1.31 trillion in foreign debt that the Duterte administration incurred for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Finance (DOF) said on Saturday.

Repaying the debts that piled up due to COVID-19 “will require a fiscal consolidation program and improved revenue collection,” said retired Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, now the DOF’s chief economist, in an economic bulletin.

As of January, the Philippines borrowed $25.7 billion (about P1.31 trillion) from banks and bilateral partners, but most of the P1.31-trillion debt were sovereign bonds, amounting to P559.1 billion, that will mature over the next years until 2060.

This should make us all feel better about our personal debts.

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines continue to drop with only 1,571 new cases being recorded last week.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1172445

The number of new Covid-19 cases continues to decline nationwide with an average daily case of 224 for the week of April 12 to 18, a health official said Tuesday.

The recent average is 17 percent lower than last week’s 271, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum.

The country’s total tally of new cases for the same week is 1,571.

“Sa kasalukuyang bilang ng ating (In our current number of our) active cases, 18,672 [for] the asymptomatic or has mild symptoms while the number of severe and critical cases has gone down to 1,251. The positivity rate remains at 1.6 percent,” Vergeire said.

But at the same time cases are also rising.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1584616/14-areas-under-alert-level-1-having-gradual-rise-in-covid-19-cases

 Fourteen areas under Alert Level 1 are seeing a “gradual rise” in COVID-19 cases, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said during the taped weekly “Talk to the People” briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.

Duque did not enumerate the 14 areas . But he named three regions with the highest number of recorded cases from April 12 to 18: Metro Manila with 606 cases, Calabarzon with 226, and Central Luzon with 181 cases.

The top three towns or cities nationwide are Cavite City with 101 cases, Manila with 92, and Quezon City with 82.

According to Duque, this developed despite a report of the Department of Health (DOH) showing fewer cases from April 10 to 17 — a total of 1,674, which gives an average of only 239 positive cases per day nationwide.

The DOH COVID-19 Tracker also showed that only 170 new cases were recorded on Monday, April 18 — much lower than the average number of cases per day in the previous week.

Why bring attention to this trend when the overall trend is cases are declining? Could it be because want the public to still be afraid that they could get infected? Could it be because they want people to get a booster shot?

The WHO is recommending door-to-door vaccination or else cases could explode.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/18/22/many-barangays-yet-to-reach-70pct-vaccine-coverage-who

The Philippines must focus on COVID-19 vaccination to avoid a surge as COVID-19 restrictions ease and the public's mobility increases, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Many barangays have yet to reach 70 percent vaccination coverage, according to WHO representative Rajendra Yadav.

Local chief executives must reach barangays with low vaccine coverage through "last mile approach" or house-to-house or close-to-home vaccination, Yadav said.

"Whether this social mixing and increased mobility during Easter will increase cases or not depends on whether people wore masks, avoided crowds and (gathered in) fully-ventilated places," he said in a televised press briefing.

"We should not rely on number of cases to know whether we have too much COVID or not. Rather we need to focus on increasing our vaccination. Whether the numbers will increase or not, only time will tell. We should not focus too much on the numbers of cases rather the number of people vaccinated."

It is possible for the Philippines to tally up to 300,000 active cases should the public relax adherence to health protocols, Yadav said.

"We have to prove those numbers wrong that's the challenge we face. If we relax our guards, our defenses then yes it’s possible to go to those numbers," he said.

"In South Korea, which has half of the population of Philippines, already has 600,000 cases per day. The good thing is Filipinos are one of the best in wearing masks. There was some decline recently in mask-wearing--that should not happen and we have to cover our people with vaccines."

In fact vaccination "will buy you freedom."

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/20/22/covid-vaccination-key-to-moving-around-presl-adviser

COVID-19 vaccines "will buy you freedom to move around", Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said Wednesday as he urged people anew to get their COVID-19 booster shots, fearing that the low uptake rate could derail the country's pandemic recovery and waste billions of pesos worth of jab supply. 

Concepcion reiterated the protection vaccines offer and said eligible individuals should at least get the first booster dose. Government is currently preparing for the rollout of the second booster shot for the elderly and immunocompromised.

(That is what we are protecting, the wall of immunity, so our freedom to go out, dine out with friends, and travel abroad or in the Philippines would be sustained.)

"The price of that is to improve our level of immunity through vaccination and booster... Kung magsasarado tayo ulit sa Alert Level 3 or 4, then masisira yung negosyo, pati yung economy ng Pilipinas... We should realize the whole implication here," he added.

(If we will close again due to Alert Level 3 or 4, then our businesses will be affected negatively. The economy of the Philippines will be affected badly, too.)

The improving domestic economy, manifested for example by the overcapacity of tourists in Boracay over the Holy Week, affirmed Filipinos' desire for things to go back to normal, Concepcion said. 

To sustain this, he said, a high COVID-19 vaccination and booster rate should be considered. 

(Almost all of the families wanted go on vacation and Boracay is the best spot. For 2 years they were closed, and it is important to maintain our mobility. But the good thing here is that tourists are vaccinated. If they get sick, it will just be mild.)

The government really is doing all they can to push taking the shot. The economy never needed to be closed in the first place and if it happens again the government will be to blame no matter how much they try to blame the public. 

The reality is that despite the fear mongering is COVID-19 cases are down and there have never been any significant number of deaths from COVID as the death rate remains around 1% of the population and .05% of the infected. The low number of cases means there are now no more areas under lockdown.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1584619/no-more-areas-under-granular-lockdown-says-ano

There are no more areas under granular lockdown nationwide, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said during the taped weekly “Talk to the People” briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte that aired late on Monday.

“From April 10 to April 16, for the first time, there was no recorded granular lockdown in the Philippines,” Año said in Filipino.

There were six areas under lockdown during the previous week, but all had been lifted, as of April 16, according to Año.

Still, Año assured the president that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) would remain strict in implementing the minimum public health standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That doesn't mean there won't be more granular lockdowns. It is a tool still in the government's belt.

Unli Balut

Many restaurants in the Philippines offer unli-rice for each meal. One roadside eatery is offering unli-balut.

Sounds delicious right? Unli-balut means you can eat as many of these things as your heart desires:

But it's only unli for a limited time. You get 30 minutes!

P125 for 30 minutes of all-you-can-eat balut!  What a deal, right?  Well, too bad.  This eatery does not exist any more. Thank goodness.

Insurgency: Village Gets Electricity

In 2020 the Anti-Terrorism Act was passed. This law sought to give authorities more power to prevent terrorism. Opponents of the law said it would only lead to abuse and deprive people of their rights and freedoms.  In February of 2022 the House and Senate passed a law that would require all SIM cards to be registered as well as all require social media accounts to be registered with a real name and phone number. Supporters of the law said it would prevent terrorism while opponents said it would curtail personal freedoms. In a surprise move Duterte vetoed the law.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/04/15/2174584/duterte-rejects-bill-requiring-sim-card-social-media-account-registration

President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed the bill requiring SIM cards and social media accounts to be registered over concerns that this will “give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance.”

Acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said Friday in a statement that Duterte rejected the measure over the inclusion of social media in the measure, “without providing proper guidelines and definitions thereto.”

The provision requiring social media networks to compel their users to provide their real name and phone numbers when creating accounts was inserted by lawmakers during the bicameral conference meetings on the bill and was not included in earlier versions of it.

The measure also penalizes people who use fictitious identities to register for social media accounts with a fine of up to P200,000, jail time of at least six years or both.

Lawmakers passed the measure in an attempt to address terrorism, text scams, bank fraud and defamation online, but internet freedom advocates said this bill will violate Filipinos’ right to privacy.

“It is incumbent upon the Office of the President to ensure that any statute is consistent with the demands of the Constitution, such as those which guarantee individual privacy and free speech,” Andanar said.

Despite Duterte's rejection of the bill, Andanar encouraged Congress to continue legislating measures aimed at creating a safer and more secure online environment as long as these stand judicial scrutiny.

Internet freedom and ICT rights advocacy group Democracy.Net.PH sent a petition signed by more than 61,000 individuals and groups to Duterte urging him to veto the bill.

"The bill is overly vague. It fails to provide a legal definition of 'social media' … The bill treats as crimes certain actions, such as 'trolling', 'hate speech', and 'spread of digital disinformation or fake news,' despite there being no basis to penalize these under existing Philippine penal laws," said Democracy.Net.PH director for rights Carlos Nazareno in a letter to Duterte.

Naturally, supporters of this law have already come out of the woodwork to fear monger that Duterte's veto means bombings will continue.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1583355/sotto-bombings-blackmail-scams-to-continue-with-veto-of-sim-card-bill

Bombings and scams will continue to proliferate following President Rodrigo Duterte’s veto of the proposed SIM Card Registration law, Senate President Vicente Sotto III warned Friday.

“Ayos! Tuloy ang mga bombings and blackmail and scams using prepaid sims,” Sotto said in a tweet.

This, in reaction to Duterte’s decision to veto the said measure.

Bombings and scams will continue to proliferate because there is an insurgency going on and people are stupid. How many more times will I have to read about some idiot who gave his personal info to someone who texted him? 

The PNP claimed that any concerns about personal freedom and privacy were outweighed by the need to fight terrorism.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1170996

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) Card Registration Act will not infringe on the privacy of subscribers and will only serve as an extra layer of protection against illegal activities perpetrated through the use of mobile phones.

“If you remember before, hindi pa uso ang mga (there is no) cellphones, we use landline right and there is always a public directory that is accessible to all so what's the difference? It's the same except that we do this over our mobile phones. So wala naman siguro tayo naging problema (I guess we don't have a problem) before when it comes to privacy," Lt. Michelle Sabino, spokesperson of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) said in a presser in Camp Crame Wednesday.

She added that the benefits of the law, especially in terms of unmasking perpetrators of illegal activities such as fraud, text scams, terrorism, obscene messages, and disinformation, would outweigh the concerns of those who oppose its implementation.

To compare a cell phone to a landline is ridiculous especially these days when a cellphone is a minicomputer on which many spend their lives. Her reasoning that stopping crimes outweighs privacy goes to show how the PNP thinks. They do not care about the rights of the people which is why the PNP continually violates them. From cops who commit extortion to red-tagging activists to filing faulty warrants against said activists and then gunning them down inside their homes the PNP does not care about the rights of the people.

Contrary to the claims of Sotto and the PNP this law could have actually led to an increase in crime.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/02/09/22/sim-card-registration-could-lead-to-rise-in-crimes-warns-group

At first glance, mandatory SIM card registration looks good as it could be used to crack down on internet trolls and scammers. 

An internet rights advocacy group, however, believes there are hidden dangers behind the measure that could lead to an increase in crimes such as extortion and even kidnappings. 

Democracy.net.ph team member Carlos Nazareno said SIM card registration in countries such as Canada has been a failure after consultants said they could not find any proof that it increased security.

He noted that in Mexico, the SIM Card Registration Act was enacted in 2009 and then repealed in 2012 after crime increased because of the law. Instead of deterring crime, he said the law became an incentive for criminals to steal cellular phones for the SIM cards. 

"Actually crime increased, that’s what happened in Mexico. So kidnappings, extortion calls, and assaults on civilians aimed at stealing cellular equipment increased in Mexico," he said in an ANC Rundown interview. 

He noted that extortions and even kidnappings increased after SIM card registration data was leaked on the internet. 

"In Mexico the registry got leaked to the internet and sold on the black market. I think it was sold for around 500 Mexican pesos which is about P1250. So ganoon kamura umikot siya sa internet," he said. 

Nazareno expressed concerns about the Philippines’ capacity to keep a secure database of information obtained from Filipinos who register their SIM cards. 

“In 2016 we had a Come-leak,” he said, referring to how the website of the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) website was hacked a little more than a month shortly before the presidential elections that year.

“So the danger here is that when you put information in a central repository, and you can’t secure it, there’s the danger of stuff leaking. And I don’t think--it is very difficult for many companies to guarantee 100 percent security. Kasi, magagaling ang hackers eh.”

“If a company like Facebook with billions of dollars at its disposal wasn’t able to secure the data of people around the world…papano pa 'yung smaller companies? And let’s say entities sa Philippine government, ‘di ba?” he said.

“Imagine, if you need to register with your real name online, and your children create social media accounts, there’s a risk that their real names will be exposed to strangers on the internet. It opens them to harassment, doxing, scams, possibly kidnapping and even online sexual predators.”

“So let’s say you’re a parent, are you really going to let your kid go around giving their real name on the internet to strangers?” he said.

He also stressed that there are other steps that can be taken—aside from passing the SIM Card Registration Act—to crack down on cybercrime.

“What has to be done is due process. The (Philippine National Police), (National Bureau of Investigation), they need to get warrants from courts, serve the subpoenas to internet providers, social media providers, get the IP addresses, geolocations.”

It seems no one in this nation respects due process. Everyone accused is guilty and has to prove their innocence. Rather than having everyone register their SIM card and social media account the government needs to keep whittling away at the insurgency. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1172226

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino has ordered units to intensify their focused military operations against the New People's Army's (NPA) extortion activities.

In a statement Wednesday, Centino said this would prevent the NPA from recovering from its defeats and prevent it from recruiting new members and committing atrocities.

"Let us continue to address the resource generation of the CTG (communist terrorist group) by stopping its extortion activities and seizing their firearms, ammunition, and other war materials," he said, adding that this would expedite the end of the local communist armed conflict in the country.

On April 11, the AFP seized during operations 22 high-powered firearms from NPA fighters in Agusan del Sur.

The 60th Infantry Battalion (60IB) of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Agila discovered 10 AK-47 automatic rifles, seven M-16 rifles, a light machine gun, an M-14 automatic rifle, M-79 grenade launcher, Garand rifle, and another M-16 rifle in Bagul River, Kasapa II, La Paz, Agusan del Sur.

The location of the arms cache was disclosed by an alias "Bolo", a former NPA rebel who recently surrendered to the Army.

The NPA's Guerilla Front 3 (GF3) secretary Maximo Catarata alias "Datu Makatindog" surrendered to the 60IB on March 31.

The AFP says in Southern Mindnao there are only 2 weakened fronts left.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1172211

Southern Mindanao only has two remaining "weakened" communist guerrilla units, enabling the Army's 10th Infantry Division (10ID) to focus on Barangay Development Program (BDP) initiatives.

In a press conference here Wednesday, Capt. Mark Tito, 10ID spokesperson, said the collapse of New People's Army (NPA) structures in its areas of responsibility has given the military the time to focus on "more productive aspects."

These include, he said, enhancing territorial defense" to protect the country's sovereignty.

"It is important that we continue to sustain these accomplishments of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The BDP shall be implemented properly, so we can make sure that issues will not resurface and may cause revival of insurgency," Tito said.

According to Tito, the Barangay Development Program plays a vital role in the ending of local communist conflict "because of its sole purpose: good governance."

BDP is a hallmark program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the whole-of-nation approach to attain inclusive and sustainable peace. 

It's debatable that the Barangay Development Program creates "good governance" but this week it pulled a village into the modern world.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1171962

A remote tribal village in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte finally got its own electricity over the weekend after the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) partnered with other government agencies to secure solar lights.

Residents of Sitio Baboy-Baboy, Barangay Camagong, Nasipit, also received a four-day training on basic solar power installation to be able to maintain the lights themselves, PTF-ELCAC officials said.

In a statement Monday, TESDA-ADN Director Rey Cueva said the residents installed the solar lights Sunday following the April 4-7 training, benefiting at least 36 Higaonon families in the village.

Cueva said the lack of access to electricity remains one of the basic challenges in far-flung areas such as Sitio Baboy-Baboy, which the military described as under the influence of the communist New People's Army (NPA).

It's hard to imagine that in the year 2022 there are communities in this nation without electricity. Providing the people with services so basic such as clean water, roads, and electricity should not be a job for the NTF-ELCAC. Development should be ongoing. If the government did its job without any corruption things could get done. As it is foreign NGO's are providing better services to the people than the government.

The God Culture: Samuel Purchas On Ophir, Tarshish, and The Philippines

Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture makes a lot of unsubstantiated claims in his books and videos. That is par for the course as anyone keeping up should know by now. One claim he continually makes is that Samuel Purchas ignored the Philippines and wrote propaganda for Britain about Ophir. This is 100% wrong. Samuel Purchas never wrote propaganda about Ophir and he certainly never ignored the existence of the Philippines. In fact his testimony about the Philippines played a role in determining where the first Easter celebration took place in this nation. Let's take a look at Tim's claims and then let's take a look at what Samuel Purchas actually wrote.

Answers in First Enoch Part 11: Ancient Historic Maps to Garden of Eden

29:51 Yes, we cover Samuel Purchas and this admission of him being paid, uh, I think was a hundred pounds, uh, to commit his propaganda and he wrote a nice thick position where he just ignored that the Philippines even existed. Yeah, that's not, that's stupid is what it is. Uh, it's propaganda. So that was in about 1625 or so, uh, even as they paid him to write about Ophir without ever acknowledging the Portuguese data which he ignores completely nor the Spanish. I mean that is about as ridiculous as one can be.

In his book Solomon's Treasure Tim writes the following:

Much of this case originates with Samuel Purchas from “Purchas His Pilgrims” in 1625. Purchas assumes Ophir in India and the British East Indies, only British territories of course. He cites historians who are basing their assumptions on etymology and uses antiquated geography ignoring Magellan completely. He intimates Tarshish as Peru perhaps. This was a British find in which Sir Francis Bacon, the Freemason, was obsessed. Right or wrong, it proves though, the British did not believe Tarshish was Britain.

Solomon's Treasure, pg. 215

It's incredible how Tim can make a statement and everything be factually wrong. The first thing to notice here is that in all of his videos or his books Timothy Jay Schwab only cites the words of Samuel Purchas one time and he gets the source wrong. 

“Lastly, Peru could not be Ophir, if wee conceiue that SALOMON brought thence Iuorie; and Peacockes. For Peacockes they read Parrots, and for Iuorie they are forced to take it vp by the way in some place of Africa or India, which distraction must needs prolong the Voyage, which without such lets could not (as before is obserued) in three yeares bee performed.” [262]

262. “Purchas his Pilgrimage; or, Relations of the World and the Religions observed in all ages and places discovered, from the Creation unto this present.” By Samuel Purchas. Book 1. Printed by William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone. 1626. Chap. VIII. p. 27.

Solomon's Gold, pgs. 224 and 376

The real source for that citation is Vol 1, Chapter 8, pg. 73. How does Tim constantly get his citations wrong? 

By all accounts Tim has not read Purchas. Purchas wrote 134 pages in volume 1 about Ophir discussing possible locations and even, gasp, testing the resources and Tim has nothing to say about that. Tim seems to think he is the only person who has tested the resources of Ophir but he is dead wrong because Purchas did it first. He even discusses the possible route and how a three year voyage to the east in ancient ships might fare. They would not be going as fast as modern ships plus they would be resting on the Sabbath which means they would be slow-going. He makes a lot of calculations which I will have to omit here. Needless to say Purchas is very thorough in discussing Ophir even going so far as to allegorize the journey to Ophir as a metaphor for our life in this world.

Or if you had rather adjoyne to the Allegory, the Anagogicall sense and use ; this History will appeare also a Mystery and Type of Eternitie. Every Christian man is a ship, a weake vessell, in this Navie of Solomon, and dwelling in a mortall body, is within lesse then foure inches, then one inch of death. From Jerusalem the Word and Law of our Solomon first proceeded, by preaching of Solomons and Hirams servants, the Pastors and Elect vessells to carry his Name, gathered out of Jewes and Gentiles, which guide these Ships through a stormy Sea, beginning at the Red Sea, Christs bloudy Crosse, which yeelded Water and Bloud, till they arrive at Ophir, the communion of Saints in the holy Catholike Church.

Smauel Purchas, Vol 1, pgs 6-7

Also, he never implies that Tarshish is in Peru. In fact, the first place he mentions which might be Ophir is Peru and after he gives the arguments for that claim he dismisses it completely. Tim even acknowledges this. Purchas next pours over several more claims all of which he dismisses. One thing he does mention during this portion is that a Jesuit claimed the following:

The Jesuite Pineda (which out of Lemnius citeth these Arguments to prove that the Compasse is ancient) is no new thing as a Man; but as a person, as a Jesuite (a new order which beganne 1540.) as an Author which conceited, that that great fish which tooke up Jonas carried him in three dayes quite thorow the Mediterranean, and round about the African vast  Circumference (statim atque deglutitur Jonas, revertitur coetus velocitate incredibili ad mare Indicum & Sivum Arabicum, per Mediterraneum & Gaditanum fretum, immani totius Africae circuitu, these are his own words) these are new things under the Sunne, and this a new interpretation, which himselfe prefaceth with Pape! novam & inauditam exponendi rationem! These particulars are new, and yet that text is true. I will not adde (that were too serious and severe) that all Jesuitisme is new, and their Expositions of Scriptures, Councels, Fathers for the Roman Monarchie, are all new, New-gay-no-things, Vanitie of vanities and vexation of spirit; yet to lye (the genus generalissimum of Jesuiticall tenents, as they are Jesuites ; Christians is a name too old for them) is as old as the old Serpent 

Samule Purchas, Vol 1, pgs. 70-71

Sir Walter Raleigh mentions Pineda's testimony in his History of the World. This is exactly what Tim teaches about Jonah. 

Jonah must travel around Africa to fit his story. 

Solomon's Gold, pg. 122

Not only is Tim's doctrine not new but it was taught by a Jesuit and even shows up in chapter 83 of Moby Dick. Is Timothy Jay Schwab aware he is teaching the rehashed and novel doctrine of a Jesuit?

Where does Purchas locate Ophir and Tarshish?

For Ophir we have before found it, the proper name of a man and of a Region denominated of him; but withal have acknowledged the Ophirian voyage to comprehend more then the Region of Ophir, including the other Indian Ports wherat they touched and traded in that voyage, especially the two Hands now called Seilan and Sumatra, and all places on the Coast within the Gulfe of Bengala, which might fit their purpose. It is usuall now to call an Indian voyage, not only to Iacatra, Bantam, or Banda, but thereto also they reckon their touching at Soldanha, on the maine of Afrike, or at the River of Saint Augustine in the great Hand of St. Laurence, and the Hands of Comoro, or Socatra, or wheresoever they arrive on the Abash or Mohan shoare in the Red Sea, or in any Arabike Port, or in the Persian Gulfe before they come to India: and there also Surat, Diul, Calicut, or wheresoever they touch besides on this side or beyond that principal Port where they make their Voyage, as they terme it, that is, where they take in their chiefe ladings. Of which, the following Relations will give you many instances. So the Straits Voyages, intimate not the meere sayling to or thorow the Straits of Gibraltar, in vulgar appellation, but all Voyages within those Straits whether to Venice, or Ligorne, or Zant, or Constanstinople, or Scanderone, or Alexandria, or in one Voyage to visit many or all of these Ports, is yet called but a Straits Voyage. We may yieeld thus much therefore to Acosta, the Ophir was a proper Countrey (as India also is) extending from Ganges to Menan, and betwixt the Lake Chiamay, and the Gulfe or Sea of Bengala; but as it happened, that India being the remotest knowne Region, gave name in old times to all later Discoveries beyond it, and in after times accidentally to the New World, which the first finders mistooke for Easterne India ; so also the Voyage to Ophir, accidentally might give name to all those Remote parts, and comprehend all the farre Ports, which by occasion of the Voyage to Ophir they visited, lying in the way thither, or somewhat wide or beyond. And as there is a Region truly and properly called India, even al that which extends from Indus (whence it is so named) to Ganges ; which name by others ignorance of the proper names of Regions, was extended further both beyond Ganges, and to all remote Regions; so was there a true Ophir, named of Ophir the sonne of Joktan, which occasioned other remote Countreyes to beare that appellation, at least in this Voyage thither.

But for Tharsis or Tarshish, or Tharshish ; we see Acosta himselfe in his finall upshot, to make an aut of it, Aut immensum mare, aut regiones semotissimas & valde peregrinas accipi solere. So that his former Proposition admits now another, that either it is the maine Ocean (which I take to be the true sense) or some remote Region. 

Samuel Purchas, vol. 1, pgs. 123-125

After weighing all the evidence Purchas comes to the conclusion that Ophir is not just a specific county but an entire region and that Solmon's ships stopped at many ports, not just one. Ophir is in India and the surrounding region. As for Tarshish, Purchas does not think it is Peru or any other place but refers to the ocean. He goes on for several pages giving his reasons. This is not propaganda. This is one man's opinion based on his assessment of the facts he has before him. Tim is by no means bound to agree with Purchas' conclusions but he has no right to misrepresent what Purchas actually wrote. In fact, Tim does agree that India has the sources of Ophir.

The only other coherent claim as far as resources are concerned is India yet it’s own history says it had a source of ancient gold and silver, isles to the East thus none of these make any sense except the Philippines. 

 Every resource of Solomon tests as native to the Philippines and all other claims fail in this chapter except India whose claim already failed the test of it’s own history. 

Solomon's Treasure, pgs. 110 and 115

Is Tim unaware that India is said to be loaded with gold? Herodotus in book 3 sections 102-105 relates how the Indians would gather the gold in their country. India's source of gold was itself. Even Josephus says Ophir is part of India.

4. Moreover the King built many ships in the Egyptian bay of the Red Sea; in a certain place called Ezion-geber. It is now called Berenice; and is not far from the city Eloth. This countrey belonged formerly to the Jews; and became useful for shipping, from the donations of Hiram King of Tyre. For he sent a sufficient number of men thither for pilots, and such as were skilfull in navigation: to whom Solomon gave this command, that they should go along with his own stewards to the land that was of old called Ophir, but now the Aurea Chersonesus: which belongs to India: to fetch him gold. And when they had gathered four hundred talents together, they returned to the King again.

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-8.html

To get around this problem Tim writes the following:

Aurea in Latin is Chryse in Greek which is Ophir in Hebrew. He also ties this to the Indian land of golden antiquity and remember, India was vast in interpretation in those days from Afghanistan to the Indies including the Philippines.

Solomons's Gold, pg.34

That is nonsense and he offers zero support of the Philippines ever being referred to as India. There is quite literally no history that links the Philippines to Ophir. Ancient maps and directions show nothing past the Malaysian peninsula. This is a fact Tim acknowldeges but refuses to discuss in a rational manner.

Answers in First Enoch Part 11: Ancient Historic Maps to Garden of Eden

26:14 Again, underneath within the earth is where the Garden of Eden is and lined by gold, the roof and the walls, which is why it is the land of gold and why that gold matters immensely. Not for money, monetary value but for sentimental value to Yahuah and that's what gave it value in the very first place. 

Notice the area in orange here. This is something and this is our mapping to explain this area. That's specifically why I'm using our mapping of this so this will make sense. Uh, notice what's missing in the perspective of this era. They did not typically map the Malay Peninsula. it's just not there. If it is there it's a tiny bump but it's not, it's not what we know is the Malay Peninsula which would impose the map. Um, nor Indochina. It's just not there. Again, maybe they'll pick a town you know or a city or whatever here or there but generally many of the maps of this era they just don't have it yet. Why? well because they were not physically going there at that time but they were determined to maintain this route in knowledge so it was not lost.

What does it mean that including the Malaysian Peninsula would "impose the map?" The missing orange area is the Malay Peninsula and Indochina. Tim's says it's missing because no one was sailing there when these directions were written in 70 AD but the Greeks had passed on knowledge of the Philippines so they tried to preserve the route to the Philippines even though they were missing Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula which one must pass to get to the Philippines from the West. He offers zero proof for this thesis. The cold hard fact is no one was sailing to the Philippines. 80 years later after the Periplus of the Erythean Sea was composed Ptolemy's world map would show the missing Malaysian Penninsula.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy%27s_world_map

Suffice to say Timothy Jay Schwab has no idea what he is talking about. All his arguments as to why the Malaysian Peninsula are missing are made-up ad hoc rubbish not supported by any facts.

That brings me to what Purchas had to say about the Philippines. By no means does he ignore the Philippines. Here is the index of volume 20.

Samuel Purchas, vol. 20, pg. 331

Purchas' most important reference to the Philippines is his translation and summation of Pigafetta's journal. The importance of his translation is that, while it makes no mention of a mass being held in the Philippines, this is said to be the source for Fr. Fransisco Combes concocting the first mass being held at the fictional Limasawa. 

But about four years later, in 1664, another Spanish priest Fr. Francisco Combes, SJ, (1620-1665), came up with another name for the island where the first Holy Mass took place. In his "Historia de Mindanao y Jolo," Fr. Combes wrote - without citing any source or attribution - that the Magellanic fleet's stopover island in Leyte was called "Limasaua." He then spun off an evidently new account of Magellan's sojourn in the archipelago based on Samuel Purchas' English translation of Ramusio's garbled version of Pigafetta's chronicles.

The Purchas version made no reference at all to the Easter mass of March 31, 1521 and only mentioned the planting-of-a- cross rite on a hill. So, unlike Fr. Colin, Fr. Combes was not obligated to negate the idea that Mazaua was the site of the First Mass. On a personal hunch he just decided to replace the prefix "Di-" in "Dimasawa" with "Li-" to make it read as "Limasawa."

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/15/campus-press/getting-our-philippine-history-right-after-500-years-part-16/1807047

Here is a truncated version of Purchas' account of Magellan's landing in Butuan.

The eight and twentieth day of March they came to the lland of Buthuan, where they were honourably entertayned of the King and the Prince his sonne, who gave them much Gold and Spices. 

But hee marvelled much more, when the Captaine told him by the Interpreter, how he found the Strait by the Compas and Loadstone, and how many dayes they were without sight of any Land. 

When the King saw Antonie Pigafetta write the names of many things, and afterward rehearsed them againe, he marvelled yet more, making signes, that such men descended from Heaven. 

As they sifted a certaine Myne of Earth in the Kings Hand, they found pieces of Gold some as bigge as Nuts, and other as bigge as Egges. All the Kings Vessels were of Gold, and his House well furnished.

The people are nimble, naked, painted. The Women goe clothed from the Waste downewards, with their long blacke hayre hanging to the ground. They weare eare-rings of Gold in divers formes. 

The Captaine or Generali caused a Crosse to be brought forth, with Nayles, and a Crowne of Thornes, giving commandement to all his men to give reverence thereunto, and signifying to the Kings, by the Interpreter, that that Banner was given him by the Emperour, his Lord and Master, with commandement to leave the same in all places where hee came, to the great commoditie and profit of all such as would reverendly receive it, as an assured toW^ of friendship : and that hee would therefore leave it there, as well to accomplish his Lords commandement, as also, that if at any time any ships of Christians should chance to come that way, they might, by seeing that Crosse, perceive that our men had beene well entertayned there, and would therefore not onely abstayne from doing them any hurt or displeasure, but also helpe to ayde them against their enemies : And that therefore it should be requisite to erect that Crosse upon the top of the highest Mountaine that might be scene from the Sea on every sid^ also to pray unto it reverently : and that in so doing, they should not be hurt with Thunder, Lightning, and Tempests. When the Kings heard these words, they gave the Captaine great thankes, promising gladly to observe and fulfill all such things as he required. Then the Captaine demanded, whether they were Mores or Gentiles. They answered, that they had none other kind of Religion, but that lifting up their hands joyned together, and their faces toward Heaven, they called upon their God Abba. Which answere liked the Captaine very well, because the Gentiles are sooner perswaded to our Faith then the Mores.

Samuel Purchas, vol. 2, pgs 96-99

How is it that if the Philippines had a high literacy rate before the Spanish that this king was surprised to see Pigafetta writing which indicates he had no idea what writing was? How is it that Filipinos were an ocean faring people who traded with Greece by circumnavigating Africa, according to Tim, yet this king had no idea what a magnetic compass was? These are questions I shall not answer here but ones I have yet to hear Tim ask or answer in his videos and books likely because he has either not read Pigafetta and Purchas or these are inconvenient facts that damage his thesis. The impression he gives us is that everyone was highly literate and decked out in fine clothes and golden jewelry. Speaking of gold Purchas cites this:

They make account likewise of the gold; of Veragua to bee very fine. They bring much gold; to Mexico from the Philippines, and China, but commonly it is weake and of base alloy. Gold; is commonly found mixt with Silver or with Copper; but that which is mixed with silver is commonly of fewer Carrats then that which is mixed with copper.

Samuel Purchas, vol. 15, pg. 73

The gold being shipped from the Philippines was "weak and of base alloy" being "commonly found mixed with silver or copper." But according to Tim the Philippines is the land of gold and the Spanish came here for the express purpose of stealing that gold. However the amount of gold found and taken by the Spanish paled in comparison to that found in Mexico.

Although Fray Ortega felt that the lives of five hundred natives was too high a price to pay for twenty-five kilos of gold, the Spanish colonial officials apparently did not. Dreams of fabulous golden cities may have danced before their eyes, despite the fact that the gold was actually much less than what had been obtained in the Spanish colonies in Latin America. Hernan Cortez' initial campaign against Montezuma produced 680 kilograms of gold while in 1533, Pedro de Heredia obtained 420 kilograms of gold from one tomb alone in Cartagena (Tegengren 1963).

Gold Mining in Benguet to 1898, pg 468 (14)

Gold mining was serious business among the Igorots and they made sure no one ever found their mines. Not even the Spanish.

In 1576, Francisco de Sande reported his discovery of the gold mines. These were not located in the Ilocos, as was popularly believed, but in mountainous country further north: "very rough country, twenty leagues inland; the way thither is obstructed by great forests; and the country is very cold, and has great pine forests" (1903-1908, 4:21-98). The area was peopled by naked outlaws who "in addition to other cruelties, cut the heads off those they encounter to sip their brains" (Antolin 1988,121).The bleakness of the region and the hostility of its inhabitants put a temporary stop to any further expeditions.

Gold Mining in Benguet to 1898, pg 468 (14)

Gold mining even involved elaborate rituals involving blood sacrifice. 

Rituals were as important to gold mining as they were to the rest of Benguet Igorot life. Cañaos were performed before opening gold tunnels to appease the anitos to whom the gold belonged. A blood offering must be made and only pigs were killed in cañaos relating to gold mining. To find out the condition of a vein, a chicken must be sacrificed and its bile sac consulted. If dark, it is favorable but if pale it is unfavorable. 

Gold Mining in Benguet to 1898, pg 462 (9)

Let me sum up here. Timothy Jay Schwab regularly accuses Samuel Purchas of ignoring Magellan's account as well as the existence of the Philippines. This is absolutely not true. It is true that when he discusses the location of Ophir he never mentions the Philippines or Magellan. Tim says that is because he is a propagandist trying to puff up the British claim in India. But a look at the facts shows that Josephus referred to India as Ophir, that India and the surrounding region pass the resource test of Ophir (as Tim acknowledges), and ancient maps do not show anything east of the Malaysian Peninsula which means the Philippines is out of the equation for being Ophir. Referring to ancient descriptions of India by Ptolemy, Mela, and the like Purchas writes:

Pomponius Mela mentions those Ants, More Gryphorum keeping the Gold, cum summa pernicie attingentium. He, Solinus, and Plinie mention Chryse and Argyre so plentifull of Mettals, that men reported the soyle was Gold and Silver: so hyperbolicall reports were raised of their store. 

But as the Ancients knew not these parts of India so well as at later times, wee will produce later testimonies.

Samuel Purchas, vol. 1, pg. 88-89

That's not a statement up for debate. It is proven by all the maps and directions by Ptolemy, Dionysius Periegetes, Pomponius Mela, and the Periplus of the Erythean Sea. Tim uses those sources extensively and has to make up arguments as to why they do not show the Malay Peninsula or the Philippines. He is reduced to claiming that two tiny islands on Mela's map are the 7,000 island archipelago of the Philippines. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-god-culture-dishonestly-edited.html

It's simply ridiculous and an honest review of the facts shows that Timothy Jay Schwab is wrong about his comments concerning Samuel Purchas.

Retards in the Government 254

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

  

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1172031

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has filed criminal cases against five cops tagged in the missing online sabong (cockfighting) agent in Laguna last year.

The CIDG said kidnapping/serious illegal detention and robbery were filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Staff Sgt. Daryl Paghangaan; Pat. Roy Navarete; Lt. Henry Sasaluya; Master Sgt. Michael Claveria; and Pat. Regil Brosas, all members of the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB), Laguna Police Provincial Office; and several John Does, for the alleged abduction of Ricardo Lasco.

The five cops allegedly involved in the case are now under restrictive custody of the Regional Holding and Accounting Unit of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 4A (Calabarzon).

The suspects were positively identified by witnesses based on their statements and other pieces of evidence as to the group of men who entered the house of Lasco a.k.a. “Jun”.

The suspects introduced themselves as National Bureau of Intelligence (NBI) personnel and then arrested the victim by virtue of a document purported to be a warrant of arrest for the crime of large scale estafa on August 30, 2021, in Barangay San Lucas 1, San Pablo City, Laguna.

Lasco is a master agent of e-sabong and a real estate agent who went missing after being abducted by the said suspects.

The suspects also took with them numerous personal belongings of the victim and his relatives worth more or less PHP500,000 and PHP180,000 cash.

5 cops have been arrested and charged with kidnapping an online cockfighting financier.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1581960/school-principal-shoots-to-death-teacher-husband-before-killing-himself-in-negros-occidental

A high school principal allegedly shot a teacher and her husband to death before killing himself at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, in Hinoba-an town, Negros Occidental.

Police investigation showed that principal Warren L. Escobar, 56, shot the couple at the Bilbao-Uybico National High School in Barangay Pook before taking his own life, Maj. John Ganzon said.

Killed were senior high school teacher Alvarisa A. Arroy and her husband, Christoper, both 35 years old.

Hinobaan Mayor Ernesto Estrao said he received unconfirmed information that the principal was angry at the teacher because a complaint was lodged against him with the Office of the President.

Escobar allegedly received a notice to explain in five days, and blamed the teacher for filing the complaint, the mayor said.

A high school principal angry at a teacher for filing a complaint against him with the Office of the President shot and killed both her and her husband. Then he killed himself.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1581937/nica-probing-over-20-smugglers-government-protectors

The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) is investigating a list of 20 “smugglers,” including an importer tagged as the “onion queen” operating in Cagayan de Oro,  and their “protectors” in government, senators were told on Tuesday.

This, as the Senate Committee of the Whole resumed its investigation into the smuggling of agricultural products into the country.

“As to the list of players, smugglers that are allegedly enjoying protection from the DA (Department of Agriculture) and BOC (Bureau of Customs) officials, we do have a list,” said NICA Director Edsel Batalla, who is the agency’s focal person to the government’s sub-task group on economic intelligence (STG-EI).

The NICA claims it is investigating DA and BOC officials for protecting vegetable smugglers.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1582759/barangay-chief-shot-dead-in-mati-davao-oriental

The chief of Barangay Mataiao in Mati City, Davao Oriental was shot dead at 8:18 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13, inside his house, according to the Mati City Police Station.

Ronie Palma Gil Valera, 57, married, was resting on a hammock in his house in Purok Matahimik-1 when attacked.

Unidentified gunmen shot him several times, according to a report by the investigating officers, Cpl. Sunder Orjaliza and Cpl. Franciz Regidor.

A barangay captain was shot dead by unknown men while resting on his hammock at his house.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1582673/barangay-official-killed-another-hurt-in-batangas-shooting

A village secretary was killed and the treasurer was wounded in a shooting incident Wednesday in Bauan town in Batangas province.

The Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) police in a report said Jojo Acuzar, secretary of Barangay (village) Sta. Maria was driving the barangay mobile patrol vehicle at around 12:45 p.m. with Demetrio Silang, the village treasurer, as a passenger when the assailant, armed with a still unknown firearm, who was waiting at the shoulder of the road repeatedly shot at them.

After the shooting, the gunman fled aboard a motorcycle driven by his cohort.

A village secretary was killed and the treasurer was wounded in an attack by unknown men for unknown reasons while they were driving in the barangay mobile patrol vehicle.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1582778/falsified-info-on-drug-war-deaths-spurs-probes

The multiagency panel headed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) tasked with scrutinizing President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war, the Philippine National Police, and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will look into the alleged fraudulent death certificates of some who were killed in the anti-drug operations, officials said on Wednesday.

“The alleged falsification of death certificates as a possible cover-up is part of the DOJ drug war review,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told the Inquirer, referring to findings by Dr. Raquel Fortun, a well-respected forensic pathologist.

Asked if this was the first time that he had come across Fortun’s findings, he said: “The original problem that we encountered was the absence of a copy of the death certificate in some records or files that we reviewed.”

He said the death certificates may have been issued but some of them could not be found in the files of the PNP or the National Prosecution Service (NPS).

Fortun told reporters on Tuesday that she had autopsied the remains of 46 people killed in the war on drugs and found that the cause of death of some had been falsified to show they died of “natural causes.”

The death certificates of seven of the victims who had multiple gunshot wounds indicated they had died due to, among others, hypertension, sepsis, pneumonia or heart attack.

Allegedly several people, so far, who died during the drug war  and have been exhumed and autopsied have found to be riddled with bullet holes and their official certificates of death falsified. This could be pretty big if true and more proof that the war on drugs was a license to kill for the PNP.