Coronavirus Lockdown: GrabPet Returns, Food Label Changes, and More!

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

Residents of Metro Manila will once again be able to order a Grab ride with their pets. 

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/pet-life/2023/09/28/2299683/grabpet-returns-select-metro-manila-areas

Ride-hailing and delivery platform Grab Philippines has brought its back GrabPet feature for users wishing to travel around particular parts of Metro Manila with their furry or scaly friends.

This specialized on-demand service — partner drivers have undergone pet-handling training with a certified pet trainer — allows platform users to have more convenient rides to the groomer, the veterinarian, a pet cafe or park, and more.

The service was first tested in 2019 but halted when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and since then it was up to drivers whether they would accept pet passengers.

Officially re-launched last September 25, GrabPet rides come with added insurance for pet passengers up to P15,000, and rides will come with pet-friendly equipment on the partner six-seater vehicles at a base fare of P55.

The service has some limitations, such as a service area currently encompassing the Makati-Bonifacio Global City central business district, the Shaw-Ortigas area, the Mall of Asia area, areas around Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals, Manila (Malate and Ermita), and San Juan City.

The ride-hailing app is still working on expanding the service to rest of the National Capital Region in its entirety.

Another limitation is the kind of pets the service will allow, currently only available to dogs, cats, turtles, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, and fish, and must be in the given containers:

• Dogs - carrier, wearing a diaper
• Cats - carrier or crate
• Hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs - crate
• Fish - closed fish tank or sealed bag
• Turtles - closed container

Pet passengers must be accommpanied by a human. The maximum is four human passengers but it will be up to the driver's discretion if they will allow more.

Drivers may choose to cancel a ride if pets display aggressive behavior. It is the responsibility of passengers to load, unload, and ensure their pet's proper behavior.

It must surely be more comfortable than riding to the vet in a jeepney. 

Pet ownership has actually increased because of the pandemic. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1840334/the-why-behind-the-rise-of-pet-parenting-in-ph

A “parent” to three dogs, Beatrice Pinlac said looking after them is not easy, but “[they give] the kind of love that doesn’t ask or demand too much,” so she’s still keeping them despite the challenges.

“I feel loved even on days I don’t have much to give,” she told INQUIRER.net.

Pinlac said “our family got pets during the pandemic, but we’ve had pets before.” She said “this time around, though, I think I took on the role of being a fur parent more seriously because I’m much older and I’m already earning my own money.”

Last week, Social Weather Stations said based on a survey that covered the first quarter of 2023, 64 percent of households in the Philippines have pets, with dogs (78 percent) and cats (50 percent) considered as the most popular.

Back in 2021, a year after the start of the COVID-19 crisis, research by the iPrice Group revealed that Filipinos have the highest interest in owning pets in Southeast Asia, saying that overall searches for pets by Filipinos on Google hit almost seven million in September that year.

Dr. Karen Sacdalan, a psychologist, told INQUIRER.net that the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 put people on a new kind of life, which was quite unpleasant because almost everything changed.

Because of this, she said “we create many coping ways to go about the acceptance [of] and adjustment to [the] change[s].” As she stressed, some people turned to pets to cope with the crisis.

Sacdalan, chairperson of the PAP’s Special Interest Group for Persons with Disabilities, pointed out that pets have “therapeutic value,” which became more evident when the lockdowns were imposed.

“There is really human-animal interaction and it has impacts on our psyche, the total package of our human experience, especially because it gives pleasure. It invites a sense of satisfaction when we have an animal companion,” she said.

Would you rather be locked inside with your family or with your dog?

53,000 health workers have yet to receive their allowance from the DOH.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1837141/complaint-over-delayed-p5-8-b-allowances-filed

A group of private healthcare workers has filed a complaint against several regional offices of the Department of Health (DOH) with the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) over the delayed disbursement of P5.8 billion in allowances for over 53,000 medical frontliners who served at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines (UPHUP), the amount covers the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) that should have been given as far back as 25 months for healthcare workers who went on duty in 155 private hospitals during the pandemic.

The group, which has 26 hospitals as union members, invoked Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, when it filed its complaint with Arta on Monday.

Aside from the UPHUP’s member hospitals, 129 other healthcare institutions with no unions sought the group’s help for the same reason.

In a letter addressed to Arta Director General Ernesto Perez, the UPHUP said it had “initiated inquiries [with] the DOH regional offices regarding the unpaid HEA benefits” of their healthcare workers through an email sent on Aug. 25.

Since then, only five Centers for Health Development (CHDs) — which are in charge of the distribution of COVID-19 allowances to hospitals per region — have responded, the group reported.

On the other hand, 11 other CHDs, namely in Metro Manila, Ilocos, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen and Bangsamoro, have yet to reply.

The UPHUP said that under the Ease of Doing Business Act, there should only be a maximum of 20 working days for applications or requests involving activities that impact public health, safety, morals, policy, and other highly technical subjects.

“The nonresponsiveness of these regional offices stands in direct contradiction to these legal provisions,” the group noted in a statement.

“The lack of action from a government agency that should be addressing the problems faced by healthcare workers is not only disappointing but also deeply frustrating,” said UPHUP lead convener Ferdinand Gan, also vice president of the Alliance of Filipino Workers.

How many years will it take for them to get their money. 

COVID restrictions have been lifted but employees who have to take time off after contracting COVID still have leave benefits. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/25/2298750/

Employees who contracted COVID may still enjoy sick leave and other medical benefits even after the government lifted the state of public health emergency due to the pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said in an advisory yesterday.

Employers and employees should agree on provisions of sick leave benefits and access to medical insurance coverage as well as other assistance during isolation, the DOLE said.

The agency also encouraged employers to provide COVID-infected workers with paid leave for vaccination unless there are more favorable existing company policies and provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

“To further ensure safe and healthy working conditions, employers shall promote vaccination among all employees, including contractors’ deployed workers and their families,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said.

He said employees who refuse or fail to get vaccinated shall not be discriminated against in terms of tenure, promotion and other benefits.

But aren't most employees vaccinated? Of course vaccination does not prevent infection. 

The BSP has given banks until June 2024 to submit their recovery plans. 

https://www.philstar.com/business/2023/09/29/2299747/banks-given-until-june-2024-submit-recovery-plans

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reminded mid-sized banks to prepare and submit their recovery frameworks against extreme stress scenarios to restore viability of banks and ensure continuity of operations.

BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier said in a pre-recorded message during the 2023 annual convention of the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB) that the recovery plan requirements, which were previously applicable only to domestic systemically important banks (DSIBs) or depository corporations, were expanded to apply to all banks, including thrift banks.

“Banks should have recovery plans in place to be able to respond quickly, effectively, and credibly to situations of financial stress to protect depositors and, in turn, safeguard the stability of the financial system,” Fonacier said.

Fonacier said the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the need to ensure that all banks have the ability to restore themselves to financial soundness in a timely and orderly manner.

To give time to develop their frameworks, the BSP official said banks were granted a transition period to submit their first recovery plan on or before June 30, 2024.

Recovery planning is an important process to reduce the potentially significant risks posed by a bank’s distress or disorderly failure to the stability of the financial system and the economy.

It seems like everyone is planning for another pandemic these days. 

The aviation sector is recovering a a faster pace. 

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/10/02/business/top-business/ph-aviation-sector-recovering-at-a-faster-pace/1912822

THE Philippines and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region's aviation market is quickly recovering after the global pandemic, according to industry experts.

Yuli Thompson, area manager for Southeast Asia International Air Transport Association, said passenger traffic trends for international flights in the Philippines were logged at 75 percent of 2019 levels as of June 2023.

As for the Asia-Pacific passenger forecast, Yuli added that domestic travel will fully recover this year, while international travel will occur sometime in 2026. Furthermore, Asia-Pacific is seen to lead in traffic growth in the next 20 years.

However, overcoming current challenges and riding on the current momentum and meeting full recovery will require strong interventions from all players in the aviation sector.

Lei Apostol, Cebu Pacific vice president for Customer Service Operations, said they are looking to encourage travel by ensuring a positive customer experience, aiming to optimize their operations.

"Overcoming industry complexities and challenges while maximizing growth opportunities is achievable by looking at existing technology, keeping the passenger at the heart of what we do, and communicating to our passengers at every step of their journey," Apostol said during the 2023 Aviation Summit.

It just means more tourists. 

The pandemic has caused food labels to be changed. 

https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2023/10/02/philippines-updates-policies-governing-sodium-limits-and-caloric-labelling-in-pre-packaged-food-products

The Philippines Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has announced new changes to sodium content limits and how caloric values are to be displayed on the packaging of pre-packaged processed food products in the country.

In September 2023, the Philippines FDA issued a formal circular highlighting that food manufacturers and distributors in the country will need to adhere to updated labelling requirements for pre-packaged processed food products.

These changes were based on the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENI) nutritional system dietary standards used in the Philippines, which has been in force since 2002 but saw major updates based on advances in the understanding of energy and nutrient requirements back in 2015.

Many adjustments were made to the area of Recommended Energy Intake / Recommended Nutrient Intake (REI/RNI), which is commonly displayed as a %REI/RNI value on food packaging, but adherence to these were not officially mandated in local regulations until this time.

The Philippines is the latest in a long string of Asian countries implementing updates to local food labelling laws after the COVID-19 pandemic, in keeping with rising consumer awareness of health and nutrition and in an attempt to broaden the scope of this awareness to all socioeconomic classes.

Well, it's not as if the government really cared about public health during the pandemic. The lockdowns caused people to stay sedentary and eat unhealthy foods from food ordering apps. 

Yes, Bongbong, the Philippines Does Have A Damaged Culture

At a recent awards ceremony for Outstanding Filipinos President Marcos declared that the Philippines does not have a damaged culture. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/28/marcos-we-are-not-a-damaged-culture

Honoring 10 outstanding Filipinos made President Marcos reflect that the Filipino people do not have "a damaged culture."

"We not only honor you but through you, we honor Filipinos. And we remind our countrymen, this is what a Filipino is," Marcos said as he addressed the 2023 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos on Thursday, Sept. 28.

"We are not a damaged culture. I hate that. We are a great people, and you are the example of that greatness," he stressed.

 The President expressed this after bestowing the medallion of excellence to Filipino teachers, soldiers, and police officers who have been conferred the 2023 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos.

Marcos said in his speech that the awardees have taken the extra mile and pushed the limits in contributing to the development of their respective institutions and advocacies.

The awardees, he stressed, is a reflection of Filipino greatness. The excellence that they have demonstrated in their pursuits "is truly worth emulating," he added.

"Your exemplary work as academicians, soldiers and police officers are oftentimes the most demanding —not oftentimes, I take it back — are always the most demanding, exhausting, and wearisome professions that we have to undertake," he said.

The idea that Philippine culture is damaged stems from an article published in The Atlantic in 1987.

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/archives/1987/11/260-5/132615503.pdf

The gist of this article is that despite the ouster of Marcos and the beginning of a new era under Cory Aquino the Philippines remained backwards and stunted because Filipino culture is fundamentally flawed. Here are a few choice observations.

Unfortunately for its people, the Philippines illustrates the contrary: that culture can make a naturally rich country poor. There may be more miserable places to live in East Asia—Vietnam, Cambodia—but there are few others where the culture itself, rather than a communist political system, is the main barrier to development. The culture in question is Filipino, but it has been heavily shaped by nearly a hundred years of the “Fil-Am relationship.” The result is apparently the only non-communist society in East Asia in which the average living standard is going down.

Still, for all the damage Marcos did, it’s not clear that he caused the country’s economic problems, as opposed to intensifying them. Most of the things that now seem wrong with the economy—grotesque extremes of wealth and poverty, land-ownership disputes, monopolistic industries in cozy, corrupt cahoots with the government—have been wrong for decades. 

AM I SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL? SURE—YOU COULD work up an even starker contrast between Park Avenue and the South Bronx. But that would mean only that the United States and the Philippines share a problem, not that extremes of wealth and poverty are no problem at all. In New York and a few other places the extremes are so visible as to make many Americans uneasy about the every-man-for-himself principle on which our society is based. But while the South Bronx is an American problem, few people would think of it as typical of America. In the Philippines the contrasting extremes are, and have been, the norm.

What has created a society in which people feel fortunate to live in a garbage dump because the money is so good? Where some people shoo flies away from others for 300 pesos, or $15, a month? It can’t be any inherent defect in the people: outside this culture they thrive. Filipino immigrants to the United States are more successful than immigrants from many other countries.

If the problem in the Philippines does not lie in the people themselves or, it would seem, in their choice between capitalism and socialism, what is the problem? I think it is cultural, and that it should be thought of as a failure of nationalism.

Individual Filipinos are at least as brave, kind, and noble-spirited as individual Japanese, but their culture draws the boundaries of decent treatment much more narrowly. Filipinos pride themselves on their lifelong loyalty to family, schoolmates, compadres, members of the same tribe, residents of the same barangay. The mutual tenderness among the people of Smoky Mountain is enough to break your heart. But when observing Filipino friendships I thought often of the Mafia families portrayed in The Godfather: total devotion to those within the circle, total war on those outside. Because the boundaries of decent treatment are limited to the family or tribe, they exclude at least 90 percent of the people in the country. And because of this fragmentation—this lack of nationalism—people treat each other worse in the Philippines than in any other Asian country I have seen.

For more than a hundred years certain traits have turned up in domestic descriptions and foreign observations of Philippine society. The tradition of political corruption and cronyism, the extremes of wealth and poverty, the tribal fragmentation, the local elite’s willingness to make a separate profitable peace with colonial powers—all reflect a feeble sense of nationalism and a contempt for the public good. Practically everything that is public in the Philippines seems neglected or abused. On many street corners in downtown Manila an unwary step can mean a broken leg. Holes two feet square and five feet deep lurk just beyond the curb; they are supposed to be covered by metal grates, but scavengers have taken the grates to sell for scrap. Manila has a potentially beautiful setting, divided by the Pasig River and fronting on Manila Bay. But three-fourths of the city’s sewage flows raw into the Pasig, which in turns empties into the bay; the smell of Smoky Mountain is not so different from the smell of some of the prettiest public vistas. The Philippine telephone system is worse than its counterparts anywhere else in non-communist Asia—which bogs down the country’s business and inconveniences its people—but the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company has a long history of high (and not reinvested) profits. In the first-class dining room aboard the steamer to Cebu, a Filipino at the table next to mine picked through his plate of fish. Whenever he found a piece he didn’t like, he pushed it off the edge of his plate, onto the floor. One case of bad manners? Maybe, but I’ve never seen its like in any other country. Outsiders feel they have understood something small but significant about Japan’s success when they watch a bar man carefully wipe the condensation off a bottle of beer and twirl it on the table until the label faces the customer exactly. I felt I had a glimpse into the failures of the Philippines when I saw prosperous-looking matrons buying cakes and donuts in a bakery, eating them in a department store, and dropping the box and wrappers around them as they shopped.

This article is now 36 years old but the phrase "damaged culture" continues to resonate today. Clearly the author James Fallows is casting a wide net when addressing the failure of the Philippines to attain the same kind of success as its neighbors South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. Fallows is discussing society as a whole while Marcos is limited to a few individuals who have achieved greatness in their field. It is a comparison of apples to oranges. It is NOT the same. 

Let's take just one of Fallows' many observations.

But when observing Filipino friendships I thought often of the Mafia families portrayed in The Godfather: total devotion to those within the circle, total war on those outside. Because the boundaries of decent treatment are limited to the family or tribe, they exclude at least 90 percent of the people in the country. And because of this fragmentation—this lack of nationalism—people treat each other worse in the Philippines than in any other Asian country I have seen.

Filipinos are loyal to their own but not to those outside their circle. Can there be a better reason why political assassinations take place nearly every single week? Where is the nationalism and pride in killing your political enemies rather than working with them?

Fallows also mentions that peculiar Filipino trait of delicadeza. 

The Filipino ethic of delicadeza, their equivalent of saving face, encourages people to raise unpleasant topics indirectly, or, better still, not to raise them at all.

Indeed politicians especially do not like having to answer unpleasant questions and will do their best to smear their opponent if they believe they have been attacked. We have seen this recently with the debate over Sara Duterte's enormous Confidential Intelligence Fund. Rather than give a straightforward answer as to how the money was spent both she and her supporters have held in utter contempt those who would dare question her. For instance take this guy who thinks being held accountable counts as an attack. 

This attitude of delicadeza is what acts as a cover for the most blatant kinds of corruption. As Fallows notes Marcos didn't cause the Philippines' economic problems as much as he exacerbated them. To even question the source of the Marcos family wealth these days and assert the fact that such wealth has been deemed to be ill-gotten is to court scorn from those who support the Marcos family. 

And how about this observation:

Practically everything that is public in the Philippines seems neglected or abused. On many street corners in downtown Manila an unwary step can mean a broken leg. Holes two feet square and five feet deep lurk just beyond the curb; they are supposed to be covered by metal grates, but scavengers have taken the grates to sell for scrap. Manila has a potentially beautiful setting, divided by the Pasig River and fronting on Manila Bay. But three-fourths of the city’s sewage flows raw into the Pasig, which in turns empties into the bay;

Roads and sidewalks (or the lack thereof) are often filled with holes.  Electrical poles are often rotting and leaning while being overburdened with too many wires. Manila Bay remains a foul cesspit and the government's reclamation attempts have been proven to be totally ineffective and worthless. 

It's not just Manila Bay either. The problem of pollution is nationwide. Floods happen every year because the sewers become clogged with garbage. People dump their garbage on the side of the road and they casually litter without a second thought. As Fallows observes:

 I felt I had a glimpse into the failures of the Philippines when I saw prosperous-looking matrons buying cakes and donuts in a bakery, eating them in a department store, and dropping the box and wrappers around them as they shopped.

I cannot count the amount of times I have witnessed people litter without blinking an eye. And who can ignore the men publicly urinating all over the city? Such a thing would never happen in South Korea, Japan, or Singapore. If it did the person would be apprehended immediately. So what is the difference in the Philippines if not the culture which allows it to happen? There is not even a store of social capital here as everyone lives behind a fence or a gated compound in order to keep out thieves. 

Fallows is smart to point out that none of these observations are new but go back over a hundred years.

For more than a hundred years certain traits have turned up in domestic descriptions and foreign observations of Philippine society. The tradition of political corruption and cronyism, the extremes of wealth and poverty, the tribal fragmentation, the local elite’s willingness to make a separate profitable peace with colonial powers—all reflect a feeble sense of nationalism and a contempt for the public good.

I would argue that they go back even further. In the year 1720 Gaspar de San Agustín wrote at length about these traits. Reading through them one is shocked to see how Philippine society and culture has not changed in 300 years.  

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=miun.afk2830.0001.040&seq=187

Fallows is sure that this decrepit culture is linked to "a feeble sense of nationalism" but he never gets to the root of that issue. The fact is the Philippines does not exist except as a political fiction. Before the Spanish these islands were inhabited by various warring tribes with their own customs, religion, and languages. It was the Spanish who untied these tribes together and dubbed them "The Philippines." 

But when has ever a Filipino seen himself as one member of a united whole? Sure you might have Benigno Aquino Jr. say the Filipino is worth dying for but that doesn't tell us much. Filipinos are divided by region and dialect. Tagalog, Cebuano, Visayas, Solid North, Solid South, etc. Unity, even in the face of a common enemy like China, is fragmented and divided amongst ones own people as was noted above. There is "a feeble sense of nationalism" because there is a "a feeble sense of" nationhood. This is why a revolution will NEVER change a thing.

If the culture does not change then the state of the nation will never change. But don't get me wrong. I am not advocating for a culture change. I am saying that a culture change is never going to happen. 

And yet we are supposed to forget what Filipino culture is all about because a few individuals received a medal of excellence. That is ridiculous. It's like pointing to Manny Pacquiao, Lucio Tan, Imelda Marcos, and the unmined gold in the ground and declaring Filipinos aren't poor they are actually rich!

Insurgency: Insurgency in PH to End This Year

It's official, again. The insurgency will be ending by the end of the year.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/20/23/defense-official-says-insurgency-in-ph-to-end-this-year

Senior Undersecretary Ireneo Espino of the Department of National Defense said insurgency in the Philippines will be finished before the year ends.

“The country will be insurgency free before the year ends, so that means business can be opened anywhere in the country, business can prosper,” he said.

Espino made the pronouncement during the General Membership Meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), a group of business executives in the country with more than a thousand members.

According to Espino, the only remaining insurgent group the government is focusing on is in Samar.

“As far as the insurgency fronts are concerned, there is only one remaining front being addressed by the Armed Forces and it will be addressed this quarter, the insurgency front in Samar. So basically all the insurgency fronts are already declared cleared, zero insurgent,” he adds.

Wow! That headline is very misleading. It appears the AFP has declared total victory now by saying "all the insurgency fronts are already declared cleared, zero insurgent." Except that is not the case at all. The NPA remains very active. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1210846

Three fighters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter with troops of the Philippine Army's 61st Infantry Battalion (6IB) in the boundary of far-flung barangays of Leon, Iloilo on Friday.

“There were three casualties on the part of the NPA and none from the 61st IB. They recovered two M-16 armalite rifles, assorted belongings, and subversive documents,” Leon Municipal Police Station (MPS) officer-in-charge PLt. Danilo L. Noca, said in an interview.

The rebels who fought with the soldiers were members of the NPA's Sibat Platoon, Southern Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay.

The encounter happened at the boundary of Barangays Cagay and Danao, approximately 1.5 to two kilometers from the last clash in Barangay Camandag on Sept. 12. 

Are these three fighters the only members of this front? Seems doubtful. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1210527

A New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla was killed in an encounter with government troopers in Esperanza town, Agusan del Sur on Sunday.

In a statement Monday, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) identified the slain NPA as Madagi Tumanan, a resident of Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental.

Timanan died during the clash with soldiers from the Army's 26th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Guibongon, Esperanza municipality.

“Based on the report of Lt. Col. Sandy Majarocon, the commander of 26IB, the troops encountered around five NPA rebels in the area, which resulted in the death of Tumanan and the recovery of an M16 rifle,” 4ID said in a statement.

It added that the slain rebel's remains will be turned over to his family through the Philippine National Police in Gingoog City.

 

Meanwhile, the 4ID also reported the recovery of six high-powered firearms last Sept. 22 in an encounter in Barangay Bontongon, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon.

“The troops of the 8IB clashed with seven NPA terrorists which resulted in the recovery of two firearms and an additional four others after the search and clearing operations,” the 4ID said.

The firearms included two M1 Garand rifles, a .45-caliber pistol, an M16 rifle, an M203 grenade launcher, and a .22-caliber pistol.

In addition, the troops also recovered an anti-personnel mine with a fuse and detonating cord at the vicinity of the encounter site.

Is it logical to believe these five were the ONLY NPA fighters in the entire area? Of course not. Whatever front they belong to is not insurgent free.

In the Zamboanga Peninsula there are at least 19 NPA fighters left. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1839114/military-hunts-19-remaining-npas-in-zamboanga-peninsula

The Army has assured mountain resort operators in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental of their safety amid recent encounters with communist rebels in the area.

Lt. Col. Nolasco Coderos Jr., commander of the Army’s 97th Infantry Battalion, said the armed encounters in the last few days in Sergio Osmeña and Piñan towns were due to the New People’s Army guerrillas being constricted by intensified military operations, and not due to a harassment operation.

Coderos explained that the rebels were running away from their lairs in Misamis Occidental’s side of the sprawling Malindang mountain range and had strayed into Piñan and Osmeña towns.

This gave his soldiers the opportunity to chase after the rebels who then engaged in a firefight in a bid to buy time for an escape.

Lt. Col. Jose Andre Monje, commander of the 10th Infantry Battalion operating in Misamis Occidental, said they have counted 12 remaining rebels in the province, indicating their radically weakening state.

Over at Zamboanga del Norte, Coderos said only seven rebels are trying to maintain holdouts there.

The boundaries of the two provinces host what remains of the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines, said Coderos.

Again, that is not an insurgent free NPA front. 

The AFP has warned NGOs to not support the CPP-NPA.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1210810

The Visayas Command (Viscom) on Friday said non-government organizations (NGOs) aiding the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) should stop activities of raising revenues to help fund the operation of the underground movement as it will get them in trouble.

“Aiding, conspiring, and providing financial support to the terrorist group is a crime punishable under our law. For those who are doing this, we urge you to stop,” Visayas Command chief, Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, said in a statement.

The military and the police, he said, are determined to end the local communist armed conflict in the Visayas and “will not hesitate to enforce the full extent of the law to bring justice for our people who have been the victims of these nefarious acts.”

Arevalo’s statement came as the Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted Thursday a preliminary hearing against 25 members of the Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) who are facing charges of violation of the Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.

If all the fronts are insurgent free then how can anyone be supporting the CPP-NPA? It defies logic unless there are still NPA members in those fronts. 

NPA fighters are still being encouraged to surrender though a formal declaration of amnesty has not been proclaimed by President Marcos. However it appears that not only do surrendering NPA fighters get benefits but the families of NPA fighters slain in battle can also receive benefits!

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1210627

The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Western Visayas (DSWD-6) has provided financial and funeral assistance to the families of the six New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who were killed in a clash with troops of the Philippine Army’s 47th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Sept. 21.

47IB civil-military operations officer 1Lt. Charmaine Sancho on Wednesday said all bodies were identified and claimed by their respective next of kin.

Together with Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda, Sancho witnessed the release of the PHP10,000 cash aid to each family representative of the five fatalities from Negros Occidental at the City Social Development Welfare Office (CSWDO) on Monday.

The fatalities, all from NPA South West Front Squad 2 of Sangay Yunit Propaganda Platoon 3, were identified as Pedro Pillar Jabalde, 31, of Barangay Malabuyucon Buenavista, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental; the squad leader initially identified as Alejo “Peter/Bravo” de los Reyes; Ruben de la Cruz Gaitan, 31,of Barangay Camansi, Kabankalan City; Bobby Totin Pedro, 28, of Barangay Tabu, Ilog; Mario Fajardo Mollon, 60, of Barangay Cabia-an, Candoni; Melisa Hiro de la Peña, 23, of Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan; and Janesa Malasabas Romano, 22, of Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City.

The release of the cash assistance for the family of the fatality from Guihungan is being processed, Sancho said.

The Kabankalan City government also provided cash assistance and food packs to Gaitan’s family, while the other local governments, where the other fatalities came from, also granted burial assistance to their families.

Troops of the 47IB clashed with the group of communist rebels, led by Jabalde, who fired at them in Sitio Lubi, Barangay Tabugon while responding to the reported presence of armed men demanding food and money from the locals.

Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, dismissed claims the soldiers committed human rights violations during the encounter, saying the operation was legitimate and welcomed any inquiry by any independent party.

“Those who died in the said encounter were top cadres of the communist-terrorist group. Their long record of notoriety is well-known in southern Negros or the CHICKS (Candoni, Hinobaan, Ilog, Cauayan, Kabankalan, and Sipalay) area,” he said in a statement on Monday. 

These six men were well known and notorious yet the government is giving their kin benefits? On what basis moral and legal is that justifiable?

Remember when the AFP declared Sulu Abu Sayyaf-free? Turns out that was wrong. 

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/09/26/regions/sayyaf-killed-9-policemen-wounded-in-sulu-encounter/1911766

An Abu Sayyaf fighter was killed and nine police commandos were wounded in a firefight Saturday in Sulu province in southern Philippines.

The fighting was the first between security forces and the pro-ISIS group following the military's declaration that the province is now free from the Abu Sayyaf.

Police forces were sent to the remote town of Panamao to serve an arrest warrant on a wanted Abu Sayyaf member Muksidal Jumadil at his hideout in the village of Seir Hagad after villagers tipped off authorities about his presence.

Jumadil opened automatic fire on the commandos, sparking a fierce battle that eventually resulted in the killing of the gunman. The wounded commandos, all members of the 7th Special Action Battalion, were rushed to a hospital. Among the wounded were a captain and two of his lieutenants.

Police said Jumadil was wanted for a string of murders in the Sulu. No other details about his criminal past were made available by the authorities. Many of the Abu Sayyaf leaders in Sulu had been killed in military and police operations and their members surrendered the past years to avail of the government's amnesty program.

Granted this is only ONE Abu Sayyaf member and he was being arrested due to a warrant for murder. But how many other ASG members remain in Sulu? Members of the BIFF, MILF, and DI remain active in Maguindanao.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1836748/maguindanao-sultan-kudarat-military-operations-kill-3

Operations by police and military forces in Maguindanao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat provinces, authorities said.

Two men from Maguindanao del Sur suspected of involvement in gunrunning activities were killed when they resisted arrest after an entrapment operation in Lambayong town, Sultan Kudarat, said Major Jethro Doligas, Lambayong police chief.

Doligas said the two gunrunners opened fire on a man they were negotiating with about 1 p.m. for the sale of two homemade sniper rifles at the national highway in Barangay Didtaras.

Doligas identified the fatalities as Abdulazis Bukakong, a suspected member of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters residing in Barangay Kulambog, and Alimudin Tayan, an alleged member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front residing in Barangay Darumpua, both in Sultan sa Barongis town in Maguindanao del Sur.

In Ampatuan town, also in Maguindanao del Sur, military forces killed a suspected member of the Dawlah Islamiya terrorist group during a military operation.

Brigadier General Oriel Pangcog, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, identified the suspect as Merlo Mling, who was killed in a brief clash Sunday with soldiers from the 40th Infantry Battalion.

Pangcog said the clash began when Mling and his companions fired at soldiers heading toward the outskirts of Ampatuan to check on reports about the presence of gunmen in the area.

As much as the government wants to make Mindanao a tourist destination they need to face the truth that terrorism still remains a threat. 

Assassinated Businessmen July to September 2023

This is a list of assassinated businessmen for the 3rd quarter of 2023. And also some attempted assassinations. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/515341/businessman-killed-in-danao-personal-grudge-eyed-as-motive

A businessman engaged in distributing soft drinks was killed by still unidentified perpetrators in Danao City last Monday, July 10, 2023.

The victim was identified as Gino Pasana Durano, said Police Lt. Col. Clark Arriola, chief of the Danao City Police Station. 

Durano, 45, was a resident of Purok Calabasa, Barangay Cambubho, also in Danao City. 

Based on initial investigations from the police, residents in Purok Calabasa, Barangay Cambubho heard successive bursts of gunfire around 4:55 p.m. on Monday.

A few minutes later, some of them found Durano, bloody and lifeless on his lawn. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but physicians declared him dead on arrival. 

The victim’s neighbors immediately reported what happened to the Police Community Precinct in Barangay Lawaan, also in Danao City. 

According to Ariola, investigators are considering personal grudge as the possible motive behind the businessman’s killing in Danao. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/07/18/2281995/maranao-businessman-hurt-ambush-attackers-arrested

A Maranao trader who owns a mobile phone store was wounded in an ambush on Monday in Iligan City.

His three attackers were arrested by pursuing policemen an hour later.

Col. Reinante Delos Santos, acting director of the Iligan City Police Office, said Tuesday Junaid Panguinaguina is now confined in a hospital.

Panguinaguina, who is from Ramain town in Lanao del Sur, was driving his Ford Everest pick-up truck when he was attacked by three gunmen at a busy stretch of the Quezon Avenue in the center of Iligan City.

The suspects — Abdulgafor Macaraya Potawan, Aladdin Macaraya Andang and Abdulrashid Pacasum Macaraya — were cornered and arrested by personnel of the Iligan City Police Station 5 and the Iligan CPO.

Potawan, Andang and Macaraya are also from Lanao del Sur.

Police investigators told reporters Paguinaguina owns an establishment in Quezon City and sells smart phones and accessories. He frequently comes home to visit relatives in Iligan City and towns in nearby Lanao del Sur.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/519027/businessman-shot-dead-inside-his-house-in-cordova-town

A 42-year-old buy-and-sell businessman was shot dead by unidentified assailants inside his house in Barangay San Miguel, Cordova town, Cebu on Friday evening, July 28, 2023.

Police in its report identified the victim as Glecerio Untal Jr. of Purok 2 of this barangay in the town.

Untal was described as a businessman, who would buy and sell motorcycles.

Untal was believed to have been shot twice, which was believed to be one in the head and another one in the body.

Police Corporal Allan Vercede, desk officer at the Cordova Police Station, told CDN Digital in a phone interview, that they were still conducting a followup investigation to identify and arrest the killers and to determine the motive behind the crime.

Initial investigation showed that the victim, Untal was alone in his house in Purok 2, Barangay San Miguel when he was killed.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/2/businesswoman-shot-dead-in-ormoc-city

A businesswoman was gunned down in her house in Barangay District 1, Ormoc City, on Tuesday, August 1.

Police identified the victim as Emily Porcadilla, 55, alias “Emyat,” an “ukay-ukay” (used clothes) trader.

Initial investigation said the victim was in her room when several unidentified armed men wearing bonnets barged in and shot her several times.

Gunmen escaped on board a red van and the Ormoc City Police Office (OCPO) found the victim lying on her bed lifeless with multiple bullet wounds.

Police conducted a hot-pursuit operation against the suspects but to no avail.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/7/indian-businessman-shot-dead-in-laguna

An Indian businessman was gunned down on Thursday morning, September 7, in Barangay Silangan Kabubuhayan here.

Police identified the victim as Chahal Karnail Singh, 62, a resident of this town.

Initial investigation said that residents heard two gunshots.

Minutes later, the bloodied body of the victim was found sprawled on the road shoulder.

Singh sustained two bullet wounds that killed him on the spot.

The victim’s collection and motorcycle were reportedly missing.

Police found an empty bullet shell at the crime scene.

Investigation is ongoing.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/11/2295513/cotabato-merchant-shot-robbed

A merchant was shot and wounded by one of three gunmen who robbed him at gunpoint in an attack late Sunday nearby Libungan town in Cotabato. The suspects also took his sling bag containing cash.

Juan Librea Bulleque Jr., who has a rice and corn grains business and is engaged in buy-and-sell of other agricultural products from around Libungan, lost P80,000 in the incident.

Col. Harold S. Ramos, Cotabato provincial police director, on Monday said that Bulleque, who has a trading establishment in the public market of Libungan, was attacked while he was about to enter their residential yard in Barangay Kabpangi.

Witnesses told local police probers that one of Bulleque’s three attackers shot him in the upper torso when he resisted and took his sling bag as he fell as they escaped using a motorcycle parked nearby.

Ramos told reporters that personnel of the Libungan Municipal Police Station are now trying to identify the suspects for immediate prosecution.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1660838/sri-lankan-businessman-slain-in-cotabato-city-gun-attack

A Sri Lankan businessman was shot dead by a still unidentified gunman along a busy street here Thursday afternoon.

Captain Kenneth Rosales, Cotabato City police station 1 commander, identified the victim as Mohamed Rifard Mohamed Siddeek, 46, a Sri Lankan national residing in Barangay Semba of Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao.

Colonel Querubin Manalang Jr., Cotabato City police director, said a manhunt operation is still ongoing as of this posting.

Rosales said Siddeek had just alighted from his white mini-van along Don Rufino Alonzo Avenue in Barangay Poblacion Mother when a man approached him and opened fire without provocation.

Police found empty shells for caliber .45 pistol at the crime scene that is near the city mega market which is a densely populated area.

Witnesses told police probers that the gunman quickly fled on board a motorcycle driven by an accessory.

Civilians who know the victim said Siddeek was engaged in money lending and survived a gun attack in Barangay Broce of Datu Odin Sinsuat town last year.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/15/2296328/trader-captures-own-murder-facebook

A businessman was shot dead while streaming a video of himself on Facebook.

Ryan Relator, 44, a resident of Barangay Poblacion in Banga, Aklan, was recording himself while driving his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he was shot by unidentified men on another motorbike in front of the barangay hall of New Buswang in Kalibo town.

The video showed Relator still managed to drive after he was shot. It appeared that he fell from his motorcycle, and then gunshots were heard again.

Relator was taken to the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbukon Memorial Hospital, where he died after undergoing surgery on Wednesday.

An investigation is underway.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/24/fruit-vendor-slain-in-quezon

A 40-year-old fruit vendor was shot dead on the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Lalig, here, on Saturday afternoon, September 23.

Police identified the victim as Christopher Magbayao, a resident of Sitio Sandig, Barangay Bukal, this town.

Investigation said the victim was driving his tricycle when he was shot by a lone gunman who fled in an unknown direction.

Magbayao sustained bullet wounds and was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead.

Probers found three cartridge cases from a caliber .45 pistol in the crime scene.

Police are digging deeper into the incident and a manhunt operation against the gunman is underway.