Coronavirus Lockdown: Return of PH Movie Industry, Marcos Shares COVID-19 Experience, and More!

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

Residents of Iloilo have been told to obey health protocols after four people have died from COVID-19. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217240

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has reminded the public to continue observing health protocols as the new strain of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) claimed four lives in Iloilo.

IPHO chief Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon, on Thursday afternoon, said the province posted 88 of the contagious JN.1 variant, with four deaths in three months based on the Department of Health Western Visayas records.

“The four deaths were all immune-compromised. The oldest death was 87 years old, and the youngest was less than a year old. The two others in their adult stage have underlying conditions,” she said in a media interview.

The cases, she said, were recorded from November 2023 until January this year.

Quiñon added that it has been observed lately that people were suffering from flu-like symptoms. However, it was not immediately known if it was a new strain of Covid-19 because of limited testing.

The health officer said the new strain of Covid-19 is contagious, hence this festival season, the public is encouraged to wear masks, always disinfect, and observe physical distancing, especially the senior citizens, immune-compromised, and even children who still have weak immune systems.

“If possible, don’t get exposed in crowded areas and enclosed spaces,” she said.

So, the people are being given scare propaganda against the JN.1 variant despite it not being known if it was that strain these people had! There are certainly other factors involved and the death rate remains low. 

Puerto Princesa has seen a decrease in adolescent birth rates since the end of the pandemic. 

https://palawan-news.com/puerto-princesa-sees-decrease-in-adolescent-birth-rates/

Puerto Princesa City, in the Mimaropa region, bucks the trend of rising adolescent birth rates in Mimaropa region, recording a decrease in 2022, the Commission on Population and Development reported based on the latest civil registry statistics results released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The population commission stated Friday in a release that according to the statistics authority, the highly urbanized city registered 180 live births among adolescents, showing a decline from its 2021 data.

This situation in Puerto Princesa contrasts with the broader regional trend, where there has been an increase in childbirth among young girls, particularly in the 10 to 14 age group. Palawan province, in contrast, recorded 1,484 live births among adolescents aged 10 to 19, the highest in the Mimaropa region.

Palawan is followed by Oriental Mindoro with 1,448 live births, Occidental Mindoro with 788, Romblon with 422, and Marinduque with 288.

The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said the region reported a total of 4,610 adolescent births, which is 3.07 percent of the national figure. This includes a rise from 63 live births in 2020 to 94 in 2022 among the 10-14 age group.

Nevertheless, the number of live births registered in Mimaropa is notably less than those in the three adjacent regions with the highest figures, specifically Calabarzon with 19,018 live births, Central Luzon recording 17,107, and the National Capital Region reporting 12,540 live births.

As a result, the Commission is now strongly pushing for the immediate passage of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill to protect young mothers from potential harm.

“The glaring statistics demand immediate and concerted action and intervention. The rise in adolescent live births not only poses a threat to the well-being of a young mother but also underscores the urgency to pass the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill pending in Congress,” CPD Mimaropa Regional Director Reynaldo Wong said.

The House of Representatives passed House Bill 8910, known as the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act, in September 2023. House Speaker Martin Romualdez explained then that it aims to tackle the issue of early pregnancy and parenting, a social problem that negatively impacts the mother, the child, and society as a whole.

Based on surveys, he said the matter seemed to have intensified during the pandemic,  a period when the government recommended everyone, including young people, to remain indoors as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“The social cost of this issue and the negative impact on the national budget could run into billions – in terms of the government having to take care of young mothers and their babies. There is also the human development aspect,” the speaker stated then.

Kind of odd that the lockdowns intensified adolescent pregnancies but overall the Population Commission has said the lockdown actually decreased the birthrate. 

A local movie has grossed P800 million which is proof the movie industry is back according to Senator Robin Padilla. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217405

Senator Robin Padilla has said the PHP800-million gross profit of the local film “Rewind” in the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival is an indication that the Philippine movie industry is recovering from the pandemic.

"This achievement is a testament to the return of a vibrant and flourishing Philippine film industry - attributed to the hard work and commitment of artists, writers, directors, and all members of the production teams," Padilla said in Senate Resolution 909 he filed on Monday.

Padilla lauded the victory of "Rewind," directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar.

He also congratulated the artists, producers, directors, writers, and all behind the movie starring real-life couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera-Dantes.

Padilla said Dingdong and Marian remain an inspiration not just in reel but in real life, promoting "family values, entrepreneurship and philanthropic deeds

He noted how the pandemic forced the film industry to grind to a halt-prompting "indefinite delays in film production, closure of movie theaters, and imposition of social distancing restrictions to the general public."

Padilla also said he is happy that the MMFF 2023 was the "highest-grossing edition of all time" due in large part to the hard work of the artists, writers, directors and production teams.

It's another industry revived from the lockdowns.

The DOF wants to change tax rates. Senator Gatchalian says this will affect the pandemic recovery. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217382

The proposal of the Department of Finance (DOF) to change tax rates on certain sectors was welcomed on Monday by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian but warned that it might have an impact on the economy which is still recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

The Senate Ways and Means panel, led by Gatchalian, tackled various measures that seeks to "simplify" the taxation of passive income, financial services, and transactions by reducing the number of tax rates and harmonizing the tax rates on interest, dividends, capital gains, and business taxes imposed on financial intermediaries.

This is through the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA) or the Package 4 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) which is expected to provide PHP25 billion additional revenues to the country.

"I read PIFITA. I read the entire bill and there are three words that I would like to describe PIFITA -- “Simplify, Simplify, Simplify”. Simplify in terms of understanding the taxation covering the financial industry, simplify compliance from the point of view of our taxpayers and simplify tax administration from the point of view of our revenue collecting agencies. Three words that will enhance the experience in terms of administration and tax collecting covering our financial institutions," Gatchalian said.

"There might be some negative impact in terms of revenue collection, in my point of view, this negative impact might not be timely because we’re still reeling and recovering from the effects of the pandemic and one of the huge effects of the pandemic to our fiscal health is the increase in terms of public debt, during the pandemic we actually increased public debt from 30 percent of our GDP (gross domestic product) to almost 60 percent of our GDP," he added.

He said outgrowing a public debt means that tax collection must be efficient and should not reduce revenues.

Does the Honorable Senator not know that Marcos has already declared the Philippines is back on its feet? 

President Marcos is full vaccinated yet has contracted COVID-9 three times, two of those being while fully vaccinated. Now he has shared his experience. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1893049/marcos-recounts-experience-having-covid-19-during-pandemic

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday recounted his experience getting COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.

Marcos tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, three times — once in March 2020, a second time in July 2022, and a third time in December 2023.

“It was unfortunate because it was the first time in my life that I went to the doctor and I asked them ‘what’s happening to me?’ and the doctors would tell me ‘we are not quite sure,’” said Marcos at the launch of the Lung Transplant Program in Quezon City.

“The next question, of course, is ‘how do I get better?’ and the answer also is “well, we’ll try everything, but we are not quite sure yet,’” he added.

The President said that treatment for COVID-19 has dramatically improved, and the pandemic has ended.

Marcos said that he is a longtime asthma and allergy sufferer, so he supports the Lung Center, vowing to help rehabilitate the specialty hospital.

Having COVID is the first time Marcos went to the doctor or the first time a doctor said he was not sure what was wrong with him?

Abby Binay: The Ultimate Toxic Philippine Politician

Makati mayor Abby Binay is a prime example of everything toxic about Philippine politics. She is currently serving her final term as Mayor of Makati and was recently asked about her upcoming plans. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/20/mayor-binay-sees-husband-as-successor-in-makati

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay said she sees her husband Congressman Luis Campos Jr., as her successor in Makati.  

In an ambush interview on Thursday, Jan. 18,  she said she believes that her husband could sustain the upcoming local projects for Makati.

"It's clear. Many more projects need to be done after 2025, there is only one person I can trust to do it and that is none other than my husband," the mayor said.

Binay said she is still giving herself time to plan her next political steps as she serves her last term.

The lady mayor said she may have a decision by March on whether she will run for Taguig mayor in 2025 or not.

She also cited several options that make it difficult for her to decide what to do next.

“I can go national, I can run for Congress, I can run for the Senate, I can run for mayor, I can decide not to run diba, I can become a full-time wife, I can study. So I'm lucky to have such options, so it's a bit difficult to choose what will be or the path we will take,” she said.

Let's break down both of her statements.

"It's clear. Many more projects need to be done after 2025, there is only one person I can trust to do it and that is none other than my husband," the mayor said.

This is truly an atrocious comment illuminating her mindset. Do not forget Abby is a member of the Binay family which, along with the Dutertes, Cayetanos, and Marcoses, is one of the most corrupt political families in the nation. 

Why exactly does she trust ONLY her husband to be Mayor? Because he can complete the projects that SHE has planned for Makati. What a lot of hubris! Only the people can decide who will be the best mayor after her term ends. Surely there are more qualified candidates than her husband who just happens to be a current Congressman. Why would a Congressman want to step down and become Mayor? For the same reason Abby left the House of Representatives to become Mayor...POWER!

Abby is not sure what she will do next but one option is to run for Mayor of Taguig.

The lady mayor said she may have a decision by March on whether she will run for Taguig mayor in 2025 or not.

She also cited several options that make it difficult for her to decide what to do next.

“I can go national, I can run for Congress, I can run for the Senate, I can run for mayor, I can decide not to run diba, I can become a full-time wife, I can study. So I'm lucky to have such options, so it's a bit difficult to choose what will be or the path we will take,” she said.

Why in the world would she want to run for Mayor of Taguig? Again, the answer is POWER. But how could she even run for Mayor of Taguig when she is not a resident of Taguig? In order for her to establish residency she would need to resign from her current position.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1825327/serious-or-not-abby-binays-run-for-taguig-mayor-faces-rough-road

Binay has a “chance” of winning, Dr. Maria Ela Atienza, a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, told INQUIRER.net, saying that should she win, she can “break the monopoly of the Cayetanos in Taguig.”

Atienza pointed out that Binay seeking election in Taguig is “entirely possible,” explaining that for members of political dynasties, it is “usual to switch political posts because of the limit imposed on their terms.”

But in her possible bid to win Taguig, having enough votes is not the only thing to consider, with election lawyer Emil Marañon III saying that there are certain qualifications that should be met.

Marañon told INQUIRER.net that should Binay decide to seek Taguig’s highest post, “the most material qualifications [that should be considered], I think, are the ones related to being a registered voter and a resident.”

As stated in the Local Government Code of the Philippines, for someone who has the intention to seek election as mayor of a highly urbanized city, he or she should be:

• a citizen of the Philippines
• 23 years old on election day
• able to read and write Filipino or any other language or dialect
• a registered voter in the city where he or she intends to be elected
• a resident of the city for at least one year

It was pointed out by Marañon that the two latter qualifications would require Binay to resign as mayor of Makati, saying that being a resident and registered voter is a “continuing requirement” for an incumbent mayor.

This, as he said if Binay will have her voter registration transferred from Makati to Taguig without first resigning from her post, she can be liable “because she is no longer satisfying the requirement that she should be a registered voter of Makati.”

As for the residency requirement, Marañon said Binay should already be a resident of Taguig by May 2024, however, he said the Comelec has been consistent that one cannot establish a new residence while he or she is an incumbent official.

If she does decide to run for Mayor of Taguig and thus resigns Abby Binay will show beyond all doubt she does not care about the people. The citizens of Makati elected her as Mayor and it is incumbent upon her to fulfill her term. But what does loyalty to the people matter when her family can begin a new reign just a few Barangays away? 

In 2022 the Supreme Court decided with finality that ten Makati Barangays actually belonged to Taguig.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/27/sc-affirms-rtc-ruling-for-taguig-city-in-territorial-dispute-with-makati-city/

The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the 2011 Pasig City regional trial court (RTC) ruling which declared the 729-hectare Bonifacio Global City Complex and several barangays in Makati City as owned by Taguig City government.

In a decision released on Wednesday, April 27, the SC ruled that based on historical, documentary, and testimonial evidence, the contested areas fall within the territorial jurisdiction of Taguig City.

The decision, written by Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario, declared permanent the 1994 injunction issued by the Pasig City RTC which stopped the Makati City government “from exercising jurisdiction over, making improvements on, or otherwise treating as part of its territory Parcels 3 and 4, Psu 2031, comprising Fort Bonifacio, including the so-called Inner Fort comprising of Barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo and Pitogo.”

The Philippine Army headquarters, Navy installation, Marines’ headquarters, Consular area, JUSMAG area, Heritage Park, Libingan ng mga Bayani, AFP Officers Village and the so-called six villages are situated in the said areas.

With Abby as Mayor of Taguig and her husband as Mayor of Makati the Binay family will be in control of a two municipalities. What is there for her to lose? 

As with any election it is the people who will decide her fate. Abby is at least honest enough to state that she is not familiar with Taguig.

"I have yet to decide because this will be a hard and heavy task — running for Taguig — because first of all I am not familiar with the place."

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1820836/to-run-for-mayor-in-taguig-is-an-option-says-abby-binay

But with Taguig now being in possession of 10 former Makati Barangays, which translates to roughly 300,000 people, she might be a shoo-in. 

It's all about power with these families. It is not about the people. If it were about the people then she would not even contemplate running for Mayor of Taguig while having her husband as Mayor of Makati. Truly Abby Binay is the ultimate toxic Philippine politician. 

Insurgency: Marcos In Dreamland

A few weeks ago the AFP declared there are not more active guerrilla fronts in the Philippines. In a weekly talk on his Facebook page President Marcos repeated this declaration. The CPP-NPA says he is living in dreamland. 

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2024/1/15/cpp-npa-marcos-guerrilla-fronts.html

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was dreaming when he claimed that its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), no longer has active guerrilla fronts in the country.

"Marcos Jr is in dreamland when he claims there are no more active NPA guerrilla fronts. The NPA remains active in 14 regional commands across the country each with a number of guerrilla fronts," CPP Chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena told CNN Philippines on Sunday.

The CPP's statement was a response to Marcos' earlier pronouncement that there are no more active NPA guerilla fronts as of December 2023 after government forces neutralized some 1,400 members of extremist groups. 

"If Marcos's declarations were true, why is it that around 60-70,000 military and police combat troops (or around 150 battalions of AFP and PNP counterinsurgency units) remain deployed against the NPA across the country?" Valbuena said. "Why do they continue to squander hundreds of millions of pesos to drop bombs and fire their howitzers?"

The CPP official said Marcos made the declarations to play to the desires of foreign investors, whom, Valbuena said, the president "desperately wants to entice with promises of unlimited access to the country's land and natural resources".

Valbuena added that while the NPA suffered setbacks over the past years, it is "far from defeated" and remains determined to thwart the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) "brutal offensives."

"The NPA continues to carry out guerrilla maneuvers to break out of the AFP's encirclement, to quietly build a bigger mass base and expand its guerrilla fronts," he added.

Despite the AFP's alleged bloody campaign of state terrorism in the countryside, taking away peasant farms and ancestral land, Valbuena stressed that the Filipino people, especially the peasant masses, continue to support and join the NPA to defend their economic and political rights.

"The NPA will make sure that it will outlast Marcos, just like it outlasted his father and all the governments of the past 35 years who all bragged of crushing the NPA," he said.

The National Security Council strongly disagrees saying the NPA is no longer a force to be reckoned with. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/15/npa-is-no-longer-a-force-to-reckon-with-says-nsc-exec

The New People's Army (NPA) is no longer considered a force to reckon with by the national government after it supposedly lost its support from the mass, an official of the National Security Council (NSC) said Monday, Jan. 15.

NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya made the remark after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared that there are no longer active NPA guerilla fronts in the country.

However, there remains 13 "weakened" guerilla fronts, or those that lost their mass base support, because of focus military operations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and socio-economic intervention programs by the government.

"They are no longer considered a force to reckon with because they are classified as weakened which means they lost support from the mass)," Malaya said in a radio interview with dzBB.

"They are no longer a significant threat," he added.

According to data from the AFP, 76 out of the total 89 guerilla fronts have been dismantled by the military as of 2023.

Last year, a total of 1,399 members of communists and local terrorists groups were neutralized while 1,751 firearms were seized by government troops.

Even if the weakened guerilla fronts manage to regroup, Malaya believes that it will be difficult for them to be as powerful as before since they already lost most of their leaders, particularly Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. "Joma" Sison who died in 2022.

"I think the Philippine government is in a better position to demand from them kasi nga may leverage tayo ngayon (because we have a leverage now). Pansin naman ng ating mga kababayan na obviously talagang panalo na tayo (The people obviously know that we are the victors here)," Malaya said.

While the NSC says there are 13 weakened fronts the AFP says there are only 11.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1889572/only-eleven-weakened-npa-guerrilla-fronts-are-left-says-brawner

The number of guerrilla fronts of communist New People’s Army (NPA) has declined from 13 to 11.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the decrease was reported to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The Commander in Chief attended the military command conference at AFP Commissioned Officers Club House at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon city on Monday.

“It was announced that there were 13 (weakened guerrilla fronts),” Brawner said in an ambush interview after the event.

“In our presentation this morning, we presented to the President that from the 13th, it’s now down to 11,” he told reporters.

Now that the NPA is weakened the NTF-ELCAC says it is timely to shift focus to external threats. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217076

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday backed the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) shift of its focus to territorial or external defense amid the waning threat of communist insurgency.

"Indeed, the NTF-ELCAC is fully supporting the defense sector to transition from internal security operations to external defense," the task force said in a social media post.

"What’s left now of the NPA are just small teams engaging in pure banditry. We commend the active participation of local government units in eliminating communist terrorist groups in their communities," the NTF-ELCAC added.

"So we gave a new set of targets to our commanders for them in order for us to totally defeat the communist terrorist group, by doing that we will be able to shift now to territorial defense," AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. noted, adding that he cannot make this public for security reasons.

Brawner also said the AFP will try to defeat the remaining NPA forces within the year. 

The first month of the year is a little more than half over and already the AFP is promising to defeat the NPA by year's end. 

Whether that happens or not the Army is committed to making Negros Island insurgency free. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217057

The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID) remained firm in its goal to end the local communist armed conflict in Negros Island after receiving recognition from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for its successful peace campaign in its area of operations.

In a statement on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of 3ID, said the campaign streamer award given to its units, 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) and 94th Infantry Battalion (IB), is a “solid testament to our unwavering efforts to achieve peace and prosperity in the island,” highlighted by the dismantling of all five New People’s Army (NPA) guerilla fronts in Negros as of the end of 2023.

“This recognition is a source of our endless commitment and dedication to liberate Negrenses from the shackles of insurgency,” he said.

AFP commander-in-chief, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., presented the awards to Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, commander of the 303IBde, and Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, commanding officer of 94IB, during the AFP Year-End 2023 Command Conference held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday.

The said units were awarded, specifically for dismantling guerrilla fronts, and significantly contributing to the AFP’s overall victory against communist terrorist groups.

In Negros, the 303IBde and the 94IB dismantled the Central Negros 2 of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor last Dec. 21, following the dismantling of the first three, including the South East Front, Northern Negros Front and Central Negros 1.

The remaining South West Front, already considered “weakened,” has also been recommended by the 3ID for a formal declaration of being dismantled by the AFP Visayas Command and the Joint Peace Security and Coordinating Committee.

Edralin, whose unit is based in Murcia, Negros Occidental, thanked the AFP leadership for recognizing the relentless efforts of the troops in Negros in ending the decades-long insurgency.

“This award is also a triumph for all Negrenses who have been our partners in all our endeavors. It is also a testament to our genuine commitment to end the local communist armed conflict. We will continue our efforts until Negros Island is declared insurgency-free,” he added.

The war is not over, the gains have not been sustained over a long period of time, and the Army is already handing out awards. Note that the AFP says the South West Front is considered weakened but is now being recommended "for a formal declaration of being dismantled." On what basis?

Davao has been declared insurgency free since October, 2022 and yet the AFP is still working to sustain the gains. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1216937

The 10th Infantry Division (I0ID) and the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao (OPAMINE) have vowed to further strengthen efforts in sustaining the peace gains of being an insurgency-free Davao region.

Maj. Mark Anthony Tito, the 10ID spokesperson, said the exertions of their unit include focused military operations, conduct of localized peace engagement, and strengthened integrated territorial defense system (ITDS).

“We also conducted information and education campaigns and outreach programs with stakeholders to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) as well as conducted sectoral engagement activities including Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities,” Tito said in an interview on Monday.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Allan Hambala, 10ID commander, said he and Secretary Leo Tesoro Magno have already discussed the assistance that the OPAMINE could extend to the military unit.

For instance, Hamabala said ground troops need support for their training and supplies to further boost their morale while on the field.

Being the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for the Davao Region, Magno acknowledged that maintaining the region as insurgency-free is a gargantuan task not just for the security forces but the entire populace as well.

On Jan. 8, Magno also met with Philippine Army chief, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, to map out security measures and other programs for the region that would contribute to peace stability, order, and security.

“The strategic planning meeting was intended to help the security forces in Davao region strengthen their measures in maintaining peace in the area,” Magno said.

It seems what peace there is, is fragile and the insurgency is ready to break out at any minute if the Army is not conducting peace initiatives. 

The fight continues despite awards ceremonies and declarations of peace. The Army recently captured an NPA camp.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/16/army-captures-npa-camp-in-negros-occidental

The Army 79th Infantry Battalion captured a New People’s Army (NPA) camp in an encounter in the hinterlands of Sitio Martesan, Barangay Cambayobo, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Monday, January 15.

Several firearms and war materiel were recovered after the gun battle with about eight remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front, NNF (D), Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor (KR-NCBS). 

Retrieved were a .30 Garand rifle, a Carbine rifle, a .38 caliber revolver, long and short magazine for Carbine rifle, a magazine for Garand rifle, two rifle grenades, 21 ammunition for Carbine rifle, five ammunition for Garand rifle, two ammunition for .38 caliber, assorted medicines, subversive documents with high intelligence value, and personal belongings. 

Capt. Dan Carlo Samoza, 79th IB civil-military operations (CMO) officer, said soldiers were conducting operations to hunt down a group of NPA rebels tagged behind the killings in the town and neighboring areas when the firefight broke out. 

This NPA band killed  businessman Juvinie Sarona in Toboso town, Negros Occidental early this month, according to the 3rd Infantry Division (ID). 

Samoza said no casualty was recorded on the government side but bloodstains were found on the withdrawal route of the NPA. 

The Army had earlier vowed to bring justice to Sarona and his family and hunt down the perpetrators behind the killings. 

“We attribute these successful operations to the vigilance and cooperation of the Negrenses,” said Major Gen. Marion Sison, 3rd ID commander, in a statement. 

With their strong support, your Army and PNP, will not rest until justice is served to the bereaved family of Sarona and other victims of NPA killings in Negros, Sison added.

Another NPA leader has been killed in a firefight with the AFP.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1216941

A high-ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) died in a clash with government troops in Barangay Togawe, Gubat town in Sorsogon province over the weekend.

In an interview on Monday, Maj. Frank Roldan, 9th Infantry Division (9ID) spokesperson, identified the slain as Baltazar Hapa (alias Patrick), commanding officer of NPA's Komiteng Larangang Guerilla 1, Sub-regional Committee 3.

"The encounter occurred Sunday evening, as the government forces conducted a hot pursuit operation related to an earlier clash in Barangay Sangat, Gubat, Sorsogon, which occurred on Sunday afternoon. The firefight from both sides lasted for 25 minutes, resulting in the death of Hapa and the seizure of an M4 rifle, magazines, and improvised explosive device," Roldan said.

No casualties were recorded on the government side during the operation

Funny how the AFP says the NPA is leaderless yet the keep killing leaders!

The REAL Problem With the 1987 Philippine Constitution Nobody Wants to Discuss

Once again talk of Cha-cha, or Charter Change, is in the air. Why is this a perennial topic amongst Philippine politicians? Surely the 1987 Constitution is wonderful and any change would be a betrayal of EDSA People Power, right? Wrong. Senate President Zubiri gives us some hints as to the problem plaguing the 1987 Constitution. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1889682/senate-launches-own-bid-to-amend-constitution

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday led the filing of a resolution rewriting specific economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, amid the controversy over the decades-old charter change agenda being revived once again under President Marcos’ administration.

“This is to avert a constitutional crisis between the House of Representatives and the Senate,” Zubiri told reporters after filing Resolution of Both Houses No. 6.

Speaker Martin Romualdez expressed his “unwavering support” for the Senate’s initiative. (See related story on this page.)According to Zubiri, the resolution resulted from his consultations with the House leader and a separate meeting with Mr. Marcos himself.

The Senate resolution is limited to “three topics on economic provisions. We are doing this to preserve the bicameralism of [Congress],” he said.

“[This is] to make it clear that there are no other planned provisions or amendments,” emphasized the Senate leader.

Under the resolution, the proposed constitutional changes should only cover Section 11 of Article XII (National Economy and Patrimony), which requires 60-percent Filipino ownership of public utilities; Section 4 (2) of Article XIV (Education), which requires 60-percent Filipino ownership of educational institutions; and Section 11 (2) of Article XVI (General Provisions), which requires 70-percent Filipino ownership of any enterprise in the advertising industry.

“The nation’s economic policy must be reframed under the demands of this increasingly globalized age while still protecting the general policy of Filipino-first that guides the economic provisions of the Constitution,” read a portion of the resolution.

Can you see what is wrong here? The problem is that there are economic provisions in the Constitution. There should not be ANY economic provisions in the Constitution. Zubiri's statement illustrates why this is the case.

"The nation’s economic policy must be reframed under the demands of this increasingly globalized age"

Economic policy can be and at times must be changed. But a constituion is not about economic policy. It is about how an organization, in this case the government, is to function. 

A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.

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

The functions of the government should NOT change except under extreme necessity. The Constitution should only delineate the powers and functions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. This is exactly what the 1987 Philippine Constitution DOES NOT DO. Only the Supreme Court, Commission on Elections, Ombudsman, and Commission on Human Rights have specific powers and functions listed. 

Article 6 describes the Legislative Department in minute detail over 32 sections.

Section 1 says the legislative power shall be vested in a Congress composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. 

Sections 2-15 describes the qualifications of  members of the Congress, tells the time of their election, and grants limited immunity from prosecution during their terms

Sections 16-22 tells how the Senate and House are to govern themselves and describes the manner in which cabinet heads are to appear before the Congress.

Section 23 says the Congress has the sole power to declare a state of war and authorize the President to enact needed restrictions during war time. 

Sections 24-27 describes how bills are to be written and voted upon. 

Section 28 says the Congress must "evolve a progressive system of taxation."

Section 29 says describes how money from the public treasury is to be employed.

Section 30 says the Congress cannot pass a law increasing the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. 

 Section 31 forbids the granting to titles of nobility. 

Section 32 says the Congress must develop a system "whereby the people can directly propose and enact laws or approve or reject any act or law or part thereof passed by the Congress or local legislative body."

At NO POINT are the powers of the Legislature described. Compare the 1987 Philippine Constitution to  Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution.

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

See the difference? Take these two provisions for instance:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

While the 1987 Philippine Constitution mentions the military nothing whatever is said about the Congress' power to maintain them. In fact their maintenance is not mentioned at all but is apparently assumed with the Armed Forces, in Article 2, being called the protecter of the people.

Section 3. Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory. 

As far as economic policy goes the United States Constitution only says the Congress shall have the power:

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

Yet in the 1987 Philippine Constitution we are met with Article 12 which spells out in great detail the nation's economic policy. While the U.S. Constitution tasks the Legislature with the power

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

The Philippine Constitution devolves that power to an independent Central bank. From Article 12:

Section 20. The Congress shall establish an independent central monetary authority, the members of whose governing board must be natural-born Filipino citizens, of known probity, integrity, and patriotism, the majority of whom shall come from the private sector. They shall also be subject to such other qualifications and disabilities as may be prescribed by law. The authority shall provide policy direction in the areas of money, banking, and credit. It shall have supervision over the operations of banks and exercise such regulatory powers as may be provided by law over the operations of finance companies and other institutions performing similar functions. 

Until the Congress otherwise provides, the Central Bank of the Philippines operating under existing laws, shall function as the central monetary authority. 

Section 21. Foreign loans may only be incurred in accordance with law and the regulation of the monetary authority. Information on foreign loans obtained or guaranteed by the Government shall be made available to the public.

What a vast difference between the teacher and the student, that is the USA and the Philippines. The Founding Fathers of the USA generally abhorred the idea of a central bank and would be appalled at not only the 1987 Philippine Constitution but also the Federal Reserve of the USA.

There are also many nebulous and undefined phrases and words in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. This includes: patriotism, progressive system of taxation, sovereignty resides in the people, and prescribed by law. 

The phrase "prescribed by law" appears eleven times in the 1987 Philippine Constitution which is rather odd because this document is setting out detailed policy which itself should be "prescribed by law." That is exactly how the Philippines has wound up in this predicament of having an unchangeable economic policy that is at odds with the current global situation.

The Legislature should only be given the broad power to regulate commerce and then it is up to the Congress to fine tune those regulations. 

To sum up here the REAL problem with the 1987 Philippine Constitution which nobody wants to discuss is that it is not specific enough in detailing the powers of Congress and it has policies both economic and social which simply do not belong. Take this policy from Article 13 on Social Justice and Human Rights:

Section 9. The State shall, by law, and for the common good, undertake, in cooperation with the private sector, a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost, decent housing and basic services to under-privileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas. It shall also promote adequate employment opportunities to such citizens. In the implementation of such program the State shall respect the rights of small property owners.

According to the 1987 Philippine Constitution the State is required by law to make sure everyone can afford a house. But what law? The Constitution is not that law. The law to fulfill this mandate is something that must be passed by Congress and approved by the President. The Constitution is assuming a law that does not even exist. 

The 1987 Philippine Constitution is flawed because it says too much one way and not enough the other way. I compared the Philippine Constitution with the U.S. Constitution because it is the U.S. that taught the Philippines the basics of how to operate a Constitutional Republic. In the USA less government with greater freedoms for the people is the operating philosophy while the opposite is true for the Philippines which has more government with lip service to the rights of the people. Amending the Constitution, flawed though it is, should not be done lightly. But, once again, the Philippine people, at least the short-sighted men who wrote this document, have only themselves to blame for this mess.  

The God Culture: 100 Lies About the Philippines: Lie 15: Magellan Thought the Philippines Was Ophir and the Lequios Islands

Welcome back to 100 lies The God Culture teaches about the Philippines. Today's lie once again concerns the identification of the Lequios Islands. Timothy Jay Schwab claims that Ferdinand Magellan thought the Philippines were both the Lequios Islands and Ophir. But as with all of his other claims we shall see this is a lie. 

This lie is based on a single sentence in Charles Nowell's introduction to his book Magellan's Voyage Around the World: Three Contemporary Accounts.

The Lequios of Luzon: Key to Finding Ophir and Chryse. Clue #52 

12:44 Now continues. This is the key. Magellan's version substitutes for Barbosa's Lequios, Lucoes, the words Tarsis and Ofir. The biblical Tarshish and Ophir associated with Solomon. This is from Barbosa's journal while in Malaysia. While there Magellin found out where Ophir was and it was not Malaysia. There is no overcoming this for any land and there is no debate, period. Magellan found Ophir. Done

The conclusion here, that Magellan found Ophir and Tarshish because he subsititued those names for Lequios, and it is Lequios not Lucoes, absolutely does not follow. Let us not forget that Columbus thought he found Japan. It should also not be forgotten from the previous articles that the Lequios Islands are not the Philippines. Tome Pires differentiates between the Lucoes and Lequios islands.  Ferdinand Pinto was shipwrecked in the Lequios Islands and located them at 29 North Latitude. Magellan died in the Philippines and his ships never made it north to the Lequios Islands. So, everything Tim has just said is proven by those few facts to be a complete and total fabrication.

Nevertheless it will be necessary to dig a little deeper on this matter which is why this subject of the Lequios Islands has covered several articles. Tim writes the following in his book The Search for King Solomon's Treasure:

The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, pg. 37

Magellan, who also explored under Portugal in Malaysia before embarking on his voyage to return to Southeast Asia for the Spanish crown, is recorded by author Charles E. Nowell as rewriting a portion of his copy of Barbosa’s journal. In regards to the inhabitants of the Philippines, the Lequios, he substitutes “Tarsis” and “Ofir” or Tarshish and Ophir. He knew where he was headed and he knew Malaysia did not meet the criteria for Ophir or Chryse though close in proximity, it was East of the Malay Peninsula which he found in the Philippines.

“Magellan’s version substitutes for Barbosa’s “Lequios” the words “Tarsis” and “Ofir” “...the Biblical Tarshish and Ophir associated with Solomon...” – Charles E. Nowell [148]

Nowell's source for this information is an article in the Bulletin de la Societé Belge de Geographie from 1907. Let's take a look at exactly what this article says. I have translated it from the French. 

https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=gS4yAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA435&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

Barbosa's report, written before 1516, summarizes the knowledge acquired at this time in Portugal, about India and Oceania; the author is led there to speak of the Lequios, at the end of his description of the South Asian kingdoms and islands, a description all the more precious as it comes from an intelligent traveler, who has actually visited most of the places he cited; wanting to end this general overview with some information on the countries not yet discovered, he could not help reproducing certain half-fantastic, half-authentic notions which circulated at that time about the countries and archipelagos of the Ptolemaic Magnus Sinus.

Barbosa's book summarizes all the knowledge the Portuguese had about the East and ends with a description of the Lequios Islands. It should be noted this book was written before the Lequios Islands were discovered by the Portuguese in 1517 so the knowledge Barbosa had of them was based on hearsay. I will discuss this book in a future article. 

In the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, we found in a bundle of the Patronato which contains one of the rare documents from the hand of Magellan, from the year 1519, a document which has the title "List of places, islands and main ports from the Cape of Good Hope to the Lequios, which are not yet discovered, besides other information that we have in Portugal."

We did not find the author's name; on the back of the parchment we find with difficulty deciphering a few words (et no hic unum homum aassim in quo?) which vaguely recall Magellan's firm declaration at the end of the other piece "no one knows these geographical situations (of South America South and East Asia) as well as me!." The address is better read "Muy magn' Senior, por mandao suo— A suy Senora"; it seems to indicate that the piece was presented to the young king Charles, the future Charles 5th, through the intermediary of the president of the consul of the Indies, the bishop of Burgos, Juan de Fonseca, whose characteristic title was: "Su Senior.”

The author of the archive inventory assigns the document the date of 1520-1530, without examining whether there could be any direct relationship between the different pieces contained in the bundle, among others with the Magellan manuscript. Now, the anonymous memoir is nothing more than a fragment of the book of Oduarte Barbosa, relating to the Far East. The arrangement that the author has adopted in his description differs slightly from that which we have given above according to the edition of the "Book published by the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon:

Sumatra, Cumda. Java major, Java minor, Timor, Vandam, Meluq, China, Tarsis, Ofir.

The author of this article says they found an ANONYMOUS document amongst a bundle of other documents attributed to Magellan. The author of this article does not know for sure if the documents belonged to Magellan and he himself actually substituted Tarsis and Ofir for Lequios. However he believes that is a logical assumption.

From the fact that the manuscript is joined to the remarkable document of Magellan, it seems to us that we can draw the conclusion that the navigator presented to the king the rectified report of his friend Barbosa, the day before his departure for the Moluccas, accompanying it with the formal declaration relative to the astronomical determination of several points of the globe, of which the right of taking possession by Portugal had been disputed by Spain.

But take a look at the progression of lands. We start in Sumatra, pass Java, reach China, and then arrive at the Lequios islands. There is no possible way that is the Philippines when the whole progression goes north. This will be made abundantly clear when I discuss Barbosa's book.

Further on the author of this article writes:

It took more than half a century to see a non-Portuguese geographer, our Mercator, mark on a printed work the discovery of the Lequios in the year 1517. Barbosa and Magellan may very well have been informed of the results of the Perestrello's trip, but they probably ignored the details of Mascarenhas' expedition.

Mercator's 1569 map shows both the Lequios Islands and the Philippines.

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b7200344k/f9.item.zoom

 

See how the Lequios Islands are located near Japan? That's because, as the author of this article writes:

The greater number of geographers, following Pigafetta, ignored the islands of the Lequios, and only understood under this name the inhabitants of a part of the coast of China

The Lequios Islands were not unknown to the Portuguese who first encountered them in 1517 with the help of the Chinese. 

It was not until the second half of the sixteenth century that the configuration of these islands began to be defined, thanks to a better knowledge of the Lusitanian cartography of eastern Asia; Portugal had therefore succeeded in keeping secret the results of its discoveries, accomplished since 1517, the year in which the Lequios had been recognized by Jorge de Mascarenhas with the help of Chinese pilots;

Given all that information there is absolutely no way Magellan could have thought that the Philippines was the Lequios Islands. From Barbosa's account he would have known beyond doubt that the Lequios Islands lay to the north between China and Japan. 

As for Barbosa and Magellan identifying the Lequios Islands with Ophir and Tarshish the author of this article discusses at length the search for Ophir and concludes:

The confusion of Ophir with the Lequios islands, by Barbosa and Magellan, constitutes only one more episode in the long series of hypotheses, concerning the existence of the country of gold of the Bible, hypotheses based on rumors more or less waves of unknown lands. 

It was just another hypothesis based on rumor. It's unsurprising that Timothy Jay Schwab did not seek out this article and quote from it to make his case because, as we have seen, he is a very poor researcher. The fact is no one in the 1500's or today knows the location of Ophir. India and the Malaysian Peninsula are the likely candidates as ancient Greek and Roman knowledge of the world went no further than the Malaysian Peninsula. As for Magellan's substituting Tarsis and Ofir for Lequios, we have seen that is based not on fact but a logical guess rather than hard and definitive documentation. Based on all available information Magellan also would have known that the Lequios Islands were much further to the north than the Philippines. So all in all it's simply a lie that Magellan thought the Philippines were the Lequios Islands as well as Ophir.