Coronavirus Lockdown: Philippine Quill Awards, Traslacion Not a Super Spreader Event, and More!

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

 Tourism is rebounding but Chinese tourists to the Philippines have remained low. 

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/225743/chinese-tourists-visiting-ph-decline-after-pandemic-envoy

There is a sharp decline in Chinese tourists in the country compared to the period prior to the pandemic, according to Beijing’s envoy to Manila.

Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian made the observation during the inauguration of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Makati City on Thursday.

Huang said that almost 1.8 million Chinese tourists visited the country in 2019. However,  he noted that in 2023, the tourist arrival from China only reached over two hundred thousand.

“We are pleased to see that people-to-people exchanges have rapidly recovered following the pandemic. But there is still room for improvement compared to pre-pandemic levels,” Huang said of Chinese tourist arrival in his opening speech.

On the other hand, Huang noted that there is a growing demand for Chinese visas, which prompted the embassy to create the visa application center.

“The enthusiasm of Filipinos to visit China and the demand for Chinese visa have been growing fast over the years,” he said.

On the other hand many Filipinos have been visiting China since the pandemic has ended.  

Just before the pandemic began ABS-CBN's broadcasting license was revoked. Despite that hardship they have won three big awards one for an internal safety communication campaign regarding COVID-19.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/24/24/abs-cbn-scores-3-big-wins-at-the-20th-philippine-quill-awards

ABS-CBN clinched three Awards of Excellence at the 20th Philippine Quill Awards, which honored the company’s creative breakthrough in staging an online fundraiser for super typhoon Odette survivors and compelling internal safety communication campaigns during the pandemic.

The Philippine Quill Awards, given by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, recognize excellence in strategic communication and outstanding communication skills in the country.

ABS-CBN’s “Tulong-Tulong sa Pag-ahon: Isang Daan sa Pagtutulungan,” a 100-day donation challenge that leveraged on the power of its digital platforms and influential celebrities to help raise funds to provide relief to 100,000 families devastated by super typhoon Odette during the COVID-19 pandemic, was honored with an Award of Excellence.

The ”Tulong” project, which deviated from the conventional fund-drive, was marked by virtual fundraisers for 100 consecutive nights featuring popular and influential ABS-CBN stars in online concerts, interactive shows, virtual run, benefit sale, among others, on YouTube, Facebook, iWantTFC, Kumu, and Sky Cable.

The multifaceted and multi-platform fundraisers resonated with different audiences and ultimately provided aid to over 200,000 families in areas affected by the calamity. Through ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., families were given home repair kits and food supplies, while others received livestock and livelihood items to help them rebuild their lives.

Meanwhile, two employee campaigns also took home Philippine Quill awards because of its use of compelling language and appealing imagery to emphasize to workers the importance of workplace health and safety procedures. 

ABS-CBN’s “Act as If You Have the Virus” internal campaign, which aimed to help mitigate COVID-19 cases within the organization using striking visuals and impactful messaging, won an Award of Excellence. This completes a three-peat recognition in IABC's international, regional, and local awards programs. Previously, it won a Gold Quill Award from IABC in New York and a Silver Quill Award from IABC Asia Pacific. 

Not even Duterte can keep them down. 

Traslacion has come and gone and with it the hysteria about spreading COVID-19.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/01/28/2329134/traslacion-not-covid-19-supers-preader-event

The traslacion or the annual procession of the image of the Black Nazarene, which drew millions of devotees, did not cause a massive COVID transmission, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan said on Friday.

“Two weeks ago, one of our fears during the Nazareno 2024 was that it could become a super spreader event because of COVID,” she said during a live broadcast on the Facebook page of the city’s public information office.

“Good news is based on our data, COVID cases in our city did not increase, and in fact reduced,” she added.

On Friday, the city government recorded two new COVID cases, bringing the total of active cases in the city to 32.

There were also 125,349 recoveries and 2,105 deaths related to COVID in Manila so far.

Lacuna-Pangan also expressed her condolences to a Manila resident who, despite having completed COVID vaccination, succumbed to “many comorbidities.”

A total of 6,113,598 devotees attended the traslacion, which was restored after three years of restrictions on mass gatherings due to the pandemic, according to the Quiapo Church.

Over 3.2 million devotees joined the procession, while over 1.9 million more heard hourly masses at the Quiapo Church and 939,000 trooped to the Quirino Grandstand for the “pahalik” or the veneration of the image.

The city government repeatedly reminded devotees to keep wearing their face masks. However, most of them joined the religious activity without face masks.

The government warned people to wear masks, most did not, and there was no increase in cases! Looks like masks are wholly ineffectual at this point if they ever were. 

The DOH's COVID-19 trackers is not available on their website but they say that's not a problem. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/30/doh-covid-19-tracker-unavailability-not-a-setback-disease-management-being-prioritized

In the light of concerns about the Covid-19 tracker “not being available” on the Department of Health (DOH's) website, the Department said on Tuesday, Jan. 30, that the tracker serves as just one method for information dissemination. 

It emphasized that, while the tracker is an important tool, monitoring, prevention, and control of all diseases mandated by the department, including Covid-19, remain a top priority.

In its latest data, the DOH on Jan. 30 confirmed 2,148 new Covid-19 infections across the country between Jan. 16 and 22.

The average number of new cases reported each day for the previous week was 306, which was 35 percent lower than the average number of cases reported each day from Jan. 9 to 15.

Of the newly reported cases, the DOH disclosed that as of Jan. 21, 47 infections were classified as "severe" or "critical.”

It underscored the importance of continued vigilance despite the overall positive trend.

Meanwhile, in terms of fatalities, the agency confirmed 23 new deaths, maintaining the country's fatality rate at less than one percent.

The latest data from the DOH highlighted a consistently low percentage of severe and critical cases among hospital admissions, with the current count standing at 255 cases.

The percentage of occupied Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for Covid-19 patients remained relatively low, reaching a high of 15.5 percent, with an average of 201 cases recorded as of Jan. 21.

Likewise, for Covid-19 cases, the maximum occupancy rate for non-ICU beds was 16.2 percent during the same monitoring period.

They are still keeping track even if their tracker is unavailable.

Philippine companies are eager to have everyone back in the office. 

https://www.philstar.com/business/2024/01/30/2329445/philippine-firms-want-workers-return-office

The Philippines has the second highest number of employers in Asia-Pacific requiring a full return to the office in the pandemic aftermath, according to tech giant Cisco.

In a survey, Cisco found that nearly half of Philippine companies are requiring employees to return to work in person post-pandemic for productivity purposes.

In Asia-Pacific, India recorded the highest number of employers mandating a full return to the office at 49 percent, followed by the Philippines (46 percent), Australia and South Korea (28 percent), and Hong Kong and Thailand (19 percent).

Taiwan stood out as the most progressive in terms of working arrangement, with only 13 percent of Taiwanese companies requiring a full return to the office.

Cisco said 65 percent of companies in the region believe that working in the office increases productivity. Apart from this, employers think that a return to the workplace allows workers to improve team communication and respond to leadership pressure.

Cisco, however, said there is a growing case of hybrid mode of work in the region as the new generation of talents are pushing for this kind of arrangement.

In the Philippines, Cisco reported that more than a third of employers expect the average Filipino to be a hybrid worker within two years.

Cisco said Filipinos like the idea of a hybrid arrangement because it supports their well-being, allows them to save more and raises their productivity.

However, Cisco said much work needs to be done to expedite the transition to hybrid work. The survey found that only half of Filipino employees believe that their office is prepared to adopt this kind of setup for good.

In the office, employees are clamoring for a reorganization of their workspaces, complaining that current designs fail to meet the needs of post-pandemic work. They cited the urgency of upgrading digital tools, given that most tasks, such as meeting with clients, are being done online nowadays.

At home, workers are requesting employers to enhance their productivity tools like collaboration software and internet subscription.

For the survey, Cisco gathered the insights of 7,550 workers and 1,650 employers in Asia and the Pacific, zeroing in on the risks and opportunities of hybrid work in Australia, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

But the workspace is changing and a hybrid arrangement appears to be the way of the future. In fact the demand for work-from-home jobs is outpacing the supply. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217899

Filipino jobseekers still prefer the work-from-home (WFH) arrangement despite many companies returning to normal operations after the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) lockdown.

“Work from home” is the top most searched keyword on Jobstreet by SEEK platform in the Philippines, according to managing director Dannah Majarocon on Tuesday.

"Work from home has definitely grown over the past couple of years spearheaded during the pandemic. And now that we've been transitioning out of the pandemic, the demand on the candidate side on work from home or hybrid work continues to grow... On the hirer side, hybrid work, remote work are still things that they are continuing to consider," she said during a media event at the Jobstreet by SEEK headquarters in Taguig City.

She said that with the demand for hybrid work scheme, some companies are looking to institutionalizing flexible work arrangement.

To attract jobseekers to work onsite, companies also compensate WFH arrangement with other benefits such as mental health wellness and opportunities, allowing them to support non-traditional needs that candidates asked for the past years, she added.

SEEK Asia chief operating officer Lewis Ng said many companies across Asia are still understanding and refining their approach to flexible working.

But compared to the Philippines, keyword search for “work from home” across the region is declining.

"We see a lot less explicit work from home arrangements in the job description but what do we see more of is hybrid working. And that just goes to show that companies and hirers are really trying to figure out what is the best for the employees, because many employees definitely have a preference for work from home," Ng added.

Of course with a slow internet and intermittent brownouts WFH might not be all that reliable in the Philippines. 

Hi, My Name is...44

Land disputes are a problem in the Philippines. They are usually familial and end in death. Brother killing brother, cousins killing cousins, neighbors killing neighbors all over a piece of land. It's very tragic. It's very Filipino. 

Hi, our names are Julie Saway, Dindo Saway, and Elfredie Saway. We have had a long running dispute over our neighbors over a land claim. It is our land of course but they would not listen. So, we massacred them. Four of them died while two were only wounded. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1698613/4-dead-2-wounded-in-bukidnon-attack-due-to-land-dispute

Four persons were killed as members of one family attacked their neighbors in a village in Lantapan town, Bukidnon, in the morning of Sunday, Nov. 27, police said.

The attack took place in Sitio Kiabacat, Barangay Songco in Lantapan, according to a report from the Bukidnon Police Provincial Office.

Investigators identified the dead as Rocky Cruz, 33, male, married, with a gunshot wound in the back of his head; Rachel Cruz, 19, female, with a gunshot on her left breast; Winlove Sinto, 30, male, wutg a gunshot wound on his chest; and Daniel Lugnasan, 54, male, with hack wounds on his face.

Two others — a certain Mael Lugnasan, 30, and a minor — were wounded.

Police identified the suspects as certain Julie Saway, Dindo Saway, Elfredie Saway — all of legal age, and residents of the village.

Three other unidentified individuals were seen forcibly entering Mael Lugnasan’s house and shooting the victims with a still unknown firearms.

Police said the attackers then proceeded to another house owned by Daniel Lugnasan and hacked Daniel with a bolo.

In a phone interview, Col. Reynante Reyes, Bukidnon provincial police director, said the incident could have been triggered by a land dispute.

“Victims and suspects are both claimants of an 80-hectare ancestral land and both parties are neighbors in Barangay Songco,” Reyes said.

He added the town police had a record of the two sides’ conflicting claims.

On Sunday afternoon, tribal and village leaders and the victims’ family met to find ways to resolve the conflict and prevent the escalation of violence.

Reyes said they were trying to negotiate for possible settlement through tribal means.

Police are still hunting the other assailants.

Hi, my name is Leo Dimaano. I used to be a tenant for Cesar Cortez. Me and my brother worked his land for a while. We demanded a piece of the land for ourselves to till. The argument became so heated between us that Cesar shot and killed my brother.  For some reason the cops let him out of jail. So, I killed both him and his wife. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1830238/quezon-farmer-shot-dead-in-shooting-incident-caused-by-land-dispute

A 68-year-old farmer was killed while his wife was wounded after they were shot on Monday (Sept. 11) allegedly due to a land dispute in Tiaong town in Quezon province.

The Quezon police, in a report Tuesday, Sept. 12, said Cesar Cortez and his wife Jaina, 69, were cutting grass around 11:30 a.m. inside their lot in Barangay Behia.

Suddenly, Leo Dimaano, 39, a resident of the locality, appeared and, without any provocation, repeatedly shot the couple using an M-16 rifle. The suspect fled after the shooting.

Cesar died on the spot due to fatal gunshot wounds on his head and body.

Jaina, who also suffered gunshot wounds, was taken by their daughter to San Pablo Medical Center in neighboring San Pablo City, Laguna for treatment.

Investigators said Dimaano and his late brother Ruel were former tenants of the victims and had demanded a portion of the land they were tilling.

The issue was brought to the barangay office for settlement. However, Ruel was shot and killed on Oct. 25, 2022 and Cesar was charged as a suspect in the killing, the police said.

The report did not provide further information about the case and why Cesar was out of jail.

The report said “land dispute and personal grudge” was the motive behind the shooting of the Cortes couple.

Police launched a manhunt operation to arrest the assailant.

Hi, my name is Edgardo Seno Flores. My nephew, Eduardo Tan Bequilla, and I were having a dispute over some land. When he came to visit town for a wake I met him on the way to a sari-sari store where he was going to buy cigarettes. I attacked him immediately shooting and hacking him. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/530896/man-accused-of-killing-nephew-over-land-dispute-in-alegria-cebu

A 58-year-old man landed in jail after being accused of killing his own nephew over a land dispute in Alegria town southern Cebu on Sunday, October 1, 2023.

Police in Alegria arrested the suspect, identified as Edgardo Seno Flores, around 7:20 a.m. on Sunday.

Seno, 58, allegedly stabbed and then shot dead his 44-year-old nephew identified as Eduardo Tan Bequilla.

According to initial findings from investigators of the Alegria Police Station, Bequilla was walking towards a sari-sari store to buy cigarettes in Sitio Sangi, Brgy. Madridejos early Sunday morning.

The victim, who resided in Lapu-Lapu City, was in Alegria that time to attend the wake of a deceased relative.

While on his way to the store, Bequilla met his uncle, Flores, who immediately attacked him.

The victim sustained a gunshot wound and multiple hacking injuries on different parts of his body that ultimately led to his death, police said.

After gathering information from witnesses and relatives, law enforcers immediately conducted a manhunt against Flores, who reportedly admitted to have committed the crime.

He later told investigators that he and his nephew had been fighting over a land dispute.

Hi, my name is  Mario Radana. My cousin, Regino Dela Torre, and I were having a dispute over land. He was having a drinking session with friends. When he decided to go home I met him on the road and hacked hm to death with a bolo. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/513866/hacking-in-minglanilla-man-kills-cousin-over-land-dispute

A land dispute led to the killing of a 58-year-old man in Sitio Kambaye, Barangay Campo 7 in Minglanilla town, Cebu on Saturday evening, July 1, 2023.

Police in this southern Cebu town identified the victim as Regino Dela Torre. The suspect was identified as Mario Radana, 73 years old, and the cousin of the victim.

Based on investigation, police said the motive of the victim’s killing was because of land dispute.

According to the police report, a concerned citizen reported to Minglanilla Police Station about a hacking incident that transpired in Sitio Kambaye at around 6:30 p.m.

And around 7:20 p.m. responding personnel from the Minglanilla Police arrived at the crime scene.

Based on the initial investigation, the witness, Julito Patunog said that they were having a drinking session with his friends and Dela Torre at around 6 p.m. Dela Torre decided to go home first.

On his way home, Dela Torre was suddenly attacked by the suspect, who happens to be the victim’s first degree cousin, according to police.

Radana hacked Dela Torre’s back using a bolo, which hit the victim’s nape.

Dela Torre was immediately brought to Minglanilla District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician Dr. Jataporn Batanagol.

Meanwhile, the suspect was arrested by the responding authorities after he was advised to surrender by the barangay councilors.

The police recovered one bolo from Radana that measured about 18 inches, including the wooden handle.

The suspect was officially charged with murder after the son of the victim filed a complaint on Monday, July 3, 2023, according to Police Staff Sergeant Jaypee Nardo, desk officer of Minglanilla Police Station.

Hi, my name is George Hipgano. I was a farmer engaged in a land dispute with Leonido Tahup. It got so heated that Leonido said he would kill me. Sure enough one day we met while herding carabaos and we ended up hacking each other to death.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1869584/in-quezon-2-farmers-hack-each-other-dead-over-land-dispute

Two farmers hacked each other to death on Saturday in San Francisco town in Quezon province over a land dispute, authorities said.

In a report on Sunday, police said George Hipgano and Leonido Tahup met while herding their carabaos in a mountainous area of Barangay Silongin at around 7 p.m. on December 2.

The meeting ended with the duo hacking each other. Both died on the spot from fatal hacked wounds.

Police said a land dispute between the two triggered the hacking incident but did not elaborate. Before the incident, Tahup allegedly threatened Hipgano that he would kill him.

The police are conducting further investigation.

Hi, my name is “Christian." That's the alias they have given me anyways. Because I was having a dispute with Engelito Ormacido I went to his house and threatened him. He and his sons chased me away which is just what I intended because five of my guys were waiting for them.  Their aliases are “Elmer,” “Vincent," “Venson," and “Armendo." The fifth guy is a member of the Army. 

The  twist is that “Armendo" is the brother of Engelito and the rest of us are his sons except for one of us who is shacking up with my sister. 

It's all in the family! 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1882751/2-farmers-dead-1-hurt-in-quezon-shooting-due-to-land-dispute-grudge

Two farmers were killed and another one was wounded after they were shot on Monday (January 1) allegedly due to a family land dispute in Tayabas city, Quezon.

Quezon police in a report on Tuesday (January 2) said the victims Engelito Ormacido, 64; and his sons Rico, 37 and Joselito, 38, were inside their house in Barangay Isabang around 5 p.m.

Suddenly, one of the suspects, identified as alias “Christian,” appeared and reportedly verbally threatened the victims.

The three men became infuriated and chased “Christian,” who ran away.

Unknown to the victims, five other suspects were waiting for them outside.

One of the suspects was armed and repeatedly shot the victims.

Engelito and Joselito died on the spot from gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies while Rico was wounded on his left arm.

The investigators found six empty shells from a caliber .45 pistol at the crime scene.

In a follow-up operation, police arrested three other suspects “Elmer,” “Vincent” and “Venson.”

Two other suspects – allegedly a member of Philippine Army and “Armendo” – surrendered to police.

Only “Christian” is at large and is now the subject of a manhunt.

In a text message on Tuesday morning, Tayabas police chief Lieutenant Colonel Bonna Obmerga said “land dispute and long-time grudge” were the motives behind the killing.

Obmerga said “Armendo” is the brother of victim Engelito.

“The rest of the suspects are his (Armendo’s) sons. One of them is a live-in partner of his daughter,” he added.

Police are conducting further investigation.

Insurgency: Inconsistencies About NPA Strength

The CPP-NPA continues to contradict the AFP's statements about the NPA being a spent force. This new statement comes on the heels of the installation of a new AFP spokesman who reiterated the same claims.

https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/inconsistencies-in-marcos-and-afp-pronouncements-about-npa-strength/

It was quite amusing to observe a few days ago how Col. Francel Margareth Padilla started her work as new spokesperson of the AFP by repeating the annual AFP announcement that the fascist military “will eliminate the New People’s Army by the end of the year.” Despite being new to the job, she already sounded like a broken record.

What was interesting, however, is the fact that she issued her statement just days after Marcos, their commander-in-chief, declared that “there are no more NPA fronts,” a claim rebuffed a few days after by Gen. Romeo Brawner who said the NPA still has “eleven weakened fronts.” To say the least, these disconnected statements reveal inconsistencies in the Marcos government’s public assessment of the state of the revolutionary armed movement, arising from contradictions in its self-serving objectives.

On the one hand, it wants to project the Philippines as “insurgency-free” in its desperate drive to entice foreign capitalists at a time of global crisis, with promises of full access to land and resources. On the other hand, it wants to justify the gargantuan and historic high budget allotted to the AFP, which mostly go to bombs, artillery shells, jet fighters, drones, jet fuel, bullets, assault weapons and other military equipment used for counterguerrilla operations.

However, it does not want to look inept and stupid for its yearly failure to attain its declaration of “crushing the NPA,” thus, they have resorted to drilling the line of “weakened NPA” and achieving “strategic victory.”

Neither declaration of “no more NPA fronts” or “eliminating the NPA by the end of the year”, however, can obscure the fact that the AFP continues to carry out an all-out strategic offensive and large-scale military operations across the country, squandering billions upon billions of pesos in a war that is bound to fail in its objectives of ending the Filipino people’s democratic resistance.

Majority of the units of the NPA have adjusted to the AFP’s tactics of large-scale military mobilization and are expanding their areas of operation and strengthening their mass base. They have adapted guerrilla tactics of concentration, shifting and dispersal to comprehensively and painstakingly carry out military work and mass work. The peasant masses, even those who were subjected to military suppression and forced to “surrender,” are elated by the return and presence of NPA units in their areas.

All in all, we anticipate steady growth during the rest of the year and succeeding period. Amid Marcos’ corruption, policies that favor foreign capitalist interests and a few big bourgeois compradors and big landlords, the Filipino people have no other recourse but to intensify their revolutionary mass movement and armed resistance.

On the one hand, there is creeping demoralization within the AFP, especially among their rank-and-file, who are well too aware of their failure to defeat the NPA and the continuing deep and wide support that the NPA enjoys among the peasant masses and people. They are further dispirited by the corruption of their higher officers who mulct and pocket millions of pesos of public funds, and by the in-fighting among the generals who are deeply loyal to rival politicians and bureaucrat capitalists. They are utterly dejected by the fact that they are used as cannon fodder to defend a rotten system while their commander-in-chief enjoy a high-style living using public money to have helicopters ferry him from concerts and late-night parties.

On the one hand, the unity of NPA Red fighters and commanders of the NPA continues to grow strong and their revolutionary moral heightens. Without expecting any material thing in return, they give all out to serve and defend the peasant masses and people.

Certainly there are inconsistencies in the AFP's pronouncements concerning the strength of the NPA. As I have pointed out before insurgency-free does not mean ZERO insurgents and the the AFP has said they will never reduce the NPA to zero but only to an insignificant number. 

But by all accounts the NPA is not growing strong at all. Regular NPA members and top leaders continue to surrender or fall. 

https://visayandailystar.com/npa-political-instructor-surrenders/

An alleged New People’s Army political instructor surrendered on Monday to Mayor Alme Rhumyla Mangilimutan and the police, following a recent encounter in Brgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, that led to the killing of two rebels and recovery of three assorted firearms.

P/Maj. Rhojn Daryl Nigos, spokesman of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, yesterday said that the self-confessed rebel instructor, who is a woman, resides in Brgy. Linantuyan, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.

She is now under the custody of authorities, pending verification of any pending arrest warrants.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217356

Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) have arrested a ranking leader of the New People's Army (NPA) in Misamis Occidental.

In a statement Monday, CIDG director Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said the CIDG-Northern Mindanao served another arrest warrant against Matias Gaquit at the Tangub City Jail on Jan. 19.

The Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte Regional Trial Court issued on Jan. 10 the arrest warrant for murder against the suspect.

Caramat said Gaquit was already arrested by the CIDG Misamis Occidental on Jan. 4, at the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Barangay Gango, Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental for murder, rebellion and frustrated homicide charges.

Gaquit is the first deputy secretary of the Guerrilla Front Sendong of the NPA's Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee, according to information from the Philippine Army's 1st Infantry Division. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217385

Five communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels decided to return to the fold of the law in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces over the weekend.

“Police withheld their identities as requested by the surrendering rebels for security reasons,” Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, police director for the Soccsksargen Region, said in a statement Monday.

Macaraeg said the first to surrender were three NPA members under Guerilla Front Musa, Far South Mindanao Region before operatives of the police’s 1202nd Maneuver Company, Regional Mobile Force Battalion - 12 in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat on Sunday morning.

In the afternoon of the same day, two rebels turned themselves in to the police’s Provincial Mobile Force Company in Barangay Hanoon, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

The two have handed over a .38-caliber revolver and a hand grenade upon their surrender.

Macaraeg lauded the police for facilitating the peaceful surrender, which he said is an “encouraging” development.

Some NPA fighters who had previously surrendered are now being given equipment to start a small business and sacks of rice. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217381

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in collaboration with several non-government organizations, distributed over the weekend various livelihood equipment to six former New People’s Army (NPA) members to help them return to being productive citizens.

Victoria Natanauan, supervising labor and employment officer at DOLE-Rizal, said in a follow-up interview on Monday the unnamed beneficiaries from Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City received from the government and supportive NGOs machines to be used in operating welding shops, car wash stations and coffee shops, among others.

“The livelihood packages will enable the surrenderers to start their lives anew through income-generating activities,” she said.

Good Neighbors International Philippines, a developmental and humanitarian organization, collaborated with DOLE on the project.

Meanwhile, another surrenderer from Rizal province received a sack of rice, groceries and a cash gift from two other civil society organizations – the Advisory Council and Sinag Elite Lady Eagles Club – which have committed to helping end insurgency in the country.

Personnel of the Philippine National Police's 404th A Maneuver Company (AMC) of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 4A assisted with the turnover of livelihood packages in an undisclosed location in Barangay San Jose.

During the turnover ceremony, the former rebels expressed their gratitude to the government and civil society groups for giving them a new lease on life.

Other ex-rebels are being trained to be tour guides. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217467

The city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar will hire former rebels as tour guides in Hebacong Sea of Clouds, its newly-developed tourist destination.

Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said, in an interview Tuesday, that the initiative will provide livelihood opportunities to former rebels as they rebuild their lives shattered by years of armed struggle.

“Aside from sharing about the various flora and fauna in the area, former rebels have beautiful stories to tell because of their familiarization with the place. This story can be the struggle of their community that influenced their decision to join the insurgency,” Agda said.

Before their deployment, former rebels will join tour-guiding training of the city government.

Borongan City has 100 former rebels who surrendered to the authorities as of 2023.

Meanwhile authorities continue to dig up NPA arms caches.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/23/npa-weapons-found-in-samar

Police recovered a New People's Army (NPA) arms cache in Sitio Casapa, Barangay Denigpian, Dolores, Eastern Samar, on Sunday, January 21.

A former communist rebel, Bunso, informed police of the location of this weapons stash.

Lt. Col. Joy Leanza, commander, 1st Eastern Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company, said they found two rifle grenades, a hand smoke grenade, a hand fragmentation grenade, four short magazines for caliber 5.56, a long magazine for caliber 5.56, a caliber .38 revolver, and 64 bullets.

They belonged to Jovan, squad leader of Front-3 (F-3), Sub-Regional Committee (SRC), Arctic, Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), under Carding.

These rebels operate in the northern part of Dolores to Jipapad in Eastern Samar. 

These weapons were turned over to the supply office of the 1st Eastern Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company for proper disposition. 

They will be likely be digging up these caches for years to come. 

There will NEVER be Justice For the SAF 44 As Long As the BARMM Exists

The anniversary of the death of the SAF 44 has once more come and gone and with it the same empty platitudes about honoring them and calls for justice. But the fact is there will never be justice for the SAF 44. A former SAF chief lamented this fact. 

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2024/1/25/-justice-evades-SAF-44.html

Justice has not been served for the fallen commandos of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), also known as SAF 44, former commander Getulio Napeñas Jr. said on Thursday.

“Not yet, was there a case filed against those people who killed the 44? Until now, not yet,” Napeñas said in Silang, Cavite during the National Remembrance of the Heroic Sacrifice of the SAF 44.

[Translation: I would like to see now a case be filed against the killers, because they killed, it was murder, they massacred, they killed those still alive... Do you think justice has been served if they still weren't charged?]

The Ombudsman filed charges against Napeñas, former President Noynoy Aquino, and former national police chief Alan Purisima due to command responsibility, but these were later dismissed. 

Meanwhile, the families of the slain troops are still seeking justice and struggling to accept what happened to their loved ones nearly a decade later.

[Translation: It's been a long time, but no one has been imprisoned. They just gave names. But what I want is justice for all SAF 44.]

Who does this man want cases filed against? There is only ONE group responsible for the deaths of the SAF 44, the MILF. The MILF says the slaughter of the SAF 44 was totally justified as they fired first and broke the peace treaty between the MILF and the Philippine government. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/03/25/1437257/milf-justifies-saf-44-slay

The police commandos fired first and broke a ceasefire, they used dead comrades as shields, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) did not coddle two top terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

These are among the points raised in the report that the MILF finally submitted to the Senate yesterday, in which the rebel group effectively justified the killing of 44 police Special Action Force (SAF) commandos and the looting of their firearms, equipment and personal effects on Jan. 25.

The MILF report was submitted to the office of Sen. Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs which investigated the Mamasapano incident.

While admitting the use of the high-powered Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, the MILF insisted that no unnecessary force or methods against international rules on warfare were used, and the MILF fighters used “their advantages to the fullest.”

“Reports about mutilation, beheading and willful killing are unfounded,” the report stated.

Chief MILF negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the report, based on the findings of the rebel group’s special investigating commission formed to look into the encounter, was submitted upon Poe’s request.

He added that the report was also submitted to Maj. Gen. Dato Sheik Mokhsin Sheik Hassan, head of mission of the International Monitoring Team in Cotobato City last March 22.

“We trust that this report is treated with fairness, and we hope that all the information provided therein will be helpful in your evaluation of the incident,” Iqbal said in the transmittal letter to the Senate.

The MILF admits they killed the SAF 44 but justifies it completely. They say the SAF 44 was in the wrong. Therefore they will not be surrendering the SAF 44's killers.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/03/03/1429644/iqbal-milf-wont-surrender-saf-44s-killers

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Tuesday reiterated that they will not surrender their members involved in the encounter with the Philippine National Police-Special Action Forces in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said in an interview with radio dzMM that surrendering their members to the government is not part of the ceasefire agreement.

"Someone died among them, someone died among us, why do they insist on me that there is nothing in our agreement, that if that happens, we will surrender our forces?" Iqbal said.

Iqbal further stressed that the MILF should not be blamed for the deaths of 44 police commandos during the armed encounter. The group also lost 18 of its members during the clash.

"We're not the ones to blame. They entered without coordination, full-battle gear, there was an encounter... and then after that, we were the ones?" the MILF chief peace negotiator added.

Iqbal also called on the public to look at the "big picture" regarding the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Several lawmakers withdrew their support from the proposed BBL following the Mamasapano incident.

"This BBL, it is key to peace, it is key to development and progress in Mindanao," Iqbal said.

The MILF earlier warned that a diluted BBL would only worsen the problems in Mindanao.

"Look at the big picture." And that is exactly what the government did. They did not halt the peace process and suspend the ceasefire. They did not halt passage of the BARMM law until the MILF men responsible for the death of the SAF 44 were delivered up. Instead the government went ahead and legitimized the terrorist group known as the MILF and anointed them respectable politicians and leaders of the new BARMM. 

The men responsible for the slaughter of the SAF 44 remain protected by the BARMM and the Philippine government does not care. They have not demanded the men be brought to justice and they never will.  During all the remembrances not a single politician condemned the MILF for continuing to proceed the killers of the SAF 44. The calls of justice for the SAF 44 and empty and meaningless. As long as the BARMM exists there will never be justice for the SAF 44. 

The God Culture: The Old Rugged Stake

Having realized that his first video about the cross was inadequate Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has returned to give his audience a primer on the Greek work stauros.  Like the previous video it is very short running at 16 minutes and is not as in-depth as he thinks.

The Greek Stake: How Did the Greeks Use the Word Stauros in 16 MINUTES

Right away the problem with this video reveals itself in the title: "How did the Greeks use the word Stauros." Tim goes on to cite men who lived long before the Roman Empire such as Homer, Euripides, Thucydides, and Herodtus to prove that the Greeks always used stauros to mean a stake and never a t-shaped cross. But their testimony is not relevant as the REAL question is what Greek word would be used to indicate a Roman execution on a t-shaped cross. 

Tim gets close to answering that question when he cites the testimony of Seneca who was a citizen of the Roman Empire. 

9:48 However, very close to Yahusha's time, about 30 years or so after, very close, 65 AD Seneca the Stoic writes in Latin not Greek but he does something very telling. He lists different instruments of death and here he lists the Roman Crux or cross. Right? Oh but it's separately from a different implement of execution called the stake. A different Latin word pallus. Oops. In the same sentence. These are not the same thing. They are not synonymous as many try to say because because they are not the history is fraud.

This guy never ceases to amaze. Here is the full quote:

Picture to yourself under this head the prison, the cross, the rack, the hook, and the stake which they drive straight through a man until it protrudes from his throat.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_14

First of all Senca is writing in Latin and not Greek as even Tim notes so his testimony should not even be included in a video about a Greek word.

Second of all the stake Sencea writes about is not a pole someone is tied to but one which is thrust through a man's anus and out of his throat! And even Tim says Jesus was not impaled. So this instrument of execution would not even apply to Jesus Christ. Of course there is a difference between being nailed to a t-shaped cross or stake and being impaled. 

Seneca is of no help to us at all. 

Who is of help is Justin Martyr. In the Dialogue with Trypho he writes:

God does not permit the lamb of the passover to be sacrificed in any other place than where His name was named; knowing that the days will come, after the suffering of Christ, when even the place in Jerusalem shall be given over to your enemies, and all the offerings, in short, shall cease; and that lamb which was commanded to be wholly roasted was a symbol of the suffering of the cross which Christ would undergo. For the lamb, which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up in the form of the cross. For one spit is transfixed right through from the lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached the legs of the lamb. 

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.iv.xl.html

The Greek word being translated as cross is "σταυροῦ". Which is the same Greek word translated "cross" in the New Testament. Here is the Greek of Justin:

https://earlywritings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1874#p41235

The image of the roasted lamb with it being roasted on two sticks, one across the back and the other from the lower parts to the head, is clearly that of a t-shaped cross. To describe a cross Justin used Stauros which can mean pole but in this case clearly does not. 

Tim ends by showing a picture of how Jesus was "staked."

At the stake, at the stake where I first saw the light

Can anyone tell me what is missing from this picture? 

There is NO INSCRIPTION ABOVE HIS HEAD! 

Luke 23:38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

John 19:20 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

21 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. 

If Jesus was nailed to a stake with his arms above his head and not crucified arms akimbo on a t-shaped cross where would there be room for this writing which was placed on the cross? It would have to have been very large since it was written in three languages whose letters were big enough for everyone to read. 

Once again Timothy Jay Schwab has failed to make any case for Jesus dying on the old Rugged Pole. He asks "How did the Greeks use the word Staruos" when the proper question is what Greek word would be used to describe a Roman crucifixion. 

The testimony of men who did not live under the Roman Empire and witness a crucifixion is irrelevant. Seneca, who makes a difference between crucifixion and impalement, is also no good because he is writing in Latin. But at least we learn from him there is a difference between crucifixion and impalement on a stake. Note that Seneca does not say tied or nailed to a stake but IMPALED on it which absolutely does not apply to Jesus Christ. 

Being that this was another short video there will likely be more on the topic from Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture.