The weeks leading up to September 21st are always tense because that is the national day of remembrance for when Marcos declared martial law. It's kind of like remembering the death of a loved one only the loved one is the nation and instead of silently and tearfully remembering there are loud, angry protest shouts of, "NEVER FORGET!"
But this is 2018 and the people of the Philippines need not fear that marital law will ever be imposed in such a way that the nation will be destroyed again.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/09/22/1853664/palace-no-nationwide-martial-law |
“It is very clear that there is no reason to impose martial law in Luzon and the Visayas. Although there is martial law there in Mindanao, there is a reason for that and this is what the people of Mindanao wanted,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said in an interview with radio station dzRH yesterday.
He stressed there is no point comparing President Duterte with the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, whose declaration of martial law in September 1972 unleashed a wave of human rights abuses by security forces directed at enemies and critics of the regime.
The period of martial law also witnessed the rapid deterioration of the economy weighed down largely by corruption instigated by Marcos, his family and his cronies.
Unlike Marcos, Duterte enjoys wide support from the public, according to Roque.
“To those who are greedy for power, dream on. The President is duly elected by the people and enjoys their support. The President has his mandate, unlike during the time when martial law was declared more than 40 years ago when the former president had lost his mandate,” Roque said.
“So, that is the big difference. The people will only revolt if there is no democracy, but our President is a product of democracy,” he added.
Duterte is a product of democracy? This is not true. Erudite and forward-thinking men like Plato and the Founding Fathers of the USA were adamantly against democracy as being one of the worst forms of government. Truly the people hardly ever know what is best for them and mob rule serves no one best. That's why Duterte is a product of Constitutional Republicanism which is a system of government where representatives of the people are elected to rule and they are bound by a constitution. The Philippines is a constitutional republic and that should never be forgotten. I do not recall the people of Mindanao being consulted about martial law but the fact that there are indeed many who are for it does not prove that marital law is a democratically appointed necessity but rather that Mindanao is so violent and lawless that no other option was viable. And that is a huge difference.
Crime in some places did decrease once martial law was imposed but that only proves that those areas are full of crime! What will happen when martial law is rescinded? The crime rate will increase of course.
It's hard to believe the Palace when they say that there will be no nationwide marital law since terrorism affects the whole country. Most notably the NPA have infected all regions of the Philippines and not just Mindanao. Bombs have exploded in Manila and elsewhere in Luzon. If enough violence were to occur it could be that nationwide martial law would be imposed and Duterte has said as much before. However he seems to think the communist insurgency will be finished by the middle of next year.
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| http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/09/19/Rodrigo-Duterte-CPP-NPA-2019.html |
[Translation: I think, God forbid, this will be over by about the second quarter of next year. There are plenty of surrenderees. And what's good is that they will also surrender their weapons.]
He said communist fronts in Mindanao have already failed.
"I think we are winning the war finally. Maraming front sa Mindanao bumagsak na, especially on the right side, eastern — Davao, Agusan, 'yan banda. Dito sa western, wala naman silang malakas na front because the Moros are there," he said.
[Translation: I think we are winning the war finally. There are many fronts in Mindanao that have failed. Especially on the right side, Davao and Agusan. In the west, they have no strong fron because the Moros are there.]
Duterte also lauded the military's efforts, which have led to almost a hundred members of the New People's Army (NPA) — the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) — to surrender.
"The development of our nation has always been hindered by insurgency and terrorism. I therefore commend the active involvement and relentless efforts of the 5th Infantry Division against various threat groups in your area of operations," he said.
It may be that the NPA is declining in numbers but their influence amongst the people has not been diminished one bit. They still maintain a powerful and threatening enough grip to rake in millions in "revolutionary taxes" every year.
Will the Philippines take a cue from the USA and form a House Un-Philippine Committee? Will AFP and PNP officers infiltrate colleges and student organisations? Or will such a national inter-agency task force, if formed, be nothing but another black hole which funds enter but never return?
The AFP has been active in the fight against insurgents both Muslim and communist for 50 years now. It's funny Duterte says the NPA has no strong front in the west of Mindanao because of the Moros. As if the Moros care about the "Philippines." As we have seen in these marital law updates the Moro people do not consider themselves to be Filipinos and the purpose of the BOL is to form a sovereign Moro nation.
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| http://visayas.politics.com.ph/army-npa-collects-p40m-annually-from-extortion-activities/ |
New People’s Army rebels are getting up to P40 million a year from extortion activities in Western Visayas, an Army officer stationed there said.
Col. Benedict Arevalo, 301st Infantry Brigade commander, said they expect the NPA to intensify its extortion racket with the 2019 elections looming closer.
“We recovered proofs that are more than sufficient to prove that they have been into massive extortion activities,” Arevalo said.
He said the NPA-Komiteng Rehiyon Panay (KRP) gets P30 to 40 million a year from such activities, based on documents seized from Maria Concepcion “Concha” Araneta-Bocala, the CPP-NPA-NDF secretary general of KRP.
40 million just from the Western Visayas! With this much money coming in they can surely continue to purchase weapons and even compensate their soldiers. How then can the Duterte administration think they will defeat the communist insurgency by next year? Just because many NPA soldiers are surrendering? They will recruit more! What's the solution to stoping recruitment?
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| http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/668785/palace-ok-with-afp-proposal-to-create-body-to-end-communist-insurgency/story/ |
"The AFP, which requested the creation of a national inter-agency task force, may wish to coordinate and submit its formal recommendation to the Office of the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, for the drafting of an executive order in this regard," Roque added.
In an interview with ANC, Galvez said the military still needs the help of other government agencies in addressing the issue of communist insurgency.
“They are very potent on the parliamentary struggle because they want to infiltrate government agencies and also our political system. The problem that we have is the component of the civilian agencies," Galvez said in the interview.
“We have to stop the recruitment and the recruitment is coming from the schools. From student activism, from being a nationalist, the NPA will brainwash them to become extremists—they become fundamentalists," he added.
Roque, however, earlier said that military solution is just one of the options they are considering.
The AFP has been active in the fight against insurgents both Muslim and communist for 50 years now. It's funny Duterte says the NPA has no strong front in the west of Mindanao because of the Moros. As if the Moros care about the "Philippines." As we have seen in these marital law updates the Moro people do not consider themselves to be Filipinos and the purpose of the BOL is to form a sovereign Moro nation.
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| https://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1507/biaf-chief-al-mansoor--barmm-is-better-than-armm |
During the Advocacy on BOL sponsored by 128th Base Command of Eastern Mindanao Front held in this camp, Al-Mansoor emphasized that “Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is better than ARMM because the BARMM is the closest to our political aspiration.”
Al-Mansoor explained that Bangsamoro Parliamentary Structure is different from current Philippine Political Structure.
“Our political structure has Shari’ah, Islamic Banking System, Madaris System, Haj and Umrah that will be managed and run solely by the BARMM”, Al-Mansoor added.
“Parliamentary System of Governance is nearer to right to self-determination,” he also said.
He further said that the first job of Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTA) is to draft a local government code, electoral code, revenue code and administrative code.
“All Moro people with ages raging 18 and above must strive to vote ‘yes’ in the upcoming BOL Plebiscite,” underscored Al-Mansoor.
Al-Mansoor holds three key positions in the MILF, videlicet; BIAF Chief of Staff, Secretary General of United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) and as a Commissioner of Bangsamoro Transition Commission representing the Moro Front.
Prof. Esmael A. Abdula, Training Officer of Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI), said “The BOL is the fruit of our long struggle against oppression.”
Abdula added “The BOL is the answer to our long-dreamed right to self-determination in our homeland.”
The BOL will be a fully-fledged Islamic State within the Philippines. It will be the dream of ISIS come true. Of course with all the armed groups in Mindanao, especially the MILF who will head the BOL, the BOL could break away and become a separate nation.
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| https://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1506/prominent-personalities-guest-at-bangsamoro-and-beyond--a-national-conversation |
The activity aimed to discuss the beauty of Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and its relation to socio -economic development that can be possibly provided for the future Bangsamoro, as a develop nation.
Do not be fooled by the bad English on that page. The Moro people really do see themselves as a separate nation and not as Filipinos which is why wording had to be added to the BOL which declared the Bangsomoro people to be Filipnos. Never forget this:
“Most [of the original BBL provisions] were contentious,” said Sen. Ralph Recto who, along with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, introduced most of the amendments.
“[Its] framework to begin with is forming a state, which is unconstitutional, until we adopt a federal form of government,” Recto said.
Drilon successfully moved for the inclusion of a provision reiterating “that the Bangsamoro people are citizens of the Republic of the Philippines.” Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the bill sponsor, said this was opposed by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/996061/house-oks-bbl-bill-but-senate-introduces-contentious-changes
The BTC does not want the inhabitants of the new Bangsamoro state to be referred to as "citizens of the Republic of the Philippines." Never, ever forget that. These people want their very own Islamic state and if the BOL passes the plebiscite expect secession within a short time frame even if it takes a decade or two.
It's election time in Marawi for the first time since martial law was imposed and it turned out just like you would imagine.
Go watch the video at the link. The violence begins at the the 6:00 mark. A fight breaks out and the police fire machine guns to disperse the crowd. With thousands of MILF terrorists being first time voters in the upcoming BOL referendum should more election violence be expected? Of course. This is the Philippines.
It's election time in Marawi for the first time since martial law was imposed and it turned out just like you would imagine.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/22/18/violence-vote-buying-mar-2018-marawi-barangay-sk-elections |
A brawl and reports of vote-buying marred the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections here on Saturday, as the polls finally pushed through after a postponement in May.
In a polling center in Barangay Lumbac Madaya, police had to fire warning shots to break up a fight among supporters of competing candidates.
Voting was momentarily suspended as authorities addressed the situation and was resumed immediately after those involved were arrested.
A group of election observers called Citizens Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms said the incident was nothing compared to past election violence in the area.
"Now, at least we are sure the shots were all coming from the authorities and none from the civilians," an observer said.
A civilian was also, meanwhile, held for questioning after he was found with campaign flyers with P20 bills attached to them. The civilian denied buying votes but has yet to explain to Commission on Elections (COMELEC) officials.
The Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) and authorities hope to finish the voting before nightfall as there are no lights inside the polling place.
There are a few things Duterte and others do not wish to admit or confront, at least publicly, in the continuing war against terrorism. The first is that the issues in Mindanao with terrorism are wholly Islamic. Islam is the deciding factor in all the conflicts except when it comes to the communists.
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| https://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1505/milf-chairman-al-haj-murad-congratulates-students-who-graduated-from-memorizing-the-noble-qur---an |
“Today these students will finish their course with sacrifices and struggle on memorizing the Noble Qur’an, we congratulated you and we ask Allah to nurture your knowledge that you have gained,” Al haj Murad said.
Al Haj Murad said that the holy Qur’an is the center and the backbone of Moro struggle’s objectives to the right to self-determination.
He also said that studying Qur’an should be part of the priority of every Bangsamoro Muslim to learn.
“Qur’an is our reference in advancing the Bangsamoro cause. Muslim must learn to read and comprehend the meaning of Qur’an because it is the basis of our life, source of our religious affairs, politics, social and economics,” Al Haj Murad explained.
He said it is a big lose for Muslims who fight for the Bangsamoro cause if he or she doesn’t know the meaning of Qur’an.
Another thing the Duterte administration is loathe to admit is that the Americans are essential in fighting the wars in Mindanao.
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| https://globalnation.inquirer.net/169939/lorenzana-mattis-discuss-ph-us-partnership-pentagon |
“During their meeting, the two leaders highlighted the longstanding friendship and values between their countries,” the DOD said.
“The Philippines-U.S. alliance remains robust, based on an enduring history of close engagement and our unwavering commitment to work together on shared values,” Lorenzana said in his remarks during the meeting.
Quoting Filipino statesman Carlos Romulo, Mattis said the alliance of both countries brings “common love for liberty, shared allegiance to democracy, and a battle-tested comradeship.”
No other details of the meeting were immediately available.
The meeting comes almost a month after three U.S. officials, which included Mattis, supposedly wrote to President Rodrigo Duterte, to express support to the Philippine military’s modernization program and to offer a partnership with them for defense procurement.
The U.S. has expressed concerns about the Philippines’ plans to buy military equipment from its rival, Russia.
Last week, President Duterte met with U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim in Malacañang, but he refused to discuss the details of the meeting: “I cannot discuss that until I get his [Kim’s] permission…There was nothing earth-shaking but more of confidentiality. I hate to break the rules.”
Goodness know what Lorenzana discussed at the Pentagon that could not have been discussed at the embassy or over a secure phone line. It must have been serious. Certainly a trip by the Philippine defence secretary to the Pentagon is clear evidence of a very close partnership and more joint military operations ahead. This means any bad mouthing about America from Duterte can and should be dismissed. Such bad mouthing could be dismissed without Lorenzana taking this trip because it is the Americans who continue to provide much needed equipment, intelligence, and training to the AFP.
What is next for the Philippines in the war against ISIS and the communists? Obviously no one knows but whatever is coming American assistance will be valuable. As it is the Philippines cannot seem to deal with reality and we see this in their continual downplaying of the threat of ISIS and now Duterte saying the communist insurgency will be defeated by mid-2019.
The NPA will not stop until they are all dead.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1035061/2-soldiers-hurt-in-quezon-clash |
Two Army soldiers were wounded in an encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Macalelon town in Quezon province Friday, police said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1035079/2-militiamen-hurt-in-albay-clash |
Two members of the Army’s militia unit were wounded on Saturday in an encounter with suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Guinobatan town in Albay province, a police report said.
As violent as these terrorists are it's easy to wish they really were as much for the people as they pretend to be.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/09/17/1852162/npa-helps-typhoon-rescue-relief |
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) over the weekend ordered all units of the New People’s Army (NPA) as well its unarmed forces in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation work for millions of people whose homes and livelihood were ravaged by strong winds and rains brought by Typhoon Ompong.
If they did offer any assistance the media did not report on it. But that's probably because these communist terrorists did not offer any assistance!
