Monday, April 26, 2021

The God Culture: Sinai in Luzon and The Lost Tribes Not in the Philippines According to Abraham Farissol

Timothy Jay Schwab of The God Culture proves time and again that he reads this blog by responding to it in his videos. Recently he responded to my critique of his Sourcebook not by amending the text and correcting its errors but by rebutting my comments about Sinai being on an old map of Luzon. In this article I do not want to respond to him point-by-point but I do want to interact with his video "Sinai Philippines? 1775 Map Tells the Story. Solomon's Gold Series. 100 Clues Philippines is Ophir."


https://youtu.be/uXjanwV8i6E

One of Tim's sources in "The Search for King Solomon's Treasure" is a map of the coast of Luzon from 1803. The map has three place names as Sinai: an island, a river, and a mountain. Tim also mentioned there is a town named Sinait and made an unwarranted connection between Sinai and Sinait. 

There are two things in this video I want to respond to or interact with. The first is Tim's claim that the etymology of Sinait on Wikipedia is obviously wrong. Let me start off by saying I never wrote or implied that the Wikipedia article about Sinait is correct. I have added a sentence to my article to clarify this for any future readers. I only included it because it is an alternate explanation. I did have my doubts about it because there is no source for the story. Upon closer inspection the story is obviously not true as it is related but not because of anything Tim says. Here are two questionable sentences:

Before Magellan discovered the Philippines in 1521, the locality was only a small village of little over a hundred natives who were called "Tirongs." 

Small battles were daily occurrence so that in the year 1535, when the locality was organized and established as a “Pueblo” Salcedo named the new community as “SIN-NAIT”, a word in the local tongue which means “CONTEST”.

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

The first clue that this story is wrong is that the Spanish were not in the Philippines in 1535.  They came here in 1521 and returned in 1565. The story could be true if the dates were adjusted but as it is the story is wrong.  This story is repeated on several webpages even the official Sinait municipality website.

The second clue is that the people are referred to as Tirongs. In Visayan a Tirong is an Ogre! At least according to Wiktionary.

  1. An ogre-like creature in Visayan folklore.
  2. man who pretends or acts like a bully

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tirong

Viewing the history of the Wikipedia page for Sinait shines a little more light on this subject. In August 2007 the page had this:

The place now called Sinait was once the base of pirates known locally as "tirong." These seafaring people had wrestling games known as "sin-nait." Dropping one of the 'n's, it became the name of the municipality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sinait&diff=150975984&oldid=150975908

It was not until January 2011 when the story about Salcedo appears. In December 2011 the reference to Tirongs as pirates was deleted.

One website claims "tirong" does mean pirate.

pirate with a braid of hair at the back of the head.
possibly of Chinese origin, who raided the northern Philippine Islands prior to 1860; the hair queue was believed to be a tail; Spa. 'theft'

https://sil-philippines-languages.org/online/ivb/dict/lexicon/lx05323.html

Whether pirates or ogres this reference to the people as Tirongs is very suspect. It appears there are no Tirong people. But apparently Tim did not pick up on those two facts about 1535 and Tirongs. His critique is wholly superficial and focuses on Filipinos made out to be primitive caricatures who cannot speak their own language. It is a legitimate critique but it does not get to the heart of the matter. This is also a good reason why Wikipedia is not a wholly reliable source. It serves as a quick reference and jumping off point to more information but its not an authoritative source that should be used especially in a book that is supposed to be a "monumental case no one can disprove."

Just why this place is named Sinait and why there are three places on a map originally drawn up in 1775 named Sinai is not clear. Sinai does not show up on previous maps of Luzon.

1724:

https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/64606/philippine-islands-lucon-of-luconia-valentijn


1748:

https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/62972/a-chart-of-the-channel-in-the-phillippine-islands-through-wh-anson-seale


1752:

https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/56979/carte-des-isles-philippines-dressee-sur-la-carte-espagnole-bellin

The last map predates the map with the place-names of Sinai by only 23 years. Why neither it nor any other map contains those place names is a mystery I am not going to solve here. However, if the place-name Sinai had anything to do with ancient residual Hebrew in the Philippines then it is rather strange the name does not appear. Of course the claim that there is ancient residual Hebrew in the Philippines is highly illogical and the product of Tim's overwrought imagination as I have proved elsewhere

Let's look at the second item to interact with and that is Abraham Farissol's location of the lost tribes. To prove the three locations named Sinai on this map are proof of ancient residual Hebrew in the Philippines Tim cites Farissol as writing that the lost tribes made their way to the Philippines. As before Tim does not quote Farissol directly.  Instead he cites a hostile witness, Rev. Thomas Stackhouse, who says Farissol is writing Jewish fables. It is a point of fact that Farissol's book, Iggeret Orhot Olam, was published in 1524 and thus cannot mention the Philippines by name as it did not exist under that name at that time. Nor can it describe those islands because they were unknown to the West and Pigafetta's account was not even published until 1524, the same year Farissol published his book. Pigafetta does not describe anything like lost tribes being in the Philippines. Instead we are greeted with this description of the people:

These people live in liberty and according to their will, for they have no lord or superior; they go quite naked, and some of them wear beards, and have their hair down to the waist. They wear small hats, after the fashion of the Albanians; these hats are made of palm leaves. 

The women also go naked, except that they cover their nature with a thin bark, pliable like paper 

Would Israelites go around naked and have no lords or superiors? Is that how the Bible describes them? No! Nakedness is a sin and the people definitely have superiors. 


These facts do not deter Tim as he continues to use Rev. Stackhouse's interpretation of Farissol to prove his claim that the lost tribes came to the Philippines. He even says they landed at the La Paz sand dunes which is, according to him, the desert of Chabor which Farissol mentions.


https://youtu.be/jX9VZ8LHfUA

Others he places in the desert of Chabor, which, according to him, lies upon the Indian sea, where they live, in the manner of the ancient Rechabites, without houses, sowing, or the use of wine, Nay, he enters the Indies, the isles of Bengala, the Philippines, and several other places....

He goes on to say that when they landed on the dunes they did not find any gold which is why they named the place "La Paz." In Hebrew "la paz" means "no gold."

20:43 Oh, and would you look. La Paz is two Hebrew words. If you are headed to ancient Ophir what is the first thing you expect to see when you come from Israel originally? That's right, Gold! But there was no gold in the desert was there? And thus in Hebrew La Paz means no gold

Just picture this story. The lost tribes get in a boat and head to the Philippines thinking they will strike it rich with all the gold because they have been told there is so much gold in the Philippines it's like pebbles all over the place. They arrive here landing at the dunes. They look around and don't see any gold. They fall to their knees and raise their hands in lamentation wailing, "Oy vey! La paz, la paz, la paz!!!" How ridiculous. This story is shown to be preposterous by the fact that several places in the Philippines are named La Paz. The capitol of Bolivia is also named La Paz. La paz is Spanish for "peace."

Furthermore the Hebrew word "paz" means refined gold. Tim even acknowledges that fact in his video.


Why would anyone expect to find refined gold lying about? If Tim's story was true the lost tribes would have used the word "zahar" because zahar means regular, plain unrefined gold like one would find in a mine. This is the same word used in Genesis 2:11 when mention is made of the gold of Havilah, a place that Tim says is in the Philippines. As for the word "lo", and it is "lo" not "la", it's an adverb! Adverbs describe verbs so it would make no sense to use that word as as a descriptor indicating the lack of gold. The proper Hebrew word would be "ayin." If Tim's fanciful story were true then the dunes would be called "ayin zahar." 

In fact using Google translate proves this out. "No gold" in English translates to "אין זהב" (ayin zahar) while "לֹא פָז" (lo paz) translates to "no money!" That is because "paz" means refined gold and what is refined gold but a form of money?  If you translate "no money" from English to Hebrew you don't get "לֹא פָז" (lo paz). Instead you get  "אין כסף" (ayin paz). That's because "lo" is an adverb and "ayin" is the correct word to use for "no" as a descriptor. Once again Tim is making up fake Hebrew etymologies for Philippine place names and it seems he does not really know Hebrew grammar as well as he makes it appear. 


It really cannot be stressed enough that citing books secondhand from hostile witnesses is a very bad idea. Does Farissol locate the Desert of Chabor on the Indian Sea? No he does not. He says it is in Asia Major and if you follow his directions it is nowhere near the Indian Sea. The La Paz sand dunes are not on the Indian Sea either which is another indicator Tim is not paying attention to his sources. This is all laid out in chapter 14 of Farissol's book Iggeret Orhot Olam of which I have found an English translation. It was published in 3 parts over the course of 3 issues of The Occident and Jewish American Advocate in 1849.


In this chapter Farissol relates the visit of a member of the lost tribes to Rome. He came to Rome from the Desert of Chabor by way of Arabia Felix and Egypt. He locates one of the tribes in this desert and the rest near Mecca. That is nowhere near the Philippines. The magazine has extensive footnotes which are worth reading. Here is the chapter.

Of a Jew from the Ten Tribes; his mission, and journey from the Desert of Chabor, according to the relation of the historians; his arrival in Egypt from the Deserts of Asia and Arabia Felix, in the year 5283, A. M.

One of the chief advantages of this treatise, which I, Abraham Peritsol, have compiled for the instruction of such as are unacquainted with the science of cosmography, will be found, in that I have determined to devote this chapter to a relation of the journeyings of a Jew of the tribes, or of Judah, called David ben Shelomoh, “Captain of the host of Israel,” who came to this our country of Italy, where we ourselves have seen him. He came, according to his own assertions, from the Desert of Chabor. Those who read concerning him, will find that which will delight their souls, and those who have a desire (to learn something relative to the ten tribes of Israel), will receive this account with much satisfaction; for I will not err in narrating what I have received from honourable men, and seen in the writings of creditable persons. He who alone is true, knows my veracity, and that I am a person who gives but little credence to vanities.

This was in the two hundred and eighty-third year of the sixth millennium, when we received, through a Venetian vessel a communication from the Land of Beauty, written in the Hebrew language, informing us that a certain Jew, from the tribes of Israel, had arrived there, declaring many novel things concerning them. The details however, were not made public, until , after having crossed the sea in the two hundred and eighty-fourth year of the sixth millennium, he arrived at Venice, and thence proceeded to Rome, where he was favourably received by all those who became acquainted with the object of his journey and the nature of his mission. 

As understood from his own assertions, this Jew was from the company of the two tribes, and he farther said that he was an inhabitant of those deserts, and, like the Rechabites, dwell in tents, and that his station was in the Desert of Chabor, which is in Asia Major. Beneath them were the rest of the ten tribes, near to the deserts adjoining Mecca and Gjudda, which are adjacent to the Red Sea. They have each and all of them their chiefs and princes, and the people are as the sand of the seashore for numbers. They raise spices, pepper in particular, as also medical drugs ; and, indeed, they possess many excellent things, as we shall show hereafter. Living between these two sections of the Jewish people, however, there is a strong and mighty people who are followers of Mahomet. These, with their numerous kings, render a communication among the Jews exceedingly dangerous, and they will not permit one party to approach the other. 

Many years had they been thus widely separated, endeavouring to approach each other, but finding it impossible to do so, when they were apprised of the arrival of some Christian ships of very large and mighty proportions. They also heard, and, indeed, saw, that the Christians had in their hands certain hollow metal instruments of war designed to throw stones by means of fire, and which could destroy any fortress or village. Whereupon, the Jews of Mount Chabor, according to his statement, determined upon sending him to the great king of all the Christians, with the credentials then in  his possession, as before stated, in order to authenticate his assertions. These credentials were confirmed by the king of Portugal who then navigated the regions of the Hodiyim (or Indies), and who knew of the existence of a Jewish community there. He also wrote to the Pope, (whose glory be exalted,) that the above mentioned Jew was worthy of credit, as were also his declarations. But be this Jew what he may, and be his words true or false, it is sufficient for us, in our captivity and in our dispersions (to know), that the existence of the ten tribes was acknowledged by kings, by princes, and by many influential persons in Rome—that Ephraim existed, even then—a numerous people with their rulers; be this Jew, who came to us, who and what he may.

Since the existence of these Israelites and their kings has been thus acknowledged; we may be permitted to state, that this Jew came by the way and in the manner following : From the desert of Chabor he journeyed with a caravan, which is the usual mode of travelling in these places. This was heard from his own lips and so recorded. Passing through Arabia Felix, he arrived at the Red Sea descended into Egypt, thence journeyed to the Holy Land, where he awaited the arrival of a ship from Venice, by which he might proceed to Italy. He reached Rome, and resided there about eight months, until the reply of the king of Portugal had been received,which authenticated his mission.

The Occident and Jewish American Advocate, June 1849, pgs. 129-134

It is averred by historians, as also by some most honourable Israelites, who spake with him, that R. David did undoubtedly petition the Pope that there should be given to him metal instruments of war for projecting missiles, and also expert workmen to forward them to Arabia Felix, so that they might thereby be enabled to overcome their enemies, as above stated; and that R. David, for his part, promised to the Pope many advantages, and that arrangements should be made for his rule in some of these places where are tellers of collections, and where grew spices and many medical drugs. This was in order that the Jews there might assemble and unite themselves, and even pass over, subdue, and inherit the Holy Land, which is an everlasting inheritance to Israel. Now all this I have seen in authentic writings, and heard from honourable persons and men of veracity. God, the Eternal, is the perfection of all truth; He lieth not, neither doth He deal deceitfully; and those who trust in Him shall not be put to shame, for truth proceedeth from Him, and He will ever act in accordance with this his attribute.


At the present period, (being the year 285 of the sixth millennium, and the month Marchesvan,) we have heard certain persons affirm that this Pope Clement, King of the Gentiles, did determine, and so decree, that R. David should be sent honourably away, in a spacious ship, laden with instruments of war, and accompanied by divers artisans both Jewish and Christian. He was to go by way of Portugal, the king of which country was to show still farther kindness to him, by issuing such orders as should secure to him honourable treatment, respect, and the fulfillment of his wishes from every Christian nation (having friendly intercourse with the King of Portugal) through whose territory he might pass. Now as to all these things, whichever way they be, so (in the end) will they be established.


As for me, I do but propose to set down the way in which, according to my opinion, he might travel with the greatest safety, supposing that historians have correctly affirmed in respect to his going to Portugal. From Portugal, then, they might proceed by sea, rounding the continent of Fes, and leaving to seaward, on their right, the Insulae Fortunatae (now called Hispaniola) ; then extending their journey by Cape Verde, on land , they might proceed along Africa to their left, then (south) eastwardly to the great promontory called Cabo de Boa Esperanca, passing the Barbary Gulf to find the straits of the Red Sea ; and then, by land, to arrive at the desert of Chabor, wherever it be, and so proceed to the place of his destination,—all of which novel route we shall hereafter dwell upon more at length. 

The appearance of this Jew, according to what was heard concerning him, may be thus described. He was of short stature, spare in flesh, but of very strong heart, (i. e. spirited and bold) ; he was constantly at his devotions, and afflicted himself with numerous fastings. - Indeed, it is said by some writers, that he once continued six consecutive days without tasting food of any description. He conversed chiefly in the sacred tongue, but occasionally he could not be clearly understood, as though he had some impediment in his speech. Many honourable persons, and even cardinals, went to visit him in Rome, but he would not receive them. He rode through Rome on a mule, to see the novelties of the city, and entered, on this mule, the great church of St. Peter's, i. e. as far as the great altar , not choosing to alight from the said mule. There were about ten Jews, and more than two hundred Christians running before him. The Eternal will yet declare favourably concerning Israel.

The Occident and Jewish American Advocate, July 1849, pgs. 209-211

The above story and descriptions do not conform to anything Tim says. In this story the Desert of Chabor is most certainly not the La Paz sand dunes. It is a location somewhere in the Arabian peninsula not far from Mecca it would seem. According to Farissol the lost tribes are mostly located in this area and not elsewhere, especially not the Philippines.

To solidify this position to the utmost I wrote to Professor  Fabrizio Lelli who has studied Farissol for a good part of his life. In August 2020 he even offered an online mini course about Farissol's life and work. You can watch his Youtube lecture about Farissol here. So much for Farissol being "lost to history" as Tim claims. I asked the professor if Farissol mentions the Philippines as a location for the lost tribes. Here is his response.


Dear David (I hope I may),

Farissol doesn't mention the Philippines. Mentions of the lost tribes appear throughout the book (e.g., in chapter 14th, 24th, 25th etc.). There is a 17th-century Latin version of Farissol's treatise (which you can find on the internet by googling "Farissol + Itinera mundi + Oxford" and the only excerpts available in English, to my knowledge, are contained in David B. Ruderman, The World of a Renaissance Jew: The Life and Thought of Abraham ben Mordecai Farissol, Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College Press, 1981.
Should you need more info, do not hesitate to write. 
All the very best,
Fabrizio Lelli

Realizing how vague this answer is I followed up by asking if Farissol mentions any islands in the east or any place whatsoever that could possibly be interpreted as the Philippines. Here is his reply:

I remember that Farissol mentions the Canary islands, and refers to the Portoguese conquest of other islands in the Atlantic Ocean; following previous traditions, he locates the lost tribes in both Africa (Ethiopia) and India (in the Middle Ages they thought the Indian Ocean was smaller), but I don't have memory of any reference to the Philippines. I should first and foremost rapidly go through Farissol's text, but I'm pretty much sure that he doesn't mention the Philippines.

I'll try to check this.
All best,
Fabrizio Lelli

Lest Tim roll his eyes and say, "No kidding he did not name the Philippines by name, that's a wrong paradigm!," I challenge him to go to the text and read through it. Show us in what chapter Farissol could possibly locate the Lost Tribes in the Philippines. Stop using Stackhouse and actually use Farissol. The onus is comepletely on his shoulders. That the Sambayton River, which Farissol does mention, sounds like a Filipino word is not a valid proof. We are looking for solid proof from his text and phonetic similarities between words do not offer such proof. This river also does not exist which makes Tim's discussion of it on pages 207-210 of "The Search for King Solomon's Treasure" where he attempts to prove it is actually the Pison River and is located in the Philippines as an undersea ocean trench pretty stupid. 

Let's put an end to this nonsense now. If Tim wants to posit that the lost tribes made it to the Philippines he absolutely cannot use Farissol. For one he does not locate the lost tribes in the Philippines as Rev. Stackhouse claims. That makes the following section dealing with Farissol on page 128 of "The Search for King Solomon's Treasure," a total lie.

Italian Jewish scholar, R. Abraham Peristol, (Farissol, 1451-1526), believed the same as Behaim and Columbus. His writings are preserved in the 1846 work of Rev. Thomas Stackhouse and the Jew's do not like Farrisol's conclusions as they hid Ophir and the Lost Tribes pretty well and continue to obscure.

Another Jewish author, in his description of the world, has found out very commodious habitations for the ten tribes, and in many places has given them a glorious establishment. In a country he calls Perricha, enclosed by mountains, and bounded by Assyria, he has settled some, and made them a flourishing peoples kingdom. Others he places in the desert of Chabor, which, according to him, lies upon the Indian sea, where they live, in the manner of the ancient Rechabites, without houses, sowing, or the use of wine, Nay, he enters the Indies, the isles of Bengala, the Philippines, and several other places..." -The Rev. Thomas Stackhouse, M.A. (1846) Quoting Farissol (1500)

In fully researching this topic, you will find the isles of Bengala may relate to the Visayas and he spells out the Philippines very specifically of course the name is modernized to the time of Stackhouse as Philippines. In fact there is only one desert in the Philippines which is the Paoay-LaPaz Sand Dunes in Laoag on Luzon and that in "a further country, where never mankind dwelt." He is describing different landing sites based on what he had learned but Farissol never travelled there and did not know the exact geography of the area already proven in 1500 but they were getting warmer until Magellan found it.
"The Search for King Solomon's Treasure," pg. 128
It's amazing how many lies are tightly packed into this section. From Stackhouse dating to 1846 (yes I know this particular edition is from 1846 but it was written almost a century earlier) to him allegedly quoting Farissol to Farissol mentioning the Philippines specifically including the La Paz Sand Dunes to the Jews trying to hide that Lost Tribes ended up in the Philippines it's one lie after the other. Tim simply has no idea what he is talking about because he has not read Farissol and his reliance on 2 Esdras, which is a spurious book written after the destruction of the second temple in 70 A.D., to locate the Lost Tribes makes his foolishness even more laughable. Tim has the audacity to claim that Jesus quoted a book which was written decades after he was on the Earth.

Secondly Farissol does not support any of Tim's conclusions. He contradicts them at every point. He even says in chapter 30 that the Garden of Eden is in Africa in the legendary Mountains of the Moon which is the source of the Nile! That I was able to find this translation and Tim was not is a testament to how poor a researcher he and his alleged team really are. And there is more than just this translation when it comes to Farissol. Pages 496-498 of "The History of the Hebrew Commonwealth," discusses Abraham Farissol as well as various locations of the Lost Tribes at length. This is not the first time I have dug up an English translation of a text Tim has not read yet uses to prove his case. He has had five years and I found it within one day of beginning this article.  

Friday, April 23, 2021

Retards in the Government 203

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



https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/04/16/2091631/doj-indicts-sandra-cam-son-and-5-others-over-2019-killing-masbate-vice-mayor

State prosecutors found probable cause to charge Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board member Sandra Cam and her son over the killing of Batuan, Masbate Vice Mayor Charlie Yuson III in 2019.

The Department of Justice indicted Cam and her son Marcon Martin for murder of Yuson and frustrated murder for the wounding of Alberto Alforte IV, the Office of the Prosecutor General said Friday.

“When considered in its entirety, the statements and evidence presented by the complainants are sufficient to establish probable cause for the conspiracy among all respondents in the killing of Vice Mayor Charlie and the wounding of Alberto Alforte IV,” part of the resolution read.

Yuson’s wife, Lalaine, pointed to Cam as the brain behind the killing over politics. The slain vice mayor’s son won in the mayoral race against Cam's son, Martin, in the last elections.

Lalaine claimed that the gunmen were previously seen in Cam’s resort in Masbate.

Cam has denied allegations against her and has since filed a libel complaint against Lalaine, as reported by Pang-Masa.

Sandra Cam, who sits on the board of directors of the PCSO, has been charged with murder.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137099

A village councilor is in hot water after allegedly selling illegal drugs to an undercover cop in Barangay District 6 here on Friday.

Lt. Col. Erwin Ferry, municipal police chief, identified the suspect as Sonny Agustin Balcorta, a Sangguniang Bayan member of Barangay Bulala.

In his report to Nueva Ecija police director, Col. Jaime Santos, Ferry said the suspect was arrested after he yielded two sachets of shabu in a buy-bust at around 12:30 am.

As an elected official, Balcorta was tagged a high-value target in the operation that was hatched after six days of surveillance, Ferry said.

Another village councillor busted for drugs.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137209

Police nabbed a former teacher wanted for rape in Quezon City on Sunday. 

Brig.Gen. Jonnel Estomo, director of the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP AKG) chief, identified the arrested suspect as Ramil Gara, who was nabbed in T.S. Cruz Subdivision, Barangay Baesa.

The suspect has an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 121.

Gara, a former senior high school teacher of the Notre Dame of Greater Manila in Caloocan City, is accused of raping of one his students identified as "Lulu" on several occasions in 2017.

He allegedly threatened to give the victim a failing mark if she won't give in to his sexual desires.

After the incidents, Gara fled and hid for four years before he was arrested.

Teachers are employees of the DepEd so this gross man deserves to have his face in this series.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1421422/2-ncr-cops-held-in-nueva-ecija-over-indiscriminate-firing

Two policemen from the National Capital Region are now in hot water for the alleged indiscriminate firing of their service firearms in Gabaldon town, Nueva Ecija on April 17.

Corporal Lawrence Natividad of Novaliches, Quezon City, and Patrolman Rephidim Orozco of Tondo, Manila, were arrested based on a complaint by Chair Isagani Sibayan of Barangay Calabasa, reports said.

Sibayan told authorities that the lawmen, without provocation, repeatedly fired their weapons about 10:30 a.m. that day.

Natividad and Orozco were assigned to the Manila Police District Community Precinct and the National Capital Region Police Office, respectively.

The rookie policemen were reportedly visiting relatives in the village.

2 PNP officers are facing criminal and administrative charges for indiscriminately firing their service pistols. This happens quite often. It will happen again.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1421846/councilman-shoots-village-watchman-in-catanduanes

A councilman shot and injured a village watchman in Virac town in Catanduanes province Wednesday.

Major Antonio Perez, Virac police chief, said councilman Francis Bajaro, 58, shot watchman Antonio Tabuzo, 50, in Barangay San Vicente at 1:25 a.m.

Perez said the initial investigation showed that Bajaro was sleeping when a yelling Tabuzo awakened him. Tabuzo was armed with a knife and insisted on entering his house.

Perez said the two had a heated argument until Bajaro fired his caliber .45, hitting Tabuzo’s chest.

Tabuzo is now in a stable condition in a hospital.

Perez said they are still investigating the motive behind the shooting. The suspect is facing charges for frustrated murder.

It sounds like a case of self-defense but the councilman is facing murder charges.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1892213/Cebu/Local-News/Cop-kills-self-hours-after-woman-who-had-accused-him-of-rape-was-shot-dead-in-Cebu-City

THE policeman of the Sawang Calero 11 shot himself dead inside the comfort room of the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) about four hours after the woman who accused him of rape while in police custody was shot dead on Monday, April 19, 2021 in Barangay Basak, Cebu City.

Police Staff Sgt. Celso Colita was one of the 11 members of the Sawang Calero Police Station who was accused by Ritchie Nepomuceno of raiding her house for firearms but had found none in March 2021, and of extorting her of P170,000. 

Nepomuceno had accused Colita of raping her twice while she was in police custody.

According to a report from Help TV Cebu, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) 7 chief Police Maj. Glenn Hife was interviewing Colita about the "ambush" of Nepomuceno and his involvement in drugs.

Hife said he asked Colita if he had a hand in the killing of Nepomuneno and whether he knew that RDEU had "raw info" that he was involved in the illegal drug business.

Colita didn't reply and instead asked for permission to go the comfort room, Hife said.

Colita excused him and then heard a gunshot coming from the CR. He rushed there to find Colita lying in blood in an apparent suicide. Only hours earlier, just before 6 p.m., Nepomuceno was shot dead in Barangay Basak.

Now, this is a crazy story. A woman who accused 11 cops of robing her and one of raping her was shot dead by unknown assailants. Hours later the man she accused of raping her committed suicide. Given the history of the PNP and the many connections here it is likely the PNP assassinated this woman and then the guy she accused knew he was caught and decided to end it all.  That seems the simplest explanation. However, the PNP is looking at a love triangle and a drug motive for the killing of the woman.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/374197/village-chief-in-borbon-town-accused-of-adultery

A village chief in Borbon town, northern Cebu is in hot waters after he was caught allegedly committing adultery.

A report from the Borbon Police Station showed that Eleuterio Comendador, 49, resident and the barangay captain of Bili in Borbon, was apprehended on Wednesday evening, April 21, 2021.

This stemmed from complaints filed by his wife, Darwina Comendador, 44, who told police that she caught her husband and another woman alone in a room in the village chief’s ancestral house in Barangay Bili. 

The woman, identified as Arra Oddessa Cabahug, 33, and a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Borbon, was also nabbed that evening. 

Darwina reported that Eleuterio threatened to kill her and their daughter after she caught him with Cabahug, prompting her to seek assistance from the police, who later responded and proceeded to her husband’s ancestral house. 

Eleueterio and Cabahug were brought to Borbon Police Station for filing of appropriate charges.

Perhaps if he had not threatened to kill his wife and daughter she would not have called the cops.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137563

The Supreme Court has upheld the guilty verdict on the former municipal budget officer of La Paz, Leyte who was found guilty of having falsified a plane ticket issued to another person.

In a resolution dated March 3 and released online recently, the SC's Special First Division affirmed the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling upholding a trial court decision sentencing Emerito D. Terado to up to two years in prison and a fine of PHP5,000 and ordering him to pay the cost of the suit.

The SC upheld the guilty verdict for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and falsification of private documents.

The SC ruling upheld rulings by the CA and the Abuyog, Leyte Regional Trial Court that found Terado guilty in 2012 of falsifying a Cebu Pacific plane ticket worth PHP4,000 and issued in the name of another person, Editha Labanta, for a round trip between Tacloban City and Manila to make it appear that the said ticket was issued to him (Terado) instead of Labanta for his travel from Tacloban to Manila in April 1998.

As it turned out, Terado did not take the flight and instead traveled by land.

Terado has denied falsifying the plane ticket and said the charge was fabricated by the complainant municipal health officer Dr. Sarah Balis because she was angry at him for disapproving her subsistence allowance.

Commission on Audit (COA) findings on the accused's travel expenses revealed that the plane ticket contained erasures and, upon verification with the local airline representative, had been issued to another person.

The findings also indicated that Terado was not listed as a passenger in Cebu Pacific's flight manifests for the said dates in April 1998.

No word on the motive for falsifying the ticket but the SC has upheld the guilty verdict.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Coronavirus Lockdown: Vacc to the Future, Expect More Deaths, and More!

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

People are worried about the vaccine. That is why some LGU's are attempting to disarm them with humor and a little fun.

https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/04/15/189658/vacc-to-the-future-why-pasay-citys-vaccine-pun-is-considered-a-slogan-win/

Pasay City used the pun “Vacc to the Future” in reference to the popular movie series “Back to the Future” in its posters and tarpaulins to encourage its residents to receive COVID-19 jabs.

Since last March, some online personalities were proposing slogans for local government units across the country to use for their own vaccination and information campaigns.

One of them was Thysz Estrada, a creative director, who started rating some slogans in Metro Manila in a Twitter thread. “So it’s the battle of bakuna puns in LGU vaccination programs,” he wrote.

No word on exactly what the phrase means but it's fun right? Other suggestions in the article come from Reddit and include "Vacc to Vacc" and "Vaccstreet's Vacc."  All very punny puns but that's about it.

Vaccination efforts keep being implemented. As of now DOJ prosecutors have been moved up in the priority list and the DOJ also wants inmates and detainees to be high on the list as well. Media workers and OFW's have been moved up in the list too. A few weeks ago Bong Go expressed his desire to establish a Philippine institute of virology. Foreign-trained Filipino virologists want to make that a reality. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/15/21/foreign-trained-filipino-virologists-eye-return-to-philippines-help-develop-virology-center

Several Filipino virologists who are about to graduate from foreign institutions have expressed interest in returning to the Philippines to help the country develop its own virology center, an official said Thursday.

Filipino virologists have been sending messages to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) after the government announced its plan to create the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP), Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina Guevara said.

"I have been receiving emails from Filipinos from outside the country na malapit na matapos abroad and they are hoping to be part of the VIP," she told reporters in an online press conference.

"There are those who really want to serve the country because it is a really good time to be here," she said.

The proposed institute is expected to serve as the country’s premier research center on virology, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña earlier said.

"Research studies on viral agents will focus on vector/reservoir transmission, viral ecology, clinical virology, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and host immune response to these viral pathogens," he said.

The center would also enable Filipino scientists to "to work collaboratively to study viruses of agricultural, industrial, clinical, and environmental importance."

Most Filipino virologists have to study and train abroad as the Philippines has yet to offer the course in the country, the Undersecretary said.

Seeing as how the Philippines receives so much money from USAID and other NGOs its odd that the Philippines does not offer a virology course of study. It's also odd that despite not having such a study and no vaccine manufacturers the government is in talks with several local potential vaccine manufacturers.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1419417/govt-in-advanced-talks-with-six-potential-local-vaccine-makers

The government is in “advanced talks” with six potential local vaccine manufacturers to sustain the country’s supply needs for jabs, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) disclosed Thursday.

DOST Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said in an online media forum that the government is talking with pharmaceutical companies that have expressed intents to set up vaccine-making facilities in the country.

“These are local pharmaceutical companies. Wala pa tayong (We don’t have) local vaccine manufacturers in the Philippines. These local pharmaceutical companies are trying to come up with a new product, which is a vaccine,” she said.

That is certainly a misleading headline. These companies are, it seems, partners with foreign companies and import their vaccines. Of course developing a vaccine is a process that takes years, costs millions of dollars, and requires a many-tiered infrastructure to support the endeavor including scientists, researchers, and the facilities to in which to carry out said research. The Philippines has none of that.

With a lack of vaccines Duterte has ominously warned that the nation should "expect more deaths."

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1419915/expect-more-deaths-due-to-scant-covid-19-vaccine-supply-duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte warned the public Thursday night to expect more coronavirus-related deaths due to the continuing unavailability of COVID-19 vaccine supply.

In his second ‘Talk to the People’ address this week following his video call with Russia Pres. Vladimir Putin, Duterte bared he did not know when the Philippines would get enough COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate all Filipinos.

(We won’t be talking about vaccines if supply is readily available. But there is none. Until now, the word is ‘unavailable’. Unavailable because there’s not sufficient supply to inoculate the world.)

(This will take long. I tell you, many more will die because of this. I just can’t say who.)

Even with vaccines people will die as DOH Secretary Duque admits there is no data on how long vaccines can offer protection.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1419912/duque-no-sufficient-data-yet-on-how-long-vaccines-can-give-protection-vs-covid-19

Duque said vaccine manufacturing companies are in continuous cooperation with their research scientists to monitor the antibody protection level for each of the developed jabs.

“Not all vaccines are created equal so each one has to really monitor, consolidate the data and pursue further studies to see the antibody levels in persons who have been vaccinated by any of the seven vaccines,” he pointed out.

“We keep our ears to the ground to make sure whether there is a new report or new data to support it and when these vaccines we are now using might actually provide more lasting protection beyond six months. In general, mga (around) six months to nine months daw eh (allegedly),” the health secretary added.

They are not even sure if the vaccine that can offer protection past 6 months. So why bother taking the vaccine? Especially with a low supply and the need to revaccinate it's a treadmill to nowhere.

There is also zero data on the effectiveness of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19. That is no stopping Senator Sotto from taking it.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/04/18/2091960/sotto-admits-taking-ivermectin

Senate President Vicente Sotto III admitted yesterday taking locally-made Ivermectin as a preventive regimen against COVID-19, which has already claimed over 15,000 lives in the country.

“I also take once every two weeks, yes, for prevention,” Sotto said in an interview over dwIZ as he confirmed taking Ivermectin in his own effort to avoid getting infected with COVID-19.

Seeing as it is illegal for people to take ivermectin one has to wonder how Sotto has obtained it. Whatever way it is definitely through illegal channels. Funnily enough the doctors treating former President Estrada refused to administer him ivermectin noting that it is "for animals."

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/19/21/its-for-animals-jinggoy-says-eraps-doctors-refuse-to-give-him-ivermectin

The doctors of former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada have refused to give him ivermectin as the drug is only for animals, the octogenarian politician's eldest son said Monday.

There was a discussion among siblings if they should administer ivermectin, former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada told ANC's Headstart.

"The doctors said, 'I will not give ivermectin to your dad because that is only for animals,'" he said.

"I really have to follow the doctors' advice," he said.

If ivermectin is for animals and Sotto is taking it then one has to ask, "Is Senator Sotto an animal?" Despite there being little evidence that ivermectin can effectively treat or cure COVID-19 the Philippines is going to begin clinical trials to test it's efficaciousness.

The Philippines continues to detect more and more variants of COVID-19. This has not thrown a wrench in testing as might be expected because all variants can be detected by tests.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1420457/as-new-virus-variants-emerge-doh-dispels-doubts-over-gold-standard-of-testing

Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, considered by the government as the gold standard in COVID-19 testing, remain “very effective” in detecting coronavirus infections, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday, following reports of the emergence of a coronavirus variant from Brittany, France, that was said to elude detection by this type of test.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire pointed out that the French variant was discovered in cases involving a very small number of people.

Credible institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University, have disputed the report, she said further.

“For now, they are saying that RT-PCR testing is still very effective to detect the virus,” Vergeire said.

She also explained that RT-PCR tests use different genes, not just one gene, to detect the coronavirus.

Well that is good to know but the effectivity on various strains of the virus is not known yet. Long term anyway.

The Palace says the modest decrease in cases is significant and yet Davao City is preparing for a "mega surge."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137345

The city government is preparing additional 891 isolation beds to prepare for a possible surge of confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in this city, Mayor Sara Z. Duterte said Monday.

Despite the decreasing number of cases, Mayor Sara said the additional beds are on top of the existing 1,993 beds at the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs), where 429 are currently occupied.

We have been preparing for the surge that is why we increase our bed capacity. Once the beds are ready, we plan to return the donated or borrowed TTMFs from private offices and organizations,” Duterte said in a radio interview.

If there are decreasing cases then why is Davao preparing for a surge in cases? What is this preparation based on? If they are expecting a "mega surge" then it is no wonder the USA has issued a travel warning for the Philippines.