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Ignoring Duterte tirade, Del Rosario reiterates call for patriotic president

Ignoring Duterte tirade, Del Rosario reiterates call for patriotic president

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Gotcha

Wikipedia photo of Ex-foreign secretary Albert del Rosario

GOTCHA

written on July 23, 2021

 

“For this coming election, our humble view is our people should vote for the candidate who is good for our country – not one who is good for China.” Ex-foreign secretary Albert del Rosario reiterated that point after President Rody Duterte blasted him on television Monday.

Duterte had made three unsubstantiated accusations. Supposedly Del Rosario is not a Filipino, does not look Filipino, so is thus a traitor. Duterte raged at Del Rosario’s earlier report of ranking Beijing officials bragging to have “influenced the 2016 Philippine election” that made him president. Quoted was a “most reliable international entity.” Duterte retorted that his 16 million voters could not have been bought.

Duterte in February 2017 admitted that three of his every five statements are nonsense, and only two correct. “E sa limang salita ko, dalawa lang ‘yong tama niyan, ‘yong tatlo puro kalokohan ‘yan,” he told the Customs bureau’s 115th anniversary. “And so I’m just fond of doing it. Gusto ko lang tumawa, well, at the expense of myself sometimes.” His spokesmen frequently complain of his being misquoted.

Two Duterte remarks about Chinese President and Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping were recalled by Del Rosario. On May 15, 2018, Duterte told soldiers that Xi had vowed to protect him from ouster. And before attending the Boao Forum that year he professed undying love for Xi. Odd that Duterte would depend on the aggressor of the West Philippine Sea for his securty of tenure, Del Rosario noted.

Millions believed Duterte when he hyperbolized during the 2016 presidential debates to jet-ski to the Spratlys, plant the Filipino flag and declare to China that “this is ours.” Since it was in response to poor fisherfolk’s question, Filipinos took it to mean he would assert the right to fish in Philippine waters that China illegally encroaches. But on becoming President two months, later he shelved The Hague’s outlawing of China’s sea incursions. In survey after survey thereafter, Filipinos have been seeking government counteraction, not subservience, to Beijing. Last May 10, 2021 Duterte declared that his “jet-ski promise” was “just a campaign joke” and those who believed him were “stupid”.

It was in that context that Del Rosario, at last week’s fifth anniversary of Manila’s arbitral victory, brought up the need to choose wisely the next president. Fuming, Duterte demanded to know where Del Rosario lives or hangs out, so he can go there and “pour your coffee on your face.” His tirade included belittling the late Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., founder of the party that brought him to power and which he now chairs.

Del Rosario and former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio had built up The Hague case. They have been asking Duterte to rescind his deal with Xi allowing Chinese to fish in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Also to retract his defeatist claim that China is in control of the West Philippine Sea, not just nine islets and reefs. Lastly, to muster international support to compel Beijing to abide by The Hague verdict and depart from the WPS.

On television last May 5 Duterte challenged Carpio to a public debate on the WPS issue; he backed out when Carpio accepted. Also on TV in 2003 then-Davao City mayor Duterte dared feisty radio commentator Waldy Carbonell to a gun duel at the plaza, but didn’t show up.

The Hwarangdo blackbelt Del Rosario is from the bloodline of Gregorio del Pilar, martyr-general during the Filipino-American War. Not one to stoop to the level of a spitting match with a street bully, the former top diplomat stuck to his vision of a patriotic president.

*      *      *

To star in the Tokyo Olympics that begin today are not only the athletics competitors but also the shoes they will be wearing. Controversy will swirl over new sporting footwear with distinctly chunky-looking heels. Biomechanics enables wearers to smash records. Marathoners supposedly can cut their time by one-and-a-half to five minutes. That’s huge in finishes where only seconds can matter.

Critics call it “technological doping”. Then again, if barefoot is allowed in sprints, then why not also new-tech running shoes for long distances? They debuted in 2016.

What exactly are these magic shoes? The Economist asked an expert to deconstruct them: “The shoes are made of a new type of foam that offers an unprecedented mix of resilience and squidginess. This returns around 80 percent of the energy from each strike of a runner’s foot. The carbon-fiber plate may help by stiffening the midsole, and possibly by altering a runner’s gait. By cushioning a runner’s bones, muscles and ligaments from repetitive impacts, the shoes may even help athletes train harder than they otherwise could.”

Mom, buy me a pair of those.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Snorkelers video live corals, debunk reclamation planners

Snorkelers video live corals, debunk reclamation planners

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Gotcha

PNA photo of a diver swimming past a coral reef off the coast of Dumaguete City

GOTCHA

written on July 21, 2021

 

Circulating online is a video of live corals just off the coast of Dumaguete, heightening debates against a city reclamation plan. Shown are snorkelers wading a few meters from shore to an area to be landfilled into a 174-hectare artificial island. In shoulder-deep water, colorful tropical fish are seen feeding in the sea grass and vari-hued corals. Filmed last weekend, it debunks city officials’ claim that their project won’t be destructive. Concreting will smother the corals where fish spawn and grow. Gone will be poor folk’s source of free food and natural social security.

Eight eminent Dumaguete citizens lament that reclamation “will destroy, literally bury, the few remaining coral reef, sea grass and soft-sediment eco-systems that support small-scale fisheries.” More than 200 fish species will be affected. Local fishermen rely on 60 percent of these for livelihood and subsistence.

Dumaguete’s seafloor is steep, the eight scientists note. Reclamation will require “enormous amounts of material… likely to be sourced from land or dredged from deeper areas.” Damage to deeper marine eco-systems can decimate 84 percent of the fish species.

More than seven kilometers of landfill will mar Dumaguete’s 8.5-kilometer-long coastline. Four nearby marine protected areas (MPAs) will be choked and die, the eight warn. The eco-systems of the rest of Negros Island and Cebu across the Tañon Strait will be affected.

National Scientist Angel Alcala, one of the eight, originated the MPA concept in the 1970s. It has been replicated worldwide to benefit small fishermen. Alcala, a former secretary of environment and natural resources, initiated the protest. Seven signed with him: Drs. Betty McCann and Ben Malayang, present and past presidents of Silliman University in Dumaguete; Hilconida Calumpong, PhD, director, SU-Institute of Environmental & Marine Sciences (IEMS); Rene Abesamis, PhD, SU-Center for Research and Environmental Management; Dr. Enrique Oracion, dean, SU graduate school and director, Research and Development Center; Janet Estacion, PhD, assistant director, IEMS; and Robert Guinoo, PhD, SU Biology Department.

About 10,000 have signed an online petition against the reclamation. A number of them are from Dumaguete and Central Visayas.

Legal questions also bug the project. City Hall gave only 26 days instead of 60 for Swiss challenge to the original proposal, as required by the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, Atty. Golda Benjamin alleges. Reclamation will be by joint venture with a private proponent, which violates the city ordinance on such works, she adds.

There have been no submissions, much more approval, by the National Economic and Development Authority, Benjamin says. Proponent E.M. Cuerpo, Inc. has entered into a “secret subcontractor agreement” with a Guangdong firm, the lawyer reveals. The latter, Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Co., supposedly has no license to operate in the Philippines and is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

She also questions the capability of E.M. Cuerpo, a quadruple-A rated constructor with P1.4-billion net worth, to undertake the P23-billion project. The venture is 51 percent city-owned and 49 percent private.

City hall is to build a “Smart City” on the reclamation. Development includes 5G-ready connections, coastal wastewater treatment facility, shoreline, slope and water protection, esplanades, modern ferry boats, marina and open area for sports facility, hospitals, residences, condominiums, malls and other business hubs. To be completed in three years, the P23-billion investment will multiply in value.

City officials plan to relocate the corals. Alcala and colleagues find it infeasible. “Recreation of entire functional marine ecosystems simply does not exist. The vast majority of coral reef rehabilitation around the world has been unable to scale up” to the original hundreds to thousands of hectares, due to huge costs.

The technical, legal and due-diligence reviews have not been revealed, they say. “Absent this, the sociology, ecology and economics of the project are unclear.” There has been no free and prior informed public consent, they add. There must first be “full public disclosure and scrutiny.”

Mayor Felipe Remollo and Vice Mayor Karissa Tolentino-Maxino aver to have studied the project thoroughly. So have majority of councilors who gave Remollo authority to sign and award the deal. E.M. Cuerpo made the offer in 2019.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Duterte ‘inutile’ on WPS? Carpio proposes 5 actions

Duterte ‘inutile’ on WPS? Carpio proposes 5 actions

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Gotcha

 Photo of President Duterte (left) and Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio

GOTCHA

written on July 16, 2021

 

President Rody Duterte said in July 2020 he was “inutile” against China’s territory and resource grabbing in the West Philippine Sea. “I cannot do anything,” he conceded in his fifth annual State of the Nation Address. “Just cool off … [pursue] diplomatic endeavors.”

Yesterday retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio suggested five actions for the country. Poor fishers groan of dwindled catch as China coastguards occupying Philippine reefs menace them.

Following is Carpio’s proposal, “What Can Be Done after Five Years of Inaction by Duterte,” at 1Sambayan’s forum (edited for space):

“Five years ago in Dec. 2016 President Duterte announced he was setting aside the Arbitral Award. Here are five actions the Philippines can take.

“(1) Immediately withdraw the authorization by President Duterte for Chinese to fish in Philippine exclusive economic zone. The Constitution reserves the nation’s marine wealth in our EEZ for exclusive use and enjoyment of Filipino citizens. Only Filipinos can fish in Philippine EEZs.

“President Duterte has no authority to allow Chinese to fish in the WPS. China has the largest fishing fleet in the world. Chinese fishermen are scooping the fish in the WPS, leaving very little to Filipinos. We now have to import galunggong (round scad) from China, our own galunggong which Chinese fishermen get from the WPS. It is now twice as expensive as chicken. Filipino fishermen and consumers are suffering because of an unconstitutional policy of President Duterte favoring Chinese.

President Rody Duterte said in July 2020 he was “inutile” against China’s territory and resource grabbing in the West Philippine Sea. “I cannot do anything,” he conceded in his fifth annual State of the Nation Address. “Just cool off … [pursue] diplomatic endeavors.”

Yesterday retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio suggested five actions for the country. Poor fishers groan of dwindled catch as China coastguards occupying Philippine reefs menace them.

Following is Carpio’s proposal, “What Can Be Done after Five Years of Inaction by Duterte,” at 1Sambayan’s forum (edited for space):

“Five years ago in Dec. 2016 President Duterte announced he was setting aside the Arbitral Award. Here are five actions the Philippines can take.

“(1) Immediately withdraw the authorization by President Duterte for Chinese to fish in Philippine exclusive economic zone. The Constitution reserves the nation’s marine wealth in our EEZ for exclusive use and enjoyment of Filipino citizens. Only Filipinos can fish in Philippine EEZs.

“President Duterte has no authority to allow Chinese to fish in the WPS. China has the largest fishing fleet in the world. Chinese fishermen are scooping the fish in the WPS, leaving very little to Filipinos. We now have to import galunggong (round scad) from China, our own galunggong which Chinese fishermen get from the WPS. It is now twice as expensive as chicken. Filipino fishermen and consumers are suffering because of an unconstitutional policy of President Duterte favoring Chinese.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Expect China to meddle in Election 2022 — experts

Expect China to meddle in Election 2022 — experts

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

written on July 14, 2021 

 

Beijing will meddle in the 2022 presidential-congressional-local election. Illegalities can include campaign contributions and hacking. China aims to insert in Malacañang and Congress promoters of its interests in the West Philippine Sea and Taiwan.

One or more “Manchurian candidates” are possible, observers say. Enforcement of election laws is weak and President Rody Duterte’s administration acquiesces to Beijing, they add. Culled from Richard Condon’s 1959 novel, a Manchurian candidate is a disloyal politician who harms his country or party.

Funding is China’s main form of interference, geopolitics expert Renato de Castro, PhD, told Sapol-dwIZ Saturday. It has happened before. The professor on China affairs and Philippines-US security relations cited the national broadband network scandal involving state-owned China telecom ZTE Corp. in election year 2007.

Exposed in Gotcha, Malacañang’s $329-million NBN-ZTE contract contained a $200-million kickback. Subsequent congressional inquiries linked the Comelec chairman. Part of the kickback was $72 million for the administration’s senatorial ticket. Later inquiries by the US Congress and Australian parliament revealed similar ZTE sleaze to politicians in Mexico, Central Asia and Africa. Two high ZTE execs were sons of Chinese Communist Party hierarchs.

Ranking Beijing officials bragged to have shaped the outcome of the 2016 elections that put Duterte in office, former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario said Monday. Citing a “most reliable international entity,” he said “our Beijing post can easily validate that.” Del Rosario has been urging Duterte to rally international support to compel China to abide by the 2016 Hague ruling against its island-grabbing in the West Philippine Sea. Duterte and Malacañang lawyers have been denigrating that Philippine arbitral victory.

“Subsequent actions of the President lend more credence to this information,” del Rosario added. He exemplified the May 2018 statement of Duterte that Chinese President Xi Jinping has sworn to protect him from ouster. As well, Duterte “professing his undying love for President Xi” before attending the 2018 Boao Forum.

“It is disturbing to see our President – who should be looking after his own people – relying on a foreign leader for his security of tenure as president,” del Rosario noted. “Such foreign leader represents an aggressor that openly and illegally occupies land and waters belonging to the Filipino people.”

The Philippines is also strategic to Xi’s plan to retake Taiwan as a renegade Chinese province, de Castro said. Only a narrow channel separates the island-nation from northern Luzon. Beijing would want Filipino officials to allow an invasion of Taiwan, and prevent any US use of Philippine bases to stop it.

Manila and Washington have a Mutual Defense Treaty, an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and a Visiting Forces Agreement. Those pacts facilitated US disaster aid to the Philippines after Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and military support against the terrorist siege of Marawi in 2017. The US can seek use of Philippine bases to repel an invasion of Taiwan, similar to its recent accords with Seoul and Tokyo, de Castro said.

China’s political influencing is also done elsewhere, de Castro added. In 2019-2020 was bared the CCP’s contributions to New Zealand’s main Labor and National parties. For partners in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States – that explains New Zealand’s refusal of surveillance affecting China.

In 2017, an Australian member of parliament resigned after being linked along with partymates to bribes from the CCP. Conduits of the dirty money were Chinese firms. Chinese law obligates citizens and companies to participate in state espionage, including overseas, and to keep such operations secret.

US intelligence reported Chinese influencing in the 2018 midterm and 2020 presidential elections. Both involved subtle propaganda, including Philippine troll armies, unlike blatant Russian interference in the 2016 US polls.

The Philippine election in May next year can end up as a competition against Chinese interference, retired Navy Rear Adm. Rommel Jude Ong warned in 2020. “If we want to counter China’s sharp power, then we should prepare for the national elections in 2022,” said the former Navy second-in-command and intelligence head. “If we deny our share of responsibility as citizens in preserving our way of life, then we might face an electoral contest not among political parties but against China’s preferred candidates.”

Former foreign undersecretary Laura del Rosario has forecast the same. “There will be more than two Manchurian candidates, so whoever they field, we have to unite under one candidate.” She prescribed national strength, the only thing China respects as it despises weakness.

Vice President Leni Robredo, touted as an opposition “presidentiable,” has denounced constant online troll attacks. Facebook has been taking down by the dozens troll farms delving on Philippine politics but based in Xiamen, Guangzhou and Shanghai. “What is China doing with our domestic affairs?” Robredo remarked recently. “Is this to protect its own interest? Frightening, as it involves our sovereignty.”

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Even if few, Air Force planes are not ‘flying coffins’

Even if few, Air Force planes are not ‘flying coffins’

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

written on July 9, 2021

Although few, Philippine Air Force planes are not “flying coffins.” That flyboys call certain aircraft models “widow makers” is just gallows humor. Many things I learned covering the defense-military in the 1980s to 2000s:

Preventive maintenance is rigorous. Airmen watch the mechanics at work and discuss with them problems noticed inflight. Certain parts and accessories are checked, repaired and replenished before and after every flight, from seat belts, spark plugs and fluids to rotors, tires and engines. Components and instruments are replaced on manufacturers’ specified flying time and mileage, on site or in factory. Metal fatigue is scrutinized. Upkeep logs are signed and evaluated.

“Airworthiness is assured,” says retired PAF General Melchor Rosales, who flew fighters and combat-utility helicopters.

Unlike in Hollywood action-fantasy, pilots are not suicidal. While they perform delicate maneuvers, safety is foremost. Characteristics of destination landing strips and terrain are studied, and practices held. Most of the archipelago’s airstrips are wedged between mountain and sea. Choppers often have to land not on helipads but hillsides. Airmen cannot afford negligence. After transporting VIPs, fellow servicemen, the wounded, civilians and gear, they have families and sweethearts to go home to.

Last week’s tragic crash of a PAF C-130 Hercules on touchdown in Patikul, Sulu, spurred speculations of flying coffins and “undertraining.” Survivors have been interviewed. The mandatory investigation has yet to be completed. Lapses in piloting, maintenance or assembly will be determined.

The process can take long. At times the minutest wear and tear are reviewed, explains a US maker of specialized screws for bombs, air and spacecraft. The US Air Force would not have turned over such gigantic equipment as a C-130 troop and cargo transporter without ascertaining if the PAF was ready to fly and service it, adds a helicopter distributor.

“Suppliers thoroughly inspect aircraft before delivery,” Rosales says. “Then the PAF conducts its own inspection before acceptance.” When the Armed Forces procures pistols, two units are picked randomly per crate and test-fired with thousands of rounds for safety, performance and durability. Tests of flying craft are more tedious.

The C-130 is the PAF’s workhorse. With four engines, it is very reliable. On any day several of them ferry to different air bases troops, supplies, even chance-passenger families visiting the soldiers.

I have flown on PAF C-130s. Twice, round-trips from Villamor Air Base-Manila to Pagasa Island in the Spratlys, via Bautista Air Base-Puerto Princesa. Twice too, from VAB to a Mindanao airport with stopovers in the Visayas. Not as luxurious as the VIP Fokker, but definitely better than a Huey helicopter out-of-cabin tail seat, where strong gusts can rip off the wristwatch or even laced shoes.

The first time to Pagasa, in 1983, I sat on the floor of the C-130 with battle-hardened Marines; higher officers occupied jump seats. Between us were crates of communication gadgets; the huge Highway Patrol motorcycles had been unloaded in Palawan. The second time, in 2004, there were already eight captain seats and I was treated “senior” enough to take one. Both times, from atop, Pagasa looked to me like an unsinkable aircraft carrier. But on approach I wondered how the C-130 would clear the short runway without falling into the sea. That I am narrating this somehow attests to the prowess of PAF flyboys.

*      *      *

Filipino Migrant Workers Day came and went almost unnoticed last month. Prolonged pandemic has displaced countless OFWs. Over half a million needed repatriation in 2020; 80,000 more will follow this year. The deep drop in dollar remittances from abroad shows their drastic income setbacks. In January alone about 8,000 came home penniless they had to be transported by the government to their hometowns.

The labor department’s Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong program has doled one-time cash assistance totalling P5 billion to 498,000 returnees. Separate is $2 million to 9,700 who contracted COVID-19 at overseas work sites.

Post-repatriation the returnees need financial education and new-business training to husband their savings. Private banks already were offering financial literacy programs for OFW families even before the pandemic. They complemented the Bangko Sentral’s financial training. The Bank of Philippine Islands Foundation continues to host webinars on cash handling and entrepreneurship. Recently the Foundation launched Adopt-A-Beneficiary, a six-month mentorship where bank volunteers share their expertise on financial wellness. Beneficiaries are guided to control their resources, and to not be overwhelmed and intimidated by the alien endeavor. OFWs need not only loans but the right tools and mindset to use them.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Culpable violation of Constitution if Duterte runs for VP – Monsod

Culpable violation of Constitution if Duterte runs for VP – Monsod

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

written on July 7, 2021

Consider these facts and figures:

• Private armies numbered 3,779 and loose firearms 1.1 million in 2016, according to the Philippine National Police. (Source: House Bill 1133 filed by then-Rep. Gary Alejano)

• They were in nearly all the 1,959 political and administrative jurisdictions: 1,488 municipalities, 146 cities, 243 congressional districts, 81 provinces, and one autonomous region.

• Politicos maintained most of the private armed groups, ranging from two to dozens of thugs who intimidate election rivals and voters.

• Firearms included assault rifles, machine pistols and high-caliber handguns.

• Others were unlicensed personal bodyguards of business big shots, separate from legitimate private security-investigation agencies.

• Not included were former Moro separatists now at peace with the state but have yet to disarm. Also separately categorized were communist insurgents, Islamist terrorists, lost commands, bandits, rustlers, crime and vice syndicates.

• Police-military anti-crime drives prior to national-local elections in 2016 and 2019 dismantled only a few hundred private armies and recovered some firearms.

• The worst poll violence in recent world history was the massacre in 2009 of 57 political kinswomen and media men by the Ampatuan ruling clan in Maguindanao.

In light of these, President Rody Duterte’s plan to arm “anti-crime volunteers” needs rethinking. No number of civilians or type of weapons was detailed. It is dangerous nonetheless because indiscriminate. A gun in the hands of a wrong person is one too many, said Armed Forces Gen. Edilberto Adan of the previous administration’s Independent Commission Against Private Armies.

The aim of every President since 1986 has been to ensure honest, orderly, peaceful elections: HOPE. Dispersing guns to the wrong-minded and untrained will backfire on any anti-crime crusade, warned Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief. Civilians can help combat street crimes. But the incidence has dropped due to pandemic lockdowns, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said. The PNP is capable enough to protect the people. Armed volunteers can turn into dangerous vigilantes, he added.

Predictably, political violence will resurge in the run-up to the May 2022 presidential-congressional-local balloting.

The number of loose firearms could have risen to 2.1 million in 2020, International Alert-Philippines monitored. How loose firearms proliferate is detailed in many PNP and AFP studies:

(1) Smuggling – Firearms are misdeclared as metal parts to evade import taxes and licenses. Caches are also sneaked through the porous southern borders.

(2) Recycling – Guns recovered from battlefields are distributed among rebel ranks, pocketed by uniformed servicemen, or black-marketed by either side.

(3) Illicit gunsmiths – Hot-selling brands and models are counterfeited in underground machine shops. Multiple outputs may share the same fake serial number or have none at all.

(4) Armory theft – Crooked officers filch firearms by the crates from the PNP, AFP or militia for sale to highest bidding politicos. Many such rifles and mortars were found in room-sized vaults of the Ampatuans.

(5) Expired licenses – Gun owners fail to renew registrations due to cumbersome neuropsychiatric, vision and drug exams; ballistics sampling; firing proficiency tests; and hefty fees. Much easier to falsify an affidavit of losing the gun to car thieves yet still get to keep it.

Private armies come in various disguises. Politicos falsely have them accredited as security agencies or gun clubs. The influential also have them integrated into military auxiliaries. Others abuse police-military escorts and protection. In 2013 a police general bent on disarming Lanao political warlords sued an Army colonel – his former military academy classmate – for lending two machineguns and several rifles to a re-electionist mayor on pretext of warding off Moro rebels.

Politics is big money. Politicos kill for it. Mercenaries hire themselves out during election season. Random arming of anti-crime volunteers will only add to private armies and loose firearms.

*      *      *

High Defense officials and police-military generals need to refrain from reacting to social media memes. Otherwise they might be derided for shallow intelligence gathering.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana fumed last weekend at an online post accusing his department of an anomalous multibillion-peso purchase. Since the visual carried a photo of Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Lorenzana challenged him to prove his charge. Apparently the online card was made by a disgruntled netizen. Countless similar allegations of against the Duterte administration have been circulating in the Net after the President and Pacquiao’s falling-out over corruption. Pacquiao’s office denied issuing the meme about the Defense department. Disbelieving, Lorenzana retorted, “Tell that to the Marines.” Generals have also been denying other items and denouncing Pacquiao, as if in orchestration.

Somebody should instruct them on the nature of social media. Anyone can post anything, true or false, and attribute those to whoever.

The officials should also avoid falling for trolls. Trolls can concoct tales to incite people against each other. Where are those troll farms based? Facebook, for one, has been closing down fake accounts by the dozens that delve on Philippine affairs but based in Xiamen, Guangzhou and Shanghai. The strategy of any Philippine enemy is to divide and conquer.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

Catch “Sapol” radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM)

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

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Our Cookie Policy

Once you agree to allow our website to use cookies, you also agree to use the data it collects regarding your online behavior (analyze web traffic, web pages you spend the most time on, and websites you visit).

The data we collect by using cookies is used to customize our website to your needs. After we use the data for statistical analysis, the data is completely removed from our systems.

Please note that cookies don’t allow us to gain control of your computer in any way. They are strictly used to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not so that we can provide a better experience for you.

If you want to disable cookies, you can do it by accessing the settings of your internet browser.

 

Links to Other Websites

Our website contains links that lead to other websites. If you click on these links jariusbondoc.com is not held responsible for your data and privacy protection. Visiting those websites is not governed by this privacy policy agreement. Make sure to read the privacy policy documentation of the website you go to from our website.

 

Restricting the Collection of your Personal Data

At some point, you might wish to restrict the use and collection of your personal data. You can achieve this by doing the following:

 

  • When you are filling the forms on the website, make sure to check if there is a box which you can leave unchecked, if you don’t want to disclose your personal information.
  • If you have already agreed to share your information with us, feel free to contact us via email and we will be more than happy to change this for you.

 

jariusbondoc.com will not lease, sell or distribute your personal information to any third parties, unless we have your permission. We might do so if the law forces us. Your personal information will be used when we need to send you promotional materials if you agree to this privacy policy.

 

II. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All materials contained on this site are protected by the Republic of the Phlippines copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of jariusbondoc.com or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

However, you may download material from jariusbondoc.com on the Web (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal, noncommercial use only.

If you wish to use jariusbondoc.com content for commercial purposes, such as for content syndication etc., please contact us at jariusbondoconline@gmail.com.

Links to Websites other than those owned by jariusbondoc.com are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of jariusbondoc.com was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.

 

III. TERMS OF SERVICE

 

  1. GENERAL RULES AND DEFINITIONS

 

1.1 If you choose to use the jariusbondoc.com service (the “Service”), you will be agreeing to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement between you and jariusbondoc.com (“jariusbondoc.com “).

 

1.2 jariusbondoc.com may change, add or remove portions of this Agreement at any time, but if it does so, it will post such changes on the Service, or send them to you via e-mail. It is your responsibility to review this Agreement prior to each use of the Site and by continuing to use this Site, you agree to any changes.

 

1.3 If any of these rules or any future changes are unacceptable to you, you may cancel your membership by sending e-mail to jariusbondoconline.com (see section 10.1 regarding termination of service). Your continued use of the service now, or following the posting of notice of any changes in these operating rules, will indicate acceptance by you of such rules, changes, or modifications.

 

1.4 jariusbondoc.com may change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, including the availability of any Service feature, database, or content. jariusbondoc.com may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of the Service without notice or liability.

 

  1. JARIUSBONDOC.COM CONTENT AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS

 

2.1 The contents of the jariusbondoc.com are intended for your personal, noncommercial use. All materials published on jariusbondoc.com (including, but not limited to news articles, photographs, images, illustrations, audio clips and video clips, also known as the “Content”) are protected by copyright, and owned or controlled by jariusbondoc.com or the party credited as the provider of the Content. You shall abide by all additional copyright notices, information, or restrictions contained in any Content accessed through the Service.

 

2.2 The Service and its Contents are protected by copyright pursuant to the Republic of the Philippines and international copyright laws. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce (except as provided in Section 2.3 of this Agreement), create new works from, distribute, perform, display, or in any way exploit, any of the Content or the Service (including software) in whole or in part.

 

2.3 You may download or copy the Content and other downloadable items displayed on the Service for personal use only, provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein. Copying or storing of any Content for other than personal use is expressly prohibited without prior written permission from jariusbondoc.com or the copyright holder identified in the copyright notice contained in the Content.

 

  1. FORUMS, DISCUSSIONS AND USER GENERATED CONTENT

 

3.1 You shall not upload to, or distribute or otherwise publish on the message boards (the “Feedback Section”) any libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.

 

3.2 (a)Be courteous. You agree that you will not threaten or verbally abuse jariusbondoc.com columnists and other jariusbondoc.com community Members, use defamatory language, or deliberately disrupt discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or “spam.”

 

3.2 (b) Use respectful language. Like any community, the Feedback Sections will flourish only when our Members feel welcome and safe. You agree not to use language that abuses or discriminates on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc. Hate speech of any kind is grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

 

3.2 (c) Debate, but don’t attack. In a community full of opinions and preferences, people always disagree. jariusbondoc.com encourages active discussions and welcomes heated debate in our Feedback Sections. But personal attacks are a direct violation of this Agreement and are grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

 

3.3 The Feedback Sections shall be used only in a noncommercial manner. You shall not, without the express approval of jariusbondoc.com, distribute or otherwise publish any material containing any solicitation of funds, advertising or solicitation for goods or services.

 

3.4 You are solely responsible for the content of your messages. However, while jariusbondoc.com does not and cannot review every message posted by you on the Forums and is not responsible for the content of these messages, jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to delete, move, or edit messages that it, in its sole discretion, deems abusive, defamatory, obscene, in violation of copyright or trademark laws, or otherwise unacceptable.

 

3.5 You acknowledge that any submissions you make to the Service (i.e., user-generated content including but not limited to: text, video, audio and photographs) (each, a “Submission”) may be edited, removed, modified, published, transmitted, and displayed by jariusbondoc.com and you waive any moral rights you may have in having the material altered or changed in a manner not agreeable to you. You grant jariusbondoc.com a perpetual, nonexclusive, world-wide, royalty free, sub-licensable license to the Submissions, which includes without limitation the right for jariusbondoc.com or any third party it designates, to use, copy, transmit, excerpt, publish, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, create derivative works of, host, index, cache, tag, encode, modify and adapt (including without limitation the right to adapt to streaming, downloading, broadcast, mobile, digital, thumbnail, scanning or other technologies) in any form or media now known or hereinafter developed, any Submission posted by you on or to jariusbondoc.com or any other website owned by it, including any Submission posted on jariusbondoc.com through a third party.

 

3.6 By submitting an entry to jariusbondoc.com’s Readers’ Corner, you are consenting to its display on the site and for related online and offline promotional uses.

 

  1. ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE AND LINKS

 

4.1 jariusbondoc.com contains links to other related World Wide Web Internet sites, resources, and sponsors of jariusbondoc.com. Since jariusbondoc.com is not responsible for the availability of these outside resources, or their contents, you should direct any concerns regarding any external link to the site administrator or Webmaster of such site.

 

  1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

5.1 You represent, warrant and covenant (a) that no materials of any kind submitted through your account will (i) violate, plagiarize, or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy or other personal or proprietary rights; or (ii) contain libelous or otherwise unlawful material; and (b) that you are at least thirteen years old. You hereby indemnify, defend and hold harmless jariusbondoc.com, and all officers, directors, owners, agents, information providers, affiliates, licensors and licensees (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all liability and costs, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with any claim arising out of any breach by you or any user of your account of this Agreement or the foregoing representations, warranties and covenants. You shall cooperate as fully as reasonably required in the defense of any such claim. jariusbondoc.com reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you.

 

5.2 jariusbondoc.com does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information displayed, uploaded, or distributed through the Service by any user, information provider or any other person or entity. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, memorandum, or information shall be at your sole risk. THE SERVICE AND ALL DOWNLOADABLE SOFTWARE ARE DISTRIBUTED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.

 

  1. COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN JARIUSBONDOC.COM AND MEMBERS

 

6.1 If you indicate on your registration form that you want to receive such information, jariusbondoc.com, its owners and assigns, will allow certain third party vendors to provide you with information about products and services.

 

6.2 jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to send electronic mail to you for the purpose of informing you of changes or additions to the Service.

 

6.3 jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to disclose information about your usage and demographics, provided that it will not reveal your personal identity in connection with the disclosure of such information. Advertisers and/or Licensees on our Web site may collect and share information about you only if you indicate your acceptance. For more information please read the Privacy Policy of jariusbondoc.com.

 

6.4 jariusbondoc.com may contact you via e-mail regarding your participation in user surveys, asking for feedback on the Website and existing or prospective products and services. This information will be used to improve our Website and better understand our users, and any information we obtain in such surveys will not be shared with third parties, except in aggregate form.

 

  1. TERMINATION

 

 

7.1 jariusbondoc.com may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Service for any reason, including, without limitation, breach or assignment of this Agreement.

 

  1. MISCELLANEOUS

 

8.1 This Agreement has been made in and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the Republic of the Philippines law. Any action to enforce this agreement shall be brought in the courts located in Manila, Philippines.

 

8.2 Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, nothing in this Terms of Service will serve to preempt the promises made in jariusbondoc.com Privacy Policy.

 

8.3 Correspondence should be sent to jariusbondoconline.com.

 

8.4 You agree to report any copyright violations of the Terms of Service to jariusbondoc.com as soon as you become aware of them. In the event you have a claim of copyright infringement with respect to material that is contained in the jariusbondoc.com service, please notify jariusbondoconline.com. This Terms of Service was last updated on November 7, 2020.