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Duterte’s 16 M voters ‘stupid’? How not to be fooled next time

Duterte’s 16 M voters ‘stupid’? How not to be fooled next time

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of people during the “Salamat PRRD” thanksgiving concert on June 26, 2022.

GOTCHA

written on May 14, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

A meme revives the 2016 presidential campaign leaflet, “Platform of Government Rodrigo Roa Duterte”. It detailed his “15-Point Legacy Agenda”. No doubt it convinced voters that he’s their man.

But the meme grades each item with a bold red “X” and a comment “2021 na!”:

1. Ending criminalities in 2016,

2. Ending corruption in 2016,

3. Ending illegal drugs and human trafficking in 2016,

4. Ending social injustice in 2017,

5. Judicial reforms in 2017,

6. Global connectivity in 2017,

7. Adapting to climate change by 2017,

8. Ending political turncoat-ism in 2018,

9. Ending insurgency in 2018,

10. Ending political dynasties in 2018,

11. National reconciliation in 2018,

12. Ending poverty in 2018,

13. Ending traffic congestion in the metropolitan areas in 2019,

14. Shift to new form of government in 2019,

15. Economic power in Asia in 2019.

The meme concludes, “-9.5% GDP decline pa!”

His Cabinet may need to explain to President Duterte the 15 flops. Then again, the answer might be with Duterte himself. Did he take those seriously at all?

On TV last Monday Duterte reiterated that his 2016 “jet ski promise” to confront China was a “pure campaign joke” and those who believed him were “stupid.” His words: “Panahon ‘yan sa kampanya ‘yan. At saka ‘yung biro na ‘yun, ‘yung bravado ko, it was a pure campaign joke, at kung naniniwala kayo sa kabila, I would say you are really stupid.”

China’s reef-grabbing was a hot election issue then. Its coastguards were menacing Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea. Damage was evident in the concreting into island-fortresses. Expecting action, voters asked candidates their stand. Duterte dramatized that he’d jet ski to Chinese-occupied Scarborough Shoal, plant the Filipino flag, and declare, “This is ours, so do what you want with me.”

Sixteen million voters believed Duterte’s 15-point plan and toughness against bully-China. They gave him a plurality win over four rivals. Now he calls them dolts.

Duterte hails China as best friend and protector. Yet China still bars tens of thousands of Ilocos, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan folk from their traditional Scarborough fishing ground.

Fisherman Carlo Montehermozo of Infanta, Pangasinan, took offense at Duterte’s words. Not only was he among Duterte’s electors. It was also he who asked the five presidential aspirants, during their last of three public debates in 2016, about the Chinese harassment. On Wednesday he told reporters: “Kaming mga mangingisda dito, masama ang loob namin. Ba’t ganoon lang, joke joke lang ‘yong sinabi niya sa akin noon?”

Montehermozo was one of several questioners picked by debate organizers from the audience. His query was not coached, he said. It came from the heart, for he and barrio-mates had experienced being chased away by Chinese gunboats. “Nagpangako siya ng gan’un, tapos hindi niya tinupad.”

“Hindi ako istupidong tao,” Montehermozo said about Duterte’s term for his believers. “Kahit ‘yong hindi nakakapunta ng Scarborough, kahit ‘yong hindi pa nakarating, sinasabi sa akin, ‘Wala na, nag-uulyanin na talaga ‘yong Presidente natin’.”

“Joke joke lang din siya naging presidente natin,” Montehermozo added. Perhaps a new leader in 2022 can help: “Pag-isipan na lang mabuti kung sino talaga ‘yong makakatulong sa atin, sa ating mga kababayan.”

Lawmakers caution Duterte against making light of campaign vows. Magdalo Party Rep. Manuel Cabochan III remarked: “The Filipino people are not stupid. The 16M who voted for Duterte were deceived big time. Duterte intentionally lied to the people. He betrayed their trust. So please do not insult them by calling them stupid. Magaling lang manloko ng tao si Duterte. Nahihirapan na nga ang taumbayan, niloko na, kukutyain pa. Sobra na.”

It’s only on matters of great principle that some people can lie with a clear conscience.

*      *      *

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Voters must avoid being hoodwinked in 2022. Commonsense is key. Discern deeper meanings from a candidate’s words. Examples:

• When a candidate cusses a visiting pope for traffic, it may mean he has no respect for people’s faiths. A curser of any religious leader is a godless bigot.

• If a candidate says he should have been first to gang rape an attractive murdered missionary, it can come from depravity, disrespect for women and disregard for human life and dignity.

• When a candidate incites citizens to “kill criminals”, it may mean distrust in the justice system, good policing and the right to due process.

Choosing the right leader can be made tougher by the more than five candidates for president. For some, it becomes a guessing game like in a beauty or singing contest of who will win, not of who can best serve. The new democratic, patriotic coalition 1Sambayan proposes the acclamation of only one candidate to stand for change. Requiring neuropsychiatric tests would also help; also for candidates to sign their published platforms.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “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

Back out from debate projected Duterte as loser, Carpio as hero

Back out from debate projected Duterte as loser, Carpio as hero

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio (right)

GOTCHA

written on May 12, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

The folly in President Duterte’s challenge to debate Antonio Carpio was that people expected him to back out. Upon announcement of his retreat, friends and foes groaned in texts: “Hay, sabi ko na nga ba!” The Cabinet’s assignment of his spox Harry Roque in his stead only magnified the shame. Memes instantly mocked, “Sa Japan kapag napahiya, nagha-harakiri; sa Pilipinas, nagha-hariroki” and “Biden-POTUS, Duterte-POTSU” (dud). Another, with a photo of potbellied Duterte, counseled that he take back too his threat to slap Albert del Rosario, a taekwondo master and descendant of warrior-martyr Gregorio del Pilar.

A leader does not taunt only to turn tail later. Adding to the months-long hashtag #DutertePalpak, Netizens joined in with new #DuterteDuwag and #DuterteTraydor. Broadcasts from 2003 were reposted online of then-Davao City mayor Duterte daring feisty commentator Waldy Carbonell to a gun duel at a specified date, time and spot at City Hall then not showing up.

Carpio came out a hero. Circulating in social media: “Duterte has made Carpio ‘presidentiable’.”

Soft-spoken, polite and patriotic, the former Supreme Court justice is the opposite of Duterte. For years he has been debunking through facts and law Beijing’s claim to the entire South China Sea. To Beijing’s challenge of “historic rights,” he dug up ancient Chinese maps and records, none of which mention the SCS. On the contrary, old Spanish, Japanese, British and American maps, navigation charts and treaties show the West Philippine Sea overlap in the SCS as Philippine territory. Beijing thus had no right to occupy Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal and concrete seven Philippine reefs in the Spratlys as island-fortresses.

Carpio’s research helped win in July 2016 international arbitration for the Philippines. The Hague court outlawed Beijing’s sea claims. China and Duterte belittled the ruling. Beijing in August 2017 blockaded a ninth Philippine sea-feature, Sandy Cay, within the territorial waters of Kalayaan Island municipality of Palawan.

Cussing Carpio on national TV last Wednesday. Duterte said, “Pareho man tayo abogado. Gusto mo mag-debate tayo?” He enumerated two or three topics. Accusing Carpio of involvement in the withdrawal of Philippine Navy ships from Panatag during the 2012 standoff with China, the President said he would resign if unable to prove it. The 2016 Hague ruling supposedly is trash paper because unenforceable. China reportedly is in possession of the West Philippine Sea. Carpio gladly accepted “the challenge to debate anytime at the President’s convenience.”

It would have been an enlightening exchange. As the Philippine Bar Association said in offering to host the event, “The Filipino public will benefit immensely from a frank and straightforward discussion on a matter that affects the entire citizenry.” Hours later Duterte withdrew. Popping in for his boss, Roque proposed a new set of topics that were not in dispute to begin with.

Had the debate pushed through, Duterte could have been put on the defensive. Carpio would have cited facts:

• Duterte in November 2016 set aside The Hague ruling. A President is bound by law and Constitution to defend sovereign rights in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. Duterte had invoked $24 billion in new Chinese loans. That only less than five percent has materialized to date would have been detailed.

• Duterte in September 2016 limited naval patrols to only territorial waters 12 miles from shore. That left open to Chinese incursions the remaining 188 of the 200-mile EEZ. Unprotected, Filipinos could not fish or survey oil and gas. Territorial waters are only seven percent of the WPS.

• Duterte disclosed in July 2019 a “verbal agreement” with President Xi Jinping since 2016 for Chinese to fish in the WPS. Again unconstitutional, since natural resources are reserved for Filipino citizens and firms.

• Duterte said in the November 2018 ASEAN-India Summit in Singapore, in his 2019 and 2020 State of the Nation Addresses and on TV last Apr. 19, 2021, that “China is in possession of the WPS.” Fact is, China controls only nine reefs, shoals and cays. Freedom-of-navigation patrols by naval powers in the area are unchallenged by China. But conceding possession to China derogates national territory and sovereign rights.

• Duterte in his 2019 State of the Nation announced he is “inutile” in defending territorial seas and EEZ. He surrendered national interest.

Carpio’s alleged role in the Navy’s 2012 departure from Panatag would have been easily disproved. Testimonies, official reports and attendance logs will show him busy then in the judiciary. But people expect Duterte to not stand by his word of honor to resign despite his false accusation.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “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 made false promise for 16 million votes – Carpio

Duterte made false promise for 16 million votes – Carpio

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of President Rodrigo Duterte

 

GOTCHA

written on May 7, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

President Duterte disavowed Monday that he harangued China during his 2016 presidential campaign. “I did not promise that I would pressure China,” he claimed. “I never mentioned about China and the Philippines in my campaign because that was a very serious matter. I never, never in my campaign as president promised the people that I would retake the West Philippine Sea.”

Online videos prove otherwise. On April 24, 2016, he dared: “The Arbitration Court can go on and hear the case. Ngayon pag sinabi panalo tayo, pag ayaw nila, then I will ask the Navy to bring me to the nearest boundary diyan sa Spratly, Scarborough. Bababa ako, sasakay ako ng jet ski, dala-dala ko ‘yung flag ng Pilipino at pupunta ako doon sa airport nila tapos itanim ko, then I would say, ‘This is ours and do what you want with me’.”

Chinese aggression in the WPS was a hot election issue then. Voters were furious that Chinese coastguards were barring Filipinos from their Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal traditional fishing ground. China was also landfilling seven reefs into island-fortresses within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone. In debates presidential candidates were being asked their stand.

Candidates usually hyperbolize. But their exaggerations mostly spring from intense feelings. If not, then it’s “hyper-bola” or extreme lie.

Of Duterte’s “plant-the-flag” bravado, retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio recounted: “President Duterte’s campaign[ers] also issued a statement that he fully supported the arbitration case against China: ‘As a Filipino, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte fully supports the case now pending in The Hague questioning China’s occupation of areas in the WPS that the Philippines considers its territory. He is hopeful for a favorable ruling for the Philippines’.”

Carpio, who helped file the arbitration in 2013, concluded: “President Duterte cannot now say that he never discussed or mentioned the WPS issue when he was campaigning for President. Otherwise he would be admitting that he was fooling the Filipino people big time. There is a term for that – grand estafa or grand larceny. Making a false promise to get 16 million votes.”

Duterte and three presidential contenders in 2016 were incumbent public officials. They were bound by the Constitution’s Article XI, Accountability of Public Officers, Section 1: “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.

Integrity – honesty, moral uprightness – is a trait voters most seek in candidates. Honesty was itself an election issue. So was patriotism, because of the China problem.

China’s EEZ intrusions remain hot issue. Last March, 220 Chinese maritime militia craft blockaded Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef. Exposed, they dispersed to poach in the rest of Pagkakaisa (Union) Bank and Kalayaan Island municipality of Palawan. Fish by the millions of kilos worth billions of dollars are being hauled off. Dozens more trawlers pillage Panatag and Recto (Reed) Bank.

From ports in the concreted reefs Chinese gunboats chase away Filipino exploration vessels from Recto’s Sampaguita oilfields. Bancas are water-cannoned or machine-gunned when approaching Panatag. In 2019 a Chinese steel trawler rammed an anchored Filipino wooden boat and abandoned the 26 fishermen thrown overboard. In 2020 a Chinese warship, unprovoked, aimed its weapons on a Philippine Navy patrol near Palawan.

Beijing ignores diplomatic protests against militarizing Philippine waters. In survey after survey, 90 percent of Filipinos want defensive action. Duterte is under increasing pressure to toughen up instead of acquiescing. The Constitution in Article II, Declaration of Principles and State Policies, Section 7, mandates: “The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination.”

The Hague court on July 12, 2016 rubbished China’s “nine-dash line” claim over the entire South China Sea. It upheld Philippine sovereign rights to its EEZ and rebuked China for reef destruction. Two weeks into his presidency then, Duterte shelved the Philippine victory. President Xi Jinping promised him $24 billion in loans, but only a trickle materialized.

In 2019 Duterte disclosed a “verbal” agreement with Xi allowing Chinese to fish in the EEZ. He has yet to detail how much they can fish, where, when and for how long. Carpio reminded Duterte last week of the people’s right to know. The President cannot monarchically cut state deals. The Constitution states in Article II, Declaration of Principles, Section 1: “The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.”

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “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

Insulate veterans’ pensions from annual budgetary whims

Insulate veterans’ pensions from annual budgetary whims

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of War veterans

GOTCHA

written on May 5, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Old soldiers never die; they’re just forgotten. Veterans’ pensions were in fact delayed for decades. Other annual budgetary priorities kept overtaking their direly needed retirement benefits. Only in 2019 were those updated, though still with part of 2018 unpaid. And exigencies are again looming to block the annual allocations for veterans.

A few numerate members of Congress foresee an “imminent existential threat.” One shudders at the consequences on a society unable to pay the promised pension of its old fighting men. The actuarial figures are staggering. The number of military and other uniformed personnel (MUP) necessarily grows by the year. So do the retirees. In 2021 the need for 137,000 retired soldiers or their widows and orphans is P60 billion. Another P75 billion is for 220,000 aged policemen, firemen, coastguards, jail and prison guards and hydrographers of the National Mapping and Resource Information Agency. Twenty years hence that will accumulate to trillions of pesos. A ready source of funds must be devised for their pensions without need for yearly legislation.

The instant thinking is to place all MUPs under the Government Service Insurance System or similar retirement plan. Parallel bills in the Senate and House of Representatives propose all or some of these:

• Nine percent deduction from the monthly pay of MUPs, to be matched by 12 percent from the government, as retirement layaway, just like any public employee;

• Extend the uniformed service tenure from age 56 to 65 to delay pensioning;

• Delay the optional retirement service from 20 to 30 years; and

• No longer index to or equalize the pension with the salary of an active-duty officer with the same rank.

Demoralization may set in, however. That soldiers are guaranteed pension is a gift of the Filipino people, reminds retired Admiral Ariston delos Reyes. The very first act of the Commonwealth in 1936 was to set aside P100 million as seed money for retirement in the Armed Forces, plus P200 million in the Constabulary. To take away the gift for whatever reason is unjust. Law and jurisprudence frown on diminution of accustomed salaries and benefits.

The Constitution also guarantees soldiers’ benefits. Article XVI, General Provisions, Section 7 declares: “The State shall provide immediate and adequate care, benefits and other forms of assistance to war veterans and veterans of military campaigns, their surviving spouses and orphans. Funds shall be provided therefor and due consideration shall be given them in the disposition of agricultural lands of the public domain and, in appropriate cases, in the utilization of natural resources.” All retired soldiers are veterans.

The rationale for the Commonwealth Act and the Constitutional provision is age-old. A state needs soldiers to protect its people, territory, government and sovereignty. To do so they are given special training and weaponry, to fight to the death if need be. They are even deprived of civil rights to choose what to wear, where to live, when to rest and sleep.

The gift granted to Filipino soldiers was not wasted. They fought in Bataan and Corregidor, suffered the Death March and turned into guerrillas during World War II; battled in Korea; quelled domestic insurgencies and terrorism; and served as United Nations peacekeepers. Though outgunned, they guard our West Philippine Sea, Kalayaan Islands and Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal against the regional bully.

Under the bill, two classes of uniformed servicemen will be created, delos Reyes foresees. The first are those in the service before passage, and thus not subject to pay deductions. The second class are those who will join after enactment who must shell out nine percent for retirement and survivorship. Same with pensioners. Earlier retirees will receive pensions equal to the pay of those in active duty. Later ones will get lower. Notably, retirees from the judiciary and constitutional commissions receive exactly the same pay as counterpart ranks in active service, non-contributory.

Uniformed service extension to age 65 years is impractical. Eighty may be the new 60 in this time of medical advancements and prolonged lifespans. But many aspects of soldiery obviously are not for seniors, delos Reyes says.

Delaying the optional retirement to 30 years can be unkind. A retiree at age 55 on his 30th year of service will receive two-and-a-half-year lump sum, then wait eight years till he’s 65 to start receiving monthly pension.

Delos Reyes, the mathematician of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1971, has been advocating better terms for retirees. The answer to his quest may be in the constitutional provision above. Is it possible for automatic contributions to soldiers’ pensions be made from concessions in mining, oil and gas, geothermal, forestry, water, fisheries, reefs, soil, solar, wind, tide and other natural resources?

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “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

How much will China fish under Duterte deal, Carpio asks

How much will China fish under Duterte deal, Carpio asks

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio (right)

 

 

GOTCHA

written on Apr 30, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

President Duterte allowed the Chinese to fish in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. A “verbal agreement” with President Xi Jinping was made in 2016. Duterte disclosed it only in 2019. That was after a Chinese steel-hulled fisheries militia trawler rammed an anchored Filipino wooden boat in the EEZ.

Assuming Duterte’s deal is legal, former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio asks:

• How many Chinese vessels are allowed to fish in the West Philippine Sea, given that China has the world’s largest commercial fishing fleet of 200,000 ships?

• What tonnage are they allowed to catch?

• What months of the year are they allowed to fish?

• Up to when is the Duterte-Xi agreement?

The questions are about equity. Filipinos are required by law to register their commercial fishing craft and to report their catch. Their companies and fishing permits have fixed duration. They are restricted from certain areas in certain seasons for fish to spawn. So should foreigners.

The questions are about rights too. Filipinos must be told what their leader is doing with their patrimonial wealth. Transparency in public dealings is a constitutional rule.

Duterte has been silent on those details for five years now, Carpio notes. Silent as well about 240 Chinese maritime militia vessels presently poaching in Kalayaan (Spratly) Islands and Pagkakaisa (Union) Bank. The Chinese are also in Recto (Reed) Bank and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. They refuse to leave the Philippine EEZ because of Duterte’s “verbal agreement”, Carpio says.

Sixty meters long, the span of two basketball courts, each Chinese trawler can haul in 240,000 kilos of fish. Together the 240 intruders can pillage 57.6 million kilos in one expedition, like the first two weeks this April. That’s worth P4.4 billion, in the old 2018 valuation of South China Sea fish capture by the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Council.

Financed and equipped by the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese fisheries militia is in the EEZ year-round. Satellite-tracked, the contingent at Pagkakaisa trespassed in December 2020, the start of the calm-water amihan season. The ramming of GemVer-I at Recto in June 2019 was at the start of the habagat.

Filipino fishers do not venture out anymore. The Chinese militia and coastguard escorts water-cannon and machinegun them on sight. The abandonment at sea of the 26 GemVer crewmen was a bitter lesson. “An ordinary maritime accident,” Duterte called the aggression.

Of the “verbal agreement” with Xi, Duterte said weeks later in Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s TV show: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m the owner, and I’m just giving the fishing rights. Galit sila kung bakit ko daw pinapaisda.” Presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo said that, although verbal, the deal was “legally binding.”

Today China ignores Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin’s diplomatic protests against the Chinese incursions. It belittles Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s warning for them to leave.

The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea reserves an EEZ for the coastal country’s sole use. The Hague court rubbished in 2016 China’s baseless “historic claim” over the Philippine EEZ.

The Constitution reserves for Filipinos the right to use natural resources. The President must submit international treaties for Senate approval.

*      *      *

Duterte to Carpio: “Can UN order China to surrender sea claims? Carpio’s answer: “Yes, of course.”

“(1) In 1987 the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution ordering the US to comply with an International Court of Justice ruling favoring Nicaragua. Only Israel voted for the US. After several years the US eventually complied, to the satisfaction of Nicaragua. The US suffered a huge reputational cost and decided to cut a deal with Nicaragua.

“(2) In 2019 the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution ordering UK to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius pursuant to an opinion of the International Court of Justice. Only five countries voted for the UK. So far the UK has not complied. However, its reputation as a law-abiding country is taking a beating.

“Getting a UN resolution in your country’s favor is already a huge victory because that means the world community is behind your country. That strengthens enormously your country’s position and weakens greatly your adversary’s position. This is how a country defends its national interest. A country cannot just fold and give up just because the other side is stubborn. That is a childish mentality.”

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “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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Was Magellan’s slave, a Malay, globe’s first circumnavigator?

Was Magellan’s slave, a Malay, globe’s first circumnavigator?

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

Copyright (c) 2012 Lydia Aznar-Alfonso Museum Foundation of the Visayas, Inc.

GOTCHA

written on Apr 28, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Ferdinand Magellan willed the freedom of his Malay slave Enrique upon his death. But his brother-in-law Duarte Barbosa negated the release, insisting that Enrique continue to serve Magellan’s wife, Barbosa’s sister, as inheritance.

Enrique was morose. He faithfully had assisted his master in several Europe land battles, then in crossing two vast oceans for a new route to the Spice Islands. On their anchoring at Homonhon on March 16, 1521, it was his knowledge of the local language that brought them timely nourishment from the natives. He had advised against fighting the Mactan chieftain Lapulapu. Since Magellan was killed in that clash of April 27, he must be emancipated as stated in the last testament. Yet Barbosa, newly elected co-commander of the expedition, decreed otherwise.

Enrique had no option left. On April 28 five hundred years ago today, he jumped the flagship Victoria.

That much was documented by Genoese pilot Gines de Mafra, Venetian historian Antonio Pigafetta and the expedition’s last captain-general, Sebastian Elcano. Subsequent first-hand accounts and interpretations are contested.

Did Enrique participate in the massacre of Barbosa and crew on May 1, 1521? Rajah Humabon had invited Magellan’s officers to a banquet in Cebu. It was a trap. The guests were attacked while they were feasting. The ambushers captured Barbosa’s co-commander João Serrão, Magellan’s buddy, and held him for ransom. Survivors interviewed by Maximilianus Transylvanus on their return to Spain recounted that Serrão’s maltreatment of Enrique incited the plot. Pigafetta, who did not attend the banquet, pinned the blame on both Barbosa and Serrão.

Was Enrique a Visayan like Humabon? Filipino biographer-historian Carlos Quirino so deduced from their ease of communication. The rajah supposedly knew Enrique’s clan and thus aided him. Magellan had bought him ten years earlier in a slave market in Malacca, now part of Malaysia. Enrique happened to be in that Malay trade center during the Portuguese siege of 1511, Quirino theorized.

Enrique was first to circumnavigate the world, Quirino wrote in Philippines Free Press, 1991. Magellan had brought him to Portugal via the old route of the Indian Ocean and Cape of Good Hope. Joining Magellan’s voyage from Spain in 1519 through the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Enrique completed the round trip on reaching Cebu in 1521.

Malaysian scholar Mohamed Arof Ishak differed from Quirino’s Visayan theory. Enrique was either Malacca- or Sumatra-born, and spoke the Malay lingua franca, he gleaned from Gines and Pigafetta. On escaping from the Victoria, Enrique found his way back to his isle 2,000 kilometers away. In that homecoming Ishak agreed with Quirino: Enrique, a Malay, was first to circle the globe doorstep to doorstep.

Enrique’s real name is unknown. He has been depicted in novels and films as a “panglima” or nobleman. Supposedly only 17 years old, he was sold as a captive in the Battle of Malacca. The Portuguese soldier Magellan bought him as a souvenir of his adventure in East Asia in 1509-1511. He was christened Henrique, later Hispanized to Enrique.

“If Enrique escaped in Cebu, how was he able to find his way and return to Malacca? Historical records are silent on this matter,” said Prof. Augusto de Viana, PhD, in “Stories Rarely Told, Vol. II.”

“Peninsular Malays called him Panglima Awang,” de Viana noted. “The title panglima among the Tausug indicates he was a person of high rank… a judge or a governor… a member of the high council in the court of a sultan.”

Magellan made Enrique his arquebus carrier and bodyguard in the wars against the North African Moors. Teaching him Portuguese, Spanish and French, Magellan found Enrique useful in the “Byzantine Renaissance court politics in Lisbon and Madrid,” Carmen Guerrero Nakpil wrote in “Heroes and Villains.”

If Enrique truly was Cebuano, Guerrero Nakpil chuckled, then he must have been the first overseas Filipino worker. Also the first balikbayan, or native returnee. “We are left to guess what he shouted to the men on the beach. Was it, ‘Hoy! Kayo diyan! Nakabalik na rin ako!’?” Guerrero Nakpil wondered. “We can be sure Enrique died happy among his own folk, although he never knew of the fame he had acquired in European and world history.”

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “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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However, we do have some terms and conditions which you can find below. By continuing to use or to read from this site, that means you understand and agree to comply with the terms and conditions.

I. PRIVACY POLICY

This privacy policy (“policy”) will help you understand how jariusbondoc.com uses and protects the data you provide to us when you visit and use https://jariusbondoc.com/ (“website”, “service”).

We reserve the right to change this policy at any given time. If you want to make sure that you are up to date with the latest changes, we advise you to frequently visit this page.

 

What User Data We Collect

When you visit the website, we may collect the following data:

  • Your IP address
  • Your contact information and email address
  • Other information such as interests and preferences
  • Data profile regarding your online behavior on our website

 

Why We Collect Your Data

We are collecting your data for several reasons:

  • To better understand your needs
  • To improve our services and products
  • To send you promotional emails containing the information we think you will find interesting
  • To contact you to fill out surveys and participate in other types of market research
  • To customize our website according to your online behavior and personal preferences

 

Safeguarding and Securing the Data

jariusbondoc.com is committed to securing your data and keeping it confidential. jariusbondoc.com has done all in its power to prevent data theft, unauthorized access, and disclosure by implementing the latest technologies and software, which help us safeguard all the information we collect online.

 

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.