The Philippines: Forget everything you thought you knew about human rights

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > The Philippines: Forget everything you thought you knew about human rights

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Thanks gradenko_2000 and Argue for your continued coverage and translations.

chird fucked around with this message at 09:46 on Oct 6, 2016

# ¿ Oct 6, 2016 05:55

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 01:24

chird: Sep 26, 2004

WikiLeaks

quote:

6. (C) CHR Regional Director Sipaco (strictly protect) noted that Mayor Duterte's visible rage against criminality and drugs stemmed from family history: Sipaco claimed that one of Duterte's two sons previously abused drugs, and the Mayor channeled his anger over his son's drug use not just against drug pushers, but also drug users, eventually leading him to embrace vigilante killings as a means to reduce crime.

The Mayor's tough anti-crime rhetoric became the hallmark of his governance style, and Davao residents perceived a marked improvement in public safety under his tenure, which many thought contributed to improved prospects for economic growth (ref C).

# ¿ Oct 6, 2016 11:26

chird: Sep 26, 2004

In the new battle for hearts and minds, the US Embassy in Philippines has released a video highlighting their disaster relief efforts.

https://www.facebook.com/manila.usembassy/videos/10154662635359623/

I'm anxious to see how my Filipino relatives in the U.S are now taking this, since they were loud armband-wearing Duterte supporters ("Filipinos back home need discipline, unlike us cultured ex-pat gun-loving ultra-conservative nutjob pinoys").

Also, my father- and mother-in-law are mega Duterte fans, spouting all the usual memes ("just collateral damage, Marcos times = best times") but were at the U.S Embassy on Tuesday to politely request for their visas to vacation there. They actually had to push their way through a protest to get in. Some double-think going on here. Not to mention Duterte is planning to remove their senior citizen VAT discount which they loving love, and everything they buy when on their vacation will be more expensive thanks to Duterte's tanking of the currency.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2016 00:23

chird: Sep 26, 2004

It's perhaps worth noting that Doots said back in April he had little interest in the Spratleys:

quote:

Duterte said, if China will ''build me a train around Mindanao, build me train from Manila to Bicol... build me a train [going to] Batangas, for the six years that I'll be president, I'll shut up."

Duterte's position on the matter, perhaps the biggest foreign policy controversy facing the presidential bets in the May 9 elections, contradicts the position taken by the Aquino administration.

Having lived in both China and the Philippines for the best part of the last decade, I can say that the Chinese people give much more of a poo poo about the islands than the Filipinos do. The Chinese government have frequently made it into THE issue to detract from internal problems and create a foreign boogie-man. The country was alight with anti-Japanese rallies and riots just a few years ago, and sentiment has not changed.

Contrast this to Duterte essentially saying he'd do nothing about the territory in exchange for a pet project railway and no-one in the Philippines batting an eyelid, and you can see that the whole situation is perfectly playing into China's hands. It was around that time I started to wonder if his campaign, which felt significantly better funded than his competitors' campaigns, was being secretly funded by China. He has been hard on everything apart from China, on which issue he has been extremely soft. However, I'm starting to think this to be a little tinfoil hat, especially now the revelations of the Marcos funding are coming out.

If China wasn't involved, Duterte is an incredible gift to them, and they're playing it perfectly. The relaxation of banana imports will allow Duterte and his supporters a little bit of carrot to keep on doing all the work for them.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2016 06:17

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I'd like someone to deconstruct the De Lima affair from the rational side if you have the energy. It's been such a mess I can't work out what's going on, which was presumably the plan.

Edit: seems the 100-day mark has seen a lot more higher profile people come out against the Prez; a bit more pressure on him. Even my diehard Duterte inlaws have recently said "dammit, he can't take any criticism at all," but that was followed by "he is still a good man, only he knows what is in his heart" or some bs.

chird fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Oct 12, 2016

# ¿ Oct 12, 2016 05:35

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I'm confused why pinoys aren't out on the streets baying for his blood. He even secretly took Bongbong and Imes Marcos with him to China and said in a speech he hoped/expected Marcos to become his vice president.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2016 04:47

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Spin! Pivot! Pirouette!

Duterte says he will not sever US ties - Rappler

quote:

DAVAO, Philippines (UPDATED) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday, October 22, he would [now] not sever his nation's alliance with the United States, as he clarified his announcement that he planned to "separate."

"It's not severance of ties. Severance is to cut diplomatic relations. I can not do that. Why? It’s for the best interests of my country that we maintain that relationship. Why? Because there are many Flipinos in the US, Americans of Filipino ancestry," Duterte told reporters in his hometown of Davao after returning from China.

The firebrand leader signalled on Thursday during his 4-day state visit to Beijing that he announced a “separation” from the United States in both military and economic aspects in favor of China and Russia.

He explained that this "separation" merely means to “chart another way” in terms of foreign policy from the Western power.

“Separation of my foreign policy, that it need not dovetail the foreign policy of America. That’s what I meant actually…Separate is just to chart another way of doing it,” he said.

“What I was really saying was, separation of a foreign policy. In the past, and until I became president, we always follow what the US would give the cue. What he would give, the cue, that we are there, we are there, we follow. Pasunod-sunod tayo. ‘Di ako magsunod (We always follow. I won’t follow.),” said Duterte.

But asked if American companies like business process outsourcing companies should worry about the economic aspect of the "separation," Duterte said, “I worry that they would not get out of this country, that you have to force them. That is my worry.”

On whether or not his “separation” would affect defense agreements with the US like the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Act (EDCA), Duterte said, “Maybe.”

But he intends to speak with the military leadership about this first.

“I have to consult the military, the police, and everybody because, at the end of the day, it is all security,” said Duterte.

Asked about his hopes to further ties with China and Russia, Duterte said this could take the form of a “military alliance” or an “economic bloc.”

Edit: I think the bit in bold is actually reported badly by Rappler and Duterte was talking about "them", the American military, getting out.

chird fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Oct 22, 2016

# ¿ Oct 22, 2016 00:09

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Argue posted:

I have some pro-Duterte friends who were also pretty rabidly anti-China and were expecting Duterte to show them who was boss. I wonder what they're thinking now, because they are being... quite silent on Facebook.

Pinoy relative in America upon Duterte's return to Phils posted:

NoyPis Turn off ur bias and listen....Tag-an pa lagi ko daghana sakay dayon oy front seat pa gyud. :-D.... noyPis kalma lang ayaw'g dayon panic react sa istorya ni Digong. hahahha

# ¿ Oct 23, 2016 00:06

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Prism posted:

What does that say?

My Cebuano is rubbish but I think it's "Just as I thought, a lot of Aquino lovers instantly believed Duterte's statements in China to be real. Chill out lefties, you're always panicking!'

# ¿ Oct 23, 2016 11:43

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Gradenko, have you received any backlash from your recent super-sleuthing? I don't want to see you appearing on one of Duterte's hastily-prepared 'suspect' lists.

(Gradenko wrote an excellent post that went viral and is now blowing up as one of the top stories on the Inquirer. I personally send the post to Rappler yesterday, but afaik they didn't run with it yet.)

# ¿ Oct 26, 2016 01:01

chird: Sep 26, 2004

You're doing the Lord's work.

Hard for them to put a positive spin on it. The fact the company was apparently responsible for the Spratly Islands reclamation is a real kick in the balls for nationalists.

I kinda wondered whether those pro-DDS groups and fake news sites like News Trend Ph were run by the Chinese government or at least the Duterte camp funded by Chinese. They seemed to appear from nowhere and the English is poor. The Chinese government's got a pretty solid history of paying for social media posts to change public opinion. In the Philippines, there's the added advantage that a high percentage of users have free access to Facebook but no access to the wider internet. This means they're stuck in their social media echo chamber, unable to do their own research on whether posts are true or false. Facebook then continues to show them more and more of similar content. I believe this is a big reason Duterte got support and ultimately won.

For the record I think free Facebook is great, but it really needs to be free internet.

In other news, I like that Comelec is investigating whether Imee Marcos funded Duterte (as he said in a speech) and that they didn't declare it. Normally this is grounds for disqualification.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2016 03:22

chird: Sep 26, 2004

gradenko_2000 posted:

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.

I don't think there's anything there. I would say the BCDA probably first posted it as a note here then deleted it for a typo or something, then created the new note. I got that link from one of the comments here.

BCDA later said "FYI. BCDA assures the public that any company deemed banned or unqualified will not be allowed to participate in the Philippine government's bidding process. BCDA will uphold the rule of law, the most rigorous, stringent, transparent procurement rules once in the implementation stage of #bigticket infrastructure projects. The reported WB debarment of Chinese firms do not bar them from conducting an FS at their own expense and at no cost to the Philippine government."

You'll let them spend millions on a feasibility study at their own expense but won't allow them to bid on the project in the end? What kind of crazy company would do that (unless they're planning on dredging themselves up a few more islands closer to shore :P)

Its sadder in a way that Doots was willing to bend over so much purely for memos. They return from China with a "24 billion investments secured" headline, but in the end it seems he's got nothing but pinky promises to invest. For which, he's drastically set back the Philippines' previously excellent position on the West Philippine Sea issue while burning bridges with America. Worst diplomatic trip ever.

# ¿ Oct 27, 2016 13:25

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Here's something you might find interesting.

TLDR: The Cebu port project given to Mega Harbour Port & CCCC Dredging during his trip in China was already inked by the town mayor, back in September 29th. This was just one day after a long-existing and well-known port proposal in the exact same location, to be financed by Korea, was finally approved by NEDA. The Cebu Port Authority had no idea about the Mega Harbour deal and vow to fight it. Mayor now getting asked wtf.

Let's focus on the planned port to be built in Cebu by Mega Harbour Port and possibly the banned CCCC Dredging Company, as announced by Duterte in his list. It's actually a planned second port in Consolacion, Cebu to decongest the existing port.

Now, this port has already been in planning by the Cebu Port Authority for years, had various feasibility studies, was approved by various bodies and was just about to go ahead. It's pretty well known tbh:

September 17th, 2016 - P9.13B port project will be Cebu�s big one this year

quote:

"If President Rodrigo Duterte would approve it by the end of the year, work on a big-time infrastructure project in Cebu would start on the later part of next year." Efren Carreon, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority in Central Visayas (Neda-7), was referring to the proposed P9.13 billion Cebu International Port in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion town in northern Cebu. Carreon said that the feasibility study for the project was already approved by Neda�s Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC) technical board last Sept. 1. �The next process will be evaluation and approval by the ICC Cabinet Committee on Sept. 28. Final approval will be by the Neda Board, which is [now] chaired by president Duterte,� he told Cebu Daily News.

September 28th - the proposed P9.13-billion port project in Barangay Tayud was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Council-Cabinet Committee (Neda ICC-CabComm), according to The Inquirer.

Then, but one day later, September 29th 2016, something weird happens. The Mayor of Consolacion, unbeknowst to the Cebu Port Authority, instead enters in a joint venture with one Mega Harbour Port and Development, Inc. for a P16.5-billion port in the very same location. (It's also worth noting that's almost double the Cebu Port Authority's proposal, a figure CPA got from multiple feasibility studies from Korea and Japan.) This throws the CPA for six, as they apparently had no idea about this deal:

September 30th, 2016 - CPA to Push Through with its Port Project Despite JV Deal

quote:

The Consolacion municipal government, headed by Mayor Teresa Alegado, on Thursday September 29th entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement with Mega Harbour Port and Development, Inc. for the construction of a P16.5-billion international container port project in the town.

Cebu Port Authority General Manager Edmund Tan said...the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) will pursue its proposed international container port project in Consolacion town even after the municipal government signed an agreement with a private developer to build a similar facility in the area.

Tan said that Mega Harbour had already came to the CPA to discuss plans for the proposed port, but since then president Benigno Aquino III did not like the idea of unsolicited proposals, the CPA turned down their proposal.

October 3rd, 2016

quote:

The Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-Cabcom) approved last Sept. 29 the Cebu Port Authority�s (CPA) project in Tayud, Consolacion.

The approval came a day before Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Mega Harbour Port and Development Inc. represented by its president, Victor S. Tongco, to construct a similar project in the same site.

The ICC-Cabcom chaired by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia has submitted the approved CPA port project for final approval by the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Board chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte.

It will cost P9.2 billion, which will be sourced through official development assistance as recommended by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica).

�We did not know anything about the joint venture signing as reported by the media. We were not informed nor consulted by the parties concerned,� said CPA General Manager Edmund Tan.

Tan added that Mayor Alegado has no authority to construct a port because that mandate belongs to CPA under Republic Act 7621 or the CPA Charter. Tan stressed, however, that the CPA will have the final say �on all port operations and projects� in Cebu Province �as mandated by law.� �Our stand is just to let them be, if that is what they want. I will not stop them from having that joint venture agreement,� Tan said. �I just hope that they will eventually understand and realize that they are just wasting their time and effort on that venture,� he also said. �We are already in our final stretch in our efforts to have this new international port project come to reality and then, they come in to put up their own port on the same site? Is that fair?� Tan asked.

Then Duterte went to China, and came back with the list of infrastructure deals, including the Cebu Mega Harbour Port deal and the banned CCCC Dredging Company. The Cebu Port Authority is smelling something fishy (not unusual in their line of work)

October 24th, 2016 - CPA stands by authority over ports amid suspected political maneuvers

quote:

�We won�t allow them to (push through with the project) because we are already pursuing the same project on the same site,� said CPA General Manager Edmund Tan, adding that the authority is the only agency mandated by law to be in charge of all port developments in the province of Cebu.

�We will fight for our mandate. If the President insists, they have to do it properly. We have to know what the whole project is about,� Tan told Cebu Daily News.

During his state visit to China last week, President Rodrigo Duterte secured $15 billion in investments from Chinese businessmen. The investment projects signed included the Cebu International Port and Bulk Terminal of Filipino company Mega Harbour and Chinese company CCCC Dredging Co., according to an Inquirer report.

Tan said that the CPA is already pursuing the P9.13-billion port project in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion, which was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority National Economic and Development Authority (Neda ICC-CabComm) last Sept. 28.

He is confident that the Neda Board, chaired by President Duterte, will approve the agency�s proposal because they have the mandate under Republic Act No. 7621 or the CPA Charter.

RA 7621 provides that no private person or entity or local government unit can construct a port or pier without a permit from the CPA. It also states that only the CPA can manage, operate, maintain and develop ports and port facilities in the whole Cebu province.

�Of course, if somebody would come in without coordinating with us, we will not give them clearance,� he said.

Neda�Central Visayas Director Efren Carreon refused to comment on this development saying that he had yet to receive feedback from central office. Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino, meanwhile, said that he was aware of the China deal but that he was not involved in it. Asked whether the pledge was for the Tayud project, Dino said that he still had to check.

Tan said that while they were initially considering funding from the Korea ODA, other countries such as China may finance the project as well. Tan said that since the Chinese investment pledges were already secured, these can be used to fund CPA�s own proposed project instead.

Sought for comment by CDN, Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado did not respond to calls or text messages.

Asked about the possibility of President Duterte �bypassing� the mandate of the CPA to pursue the Mega Harbour project, Tan said �...The problem is nobody advised him [Duterte] about the law. Well, he might be aware of the law, but there might be some politics involved. We have to scrutinize and evaluate whether that is viable or if it is disadvantageous to government,� said Tan.

Tan said that ports run by private companies usually charge higher rates, making importers and, ultimately, consumers suffer. �How will they recoup their investments? They will have to increase their port charges and tariffs. Importers will suffer, but in the end, they will have to pass it on to the consumers,� Tan added.

It was around about now (October 25th) that Gradenko found out that many of the Chinese companies on the list were corrupt and such, and after reporters got a whiff of this, Mayor Teresa Alegado started doing some damage control.

October 25th, 2016

quote:

THE study for Mega Harbour�s proposed international port project called the �Cebu International and Bulk Terminal� project has been prepared 30 years ago. Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado said this as she belied claims that there could have been politics involved in the joint venture agreement between Mega Harbour Port and the town to build the P16-billion port project.

Alegado claimed that the study for the port had been done by Japan International Cooperation Agency about 20 to 30 years ago, and it was also part of the Mega Cebu Road Map in 2013.

�What�s important is the port is finished. Once we have a new and bigger port, the commodities that will enter Cebu will be cheaper,� she said, �The merit of the project is on the use of the project. As the leader of this town, I wasn�t sitting idle. I am not ignorant. I know what I am doing,� she told Cebu Daily News.

She also denied claims of Edmund Tan, Cebu Port Authority (CPA) general manager, that politics could have been involved in the town�s agreement with Mega Harbour for the port project in Barangay Tayud.

Mayor Alegado also welcomed the investment pledges of state-owned Chinese firm CCCC Dredging Company for Mega Harbour�s �Cebu International Port and Bulk Terminal project� in Cebu. This forms part of $15 billion in pledges secured by President Rodrigo Duterte from government and the private sector during his state visit to China last week. �Who would decline that? That�s such good news,� said Alegado.

Alegado said she was told that CCCC has long been interested in Mega Harbour�s port projects, among which are those that will be built in Davao City and Manila as well.

October 26, 2016 - Firm to build P16.4-B Consolacion port 'banned'

quote:

THE firm chosen to build a P16.4-billion international container port in Tayud, Consolacion had partnered with a Chinese firm whose parent company the World Bank (WB) has banned for fraudulent practices.

Officials of the Consolacion Municipal Government, however, remain confident in Mega Harbour Port and Development Inc.�s capacity to implement the project, given their track record in port development.

In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu yesterday, Municipal Legal Officer Atty. Paolo Crispin Sucalit said due diligence was observed before Mayor Teresa Alegado entered into a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Mega Harbour.�We went through all the processes,� he said. It took the local government more than a year to scrutinize the unsolicited proposal. He said Mega Harbour is entirely separate from CCCC. A background check was conducted, he said. It was in the middle of 2015 when Consolacion received the unsolicited proposal of Mega Harbour. In October last year, Mayor Alegado issued a certificate of acceptance. By December, the Municipal Council passed a resolution endorsing the 85-hectare reclamation project also known as the Cebu International Container and Bulk Terminal Project. Mega Harbour�s proposal was then subjected to a Swiss challenge sometime in February this year. No other developer submitted a comparative proposal.

Sucalit said the issue of CCCC with WB is not related to the construction of the international port in Consolacion.

�The debarment refers to World Bank-funded projects, either through aid or loan. Our project will involve no loan. If there�s any risk, it�s on Mega Harbour�s part. The private entity will pay for this project. No cash will be required of the government. Any anomaly will harm the private partner),� he said. Sucalit emphasized that the cost of implementing the international port will be shouldered entirely by Mega Harbour.

Before he assumed the presidency, Bacus said, Duterte had signed a memorandum of agreement with Mega Harbour for a 200-hectare port project in Davao City.

Bacus, for his part, said he is surprised by the CPA�s stand on the project now since it was former CPA general manager Dennis Villamor who introduced Mega Harbour to them.

Sucalit said they only learned of CPA�s separate plan to build an international port last August.

The is no reference to 'Cebu International Container and Bulk Terminal Project' on the internet older than 1 week. It's also very hard to believe the Mayor's office had only heard about the CPA port plan in August - its been pretty big news for years. Please note that for the interest of brevity I've not included every piece of text from all pages, but I haven't intentionally removed anything important or cherrypicked.

# ¿ Oct 27, 2016 16:47

chird: Sep 26, 2004

gradenko_2000 posted:

That's great work, chird. Do you mind if I repost that? Would you want to be attributed in some fashion?

Go ahead, no attribution necessary.

# ¿ Oct 27, 2016 23:05

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I also like that according to the officer, ALL ten of the men were found wounded in the cars, yet ALL ten of them died while being rushed to hospital. Geez, what bad luck!

# ¿ Oct 29, 2016 09:24

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I think I've become too cynical. My first thought at the recently released plans for quickly implemented massive new infrastructure was that it was a big opportunity for graft. It'll also be used to legitimize and apologize for all the other terrible stuff Duterte has been doing, even if the two are completely unrelated.

I feel this is what Marcos did; build big infrastructure projects at 3 times the normal price, making it look like he's a "can-do" president while pocketing most of the funds and leaving Filipinos with 4 decades of debt. Certainly, my in-laws are rose-tinted Marcos-era apologists mainly because they recall that he did stuff like build bridges and roads. Big public works are part of the dictator playbook. All of our favorites historical despots employed this tactic.

As I said, pretty cynical.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2016 09:29

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Thatcher's back in the UK too.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2016 12:44

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I hope someone can find some solid evidence that conclusively links Duterte to one of these major crimes so he can be slung in jail and we can all get on with our lives.

The inquiries broadcast on TV never seem to have any hard evidence and end up being he-said-she-said or discussions on competely irrelevant topics for political brownie points.

However, I feel if Duterte just came out and said "yeah I ordered the killing of that dude but I had some proof he was a drug kingpin, honest, also he was having an affair" most of the populace would still blindly support him.
____

In other news, you might remember the Cebu port bidding fiasco, where the Cebu Port Authority (CPO) had a 9bn port ready to build but were blindsided by the Mayor and Duterte who surprise announced a Chinese company had got a contract instead for a private port owned by the Chinese company, costing 18bn. It was super fishy, with the Mayor acting really suspect.

The CPO held their ground despite the pressure, and the 9bn port will go ahead.

The head of the CPO, a retired coast guard, was however yesterday fired by Duterte personally, presumably as punishment for not towing the line.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2016 06:39

chird: Sep 26, 2004

On Christmas day, police in Minglanilia, Cebu rounded up 80 people at a cockfight. They took their money and made them all sign affidavits that they were drug surrenderers.

The officers in question later each received a bonus as part of 1.6m given as "cash rewards to policemen performing well in anti-drug operations"

Just another day of abuse of power in the Philippines, except the bad news for the cops was one of the people rounded up was the son of the Caraga Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Director. He protested to the Deputy Regional Director for Operations. A meeting was held, and the affidavits were ripped up. The complainants agreed not to press charges, for as long as the police erase their names from a file of surrenderers� names.

The head cop in question will now face an internal investigation.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/12/30/central-visayas-police-director-relieves-minglanilla-chief-517534
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/12/29/132-cops-rewarded-p16m-517328

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 05:43

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I really expected more Philippines politicians and people in authority to have been more vocal against him by now. Is it just because he has a super-majority he actually has very little opposition, or is it just the case of politicians keeping their heads down till public opinion definitely turns?

Every time he does something more damaging I think "oh well, that must be the tipping point", but no-one actually does anything.

- Giving all his donors positions and contracts in the government.
- Admitting he took money from Marcoses for political favors - the burial - money that's been undeclared.
- Constant, obvious lying to the public and flip-flopping (e.g. I took Fentanyl, it was abuse. I never abused Fentanyl. Kill all druggies! I took so much Fentanyl I touched heaven. It was a joke! etc..)
- The unwarranted destruction of the good U.S partnership and disregard of the importance of BPOs.
- The complete loss of the SCS, when at the beginning of his term it was such a strong position with international support.
- The tanking economy - He took over a strong, growing economy and the last time I checked the stock exchange was down 17% from August, which equates to over 22% loss coz the peso also dropped in value.
- The lovely budget changes - halving the disaster relief fund while increasing the President's office budget by 10 times.
- Untold damage to the tourism industry.
- Borrowing big for rushed infrastructure projects already heavily tainted with corruption.
- "Go and kill drug addicts/people who are "drug coddlers" for not supporting me, I'll protect you. Even if its not the truth, I will support you."

Rant over I guess, 2017 here we come.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2016 04:31

chird: Sep 26, 2004

KingEup posted:

What are you expecting people to do about their murderous leader?

I'm not talking about the common man, as I said, "I expected more Philippines politicians and people in authority to have been more vocal against him by now." There are very few voicing dissent or calling for investigations into glaring irregularities. Either they agree with what is going on, are covering their political careers by doing nothing, are too cowardly to do anything, or are waiting for public opinion to change.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2016 05:47

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Watching America trying to get their head around the first confusing press conferences from THEIR new Dear Leader's administration is some deja vu poo poo right there.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2017 07:40

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Things looking a bit rocky for the admin. Nationwide drug war called off till further notice due to all the scandals. No real word on it from Duterte who instead went off on some rant about Americans stockpiling an arsenal in the Philippines, but people are getting fed up of his poo poo. Even the gung-ho Duterte types are muted now. It's now at the point where there's been enough time for most people to see all the promises aren't gonna come to fruition. The new year probably puts a punctuation mark there. Also, Trump is a massive floppy cock but he's making Duterte look ineffective coz Trumps's getting poo poo done (albeit awful, stupid, deplorable poo poo).

Poor wee PNP chief Bato: "I am already tired. I am very much ashamed. I am very much embarrassed. I am very much disappointed. I ran out of reason for my continued stay as your chief PNP...I want to go home. I want to go home to Davao. I tendered my resignation, that immediate retirement. I want to retire that day. "

(he didn't resign tho)

# ¿ Jan 31, 2017 06:10

chird: Sep 26, 2004

But what are the significant differences between having the army come in against citizens in a "war", and the declaration of martial law anyway?

Isn't it just rebranding martial law?

# ¿ Feb 4, 2017 13:12

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Trump coming to PH next week right in the middle of the Russian collusion scandal is gonna be good. There's gonna be an intense re-focus on PH by the international community.

To speculate on some of the talking points, both Trump and Duterte seem to have signaled they're gonna be best buddies. This will be to suggest the narrative that strained U.S. relations with PH was evil Obama's doing all along (and not Duterte being an utter buffoon).

Both of them have their distracting war on drugs; Trump's is just getting started, and somewhat amusingly in this situation against opioids like Fentanyl.

Both of them got into power thanks to massive social media manipulation aka bots. More investigation went into Trump's win; ongoing investigations that have of course unearthed that Russia was behind much of the manipulation. On Duterte's side he's admitted spending at least $200k on bots too. Over 20% Twitter mentions of Duterte are from bots and with free Facebook in PH (without free access to other sites), social media manipulation is extremely powerful here. Afaik, no concrete evidence shows foreign agents swung the election for Duterte, but it seems possible Russia or China were involved, considering for example Duterte's infamous and egregious u-turn on the South China Sea.

The American left and PH 'yellows' are presumably united in their revulsion of both Trump and Duterte. I'm not sure about the MAGA and DU30 teams - there may need to be some cognitive dissonance for some, trying to work out who they're meant to be rooting for here. Trump bad Duterte good? Duterte good Trump good? :/ Presumably the botnets will be fired up to remind people how to think.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2017 02:01

chird: Sep 26, 2004

BBC - Duterte sings duet on Trump's request

# ¿ Nov 13, 2017 00:13

chird: Sep 26, 2004

So my Sauron's gaze of political interest has been drawn away to the U.S. of late.

Only now reading about the TRAIN tax bill.

It seems OK on the face of it, especially when compared to the republican party's poo poo sandwich.

I also see people saying it craps on the poor whereas I read it as swiping more from the middle class and taking less from lower income households.

It seems to be lowering a low of taxes and expecting the revenue to be made up from increased tax on gas/electricity/sugar/cars/plastic surgery. That seems hopeful; does this tax plan increase national debt or something?

Otherwise I'd be willing to say its a good tax plan.

This doesn't mean I will be immediately buying a huge DU30 bumper sticker.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2017 07:55

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Hmm I can see how someone on minimum wage who currently pays no tax could be worse off due to increased tax on gas and coal (therefore electricity).

Napkin math shows me a full gas tank for a compact SUV will go up from 2200php to 2650php by 2020.

Due to coal tax rise, a 5000php electricity bill will likely rise to 5400php by 2020. Electricity is already hella expensive.

Agree the estate tax is a sneaky, but they've also increased the exemption from $1m to $10m which presumably helps middle class people.

gradenko_2000 posted:

The excise tax on cars is also hosed as far as raising the price of most cars under 2.5 million, but decreasing them beyond that point. It's hardly coincidental that this is to benefit of folks who are going to buy SUVs.

Top Gear doesn't show a drop in taxes (but I do recall seeing something about exemptions for pick-ups).

I'll put my giant DU30 foam finger on hold for now.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2017 03:10

chird: Sep 26, 2004

I see. Well that's crap. I did read that the justification for that reduction was because they were mainly used for business purposes, which is obviously laughable. Oh well.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2017 08:15

chird: Sep 26, 2004

How has the economy been doing under Duterte?

In my limited observations, the peso has steadily died and basic goods are all much more expensive. Before he took over, the Philippines had one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.

# ¿ May 21, 2018 08:51

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Urgh, electricity costs a fortune now.

THANKS OBAMA

# ¿ Jun 9, 2018 14:20

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Was forwarded this documentary, thought it was worth sharing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffPBYQEABQo

Give Up Tomorrow (2012) exposes shocking corruption within the judicial system of the Philippines in one of the most sensational trials in the country's history. (Chiong Murder Case)

Also looking for other Philippines documentary suggestions.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2018 18:09

chird: Sep 26, 2004

President Rodrigo Duterte orders the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to arrest opposition senator Antonio Trillanes IV

quote:

MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) � President Rodrigo Duterte revoked the 2010 amnesty granted to opposition senator Antonio Trillanes IV, "effective immediately."

Duterte signed Proclamation No. 572, declaring Trillanes' amnesty "void ab initio."

Proclamation No. 572 was published in the Tuesday, September 4, issue of the Manila Times, under the advertisements section. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed the issuance of the proclamation to Rappler.

"The grant of amnesty to former LTSG Antonio Trillanes IV under Proclamation No. 75 is declared void ab initio because he did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the Amnesty Program," the proclamation states.

Duterte ordered the Department of Justice and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) "to pursue all criminal and administrative cases" against Trillanes in relation to the Oakwood mutiny and the Manila Peninsula incident, which happened in 2003 and 2007, respectively.

He also ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP "to employ all lawful means to apprehend" Trillanes so that he can be recommitted to his previous detention facility, the PNP Custodial Center.

Trillanes told reporters on Tuesday that he would not go into hiding and that he was ready to face what he called a "bogus" order.

In October 2010, former president Benigno Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 50 granting amnesty to Trillanes, who led the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege against the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He later issued Proclamation 75 in November 2010, superseding Proclamation 50. It was then concurred in by both chambers of Congress.

The legal effect of Duterte's proclamation, however, remains unclear, as Aquino's proclamation was concurred with by Congress.

Asked if Congress concurrence is needed for Proclamation No. 572, Guevarra told Rappler, "No need because it was void ab initio."

Duterte issued the proclamation nearly two months after Trillanes said the PNP removed his security detail. The PNP explained that it was part of a "comprehensive review" of police assignments.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III refrained from issuing the Senate position on Proclamation 572 pending a discussion among senators on the "serious and legal case." He said he had yet to receive an official copy of the document as of Tuesday noon.

In 2017, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo first floated the idea and said he would review it.

"There are some legal quarters expressing the same uncertainty or doubt on that. I'll go over the case. Anything that is not the law can be a precedent. It is always in the context of the law. So kung nagbigay siya ng amnesty na mali, hindi valid iyon (So if he granted an illegal amnesty, then it's not valid)," Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

In his ethics complaint against Trillanes in September 2017, Senator Richard Gordon had cited the senator's involvement in the 2003 and 2007 coup d'etat attempts during the Arroyo administration as among the grounds for his removal from the Senate.

In defense of Trillanes at the time, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon called for the removal of those grounds in the complaint since Trillanes was not yet a senator in 2003, while the other incident happened in 2007.

Trillanes is one of the most vocal critics of Duterte. He filed a plunder complaint against Duterte months ahead of the 2016 presidential elections for alleged undeclared wealth, but the Ombudsman ended the investigation in November 2017.

Trillanes has also repeatedly questioned Duterte's policies, especially his bloody anti-drug campaign.

In a speech in Cebu City in June, Duterte said that Trillanes would be "shot" someday because of his �arrogance.� The President said, �There will come a day that someone will shoot him because he's arrogant."

In response, Trillanes said, �Go ahead, Mr Duterte, order somebody to shoot me and, I assure you, it would lead to your end.�

Trillanes also drew the ire of other members of the presidential family, particularly resigned Davo City vice mayor Paolo Duterte and Manases Carpio, the husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, whom he both accused of involvement in smuggling.

Sara had also slammed Trillanes for alleging that she and her father had secret bank accounts.

After the arrest of Senator Leila de Lima, another fierce critic of Duterte, Trillanes said he was ready to face the consequences of his resistance and to be detained again.

chird fucked around with this message at 08:22 on Sep 4, 2018

# ¿ Sep 4, 2018 08:17

chird: Sep 26, 2004

How are things, thread?

# ¿ Oct 31, 2018 07:38

chird: Sep 26, 2004

gradenko_2000 posted:

A lot of oxygen in Philippine political discourse is taken up by just trying to constantly fend off the attempts by these loving ghouls to break into higher office

Must be exhausting and maddening. With everything that has happened, Pulse Asia's September poll still has Duterte at a massive 75% approval and 72% 'big trust'. Only 10% of people disapprove. :shepface:

# ¿ Nov 11, 2018 10:51

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Universal Health Care bill seems like a positive though, right? :sludgepal:

Though as far as I can tell it doesn't so much as say how it will be implemented just that it will be.

I try to keep abreast of PHL politics but as non-tagalog speaking foreigner I can only really scratch the surface and have zero clout to make positive change. The sheer number of factions in congress competing with each other is hard to understand for a newb, and when you look up politicians' background 99% of them have been charged or investigated for some kind of fraud so its hard to get too enthused. Risa Hontiveros seems to be pretty good but someone will inevitably tell me she's a plunderer or something. I need to get a book on 20th century PHL history too.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2018 23:50

chird: Sep 26, 2004

Ah, Christmas, 3 minutes of fireworks followed by 3 hours of ambulance sirens

# ¿ Dec 25, 2019 05:46

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 01:24

chird: Sep 26, 2004

...in face-to-face schooling.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2022 05:59

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > The Philippines: Forget everything you thought you knew about human rights