tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42018839505143846852024-03-05T00:13:49.072-08:00OFFBEAT MAIL<center>A TRIBUNE FOR NEWS,FEATURES AND COMMENTARIES</center>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.comBlogger336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-80580853389661879572021-04-02T13:10:00.004-07:002021-04-02T13:27:48.924-07:00Opening of public lands for agri-developments<div>For many decades, vast tracts of forest lands are damaged across the Philippines. These are either the handiwork of nature like soil erosions, landslides, tremors or they're simply man-made due to humans' greed for immediate cash if only to survive. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb0K1ZCjaLsgTIYFwj1DhEf-xbuWaEKe2LidIIz5Ulau8ZqlH9OqkuS8ksJt6fn8HrzoKqtVKs4qNX1hG1OeTxcRdS-xKYRmKh_F7QE_71tBKI99imWu7lHEfcdpgzm_1cKzLrAIEI3k/s320/Denuded+forest2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb0K1ZCjaLsgTIYFwj1DhEf-xbuWaEKe2LidIIz5Ulau8ZqlH9OqkuS8ksJt6fn8HrzoKqtVKs4qNX1hG1OeTxcRdS-xKYRmKh_F7QE_71tBKI99imWu7lHEfcdpgzm_1cKzLrAIEI3k/w320-h213/Denuded+forest2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />By all means, those who are within the proximity of the forests are free to do whatever they thought was best for them to survive or earn fast cash. Notably, the most common practice that upland dwellers do is the cutting of firewood, slash-and-burn farming to plant crops even if these activities run counter to established forestry regulations that forbid them from doing these activities without permission from the authorities. Without a land of their own, they have to do it anyway. While some armed groups would simply engage themselves in illegal logging activities for profits. Forestry reports said that they even encroach on other's logging concessions to cut trees for sale to interested buyers.</div><div><br />When I was working with the Ministry of Natural Resources then, I had the opportunity to join a group of inspectors who was dispatched to do onsite inspection on the sawmill in Borongan, Eastern Samar. We knew first hand that the sawmill we're going to inspect was owned by a lawmaker from Cagayan Valley. From the information I gathered at the site, we learned from some sawmill workers that illegal logging activities were rampant in Eastern Samar. And why not? As the Land Cruiser vehicle that brought us from Tacloban City airport to the sawmill site passed the winding and rugged road on our way to the site in Borongan, we witnessed pieces of illegally cut logs could be found along the road. A sawmill official who was with us confirmed those logs were up for sale.</div><div><br />From the air, I had the opportunity to witness the patches of degraded forest lands while on my way to Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon many years ago. If I wasn't mistaken, those areas were located somewhere around the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountains. Therefore, it is no wonder that during heavy rains, most parts of Nueva Vizcaya, Quezon and Rizal provinces are oftentimes flooded as there were no more trees and vegetation that prevent the deluge of water rampaging downhills. As proof, the recent rash of typhoons wherein typhoon Ulysses brought huge damages to Metro Manila, especially Marikina City, because excess water from those big dams were dumped indiscriminately thereby ending up into the Marikina River which swelled up so fast. Consequently, most parts of Marikina City and other surrounding areas were heavily flooded, causing billions of damages to properties to the chagrin of millions of city dwellers and city officials alike.</div><div><br />Whether or not the government wanted to stop people from encroaching on public forest lands, it can't. This is simply because the forests are the source of livelihood for most upland dwellers. To solve this recurring problem, the Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) thought about granting stewardship to those who are interested to plant vegetables, fruit-bearing trees and root crops, but this program only allowed a small number of applicants to be accommodated. As the saying goes: "Many applied but only few were chosen."</div><div><br />It is public knowledge that there are still many public lands across the country right now. But the government is adamant to open them up for occupancy for fear that its positive expectations won't be met. Consequently, some upland dwellers are forced to do what's necessary for them to survive. While some people stick to where they live, others would just pack up and travel to cities to find other opportunities.</div><div><br />Perhaps, the national government should come up with possible alternatives so that hopeless rural dwellers will find a way to keep themselves busy even in the rural areas. By allowing them to cultivate and do some farming activities on public lands for a certain period of time may possibly allow disgruntled people to stay where they are, especially in these pandemic times when the movements of people were restricted in some communities. </div><div><br />If I knew, there are many alienable and disposable lands that the government can open up where the public may be allowed to apply for stewardship. And these public lands are just yawning and unproductive for so many decades now, just waiting to be tapped for productive purposes.</div><div><br />While this has yet to be done, the poverty incidence in the country will all the more gets worse on a daily basis. Besides, this could be aggravated by the swelling number of jobless people now due to business shutdowns where many workers were laid off or their working hours cut down due to the surge of the pandemic.<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-82365825125631199092021-03-17T14:06:00.002-07:002021-03-17T14:06:45.457-07:00China is to blame for the pandemic spread<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Had the Chinese government taken the initiative or done enough to immediately contain the novel Coronavirus from spreading waywardly into other areas, this pandemic wouldn't have gone too far to pester other countries like Italy, the United States and the Philippines whose governments had declared a lockdowns thus causing extreme fears among the people, not to mention the derailments of some economies worldwide.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDDGR6jARyvb6WmS-Mf2ojZYtXIhYpxNRWDwTnFEmEOM-VSXl8d0DysRLenbpk5jctF-Efwe_ytpPn4cFqgOEynHArXKpvgBqjOXobDq5ldhDqNzDo_0emQ9PNYUGW53fR5HqprYigqc/s1200/corona-virus-getty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDDGR6jARyvb6WmS-Mf2ojZYtXIhYpxNRWDwTnFEmEOM-VSXl8d0DysRLenbpk5jctF-Efwe_ytpPn4cFqgOEynHArXKpvgBqjOXobDq5ldhDqNzDo_0emQ9PNYUGW53fR5HqprYigqc/s320/corona-virus-getty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the provincial government, where Wuhan is an integral part of, acted too late to lockdown the place. The local government in Wuhan should have prevented residents from getting out, especially those who were infected by the virus. Sorry to say this, but the Wuhan government officials were lackadaisical in their approach to the health dilemma, thinking that the problem was just an ordinary matter which didn't require much attention. Until the problem got worse resulting to some deaths in the area had they known of Covid-19's serious impacts on the health of innocent people and the adjacent communities.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, Covid-19 has become a health pandemic which is extremely difficult to contain. Likewise, it had become too complicated for initiating quarantine procedures in affected areas, especially when health officials are in quandary as to who among the people were infected by the virus? People need to move from one place to another to either work, go to school or buy some basic needs in life, which made them all the more exposed to the virus. But mobility is of vital importance for human existence.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">In Metro Manila, which is populated by more or less than 13 million people, not to include the presence of more than 300,000 Chinese who are working for POGO, the appearance of armed soldiers and policemen at every intersection of the streets was short of comparing to the Martial Law days, when suspicious individuals are monitored and checked for their identifications. And where they're heading to? It's hard to imagine how those health officials and employees tasked to get the temperatures of thousands of motorists, commuters and passers-by could last in a day without feeling the fangs of being weary? What about the cops and soldiers assigned to conduct check points?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Aggravating the situation was the nervous consumers who went into panic-buying sprees thus resulting to congesting supermarkets and parking spaces. Besides, the long queues at the cash registers inside supermarkets are mind-boggling and irritating to witness as customers paraded those carts full of goods and other items from the shelves that are now empty. In the South Bay Area in Los Angeles, for example, the grim sight of seeing a lot of customers hoarding items on their carts is upsetting to see. I had to toe the line even if I bought only one item. I was flabbergasted because of fear that one of the customers might be a carrier of the virus. Who knows? Besides, I'm wondering if anybody from the health department was there to monitor what's going on?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The way I understand it, as if the spread of Covid-19 is a visible portrayal of a doomsday scenario. I am asking myself if it is the end of the world or not?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">As far as I am concerned, the Chinese government must be answerable to the United Nations for causing this serious epidemic across the globe. Otherwise, this Covid-19 shouldn't have caused a gargantuan problem to most people.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Perhaps, it is high time for the Chinese government to completely ban people from selling meats of wild animals which they believed can prolong life expectancy and cure serious ailments. While others believed these meats and some parts of wildlife species are aphrodisiacs.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Concerned animal rights activists must now keep a closer watch on people killing animals for sale at wet markets in Asia. Perhaps, the local governments must make a law that will make it illegal to slaughter animals, especially wildlife species for whatever reasons. In this way, the spread of serious diseases and infections among vendors and consumers must be avoided.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think somebody has to be responsible for this gargantuan health-related mess? Who do you think is to blame for the reckless spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus?<br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-40071208991285578122021-03-15T12:51:00.001-07:002021-03-15T12:51:50.942-07:00Dreaming for Covid vaccination<div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Are you desperate to have the Covid vaccination?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjrT2zsFkCAbCBDmRbOesOy8Mt8t-AXHStRhJHogaqW2glrcJIQWjTQw-57RIk3KLJoAYEaYQHRGjCk_yMEAWxDh-M0O5fHt_-vcFrrXotV1Esj2P6ewAejEZ35u50i_sW3u2U_lv2ak/s569/cns-covid-vaccine860+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjrT2zsFkCAbCBDmRbOesOy8Mt8t-AXHStRhJHogaqW2glrcJIQWjTQw-57RIk3KLJoAYEaYQHRGjCk_yMEAWxDh-M0O5fHt_-vcFrrXotV1Esj2P6ewAejEZ35u50i_sW3u2U_lv2ak/s320/cns-covid-vaccine860+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">For several days now, I've been trying my best to get an appointment with CVS and even visited www.myturn.ca.gov as advised by a pharmacist at Savon Pharmacy. But my efforts went in vain. I was able to get access to these websites but the problem was that as if the websites were down. I couldn't get through for reasons unknown to me. But when I did, the CVS.com showed that most of its outlets were fully booked.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Desperate to have the Covid-19 vaccination, I decided to visit the Torrance-based Dept. of Public Health, thinking that it's administering Covid vaccination but I was wrong. I sneaked out just to go there yet I was told by two female workers, probably nurses, that they don't administer such vaccination there. I thought about going to the Harbor UCLA Medical Center but placards posted outside showed the hospital only does Covid testing and flu shots, aside from emergency admission of patients. Worse was that I couldn't get a spot where to park my car. Running out of time, I went straight to the Carson Community Center close to city hall. But the duo manning the Covid testing lane told me they're not administering Covid vaccination either. They said that they only do Covid testing. In short, I had to make an easy exit because I needed to go back to work.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to newspaper reports, President Joe Biden has been pressuring state governments across America to comply with his order to at least undertake a 100 million vaccine shots. As mandated, those who are 65 years old and above, including the frontliners, could get the vaccination free of charge. As of March 15, 2021, about 71 million people have received the first dose of shots, while some 36.9 million were inoculated with the second dose, a government data showed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Right now, the vaccines are available at most drugstores across the country. But the stumbling block was that it's hard to make an appointment for anyone to have the vaccination at a respective inoculation center close to where he lives. A proof to this was that there's only one pharmacy that administers Covid-19 vaccination in Carson, and that's Savon Pharmacy located inside Albertsons. But the pharmacist said that the drugstore can't vaccinate anybody unless one had made an appointment.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">My question now is why make a big issue about making an appointment which is becoming impossible to make? As one of the frontliners, I don't think I'd be able to get one under the current flaws. I have no idea how the others were able to get the vaccination? Perhaps, it'd be best if the government will just open up a center where everybody could go there like what the Covid testing activities are being implemented. Based on my experience, getting an appointment for vaccination has become a hard ordeal for some. I just don't know with the others?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-14437038171294245162021-03-12T11:33:00.006-08:002021-03-12T11:51:17.205-08:0010 Reasons Why Some Humans Are Hybrids of Ancient Aliens<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Different physical features, level of intelligence, social behavior, desires, tantrums and so forth and so on.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DZpRKvNrn_Dkuk_Kck5MqiJxOaAmSjl0eXZinw7rIpAUYUZ7KndzryFDzFDqkA7qc4_Aoe9M7hbJIiRwArlqSgphMPq9WmChpQ9l-b-Iv2cU91F-HbR0G_ZeFJ4-RweLeNY0IE1btAk/s300/annunaki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="197" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DZpRKvNrn_Dkuk_Kck5MqiJxOaAmSjl0eXZinw7rIpAUYUZ7KndzryFDzFDqkA7qc4_Aoe9M7hbJIiRwArlqSgphMPq9WmChpQ9l-b-Iv2cU91F-HbR0G_ZeFJ4-RweLeNY0IE1btAk/w218-h300/annunaki.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">These are among the traits that some humans possess today. But judging from the idiosyncrasies of humans, there are indications that some of us may have been "princely offsprings" of the ancient aliens from Planet Nibiru who came down to earth and settled in a place called Mesopotamia (now Iraq) more than 5,000 years ago. According to an ancient Sumerian myth, Planet Nibiru is the home to a technologically advanced human-like extraterrestrial race called the annunaki, who stood about eight feet tall in height; and landed on earth using a technologically advanced spacecraft thousands of years ago.<br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><div><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>10. Aliens came down to earth to mine for gold</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />As many historians and ancient mythologists believed, the ancient deities called annunaki had ruled Babylonia and Sumeria many centuries ago as shown in the Sumerian clay tablets. On the contrary, they were not really considered gods. Instead, they were ancient aliens from the other planet who were fascinated by the existence of humans, not to mention their ultimate desire to mine for gold in order to protect their planet from "dwindling atmosphere brought about by natural causes and nuclear wars". This was the reason why Nibiru scientists thought about the idea of creating a shield of gold in the upper atmosphere to save their planet.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The annunaki are breed of ancient aliens who were equipped with advanced technology. Likewise, they were well-rounded on sciences and mathematics at that time. However, their strong desire to mine for huge volume of gold that they could haul off to their planet was met by grim labor shortage. Left without any choice, they had to be resourceful.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>9. Aliens were attracted to local women</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Faced by the gargantuan task of mining for gold, they thought of blending with the indigenous people of Mesopotamia. Accordingly, this union had resulted to producing a hybrid race called the Giants. In Genesis 6:4, it states: "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, and when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Consequently, hybrid humans were born. And one of them was Goliath, which David fell down with a sling shot between the eyes. According to biblical history, this came before the Great Flood which Noah was known to be a part of.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />8. Hybrid humans were used as slaves</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Challenged by labor shortage during those years, the ancient aliens were left without a choice but to make use of their hybrid offsprings to work as laborers in gold mines. The hybrid humans had no choice but to obey their masters. Scientists said as if the aliens had put something in their minds that leave them to work hard with no complaints. There were speculations that the Pyramids of Egypt were among the popular landmarks built using the ingenuity of the ancient aliens thousands of years ago. It came to a certain point when these ancient aliens decided to return to Planet Nibiru due to in-fighting among themselves while on earth.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />7. Hybrids behaved like puppets</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Even when the masters were away, the hybrid humans acted like puppets in a stage play. As if something powerful from far away were manipulating their minds and what they were supposed to do on earth. And one of the visible manifestations for this phenomenon is the clashing of radical ideologies that resulted to the eruption of civil wars. It appears that an Unseen Power from above is directing these actors to play their assigned tasks on earth.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />6. Hybrids were found to have exceptional intelligence</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Perhaps, many of us are surprised why people with superb intelligence exist among us. It could have been the grand design of ancient aliens to allow the hybrid humans to inherit the wisdom that their masters possess. Even after centuries when the aliens left earth, leaving to the hybrid humans the advanced technology that their masters taught them, may have invented the tools that they used as weapons to go to war with neighboring communities today.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />5. David against Goliath</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The duel of David against Goliath was a good example on how the vestiges of tribal wars had erupted in the ensuing years. Giant Goliath who may have a bloodline from the alien beings was pitted against David, who used a slingshot to topple the giant down by hitting him between the eyes. In fact, many of these giant beings were scattered across continents.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />4. Humans begin to innovate </b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />From Mesopotamia, tribal groups had made use of the fighting tools they invented to kill enemies and conquer more lands. The land of Palestine was the hotbed of tribal fights during those years. These clashes are still visible these days. Until now, civil wars have continued to pester the lives of many innocent people who wanted to live in peace and harmony. But they can't live in peace and harmony at all because their minds are being manipulated by someone powerful from above. In short, they were made to act like puppets in a stage play. That's why it's not surprising at all why political struggles continue to destroy communities in the Middle East and elsewhere.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />3. Dirty politics may have been the handiwork of aliens</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />This may sound unbelievable but political squabbles around the world may have been the handiwork of hybrid humans on earth who may have been put into the pedestal of powers in some advanced countries today. And there are observations that the aliens, through their hybrid children on earth, are the ones creating the chaos that we are experiencing right now. Just think about those known leaders worldwide who may have caused so much sufferings to millions of people during the First and Second World Wars. </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />2. As hybrid humans grow, attaining peace will be hard to come by</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Nobody knows really how many of us are considered hybrid humans? But the existence of people with superb intelligence may create a perception that they could be among the hybrid humans around. And why not? But proving that person is indeed a hybrid may be a daunting task to anyone of us. However, it would take a thorough medical examination and gene analysis so that medical scientists may be able to prove that one of us could be a possible hybrid of the ancient aliens.<br />At any rate, social and political patterns seem to be dictating the pace of developments worldwide. As the number of human hybrids grows, so are the improvements in technological and scientific innovations across the globe. Hence, close competition among the different races would be a never-ending search if only to be on top of the worldly game. A good example is the arms race between advanced countries. But when this problem gets out of hand, it would be catastrophic for the human race. It could be possible that one of the most feared dictators in Europe and Asia during the Second World War may have been the great offsprings of ancient aliens. Such that they had wrought great havocs on earth and killed more than three million people during the holocaust.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br />1. Aliens are poised to come back to redeem glory on earth</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Many of us are wondering why the world is getting chaotic now compared to what it was thousands of years ago. The answers may have something to do with the way some of our political leaders are behaving today. In fact, there are suspicions that many of these human hybrids are hiding behind somebody else’s personality. When the right moment comes, they'll eventually come out into the open to wield power as what their alien ancestors had wished for them to be.<br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why are they coming back? The website annunaki.org said that the ancient aliens are poised to come back to “seek more gold, more human slaves, and companions. Or it could be possible that they also wanted to amuse themselves at our own expense?” #</span><br /></div><div> <br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-80059200965879400672020-03-30T20:35:00.001-07:002020-03-30T20:37:06.015-07:00Beware of pandemic politicsWhere can we see a country that continues to ignore the immediate resolution to the widespread effects of the Covid-19 against health of humans? Yet, the Dept. of Health (DoH) in the Philippines has yet to decide as to whether or not it would allow people to buy drugs now available at Mercury? After all, it could only do so much to contain its rapid spread.<br />
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What's so disgusting is the way health officials control the distribution of drugs that could possibly cure the infections among people. Until now, they keep on holding the immediate use of hydroxycholoquine drugs, used as an anti-malaria drug, by those who were infected by the virus. Why?<br />
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Health officials must have forgotten that the spread is now overcrowding hospitals within Metro Manila. Why wait until a new drug could be invented, knowing that many were already dying and dead from this novel virus? Are they playing politics or waiting for huge profits? People are out of jobs and idle. They don't have money to defray the costs of down payments prior to admission in any hospital. What the heck are you thinking about?<br />
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Perhaps, President Duterte must now act to allow people to buy the drugs that are available at Mercury Drugs! Common, health officials! What are you waiting for? Are you going to wait until 50 percent of the entire population were infected?<br />
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At this moment, many Filipinos are desperate to go back to their normal lives. With red flag still up, most of the people are stuck and bored to death, considering the summer temperature that soars during midday. I hope you're all human enough to understand. And this is not the time to engage in illegal activities to serve our personal interests. This is an appeal in behalf of affected people to get back to their normal lives again!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-12142524598645986522020-03-15T19:58:00.000-07:002020-03-16T18:04:46.844-07:00Blame China for the pandemic <div class="I_52qC D_FY W_6D6F" data-test-id="message-view-body" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: table; font-family: Helvetica Neue,Segoe UI,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; width: 848px; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Fy4HE55qrQ8At7F5jN9LmzA3Ysl0p3tewhF2GtL6op5nFLYVWYGzcXqeVFNxn5Rf_ZPk_IHjAw7R8mo19WIU5F4_dv0JQ0JkAWaxXQnNsG08Ofk1OuMlaP1TcYfjbM1lvPGdPvavwM8/s1600/Chinese+exotic+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Fy4HE55qrQ8At7F5jN9LmzA3Ysl0p3tewhF2GtL6op5nFLYVWYGzcXqeVFNxn5Rf_ZPk_IHjAw7R8mo19WIU5F4_dv0JQ0JkAWaxXQnNsG08Ofk1OuMlaP1TcYfjbM1lvPGdPvavwM8/s400/Chinese+exotic+food.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exotic Chinese food (Credit: Flickr)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Fy4HE55qrQ8At7F5jN9LmzA3Ysl0p3tewhF2GtL6op5nFLYVWYGzcXqeVFNxn5Rf_ZPk_IHjAw7R8mo19WIU5F4_dv0JQ0JkAWaxXQnNsG08Ofk1OuMlaP1TcYfjbM1lvPGdPvavwM8/s1600/Chinese+exotic+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Had the Chinese government taken the initiative or done enough to immediately contain the novel Coronavirus from spreading waywardly into other areas, this pandemic wouldn't have gone too far to pester other countries like Italy and the Philippines whose governments had declared a lockdowns thus causing extreme fears among the people, not to mention the derailments of some economies worldwide.<br />
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But the provincial government, where Wuhan is an integral part of, acted too late to lockdown the place. The local government in Wuhan should have prevented residents from getting out, especially those who were infected by the virus. Sorry to say this, but the Wuhan government officials were lackadaisical in their approach to the health dilemma, thinking that the problem was just an ordinary matter which didn't require much attention. Until the problem got worse resulting to some deaths in the area. I was wondering if they had underestimated Covid-19's serious impacts on the health of innocent people so that it had reached this far.<br />
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Now, Covid-19 has become a health pandemic which is extremely difficult to contain. Likewise, it had become too complicated for initiating quarantine procedures in affected areas, especially when health officials are in quandary as to who among the people were infected by the virus? People need to move from one place to another to either work, go to school or buy some basic needs in life, which made them more exposed to the virus. Mobility is an inherent right of humans as a means to survive.<br />
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In Metro Manila, which is populated by more or less than 13 million people, not to include the presence of more than 300,000 Chinese who are working for POGO, the appearance of armed soldiers and policemen at every intersection of the streets was short of comparing to the Martial Law days, when suspicious individuals are monitored and checked for their identifications. Today, the actions by health officials and the police were meant to prevent the further spread of the virus to others. Hence, motorists, commuters, and passers-by were asked to cooperate with the authorities as allowed by law.<br />
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Aggravating the situation was the nervous consumers who went into panic-buying sprees thus resulting to congesting supermarkets and parking spaces. Besides, the long queues at the cash registers inside supermarkets are mind-boggling and irritating to witness as customers paraded those carts full of goods and other items from the shelves that are now empty. In the South Bay Area in Los Angeles, for example, the grim sight of seeing a lot of customers hoarding items on their carts is upsetting to see. I had to toe the line even if I bought only one item. I was flabbergasted because of fear that one of the customers might be a carrier of the virus. Who knows? Besides, I had no idea if someone from the health department was there to monitor what's going on?<br />
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The way I understand it, as if the spread of Covid-19 is a visible portrayal of a doomsday scenario. I am asking myself if it is the end of the world or not?<br />
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As far as I am concerned, the Chinese government must be answerable to the United Nations for causing this serious epidemic across the globe. Otherwise, this Covid-19 shouldn't have caused a gargantuan problem to most people.<br />
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Perhaps, it is high time for the Chinese government to completely ban people from selling meats of wild animals which they believed can prolong life expectancy and cure serious ailments. While others believed these meats and some parts of wildlife species are aphrodisiacs.<br />
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Concerned animal rights activists must now keep a closer watch on people killing animals for sale at wet markets in Asia. Perhaps, the local governments must make a law that will make it illegal to slaughter animals, especially wildlife species for whatever reasons. In this way, the spread of serious diseases and infections among vendors and consumers must be avoided.<br />
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As far as I'm concerned, I think somebody has to be responsible for this gargantuan health-related mess? Who do you think is to blame? </div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-51023555136597264202020-03-14T20:35:00.001-07:002020-03-14T20:35:31.390-07:00Chinese workers need to be monitoredThe Manila lockdown shouldn't only concern about the activities of the Filipinos, especially those working both in government and the private sector.<br />
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The presence of the thousands of Chinese workers must also be checked. They shouldn't be allowed to roam around Metro Manila and other areas. Perhaps, they should not be allowed to travel in and out of the country for now. Lockdown is lockdown.<br />
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Boarding houses and buildings where these Chinese workers stay or work must be thoroughly checked as to whether they maintain hygiene and cleanliness. After all, Covid-19 originated from China before it spread across the globe.<br />
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Even President Trump today declared the state of emergency in the U.S. As a result, panic-buying has caused chaos in many supermarkets now. There is danger that manufacturers may be affected due to lack of raw materials for production so that delivery of primary goods may be hampered.<br />
<br />
Among the items that are in great demands were alcohol, hand sanitizers, face masks, toilet papers, and other food items.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-75206457445423241722019-09-25T20:15:00.001-07:002019-09-25T21:14:42.784-07:00POGOs may put PH at risk<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5nhclUT1FQ-QUwR-L9k58Q8qVHFqX_GUH1DVSM2O4x3PAGg2kWyE4JEreo0RGp2ZrG4tGUjGqsH0eVXTcPXWyXhLdzf59Zbatggsg0cwX7Jsw4RDyzIRRKUHcqpSBs9mqPSwGb-o56w/s1600/generic2_desktop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="355" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5nhclUT1FQ-QUwR-L9k58Q8qVHFqX_GUH1DVSM2O4x3PAGg2kWyE4JEreo0RGp2ZrG4tGUjGqsH0eVXTcPXWyXhLdzf59Zbatggsg0cwX7Jsw4RDyzIRRKUHcqpSBs9mqPSwGb-o56w/s320/generic2_desktop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Online gaming</td></tr>
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The latest apprehensions made by Philippine immigration agents on at least 277 illegal Chinese nationals working at an online gaming company in the Ortigas, Pasig City was a pr<br />
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oof that Chinese tourists are taking advantage of President Duterte's soft diplomacy with Beijing.<br />
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And, regardless on whether the Philippines generated an estimated $200 million in revenues from online gaming, it is not a sure guarantee that the windfall will continue unabated by ignoring established immigration laws in the country.<br />
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The arrest came after the Chinese Embassy in Makati City tipped the BID about the presence of Chinese individuals who were wanted by the Chinese police, a newspaper report said.<br />
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Since it is illegal in China to operate online gaming activities, some Chinese entrepreneurs have made it their bread and butter to dupe young and tech-savvy Chinese citizens to come to Manila in droves on the promise that they could work even without proper work permits.<br />
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It's not surprising at all as to why rents had gone up, especially around the areas where Business Process Outsourcing centers are operating right now.<br />
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In fact, a friend of mine is extremely gratified that his 14- unit condo building in Pasig City is being rented by a Chinese national for more than P200k a month just to house Manadarin-speaking call center agents who will man online gaming aimed for millions of customers in China.<br />
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Another danger that the mushrooming Chinese tourists will bring is competition with thousands of unemployed Filipinos, not to mention the chaos that will be created in the process.<br />
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The Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corporation (Pagcor) is responsible for the issuance of licenses so that these online gaming companies, probably run by Filipino-Chinese businessmen, can operate legally. But still there are loopholes that needed to be plugged because Pagcor may not be able to monitor everything that is taking place in the online gaming markets at the moment.<br />
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The country's Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) is not a perfect organization in so far as performance of officials and employees are concerned. Like the Bureau of Customs, the BID is also teeming with corrupt public servants who are capitalizing on foreigners who might have committed immigration infractions. Instead of kicking them out, unscrupulous immigration officials would likely extort money from them while they live in the shadows.<br />
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My personal instinct is that some enterprising BID officials might take advantage of these illegal Chinese workers and their employers by requiring them to cough up huge amounts of bribes if only to continue the fly-by-night operations somewhere else. In this way, protection money will continue to flow into the hands of those who were aware of the illegal activities, thus depriving the government of the much-needed taxes.<br />
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Another worry that haunts authorities is the personal activities of these Chinese tourists while they are roaming free in Metro Manila and the suburbs. Like Filipinos, these foreigners are not saints not to commit mistakes. And it is hard to reign in on their sexual lives while in the metropolis. Later on, Chinese males will be attracted to local beauties and vice versa. What do you think will happen next is obvious to most people? I'm afraid that cross-bredding may again emerge as another worry for Philippine demography considering that chinky eyed babies may also mushroom anywhere else. The problem doesn't end here. When they leave the country, the impregnated partners and babies will remain, thereby adding more burdens and complicating the cities' already strained basic services.<br />
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And who knows, maybe, some of them are Chinese spies or militias sent to keep close tabs on the different activities in major cities in the country?<br />
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Prior to the occupation by the Japanese Imperial forces of the Philippines, Emperor Hirohito first deployed advanced batallions of intelligence officers who disguised themselves as businessmen. When war was declared, the Japanese soldiers knew already in advance what do during the occupation.<br />
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From the way political developments are going on between Manila and Beijing over the disputes in the South China Sea, there is likely semblance of the same scenario that might take place in the future.<br />
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With more than 300,000 Chinese nationals now spread out in Metro Manila and the provinces, it is hard to believe that not a bunch of them was sent to work as spies for the Chinese government? And the biggest failure of the Duterte administration is when the country gets a big surprise because the intelligence community lacks the technological capability to monitor the activities of these foreigners.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5nhclUT1FQ-QUwR-L9k58Q8qVHFqX_GUH1DVSM2O4x3PAGg2kWyE4JEreo0RGp2ZrG4tGUjGqsH0eVXTcPXWyXhLdzf59Zbatggsg0cwX7Jsw4RDyzIRRKUHcqpSBs9mqPSwGb-o56w/s1600/generic2_desktop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>With some of the islands within the jurisdiction of the West Philippine Sea already intruded upon by China, infiltrators can easily enter the province of Palawan using Chinese fishing vessels in the dead of night. Lacking coast guard patrols to closely monitor movements at the different ports, not to mention the long stretch of coastal areas facing the South China Sea, will all the more make it much easier for Chinese nationals to be smuggled in.<br />
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Now, the issue is largely dependent on whether there is an inter-agency task force assigned to keep tabs on the thousands of Chinese workers based in Metro Manila who work for various online gaming companies that cater to customers in mainland China.<br />
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Perhaps, it is only appropriate and timely that the Blue Ribbon Committee of the Senate may explore the initiative of conducting a public hearing so that resource speakers may be invited to discuss the pros and cons on whether it is to the best interest of the country to continue online gaming activities or not?<br />
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Otherwise, it will be too late for the Philippines because it has been swarmed by more and more Chinese nationals whose intentions are varied.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-17583636462922922342018-07-27T15:08:00.000-07:002018-07-27T15:38:32.504-07:00Living on a duck egg embryo's tale<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A duck egg's embryo called "balut"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">MANILA -- As dusk sets in, a limping woman would carefully load up a
basket full of egg embryos called “balut” in Tagalog, along with her small
stool, on a small wooden cart and slowly descend to the street corner about 200
meters away from where she lived.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Wearing her usual black sweater and a bull cap, Aling Inday, a native of
Leyte province, would slowly position her cart on the sidewalk, close to the terminal
of tricycles and jeepneys, where hungry drivers would usually buy “balut” to
energize themselves from a hard day’s drudgery. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Not far from her favorite spot is the police substation, where she could
always run to file a complaint if anybody bothers her. She eases herself down
on a stool to wait for customers; lights her small kerosene lamp to provide a
little illumination enough to distinguish the money that changed hands between
her and the customers. This activity goes all the way until the egg contents of
the basket have been sold out. Then she goes home at past midnight, counts her
night’s earnings and lay down on the couch, which serves as her temporary bed.
Home is a small wooden shack that stands along the edge of the Pateros River. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Pateros River empties into the Pasig River, a major water tributary in
Metro Manila that was envisioned to become an alternative route for public
commuters in Metro Manila, with the Metro Manila Development Authority as the
lead agency to manage the program. Water ferries had to ply the route between
Guadalupe in Makati City to Escolta, Manila, where passengers can take off, and
vice versa. After a couple of years into the program, Pateros River had dried
up for reasons unknown to many. It didn’t only cut the livelihood of the people
living along the river but also killed the “balut” industry where a lot of
people have to depend on for their livelihood. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">I had been a witness as I lived only across the river in the village of
Comembo, a part of Makati City on the other side. A concrete bridge separated
the town of Pateros from Comembo. Across the river each morning, I could see
how duck raisers on the other side would tend to their flocks of brown ducks to
forage for shells on the river. But everything went to standstill when water
stopped flowing into the tributary. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Per my recollection, Aling Inday, a neighbor of ours, gets up at dawn to
rush up to a nearby wholesaler located across the bridge that connects the
village of Comembo, Makati City to the town of Pateros, then a popular hub for
this exotic egg embryo where thousands of vendors from across Metro Manila
would congregate in order to get their orders in the soonest possible time on a
“first come, first served basis.” Whoever comes the earliest would be first on
the line, a dictum that has persisted for so many decades.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Over many decades, this economic scenario has been portrayed as a
surreal depiction of what the “balut” industry did to at least provides
livelihood to some hopeless but industrious people who try to make a living
under the dog-eat-dog completion. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Nobody would ever thought that the Pateros River, which has become a
haven for thousands, if not millions, of mallard ducks which labeled the small
town of Pateros as the “egg embryo” capital of the Philippines since the
pre-war years.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">"Balut" <span style="margin: 0px;">vendors would slowly descend most of Metro Manila city street
pavements to peddle their goods thus transforming empty corners into a hectic frenzy, but also allowing them these enterprising mortals to survive in the midst of the dog-eat-dog competition.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Lit by a kerosene lamp beside her basketful of balut eggs, the female
vendor sits, huggling her knees to her breast to at least to warm her<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>body from the night's cold breeze created by
the monsoon season and oblivious of the risks that might occur as she awaits
for customers.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">From time to time, passers-by, some drunks and some are ordinary workers
who just wanted to add more energy to their tired bodies, do drop by to buy
one, two or three pieces, depending on how much cash they have in their
pockets.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The vendor looks up with a welcome smile and readily unfurls the thick,
white cloth that is used to cover the eggs and to preserve the heat inside the
basket. Then she carefully picks the egg that is good for the unsuspecting
customer, who makes sure that it contains more yolk , aside from the chick
embryo<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>inside its shell. After the
customer pays for a piece of egg, he immediately breaks its shell and sips its
warm, salty liquid that could provide more nourishment to the body.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">As always, this is the case. But
more than this, selling of "balut" egg (a duck's embryo) has become a
source of livelihood for the unschooled and for those who merely wanted to earn
extra income. Everyday is a drudgery, from dusk till dawn, generating an income
that is barely enough to buy them food.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Although, Westerners look at it as a spoiled delicacy never seen
elsewhere in the<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>world. But
"balut" or embryonated duck's egg is a favorite food of average
income Filipinos, whose penchant for this exotic delicacy have not slackened in
years. But mind you, professionals are slowly smitten by this delicacy,
too.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">In fact, the balut industry has contributed a lot to enhancing the
country's "livestock revolution", a program that is expected to bring
brighter prospects for </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">the poor.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">In the Philippines, for more than two decades since the 80s, poultry
contributions to agriculture and per capita<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>utilization has been steadily growing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The duck industry, for one, has been a great contributor.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In fact, volume of production of duck eggs
in 2001 was up again 0.84 percent, compared to its </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">2000 figures. But demands will continue to grow, particularly in the
developing countries.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">This, according to development analyst, is a livestock revolution that
holds promise for relieving widespread micronutrient and protein malnutrition
while </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">intensifying smallhold agriculture, the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST) reported.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">From 1991 to 2000, for instance, volume of duck eggs grew from 33,456 to
53,631 tons during the same period.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As
duck raising is a lucrative business in the Philippines, it has therefore been
an important source of income to the farmers, especially those living near
bodies of water.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Ducks are usually
raised for their eggs, which are made into "balut" (embryonated 16 to
18-day-old eggs) or salted eggs.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">It added that a 1000-head layer duck production module is capable of
generating a return-on-investment (ROI) of 20 percent and 47 percent for the
first and second year, respectively.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Besides bringing in the needed nutrition and cash to resource poor
farmers and enterprising businessmen, the "powerful duck" also help
rid ricefields of the </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">eggs of golden apple snail, a pest that<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>is causing damage to the ricefields.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Ducks also feed on the snails, which serve as intermediate host for
larval stages of the parasite causing fasciolosis to buffaloes, cattle, and
goats.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">By allowing 4 to 5-month-old ducks to graze on rice 35-40 days after
planting, at a stocking rate of 800-1000 ducks per hectare, farmers not only
eliminate the proliferation of unwanted snails but also minimize weed formation.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">As ducks trample and feed on them, savings on weeding are realized while
taking advantage of rice leftovers after harvest.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And with their fecal droppings all over the
field, soil fertility is improved.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">In some Asian countries and in some swine farms in the country, ducks
are also used to aerate stagnant water in lagoons and canals where waste
materials flow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>By allowing the ducks
to wade in them, the stagnant water is disturbed, allowing oxygen to penetrate
and dissolve.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Considering that the country has the needed breeds to make a profitable
enterprise, the duck industry therefore has enough chance to make the livestock
revolution work for the poor.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The Philippine Mallard duck or "itik" and the Muscovy duck or
"bibe" are popular breeds raised for egg and meat, respectively. The
country earlier produced </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">the Laguna duck, another meat-type duck produced from a three-way cross
among the Peking drake, the Philippine Mallard and the Muscovy drake, a similar
breed to the Taiwan mule duck.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It has
an average feed efficiency of 3.20 and offers better quality meat.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Furthermore, the duck industry has a competitive advantage over other
poultry industries. Ducks require little attention and thrive well on almost
all kinds </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">of environmental conditions.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>They are also highly resistant against common avian diseases.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Unlike chicken, they have a longer life
span.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">It is easy to see that indeed the duck is a powerful and versatile
animal, potent enough to be relied upon to sustain its role in the livestock
revolution, the DOST said.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">After so many years of economic upheavals, due to close competition from
other balut (duck egg) producers, the industry went into a limbo. The former
town of Pateros (now a city in Metro Manila) used to be the beehive of the duck
egg-producing industry in the Philippines until its unexpected demise after
Martial Law. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The military regime had nothing to do with it. From where I lived across
the Pateros River in Comembo, Makati City in the 70s, I could clearly see how
the ducks’ owners herded and fed them early in the morning on a patch of land
on the side of the river where they’re normally housed. Each morning, they’re
let loose to feed and allowed to cleanse themselves on the river for a couple
of hours.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Under the current regime, where thousands had been killed for selling illegal drugs, selling "balut" eggs would be a better option to fight poverty. But that could only be realized if the government would provide a little capital for these impoverished lot, many of them had been hauled off to the police stations on a recent crackdowns for being branded as "istambays".</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-89324282610870187442016-10-24T23:04:00.000-07:002016-10-24T23:05:49.248-07:00A tribute to a forgotten soldier<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjFkRHyeciz7oEA2mpbXHPMN-Toxc5B8lplFepKAndt2jzVNuQoljNTOfftjem02xLPnXGhIJT2hlZkHHhfchztIlmZls5AqgBLMydQBYigXdIVk5aHxsqf1N4Cu8uwurNdbq2GA23lE/s1600/Uncle+Anie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjFkRHyeciz7oEA2mpbXHPMN-Toxc5B8lplFepKAndt2jzVNuQoljNTOfftjem02xLPnXGhIJT2hlZkHHhfchztIlmZls5AqgBLMydQBYigXdIVk5aHxsqf1N4Cu8uwurNdbq2GA23lE/s1600/Uncle+Anie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel "Bulaw" Gutierrez resting in bed at home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After parking my pen for a while, the urge to get back to what I was doing since my semi-retirement in 2004 has again rekindled within me upon learning that a close relative is suffering from a serious ailment.<br />
<br />
I thought that the fire that's burning inside me has been extinguished completely. Admittedly, I was wrong.<br />
<br />
In fact, I forgot about it already until I got a message from a first cousin whose husband is currently stationed in Shanghai. Amie broke to me the sad news that his father needed a bypass surgery. Doctors at the Philippine Heart Center first diagnosed his father's ailment to be needing an angioplast surgery. However, further examinations revealed that something more complicated needed to be done.<br />
<br />
According to Amie, she thought that it was okay to proceed with the heart operation. But the doctor who examined him said that it's no longer possible to push through with the impending surgery because his chance of survival is only 10 percent. In short, he's back to square one.<br />
<br />
Had the heart operation went through, it would have been worth a fortune for a retiree who's solely dependent on his meager pension as a former non-commissioned officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Had he not worked in the United States for a couple of years, life would have been much harder for someone whose penchant for a good life was his enjoyment. But despite this edge, the man is still groaning under the weight of the social ill's that gripped most Filipinos. And had the surgery pushed through, the cost was almost worth of a brand new car. What's money anyway compared to extending one more life?<br />
<br />
As immediate members of the family exhausted all means to resolve the problem at hand, a silly question cropped up in my mind asking why should a government hospital like the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) whose budget comes from the government's general appropriations, charge so much even from indigent patients?<br />
<br />
And who can question the Hippocratic wisdom of heart surgeons who may or may not invoke their Code of Silence in so far as revealing the true medical information of patients that they intend to treat? I couldn't imagine that from angioplast surgery, the case was elevated to the level of bypass surgery. Was this also meant to bleed the poor patients so that they could live a few more years? Surely, nobody knows!<br />
<br />
Just for a brief backgrounder, the person I'm referring to in this article is none other than Mr. ANGEL MANUEL GUTIERREZ. But who is Mr. Gutierrez? Many of us don't have the complete idea as to who this man is? What are his exploits and contributions to his beloved country?<br />
<br />
To those who don't know him, Angel "Bulaw" Gutierrez is a living witness to the atrocities of wars in Korea and Vietnam, where he served as a member of the 14th BCT, and the Philippine Civic Action Group (Philcag).<br />
<br />
Prior to these, he enlisted in the military at a very young age, where he first saw action during the Kamlon Campaign in Sulu. His sterling career was tested in the battle fields of Lebak, Cotabato where he fought side by side with then Maj. Gringo Honasan (now a senator) when they were both members of the Ist Composite Infantry Battalion in Camp Aquinaldo in the fight against the Moro National Liberation Front headed by Prof. Nur Misuari. He was supposed to receive a gold cross for gallantry in action but it never happened, a feat that he is always proud to share to his family circle and friends alike. Still he's thankful to the Almighty that he was able to retire. But only to be remanded to the sideline later on.<br />
<br />
Popularly known to his townmates and comrades in the military as a good leader and a field tactician, Bulaw's military career remains as colorful as ever, whose boyhood life was nurtured in the countryside of Leyte province.<br />
<br />
He wasn't only considered a professional soldier, but he's also earned the respect of his senior officers and peers simply because of his abiding faith in the principles that he's fighting for. To sum it all up, Bulaw is proud to say that he became part of the military as a young man to serve the best that he could for his country.<br />
<br />
He was trained as an Airborne paratrooper, a Scout Ranger, a member of the Special Forces, a counter-intelligence operative, an ASAC agent, and a paramedic. These are just some of his accomplishments when he was still active in the service.<br />
<br />
In the Korean War, he rubbed elbows with then Fidel V. Ramos who eventually became president. In Vietnam, he made it to the top eight of the graduates of the Reconnaissance Commando Course (Recondo) conducted by the elite "Green Beret". Former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Lisandro Abadia was his classmate. They both made it with flying colors.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty for holding it for so long in my brain. But as I had promised him over several cases of beer before, I find it an auspicious moment for me to ponder and recollect our previous conversations to come out with this exhaustive and memorable piece about the person whom I looked up to with deep respect. To all of us, whom he harbored during those critical years of our existence, I salute you once more for old time's sake.<br />
<br />
Most of all, thank you for being a father-figure to us. Honestly, we cherish every moment we shared together while we're under your wings.Our only wish right now is for you to overcome the pain you're going through. We will continue praying for you so that the Unseen Hand will bring a miracle to heal you completely.<br />
<br />
Lastly, we're all proud of you. Thanks for everything, uncle! I knew that you didn't retire but you only faded away. I knew, too, that the souls of your siblings, including mother, are looking down upon you as you battle it out with that malady. Be strong and you'll get through with it, with God's blessings!<br />
<br />
Again, thank you for everything!<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-25674969480747439822016-09-16T15:49:00.000-07:002019-09-26T20:10:43.409-07:00A lone witness from the wildernessFeisty Philippine President Rody "Digong" Duterte just kept mum<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmCn7LRQ0ra6n28IP9LwUfaJX_cuekQn-Rr81eMqvSDM3HM62zeg5DdK8vmug9p-LCYS-1rCGxCwkmc3BXAUIahUa-sIQaOF1PIMdre0MYEpMqZFhXhZ2N2HD1AtzraiXY2QOl34qWEk/s1600/Edgar+Matobato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmCn7LRQ0ra6n28IP9LwUfaJX_cuekQn-Rr81eMqvSDM3HM62zeg5DdK8vmug9p-LCYS-1rCGxCwkmc3BXAUIahUa-sIQaOF1PIMdre0MYEpMqZFhXhZ2N2HD1AtzraiXY2QOl34qWEk/s320/Edgar+Matobato.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former DDS hitman Edgar Matobato<br />
answers questions at the <br />
Senate public hearing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
on the allegations of a former member of the Davao Death Squad</div>
<div>
(DDS) that he ordered the killing of at least 1000 victims while Duterte served as mayor of Davao City.<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
His silence on the accusations of a certain Edgar Matobato, a former DDS hitman who got his wages as part of the ghost employees of the Davao City hall, can be misconstrued as a kind of recollection if he indeed was involved in such killings? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Unlike in the previous occasions, President Duterte has a habit of cursing and mouthing bad words when confronted in public, a trademark which no longer surprise a lot of his supporters and cabinet officials. "That's his character," one of the cabinet officials said.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or it could be that President Duterte is thinking something else?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With Koko Pimentel's denial of providing protective custody to Matobato by the Senate chamber, there is danger that the witness could be a "deadman walking." Matobato can't be put under the protective custody of the Department of Justice (DOJ), knowing that Sec. Vitaliano Aguirre is an appointee and ally of President Duterte.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps, the only remaining option for Matobato, or the officials who are behind the coming out of the lone witness, is to temporarily remand him to the custody of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). As an independent constitutional body, CHR can take custody of Matobato for a while. Until such time that Senator Leila de Lima can find a way to keep this witness secure somewhere.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But who is really behind Matobato's coming out in the open? Even if Matobato barely finished elementary grades, he could sense the gravity of the situation where he's in right now. And it is not easy and simple thing to accuse the leader of the land, who is notorious for being tough on crimes and illegal drugs, for ordering the unwanted killings of individuals in Mindanao. Matobato knew in advance that he is no longer safe now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Simply said, a lot of uncanny things may happen to him if he ventures outside without bodyguards. But worse comes to worst, his only retrieve is to seek political asylum somewhere else. That he can decide for himself if is given the option to jump into the fenced off area of any foreign embassies of his own choice. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-6972568988478642342016-09-10T12:01:00.000-07:002016-09-10T12:01:10.285-07:00Betting on luck<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXpizhe0qEv4xYwb2ygVJF8048rXa-rT6nh2IEmATWQrXw-480hmRDTXEwimqNo007SmXZrgmSnEl40BsAHF3b7vbfQqUGOuaj8pP70JK3mIDTWD9_ImkE9ZdE7Gefanh272NrElM_5A/s1600/Pechanga+pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXpizhe0qEv4xYwb2ygVJF8048rXa-rT6nh2IEmATWQrXw-480hmRDTXEwimqNo007SmXZrgmSnEl40BsAHF3b7vbfQqUGOuaj8pP70JK3mIDTWD9_ImkE9ZdE7Gefanh272NrElM_5A/s320/Pechanga+pix.jpg" width="291" /></a><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> LOS ANGELES--</span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On any given Sunday morning, a bunch of
people congregate at the copious parking lot of a big retail store chain at the
corner of Main and Carson Streets in the city of Carson.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But don’t mistake them for early morning shoppers .
Instead, they’re a blend of ordinary workers and pensioners, who simply
couldn’t think of anything else to do to battle it out with boredom. On such a
given day, they made it a habit to wait for a private bus that will take them
to casinos in Las Vegas Strip, Pala and Pechanga--two border casino resorts in
California, to try their luck on gaming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This is the usual scene here each Sunday morning. While
the rest of the flock attend a mass at a nearby Catholic Church to atone for
their sins on such a special day, they’re enjoying the luxury of exchanging
pleasantries and whatever jokes they could afford to belt out in their own
native languages—Tagalog, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and, of course,
English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">From a distant, I could hear the echoes of their laughter,
and their faces brighten up as the driver of the white shuttle bus approaches slowly
to pull over along side. As the door opens, each one carefully climbs aboard
and readily settle on his respective cushioned seats, which provides each one enough
comfort to endure the five-hour long drive to the Las Vegas Strip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As competition heats up in the gaming business, some casino
operators have turned to this marketing strategy a long time ago as a means to lure
people, many of them pensioners, to while away their extra time for a free
commute to and from the different casino destinations in Las Vegas and other
casino resorts close to San Diego.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And who wouldn't bite the offer? As a casino patron,
each is given a small gift certificate amounting to $25, which he can initially
bet on the slot machines. And the same bus will take the passengers back early
the next day on the same spot where they were picked up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No wonder many senior citizens and employees are
spending their days-off by going back and forth to Las Vegas without let up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“This is more convenient and economical compared to
driving your own car, which can save a lot of mileage and gas,” explains one of
the male passengers who declined to be named, an avid gambler who works at one
of the private hospitals in Torrance, California.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Whether he likes it or not, he and his girlfriend are
terribly hooked to this vice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sources told this writer that the live-in couple would
always set aside some extra money which they could use as bets whenever they’re
in Las Vegas. But I learned that they seldom or don’t win at all. As the
borrowing grew, their debts are piling up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What is it that he’s after for? “ I just want to win
the jackpot. Then, perhaps, I can go home for good,” he told this writer once.
Home is Cavite City, Philippines, where the famous Sangley Point, a U.S. naval
base was located many years back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">However, dreaming of winning the jackpot is like
“wishing for the moon.” For many years now, the gambler’s wish hasn’t come true
yet. Who knows? It could be tomorrow or never at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While other pensioners are always dreaming of hitting
the jackpot in Las Vegas, Jessie Belicano, 89, sticks around. Besides, he
couldn’t leave his ailing wife, who underwent a heart operation a couple of years
ago. On most days, he could be seen leisurely shuttling between stores in
search for the lucky scratcher card that he expects to give him some instant
jackpot. Once this happens, Belicano is likely to go home for good, especially
now that his wife is getting weaker and weaker every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Facing this dilemma right now are some U.S. war
veterans and their wives, especially those who have no life insurance as
they’re no longer qualified to be insured due to their advancing age. And
they’re in for a big trouble when they die in America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I was talking to one of the daughters of a Fil-Am war
veteran who brought up to me her parent’s concern. She confided to me that her
concern at the moment is whether to bring her back home or not. At least, it is
much cheaper to die in the Philippines that to die in the United States.
Airlifting the body will already cost the family about $2,000. What about the
embalming services and the coffin?, the daughter asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I had suggested that if anybody is in a limbo like
her, the best solution is to go back home now while the concerned has the
senses. Otherwise, the concerned family may be spending at least $10,000 for
the burial services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-26543582743332760182016-09-09T14:43:00.000-07:002016-09-10T12:02:41.654-07:00Economic refugees: Are they scourge to U.S. economy or not?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At least, 12 million of them are scattered across
America. And they’re branded as “economic refugees.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOeLDMC819gTZ_z8fEAD3PWOO28_KQ1lSHKoNObNvILd-s_SD9nMj1MRoN4mea8X2c8qbeRWBillAkGx-6dP-Y9V2YePwOOg_Jp9ndQt2-uwkVYjqp5bwZSZ7Znr-Pu3HXKMLxrreZuo/s1600/farmworkers_california.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOeLDMC819gTZ_z8fEAD3PWOO28_KQ1lSHKoNObNvILd-s_SD9nMj1MRoN4mea8X2c8qbeRWBillAkGx-6dP-Y9V2YePwOOg_Jp9ndQt2-uwkVYjqp5bwZSZ7Znr-Pu3HXKMLxrreZuo/s400/farmworkers_california.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farm workers in California. Photo: npr.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Without proper immigration papers with them, they’re
at the mercy of being deported should they commit traffic violations at any
point in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's either they have crossed the border illegally
through the help of human smugglers called "Coyotes", or they simply
landed at the ports as tourists with proper documents </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">stamped by immigration authorities but overstayed
their visas, and went underground without any trace at all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Depending on circumstances, most of those
border-crossers from South America are reportedly victims of violence in their
home countries who are left without any other <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">option at all than to escape. Oblivious of the risks
along the way, these people have properly blended themselves with other people.
But finding no other recourse to </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">survive in a foreign shore, they were put in an
uncanny situation where their only means to fill up their empty stomachs and,
perhaps, to repay the huge debts they paid to </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">smugglers, is to do odd jobs in a land where Americans
hate or tired of doing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Referred by friends or deployed through registered
manpower agencies, most of them can be
seen cleaning houses, serving as nannies, landscapers, construction workers,
farm workers and so forth and so on. And they can easily be found hanging
around at Home Depots and elsewhere, waiting for long hours at any given
opportunity that may come their way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the other group of migrants legally entered the
United States either as citizens of the waiver countries or as businessmen,
students or tourists from developing countries with valid visas stamped on
their respective passports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But what sets them apart from each other is that a big
portion of those coming from Third World countries like Southeast Asia can
speak the English language. And many of the tourists are either skilled or
professionals in their own making. With or without pending petitions from relatives
but their dreams, many of them just want
to make it quickly to America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Foremost in their minds is their over eagerness to
improve their lives and that of their families back home. With meager wages in
their home countries, they could hardly </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">make both ends meet. To break this spell, what most of
them have in mind is to try their luck somewhere else, in an advanced country
where what they expect to get is five times higher than what they get at home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the continuing implementation of stringent
regulations made by the Department of Homeland Security, especially after the
September 11 bombing of the Twin Towers in New York City, backlogs in the
processing of immigration-related documents have piled up unprecedentedly.
Unfortunately, the long wait, which normally takes more than 10 to 15 years for
immediate relatives to rejoin their families in the U.S., has been cut short by
taking advantage of applying for a tourist visa, pending the approval of their
petitions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was only early this year when the federal
government has announced the giving of parole to relatives of thousands of
Filipino-American war veterans, most of them are <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">already in their twilight years, who were petitioned
many years back to come over temporarily in order to take care of their elderly
or sickly parents until such time that </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">their petitions are officially approved. This is
separate from the reunification program where even those who were not
petitioned can be processed to join their surviving </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">parents in America.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite these positive developments occurring a couple
of months away from the holding of the national elections in November,
apprehensions are percolating that the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nomination of business tycoon Mr. Donald Trump,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as the GOP's presumptive presidential
candidate against former Secretary of State</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hillary Clinton as the nominee </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for the Democratic Party, could make a backlash on the
true mission and political intentions of the GOP after Trump made foul-mouthed
and racist statements against </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the Hispanic communities in America.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a lull on the waves of border crossings made by
thousands of women and children late last year,
the surge has again reignited by the thought that should the GOP
succeeds in taking the rein of leadership in America, Trump would build a long
concrete wall that will make it impossible for Hispanic migrants to cross the
border illegally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It goes without saying that the campaign threat made by
Trump to build a high and long concrete wall may have sparked the massive
border crossings last early June.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If the skilled and professional citizens of Third
World nations are given the chance to work in the West without hitches, they
would simply welcome the idea and go for it </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">without any hesitation. That’s my gut-feeling!</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-76716728183983134662016-09-09T14:32:00.000-07:002016-09-09T14:32:37.639-07:00Is China serious to mend ties with America?<div class="MsoNormal">
China's President Xi
Jinping's recent scheduled visit to the United States on Sept. 22-24 last year</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJJIsxLH0kYjKJFvYe8s24-YMR6iU8MYMAdACvTcLD4wsRNiT7J5_rZh9SRCR5PJIZBpAl_v6Sh2fm-e1j6CuTVLU07w63l64rCSymoYyzLnRQQO7g5ES-W4wz8SOUjFre0PKFe7EnE8/s1600/Xi-Obama-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJJIsxLH0kYjKJFvYe8s24-YMR6iU8MYMAdACvTcLD4wsRNiT7J5_rZh9SRCR5PJIZBpAl_v6Sh2fm-e1j6CuTVLU07w63l64rCSymoYyzLnRQQO7g5ES-W4wz8SOUjFre0PKFe7EnE8/s320/Xi-Obama-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S. President Obama and President Xi. <br />Photo: USChinaStrong.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
was a matter of diplomatic mission, perhaps, to
further strengthen the ties that bind between the two countries.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But to other political
experts, Xi's visit to the White House
was properly choreographed to let the world know that China is a friendly
nation that is always ready to shake hands with other leaders even in the midst
of a controversy that involves national security.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As reported by
Bloomberg Businessweek (Sept. 21-27 issue), the Chinese leader's visit had two
goals: "to reassure executives that China is still a good place to do
business, and to secure for China the respect due a state of equal in stature
to the United States."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe true, maybe not.
That is probably what other pundits are talking about, knowing how China's
aggressive stance on the issue of human rights violations, cybersecurity and
the tensions that its military has created in the South China Sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aware of these issues,
the U.S. government has, in fact, urged China to "speed up its financial
reforms so as to avoid another repeat of the summer's stock market crash or the
poorly managed devaluation of the yuan--events that shook the world markets."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Orville Schell,
director of the U.S.-China Relations in New York, told Bloomberg: "The
relationship is not great and has been getting worse." While Zhu Feng, professor of international
relations at Nanjing University, readily agreed. He added in the Bloomberg
report: "A lot of things have piled up, and the stakes have never been
higher to deal with these accumulated concerns."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite the diplomatic
respects that the U.S. government has shown during Chinese leader's visit, the
"administration appears far from treating China as an equal." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some political
observers believed that the U.S. is still superior than China. And I wouldn't
be surprised at all why China has acted the way it should? Of course, it is
public knowledge that China holds trillions of U.S. commercial debts. However,
it doesn't mean that the U.S. will kneel down to the pressures that China would
want to impose without first mending its slightly severed ties with the United
States.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One the serious issues
that China should address impinges on the "cyber espionage emanating from
China after it breached the U.S. Office of Personnel Management where it
exposed the records of some 20 million current, former and prospective federal
employees." Suspects in the said breach were believed to be Chinese
hackers who stole commercial information. In fact, President Obama said on
Sept. 11 at Fort Meade in Maryland that "cyber attacks are not
acceptable." Although Obama didn’t specifically mentioned that it was done
by the Chinese hackers upon the dictate of Chinese officials.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If this concern rings
true, how on earth could China do such a breach while at the same time, coming
to the U.S. to woe more prospective businesses to relocate in China? The
situation has a semblance to a story of a "wolf coming in a sheep's
clothing." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To some observers,
China's actions may be misconstrued as a wagging of its tail for having
accumulated so much debt papers that the U.S. may not be able to redeem in the
future. Perhaps, this is a secret weapon that China is trying to display, if
only to show the world that it has an economic edge over the U.S. now?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a moment, the
world has yet to wait on the sideline whether the soured relationship between
the two countries could be mended in due course. But with the outcome of President
Obama’s recent official visit to China, where international political observers
were surprised to learn of China’s failure to give the U.S. leader a “red
carpet” welcome at the airport? Sources said it was a move by Washington to not roll out the red carpet on account that the Chinese driver of the ramp at the tarmac couldn't speak and understand English. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Was this China’s
deliberate attempt to let the world know that it isn’t happy about the United
States’ interference in the South China Sea disputes with some claimants,
especially the Philippines which won a favorable ruling in July 2016 from the
Permanent Court of Arbitration concerning its valid claims over some of the
islands and reefs in the South China Sea based on the provisions enshrined in
the charter of the United Nations on the Law of the Sea, which China is a
signatory. Yet, it continues to violate what it signed for by merely invoking
the historical significance of its ancient claims on almost all parts of the South
China Sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ignoring the ruling of
the arbitral tribunal, China continues its elaborate display of military might
by reclaiming some of the islands and reefs inside Philippine territorial
waters. Latest of which is China’s attempt to build infrastructures at the
Scarborough Shoal, which is only about 120 nautical miles from Zambales
province in Luzon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-76295387496817928982016-08-09T12:08:00.000-07:002016-08-09T12:11:06.484-07:00President Duterte warns Supreme CourtPhilippine President Rody Duterte has warned the Supreme Court that he would declare Martial Law if it gets in his way.<br />
<br />
President Duterte's tirade emanated from the recent wranglings that involved certain judges who were linked to the distribution of illegal drugs in the Philippines. The names of the judges surfaced when Duterte read a list in public, along with some local government officials, policemen, and judges were mentioned there.<br />
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The fiesty president ordered those whose names appeared on the list to present themselves within 24 hours to the Director-General of the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame.<br />
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But the President Duterte's announcement didn't bode well with SC Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who argued that the erring judges are under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, and not by the Executive Branch of government.<br />
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In short, Sereno wanted the erring judges to be investigated by the Supreme Court instead of the police.<br />
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Prior to this, local government officials who were reportedly linked to illegal drugs had been asked to clear their names or face sanctions from the government. The policemen involved in illegal drugs were grounded in Camp Crame while their cases are being investigated by the PNP's Internal Affairs Service.<br />
<br />
The involvement of judges, local officials and the law enforcers in this illegal drugs trade is appalling to anyone's senses. The previous administrations had done nothing to curtail the illegal proliferation of this problem. News reports said illegal drugs that were seized by the police are recycled back to the market.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-2182688853136361812016-07-13T14:06:00.001-07:002016-07-13T14:33:03.577-07:00Atmosphere of calm prevails in disputed territories <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxA7Kylgf_YDyuQO8HPDxfuPCVxQXdS2wQl9qUX3pcAVOetVm9P36_LtngIvSpKKprSzovtvhoWZZOjX2gW9ZZWjEnyz_n6JcTy9T3wXuRkhMjQDsxoVwAveZtta-KqRjTsWDuAROLs4I/s1600/Permanent+Court+of+Arbitration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxA7Kylgf_YDyuQO8HPDxfuPCVxQXdS2wQl9qUX3pcAVOetVm9P36_LtngIvSpKKprSzovtvhoWZZOjX2gW9ZZWjEnyz_n6JcTy9T3wXuRkhMjQDsxoVwAveZtta-KqRjTsWDuAROLs4I/s320/Permanent+Court+of+Arbitration.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague. <br />
Photo: PCA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Red Dragon has stopped spewing fire, and it seems
it’s now behaving in a forthright manner after the Permanent Court of
Arbitration handed down its final decision on July 12 which favored the legal
complaint filed by the Philippines against China on what it perceived as an
illegal intrusion on Philippine sovereignty.</span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As expected, this didn't come as a great surprise to many Filipinos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even before the decision was handed down, I could already sense of glitter of hope would come as expected, after the Philippines had filed a complaint before the arbitral tribunal on the manner by which China asserts its rights over the disputed territories in the South China Sea, considering that it was clear from the start that China has violated an important provision set forth by the United Nations on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), in which China is a signatory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I was saying before, China may have withdrawn its support of the UNCLOS and may have not affixed its signature at all, knowing that some provisions in the convention would surely affect its historic rights to most parts of the South China Sea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Experts on international maritime laws said that invoking historic rights to most territories in the South China Sea, as indicated by the nine-dash line, would be difficult to do. They have argued that ancient maps, for example, which could serve as the primary evidence that would identify established boundaries being claimed by China, couldn't be used as proofs to its rightful claims to most parts of the disputed territories in the SCS.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For one, ancient maps cannot serve as a reliable evidence in courts because of their crudeness and some imperfections on how they were made which might create some overlapping of the sovereign boundaries, experts said.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is clear right now is that, the ruling in The Hague has created a fair atmosphere that a small nation can go against a powerful country like China. At least, it was a moral and legal victory for the Philippines, explains Prof. Richard Heydarian of the De Lasalle University in Manila in a live broadcast interview.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heydarian said that the ruling is something that the Philippines can now use to make some concessions in so far as joint undertakings in the disputed territories are concerned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Atty. Harry Roque, an international lawyer and now a party-list congressman, explained that if China will not abide by the ruling as mandated by the arbitral tribunal in The Hague, the enforcement issue could be tackled by the Security Council. Otherwise, the U.N. General Assembly will decide as to whether or not U.N.-member nations will be asked to enforce the law.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it's still premature to predict as to what will happen next, political observers were surprised to find that there's an atmosphere of calm now prevails in the disputed territories.In fact, a local government official in the municipality of Pag-Asa confirmed over a live broadcast that Filipino fishermen can now go about their usual fishing activities without being harassed by the Chinese Coast Guards. However, it wasn't immediately known if the disputed areas will be temporarily open to all fishermen who wish to catch marine resources there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the past, the Chinese Coast Guards wouldn't allow Filipino fishermen to catch fish in the disputed territories. Most were driven away by bombarding them with water cannons, which sent them scampering in different directions to flee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the ruling was handed down on July 12, China may have gotten the message across so that it is now on the wait-and-see attitude. And there is a strong possibility that bilateral negotiations between the two countries may take place in the soonest possible time.</span><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-26266135263919817642016-07-02T14:34:00.000-07:002016-07-02T14:35:59.227-07:00Body of beheaded Canadian found in Sulu<div style="background-color: #fff8c2;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iqdKKaf8h3toZyCfKeDei0XQUMbI9-vXjl5cvjqs-JwPXXSiPY-vE3Gsfqyd1Qy5mTNExpC4sAwF7ZXGtb4fvlXIaFGW7vsTFWZ6K40YWYfJsOAw4mCkaJyLKa8qnX1QfObub8jeFxA/s1600/Canadian+Robert+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iqdKKaf8h3toZyCfKeDei0XQUMbI9-vXjl5cvjqs-JwPXXSiPY-vE3Gsfqyd1Qy5mTNExpC4sAwF7ZXGtb4fvlXIaFGW7vsTFWZ6K40YWYfJsOAw4mCkaJyLKa8qnX1QfObub8jeFxA/s400/Canadian+Robert+Hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">File photo shows beheaded Canadian Mr. Robert Hall (left). </td></tr>
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The body of the late Robert Hall, the Canadian national beheaded by Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits last June 13, has been dug-up and recovered in Sulu Saturday morning.<br />
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Major Filemon Tan, Western Mindanao Command spokesperson, said Hall's decaying remains were recovered by troops of Joint Task Group (JTG) Sulu around 11:35 a.m. in Upper Kamuntayan, Talipao, Sulu.<br />
<br />
"The body is currently being brought by the troops to JTG Sulu Headquarters at Barangay Busbus, Jolo , Sulu for documentation before turn over to the PNP SOCO (scene-of-the-crime operatives)," he added.<br />
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Hall was beheaded by the ASG last June 13. His head was later recovered by civilians in front of the gate of the Jolo Cathedral.<br />
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Hall, together with John Ridsdel, Kjartan Sikkengstad and Marites Flor, was abducted last Sept. 21 at the Ocean View Resort in Barangay Camudmud, Samal City, Davao Del Norte. Sikkengstad is the only remaining kidnap victim with the ASG as Flor was freed by her kidnappers last week.<br />
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The Western Mindanao Command decries the barbaric act of the ASG in beheading its captives which can be described as contrary to the Islamic teachings.<br />
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Focused military operations in the area are being undertaken to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf terrorists and possibly rescue the remaining kidnap victims. (P. Nepomuceno, PNA)<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-78543486940293838582016-07-02T14:13:00.000-07:002016-07-02T14:15:28.974-07:00Kill the drug lords, not the drug addictsWhat a sad news to read that newly elected Philippines' President Rody Duterte was quoted by The Washington Post to have ordered the killing of "drug addicts", a departure from his earlier statements which ordered civilians and the police to only "kill drug lords and pushers" if they resist arrest or they fight back.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9Jh2V1i9UDaznWHctjLBKXoHDZtFgMoKyuUa-w-InMx3KkM77eTTkklL0x5mayxTdyJLIJ53BczkgysjF9iIp3YZUf99Sx6fI-Oi-MCFDRj5hpZzjHfh9pJDqtbXPLqU7KNvtNmRQSU/s1600/Duterte+hands+over+saber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9Jh2V1i9UDaznWHctjLBKXoHDZtFgMoKyuUa-w-InMx3KkM77eTTkklL0x5mayxTdyJLIJ53BczkgysjF9iIp3YZUf99Sx6fI-Oi-MCFDRj5hpZzjHfh9pJDqtbXPLqU7KNvtNmRQSU/s400/Duterte+hands+over+saber.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Rody Duterte hands over saber to the newly installed AFP<br />
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya. Outgoing <br />
Chief of Staff Gen. Glorioso Miranda looks on. <br />
Photo: M. Pascua, PCOO, PNA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In fact, President Duterte even urged members of the military to help the law enforcers contain the spread of illegal drugs and arrest those drug dealers who are destroying the future of the young generation and the Philippine society in general. Duterte made this call during a turnover rites at the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.<br />
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In the Martial Law years, the late President Ferdinand Marcos had approved the deployment of "secret marshals", a bunch of law enforcers who were licensed to kill any criminal caught on the act of perpetrating a crime. When words came out in the media that "secret marshals" in civilian clothes would be riding public transportation such as buses and jeepneys anytime of the day, crimes had considerably dropped to the delight of the commuters.<br />
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For me, it was a media stunt to warn criminals in advance not to commit crimes which had victimized ordinary civilians on their way to work or home. And in order to protect the public from unwanted harm from criminals, the idea of sending law enforcers, who were licensed to kill, was hatched. For a while, it was effective as those who wanted to stage a robbery inside public buses plying long distance routes were relieved when the perpetrators were shot and killed while they're committing the crimes.<br />
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Distinctively, President Duterte's style of running the government is likened to "authoritarianism."<br />
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Wikipedia defines authoritarianism as a style of leadership that is being used when "a leader dictates policies and procedures, decides what goals are to be achieved, and directs and controls all activities without any meaningful participation by the subordinates."<br />
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I think his latest order, which may have been taken out of context by the media, could have been to target "drug lords and dealers" instead of the "drug addicts" who can be described as plain users of illegal drugs.<br />
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Targetting the drug users is not practical at all. Their dependence on illegal drugs is even more spiked when there's an abundance of supply in the market. Therefore, blame the drug lords who are always on the lookout for people who can be trusted to peddle sachets of "shabu" whose retail price is readily affordable among the addicted populace.<br />
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And killing the drug addicts won't resolve the gargantuan problem of drug addiction in a country whose more than 70 percent of its population are impoverished. Perhaps, what the new administration can do is to set up more rehab centers that are fully funded and equipped with modern facilities and equipment in order to sustain the reforms needed to correct their drug addiction.<br />
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But the war on drugs must start with the barangay level, in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Dangerous Drugs Board.<br />
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In this concern, barangay officials and the law enforcers must closely coordinate on how to tackle the rising incidence of drug distribution and addiction. In order to cut addiction, the sources of illegal drugs' distribution must be cut. Likewise, close monitoring of drug dependents must also be put in place after their discharge from the established rehab centers.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-30872402393952452862016-06-30T18:34:00.000-07:002016-06-30T18:34:45.532-07:00A metamorphosed president<br />
Who would ever think that Philippines' President-elect Rody Duterte would behave in a manner that appeared to be presidential the day he took his oath as the 16th president of the Republic of the Philippines on June 30 in Malacanang Palace?<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzY5641CAJ8PXHJCdxCYoZUWUBdpHTJLuNpuofbxS7xniLJy4WcmZRt_oA_OnVKYxzau4apGqST9neLhrIclMWDBqYCfBLMzuJ0Ipupw91Qw8iC0sy8CnDYSzyIIMOlWjA_YbfljoVWs/s1600/duterte-cabinet-063016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzY5641CAJ8PXHJCdxCYoZUWUBdpHTJLuNpuofbxS7xniLJy4WcmZRt_oA_OnVKYxzau4apGqST9neLhrIclMWDBqYCfBLMzuJ0Ipupw91Qw8iC0sy8CnDYSzyIIMOlWjA_YbfljoVWs/s320/duterte-cabinet-063016.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oath-taking of President-elect Rody Duterte<br />in the presidential palace in Manila on June 30.<br />Photo: ABS-CBN</td></tr>
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With his trademark as a foul-mouthed and fond of incendiary statements that could be misinterpreted as out of civility and at times, demeaning to one's rationality, President Duterte just did what he promised a couple of weeks back that he'd change for the better when he sets foot in the presidential palace.<br />
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Wearing a simple long-sleeve <i>barong tagalog</i>, which was made and designed by local designers in Davao City, and a brown corduroy pair of pants that was matched with a ordinary black pair of shoes, Duterte calmly and confidently walked the red carpeted aisles leading to where the outgoing President Benigno Aquino III was waiting for the new leader who's comfortable wearing casual t-shirts and maong pants while serving as a tough mayor of Davao City for more than 22 years.<br />
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But just the same, he made it through. But not without the guidance and procedural protocol of a ranking foreign affairs official in the person of Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., former director-general of the APEC 2015 National Organizing Council, who took patience in leading the new president on what to do and where to go next around the presidential palace prior to his formal oath-taking rites administered by Duterte's fraternal brother in the person of Associate Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes at exactly 12 noon that day in the presence of members of the diplomatic corps.<br />
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The oath-taking ceremony was capped by a meaty speech, which lasted for about 15 minutes, sending signals to the audience that the president didn't want to waste his time.<br />
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What sets the short speech apart from the other speeches made by previous Philippine presidents was the conveyance of a strong message across on what he wanted to accomplish outright. Hence, he immediately gave orders to his cabinet secretaries and heads of agencies to reduce the redundant requirements in the processing of applications in some government offices as these are giving so much burdens to ordinary citizens. President Duterte also ordered line department heads not to mess around with approved government contracts. "This is wrong," Duterte emphasized strongly in his speech.<br />
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He also issued a warning to those who wanted to derail his programs against illegal drugs and criminality. He urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to paddle its own canoe. According to him, they have to mind their own business and "I'll mind mine."<br />
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Prior to the handing down of the decision of the arbitral tribunal in The Hague on the disputed territories in the South China Sea, President Duterte said that his administration would respect international treaties and bilateral relationships.<br />
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Right after his speech, he proceeded to meet his cabinet members. Unlike the other meetings in the past, President Duterte held the steering wheel across the table by making it clear to his cabinet officials that he'd be using commercial flights and toe the line just like other ordinary passengers. He didn't want to give him special treatment when he and his staff are boarding commercial flights.<br />
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On disaster preparedness, as he narrated his bad experiences when Super typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines, he ordered concerned cabinet officials to make food, medicines and other equipment closer to disaster-prone areas in the Philippines. In this way, transport of relief goods and other stuffs would reach the typhoon victims much faster.<br />
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President Duterte doesn't want a repeat of what happened to the victims of the Super typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas, Philippines. From July to November every year, the Philippines is hit by at least 18 to 20 typhoons.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-7734583515271441362016-06-24T12:22:00.000-07:002016-06-24T12:24:38.239-07:00Bond yields in East Asia continue to slow downMANILA, PHILIPPINES — Bond yields in most emerging East Asian markets continued to track lower from 1 March to 15 May 2016 as investors factored in forecasts of continued slow growth for the global economy, Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) latest Asia Bond Monitor said.<br />
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At the same time, the US Federal Reserve’s cautious approach to keep interest rates steady in its first three meetings in 2016 led to positive inflows in a number of emerging East Asian local currency government bond markets between January and April. Domestic equity markets and emerging East Asian currencies were mostly stronger over the review period, while credit default swap spreads fell, reflecting reduced perceptions of default risk in the region.<br />
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“The outlook for emerging East Asian bonds remains mostly benign given still strong fundamentals and interest in the region, however, there are downside risks, including the possibility that quicker than expected US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes trigger a foreign investor pullback from the region,” said Shang-Jin Wei, ADB’s Chief Economist. “At the same time policies to improve the efficiency and transparency of financial markets can help economies in the region remain flexible in the face of external shocks.”<br />
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The report notes that further stagnation in the global economy and worries about financial instability, along with emerging deflation in emerging East Asia, are other risks.<br />
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Most local currency government bond yields, including for 10-year government paper, fell. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Philippines were exceptions, with yields mostly up.<br />
<br />
Local currency bond markets in emerging East Asia continued to grow, rising to over $9.6 trillion at end-March, marking a nearly 4% rise from end-December, and a more than 20% climb over the same period the year earlier. Local currency bond issuance of over $1 trillion in the first quarter was down over 2% from the previous quarter, but was still up 51% from the year earlier period.<br />
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The PRC’s bond market remained emerging East Asia’s largest, accounting for nearly 68% of total bond stock as of end-March 2016. Local currency government bonds continued to dominate, accounting for nearly 62% of total holdings at end-March with corporate bonds less attractive due to their more illiquid nature.<br />
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Between 1 March and 15 May, equities rose in all emerging East Asian markets, except for modest declines in Indonesia and Malaysia, while currencies were broadly stronger against the US dollar, with the Republic of Korea won appreciating the most (up 5% during the review period), followed by the Malaysian ringgit, which gained over 3%.<br />
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The report’s theme chapter examines the macroeconomic factors affecting sovereign bond yields in emerging Asia, highlighting the role of inflation and the different yield impacts of consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) inflation, the importance of domestic liquidity, and the influence of the global economic environment on bond yields.<br />
<br />
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB in December 2016 will mark 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2015, ADB assistance totaled $27.2 billion, including cofinancing of $10.7 billion. (ADB)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-67305550863983016292016-06-24T11:38:00.001-07:002016-06-24T11:56:05.489-07:00Breaking the presidential curse in the Philippines<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH80ueLfRM3FZ-bb6m0UkVo5aGB13UALQaTPb_KODrxk2jtGi-vKjpgENdNO2Hcg-fCJvFl5nYBQcQ_Rg0bpeMC2Uv6GgrKxbk1WcBtJKU1ZWKTIM4eRcRPDX8GqGzAxskoP8ZpCbX60/s1600/Rodrigo_Duterte_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzH80ueLfRM3FZ-bb6m0UkVo5aGB13UALQaTPb_KODrxk2jtGi-vKjpgENdNO2Hcg-fCJvFl5nYBQcQ_Rg0bpeMC2Uv6GgrKxbk1WcBtJKU1ZWKTIM4eRcRPDX8GqGzAxskoP8ZpCbX60/s400/Rodrigo_Duterte_2013.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President-elect Atty. Rodrigo Duterte. <br />Courtesy: Ryan Lim, Malacanang Photo Bureau</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">On June 30, 2016, incoming President Rodrigo
"Duterte Harry" Duterte will be sworn in as the 16</span><sup style="font-family: 'bookman old style', serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"> president of the Republic of
the Philippines, replacing former President Benigno Aquino III, who will step
down after serving for six years of his term; leaving a legacy of reviving the
country's anemic economic growth into what's considered by economic pundits as
one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, if not the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Latest data showed the Philippines have notched a 6.9%
in GDP, against China's only 6.7% last year. And many foreign investors have
set their eyes on pouring in their investments into the country, even as the
newly-elected President Duterte's announcement
recently that he wouldn't allow factories to be set up in the National Capital
Region, otherwise known as Metro Manila, anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Understandably, the newly-elected leader has expressed
concern that Metro Manila is bursting at the seams. With more than 13 million
residents, illegal squatting in Metro Manila has become a big headache for the
government for many decades now. And perhaps, the only way to decongest the
urban areas is to decentralize the industries. In fact, United Nations data
indicated that the Philippines has more than 70 percent of population living
below the poverty line with many of them living in high </span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">risk areas along the river estuaries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">These are the same group of people who were tired of
the politicians' false promises to uplift them from the quagmire of poverty.
Hence, when the best opportunity comes knocking at Duterte's doors, he didn't
lose any time to give it a deep ponder, if only to help alleviate the lives of
the socially impoverished majority. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As Prof. Prospero de Vera, a political analyst from
the University of the Philippines, was quoted by a newswires agency as saying that Duterte's victory was
"phenomenal rise to the presidency which upends traditional wisdom that
only candidates from Luzon or the Visayas can win the presidency." In
short, Duterte's victory was breaking the spell of the "Mindanao
curse", which for many years have only elected presidents from Luzon and
the Visayas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">De Vera pointed out that Duterte's phenomenal victory
was the consequence of many Filipinos' frustrations over the administration's
failure to deliver what majority of the destitute Filipinos had expected. He is
convinced that "something dramatic must happen in Mindanao",
considering that he is the first leader from Mindanao who was elected into the
highest office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the contrary, Prof. Edmund Tayao, also a political
analyst, believed that Duterte's victory couldn't be compared to the same base
of supporters when President Benigno Aquino III won the presidency in 2010,
saying that Aquino won by plurality in that election year, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Political observers believed that it wasn't an easy
decision for Duterte who was adopted by the PDP-Laban party prior to joining
the presidential contest. In fact, it took a last-ditch attempt for his supporters
to nudge him into considering running for president in a country that is rocked
by rampant graft and corruption, trading of illegal drugs, and other crimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While the other presidential timbers have already
started their campaign sorties, strategizing on what's best to attract huge
followers without really shedding so much money to earn their trust comes
election day, incoming President Rodrigo "Duterte Harry" Duterte, 71,
has yet to make up his mind as to whether to catch up with the rest of the pack
or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And who would think that an erstwhile prosecutor who
became a tough mayor of Davao City, the largest city in the world in terms of
land area, for 22 years before he
finally decided to battle it out with the bigwigs in politics. Notorious for his
firebrand attitude and belting out of incendiary foul language during the
campaign sorties, Duterte has earned the respect of a wide margin of support
from the masses who were tired of the government's elitist approach to solving
social problems in the country of 103 million people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As Mr. Perry Diaz, a columnist from Pinas tabloid
based in Los Angeles, Duterte, who has zero tolerance against criminals, is a
combination of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Lee Kuan Yew, Ramon Magsaysay, and
"Dirty Harry", all wrapped into one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But farfetched from the minds of those who thought
that he'd be vindictive, Duterte immediately thought to clear the path to reconciliation
to the losing parties for the sake of national healing and to foster unity
among the people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Even prior to his oath-taking rites, President Duterte
has already presented his administration's eight-point economic agenda which
include tax reforms, accelerating infrastructure spending, attracting foreign
investments, agricultural development, creating more jobs, and expanding the
implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and maintain the current
macroeconomic policies, the Philippines News Agency (PNA) said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">PNA added that the new administration is set to
introduce changes in tax revenue collection efforts of the Bureau of Internal
Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC). Likewise,
infrastructure-spending will be accelerated in order to address major
bottlenecks in the Public Private Partnership (PPP), wherein 5 percent of the </span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">GDP will be allocated for this program as a means to
create more jobs. The incoming administration will also attract foreign
investments by addressing restrictive economic provisions in the country's
Constitution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">On top of these, the incoming leadership has a
blueprint of platforms on how he will fulfill his plans within six months of
his presidency. Duterte's spokesman Mr. Peter Lavina said the incoming
administration will pursue a 24/7 fight on criminality, illegal drugs, and
corruption in government. Duterte also called on Congress to enact a law that
will clear the pathways to amending the 1987 Constitution, which will take a
shift from presidential to federal parliamentary form, and allow foreigners to
own lands, utilities, educational institutions, and the explorations of natural
resources in the country.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-41858846705282090262015-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:002015-12-16T11:56:44.228-08:00Will ethanol supply glut drains OPEC revenues?What will OPEC do if it runs out of revenues from the huge sales of petroleum products in the open markets?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKv_5jdhjD4M59OZdYhHHCCYR2PjyB-uJeU9pXyGCd5SAEIeOx7lFH_XvkmWuWu4vQ5B2Zob7P_2AVmWExK-EV-ooUs6bmx8cVyUMRN3dN5jdZqdntE1uMNE3pbL9NLJvRoSXTu7sdCZ4/s1600/OPEC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKv_5jdhjD4M59OZdYhHHCCYR2PjyB-uJeU9pXyGCd5SAEIeOx7lFH_XvkmWuWu4vQ5B2Zob7P_2AVmWExK-EV-ooUs6bmx8cVyUMRN3dN5jdZqdntE1uMNE3pbL9NLJvRoSXTu7sdCZ4/s320/OPEC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria</td></tr>
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If this happens, the likely scenario is that OPEC, which is the second biggest supplier of petroleum products to the United States, will feel the harsh impacts of declining revenues from oil exports.<br />
<br />
Alone, the United States imports about 3.24 million barrels of oil per day from OPEC, which accounts to 35 percent of the total gross imports in 2014, reveals by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<br />
<br />
The EIA adds that this volume is slight lower than what the United States buys from Canada, which is estimated at 3.39 million barrels of oil per day, or 37 percent of the gross total imports.<br />
<br />
However, this scenario is slowly changing after the United States Congress enacted the 2007 Energy Independence and SecurityAct, which was intended to reduce the U.S. energy dependence from the Middle East after 9/11, says Bloomberg Businessweek.<br />
<br />
As a result, the rapid fracking of oil from the shales has gained momentum thus allowing the United States to produce more oil that it needs to satisfy the rising demands of millions of consumers. This is not to mention the program that would allow the blending of a certain amount of ethanol into the fossil fuel to make the pump prices much cheaper and good for the environment as well.<br />
<br />
But here is the twist to this development. On November 30, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated domestic oil refiners to blend only 18.1 billion gallons of ethanol into the nation's gasoline supply next year, adds Bloomberg Businessweek. But this figure was short by 4.1 billion gallons that was required under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.<br />
<br />
This also means that less ethanol on the gasoline will be advantageous to the economic interests of OPEC and other petroleum exporters to the U.S. Now, OPEC has the option to sell more oil at a price it wants to mark up.<br />
<br />
Strange but true, the American taxpayers had pumped tens of billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks into ethanol development since the 1980s. According to Businessweek, about 40 percent of U.S. corn goes into biofuels, which Americans paid an estimated $40 billion a year more at the grocery store.<br />
<br />
As this developed, nobody knows if the U.S. Department of Energy, environmentalists and other consumer groups, are propping up the interests of big oil exporters to the detriment of public good?<br />
<div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-4188305063035316812015-11-19T14:41:00.001-08:002015-11-19T14:41:38.198-08:00Saltwater-fed lamp: Will its inventor stick to her gun?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-S4Do07XHtG30ugcIrmA4x1IX8yRG46kAJhtJqfynjgiuuFbj3g48PbAmkK4d5TGX_KGwMdJBWem2pUxQrLV-n3MJQ8kbWF9Lrk4nw07oK4Icd8mBnLBQfc7dUglW_6piKRmSKmmakL8/s1600/SALT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-S4Do07XHtG30ugcIrmA4x1IX8yRG46kAJhtJqfynjgiuuFbj3g48PbAmkK4d5TGX_KGwMdJBWem2pUxQrLV-n3MJQ8kbWF9Lrk4nw07oK4Icd8mBnLBQfc7dUglW_6piKRmSKmmakL8/s400/SALT2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engr. Aisa Mijeno meets with President Obama and Jack Ma of Alibaba.com.<br />at the APEC CEO Summit in Manila. Photo: philnews.ph</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Engr. Aisa Mijeno didn't have time to figure it out until she paid a visit to a remote village in Mt. Province in the Philippines.<br />
<br />
At the touch of dusk, she had noticed that all the homes in that upland community were engulfed in total darkness. Then, she promised to herself that she would invent a lamp that wouldn't use kerosene, a common fuel for unsafe traditional lamps in the hinterland areas in the country. But kerosene lamps can burn down houses made of light and native materials that are readily available in the uplands.<br />
<br />
When she went back home, Mijeno tried to polish her new invention. Voila, she made it. She thought her problem would end there. Instead, she was faced with the lack of money to finance her new project, which is to mass-produce the saltwater-fed lamp intended for the homes in upland communities in the Philippines.<br />
<br />
It took Mijeno a long while before she finally had a chance to meet one of the most powerful political figures the world over. But her luck wouldn't have been realized had it not been for her persistence and determination to attend the APEC Summit in Manila held last November 2015 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). As she narrated to media, the security cordon almost made it impossible for her to get through the gates as she wasn't accredited by the APEC organizer. To make the story short, President Obama's secret service agents fetched her at the gate and brought her to meet President Obama in person.<br />
<br />
Such was the culmination of an exchange of camaraderie among President Obama, Jack Ma of Alibaba.com and Engr. Aisa Mijeno at the stage for the world to see and hear what she went through before she finally got that rare opportunity to meet the U.S. president. If I wasn't mistaken, Mijeno was invited by President Obama to visit Washington, D.C. And as media reports said even Mr. Jack Ma has expressed optimism to support the mass-production of the saltwater-fed lamp. In this way, the world's hinterland populations, especially those who are not connected to the power grids, may have the chance to be lit up at a cost they can afford to defray.<br />
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The Philippines comprises of more than 7,000 islands where lighting up all the homes would be next to impossible. Homes in coastal villages are accessible and can easily be interconnected to the power grids. This is where the disparity in power distribution begins. But what about those homes located in the hinterlands, where infrastructures are absent? This is where this type of lamp comes in. And to think that the Philippines is surrounded by the oceans is something that makes it more economical for poor households to readily avail of a cheap power sources.<br />
<br />
Now, the big question is: Will the inventor of this saltwater-fed lamp be strong enough to resist the tempting offers from foreign companies to buy her patent? The reason why I'm asking this question because there were Filipino inventions in the past which landed in the hands of foreign financiers, without the Filipinos or their intended captive markets where they're supposed to improve the lives of the poor majority. There was a Filipino who invented a special gadget that could run vehicles using water, instead of gas. Another Filipino invented the fluorescent bulb, but who is raking the huge profits?<br />
<br />
Again, the Philippine government is to blame if this happens once more. From what I read, Mijeno failed to get support from the Philippine government even after she came out with her invention. I wouldn't be surprised at all why Filipino inventors have been left alone for a long period of time. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) must spearhead a program that would lend support to our inventors. Otherwise, they'll have no option but to sell their inventions to foreigners who are expected to mass-produce them for huge profits.<br />
<br />
Patent for the saltwater-generated lamp, which was invented by Filipino Engr. Aisa Mijeno, could be bought by a rich foreign financier. Then, it could be shelved for selfish reasons. Possible buyers of this special lamp are oil producing countries and perhaps, companies that produce fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. Why?<br />
If this newly invented lamp, which can also be used to recharge cellphones, is mass-produced, using multi-million funds sourced out from from foreign financiers, there is likelihood that it could be vulnerable to tempting offers from people or companies whose intentions are either for profit or for something else. Nobody knows.<br />
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The concern of many Filipinos right now is whether the lamp's inventor is determined enough to stick to her gun or not? But sometimes, the color of money fools the eyes! Isn't it?<br />
<div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-81029320718891083462015-11-17T11:49:00.002-08:002015-11-17T11:59:32.055-08:00Islamic terrorists take advantage of refugees' mass exodus to Europe<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwEiJiBxvfbmVJxUFFFWtEIgDA5grZi53gzuZW85n-UrHEDLRzc1GhkaR1Mxb54kJP2CcktbY7h97kdFrdeX7-he7P0K62rbbkU3hTqNthGc_heF5XsbeUoYqLzKDJJ5nZi300uvU59M/s1600/Paris+killings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwEiJiBxvfbmVJxUFFFWtEIgDA5grZi53gzuZW85n-UrHEDLRzc1GhkaR1Mxb54kJP2CcktbY7h97kdFrdeX7-he7P0K62rbbkU3hTqNthGc_heF5XsbeUoYqLzKDJJ5nZi300uvU59M/s400/Paris+killings.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A CCTV catches footage of a killing in Paris.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The discovery by French police of a foreign passport reportedly belonging to a Syrian reinforces notions that the suspects in Friday's killing of at least 120 people, including a CSU student, may have planned it prior to the mass exodus of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Libya.<br />
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What's my perception on this prior to the killing spree that took place the second time around in France is that the killings were properly planned. After the botched attempt by a lone gunman using an AK47 rifle aboard a train, which led to the suspect being toppled down by three American servicemen, the killing in Paris graced newspaper headlines, thus shocking the international communities.<br />
<br />
According to an Los Angeles Times report (Nov. 15): "The document raised the possibility that Islamic State militants have made good on their threat to enter and attack Europe from within the wave of Syrian refugees."<br />
<br />
If they (suspects) indeed had infiltrated and disguised themselves as refugees is something that other legit refugees may have missed to notice. Capitalizing on the movement of people has been a desperate strategy for Islamic militants to get perhaps get even with the recent killing of their comrades. To them, shooting innocent Europeans in a soccer game was a valid disregard for human lives.<br />
<br />
Now, the problem lies with host countries in Europe to re-think of effective ways to screen or spot suspected Islamic militants from within the thousands of refugees who are swarming Europe like locusts.<br />
But how? Screening each adult refugee prior to entry will be hard considering that most, if not all, the refugees have no passports to show at the border. If they have, the border guards have no way of knowing the details which could take up so much time to gather all the information on a single passport holder. Even if the idea of proper monitoring is employed by the authorities, it will be a tedious and time-consuming act knowing that transplanted refugees cannot be herded like goats into a fenced property.<br />
<br />
On the contrary, putting each adult refugee a tracking device is possible but it will entail so much expenses for the host country. Or requiring them to report to the nearest police station on regular basis will be practical, too. But this won't be much of a help as this will be an added burden to the police duties.<br />
<br />
Going back to where I left off, the matter of security at the soccer stadium was lax. In the first place, each soccer game patron enters the ticketing booth to buy or handover his ticket prior to entry. If they were suspected of bringing rifles in a bag or whatever, it could have been detected by the security or tellers manning the gates. Otherwise, the suspects may have bribed an insider to sneak the said rifles inside the stadium's premises? Upon entry, the suspects went to pick those rifles at an undisclosed location inside the stadium.<br />
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I was surprised that nobody had noticed the suspect coming out from the dungouts with rifles in hand? Unless they disguised themselves as stadium security guards or policemen, the soccer fans wouldn't have noticed their sinister moves inside. With thousands of people watching the game, nobody stood up to topple them down. Then, the carnage was done in about 15 minutes with 120 fatalities laying lifeless on the ground.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201883950514384685.post-45636035797242209162015-11-11T15:01:00.001-08:002015-11-11T15:02:32.485-08:00No more swivel chairs for world leaders attending APEC Summit in Manila<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzMbZvdtBcNSrG4EUo27KWkRNt3cp3Z2Hvj0vRy3kHSVVIoCDgO79Fp5sLGVVj9HjCBmKn3tpU1EeWlKY9VfdrV38pRXkiJG_Nn8_TtF7Lb8j9zptYYBAWjlq7S3L2-L3UuzRvxKXJdw/s1600/PNoy+inspects+APEC+venues+in+Manila2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzMbZvdtBcNSrG4EUo27KWkRNt3cp3Z2Hvj0vRy3kHSVVIoCDgO79Fp5sLGVVj9HjCBmKn3tpU1EeWlKY9VfdrV38pRXkiJG_Nn8_TtF7Lb8j9zptYYBAWjlq7S3L2-L3UuzRvxKXJdw/s400/PNoy+inspects+APEC+venues+in+Manila2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PH Pres. Benigno Aquino III inspects APEC venue. Photo: Malacanang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In one of its front page trivia, the Philippines News Agency came out with a news dispatch which states that the 21 world leaders who are set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila on November 17, 2015, would be using fixed chairs, instead of the normal swivel chairs that allow the leader to have the freedom to turn around whenever he wants to do so during formal sessions.<br />
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Admittedly, this news story is new. And this is the first time that a host country like the Philippines has used this new strategy to perhaps, curtail the bad mannerism of a particular world leader. To some, this might be misconstrued as an unacceptable imposition of something beyond human rational behavior. If it is, I simply don't agree with this view.<br />
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What is really the essence why the host country decides to deviate from using the usual swivel chair? In his words, Philippines' Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. was quoted as saying: "They use fixed chairs to enable leaders to easily talk to those seated beside them. It keeps a leader from turning his back on<br />
someone or talking behind the back of somebody else."<br />
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Coloma made the statement when he inspected the World Trade Center along Roxas Boulevard, which will be used as the working venue for international media representatives who are accredited to attend the 2015 APEC Summit in Manila next week.<br />
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Coloma added that sitting on fixed chairs indicates "openness" among heads of states.<br />
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Whoever initiated this rare idea, I can only wish that the world leaders will come to terms with reality.<br />
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I'm not new to attending a big international event such as the APEC Summit. If I wasn't mistaken, I attended one in Bali, Indonesia and, of course, the one held in Manila on November 25, 1996. I was supposed to attend another one in Vietnam but my name was eventually deleted due to internal politics in the bureau.<br />
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If I remember it right, the leaders adopted the Manila Action Plan for APEC (MAPA), which includes individual and collective action plans to achieve the Bogor goals of free and open trade and investment by 2010 and 2020.<br />
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At the same time, the Leaders meeting also endorsed the Information Technology Agreement which led to the conclusion of the agreement in the WTO. "Leaders endorsed the focus of APEC's economic and technical cooperation activities into six areas: developing human capital, fostering safe and efficient capital markets, strengthening economic infrastructure, harnessing technologies of the future, promoting environmentally sustainable growth, and encouraging the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises."<br />
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Based on the above, I hadn't noticed any suggestion that would impinge on discussing the sensitive issue of the South China Sea, which is now causing so much brouhaha in Asia, if not the world. In fact, only six areas of economic and technical cooperation were included in the agenda. But why did the organizers miss to include such issue then? Was it because of its sensitivity? Or they just didn't want China to be infuriated so that they deliberately forgot about it?<br />
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Now, I wouldn't be surprised at all why China, which is participating in this week's Manila APEC Summit, couldn't be blamed as to what's transpiring in the South China Sea. Over the years, China always believed that it has the sole jurisdiction of almost all the islands, islets, reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, because nobody at that time came forward to sound the alarm.<br />
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Next week, China's leader President Xi Jinping has committed himself to attend the APEC Summit in Manila. Already, foreign affairs officials had appealed to the protestors not to lambast or insult the Chinese leader. In fact, a foreign affairs official said that it is not a welcome idea to hurl insults against China while its leader is attending the APEC summit. In short, the DFA official is calling on all Filipinos to show respect to all the leaders and delegates who were invited to see for themselves the hospitality and beauty of the Philippines.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://newsbusterspace.blogspot.com"><img src="http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png" alt="Add to Technorati Favorites" /></a></div>Al Jeratsohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048061449478969729noreply@blogger.com0