In war on drugs, truth is the first casualty (Updated 2024)

Bank documents show Duterte’s drug war was ‘fake’ — Trillanes
“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” ― Adolf Hitler

Breaking News July 19, 2023 – present:

Beware of False Prophets’ Cults

Introduction

The trueness of the quotation “In war, truth is the first casualty”, with the reality on the war on drugs and extrajudicial killings (EJK) is made to get a grasp of the context in the message of this article which is that the existence of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) when President Duterte was a mayor in Davao city is real and true shown with what is happening now such as war on drugs with more than 3000 Filipinos killed in less than 3 months that is precedent to more thousands of senseless EJK of poor Filipinos.

Despite the failure of the war on drugs as shown in Colombia and Senator Pangilinan, Philippines at present has a huge human rights and constitutional problem on the war on drugs in the EJK of drug pushers, drug lords and their protectors. Paid vigilantes and assassins like Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascanas abound in the Philippines who do the extrajudicial killings. The problem in state-sponsored EJK is that it is a criminal act and a violation against human rights of every citizen whether they are criminals or law-abiding.

Lots of anecdotal and physical evidence are mounting that the present 16th president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte elected by 16 million fanatical voters (who are influenced by their religions) is violating human rights by ordering the killing of the drug pushers, drug lords and their protectors via the hired assassins as death squads, as he did when he was the mayor of Davao city, Mindanao, Philippines though his DDS.

The so-called people who are against the fanatical egomaniac president who doesn’t believe in God and is bent in killing all the illegal drug-related people one way or another are labeled as rebels in the person of senator De Lima and human rights advocates – senator Trillanes, Senator Pangilinan, CHR, HRW, the pope, UN president Ban Ki Moon, US president Obama, EU and other patriotic Filipinos (Agot Isidro, Cherry Pie Picache, President Fidel Ramos) with Catholic priests and lawmakers in the Philippines and abroad (International Criminal Court) – whom he resisted with lies, false accusations and named foul names. See Back to barbarism

You assist an evil system by obeying its orders and decrees

Demonic Forces engulfing PH

Because demonic forces and evil due to fear, anger, hate and ignorance or lack of evidence lead by misguided senator Cayetano has a very strong influence over Duterte ally self-serving senators, police and military and other government officials with similar evil minds, thoughts, ideas and beliefs brainwashed by blind religious fanatical leaders, the evil president can use these weak blind people to support his own barbaric evil deeds in EJK as followers of Iglesia ni Duterte.

Therefore, the (state-sponsored) EJK ordered by dictator president that is happening in the war on drugs in the Philippines right now is I believe a precedent to more thousands of senseless EJK. He is either impeached or short of forthcoming declaration of a revolutionary government or martial law as a full-pledged dictator by president Duterte after ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

After mounting evidence of the existence of the Davao Death Squad in the following Wikileaks document, and Motabato‘s and Lascanas‘ confessions as members of DDS, what do you think about another declaration of full-pledged martial law or a revolutionary government under president Duterte or is the Philippines under martial law already in effect?

Isn’t it time for the senate, Supreme Court and congress to wake up and do a probe on Duterte’s EJK before more thousands of poor Filipinos die senselessly and bankrupt the economy of the Philippines which is dependent on adherence and respect to international law and human rights, foreign policy, and good relationship with the US and allies.

Most importantly, concerning national sovereign security, the move to cancel EDCA by president Duterte if it happens will show that he is pro-communist and China’s lackey, a traitor who doesn’t care about ITLOS ruling, and that he doesn’t honor US-Philippine agreements of his predecessors. It is also against the constitution because EDCA is constitutional.

Senator Pangilinan said he was joining Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio’s call for Duterte “to reconsider his public pronouncement.”

According to Senator Pangilinan, “We cannot simply say we are helpless when… an area of about 381,000 square kilometers of our national territory is being annexed by a foreign power. It’s even bigger than the total land area of the Philippines. Given such an area, we just cannot say, ‘Walang magagawa'”

Carpio to Duterte: Send Navy to Scarborough Shoal

Trillanes said Duterte himself publicly admitted that he allowed Chinese vessels to explore the resource-rich Benham Rise in the Philippine Sea, and conceded he cannot stop China from its plans to put up structures at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, just 125 nautical miles from Zambales.

“If you read the different articles of our Constitution, even the oath of the President, he swears to push the interests of the country and the faithful execution of the law and the Constitution, including protecting our territorial integrity. In this case, he specifically committed dereliction of duty,” Trillanes said in a press conference.

“He’s slowly giving away our country to China,” he said. See Rody faces more impeach raps over Panatag, Benham

It’s scary to envision my beloved country Philippines under undemocratic communist China. Isn’t it time for Filipinos to oust fanatical president Duterte through impeachment before it is too late?

Many ask, “Can Duterte finish his six year term?” The more appropriate question is “Can we last six years of Duterte?”

With the war on drugs in the Philippines, truth is the first casualty. For people who are personally affected nationwide, who is the telling the truth? is the first question to ask before dealing with human rights and other relevant issues. Once we find who is telling the truth, then the problem is easily solved. Who do you believe, senator de Lima, mayor Espinosa or president Duterte? See Who Duterte is and find out who is telling the truth. See Rights group claims report on EJKs can hold Duterte liable in int’l court

Another viable option to stop the EJK is I believe for the International Criminal Court, since it has jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, to independently investigate the truth in the EJK in the Philippines. See Int’l criminal court ‘closely following’ PH war on drugs

According to Atty. Perfecto Caparas, “The Rome Statute is precisely designed to demolish the wall of impunity with which state officials commit human rights violations, like the ones occurring on a virtually daily basis in our midst.”

For purposes of holding perpetrators criminally responsible, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) considers as blatantly illegal any order to commit a crime against humanity.

Article 33, Paragraph 2 (Superior Orders and Prescription of Law), provides: “For the purposes of this article, orders to commit genocide or crimes against humanity are manifestly unlawful.”

Hence, police and military officials and personnel should take heed that they won’t be absolved or freed from any criminal culpability simply because it was their superior who issued the “manifestly unlawful order” (Rome Statute, Article 33, Paragraph 2).

At best, they could only invoke obedience to superior orders as a mitigating circumstance; but that will never exculpate them from criminal liability.

I pray to God president Duterte realize the futility of his war on drugs and stop the EJK of poor Filipinos. If he doesn’t, may the senators believe DDS killer SPO3 Arturo Lascanas‘ claim that the Davao Death Squad (DDS) existed under the orders of Duterte as mayor as mayor of Davao City. And if the senate doesn’t acknowledge the credibility of Lascanas’ testimony, the last hope is the action of the International Criminal Court (ICC), since it has jurisdiction over the crimes against humanity, to stop the EJK in the Philippines. See Rights group claims report on EJKs can hold Duterte liable in int’l court

According to Bouckaert, whether or not Duterte dismisses their HRW report does not matter anymore.

“What President Duterte needs to understand is that he can be held criminally-liable for these crimes,” he said.

“President Duterte should take a hard look at what has happened to other leaders of countries who carried out these crimes while they were president. They have been prosecuted and they have at times been jailed for their role in these kinds of crimes,” he added.

The lawyer Jude Sabio of self-confessed former Davao Death Squad member Edgar Matobato is filing a case against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) by end of March.

Jude Sabio told Rappler on Thursday, March 9, he will fly to the Netherlands to file a case of crimes against humanity over extrajudicial killings attributed to the President. See Matobato lawyer to file case vs Duterte in ICC

The case to be filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC) can be an added basis for a possible impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte, a lawyer said. See Lawyer: Possible ICC case vs Duterte can be grounds for impeachment

Lastly, the only hope to kick Duterte out of his presidential office is the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the majority of Senators and Congressmen are blind followers of the Iglesia ni Duterte whose allegiance is to an evil system that believes in human rights violation, death penalty, EJKs and violence as the answer to get rid of drug addicts, drug pushers instead of drug rehab.

The quote “Fanaticism obliterates the feelings of humanity” aptly describes the inhumane condition in the Philippines because of extrajudicial killings led by fanatical president Duterte followed by the majority of fanatical senators and congressmen.

Ricardo B Serrano, a concerned natural born Filipino patriot

War on drugs is not only killing Filipinos but also democracy

Duterte: ‘admitted complicity’ in vigilante killings – Wikileaks

Iglesia ni Duterte (Religion of Duterte)

Death squads: officer claims police teams behind wave of killings

Senato Pangilinan says Duterte's war on drugs will fail

Philippines senator says Duterte’s war on drugs will fail

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

Happy slaughter

ICC chief prosecutor warns PH on drug war killings

Duterte says EDCA not signed by PHL president, may ask US forces to leave

‘Compassionate use’ of marijuana allowed with special permit — Sec. Ubial

The government teaches the whole people by its example

Conclusion

Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign

How to experience God’s love now

Natural Drug Rehabilitation

News on War on drugs and Extrajudicial Killings and West Philippine Sea

Who Duterte is

Contents:
Duterte: ‘admitted complicity’ in vigilante killings – Wikileaks
Iglesia ni Duterte (Religion of Duterte)
Death squads: officer claims police teams behind wave of killings
What Colombia has learned from decades-long drug war
Philippines senator says Duterte’s war on drugs will fail
Shabu makers freed for ‘human rights’
Happy slaughter
ICC chief prosecutor warns PH on drug war killings
OPINION: The Filipino people will survive Duterte
US senators reconsiders assistance amid drug war
Duterte says EDCA not signed by PHL president, may ask US forces to leave
‘Compassionate use’ of marijuana allowed with special permit — Sec. Ubial
Conclusion (The good, the bad and the ugly)
Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign
How to experience God’s love now
Natural Rehabilitation of Philippine drug dependents
NEWS on War on Drugs and Extrajudicial killings (EJK) and West Philippine Sea
Who Duterte is and Why there is war on drugs and death squad (compiled before election)

DISCLAIMER: The information stated here is the opinion of the bloggers and not to be construed as the truth (as of now). The views in this blog are those of the bloggers and do not necessarily reflect the views of innerway.ca.

Commentary (September 25, 2016): Despite Predident Duterte’s denial in the existence of his Davao Death Squad (DDS), Wikileaks said that Duterte once “admitted complicity” in vigilante killings in Davao City by Paterno Esmaquell.

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte dared Senator Leila de Lima on Tuesday, September 20, to prove that he was behind extrajudicial killings in Davao City when he was the mayor there.

A confidential cable dated May 8, 2009, which was published by WikiLeaks, said that Duterte once “admitted complicity” in vigilante killings in Davao City.

The cable, written by then-US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney, quoted statements from then Commission on Human Rights (CHR) regional director Alberto Sipaco Jr.

Kenney wrote: “Commission on Human Rights regional director Alberto Sipaco (strictly protect) at a private meeting affirmed that Mayor Duterte knows about the killings and permits them. Recounting a conversation he once had with Duterte, who is his close friend and former fraternity brother, Sipaco said he pleaded with the Mayor to stop vigilante killings and support other methods to reduce crime, like rehabilitation programs for offenders.”

“According to Sipaco, the Mayor responded, ‘I’m not done yet,'” Kenney said.

Sipaco reportedly said he “repeatedly attempted to reason with Duterte that the killings were unlawful and detrimental to society, but Duterte refused to broach the issue.”

“Sipaco expressed a sense of helplessness over the killings, as well as concern for his personal safety, but acknowledged that the CHR was taking its mission in Davao very seriously,” Kenney said.

The group that leaked the cable, WikiLeaks, is a giant library of more than 10 million documents and other papers. It was founded by Julian Assange, an Australian computer programmer, in 2006. While governments avoid confirming WikiLeaks documents, they rarely deny the authenticity of the leaked documents there.

Sought for comment, the US embassy in the Philippines refused to confirm this cable from WikiLeaks.

Molly Koscina, press attaché at the US embassy, said in an email to Rappler on September 20, “We do not comment on the substance or authenticity of materials, including allegedly classified documents, which may have been leaked.”

Rappler sought a comment, too, from Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on September 20 about this WikiLeaks cable. Andanar acknowledged our request on the same day, but has not sent a statement as of posting time.

‘Lex Talionis’ brothers

Rappler also emailed Sipaco on September 20 and September 21, using the email address provided by his former office, CHR Davao. Sipaco has not responded to our emails as of posting time.

Sipaco was Duterte’s schoolmate, having graduated from San Beda College, according to an article by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Sipaco also helped Duterte in establishing a chapter of their fraternity, Lex Talionis, at the Ateneo de Davao University, the same Inquirer article said.

(Lex talionis refers to “the principle of retributive justice based on the Mosaic law of ‘eye for eye, tooth for tooth,'” the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says.)

Nearly 7 years after Kenney sent her confidential cable, the Ombudsman Field Investigation Office cited Sipaco in another document, this time advising the CHR under chairperson Jose Martin Gascon.

In a letter dated January 15, 2016, Aileen Maqueda of the Ombudsman Field Investigation Office quoted from the “final disposition” of the complaint against Duterte over the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS).

The final disposition states: “There being no evidence to support the ‘killings attributed or attributable to the DDS,’ much less the involvement of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and the local police officials of Davao to (sic) said acts, this Office tends to agree with the Commission’s Regional Director Sipaco that ‘it would be unbecoming of the Commission if through chismis and other gossips, we would be relying on it as a fact already when there are no supporting justification (sic).'”

Still, self-confessed killer Edgar Matobato, who was presented by De Lima, recently testified before the Senate that Duterte instructed the DDS to execute people.

Critics have slammed Duterte for more than 1,400 extrajudicial killings in Davao City, which he led as mayor for more than two decades.

Duterte has, however, denied ever ordering any extrajudicial killing when he was Davao City mayor, even as he had previously boasted of killing thousands of criminals.

The term “Davao Death Squad”, according to him, was invented by his political opponents in Davao City. – Rappler.com

See Duterte ‘admitted complicity’ in Davao killings – WikiLeaks
Duterte admits existence of EJK, claims not state-sponsored
The Victims of the Davao Death Squad: Consolidated Report 1998-2015
Trillanes wants Senate probe on ‘mass murderer’ Duterte
Migz slams CHR exec for disrespecting Gordon on EJK probe
CHR: No cases filed vs cops linked to drug operations

Iglesia ni Duterte (Religion of Duterte) by Red Tani

After admitting in a recent press conference that he is no longer a Catholic, Rodrigo Duterte remarked that he had a new religion: “Iglesia ni Duterte.”

He invited people to join it, presumably after leaving the Catholic Church, which he has called “the most hypocritical institution.”

Many will dismiss the invitation as just another joke. But I think the idea of a religion with Duterte as its deity is not as far from the truth as you’d expect.

For starters, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call some of Duterte’s followers fanatical, even cultist. Teachers at the high school where Duterte recently cast his vote plan on preserving the chair he sat on as he voted in a museum. In at least one sortie, supporters braved crowds for a chance to get a towel graced with his sweat—a scene that evokes the Black Nazarene procession. A Facebook page called “Duterte Savior of the Philippines” has over 27,000 fans.

Duterte is not without fault for this fanaticism. In a speech he delivered at an assembly of the Makati Business Club, he said that to understand his mind, we must “forget about the laws of men” and “imagine the… justice of the Lord.”

Many #DearPresidentDigong posts on social media sound less like requests and more like prayers. And who can blame them for expecting this much from someone who originally promised to eliminate crime in three to six months?

Some would argue that such strong support for the incoming President can only be a good thing, a much welcome sign of unity after a divisive election. But unity in and of itself is not necessarily a good thing. What’s necessary is to ask the question: To what end?

The Crusades and the Inquisition, World Wars I and II—history provides enough examples of people doing terrible things in the name of unity. In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram wanted to learn about the responsibility of those involved in one of these infamous atrocities: the Holocaust. He conducted the Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures.

The experiments have been repeated many times in many places, and the results are relatively the same. When people are told by an authority to do terrible things, few people can resist. A variation of the experiment found that when a person sees others obeying the same authority, their capacity to resist becomes even less.

But what if, in addition to having authority, the one wearing the mantle had the power of charisma as well? A 2010 study led by neuroscientist Uffe Schjodt showed that when Christians who believe in faith healing listen to a faith healer, the executive function of their brains turns off, as if in hypnosis.

In a program hosted by Apollo Quiboloy, the leader of a sect that believes him, Quiboloy, to be the actual Son of God, Duterte recalled how the evangelist’s prophecy gave him the idea to seek the presidency. He said that despite his initial reluctance, God made it his destiny to become president.

Taken together, these two studies show the danger of someone with both authority and charisma—someone like Duterte. Consider how he captivates crowds in a way that none of the other presidential candidates could. When he says sexist, homophobic, and even barbaric things— such as wishing he had been first to rape a dead victim of gang rape—people could be less critical, not just because they would normally condone such statements but also because they’ve been hypnotized. Someone has weakened or even turned off the critical capacities of their brains.

Those who defend Duterte’s style of talking argue that these are just words that don’t really harm anyone. When the Commission on Human Rights found Duterte guilty of violating the Magna Carta of Women with his rape remarks, his response was to call the CHR chair naive and tell him to shut up. But words are actions, and Duterte himself has signed an antidiscrimination ordinance that prohibits “ridicule and insult… by verbal or written word.”

What’s actually naive is to think that words, especially when these come from a charismatic authority figure, do not have the power to influence behavior. Many of Duterte’s supporters have resorted to threatening his critics—advocates and activists, bloggers and celebrities, even children and students—with rape and death. No other presidential candidate has been associated with supporters making such threats. Is it tenable to think that Duterte’s callous statements on women and human rights have nothing at all to do with this level of fanaticism?

In a similar way, some people defend Duterte’s innocence of or involvement in the case of the Davao Death Squad. Do his statements on murdering criminals have nothing at all to do with the hundreds of summary executions that have been happening under his watch?

Recently, Tanauan held a “Flores de Pusher,” parading suspected criminals, including a 14-year-old girl and two 17-year-olds, in what a CHR officer called “mental torture.” Cebu is now offering P5,000 for wounding a criminal and P50,000 for killing one. Since Duterte won the presidential election, there have been reports of suspected criminals being summarily executed before they could be brought to legal justice. Is it such a stretch to think that his words have inspired this righteous anger toward wrongdoers?

Duterte’s apologists defend their idol, saying it’s not he who told supporters to make death threats. Neither was he the one who told the DDS to commit extrajudicial killings, nor did he tell the Tanauan mayor to organize “Flores de Pusher.” But there is no doubt in my mind that if he does actually command such things in the future, many of his supporters would be more than willing to follow.

Whether Duterte uses (or abuses) this power to commit even worse atrocities is something we’ll just have to take on faith. See Demonic forces

Red Tani is the founder and president of the Filipino Freethinkers.

Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. - Timothy 4:1

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
– New Testament 2 Peter 2:1-3

Extradition of Apollo Quiboloy to US
In a program hosted by Apollo Quiboloy, the leader of a sect that believes him, Quiboloy, to be the actual Son of God, Duterte recalled how the evangelist’s prophecy gave him the idea to seek the presidency. He said that despite his initial reluctance, God made it his destiny to become president.

Disclaimer: The following Rappler articles on Quiboloy show the danger and destruction of innocent victims’ lives who have joined cults that are rampant in the Philippines and everywhere in western countries. Beware of these cults. Prominent politicians and ignorant (uninformed) individuals have been influenced negatively by Quiboloy and other false prophets like him. These false prophets should be held accountable for his abuses so that the Government will be ready for the next one, as Senator Hontiveros said. The articles are included for your information only and the rest are my opinion only. – Ricardo B Serrano, a Filipino-Canadian patriot

MANILA, Philippines – The embattled doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy has been charged with a non-bailable case of human trafficking at the Pasig City court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday, March 19.

The next step is for the Pasig court to determine if there is basis to issue a warrant of arrest against Quiboloy for qualified human trafficking under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208.

While Quiboloy can evade the summons of the Senate citing his constitutional right, he cannot evade a court warrant that requires strict compliance, otherwise he will be declared a fugitive. The Senate secured the numbers to issue its own arrest warrant earlier on Tuesday, which can be enforced; however, under their contempt powers, they can only detain a subject for as long as their inquiry lasts.

DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said the charges were filed in Pasig on Monday, March 18, and that separate charges for child abuse were filed at the Davao City court last week. Clavano said prosecutors recommended a P180,000 bail for the sexual assault against children case and an P80,000 bail for the maltreatment against children case, both under Republic Act No. 7610. Read Quiboloy charged with non-bailable human trafficking case in PH court

See Iglesia ni Duterte
Duterte: Join the ‘Iglesia ni Duterte’
Duterte: Come join ‘Iglesia ni Duterte’
Pro-Duterte sect leader warns of revolution
Duterte welcomes Iglesia support
The church as power broker

Philippines secret death squads: officer claims police teams behind wave of killings

“We are not that bad policemen or bad individuals. We are just a tool, we are just angels that God gave talent to, you know, to get these bad souls back to heaven and cleanse them.”

The words flow unnervingly from the mouth of the policeman, a senior officer in the Philippines national police (PNP), as he explains his role in 87 killings in the past three months.

It’s not about killing for pleasure, or being a “homicidal maniac”, he says. There is a higher purpose at play.

“We are here as angels. Like St Michael and St Gabriel, right,” he says.

Well in excess of 3,600 people have been killed in the Philippines since 1 July this year, when Rodrigo Duterte was inaugurated as president and initiated his war on drugs and crime. More than half of those murders have been perpetrated by unknown vigilantes.

The mass killings have sparked international concern; from the United Nations to Barack Obama and his US administration, as well as from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Amnesty has issued warnings about the “climate of lawlessness and fear that has gripped the country”.

The fear is that the Philippines has slipped into an era of the death squad. The situation is unlikely to have been helped by the president’s own words and allegations made against him. Last week Duterte, after citing Hitler and the Holocaust, said he would happily “slaughter” three million drug addicts.

That was preceded by a revealing testimony at an ongoing senate inquiry last month, where a self-confessed assassin testified that Duterte, in his previous incarnation as the longtime mayor of the city of Davao, had ordered the killing of criminals and his opponents – and in one case even personally “finished off” an employee from the justice department with a sub-machine gun.

Reports of such macabre acts have only added weight to stories about assassins currently employed by police to get rid of suspected drug pushers.

Now, for the first time, a serving officer is revealing the inner workings of what he claims is an officially sanctioned, albeit secret, campaign to rid the streets of unwanted citizens.

In the past three months he claims dozens of individuals have been killed – or in Philippine police talk, “neutralised” – by this officer and his “special ops” team alone.

It is the unknown side of Duterte’s dirty drug war – but it hasn’t come out of nowhere…

See Philippines secret death squads: officer claims police teams behind wave of killings
The Victims of the Davao Death Squad: Consolidated Report 1998-2015
Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign
Philippine killers unmasked as policemen, according to authorities
Philippines drug crackdown prompts warning from ICC
‘He’s vulgar – but honest’: Filipinos on Duterte’s first 100 days in office
Philippines to suspend joint exercises and patrols with US military
Duterte can’t ‘protect cops’ after his term
Why would we need a hit squad? Philippines police chief denies state killings
What do you think of Rodrigo Duterte’s first 100 days as Philippine president?
Rodrigo Duterte vows to kill 3 million drug addicts and likens himself to Hitler
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to extend drug war as ‘cannot kill them all’
Daughter of late British peer killed in Philippines drug war
Rodrigo Duterte attracts lurid headlines, but to Filipinos he’s a breath of fresh air
Philippines president ordered murders and killed official, claims hitman
President Duterte’s anti-US populism is a dangerously isolationist path
Duterte tells Obama ‘son of a whore’ remark wasn’t personal
Bozos, goat lovers and sons of whores: a history of political insults
The Guardian view on the Philippine war on drugs: street justice is no justice
The kill list: how the Philippines’ leader is letting people get away with murder

What Colombia has learned from decades-long drug war by Jeff Canoy

A July 2016 report of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime shows that the drug business in Colombia is booming.

According to the report, coca cultivation continues to rise in Colombia with a 40 percent increase in coca crop area from 69,000 hectares in 2014 to 96,000 hectares in 2015.

Meanwhile, drug policy expert Hernando Zambrano explains that the war on drugs is aimed at improving security measures to make people feel safer.

“Within the society of chasing criminals, some studies prove that it was extremely inefficient. You can have local victories but the global business is there and it’s still gonna be there unless we change our perspective,” Zambrano said.

In an opinion piece in The Guardian, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the global drug policy should be changed with human rights as the main framework.

“Drug policy should be framed on human rights to stop victimizing the victims of drug abuse,” Santos said.

Cuellar added that the use of the word ‘war tends to confuse things when the real problem issue is law enforcement and health.

Philippine National Police Chief Roland “Bato” dela Rosa recently visited Colombia to study the country’s war on drugs.

See What Colombia has learned from decades-long drug war

Philippines senator says Duterte’s war on drugs will fail

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Tuesday expressed doubt that President Rodrigo Duterte will meet his deadline to solve the problem of illegal drugs in 12 months.

In a post on his social media account, Pangilinan cited a local newspaper report in July, which said that over 4,000 drug addicts and pushers surrendered in Davao City as a result of the government’s anti-drug program dubbed Oplan Tokhang.

“If the Davao City anti illegal drugs campaign did not succeed in stamping out and eliminating pushers and addicts in Davao City under President Duterte’s 24 year stint as Mayor, what makes us think that the nationwide campaign against illegal drugs will succeed in 6 months (extended to another 6 months)?” Pangilinan said.

“If a failed fist policy against illegal drugs did not succeed in eliminating the drug menace in a smaller area (one city) over a longer period of time (24 years), why will it succeed in a larger area (the entire country of over 100 cities and over 1000 municipalities) in a shorter period of time (3 to 6 to 12 months)?” the senator added.

Last month, Duterte said he needs an extension of another six months on his self-imposed deadline of three to six months to solve the crime and drugs problem in the Philippines.

Duterte, former mayor of Davao City, said he did not realize how severe the drug problem is in the country until he was elected President.

He added that the war on drugs had exposed so many people involved in the business of illegal drugs, it was like pressing “worms out of a can.”

In a press conference on Monday, Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said he believes the government is “winning” in the war on drugs.

Senator Pangilinan said the government should “rethink” its approach on the drug menace.

“Our people yearn for and deserve Oplans that work,” Pangilinan said.

At the resumption of the Senate probe on drug-related killings on Monday, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV pointed out that Davao City, from 2010 to 2015, had the most number of murder incidents.

Citing statistics from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Statistics Authority, Trillanes added that Davao City was number two in terms of incidents of rape.

“Since naging mayor dun sa Duterte, eh bakit number one sa murder at number two sa rape so ibig sabihin hindi tama yung approach,” Trillanes said.

The PNP said a total of 1,375 drug suspects have been killed and 22,387 more have been arrested in the 23,474 operations conducted from July 1 to 6 a.m. of October 3.

It also reported that a total of 732,115 drug users and pushers have surrendered during the same period.

See Philippines senator says Duterte’s war on drugs will fail
The Victims of the Davao Death Squad: Consolidated Report 1998-2015

How Duterte’s drug war can fail

Shabu makers freed for ‘human rights’

President Rody Duterte is so allergic to the term “human rights” that it causes him fits of cussing. He probably caught the allergy in the ‘80s when he was a state prosecutor. Even back then drugs dominated the caseloads, he often recounts. Prosecutions would collapse due to overly lenient judges. This or that principle of human rights inaptly would be cited to acquit narco-traffickers. If drug lords did get convicted, prison wardens were so lenient in the name of human rights, letting them continue narco-trading from behind bars. Police and prosecutors got so demoralized they slackened. Some fell into temptation, turning into “ninja-cops” who resold the narcotics they seized in raids, or simply fixed cases for a fee.

Thus were four of the five pillars of the justice system – the police, prosecution, courts, prisons – coopted, leaving the fifth, the community, to the mercy of the drug menace. Thus did the country come to this point where, Duterte says, there are now 3.7 million shabu addicts. An astounding 700,000 addict-pushers reportedly have turned themselves in for fear of vigilante execution.

In the wake of Duterte’s “shoot-on-sight” orders against persons in his drug intelligence list and police inability to stop the vigilante killings, human rights activists understandably are concerned. They ask if Duterte could be inciting vigilante violence. It would help though if the activists also denounce the misuse of human rights to coddle drug lords.

Two incidents I reported 14 years ago, Apr. 20, 2002, illustrate the situation then and now. The STAR reporter Non Alquitran, then-PNP Narcotics Group Director Efren Fernandez, and I were slapped with nuisance libel suits – fortunately dismissed – for those. The title alone was portentous, “Fight Versus Drugs Can Only Lose”:

“A Pasig City judge released on bail five Chinese chemists arrested in a police raid of a shabu factory. Six kilos of shabu were taken from the factory, along with a dozen drums of chemicals used to process methamphetamine hydrochloride. The law states that possession of at least 200 grams of shabu constitutes drug trafficking, a non-bailable heinous crime. Due to an alarming rise in the number of pushers to about half-a-million, Congress will soon lower the limit to a mere 19 grams.

“Operatives of the PNP Narcotics Group suspect justice-for-sale. They want the justice department to look into reports that P12 million changed hands for the release of a suspect [in a separate raid]. That may be hard to prove. Narc agents know only too well that drug cases can be fixed using legal technicalities. It’s as easy as [reassigning the arresting] policemen to faraway posts so they can’t testify in hearings, or prosecutors to alter the volume of evidence to reduce the charge to bailable drug addiction, or judges to cite noble rulings on human rights, or jail wardens to let suspects escape. Usually it’s a collusion of all four ‘pillars’ of the justice system.

“In the Pasig case the narc operatives feel aggrieved. They have leads that their raid in Barrio Capitolyo led to the vendetta killing of their agent, David Sy-Lato, in Binondo, Manila.

“Judge Rodrigo Lorenzo used the very words of the police report on the raid to justify his grant of bail. When the narcs barged into the shabu lab, they found the five Chinese nationals sitting there. With that, Lorenzo cited a Supreme Court ruling that ‘merely standing on or sitting in an alleged scene of the crime is not unlawful.’

“Of course it’s not, says one of the officers who directed the raid, but who else could have been cooking the six kilos of shabu and preparing the drums of chemicals for processing? The five suspects admitted during tactical interrogation that they indeed were shabu chemists from Fujian province.

“But Lorenzo had required confirmation of the confession. Police chemist Insp. Vivian Sumabay failed to heed summonses for her to appear in court. Sumabay could only scratch her head when told about her alleged lapses, for she hadn’t received a single summons at her office. Meanwhile, City Prosecutor Conrado Tolentino reportedly did not oppose the bail petition. So off went the five: Chua Chiy Li, 37; Huang Hongwei, 34; Xingfu Wang, 31; Tomas Lu, 34; and Joey Lu, 25. Bail was set at P500,000 each. They paid only P700,000 and were set free Tuesday night.

“Inside PNP headquarters, high-ranking officers exposed in recent Senate hearings to be into narco-trafficking are still holding sensitive posts. Thousands of cases pend on prosecutors’ desks and judges’ salas, waiting to be fixed perhaps. There’s money to spread around in drugs. It comes from 1.4 million addicts and 3.5 million occasional users. Shabu suppliers from China don’t care about them. Neither do their local partners, who can easily migrate to America when the going gets rough. Street pushers care about them so long as they buy the stuff. On the law-enforcement side of the fence, do policemen, prosecutors and judges care enough? No, not from what we see, save for rare examples of committed ones. So how can this fight against drugs ever win?”

See Shabu makers freed for ‘human rights’
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Happy slaughter

THERE CAN be no mistaking it. Both the video record and the official transcript provided by the Presidential Communications Office prove that President Duterte did in fact liken himself to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler — and said he was ready to kill three million drug addicts.

It is true that he started by decrying criticisms that portrayed him as Hitler-like. “You’re portrayed or pictured to be some … a cousin of Hitler. And you do not even bother to find out, to investigate …,” he said at the arrival ceremony early on Friday, after his visit to Vietnam. The first “you” referred to him, the second “you” to his critics.

But as he has also demonstrated many times, the President tends to free-associate at these early-morning press conferences. On Aug. 21, for instance, he admitted—unbidden, unprovoked—that when he was a city prosecutor he “planted evidence” and “planted intrigue” to turn suspected criminals against each other. On Sept. 30, mere minutes after implying that any portrayal of him as a “cousin of Hitler” was unfair, he embraced the comparison.

“Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now there is three million, there’s, ah, three million drug addicts. There are. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have you know [at the same time gesturing to himself]. My victims, I would like to be, all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from
perdition.”

There can be no mistaking it—and absolutely no justification for the President’s outrageous statement.

Hitler’s so-called Final Solution sent six million Jews (not three million) to their death, for the crime of being Jews. This genocide, often described as the worst crime against humanity, is not something to be emulated, or to be used as a benchmark. No self-respecting country or government should measure itself against the systematic mass murder of an entire people.

Some Duterte supporters have begun to distance themselves from the President’s latest statement, but many still defend him as misunderstood, as taken out of context. There is a vicious attempt in social media to pin the blame on Filipino reporters working for the Reuters wire agency, as though they had, by simply and faithfully reporting what the President said, made him appear to be a mass murderer in the making. (And, of course, many other reporters reported the same story.)

But listen to what President Duterte himself said. “I’d be happy to slaughter them.” The context is clear. He is referring to the three million drug addicts the Philippines is supposed to have (it’s a mysterious number, plucked out of nowhere, and not supported by the latest reports of the country’s official drug enforcement or monitoring agencies). He is referencing the genocide of the Jews, hence the utterly barbaric use of the word “slaughter.” Did any reporter invent this quote? Again, as both the video record and Malacañang’s own transcript prove, the President himself said it.

This confession, this admission of ambition, to solve the problem of drug use in the country by killing all drug users, cannot but force us to confront the true nature of the administration’s war on drugs. It is a war that takes no prisoners; it is a war that measures itself by the number of “drug personalities” (to use the bizarre and conveniently ambiguous term government agencies use) it has killed; it is a war that is an ongoing crime against humanity.

And notice the President’s easy conflation of “drug addict” with “criminal.” To be sure, a key law stipulates that mere possession of illegal drugs is a crime. (This is a provision that will find increasing use in a police state.) But other laws, and the best of Philippine traditions, tell us that users are victims, too, and must be rehabilitated. Look at the proud example of Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who has just admitted to using all sorts of drugs when he was much younger. If Mr. Duterte had been president at the time he was a user, he would not have survived to become a great boxer and an administration ally.

We must all join our voices, then, to the rising chorus of protest against the President’s latest outrage. It is obscene, it is inhuman, it is un-Filipino, to want to kill three million of our own people. Happy slaughter is perdition.

See Happy slaughter
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ICC chief prosecutor warns PH on drug war killings

Extra-judicial killings may fall under ICC jurisdiction

THE HAGUE – The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said on Thursday she was “deeply concerned” about thousands of alleged killings in the Philippines, warning that those responsible could face prosecution.

“I am deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements from high officials of the… Philippines seem to condone such killings,” Fatou Bensouda said in a statement issued in The Hague.

Bensouda added she was also concerned that high officials “seem to encourage State forces and civilians alike to continue targeting these individuals with lethal force.”

The Philippines has been an ICC member state since November 2011 “and as such, the Court has jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory or by nationals of the Philippines,” Bensouda said.

“Extra-judicial killings may fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population pursuant to a State policy to commit such an attack.”

She added that her office “will be closely following developments in the Philippines in the weeks to come and record any instance of incitement or resort to violence with a view to assessing whether a preliminary examination into the Philippines needs to be opened.”

The ICC’s prosecutor has to the power to ask the Hague-based court’s judges to authorize a preliminary probe, which gathers evidence to see whether a full-blown investigation — which could lead to an eventual trial — should be opened.

The ICC, established under the 1998 Rome Statute, is a court of last resort. It only intervenes if a country is found to be unwilling or unable to prosecute crimes under its statute, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Since July Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has overseen a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left more than 3,300 people dead, both at the hands of police as well as in unexplained circumstances, according to official data.

The United Nations, the European Union, the United States and international human rights groups have all raised concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings.

Bensouda issued a warning: “Let me be clear: any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing… to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC is potentially liable for prosecution before the Court.”

The acid-tongued Duterte has rejected the allegations and called the campaign an internal affair of the Philippines.

He has also branded US President Barack Obama a “son of a whore” and UN chief Ban Ki-moon a “fool” over their criticism.

Duterte last month challenged Ban and international human rights experts to visit the country, both to investigate the allegations and to face him in a public debate.

On Wednesday Manila formally issued an invitation to UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard to investigate the killings.

The government had initially rebuffed Callamard when she announced plans to take up Duterte’s challenge.

Callamard has since told AFP she would discuss with Manila the date and scope of a fact-finding mission, state guarantees for her freedom of movement and inquiry, and assurances about the safety of mission members and their interview subjects.

Duterte has insisted that he and his police forces have done nothing illegal, and that law enforcers have been forced to shoot and kill after suspects put up a fight. – with a report from Reuters

Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda concerning the situation in the Republic of the Philippines:

My Office is aware of worrying reported extra-judicial killings of alleged drug dealers and users in the Philippines, which may have led to over 3,000 deaths in the past three months. I am deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings and further seem to encourage State forces and civilians alike to continue targeting these individuals with lethal force.

Extra-judicial killings may fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) if they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population pursuant to a State policy to commit such an attack.

The Republic of the Philippines is a State Party to the ICC and as such, the Court has jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory or by nationals of the Philippines since 1 November 2011, the date when the Statute entered into force in the Philippines.

Let me be clear: any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC is potentially liable to prosecution before the Court.

My Office, in accordance with its mandate under the Rome Statute, will be closely following developments in the Philippines in the weeks to come and record any instance of incitement or resort to violence with a view to assessing whether a preliminary examination into the situation of the Philippines needs to be opened.

See ICC chief prosecutor warns PH on drug war killings
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FULL TEXT: ICC prosecutor on situation in Philippines
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U.N. rapporteur welcomes invitation to probe drug killings

OPINION: The Filipino people will survive Duterte by Ellen Tordesillas

In the traditional first 100 days assessment of a President’s performance one does not really expect concrete results knowing the complexities of governance but within the first three months, the public should have an idea the direction that the president is leading the country to.

Duterte has made clear what the public can expect in the coming months: there will be more killings.

The numbers vary and are difficult to ascertain but the figure being mentioned in news reports of illegal drugs related deaths under Duterte’s rule range from 1,500 to 300,000. The numbers continue to increase every day.

Duterte himself has revised his figures of drug suspects from 700,000 to four million.

He said, “Iyong 700,000, it’s going up, it’s gonna reach a million mark by the end of this month. 1 million drug addicts plus 3 million noong sinabi ng PDEA, ilan iyan, di 4 million.”

He asked for another six months to fulfill his promise of stopping crime, drugs, and corruption because he said, “I never realized the problem is this big.”

It should be recalled that he anchored his campaign on the promise that he will eliminate illegal drugs, crime and corruption in three to six months. If he fails, he said during the campaign in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, he will resign and turn over the presidency to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who was running for vice president under a different ticket.

Marcos didn’t win.

Dutrerte slammed those skeptical about his self-imposed deadline saying that if he couldn’t do it within three months, “I really cannot do it even if you give me 10 years of rule.”

The numbers and deadlines are changed but not the style of governance. He will continue to curse and gain notoriety in the international scene.

He sees no reason to change: “Hindi naman ako nag-apply ng position na statesman. Nag-apply ako ng posisyong presidente. Nagpa-elect ako statesman, I do not know how he would dress. I do not even know how he would open a statement. But what I know is that I have to serve the greater interest of the Filipino people.”

A statesman is defined as “an experienced politician, especially one who is respected for making good judgments.”

Social anthropologist Melba Padilla Maggay’s incisive analysis of Duterte’s style of governance in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, is very helpful in coping with the toxic situation.

Maggay said, “Many in this country mistake President Duterte’s unswerving use of force as political will, when what is really before us is an alarming drift toward an authoritarian barbarism, where the full apparatus of power—formal or nonformal—are used to savage those who stand in his way, without regard for law or the niceties of civility.”

She warned of the insidious effect of what Duterte is doing:

“These historic reversals, overshadowed by the spectacle of vigilante killings, are in fact more dangerous. While there is blustering talk about fighting corruption and an unjust system, we are in fact experiencing an increasing moral rot in the very fabric of our society. There is a subtle overturning of our values, a corrosion of our civic sense of what is just and decent and acceptable. As a sign of this creeping contamination, we just need to take a look at how those once honorable senators voted to oust De Lima as justice committee chair.”

Maggay said some may romanticize Duterte as “a lovable rake with a soft heart.”

But, she said, the testimony of Edgar Matobato, who claims to be a member of the Davao Death Squad, reveals a very dark underside of Duterte. “It validates the fear that at the center of power in this country is a man who is morally obtuse. The coarse language, the recklessly compulsive outbursts directed at the Pope, the US ambassador and the US president himself are but the tip of the iceberg. Scripture tells us that ‘out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ What this means is that speech mirrors our state of heart, a verbal reflex of what is inside, displaying the quality of our soul. Bad language is not just bad manners.”

Given the dizzying happening these past three months, many ask, “Can Duterte finish his six year term?” I consider that a politically incorrect question. The more appropriate question is “Can we last six years of Duterte?”

I believe in the Filipino people. We will survive.

See OPINION: The Filipino people will survive Duterte
Back to barbarisms
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to extend drug war as ‘cannot kill them all’

US senators reconsiders assistance amid drug war by Patricia Lourdes Viray

MANILA, Philippines — An American senator warned that the United States government may take action if the extrajudicial killings and state-sanctioned violence continue in the Philippines.

Sen. Patrick Leahy said that the spate of killings in the Philippines as a result of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs lack respect for international human rights commitments.

Leahy noted that more than 3,000 people have been killed in the 12 weeks that Duterte announced his war on drugs.

“While there are ways we can find out which units were involved in these abuses, if President Duterte’s government is unwilling to work with us, including by refusing to investigate allegations of abuses, then we are faced with a broader issue that cannot be remedied simply by withholding assistance from specific units or individuals,” Leahy said on Tuesday.

The US State Department is yet to discuss with the Senate their current assistance for the Philippines which will affect their national budget for 2017.

“It may be necessary to consider further conditions on assistance to the Duterte government to ensure that US taxpayer funds are properly spent and until that government demonstrates a commitment to the rule of law,” Leahy said.

The senator authored the Leahy Law which prohibits the US Department of State and Department of Defense from providing assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights.

“I wrote the Leahy Law, which applies worldwide, to ensure that the US is not complicit in human rights violations committed by forces that might receive US assistance, and to encourage foreign governments to hold accountable perpetrators of such abuses,” Leahy said.

Leahy stressed that stability requires legitimate governance and protection of human rights.

“I also know, as do most people, that when governments condone extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, and prey on vulnerable populations, they are sowing the seeds of instability, not preventing it,” Leahy said on Tuesday.

The senator added that Duterte should instead focus on improving services for Filipinos by holding law enforcement accountable and strengthening the judiciary.

Meanwhile, Sen. Benjamin Cardin said Duterte has “chosen the wrong way” in his war against narcotics.

“President Duterte, in advocating and endorsing what amounts to mass murder, has chosen the wrong way. Senator Leahy is absolutely right when he said that a lack of respect for rule of law and democratic governance breeds instability, distrust and sometimes violence,” Cardin said.

Cardin noted that more than 6,000 people would be killed as a result of extrajudicial killings in the country by the end of the year based on the current trends.

The killings have been attributed to drug suspects who reportedly resisted arrest but the president rejected calls to investigate the deaths and claimed that the killings were lawful.

Duterte has also declared the killings of drug suspects as proof the success of his anti-narcotics campaign, Cardin said.

“But these recent reports of thousands of extra-judicial killings as well as detentions and a lack of respect for international human rights commitments are profoundly troubling,” Cardin said.

Cardin added that the killings undermine the mutual goals of the Philippines and the US to uphold liberal democratic values in the region and to strengthen international law.

“I too am greatly concerned that unless we are able to see a more constructive approach on these issues from the government of President Duterte — an approach that is just as serious about combatting the scourge of narcotics, but approaches the issue in a legal framework — that we may need to consider taking these steps,” Cardin said.

See US senators reconsiders assistance amid drug war
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Duterte says EDCA not signed by PHL president, may ask US forces to leave by Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sunday reminded the US that the Enhanced Cooperation and Defense Agreement (EDCA) does not have a presidential signature, and that US forces may be asked to leave the Philippines soon.

“I would like to remind the Americans, itong EDCA… does not bear the signature of the President of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said during the opening ceremony of the Masskara Festival in Bacolod City.

Under the EDCA, the US will be allowed to build structures; store as well as pre-position weapons, defense supplies and materiel; and station troops, civilian personnel and defense contractors, transit and station vehicles, vessels, and aircraft within the Philippines’ territory for a period of 10 years. It was signed by US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and then-Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in April 2014. The Supreme Court re-affirmed the agreement’s legality July this year.

Duterte noted that the EDCA was not signed by then-President Benigno S.C Aquino III.

“Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether,” he stressed.

This comes after the President in September said that the joint military exercises between the Philippines and the US would be the last under his term.

“I don’t know if that treaty would take some form. But in my term, yes. I would not be using my entitlements as commander-in-chief. I would simply say that that is the foreign policy,” he added.

Duterte also earlier said he was about to go past a point of no return in terms of the relationship of the Philippines with the United States and that he had sought help from Russia regarding the matter.

This is in contrast to assurances made by Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. to US Secretary of State John Kerry in June that the Philippines would fully implement the EDCA under the Duterte administration.

Duterte in his speech on Sunday also noted that he may ask US forces to leave to be able to continue peace talks with rebel forces in Mindanao who were only open to negotiation once the foreign forces are out of the country.

This then prompted Duterte to tell the rebel forces that “there may be a time the Americans will leave Mindanao.”

See Duterte says EDCA not signed by PHL president, may ask US forces to leave
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‘Compassionate use’ of marijuana allowed with special permit — DOH Sec. Ubial

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial on Wednesday said the Food and Drug Administration grants exemption for “compassionate use” of marijuana.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Ubial noted that the bills filed in the Senate and House of Representatives to legalize cannabis are still in limbo, but groups or individuals who want to use marijuana for medicinal purposes may apply for a special permit from the FDA.

“Sinasabi po namin to the groups that want to make it or use it for medical purposes, meron po tayong parang way in our law, FDA law for humanitarian or for special cases so they can ask exemptions from the FDA if they are going to use marijuana for medical purposes,” Ubial sated.

“Inaallow po ng batas ‘yan pero kailangan may special permit to use it for medical purposes,” she said.

Ubial said she is aware that some doctors might be recommending marijuana to their patients, but the FDA has not received applications for a special permit.

“I’ve heard of that pero nga ho, mayroon tayong proseso na kailangan parang hingan ng exemption sa FDA,” she said. “Sa aming experience, wala pa pong nagrerequest sa FDA.”

Ubial’s remarks came following claims by actor Mark Anthony Fernandez that he is using marijuana to prevent cancer.

“Lalo po nung lumabas yung sa mga sigarilyo, may picture, kinakabahan po ako [na] magka-cancer dahil nagka-cancer po yung tatay ko. Ginagamit ko po ito na para pangontra cancer,” he said.

Fernandez was arrested Monday night after being caught with a kilo of marijuana in Pampanga.

As for the amount found in Fernandez’s possession, Ubial deferred to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DBB) to make an assessment. “I leave it up to the DBB, kasi meron tayong batas na certain amount of, parang, substance is considered illegal and cannot be passed on as, parang, for health benefits,” Ubial said.

Marijuana use has been decriminalized in some countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, albeit the possession and sale still come with restrictions. Colombia, for example, sets the limit at 22 grams for personal use and 20 plants for cultivation.

Certain states in the US also recently approved the medical use of marijuana.

Ubial clarified that there are 400 different chemicals in the raw form of marijuana and only one of them has health benefits, cannabidiol (CBD). In other countries, they are able to separate the substances and produce marijuana leaves that have higher CBD content. — Aya Tantiangco/RSJ, GMA News

See Bill on medical use of marijuana filed in Congress
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AFTER MARK ANTHONY FERNANDEZ’S ARREST: Marijuana has ‘potential’ medical benefits —DDB
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If the government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy

“If the government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law;
it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.”
– US Supreme Court Judge Louis D. Brandeis

Conclusion:

Edward Burke is right when he said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Isn’t it time for Filipinos to oust fanatical president Duterte when Death Squads by police officers is proven to exist, and before he kill more Filipinos for his war on drugs with extrajudicial killings which has killed over 3,000 already in the past three months.

The second urgent reason to oust him is his pro-communist agenda by kicking the US armed forces out of the country disregarding US-Philippine agreements such as EDCA. It’s scary to envision my beloved country Philippines under undemocratic communist China, a human rights violator and international outlaw.

“Our Government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that in the administration of the criminal law the end justifies the means—to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure the conviction of a private criminal—would bring terrible retribution. Against that pernicious doctrine this Court should resolutely set its face.” ― Louis D. Brandeis

See Duterte to human rights groups: Go to hell
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Philippines’ defence minister says military can cope without US aid

Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign

Commentary by Ricardo B Serrano: President Duterte has lots of inner demons – fear, hatred and anger – to fight which is conquered only with the power of love. That is why he is the way he is! And a lot of Filipinos are being contaminated with his inner demons, and that is why naive Filipinos are acting the same way. See Religion of Duterte (Iglesia ni Duterte)

You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. Extrajudicial killing is a human rights violation that is evil, and allegiance to it means partaking of the evil! A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.

Ted Laguatan, a human rights lawyer, has written a timely article below “Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign”:

The world’s good and decent people should force President Rodolfo Duterte to resign. It’s also for his own good. I don’t hate Duterte. But I hate his terrible sins. For his own sake, I hope that he amends his evil ways and saves his soul as his days are numbered. No one is beyond redemption if he turns to our Lord Jesus Christ.

A terrible dark evil presence now engulfs the Philippines. We have a leader who is not leading our people to a better life. But a leader full of demons who brings death and sufferings to so many — and expresses vicious hostility to world leaders and other nations.

As human beings, our most important priority is to reach our highest spiritual potential and save our immortal souls. For what indeed does it profit a man to gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his soul. This involves obeying God’s command to sincerely love Him above everything else — meaning an absolute commitment to the truth and to what is right and good. It also involves following God’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is what our existence is all about.

But our egos, fear, greed, anger, sensual appetites, love for money and power — often blind us from listening to God and obeying His commandments. And for those who do not really believe in God including many who go to church simply out of superstition or fear of bad things happening to them if they do not — these commandments are meaningless. As such, we have terrible demonic human beings with dark spirits on this planet. They murder, torture, steal and do all kinds of evil acts.

From the first man to the last, the history of the world has to do with the unending conflict between good and evil.

How is it that cruel evil leaders like Stalin, Hitler, Marcos, Mugabe, etc. are able to rise and even thrive for long periods of time and have so many people supporting and serving them?

How is it that the Philippines, which is supposedly a Catholic country, now has so many people supporting mass murder as an instrument of national policy? And why do they support a leader who expresses so much hatred and disrespect against other human beings, against other nations and even against God — with the darkness and hatred in his heart repeatedly spewing out of his foul mouth?

Duterte is no different from other tyrants in proclaiming his love for country. Tyrants justify their evil actions by saying that the people whom they oppress, torture and murder deserve these. Love, for one’s country is essentially love for one’s fellowmen. Duterte’s coercing, brutalizing and murdering so many Filipinos clearly exposes his insincerity.

See Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign

How to experience God’s love now via Meditation and Qigong
by Acharya Ricardo B Serrano

There are good books you can read on author’s experiences on heaven after near death who have written their heavenly experiences after being revived. However, you don’t need to believe these authors and wait for near death to experience heaven while still breathing, aware and living fully your day to day joys and stresses.

Heaven is real and you can experience heaven now. The most important question is how to unite individual consciousness with Universal God consciousness to experience heaven, our true spiritual home, regularly and continuously while still alive and consciously aware.

Atma (Soul) Yoga

If religion becomes a cause of hatred and division, it were better to be without it

Quotations on Baha’i Faith

God is love, and love is the bond between human hearts

Quotations on Baha’i Faith

Meditation and Qigong books for spiritual awakening

Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries

Meditation and Qigong books

About Baha’i Faith

See What is the Qigong state?

Natural Drug Rehabilitation

Natural Rehabilitation of Philippine drug dependents

A humane compassionate alternative to the war on drugs with EJK of poor Filipinos with illegal drug addiction problem is the rehabilitation of thousands of drug dependents.

As an acupuncture detox specialist and certified cannabis specialist, I would recommend that natural alternative treatment and rehabilitation harm-reduction modalities such as exercise, nutrition, acupuncture, cannabis, herbs and Qigong is another sane comprehensive approach to drug dependency prevalent in the Philippines.

The seven books on meditation and Qigong are invaluable in the successful rehabilitation of drug dependents.

It doesn’t happen with Cannabis, Sanjay Gupta, MD

Cannabis vs Pharmaceuticals

Dr Grinspoon on cannabis

“Why was cannabis made illegal? Obviously, both the pharmaceutical industry and the medical monopoly would lose billions of dollars if cannabis became the legal alternative herbal medicine (non-drug) of choice with its limitless healing potential for treating illnesses including cancer, chronic pain and depression.

Like “maintenance drugs” for hypertension and cholesterol, medical cannabis is meant to ease a person’s suffering from debilitating health issues without the toxic side-effects of prescription drugs.”
– Ricardo B Serrano, R.Ac., Certified Cannabis Specialist

– Excerpts from Dedication, page 3, The Cure & Cause of Cancer

Cannabis quotes from the cure and cause of cancer

The Cure & Cause of Cancer

See Auricular Therapy for Substance Abuse
Reasons to address your stress
Chinese tonic herbs to cultivate Jing, Qi and Shen
Necessity of Qigong
Meditation on Three Hearts
Medical Cannabis Patient Testimonials
Medical emergency assisted with Qigong
Quotations on Karma
Benefits of Medical Cannabis Education
Treating depression, anxiety disorders
Endocannabinoid deficiency
Cannabis and Pharmaceuticals
Cannabis hemp oil is antiangiogenic

WAR ON DRUGS: the Unheard Voices

Iglesia ni Duterte

Ramos: Duterte’s first 100 days a letdown

Actress Agot Isidro calls Duterte ‘psychopath’; Palace reacts

Espinosa family cries rubout, mayor killed to ‘silence’ him

License to Kill – Philippine Police Killings in Duterte’s “War on Drugs”

SPO3 Arturo Lascanas vs Duterte on Davao Death Squad

EXPLAINER: Police, military officials liable for Duterte’s illegal kill orders

Carpio to Duterte: Send Navy to Scarborough amid China’s build plans

Sen. Cayetano confirms Wikipedia report

NEWS on War on Drugs with Extrajudicial killings (EJK) and West Philippine Sea:
A case of ‘palit-ulo’?
DFA: Robredo’s claims at UN side event need verification
Duterte hits critics who say he ‘kills the poor’
Duterte to poor: ‘If you die, I’m sorry’
The folly of appeasing China
Lascañas wants to testify for Duterte’s impeachment: Trillanes
To defend West Philippine Sea, Philippines must bring the allies in
WATCH | PH Navy sends warship to patrol Benham Rise
‘Tone down’ reports? Stop the killings – UN expert
Lagman: LP in minority not consulted over not supporting Duterte impeachment
PH may lose $434M US grant over human rights: DILG
China denies reports of building on Panatag Shoal
Lascañas: Drug lords go to Davao to ‘lie low’
PHL planning ‘strong protest’ vs. China construction in Scarborough
‘HINDI KAMI TUTA’ | Kiko to Koko: We won’t follow your call to denounce Duterte impeach raps
PH gov’t urged to file diplomatic protest vs China’s ‘bullying tactics’
‘WALANG MAGAGAWA?’ | Kiko joins Justice Carpio, questions Duterte’s stance on Panatag
How China Is Tipping The World To War At Scarborough
Carpio to Duterte: Send Navy to Scarborough amid China’s build plans
Duterte taunts Alejano: Siya ang mauna sa Spratlys
Magdalo: Duterte stance on China ‘dereliction of duty’
PH ‘can’t stop’ China from building on Scarborough
Carpio: China may ‘control’ S. China Sea if station built on Scarborough
Chinese’s military dominance in S. China Sea complete: report
SC’s Carpio warns vs China station on Scarborough
MEL STA. MARIA | Dismissal of the Duterte Impeachment, ICC jurisdiction
Magdalo Rep. Alejano hints at possible shift of alliances in Congress
Chinese incursions may be part of supplemental impeachment complaint
‘Failed impeach bid vs Duterte may pave way for ICC intervention’
Gathering of 72 nations issues appeal to Rody
TAMA NA! | After 60 drug deaths in Pateros, mayor takes a stand vs EJKs
Robredo not behind impeachment complaint, says Alejano
China eyeing ‘monitoring’ station in Scarborough – report
First impeachment complaint filed vs Duterte
Magdalo party-list solon files impeachment complaint vs. Duterte
Impeachment case vs Duterte, maaari umanong gamitin sa ICC
Congress sets probe on Benham incursion
House leaders’ move to strip anti-death bill solons of panel posts shows ‘vindictiveness, tyranny’
Trillanes seeks probe into Duterte ‘deal’ with China on Benham Rise
Robredo slams drug war, calls for int’l scrutiny on crackdown
Investigate Duterte-China deal on Benham Rise, Congress urged
PNP faces lawsuit campaign over drug killings
Duterte may face ouster over Benham Rise, solon says
Duterte: Killing criminals not a sin vs Pinoys
China can’t conduct surveys at Benham Rise – Justice Carpio
ICC case vs Duterte is PH’s ‘last recourse’ – opposition lawmakers
PH ‘one of worst places’ for human rights – UN special rapporteur
Crimes vs humanity case against Duterte filed by April: lawyer
SC told: Convicts not qualified as witnesses vs De Lima
Duterte: If I go to prison, so be it
China claims right to decide on Scarborough’s fate
Duterte to military: Tell China in a friendly manner that Benham Rise is ours
MEL STA.MARIA | 8,000+ EJKs a crime against humanity indictable at the ICC
PHL to increase presence in Benham Rise after Chinese ship’s ‘innocent passage’
‘No ifs or buts, Duterte gov’t must have protection strategy for Benham’ – Recto
Senator Trillanes: Duterte can be impeached like Erap
PH could lose billions of dollars in trade deals over death penalty, EJKs – EU
Rights groups hit Duterte for encouraging ‘war crimes’
Lawyer: Possible ICC case vs Duterte can be grounds for impeachment
CHR probes Negros Oriental cops in alleged ‘EJK’
US expected to be ‘more aggressive’ in South China Sea: analyst
Lascañas: 4 more hit men to testify
Lascañas ready to testify in international court vs Duterte
More will speak out, former death squad hitman says
Matobato lawyer to file case vs Duterte in ICC
Palace ignores impeachment threat vs Duterte
WATCH | China ships in PH-owned Benham Rise, scouting for subs’ parking sites – DND
Lorenzana: China showed interest in PH’s Benham Rise
Lorenzana: US stopped China from building in Scarborough Shoal
OPINION: Leila had evidence vs Mayor Duterte
De Lima on 2009 DDS probe: ‘Davao under spell of ruthless king’
Lascañas to Duterte: God’s judgment is coming
Lascañas to Duterte: Killing ‘not the ultimate solution’
Lascañas warns PNP: One day, you’ll feel the pain I feel
Rappler Talk Investigative: Arturo Lascañas: Duterte loyalist no more
CHR: PH breached int’l treaty
CHR forms new team to probe Davao Death Squad killings
Death penalty a setback to human rights in the PHL – HRW
Lascañas’ affidavit: Duterte’s roles in Davao Death Squad killings
Senate minority presses for reopening of inquiry
From DDS ‘denier’ to whistleblower: Why Lascañas changed tune
Trillanes hits colleagues: You believe in drug lords’ testimonies but downplay Lascanas’ statements
Duterte: Davao Death Squad formed to fight NPA ‘sparrow units’
Duterte denies creating DDS: ‘I had my own police department’
AI: PH drug slays alarming; ICC case vs Duterte eyed
Can a sitting President be convicted of crimes against humanity?
For Trillanes, Lascañas’ credibility still ‘intact’
De Lima: Matobato, Lascañas ‘credible’ due to lack of motive to lie
Philippines risks losing aid after US rebuke: ex-envoy
Witness tags Duterte son in Davao killings
De Lima: Lascañas testimony proves Duterte has a ‘criminal mind’
Pacquiao rakes Lascañas’ credibility; Hontiveros backs retraction
WATCH | Lascañas says drug lords used Duterte hit squad as foot soldiers
Senators doubt credibility of Lascañas
Senate closes hearing on Lascañas as credibility doubted
Senators put ex-cop Lascañas on spotlight
US raises ‘significant concerns’ over impunity, sharp rise in EJKs in Philippines
Bam Aquino: Senate has duty to probe allegations vs. Duterte
Duterte tells Church, HRW he’s responsible for war on drugs
‘Tokhang’ survivor sues cops
AFP readying purchase of missiles vs external threats
De Lima: Duterte will pay price for drugs killings
Duterte told: You have no right to say who among Pinoys have no humanity
Leila to Rody: Don’t insult Pinoys on EJK
US admiral on disputed sea: We will be here
Duterte on HRW report: Criminals have no humanity
WATCH | HRW claims cops falsify evidence to justify drug war killings
Rights group claims report on EJKs can hold Duterte liable in int’l court
Cops abused power in Duterte’s drug war: Human Rights Watch report
Duterte criminally liable for ‘human rights calamity’—HRW report
US lawmakers back Asia military funding proposal
Lascañas details Duterte’s alleged DDS involvement in journal
Duterte paid us to kill, says ex-cop
Lascañas details Duterte’s alleged DDS involvement in journal
Lascañas says he lied about death squad link out of fear for safety
Lascañas: ‘Superman’ ordered death of political enemies, innocents
PNP memo cited as proof kills authorized
Trillanes vows to expose ‘plunderer, mass murderer’ Duterte after De Lima’s ‘illegal’ arrest
Duterte debasing gov’t for ‘personal vendetta’ – Human Rights Watch
Lacson to probe DDS existence; HRW urges UN to investigate Duterte’s war on drugs
Senators support probe into Lascanas’ claims
Lacson blames Duterte for allowing PNP to do ‘practically anything’
Carrier Strike Group 1 Conducts South China Sea Patrol
China continues ‘steady pattern’ of South China Sea militarization – experts
Cop got up to P15k for every drug suspect killed, Amnesty Int’l says
Cops are paid to kill in PH war on drugs – Amnesty Int’l
Duterte’s war on on drugs in the Philippines is out of control, he needs to be stopped
The terrifying lessons of Duterte, the Philippines’ vigilante president
Matobato: Sara Duterte had quarrels with her father over DDS
Duterte says he killed criminals in his third month as Davao City mayor
Philippines’ Duterte admits personally killing suspects
Duterte’s claim of personally killing criminals deeply troubling —White House
Duterte risks impeachment over remark he killed drug suspects
UN rapporteur must comply with Rody’s conditions
Trump will pursue ‘regional hegemony’ in South China Sea: Chinese academics
Trump will pursue ‘regional hegemony’ in South China Sea: Chinese academics
Ombudsman on EJK probe vs. Duterte: There are many possibilities
We are living in trying times, again–Morales
Mayor Espinosa was real drug lord —Albuera town police chief
‘Kailan kayo nag-climax?’: Nonsense questions at the Bilibid drugs hearing
What if Duterte is into drugs?
‘Duterte wants to follow in Marcos’ footsteps’ – Melito Glor Command spokesman
Xi open to Duterte’s plan to turn Panatag into sanctuary
Duterte to declare Scarborough lagoon a ‘no-fish zone’ – Esperon
De Lima to Kerwin: don’t indulge liars; your safety not guaranteed
PHL cannot leave ICC without Senate nod, De Lima reminds Duterte
Duterte mulls withdrawal from ICC,wants to be first in line if Russia, China establish ‘new order’
Duterte requires ‘public debate’ with UN expert before probe – DFA
3 aides of Kerwin Espinosa retract statements
UN rapporteur on killings sets conditions for PHL visit
Trillanes taunts Duterte over martial law remark
Duterte won’t declare martial law; he doesn’t have to
Duterte: Martial law a contingency to meet widespread violence
Duterte ‘thinking aloud, not serious’ about suspending writ—solons
‘Habeas corpus plan part of calibrated response vs rebellion’
De Lima denies receiving drug money
Improved situation in Scarborough only temporary – analysts
Experts warn vs PH ceding Scarborough to China, isolating nation
Extrajudicial killing witness of Senate fears for her life
Angara to Duterte: Don’t talk about suspending writ
Lagman: Congress, SC can strike down habeas corpus suspension
Typhoon Haiyan: China gives less aid to Philippines than Ikea
Ping to Rody: Heed signs of rubout
Lacson sees pattern in Espinosa-linked police killings
‘SHADES OF MARTIAL LAW’ | Lagman on writ of habeas corpus
No basis to suspend writ of habeas corpus —LP senators
De Lima to Duterte: ‘Stop toying’ with idea of suspending writ of habeas corpus
Senate probe: Poorly-written script in Espinosa killing?
Duterte may suspend writ of habeas corpus
Duterte may suspend writ of habeas corpus if ‘lawlessness’ continues
Rody ready to go to jail for Leyte raid cops
Duterte urged: Don’t condone extrajudicial killings
Broadcaster says he saw no gun around Espinosa’s body
Let Kerwin Espinosa remain in Abu Dhabi to keep him alive – Poe
Rody backs CIDG on mayor’s killing
Ombudsman calls for probe of Espinosa slay
Duterte defends police: ‘I believe in their version’
Senators see premeditation, ‘bad script’ in Espinosa death
Senators on CIDG operation that led to Espinosa’s death: Premeditated
Loopholes in cops’ testimonies ‘reinforce’ EJK theory on Espinosa death –Lacson
Jail warden doubts ‘under repair’ note in logbook, insists CCTV working
New Philippine ambassador says China is complying with arbitration ruling
WAR ON DRUGS | Legislators blast ‘policy of violence’
Espinosa ‘affidavit’ bares details of son’s drug deals
21 cops in Leyte jail raid face probe
Espinosa affidavit tags De Lima, 49 others as Kerwin’s coddlers
Senate starts probe on Espinosa’s ‘unusual’ death
De Lima’s lawyer: Presidential immunity cannot shield ‘unlawful acts’
Duterte gives nod to PHL-US Balikatan war games, EDCA —Lorenzana
Espinosa family cries rubout, mayor killed to ‘silence’ him
CCTV footage of Albuera mayor’s death missing
Lacson on Espinosa’s death: I can smell EJK
Espinosa’s death a ‘slap in the face’ of PH justice system: Gordon
Lacson to seek resumption of Senate EJK probe after Espinosa’s killing
Espinosa killing ‘incredibly brazen’ – rights lawyer
Dela Rosa promises: No cover-up in Espinosa death probe
Duterte doubts he will survive his six-year term
Fil-Am widow, Soros tagged in anti-Rody US moves
CHR ready to assist UN in probing slays
MARIE YUVIENCO | An Affair to Dismember
Misuari, myths and the MNLF
Duterte: What is wrong with talking to Misuari?
‘Be wary of leader who lies’
US to work with Rody despite renewed insults
Coast Guard off to Panatag
The Scarborough vivendi
Over 10 senators unhappy with admin, some are Duterte apologists—Trillanes
Duterte behind summary killings in PH, Trillanes insists
Church slams killings in antidrug war
China confirms end to shoal blockade
Nene: China decision on shoal an act of ownership
Carpio eyes win-win solution in South China Sea, face-saving scenario for China
US halts sale of 26,000 assault rifles to Philippines police amid human rights concerns
US stops arms sale to Philippines
PH should lend an ear to HR criticism – Pimentel
De Lima seeks prayers for those killed in Duterte’s drug war
Chinese Coast Guard no longer in Scarborough Shoal: Palace
Minority lawmakers to Duterte: Review, junk dubious China megadeals
De Lima calls VACC head ‘creepy clown with horrible dark mask’
Filipino fishermen are back in Panatag
WATCH | ‘Goodbye Joe?’ It’s not that easy – defense expert
Duterte on drug-related deaths: Expect 20,000 or 30,000 more
WATCH | Cost of war on drugs is at least P1 trillion: Duterte
Leila seeks probe on pacts signed in China
Innocent victim of Duterte’s war on drugs: Girl lies dead in the street next to her bloodstained Barbie after being gunned down alongside her ‘drug pusher’ friend in Philippines
Golez bucks EDCA halt, says threat from China still there
Army gears up for joint PHL-US training despite Duterte’s anti-US remarks
De Lima questions need for China’s permission to fish in Scarborough
Duterte affirms US alliance despite tough talk
Philippine president calls for removal of all US troops
‘Philippines still largest recipient of US aid in Asia-Pacific’
Philippines, US to determine fate of joint military exercises next month
UN body seeks report on anticrime crusader’s slay
Philippines rejects China language in Scarborough proposal
Cayetano, Tugade made ‘unpublicized’ trip to China: Goldberg
Duterte tells US businessmen: ‘Go ahead, pack your bags’
China stand on sea row stays, say analysts
Philippines senator calls for Duterte to face crimes against humanity inquiry
Duterte wrong on China non-invasion – Carpio
Osmeña: Duterte ‘weakened’ PHL position on West Philippine Sea
Rodrigo Duterte Gets Closer to China, and the Neighbors Notice
2 more gunmen hunted in Mindoro slay
Duterte deploys ‘dubious’ data in war against drugs
US: Duterte sparking distress around the world
US warns Duterte over rhetoric, crime war
Duterte ‘mishandling’ foreign affairs, says Osmena
Osmeña: Duterte ‘weakened’ PHL position on West Philippine Sea
Despite Duterte’s clarification, senators still worried over ‘separate’ foreign policy
Japan seeks clarity from Duterte on foreign policy
China slams ‘provocative’ US sail-by in South China
Trillanes calls Duterte a communist
US warship challenges China’s claims in South China Sea
Duterte says he won’t sever PH-U.S. ties
Cutting military ties with US needs Senate approval, LP senators remind Duterte
‘Senate nod needed to end treaties’
De Lima to ‘naive’ Duterte: Stop making yourself enemy of the world
Maintaining his independence Gordon lambastes Duterte over US breakup
Senators caution Duterte on implications of PH-US split
Split with US unwise, tragedy that shouldn’t happen–ex-DFA chief
De Lima: PHL, China, Russia vs. the world? ‘Malaking kahibangan!’
Duterte: Why not make it even with US?
After split with US, Duterte wants deal with Putin too
WATCH | Duterte, in China, announces ‘separation’ from US as he and Xi pledge friendship
Duterte announces military, economic break with US
UN rights body worried by drug killings
Duterte thumbs down joint oil exploration with China now
Duterte rules out military alliance with China
UN rapporteur: No invite yet to probe PH killings
‘Address blatant defects on war on drugs’ – De Lima
De Lima eyes further hearings on extra-judicial killings
De Lima wants more hearings on drug slays; Gordon says no
‘No financing for projects with HR violations’
Senate panel set to clear Duterte on extrajudicial killings
Political scientist Richard Javad Heydarian on Rodrigo Duterte, US-bashing, and the South China Sea
Morales on Ombudsman probe vs. De Lima: Not going to happen
Duterte admits existence of EJK, claims not state-sponsored
The Victims of the Davao Death Squad: Consolidated Report 1998-2015
‘De facto’ death penalty running wild, says pro-life lawmaker
ICC probe? Don’t threaten me – Rody
MEL STA.MARIA | EJK, our economy, and the International Criminal Court
Duterte unconcerned with accusations of encouraging vigilante killings
Words can hurt country, Carpio warns Duterte
Demonic forces engulfing PH — Duterte should resign
De Lima warns of revolutionary gov’t
Trillanes accuses Gordon of coverup
PH can’t win war on drugs with guns alone
ICC warns prosecution possible for ‘ordering, encouraging’ drug war killings
ICC to closely monitor PH for killings under antidrug campaign
Duterte willing to submit to investigation—Palace
De Lima backs possible ICC probe vs Duterte
Carpio: With Malampaya gas gone in 10 years, PH must assert EEZ control in West PH Sea
Carpio: Impeachment possible if Duterte gives up Scarborough
ICC chief prosecutor warns PH on drug war killings
UN panel lauds PH for RH, other laws; thumbs down extrajudicial killings
Senate justice panel terminates hearing on extrajudicial killings
CHR: No cases filed vs cops linked to drug operations
Number of cases under PNP-IAS spiked due to drug slays –chief
[Newspoint] Who brought Matobato out in the light?
Lawmakers hail Agot Isidro mettle in calling out Duterte on foreign policy
De Lima threatens to file suit versus Duterte, other detractors
Duterte says no basis to sue him before int’l court
Ramos: PH ‘losing badly’ in Duterte’s first 100 days
Duterte lashes out at priests critical of drug war
MEL STA.MARIA | Diplomacy, the President and damaging possibilities for the Philippines
Unfazed Agot Isidro says she stands by her anti-Duterte comments
Agot Isidro responds to bashers with link to article about ‘psychopaths’
Cherry Pie rallies behind Agot Isidro
OPINION: Wow, Agot Isidro!
Actress Agot Isidro calls Duterte ‘psychopath’; Palace reacts
US, EU investors put Philippine plans on hold
Abella slams French paper for ‘serial killer’ tag on Duterte
French paper dubs Duterte as ‘serial killer’
Duterte, binigyan ng bagsak na marka ng ilang religious, human rights groups
No achievement seen in Rody’s first 100 days – Trillanes
Redemption, not execution; reformation, not exclusion
Dutertismo: The first 100 days
Lawlessness remains in Duterte’s 1st 100 days–pro-democracy group
Duterte admin ‘independent’ from US, ‘bullied’ by China?
Drug war ‘excellent’ but suspects should live – poll
Trillanes cries coverup in Senate probe
De Lima slams ‘anti-women’ Rody in CHR speech
Off-track foreign policy
Lacson: Duterte’s ‘go to hell’ comment vs. Obama ‘unnecessary’
White House: Duterte’s comments at odds with US-PH ties
Duterte says tempted to declare Martial Law
Senate probe sa EJK, itutuloy pero labas na si Matobato
CHR slams Gordon for suspension of Senate inquiry
Senate to end probe on extralegal killings
Senators gang up on De Lima over Matobato kidnap case
Duterte: ‘Mr. Obama, you can go to hell’
Australia urges Philippines: Stop extrajudicial killings
Matobato admitted kidnap case vs him – Senate transcript
Senate hearings on killings ‘suspended until further notice’
‘No need to review EDCA’
AFP looking into reports of coup plot vs Duterte
Duterte says EDCA not signed by PHL president, may ask US forces to leave
WITH VIDEO | HRW scores mass killings in the name of crime control
Duterte’s pivot to China won’t be easy for Americanized AFP
US mood hardens as Duterte fuels outrage
Lagman: Duterte’s words go from reckless to culpable, accusations to confession of guilt
Duterte cites Hitler: I’d be happy to slaughter 3 million
Germany tells Philippine envoy Duterte Hitler remarks ‘unacceptable’
Jewish groups angry, in shock over Duterte’s Hitler comments
UK joins global call vs killings in Philippines
UN committee examines human rights in Philippines
Duterte to US senators: ‘Do not interfere in PH affairs’
Duterte ‘endorsing what amounts to mass murder’ – US senator
Matobato: Rape of drug suspects pushed me to leave Davao Death Squad
US senators reconsiders assistance amid drug war
US to remain close Philippine friend, partner
‘What if there is a God?’
OPINION: The Filipino people will survive Duterte
‘Rody foreign policy may alienate investors’
Duterte hurting Philippine economy, lawmakers say
Is the ‘war on drugs’ helping fuel an HIV epidemic?
Trillanes: Lawyer asked Matobato to spare Duterte, son Paolo in DDS exposé
De Lima: Evidence against me are fake, killings are real
De Lima to Duterte: ‘What do you want from me? Do you like me?’
WATCH | Cayetano, Trillanes in another heated exchange over Matobato testimony
Gordon nixes Trillanes motion to probe Duterte, suspends EJK hearing to October
PNP to focus on drug lords in next phase of illegal drugs campaign
Trillanes wants Senate probe on ‘mass murderer’ Duterte
Duterte asks: What if there is no God?
What Colombia has learned from decades-long drug war
Duterte defends death penalty, questions God’s existence
Govt’s war on drugs targets the poor – CHR
Trillanes to present evidence in support of Matobato testimony
OFW na inaresto sa checkpoint, natagpuang patay sa Cavite
Back to barbarisms
Esperon: Duterte not a dictator, just a strong enforcer of laws
Duterte: I don’t want martial law
Despite drug menace, Duterte says he doesn’t want martial law
Int’l human rights group brands removal of De Lima as ‘blatant, craven move’
De Lima ouster ‘EJK’ of crusade vs ‘culture of violence’ – Lagman
De Lima urges UN to come to PH, probe extrajudicial killings
Duterte responds to criticism from EU: ‘F— you’
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to extend drug war as ‘cannot kill them all’
De Lima: Killings, Duterte’s bad mouth giving PHL a bad image, not me
De Lima names cops as alleged Davao Death Squad members
NUJP hits cyber attacks on Time magazine reporters
SPECIAL REPORT | Cash for drugs, drug kills: How will Duterte pay up?
‘Philippine image ruined by killings, not me’
‘Tape test’ can’t tell a good hitman, Trillanes tells Cayetano
Hit man’s raps trigger calls for Duterte probe
Matobato must continue to testify in Senate probe on EJKs —Drilon
Ambush survivor: ‘Matobato tried to kill me in 2014’
Justice and human rights panel can take protective custody of Matobato – De Lima
US State Dept on Matobato EJK exposé: ‘We take them seriously. We look into them.’
Death squad ‘witness’: Duterte ordered Davao kilings
Former ‘DDS member’ links Duterte, son Paolo to more than 1,000 murders
The Davao Death Squad and Rodrigo Duterte
Pro-Duterte sect leader warns of revolution
Duterte welcomes Iglesia support
The church as power broker

After split with US, Duterte wants deal with Putin too

Tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable

De Lima wants more hearings on drug slays;
Gordon says no

Duterte has narcissistic personality disorder

Understanding Duterte: What a psych report says

Actress Agot Isidro calls Duterte ‘psychopath’; Palace reacts

You may win the war on drugs but it is a bigger problem when you lose the respect of Filipinos in law and order

Philippine president Duterte to extend drug war as ‘cannot kill them all’

Philippines: Anti-American Authoritarian Populist Duterte Set to Win Presidency

Duterte: Yes, I’m a dictator, so what?

Santiago: Philippines is not ready for Duterte presidency

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject

President’s supporter has an urgent message for Mr. Duterte

The beginning to letting go of fanaticism is love and respect for self and others. To let go of the most extreme form of fanaticism requires an ability to question the beliefs (Communism, violence, EKJ, religion, politics, cult, philosophy, medicine, relationship or diet) or agreements that are tied to it. The act of questioning produces a moment of clarity that allows us to see our truth. A moment of doubt or skepticism in a belief can be the crack that will begin to expand our perception.

To doubt is an indication of freedom and a guard against fanaticism

Skepticism makes it possible to reassess and make a decision to hold on to it by saying yes or no. Do I really believe this? Why do I believe this? Does this belief serve me? Reevaluating our beliefs introduces the option to continue to believe or to change. Letting go of fanaticism is to allow ourselves to listen to what we perceive and reassess our willingness to say yes or no to it with awareness. The best way to let go of illusion is to say yes to the truth when it is presented to us just as it is.

With awareness (the Authentic Self), you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Fanaticism obliterates the feelings of humanity

Lagman: Duterte’s words go from reckless to culpable, accusations to confession of guilt

As shown by his psych report, in my opinion as a concerned Filipino patriot and commentator against violence and China’s 9-dashed line claim, Filipinos better wake up to the truth that Duterte will be the next dictator when he becomes the next Philippines president. Do you want another fanatic Filipino dictator, after President Ferdinand Marcos? I don’t think so.

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“Heart is the commander of Qi. Qi and Love are never separate. An open heart with unconditional Love is the best medicine.” – Master Li Jun Feng

Ricardo B Serrano and Master Li Jun Feng

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“Qi and Love are never separate.” – Master Li Jun Feng

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You can experience the Qigong state (samadhi) faster by Qigong. - Master Ricardo B Serrano

What is the Qigong State?

High stress levels cause cancer to spread

Chronic stress causes cancer to spread

Cosmic Christ Consciousness

Hell doesn’t exist

Happiness depends upon ourselves

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There is force in the universe, which, if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results. - Mahatma Gandhi

Jedi’s Force is Qi cultivated by Qigong

Gandhi’s Quotes on Soul-Force, Love

In fact, Qigong is better than meditation for burnout (adrenal exhaustion). - Master Ricardo B Serrano

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Joy of samadhi is bliss for the universe

His seven books covered thoroughly in You Hold the Keys to Healing together with Workshops will show you how to develop your energy bubble to experience Sheng Zhen thereby healing holistically and returning to oneness.

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Master Pranic Healer Ricardo B Serrano, R.Ac. integrates pranic healing with Enlightenment Qigong forms, acupuncture, herbs and acupressure. He is a certified Qigong teacher trained by Pan Gu Shen Gong Master Ou Wen Wei, Sheng Zhen Gong Master Li Junfeng, Qi Dao Master Lama Tantrapa, Primordial Wuji Qigong Master Michael Winn, Zhan Zhuang Qigong Master Richard Mooney, Pranic Healing Grand Master Choa Kok Sui, Master Nona Castro and Mang Mike Nator. He is also a certified Merkabah teacher trained by Merkabah Master Alton Kamadon.

His nine books Return to Oneness with Shiva, Return to Oneness with the Tao, Return to Oneness with Spirit, Meditation and Qigong Mastery, Keys to Healing and Self-Mastery, Oneness with Shiva, and The Cure & Cause of Cancer comprise altogether his Master Pranic Healer thesis for Integral Studies of Inner Sciences.