New Philippine President Duterte

[whoisit]

I thought he was going to be good for his nation and the world on a smaller scale.

I was so wrong! I see he is just another puppet for the elites. Is he killing off non muslims in the disquise of fighting drugs?

And the drama act against Obombs is even more proof he is a fake.

Just my opinion.

 

[waltky]

Duterte ordered the massacre of 1,000 while mayor...

Witness says Philippine president ordered killings of 1,000
Sep 15,`16 -- A former Filipino militiaman testified before the country's Senate on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte, when he was still a city mayor, ordered him and other members of a liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead.

Edgar Matobato, 57, told the nationally televised Senate committee hearing that he heard Duterte order some of the killings, and acknowledged that he himself carried out about 50 deadly assaults as an assassin, including a suspected kidnapper fed to a crocodile in 2007 in southern Davao del Sur province. Rights groups have long accused Duterte of involvement in death squads, claims he has denied, even while engaging in tough talk in which he stated his approach to criminals was to "kill them all." Matobato is the first person to admit any role in such killings, and to directly implicate Duterte under oath in a public hearing. The Senate committee inquiry was led by Sen. Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte's anti-drug campaign that has left more than 3,000 suspected drug users and dealers dead since he assumed the presidency in June. Duterte has accused de Lima of involvement in illegal drugs, alleging that she used to have a driver who took money from detained drug lords. She has denied the allegations.

Matobato said Duterte had once even issued an order to kill de Lima, when she chaired the Commission on Human Rights and was investigating the mayor's possible role in extrajudicial killings in 2009 in Davao. He said he and others were waiting to ambush de Lima but she did not go to a part of a hilly area - a suspected mass grave - where they were waiting to open fire. "If you went inside the upper portion, we were already in ambush position," Matobato told de Lima. "It's good that you left." The recent killings of suspected drug dealers have sparked concerns in the Philippines and among U.N. and U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, who have urged Duterte's government to take steps to rapidly stop the killings and ensure his anti-drug war complies with human rights laws and the rule of law. Duterte has rejected the criticisms, questioning the right of the U.N., the U.S. and Obama to raise human rights issues, when U.S. forces, for example, had massacred Muslims in the country's south in the early 1900s as part of a pacification campaign.

Former Filipino militiaman Edgar Matobato shows the kind of tape they use to wrap up dead bodies as he testifies before the Philippine Senate in Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines on Thursday Sept. 15, 2016. Matobato said that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, when he was still a city mayor, ordered him and other members of a squad to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead.​

Matobato said under oath that the killings went on from 1988, when Duterte first became Davao city mayor, to 2013, when Matobato said he expressed his desire to leave the death squad. He said that prompted his colleagues to implicate him criminally in one killing to silence him. "Our job was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers. These are the kind we killed every day," Matobato said. But he said their targets were not only criminals but also opponents of Duterte and one of his sons, Paolo Duterte, who is now the vice mayor of Davao. Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar rejected the allegations, saying government investigations into Duterte's time as mayor of Davao had already gone nowhere because of a lack of evidence and witnesses.

Philippine human rights officials and advocates have previously said potential witnesses refused to testify against Duterte when he was still mayor out of fear of being killed. There was no immediate reaction from Duterte. Another Duterte spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said at a news conference that while Matobato "may sound credible, it is imperative that each and every one of us properly weigh whatever he said and respond right." Matobato said the victims in Davao allegedly ranged from petty criminals to a wealthy businessman from central Cebu province who was killed in 2014 in his office in Davao city, allegedly because of a feud with Paolo Duterte over a woman. The president's son said the allegations were without proof and "are mere hearsay," telling reporters he would "not dignify the accusations of a mad man." Other victims were a suspected foreign militant whom Matobato said he strangled, then chopped into pieces and buried in a quarry in 2002. Another was a radio commentator, Jun Pala, who was critical of Duterte and was killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen while walking home in 2003.

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See also:

Philippines President Duterte 'once killed man with Uzi'
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte once shot a man dead with an Uzi submachine gun, a self-confessed former death squad member tells a Senate hearing.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte allegedly once shot dead a justice department agent with an Uzi submachine gun while serving as mayor of Davao. The allegation was made by Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed former death squad member, before a Senate inquiry on extra-judicial killings. Mr Duterte, he alleged, ordered him and others to kill about 1,000 criminals or political rivals over a 25-year period. One government minister called the allegations "lies and fabrications" Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said Mr Matobato was "obviously not telling the truth" while presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said investigations into the president's time as mayor had gone nowhere.

Mr Matobato, 57, said he had been a member of the Davao Death Squad, a notorious vigilante group allegedly responsible for hundreds of killings. "Our job was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers," he said. But he also said that Mr Duterte's opponents had been targeted too, including four bodyguards of a local rival for mayor, Prospero Nograles. In 1993, he said his group had injured a justice department agent after a confrontation at a road block. "Mayor Duterte was the one who finished him off," he said. "Jamisola [the justice department official] was still alive when he [Duterte] arrived. He emptied two Uzi magazines on him."

Mosque attack

Victims would be shot or strangled, he said, with some disembowelled and dumped into the sea so fish could eat them, or in one case fed to a crocodile. He told the Senate panel he had gone from a witness protection programme into hiding when Mr Duterte became president, fearing for his life. Mr Matobato also alleged Mr Duterte had ordered the bombing of a mosque in retaliation for an attack on Davao Cathedral in 1993. On this claim, Mr Duterte's spokesman, Martin Andanar, said "I don't think he is capable of giving those orders."

He said the country's Commission on Human Rights had failed to even prove the existence of the Davao Death Squad. Prospero Nograles' son Karlo, a Davao city representative, challenged Mr Matobato's account relating to his father's bodyguards. "I don't know what this guy is talking about," he wrote on Facebook. "I can only suspect that this guy is being manipulated by some people to only serve their own selfish interests."

Clashes at inquiry

 

[waltky]

Dead man walking...

Alleged Duterte hitman denied protection after tell-all testimony
September 16, 2016 - The man who publicly accused Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte of running a hit squad and personally killing people won't be given state protection.

Senate President Koko Pimentel announced on his verified Facebook page that Edgar Matobato won't be put in protective custody because his life has not been threatened. "I've denied the request for protective custody of the witness (Edgar) Matobato because there is no Senate rule to justify it," he said. "There's even no showing that his life or safety is threatened."
Another Philippines Senator called the decision "heartless." "We'll be tackling this on Monday, but in the meantime we'll just have to find ways to make sure that our witness will be protected," Sen. Sonny Trillanes told CNN Philippines.

'Our work was to kill'

In testimony Thursday, Matobato said he was part of the 300-member "Davao Death Squad" (DDS), which he alleges was run on the orders of Duterte. "Our work was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers. Those were the people we killed every day," Matobato said. Duterte's office denied the claims made by Matobato on Thursday, and said the President was "unfazed" by the Senate investigation. "The Duterte administration is committed to a platform of a peaceful, crime-free, corruption-free nation that is not affected by any controversy," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

Unreliable witness?

Some have called Matobato's testimony into question, including Duterte's son Paolo -- the current Vice Mayor of Davao City Matobato said in his testimony that Paolo Duterte ordered the killing of Richard King, a billionaire businessman over a woman. The King family's legal counsel, Deolito Alvarez, called the accusations "completely false" in a text message to CNN. "I am convinced that the accused who are facing the charge in court are the perpetrators," he said. "The statement of witness Matobato in trying to cast cloud and put politics into the equation is not true." Paolo Duterte responded in a statement, saying "What de Lima and this certain Matobato say in public are bare allegations in the absence of proof. They are mere hearsay. I will not dignify with an answer the accusations of a madman."

Edgar Motobato claims to have been hitman for Duterte​

After US president Barack Obama said he would raise extrajudicial killings in a meeting with Duterte, the Philippines President responded angrily on September 5, first in English then in Tagalog. As a result, Obama canceled the meeting. As he addressed troops at the country's Armed Forces Central Command Headquarters on August 5, Duterte recounted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to the country, saying in Tagalog that he was feuding with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. The Philippines president-elect effectively said he supported vigilantism against drug dealers and criminals in a nationally televised speech in June 2016.

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[waltky]

The Donald Trump of the Philippines...

Furious Duterte tells militants: Just give me vinegar and salt, I will open up your body and eat you
Monday 19th September, 2016 - President Rodrigo Duterte, during a speech at Camp Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabella, told the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that Abu Sayyaf militants would establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

“The Abu Sayyaf, [they’re] no longer [hungry] for independence in Mindanao. They are no longer hungry for autonomy. They are hungry for a fight to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia,” Duterte said. “It’s either the caliphate or nothing.” He also urged the military to train more to fight terrorism and the ongoing war on drugs. “You have to train more. You have to reinvent yourself from almost a soldier of uniform to all of you being intelligence operatives,” he said.

In a media interview, Duterte even threatened that he would eat the militants alive to avenge the death of 15 people who were killed in Davao bombing. “If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans,” he was quoted as saying during the interview. “I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you.”

The Abu Sayyaf group has been responsible for claiming the lives of more than 120,000 people since the 1970s and is also blamed for repeated abductions and the worst terror attacks seen in the country. The group has also beheaded foreigners, including two Canadians in April and June. “They are ISIS-inspired and not actually ISIS supported. They are just ISIS wannabes,” Defence Department spokesman Arsenio Andolong was quoted as saying. The president, who has accused of operating a death squad during his time as mayor, chose to remain silent on the subject.

Edgar Matobata, 57, a self-acclaimed hit man had recently accused the former mayor of organising a death squad that is responsible for killing more than 1,000 criminals in Davao. Matobata also said that Duterte had killed a government agent in 2007. On Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said that it was “highly unlikely” that the UN would conduct a probe on Duterte. “Any UN investigation can only be done on the invitation of the host country,” Jose said, adding that it was unlikely that the UN would be invited to investigate the recent extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

Furious Duterte tells militants Just give me vinegar and salt I will open up your body and eat you

 

[waltky]

Philippine senator allowed drug deals in prison Convicted Drug Lord Says...

Duterte Foe Allowed Drug Deals in Prison, Convicted Drug Lord Says
Sept. 20, 2016 - Sen. Leila De Lima derides allegation as effort ‘to fit the president’s narrative that I am a drug coddler’

A convicted drug lord told Philippine lawmakers Tuesday he had bribed Sen. Leila De Lima to allow him to continue his narcotics business behind bars—escalating a political battle between the senator and President Rodrigo Duterte over the president’s war on drugs. Herbert Colanggo, who is serving a life sentence, testified before the House of Representatives’ justice committee that during Ms. De Lima’s time as justice secretary, he had paid her 3 million pesos ($62,700) over several months. Ms. De Lima, who was justice secretary from 2010 to 2015, denied the allegation in a Senate speech, saying that criminals are being used to implicate her “to fit the president’s narrative that I am a drug coddler.” Mr. Colanggo was presented by current Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, who was appointed by Mr. Duterte.

Mr. Colanggo’s testimony came a day after Senate allies of Mr. Duterte removed Ms. De Lima as chairwoman of a committee investigating police and vigilante killings since the president took office in June, saying she isn’t impartial. Ms. De Lima answered that she isn’t the problem—the extrajudicial killings are. A witness presented last week by Ms. De Lima testified he had been part of a “death squad” Mr. Duterte formed to eliminate criminals, including drug pushers and users, during his time as mayor of Davao City in the southern Philippines. The president has denied the allegations. Mr. Duterte said on Monday that the war on drugs he launched in July—in which more than 3,000 people have been killed, according to police—would last longer than the six months he originally planned, as the drug problem is worse than he had thought.

Sen. Leila De Lima during a press conference at the Philippine Senate​

In his testimony Tuesday, Mr. Colanggo said his payments to Ms. De Lima and prison officials had enabled him to continue his drug business and other ventures while imprisoned at the New Bilibid Prison in a Manila suburb. The 550-hectare (1,360-acre) penitentiary, built after World War II for 6,000 prisoners, now houses in excess of 16,000, more than a quarter of them convicted of drug-related crimes. “I am a businessman,” said Mr. Colanggo, describing how he smuggled prostitutes into the prison’s maximum-security compound. Mr. Colanggo, who called the compound “Las Vegas,” also recorded hit songs from prison, mostly romantic ballads.

Mr. Duterte’s drug crackdown has including the prisons, but Rolando Asuncion, officer-in-charge of the Justice Department’s Bureau of Corrections, testified that efforts to eliminate drug dealing—such as by replacing guards with police special forces—haven’t ended the practice. “I think there are still drug transactions happening,” he said.

Duterte Foe Allowed Drug Deals in Prison, Convicted Drug Lord Says

See also:

Philippines: When drug war goes beyond killings of users, pushers
Sep 20, 2016 - In 80 days, the death toll to President Rodrigo Duterte's war against drug has reached to over 3,000 people.

He gained his fame through his strong stance against illegal drugs. But his goal in ending the menace was put in question as President Rodrigo Duterte failed to issue any definite framework on his campaign against illegal drugs. Apart from his almost daily verbal tirades against drugs, Duterte has not signed any official document detailing his agenda on drug campaign even after 80 days in office. In the words of Malou Mangahas of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), "Duterte's war on drugs is one largely verbalized but not codified by any form of official issuance, or parameters in law and jurisprudence."

Anguished families await the fate of their loved one which was the subject of a police operation on August 3, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. The alleged drug suspect was later found to have died in an alleged shootout with police. The death toll from the Philippines' war on drugs initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte has spiked to nearly 1,800 since he took office in June, a figure much higher than the 900 deaths previously cited by officials. International human rights advocates have condemned the killings as out of control and are calling on the government to end the nightly drug raids and investigate extrajudicial killings, although the president has lashed out at critics and threatened to withdraw from the United Nations. According to reports, investigations are still ongoing for 1,067 drug-related killings, reportedly carried out by vigilantes but it was unclear how many were directly related to the illegal drug trade​

Since the first day when Duterte assumed office, the body counts for fatalities continue to rise. Philippine police operations yielded a daily average of 38 person killed in drug-related operations. In the last 80 days, over 3,000 people were killed. Duterte's unrestrained marching orders to police operatives and military personnel is to "Do your work and I will protect." Without any executive order or memorandum but the President's word, the body files increases. Suspected drug personalities were hunted like dogs, butchered like animals irrespective of who will be destroyed in the crossfire, including children.

Two alleged drug suspects lie dead after an alleged shootout with police on August 10, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. The death toll from the Philippines' war on drugs initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte has spiked to nearly 1,800 since he took office in June, a figure much higher than the 900 deaths previously cited by officials. International human rights advocates have condemned the killings as out of control and are calling on the government to end the nightly drug raids and investigate extrajudicial killings, although the president has lashed out at critics and threatened to withdraw from the United Nations. According to reports, investigations are still ongoing for 1,067 drug-related killings, reportedly carried out by vigilantes but it was unclear how many were directly related to the illegal drug trade.​

While the Philippine police claimed that the supplies of drugs in the country have decreased by over 50 percent, cases of the so called extra-judicial killings rose of record high. The fatalities in Duterte's 80 days in power almost equal to the 3,240 recorded deaths during the 14-year martial law period of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Police blamed the vigilante groups as responsible to half of these killings. But if indeed they were, law enforcers failed to consider that these groups resurrected at the onset of the President's war against drugs. With no single case being solved since these killings occurred, the Philippines seems to become a country of hoodlums, where killers can slaughter anyone they want in the name of the President's war against drugs.

Duterte's anti-drug campaign has caught the attention of the international communities with no less than the United Nations assailing that the campaign violated the framework of the individual's human rights. US President Barrack Obama, while favoring the campaign against illegal drugs, pointed out that it must be done within the paradigm of respect to human rights. But neither the UN nor Obama escaped from the tirades of Duterte, who insisted to spare the Philippines from the lectures of human rights and to respect the independent foreign policy of the country.

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[waltky]

Philippines tells world hands off Duterte's war on drugs policy...

Philippines tells world not to interfere in Duterte drugs war
Sat Sep 24, 2016 | Philippines Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay told the United Nations on Saturday his country's new president, Rodrigo Duterte, had an "unprecedented" mandate and the world should not interfere in his crackdown on crime.

Addressing the annual U.N. General Assembly, Yasay said the Duterte government was "determined to free the Philippines from corrupt and other stagnating practices, including the manufacture, distribution and use of illicit drugs. "Our actions, however, have grabbed both the national headlines and international attention for all the wrong reasons," he said. "We urge everyone to allow us to deal with our domestic challenges in order to achieve our national goals without undue interference."

Duterte won a landslide election victory on May 9 after vowing to wipe out drugs and crime. Police said this week that in the past 11 weeks, nearly 3,000 people had been killed in Duterte's war on drugs, a figure adjusted from the 3,800 they cited last week. The killings have drawn widespread international criticism, including from the United Nations, drawing angry responses from Duterte.On Thursday, the Philippine leader hurled insults at U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union, then invited them to come to investigate his crackdown. Yasay said Duterte had won "an unprecedented and resounding electoral mandate" and now enjoyed a 92 percent approval rating. As such, he had to deliver on a "sacred" call for change. "To him, this trust is sacrosanct," Yasay said. "It cannot be breached, under no circumstance must it be compromised."

Residents involved with illegal drugs wait for fellow surrenderees before taking a pledge that they will not use or sell ''Shabu'' (Meth) again after surrendering to police and government officials in Makati, metro Manila, Philippines​

Duterte's defiance of high-profile organizations and his insults of anyone from U.S. President Barack Obama to the pope have amused many Filipinos, but worried foreign governments - not the least the United States, which sees Manila as a vital partner in Asia in the face of a rising China. Some analysts predict Duterte will seek to diversify foreign relations beyond Washington, including by seeking better ties with erstwhile maritime foe China. Yasay said core values enshrined in the Philippine constitution included the mandate "to pursue an independent foreign policy, to promote the national interest."

At the same time, he said Manila would remain "a responsible partner of the international community," committed to the rule of law - including an international court ruling this year in favor of the Philippines and against China over competing claims in the South China Sea. In spite of Duterte's criticisms of the world body, Yasay said the United Nations had demonstrated "continuing resilience and relevance" and added in apparent reference to the U.S. alliance: "Our domestic concerns compel us to partner with like-minded countries in the areas of maritime security, counter-terrorism, disaster response, and transnational crime."

Philippines tells world not to interfere in Duterte drugs war

 

[RichBites]

As to the self confessed hitman's story that about 30 of them emptying their magazines on an alleged victim but failing to kill him, and having to wait for Duterte to come and finish the victim off with an uzi, I have some questions.
1) 30 professional hitmen would surely know how to kill
2) They would have the nerve to kill a man
3) The hitman claimed that the victim was riddled with more than 200 bullets and was still alive
4) 30 hitmen with 30 single stack cal .45 magazines translates to 7 bullets x 30 or 210 bullets.
5) I would suppose that most, if not all of them, would have brought along 1 or 2 extra magazines. Did they spent all their bullets so that they have to wait for Duterte to come with his Uzi.

 

[racialreality9]

I've listened to the guy and he is basically likable. He has told America to screw itself, how great is that.

 

[Moonglow]

I've listened to the guy and he is basically likable. He has told America to screw itself, how great is that.

Then go live there so we don't have to listen to your whining as to the depth of your victim-hood..

 

[esthermoon]

Duterte is a tough guy. He wants to destroy all criminals!

 

[Moonglow]

Except himself..

 

[waltky]

Duterte's enforcer says has no regrets about killings...

Duterte's enforcer says 'we are at war', has no regrets about killings
Tue Oct 4, 2016 | When Philippines police chief Ronald Dela Rosa gave a rousing speech to his men at a regional headquarters in Luzon, they rewarded him with a gift: a replica of the sword used by actor Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart.

The barrel-chested police chief grinned and gave the weapon, which is almost as long as he is tall, a practice swing. A voice on the camp's loudspeaker declared him "the bravest of bravehearts". Dela Rosa acts as the enforcer for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs has led to more than 3,400 people being killed in just over three months. Dela Rosa's tour of Luzon, the country's largest and most populous island, was the latest in a series of trips to stiffen the resolve of police officers at the campaign's bloody frontline. "I have to encourage them to do our job," he told a Reuters reporter who went on the trip last month. "We are at war."

Philippine National Police Chief General Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa laughs while wearing a local Igorot tribe headdress during a visit at police Camp Dangwa, Benguet province in northern Philippines

Police said on October 3 they had shot dead 1,375 people in operations since President Duterte took office on July 1. They also report a further 2,066 "deaths under investigation", many of which human rights activists attribute to vigilante killings. Reuters was unable to confirm the accuracy of these numbers or the extent to which the killings have been committed by vigilantes. The campaign has sparked outrage abroad, but in the Philippines it has won praise from a crime-weary population and only muted criticism from civil society groups.

In a country where the police are generally despised and feared because of their reputation for corruption and violence, Dela Rosa is popular. After only two months as police chief, the national media is already touting him as Duterte's possible successor, an idea that the president's spokesman Martin Andanar described as "speculative". Duterte has often called for the killing of drug dealers. And Dela Rosa has echoed the incendiary remarks. At a speech last month, he encouraged users and pushers to kill drug lords who had grown rich from exploiting the poor. "You know who are the drug lords here, go to their houses, pour gasoline, set it on fire, show them you are angry at them," he said.

Philippine National Police Chief General Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa (C) and other police officials salute as they wear local Igorot tribe headdress while singing the national anthem during a visit at police Camp Dangwa, Benguet province in northern Philippines

Still, Dela Rosa's close operational knowledge of the drug war could make him a focus if there is ever an independent investigation into the killings, said Rose Trajano, secretary general of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, a nationwide coalition based in Manila. It is unclear, though, whether anyone will be in a position to hold such an investigation. "He is a good soldier of the president, but there will also be fear in him," she said. Dela Rosa told Reuters he was confident that killings during police operations were legitimate, and that the "deaths under investigation" were mostly the work of drug syndicates. "They are killing each other," he said.

FEELS THE PRESSURE

See also:

Philippines Eyeing Aid Windfall From Diplomacy Shift
October 03, 2016 — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is rebalancing his foreign policy away from old ally the United States to former U.S. Cold War foes China and Russia, in a move that may generate a windfall of aid for the developing Southeast Asian country.

Duterte said last month his country would reject U.S. military aid in patrolling the contested South China Sea and fighting a violent Muslim rebel group in his archipelago’s south. The Philippines will cross to “the other side of the ideological barrier,” and work on alliances with China and Russia, the 71-year-old president was quoted telling reporters last week.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, seen in this Aug. 25, 2016, gestures with a fist bump during his visit to the Philippine Army's Camp Mateo Capinpin at Tanay township, Rizal province east of Manila, Philippines.​

China has said it wants talks with Duterte’s government, which took office June 30, to settle a knotty maritime sovereignty issue. Duterte sent an envoy to Hong Kong in August to start making amends. China is likely to provide infrastructure financing for projects the Philippines “so sorely needs,” said Carl Baker, director of programs with the think tank CSIS Pacific Forum.

Beijing has already helped build infrastructure in other poor regions of Southeast Asia, from a pledged $6 billion railway in Laos to Cambodia’s first oil refinery, leading to speculation the Philippines may be next. “In terms of an economy such as the Philippines, after so many years developing it’s still a question mark over the extent of infrastructure improvement,” said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore. “The Philippine president obviously has seen what Chinese money has done for the Indochinese economy -- Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia in particular.”

U.S. and Philippine marines storm the beach to simulate a raid during the joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise at the Naval Training Exercise Command, a former US naval base, and facing the South China Sea at San Antonio township, Zambales province, Philippines.​

Although the president and former mayor of the second-largest Philippine city is known for rash comments, some of which his government has tried to temper, at least some citizens are taking him at face value.

China's value

 

[Moonglow]

Yes,,,the evil begins(deep satanic voice)

 

[waltky]

Duterte goes off on a tirade...

Philippine leader tells Obama 'go to hell', says can buy arms from Russia, China
Wednesday 5th October, 2016: Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday told U.S. President Barack Obama to "go to hell" and said the United States had refused to sell some weapons to his country but he did not care because Russia and China were willing suppliers.

In his latest salvo, Duterte said he was realigning his foreign policy because the United States had failed the Philippines and added that at some point, "I will break up with America". It was not clear what he meant by "break up". During three tangential and fiercely worded speeches in Manila, Duterte said the United States did not want to sell missiles and other weapons, but Russia and China had told him they could provide them easily. "Although it may sound shit to you, it is my sacred duty to keep the integrity of this republic and the people healthy," Duterte said. "If you don't want to sell arms, I'll go to Russia. I sent the generals to Russia and Russia said 'do not worry, we have everything you need, we'll give it to you'. "And as for China, they said 'just come over and sign and everything will be delivered'."

His comments were the latest in a near-daily barrage of hostility towards the United States, during which Duterte has started to contrast the former colonial power with its geopolitical rivals Russia and China. In Washington, U.S. officials downplayed Duterte's comments, saying they were "at odds" with the two countries' warm relationship and decades-long alliance. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there has been no communication from the Philippines about making changes in that relationship. Earnest did not, however, back down from criticism of Duterte's tactics in his deadly war on drugs. "Even as we protect the strong alliance, the administration and the United States of America will not hesitate to raise our concerns about extrajudicial killings," he said at a briefing.

'HELL IS FULL'

On Sunday, Duterte said he had received support from Russia and China when he complained to them about the United States. He also said he would review a U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. The deal, signed in 2014, grants U.S. troops some access to Philippine bases, and allows them to set up storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations. Duterte said the United States should have supported the Philippines in tackling its chronic drugs problems but that instead it had criticised him for the high death toll, as did the European Union. "Instead of helping us, the first to hit was the State Department. So you can go to hell, Mr Obama, you can go to hell," he said. "EU, better choose purgatory. Hell is full already. Why should I be afraid of you?" At a later speech he said he was emotional because the United States had not been a friend of the Philippines since his election in May. "They just ... reprimand another president in front of the international community," he told the Jewish community at a synagogue. "This is what happens now, I will be reconfiguring my foreign policy. Eventually, I might in my time I will break up with America."

It was not clear if by his "time", he was referring to his six-year term in office. According to some U.S. officials, Washington has been doing its best to ignore Duterte's rhetoric and not provide him with a pretext for more outbursts. While an open break with Manila would create problems in a region where China's influence has grown, there were no serious discussions about taking punitive steps such as cutting aid to the Philippines, two U.S. officials said on Monday. Several of Duterte's allies on Monday suggested he act more like a statesman because his comments had created a stir. On Tuesday, he said his outbursts were because he was provoked by criticism of his crackdown on drugs. "When you are already at the receiving end of an uncontrollable rush, the only way out is to insult," he said. "That is my retaliation."

Philippine leader tells Obama 'go to hell', says can buy arms from Russia, China

 

[xyz]

That is interesting because China is claiming a whole bunch of islands in Philippine territorial waters.

 

[B. Kidd]

Interestingly enough, 76% of Filipinos' are satisfied with Duterte.

 

[waltky]

Cartels makin' inroads into Philippine narcotics black market...

Filipino-Chinese, African, and Mexican-Chinese cartels penetrating Philippines despite war on drugs
Friday 14th October, 2016 -- Prices of shabu in Central Visayas soared due to its dwindling supply as police continues their war against illegal drugs.

The deputy chief of the Regional Operations and Plans Division of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) P/Supt Arnel Ban zon reported this recently during the forum of the Association of Government Information Officers - Philippine Information Agency (AGIO-PIA7) that tackled the topic on the 'War Against Illegal Drugs." Banzon in his presentation of the Project Double Barrel said shabu is now priced at P300/deck or sachet and P16,000 to P18,000 per bulk or about five grams.

In Bohol and Siquijor, the prices are even more expensive at P500/deck and P20,000 per bulk, said Banzon. "The street value is based on the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) report as of September 26," bared Banzon. In the latest Tokhang Report of the PRO-7, Banzon said that from July 1 to September 30, there are now 75,454 surrenderees in Central Visayas; 69,816 of which are drug users and 5,368 drug pushers. The continuing police operations against high-value drug targets netted 2,331 people broken down into 1,184 drug users and 1,147 drug pushers.

As of October 11, 116 drug suspects were killed in legitimate police operations while 138 people were killed by unknown assailants, the report stated. Banzon earlier said there are three big drug syndicates operating in the country and these are the Filipino-Chinese, African ring and the Mexican cartel associated with a Chinese group to penetrate the Philippine market. Our mission in PRO-7 is to clear all drug affected barangays in the region and to conduct no let-up operations against drug syndicates and dismantle them, said Banzon.

Filipino-Chinese African and Mexican-Chinese cartels penetrating Philippines despite war on drugs

 

[xyz]

Cartels makin' inroads into Philippine narcotics black market...

Filipino-Chinese, African, and Mexican-Chinese cartels penetrating Philippines despite war on drugs
Friday 14th October, 2016 -- Prices of shabu in Central Visayas soared due to its dwindling supply as police continues their war against illegal drugs.

The deputy chief of the Regional Operations and Plans Division of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) P/Supt Arnel Ban zon reported this recently during the forum of the Association of Government Information Officers - Philippine Information Agency (AGIO-PIA7) that tackled the topic on the 'War Against Illegal Drugs." Banzon in his presentation of the Project Double Barrel said shabu is now priced at P300/deck or sachet and P16,000 to P18,000 per bulk or about five grams.

In Bohol and Siquijor, the prices are even more expensive at P500/deck and P20,000 per bulk, said Banzon. "The street value is based on the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) report as of September 26," bared Banzon. In the latest Tokhang Report of the PRO-7, Banzon said that from July 1 to September 30, there are now 75,454 surrenderees in Central Visayas; 69,816 of which are drug users and 5,368 drug pushers. The continuing police operations against high-value drug targets netted 2,331 people broken down into 1,184 drug users and 1,147 drug pushers.

As of October 11, 116 drug suspects were killed in legitimate police operations while 138 people were killed by unknown assailants, the report stated. Banzon earlier said there are three big drug syndicates operating in the country and these are the Filipino-Chinese, African ring and the Mexican cartel associated with a Chinese group to penetrate the Philippine market. Our mission in PRO-7 is to clear all drug affected barangays in the region and to conduct no let-up operations against drug syndicates and dismantle them, said Banzon.

Filipino-Chinese African and Mexican-Chinese cartels penetrating Philippines despite war on drugs

I would imagine the prices have shot up too (no pun intended).

 

[waltky]

Durterte back-peddlin' from remarks...

Philippines' Duterte says didn't really mean 'separation' from U.S.
Fri Oct 21, 2016 | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday he was not severing ties with his country's long-time ally the United States, but merely pursuing a more independent foreign policy by strengthening relations with China.

A day after he provoked fresh diplomatic alarm by announcing his "separation" from Washington, Duterte struck a more conciliatory tone as he arrived back in the Philippines after a four-day visit to Beijing. "It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that," the Philippine leader told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao. "It's in the best interest of my countrymen to maintain that relationship." On Thursday, Duterte had told Chinese and Philippine business people at a forum in Beijing's Great Hall of the People that America had "lost now", as he sought what he calls a new commercial alliance with China. "I announce my separation from the United States," he had said, to sustained applause, adding he would also seek closer ties with Russia.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with reporters during a news conference upon his arrival from a four-day state visit in China at the Davao International Airport in Davao city, Philippines​

Clarifying his comments on Friday, he said that what he meant was that Manila's foreign policy need not always "dovetail" with Washington. "As in separation, what I was really saying was separation of foreign policy," he said. "In the past, and until I became president, we always follow what the United States would give the cue." The White House, which had responded to the "separation" speech by saying there had been "too many" troubling statements from Duterte recently, was quick to welcome the apparent shift in tone. "Based on his extensive, colorful previous comments, there is greater clarity that we would like to get about the intent of President Duterte and his government," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing. "But based on what you've read me that seems to be a change in tone that is more consistent with the seven decade-long alliance between the United States and the Philippines."

"WHAT THE PRESIDENT MEANT..."

Earlier officials in Manila were left scrambling to explain the latest comments from Duterte, whose broadsides against the United States have grown increasingly frequent. "In terms of economic (ties), we are not stopping trade, investment with America," Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN Philippines. He said the Philippines was "breaking being too much dependent on one side". Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the president had been making a "restatement" of his bid to chart an independent foreign policy.

Duterte wanted to "separate the nation from dependence on the U.S. and the West, and rebalance economic and military relations with Asian neighbors" like China, Japan and South Korea, Abella said in statement. Underscoring that, the Chinese and Philippines defense ministers met in Beijing on the sidelines of Duterte's visit, and pledged to restore security ties, China's Defence Ministry said.

ANTI-U.S. PROTEST

 

[B. Kidd]

Looks like the Hill-Beast, if elected, can kiss her big naval military buildup in the South China Sea adios.............


"Make A Wish List" Russia Tells Duterte, As New Asian Axis Forms | Zero Hedge