Amending the National Defense Act
Analysis and Opinion
By Karl M. Garcia
The Vice President Elect and Concurrent Education Secretary wants to bring back ROTC and make it mandatory for Senior High School students. President Marcos reiterated this in his SONA. Now we have House Bill No 11 or the National Defense Act Bill refiled by four congressmen.
The bill has a provision for Mandatory Military service with its registration to be handled by the respective Reserve Commands. This implies that the draftees had undergone ROTC Training.
Before dissecting House Bill 11, allow me to share some background of what I have written in the past about the Amending the National Defense Act and the Philippine Navy. I also wrote about Our National Interests here in TSOH and Our National Security Security Interests for the Maritime Review. Let us focus on the National Defense Act here, which I will abbreviate as NDA.
My premise was that the NDA became Army-centric because it was written in preparation and anticipation of escalation because of the Japanese aggression. We know that the other major services like the Navy and Constabulary existed even late 19th century to the early 20thCentury.
Some pundits argue that the bill was rushed, so that explains the army focus. But I disagree because both Fomer Senator Rodolfo Biazon and his son Former Congressman and now Mayor Ruffy Biazon filed a National Defense and Security Acy Bill way back in the 13 th Congress. This has been refiled and adopted by other Senators and Congressmen. The authors of the House Bill 11 acknowledged Congressman Rozzano Rufino B. Biazon for filing House Bill 550 in the 18th Congress. It is also similar to Senator Lacson’s Bill.
Congressman Biazon’s explanatory note gave an extensive historical background to the bill. Senator Lacson’s explanatory note is also quite extensive.
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Here are key points in the bill:
- Prohibition on on the sale of defense real estates, except otherwise recommended by the Secreatry of National Defense (SND), approved by the President and with the consent of Congress; and a provision mandating that all income derived from the lease or development of defensereal estate shall be remitted only to the AFP Modernization trust fund.
- Inclusion of the SND in the Chain of Command. Under the new Chain of Command, exercise authority, direction, command and control over the AFP shall be carried out from the President as the Commander-in Chief, through the SND, AFO Chief of Staff (COS) down to the commander of the lowest level of commands in the AFO. However , such new chain would not preclude the President from issuing orders directly to the AFP.
- The Joint Force Operational Commands (JFOC), as force employers, and the Component services as force providers.
- The SND shall prescribe the authorized number of officers in the regular force in each grade in each Component Service in accordance with The Table of Organization and Equipment.
- The integration of the Women’s Auxilliary Corps in the Component services and repeal of RA 3885 as amended.
- The integration of Technical and Administrative Services in the Component services.
- The establishment of warrant Officers in the AFP composed of highly technical experts, combat leaders, trainers, and advisors who specialize, throughout their career in a specific technical area. Warrant officers shall serve in specific positions requiring greater longetivity to achieve technical expertise, as well as increased leadership and management skills.
- Mandatory citizen service for all natural-born or naturalized Filipino citizens for a minimum of two (2) years.
- Transformation of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) into the National Defense University of the Philippines (NDUP). The Master in National Security Administration (MNSA) or its equivalent shall be required for the appointment or designation to key positions and promotion of AFP officers to the grade of O-7 (Brigade General/Commodore).
- Exemption from the requirement of RA9184 or the government procurement law in the acquisition for use by the AFP, upon prior approval of the President of the Philippines, if it involves special defense equipment, or when the SND has determibed that the interests of the country shall be protected by negotiotiating directly with a local or foreign supplier, provided that such procurement contract shall be covered by a performance security.
- Exemption from import and other licenses imposed by other agencies for all acquisition by the DND of defense materiel.
When you look at the 11 provisions, all are for the nation’s interest in my opinion except for the minimum of two years mandatory military service.
Mandatory ROTC would have to be implemented as a requirement feeding into military service.
Although there are numerous countries that require Mandatory military service, I am in the opinion that this should remain voluntary, otherwise this is likely to reach the Supreme Court as a violation of the Constitution.
Another provision that may seem questionable at first glance found in section F of the Preliminary Provisions. It reads.
f. The mobilization shall include the execution of all measures all necessary to pass from a peace to a war footing or in any case actual invasion or when public safety so requires as well as during its transition to normalcy or rehabilitation.
In my opinion the provision seems hawkish or a form war mongering, but another school of thought is that it only intends to cover all bases including the elements of invasion, and threat to public safety, and rehabilitation after Natural disasters. The original National defense Act zeroed in on mobilization because of the impending attack by the Japanese. History will tell us that not even war preparations inspired enough recruits to join the Army.
Our constitution renounces war (link)
Provision G of the Preliminary provisions reads:
g. The mobilization plans of financial, industrial, economic, technological and social resources of the Philippines shall conform to the provisions of the Constitution and shall be prepared by the executive departments concerned in accordance with the following general policies:…
The assurance that any mobilization plan shall conform to the constitution may be enough as a safeguard guidance to the implementing rules that follows every bill passed or lapsed into law.
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Defense Procurement.
Allow me to share excerpts of two articles on why the defenseprocurement provisions will befor our national interests.
Let us Define National Interest. Wiki has a brief definition.
National Interest is a rationality of governing referring to a sovereign state‘s goals and ambitions, be they economic, military, cultural, or otherwise.
First, this article avers that the AFP was seeking away out of government procurement rules. Let me give you a short excerpt.
Corruption is not the issue they want to address.
The problem they seek to address are the perceived incompatibilities between the needs of maintaining what is arguably the most equipment-dependent branch of the government and a procurement system that by design has to cater to the needs the entire government, everything from buying paper supplies, to janitorial services, to constructing buildings.
These are actually incompatibilities that BREED corruption, as creative solutions to equipment needs also create opportunities for malfeasance. The same way that poor budgetary forecasting create the need for funds conversion . . . which then give thieves a chance to get at the AFP’s coffers. There are legitimate needs for conversion (e.g., using money for bullets to buy bandages). Sadly not all instances of conversion are legitimate but happen because of a culture of budgetary make-do.
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Vice Admiral Marayag the Chair of the Editorial Staff in the Maritime Review has a more extensive take on the issues of our defense procurement.
In 1996, a research paper entitled “Defense Procurement in the Philippines” recommended the creation of a defense-level organization to cater to the expected influx of procurement activities. It cited three components to address the procurement challenge posed by RA7898: clear-cut procurement policy; responsive organizational structure; and a highly trained and competent acquisition workforce. The policy shall consider war fighting capability, operational flexibility, and value for money. In many instances, the procurement actions were “supplier driven” that manifest one or a combination of these factors: lack of competence of the workforce, complacency, higher-ups directive, and absence of procurement strategy. The DND/AFP structure was not designed to absorb massive procurement duties.
The 2003 Joint Defense Assessment found that for every battlefront soldier there was only 3 support personnel, for a 1:3 ratio, far from an ideal of 1:5-8. This obvious lack of manpower hindered an efficient acquisition system. Department-level procurement-reviewing staff easily spotted the deficiencies but did not have a viable solution to offer as they themselves were undermanned. Likewise, while there was a frenzied training activity for project teams to learn the basics of project management their members did not have the motivation to stay on with the acquisition workforce because their military career development would be affected. Thus, until DND/AFP introduces amendments to the AFP personnel career development regulations, particularly Standing Operating Procedure Nr 10 (Officer Promotion System), only a few will join the acquisition workforce to the detriment of the program. In addition, the defense department must create a defense procurement bureau with the existing defense acquisition office as the nucleus not only to craft acquisition strategy but also to provide expertise in technical evaluation, in cooperation with the Department of Science and Technology. Acquiring identified capabilities by an organization that has long depended on a foreign ally would require a longer time than anticipated.
The second issue is the restricting provision on “proven design” that dampens the interest of local companies to compete with foreign manufacturers, and is exacerbated by the absence of major equipment manufacturing standards and rules. As earlier pointed out, the SRDP Program has not been supported since the mid-1980s. It would be unwise for a domestic company to invest substantial resources to manufacture major defense equipment without expressed support from the government. Even the 1994 Marine Policy failed to convince the local industry to invest in building ships for the Philippine Navy. While partnering with foreign companies is permitted, local counterparts lacked the resources to pursue huge defense equipment acquisition projects. In sum, the AFP modernization that started in 1995 practically disenfranchised local companies because they neither built major equipment solely for AFP nor sold their product to two foreign armed forces.
Assuming that local shipbuilders can manufacture naval ships, there are no established ship construction rules or standards by which to determine their seaworthiness and combat survivability. Captain Tomas Baino’s article, with Captain Winston Arpon, entitled “Warship Design and Construction Parameters” (Maritime Review, May 2016), elucidates the sophisticated nature of building naval ships. While there are many classification societies in the Philippines, none possesses a manual on naval ship construction rules. Yet, most maritime nations (U.S., U.K., and Japan) have only one classification society. It is also ironic that the world’s fourth shipbuilder in terms of tonnage has not produced its own warship and only 35 naval architects join the maritime community yearly.
The third issue is the reversion of ISO duties to the Philippine National Police (PNP). In the original version of the AFP modernization law, the AFP must transform into an external defenseforce. This requires alterations in force structure, doctrines, and equipage. By returning to the AFP, by virtue of RA 8551, the ISO responsibility in 1998, and restating it in the revised modernization law (RA 10349), the strategic planning approach changes from “threat-based” to “capability-based.” As for resource allocation, capability-based planning is quite expensive, prompting some foreign defense planners to articulate support for a return to threat-based planning.
Given the developing situation in the South China Sea where the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are threatened, the AFP must prepare to address specific and immediate threats rather than confront known but non-current threats. The ISO has been in the country’s midst for too long but this internal threat has never succeeded in changing the Filipino’s way of life. A good question to ask: Had PNP continued its ISO duties from 1998 onwards would the internal threats, particularly CPP/NPA, gained more momentum and made the country less secure? The PNP assumed this duty only in 1992 (RA 6975) but Congress removed it six years later because statistics revealed the resurgence of CPP/NPA numbers strength and influence in the countryside. How could one expect the PNP to do a job that took the AFP 23 years to claim strategic victory? There must have been a “disconnect” between the national policy and operational reality. Some years later, a foreign security analyst on counter-insurgency wars who was invited to present the results of his study to the AFP joint staff in 2005 revealed that successful counter-insurgency wars waged by insurgency-affected nations were police-led.
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My take is that if we fail to address the Defense Procurement issues, what is the use of requiring the nation to undergo mandatory ROTC and the eventual mandatory military service?
We do not have enough procurement officers to begin with. We should address that first and foremost.
Conclusion
I believe that Military training and service should remain voluntary.
We must address our defense procurement issues to have enough drones to defend for drone swarm as just an example.
The transfer of our Naval operations to Subic opened our eyes that, without enough bases with deep water, our acquisitions of large vessels is just a waste of resources.
And it is not enough to have equipment. We must know how to use them, from satellite phones, high tech gear, missiles, vehicles, vessels, and aircraft.
Maybe almost a Century passing is reason enough to amend Commonwealth Act 1.
But the Commonwealth Act 1 focused on mobilization in anticipation of World War2 which did not have the desired manpower. Mandatory conscription today has no such valid purpose. We should not concentrate and pour our resources into mobilization plans without first addressing strategies, the feasibility of ROTC, and pre-existing illnesses such as procurement.
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Photos courtesy of Wikipedia. Constitution photo from Lawbooklet.com.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Again i have to thank you Joe for suggesting me to write a blog on this, thanks for your patience on editing the article.
Karl, thanks for an article that asks the right questions. Lawmaking in the Philippines often goes deep into technicalities but lacks clear priorities.
You are asking what national defense priorities should be in the present setting as opposed to back in 1935. If one reads about Pearl Harbor and the destruction of Clark soon after, one can see that the Japanese using air power in a modern way for the first time made many assumptions of 1935 obsolete. Tragically even Corregidor as the main line of defense already was rendered obsolete by air power, and the main assumption that the USA would take care of air and sea defense was invalidated in 1991, that would have been the right time to devise plans on what to do next but I guess better late than never..
..hope the article is widely read as food for thought by journalists and policymakers.
Thank you so much Irineo. I nodded a lot reading the second paragraph.
Guys
@Madlanglupa raised the red flag on HB 11 a few days back.
We already discussed a little on Mandatory ROTC and mandatory Military service.
We can continue with that discussion.
And you can seed read on HB 11 and you might find some more issues I failed to cover.
Well, two red flags arise before even starting the read. (1) Lacson is an ardent supporter of the Anti Terrorism Law. That law allows abusive circumvention of due process with its easy jailing provision, and feeds into the horrid red tagging and “guilt by list” abuses of the Duterte Administration. Lacson’s a strict guy so we should see if this bill has any abusive provisions. (2) It is a Marcos family project, so we should check to see if the bill is for the nation, or for the family.
I didn’t have to read far to reject the bill outright, as written. I read the opening sections and practically fell on the floor. Mandatory military service for all citizens. During peacetime. The President controls everything. Civil unrest is among the threats.
The bill gives our martial law scion of a President full authority to declare a defense emergency (like EDSA) and immediately draft every single citizen of proper age into the defense force. Stripping them of all rights, freedom, and due process and opening critics up to charges of treason and military jailing.
That’s my reading. They would have to explain how it is not so, or write in proper rights of protest.
Two big red flags. We still have red tagging due to or exacerbated by the ATL The only good thing I can see is the minority is already familiar with the bill but who are the minority. Hontiveros and Pimentel in the Senate and I am not sure about the minority in the house of representatives.
Here is an explanation from one author about our concerns.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180175
“Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre on Friday clarified the National Defense Bill does not require mandatory military service in normal times.
Acidre added that the bill is not a sounding call for Filipinos to arm themselves for war.
The provision in question is under Section 77, Article III of House Bill 11, which states “in relation to the patriotic duty of every citizen to defend the country when obliged to preserve and protect sovereignty, every Filipino, natural-born or naturalized shall be subject to basic, suitable, and sufficient military training and education for a minimum of two years of mandatory military service.”
Acidre, however, explained that the bill requires mandatory military service for all citizens only when the President mobilizes the nation “in case of actual invasion or when public safety requires.”
He said any mobilization plan, according to the proposed measure, would conform to the provisions of the Constitution.
“Military service in wartime does not only involve carrying guns and shooting people. There are also priests, doctors, nurses, engineers, and other professionals needed for their service in war. Mobilization in defense of country is a must for any nation to survive. Any patriot knows this,” he said.
Aside from Acidre, other authors of House Bill 11 are Speaker Martin Romualdez, Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Romualdez, and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos.”
They should make it clear and unambiguous from legislation to the approval of implementing rules if ever finally the NDA will pass.
No mobilization plans from the president on peace time. That would be a relief if Military intelligence works and there are reasons why there is a pejorative that Miltary Intellligence is an oxymoron.
What about a Pearl harbor redux this time on the PH?
The chain of commend relies on intelligence, The so called intelligence funds are often questioned so it must be put to good use and used by the right institutions.
Still no reason to force people, true patriots are not forced, they volunteer.
when time comes, they would have to close the door, else they’d be overrun by willing volunteers! dudumogon sila, so many patriotic volunteers from all walks of life answering the call to arms! authorities would have hard time picking and choosing.
already, it had been shown, documented and common knowledge how well filipinos rise up to the occasion – for a common cause, a good cause. still in doubt? last election was proof and saw our volunteerism spirit soaring high like no other.
millions did volunteer!
Kukulangin sila sa Arms sa dami ng volunteers.
Hmm, in that case why even specify two years? The state of war can last longer or shorter.
Besides without proper reservist training that provision is useless.
The Swiss for example have 18 weeks training “only” but that is similar to what used to be “basic training” of 3 months when Germany still had military service. In addition the Swiss have refreshers every 5 years for all below 50 or so. The result is that all know where to report for duty when the alert sounds, and know what to do.
Aside from Joe’s caveats the Philippine version of a reserve looks like a recipe for chaos when the alert sounds. And like many measures during pandemic times an excuse for impunity and bullying.
Certain details should not be left to the IRR as they are too vital, but that’s just me.
Good point on the two years and the proper reservist training.
With the defense procurement issues I raised, we would have no equipment to properly train them, we would just use toy guns, toy drones, etc and I am not joking.
Our Reserve training must be overhauled.
And I still do not see why patriotism should be forced. Why make it mandatory.
Those engineers, doctors, priests will volunteer once the need to mobilize happens.
And national mobilization for domestic uprising? You’ll draft the rebels? I can see mandatory service in the event of war or to recover from a just horrid disaster like an 8 earthquake destroying Manila. But not for domestic disputes. They need a lot more work on the text to give assurances this will not be used wrongly to keep a family in power. It has too many echoes from the past.
Correct Joe, the text should be improved. to give assurances for all stake holders. Irineo is correct, the implementing rules is not enough.
Agree.
Col Demy Zagala’s reasoning of a strong man power base(result of mandatory service) is still no reason to make it mandatory.
Improve “voluntary” Reservist training is still the way to go.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165938
All this mandatory or compulsory military service for all citizens in in Commonwealth ACT 1 if it is to be amended finally after more than 87 years then they should work on that and remove compulsory and its synonyms.
The main reason I want CA1 to be amended is because of such provisions, but let this not be a case of one step forward and two steps back.
As to domestic disputes, the worst case would be Congress declaring civil-war. That is hard to swallow. We already have enough forever wars. Reservists are already activated in some of the small to medium sized conflicts, why change that?
One observation is that CA1 only considered the Army, and it seemed that way even with the existence of other major services.
For some reason I think pouring our resources to the Army make us prioritize more on Internal security operations which was supposed to be turned over to the Police.
Now they say every high school student should do ROTC because of Chinese threats.
ROTC can only produce a few Navy officers and Air Force officers because only a few will be qualified to be officers.
For reservists who are sort of on call, without an overhaul of our reservist training, which I am not saying is not included in the plans of our defense and security think tanks, will be like fish out of water.
I now get the point of Joe that rushing the National Defense bill during peace time would make chances for mobilization to address domestic disputes an imminent possibility.
I don’t really get procurement politics, karl. there was that lady there that got caught for fraudulently selling plastic helmets, or something, to the AFP, while making buko bucks, and siphoning profits to her daughter in LA and Vegas buying homes and condos. forgot her name.
Over here its the military industrial complex, but instead of plastic helmets, we have missiles and aircraft by the billions. still the same scam.
But I do know a bit about how the rank and file military works, and a lot of it is good LTs to CAPTs who trickle down their knowledge and values to NCOs, since they’re usually the same age, but from different economic backgrounds, or simply college education but same background.
And just like in my ACLU article promoting John Grisham and movies about law and lawyering, like Erin Brokovich, much of these values and leadership qualities can be transfered via movies and books. ideas is like COVID19, karl. very infectious.
So for example, we have Michael Bay’s “13 hours” faithful adaptation of the book 13 Hours about military vets having moral courage to act and go into harms way, in shorts and flipflops no less, to get the job done. main lesson is human bone fragments very sharp and can injure severely.
Before all that action, those men had years of training and experience, yes, but also lots more in transfering this culture of courage and action via books and movies. they were for sure consumers of books/movies of this subject.
My point, okay, the Philippines is corrupt, kinda bankrupt at the morale courage part at least at the highest levels, but like i’ve said the eskrimadors i’ve met there, were the only ones immune from any sort of colonial mentality and mendicancy (altho many come from poor backgrounds), why because they had something of theirs that they know for sure surpassed others, sadly only Europeans and Russians would visit them to gather all this,
meaning Filipinos themselves don’t value this thing, Filipino martial culture, for themselves. maybe ROTC can change this, and not just stick twirling either but actual blade and principles in anatomy, etc.
So you guys already have this rich martial tradition, plug in to it. Make books and movies on say the Filipinos in the Alamo Scouts, etc. til then read our books and watch our movies. spread it like COVID19 via ROTC, karl.
When ROTC returns, military folks will introduce high school Filipinos who have means, to quid pro quo, they’ll say things like , I’ll let you guys out of this training or something, if you give me this and that. that’s how ROTC was run back then. and a bit of slave labor for those w/out means, sweat equity.
To avert that, why not give the teachers some power to interdict, have teachers as “XOs” to any CO assigned to ROTC and so on down the line, make more teachers involved, and they can be the ones to showcase books and movies about war, but not just
war stories but stories about moral courage, no guns or military involved, and studies on leadership. lots of books to cover on that one topic. So maybe this ROTC program can be balance positive if more focus was laid on LEADERSHIP AND COURAGE. and that’s where
my Inday Sara comes in. Education.
this is probably the best book i’ve read on leadership:
then this one was pretty good too, the two are from two different fields , but same same , LEADERSHIP:
As caveat the quality of eskrimadors have now drastically declined, this is because in years past i’d say as late as the early 80s, eskrimadors instilled their own quality control. they were constantly challenging one another with people getting seriously hurt. these days the model for teaching eskrima is via the TKD south korean model more like franchising, etc.
So for ROTC, local eskrimadors must be taught, for local training of ROTC don’t nationalize any eskrima curriculum, none of this monocropping stuff, let in the variety and encourage quality control, but probably not via challenges that will just induce gang like mentality, or my master is better than your master herd mentality more dangerous that one. but keep that quality control process, just don’t let the method dictate the thing being taught.
The secret recipe is small group training, quality over quantity. if you can replicate small group dynamics and not huge training of huge numbers of people, then you’ll be fine, karl.
You gotta get deeper and deeper too, karl, here’s a good video and accompanying reading:
Click to access nietzsche-genealogy-history.pdf
“Michel Foucault‘s use of the term genealogy, however, unsettles this linear projection of history traceable through a “continuous line.”
His 1971 essay “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History” opens with a description of genealogy as a kind of palimpsest that requires close and careful scrutiny:
Genealogy is gray, meticulous, and patiently documentary. It operates on a field of entangled and confused parchments, on documents that have been scratched over and recopied many times. (76)
Using Nietzsche’s terminology as his guide, Foucault attempts to refute a metaphysical understanding of genealogy and lay the grounds for a new one.
In doing so, this innocuously titled essay neatly encapsulates Foucault’s own genealogical method.”
I do not want to dive deep any more @LCX.
But seriously, karl. all this philosophy stuff will inoculate you or if already done, serve as therapy , to all the sins one has incurred via “patriotism” and “duty” and “service to country”.
Most turn to Jesus or Buddha (or the bottle or drugs), philosophy reading the Greeks and Romans, eg. especially the Stoics. but even Absurdism by Camus, or Nietzche’s will to power, serves as armor when life gets really dicey.
This stuff must trickle down from LTs and Captains, so ensure they are well versed, then to NCOs , etc. etc. ethics (good/bad) and aesthetics (beauty/ugly), this is seriously part of any military endevor, and its free too, you just read and talk, marcus Aurelius, or Epictetus. over camp fire is best. no need for procurement, except maybe for Amazon audible account.
Where do “good” and “bad” come from, when things get dicey, you kinda want some mastery on this topic.
We still have arnis and fencing.
@LCX,
I need your knpwledge of the rank and file.
I wanted to comment on warrant officers that we need them here in PH.
Can you help me define warrant offiers. We fo not have them here yet.
An artice about a Filipino warrant officrr retiring after 30 years of service.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2022-03-31/navy-sailors-filipinos-recruits-military-career-5540616.html
I have never worked with or for a warrant officer, karl. They’re quite the mystery in the US Marine Corps. i’ve also never met a Navy equivalent, though the helicopters in the Army are piloted by warrant officers. Marine and Naval aviation are piloted by officers, never come across helicopters piloted by warrant officers.
Sorry i can’t help you there, but heres more comics…
https://terminallance.com/terminal-lance-character/warrant-officer/
Thanks anyways will check out the link.
Got me again @LCX.Hahaha!
Procurenent politics is more often than not having a favored supplier.
To make it appear yo havr competion there would a fakee competitopn or collussion with the favored supplier still bagging the contract.
That is one example.
Napoles of the pork barrel scam infamy. also scamned the AFP. I forgot her first name.
Former AFP Comptroller Carlos Garcia got exposed for conversion.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/08/05/1839822/napoles-daughter-back-indonesia-face-us-cases
Yeah that’s her, karl.
And this is her daughter, Jeane Napoles, I hope i won’t get indicted for cyber libel and extradited, but I have to say that she has very nice legs, karl!!!
Google the one with the bath tub full of dineros.
I would also just stress again, karl, get high school students into maps. ROTC can stress this, look at maps on salt water intrusion, watersheds, etc. OR even this free map makes looking at maps fun, karl. just right now i screen shotted these two. that’s a REAPER flying around near me! what if they fire a hell fire missile on me all due to meta data? or cyber libel, whatever the justification i would not like to die this way , karl! surveying too as hobby, that or HAM radio operations, get into Morse code, easier when in disaster to communicate.
Here’s the site : https://globe.adsbexchange.com
Which i got from this article: https://www.protocol.com/elon-musk-flight-tracker
When Elon Musk offered Jack Sweeney $5,000 to shut down a Twitter account tracking his flight patterns, a lightbulb lit up in Sweeney’s head: This coding project, set up mostly for kicks, could become extremely profitable.
Sweeney, 19, is a freshman studying information technology at the University of Central Florida. In June 2020, the self-professed Musk fan wrote some code to source the billionaire’s flight information from public websites like ADS-B Exchange, which monitor data like location, altitude and speed transmitted by every federally regulated aircraft.
He set the data to auto-publish to a Twitter account, @ElonJet — and in mere months, hundreds of thousands of people started following it. Buoyed by popular demand, Sweeney wrote new code to follow other notable private planes, a bulk of them added in summer 2021, he tells CNBC Make It.
Sweeney now tracks flight data from 127 different jets, including aircrafts owned by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and former president Donald Trump. That data appears on 16 different Twitter accounts, with @ElonJet still the most popular at more than 300,000 followers.
For his efforts, Sweeney has made a total of $500, thanks to donations and ads on his website. But instead of accepting Musk’s $5,000 offer, he asked for more: $50,000. Musk declined, ultimately saying it didn’t “feel right to shut [the account] down” before blocking Sweeney on Twitter last month, according to screenshots reviewed by CNBC Make It.
Sweeney says he would propose the same deal to other billionaires who want to buy his Twitter accounts.
“I can probably make some kind of business out of this,” he says. “And that’s definitely enough to pay for college here.”
bots, which by the way is the basis of this whole Twitter acquisition now lawsuit, karl.
He said, I think I can improve Twitter by getting rid of those bots and spam accounts.
Good for Maritime Domain Awareness for the Navy and Air force reservists
The topography is foe the Army reservists.
Good suggestion.
Re: maps
For the much needed Maritime Domain Awareness abd Topographical Awareness that you dont get from GPS apps.
Like i said before, it really surprised me to know that most Filipinos not only didn’t swim, but were so scared of the water that they taught the next generation not to swim. teaching them fear. drowning and ship capsizing, fear begets fear.
So maybe as part of ROTC, get high school Filipinos into rowing, or sailing, or diving and open water swimming. drown proof them, and get them into the water , karl!!!
Yes correct. I lost my nephew to drowning, people should learn the basics. All the basics, learn how to walk before you run.
Since I’m not well versed in national security/defense issues, I restrict myself to comments on how this impacts our macroeconomic status.
I presume this will be a massive fiscal undertaking? Where in the order of priorities is this? Where will the funds be sourced? In a country beset with food insecurity, inability to handle climate change, import-dependencies, learning poverty/deprivation is this really that important?
Correct Punmaker
Our whole government spends most of its budget on personnel services, the AFP is worse because it also spends for Retirees an their widows and widowers.
But pension reform is another topic.
I longed for the 85 year law to be amended, but Joe mad good points on why it should be returned to the back burner.
Funding peacetime is hard enough, much more funding war which no one wants to happen but the problem is it will hit you when you are not looking like pearl harbor.
We already are making a mess with the purchase of large ships without a place to park them, good thing Hanjin went bankrupt.
Again on funding, sorry @Micha if I have to mention you. I will because you kept on reminding me that if MMT went full throttle or mainstream then funding would not be a problem.
Since MMT is steal a bit faraway or near yet so far, let us go back to funding sources.
So far the Malampaya funds which the AFP modernization may run out soon.
They might also run out of bases to convert, assets to privatize,also very soon.
Indeed it is a matter of prioritizing what Are our national interests?
The old ROTC teaching and training would not cut it. To keep up with the times do we need to add to the tuition fees, what about State Unis would they be subsidized?
We live in a high tech world, the Microchip wars is teaching us that real time, then recent past has shown the horrors of drone swarms, hacking, power systems breaches, etc
Here we are still thinking of mobilization.
Back to mandatory services.
Would all doctors need to report for duty?
Same as Engineers, Nurses, etc
The difficulty will be shown in PBBM’s right sizing of the bureaucracy. He thinks reshuffling or reassigning would do like what they do to rogue cops, soldiers and customs people
I’m thinking afghanistan, high ranking generals and the president nagsilayasan and left the country with suitcases full of money when it become imminent the talibans are coming! in case china attack our country, like china has not better things to do! it could well be left to our footsoldiers, rotc and maybe the mums and dads and ordinary citizens to defend our country.
baka those highly trained to handle our defense will be among the first to disappear and not report for duty! nagtakbuan overseas, and because they have billions in fund, they hire private jets to take them, their families, friends and relatives out of our country soonest.
it’s mandatory for lower ranks to stay and defend our country, no such requirement yata for those much higher ups.
Then Joe is gain correct, a lot of text has to be fixed because even us can see those glaring questionable provisions.
Plus they say all the naturalized citizens should be drafted too. The basketball expats will also have to be drafted.
National service doesn’t have to be military, here’s a good article:
“We should get to the business of providing at least one million opportunities each year for young Americans to spend a service year with peers who are different from them — by race, ethnicity, income, politics and religious belief. At this scale of one full quarter of an age cohort, serving together to solve public problems will build attachment to community and country, understanding among people who might otherwise be skeptical of one another and a new generation of leaders who can get things done. I saw these effects for 34 years in the U.S. Army. We need them in civilian life.
Building from the outstanding infrastructure of AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, Peace Corps and other programs, Service Year Alliance analysis shows we could unleash the energy of our young people to tutor and mentor students in low-performing schools; support the elderly so they age with dignity; help communities respond to disasters; assist veterans reintegrating into their hometowns; and perform a thousand different tasks of value to our country. The Serve America Act — passed by Congress nearly a decade ago — already contemplates that we ramp up these opportunities from about 75,000 AmeriCorps positions today to 250,000, getting us one-quarter of the way toward our goal. Congress needs to follow through on its bipartisan commitment and fund these positions.
National service has already proven its value.”
https://time.com/4824366/year-national-service-americorps-peace-corps/
Just widen the possibilities to serve one’s country, community, via more established programs.
karl, is there a PhilipineCorps thats bringing Filipinos from all ethno-linguistic groups, socio-economic backgrounds, geography, together that is not military?
In 1980 Marcos had a National service decree which aside from compulsory military service it added compulsory civil welfare service and law enforcement.
Incremetally CA1 did have amendents
and this PD 1706 was called National Srvice Law.
https://www.chanrobles.com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno1706.html#:~:text=National%20service%20shall%20be%20obligatory,enforcement%20service%3B%20and%20military%20service.
But we removed the compulsory part to the National Service Training program implemented 2002.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_Training_Program
Further reading reminded me that Paquiao already proposed the restoration of Mandatory ROTC.
A bigger national security threat if you ask me.
Correlate these:
a. Filipinos vote overwhelmingly for the likes of Robin Padilla, Bong Go, etc
b. Philippine bookstores hardly sell any books these days, they have become supplies stores
c. the pandemic-induced home education was a poor substitute
d. Phil now ranks poorly in WB study on learning poverty/deprivation
e. Ave IQ is low compared to ASEAN
f. PISA ranking for reading, math and science for Filipino kids are very poor
g. Filipinos are so gullible, falling for socmed propaganda
How can a country with this level of intellectual poverty survive the crises of the future?
ROTC if you as Sara and BBM.
They graduated from unity to ROTC.
Begin with Basic education Reform
The BESRA program (Basic education Reform Agenda
https://www.teacherph.com/besra/
Re learning poverty
https://www.philstar.com/business/2022/08/10/2201467/learning-poverty?fbclid=IwAR3WtV6bfMOwR_kde-5nVyaeFrs7Wuaqphg13RypB2cmUsx8PZyb5pO4KlU
No better tine than the present to reverse or correct this.
There s a Montesorri school in Cagayan de Oro, karl. I forget the name, but the lady who founded it was a teacher in public school first, then she got into Montesorri, was fully convinced with the method, so she opened her own day care pre school Montesorri, very school,
then pre school kids graduated, and parents were so happy with her and her Montesorri, they begged her to open an elementary,
success again,
when elementary kids graduated, parents begged her to open high school, and so on and so forth, i won’t be surprised if she runs a college now.
But there are examples of entrepreneurship, and schools that gain a following. Why not follow her model and say apply it for public schools in Mindanao area, then expand, whatever works. from my readings on this, schools that encourage more outside activities tend to make smarter kids.
The point here. hands on and outside, that is the secret ingredient. secret sauce in education, karl.
*very school = very *small school like neighborhood school.
Still a wide gap bet public schools and the top private schools. When standardized test comes the ones who did not well pull down the ones who did well. Distance learning only added to the lazy students because parents answer modules and if parents were not schooled then an educated neighbor perhaps. But I am thankful for the hybrid system now because my kid is sick for the last few days and he was given the option to attend online.
When one combines the Learning Poverty data in the article of Boo Chanco in the link provided by Irineo with the population density shown below — yes, the Philippines is a dense country — and the current economic problem, not to mention poor governance of the wasted past 6 years and corruption, we need all the viable education-centered brightest ideas, conviction and relentless implementation to get out of the rut we are in. Consider that we are running out of time.
Needless to say, the ROTC-centered route is not the brightest, in my opinion.
Values are caught and not taught.
Does it mean that you catch values like you catch the cold?
Or more effort and patience should be exerted like in catching fish?
Like COVID19, Karl!
here’s from Ireneo’s article:
“Instead, they continued with their merry money-making ways of producing substandard textbooks and buying overpriced equipment, like those outdated laptops.”
No need for textbooks with Google and youtube, karl. Though you’ll need laptops. But basics is low teacher to student ration, hands on (at least in elementary), then go outside more, get out of classrooms.
“With the government seemingly incapable of meeting the challenge, it is time to bring the private sector in. Perhaps, a voucher system that reimburses private schools for public school students they enroll is worth a try.” this is what Trump’s DEPEd sec tried to do here.
but the hidden agenda was money to be diverted to Christian schools. thus the state vs. church issue pops up. be careful with that one, i won’t be surprised if the writer of that article is some catholic schools lobbyist, karl.
Just copy what works, like for example that Cagayan de Oro montesorri school, karl, seem like an easy to copy model. Just copy and scale up. not everyone has to go IT and Tech. there s a bunch of creatives especially in CEBU,
harness that talent.
As for low or absent test scores, over here they completely did away with ACT and SATs for college applications. because they did not measure sucess successfully, and just turned into gate keeping tools.
Tarlac State Univ. i heard has a great track record. maybe its that farm kids work harder, i dunno, but find out what the secret sauce is over there. theres these micro success stories, karl,
DepEd under my Inday Sara should have a roving team just looking for micro successes they can scale up to the national level. R&D essentially, karl.
Kbs response make me think that we are under the mercy of influencers.
para sa akin, you are most correct, karlG! values are like pandemic, you can catch it from your friends, schoolmates, neighbors, peer groups, from people around you, even from social media, etc. no man is an island, marahil lang kung patay na, lol! values maybe acquired, modified and tempered, subject to one’s inclination, but.
when we are little, our parents are our world, but as we grow older, our world gets wider and sometimes, values gotten from our parents get updated and modernised, depending also on who we liaised with. and we network and we are influenced, like values like people.
Well said again kb
But based on your opinion on socmed regarding elections, I think you would disagree.
OT: another review of Maid in Malacañang which shows how absurd the movie really is:
https://www.bworldonline.com/arts-and-leisure/2022/08/06/466360/in-the-name-of-the-father/
ahem, I thought imee was the maid in malakanyang, lol! dapat kasi maids, e. there were several in service from one president to the next and most are trained to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil, much like presidential security guards. they all serve.
in the name of the father, appears to me in the name of the mother more like. the father had the grace of dying, whereas the mother . . .
Used to be according to MLQ3 that the predecessor of the new President asked if they would reemploy their former maids. That was just a formality in those way more gentlemanly times. Macapagal it seems broke with that tradition first.
As for PSG, Cory Aquino’s PSG head was then Col. Voltaire Gazmin – from Tarlac – who was to be PNoy’s Defense Minister. That function seems quite clannish and regional too, though in the Philippines I wouldn’t trust my safety with strangers if I were in any important position which I am fortunately not, we know how the place is. Exceptions notwithstanding.
All the more kudos to former VP Leni as she managed with the security detail assigned to her. Though she did have the asset that a lot in the military respect her a lot.
thanks. at one point, leni was threatened her bodyguards be pared to the barest minimum. I am thankful that did not happened. until end of her mandate, she was protected against the constant threat to her life and that of her children. and pink bloom also helped keep her safe.
From an American source.
THE GREATEST SACRIFICE: WHY MILITARY SERVICE SHOULD NOT BE AN OBLIGATION OF CITIZENSHIP
https://warontherocks.com/2018/05/the-greatest-sacrifice-why-military-service-should-not-be-an-obligation-of-citizenship/
Sorry if I post half of the article.
https://www.rappler.com/voices/imho/opinion-thoughts-mandatory-military-service-all-filipinos/
“Primarily, I want to focus my argument on the effects of mandatory military service on civil liberties since many have already cited the adverse impact on government funding. As Dean Ronald Mendoza of ASoG stated, a “mandatory and poorly funded program is a waste of time for our youth (and more likely to create corruption and abuse again).” Aside from costs, it jeopardizes the aim of professionalizing the AFP and contrasts quantity over quality. Besides, why aim for mandatory military service if we cannot solve the issues and problems in the ROTC program alone. And to add, it destroys the exclusiveness of the AFP organization.
Moreover, DND Secretary Lorenzana stated that, “We are not on war footing, and there will be little need of a general mobilization.” In present times, can we consider the CPP-NPA as an imminent threat against the Philippine State, nor the Abu Sayyaf or BIFF, which solely act like bandits? These entities are merely on the state on military expansion and just in the form of military adventurism. They are no longer capable of destabilizing or overthrowing the state. How about China? Possibly. Yet, in times of modernity, a war with China seems less imminent since China would rather benefit from its economic influence globally than risk a regional conflict. In this pandemic, China has already won the war even without raising your COVID conspiracy.
Secretary Lorenzana also argued the “anticipated objections of those not inclined to serve in the military.” This is something that we should also look at. We definitely have a large number of pacifists in the population. The principles of peace, diplomacy, liberalism, humanism, etc., have been the moral groundings of the majority. Also, the Philippines has slowly become an individualistic society rather than a communitarian one. Military service as one state’s objective has slowly been overruled by our natural rights.”
“How about China? Possibly. Yet, in times of modernity, a war with China seems less imminent since China would rather benefit from its economic influence globally than risk a regional conflict.” that’s a really big assumption right there, karl. like this…
China is said to be too busy to attack PH , and it would not dare attack Taiwan because they are still years behind in chip making even with stolen tech.
That is note enough assurance for me, so we better get prepared and our acts together and as punmaker said we should prioritize.
we may have the man power, but what about the brain power?
But nowadays everything is a priority because of the” what about us?” and the “we should be given priority” groups.
we choose and vote for us to be governed, kept safe and secure. it’s the duty of our elected government to manage our country, to ensure our sovereignty is protected at all times, every time, our well being similarly safeguarded, peace and order maintained at all levels. and in return we pay taxes, obey laws and do our duties as citizens.
there are state secrets that we are no privy to, only our govt knows. info gotten from known sources both local and international, all verified and proven correct.
in case of national security threat with war being imminent, that should be govt’s top concern, and not pass on the problem to us, to stew, to worry and be stressed about, to gossip and ultimately panic pangmalakihan! panicky people are hazardous, some end their lives for fear of the unknown, other leap without looking and cause more problems than not.
a good govt ought to be decisive, decide cleanly and promptly and communicate to all and sundry its decision. our duty as citizen is to trust our govt is doing the right thing for us all, and we do as asked. if indeed war is imminent, the threat being real and not fictional, and our govt under duress to say, all citizens over the age of 18 must answer nationwide call to arms, then we all do so. exemption will given to those without arms to hold weapons, naturally.
at the moment, we are not in the state of war! private citizens should not be made to think war is in our doorstep! and they have to prepare for war as the military has been preparing for war for so long, have been to war drills and war exercise regularly with other armies like american armies, australian armies, etc.
so why are we private citizens made to feel the burden of war? if rotc is curriculum, then let it be so and not at the illogical threat of war being imminent. maybe rotc is good for muscle coordination like knowing your left foot from the right foot is of utmost importance!
but please, no threats, no mandate and no forceful enrollments of rotcs.
nodded to every word especially the muscle coordination.
As far as mandatory or Compulsory Services. CA1 was already amended by the following
PD1706
National Service law
Components
Civil welfare Training Service
Law Enforcement training Service
Military Training Service
RA 7077
ROTC LAW
RA 9163
National Service Training Program
Components
Civil Welfare Service
Literary Training Service
ROTC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_Training_Program
https://www.chanrobles.com/presidentialdecrees/presidentialdecreeno1706.html#:~:text=National%20service%20shall%20be%20obligatory,enforcement%20service%3B%20and%20military%20service.
So the call should be do not amend RA9163.
The rest of CA1 should be amended whole sale preferably with RA9163 retained and included in its text.
Mandatory military Service has been questioned and has reached the Supreme Court as early as 1938.
https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1938/jul1938/gr_l-45892_1938.html
GR 45892
Justified Mandatory Military service and saying it is not unconstitutional
“The circumstance that these decisions refer to laws enacted by reason on the actual existence of war does not make our case any different, inasmuch as, in the last analysis, what justifies compulsory military service is the defense of the State, whether actual or whether in preparation to make it more effective, in case of need. The circumstance that the appellants have dependent families to support does not excuse them from their duty to present themselves before the Acceptance Board because, if such circumstance exists, they can ask for determent in complying with their duty and, at all events, they can obtain the proper pecuniary allowance to attend to these family responsibilities (secs. 65 and 69 of Commonwealth Act No. 1).”
And it is supported by this
https://www.bvr-cpaconsultants.com/law/people-vs-lagman
ISSUE: Whether or not Sec. 60 of the Commonwealth Act 1 is constitutional?
FACTS: In 1936, Tranquilino Lagman, a Filipino citizen whom have attained the age of 20, is being compelled by Section 60 of the Commonwealth Act 1, otherwise known as the “National Defense Law’ to join and render the military service. Lagman refused to join the military and argued the provision was unconstitutional. He also defended that reason he does not want to serve the military is because he has a father to support, has no military leanings and he does not wish to kill or be killed.
DECISION: Yes. Sec. 60 of Commonwealth Act 1 is constitutional.
RATIO DECIDENDI: Because it is the duty of the Government to defend the State cannot be performed except through an army. Thus, the National Defense Law, may require its citizens to compulsory render military service. Sec. 4, Art. II of the Constitution states that “The prime duty of government, and in the fulfillment of this duty all citizens may be required by law to render personal military or civil service.”
======
1987 Constitution
Article II section 4 is clear enough that National Service is not only Military service
Section 4. The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal, military or civil service.
guys any new jurisprudence on mandatory military service in the PH?
1935 Constitution
Article 2 sec 2
Sec. 2. The defense of the State is a prime duty of government, and in the fulfillment of this duty all citizens may be required by law to render personal military or civil service.
====
Now I am confused and I think I am wrong.
“Maybe required” does not mean optional it means the option to be compulsory.That option had been there ever since even in the Constitution.
==
Paging @caliphman or @Francis
Or any lawyer.
I’m no lawyer, karl. But I am a PhD in Google which is very similar. 😉
Its an if/then clause, IF the state needs to defend itself (read clear and present danger); THEN requirement will be necessary for citizens to fight (like how male Ukranians trying to escape Ukraine had to stay , either to go to frontlines and/or defend cities , i think free ridership is the main issue).
That “maybe” there, is conditional on that clear and present danger, karl. W/out clear & present danger to the state, no automatic right to this requirement.
This IF/Then clause being conditional, conscription in times of peace (no clear present danger) has to legislated.
Thanks
I will forget about legalese for now and move to hazing and other forms of violence.
It is already terrible in the the Fraternities and Sororities.
https://www.rappler.com/voices/new-school/patriotism-control-critique-mandatory-military-service/
Concerns raised by punmaker are covered in the paragraph below.
“This is their response to an evident education crisis. This is their platform for a nation with a collapsing healthcare system due to the lack of medical professionals. When the Philippines is ranked lowest in reading comprehension in the SEA region, their solution is to thrust rifles into the hands of students when they should be sat down and given remedial lessons. Healthcare professionals repeatedly announce on television that hospitals are at full capacity, yet the only capacity the government wants to improve is military manpower. They claim we must defend ourselves against a giant looming over our land, but why must the common man die when the big man refuses to assert our sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea? They use South Korea and Israel to justify the need for conscription, but we do not share any borders with hostile nations, nor are we under threat of potential invasions. Mandatory military service instills patriotism in citizens as seen in Ukraine, they say, but do they doubt the people’s determination to bleed for the Philippines when the time comes?”
Aside from hazing add to that corruption and other forms of abuse.
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/395868/what-the-youth-think-about-mandatory-military-service/
https://politixxx.today/mandatory-rotc-why-was-it-abolished-and-why-revive-now/
ang bagsik pala ng rotc! it was abolished before and now, recycled.
Thanks. We must be reminded of why was it abolished in the first place and inform people who did not know.
Another article about the subject that might have covered what I missed.
Funding was covered here. Punmaker’s first concern.
View at Medium.com
John Nery also discussed Learning Poverty.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/in-the-public-square-john-nery-episode-philippines-learning-poverty/
Off-topic.
Who in the world will believe the cover story that BBM’s signature on the sugar importations was forged? Who would dare do that? Trying to save face (for local sugar mfg) for a miscalculated decision?
Result: Expect serious price increases for sugar and related foodstuff. Expect serious shortages by Sept or 4th qtr 2022. Then they would be forced to import asap.
On who would dare do that? The fallguy or the scapegoat as always.
In this report it was a case of signing for or signing on behalf.
https://www.manilastandard.net/news/314251151/sugar-import-order-probed.html
“Angeles said the resolution appears to have been signed by Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian on behalf of Marcos.”
ano ba yan! he appoined the undersecretary and when the undersecretary did his job, aba lagot! na macro? managed baga. got thrown under the bus, the usec is!
in case hindi pa alam ni boss, usec usually sign for the boss, on the boss’ behalf, maliban lang kung may specific order si boss na no one is to sign for him and on his behalf. there should be memo to that effect, signed by all the president’s men.
Tama!!!!
https://bilyonaryo.com/2022/08/12/taking-the-fall-da-exec-with-additional-powers-from-vic-rodriguez-resigns-amid-sugar-importation-mess/
The poor guy has resigned, after being given authority to make the procurement. But the optics wasn’t good, so he had to be sacrificed.
That is unfortunate for the Usec. not unlike that Lao from DTI whose anomalies keep on popping up, whom is also a fall guy of the powers that be.
Correction on Lao.He was from the budget Department.That Departnent starts the making and breaking of our nation.
Interesting. Please qualify.
The Budget management for me has the actual power of the purse, it is supposedly Congress.
Why does congress have to investigate anomaly after anomaly from the pork barrel scam to various over priced projects, everything should be under the Congress’ microscope?
To be sure it’s not the originator in the process of allocation. AFAIK, it advises congress on the requested budget items of line agencies. To the extent that it exercises some overweening power in the disbursement of those funds might be something to look at in the context of checks and balances (pun intended) of a normally functioning government.
You are correct of course especially about the checks and balances (with or with out the pun).
What are your sources on this, that he had authorization. Can you link to them? Or is it just your speculation. Seems important to know.
Ill give you a link to a tweet by Ralf Rivas with photos of the undersec’s signatures, and bbm’s. Who in his right mind would affix his own signature FOR BBM in that SRA doc authorizing imports if he wasn’t secure that he had authority?
Thanks. Yes, there is definitely something strange going on. There is also speculation the Marcos signature was forged. The Cabinet Sec resigned to accept accountability. If no other heads roll, I’ll accept your assessment, up from 50% chance of being correct to 85%. But in truth, we need more data to confirm.
Here are two more links as everyone tries to take cover.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/13/rodriguez-has-no-participation-on-illegal-sugar-importation-angeles-cites-demolition-job/
https://politics.com.ph/2022/08/12/sinapawan-si-marcos-vic-rodriguez-expands-powers-of-da-exec-in-sugar-importation-mess/
But remember, Vic Rodriguez is attracting a lot of enemies, since as ES he is the gatekeeper, and appointments and approvals depend a lot on his office.
Actually, the press sec has stated that bbm indeed asked for an importation PLAN, not an actual importation BID/PURCHASE. hmmm….
Maybe they misheard and thought he wanted to import PLANTS.
dati may maid in malakanyang, ngayon meron na yatang boy in malakanyang, though boy did it better and netted a scalp, lol!
Going back to the National Defense law.
The main reason for amending the law is improving on it, you can do this by removing outdated, archaic provisions.
By introducing the same archaic provisions namely mandatory training and service,
I do not care if it has been almost 90 years to overhaul Commonwealth Act aka the National Defense Law, I say no to mandatory training and service.
Incremental improvements have already done by Presidential decrees, Executive orders, Administrative orders and legislation creating the Navy, Air force, Marines and separating the Coastguard from the Navy and the PNP law. But an amended NDA is a big bonus.
And most importantly, the National Service law which will remind us that National Service is not only military service. Lobbying to change that must be met by reasonable anti-lobbying.
Pass the NDA for the right reasons by removing the wrong ones without the unintended consequences.
karl,
What’s the average costing for the ROTC student? i read kb’s UST ROTC and why it was abolished.
And a big deterrence would be how much ROTC students are expected to cough up in boots, uniforms, moral patches, etc. etc. on top of the regular briberies expected to be paid to military officials.
If the average Filipino that will undertake ROTC, and their parents, see the item by item extra costs, maybe you’ll get enough push back.
Aside from hazing, which i’m sure is more the exception eg. like what happened in UST, i’m sure these extraneous costs will drive the point home. for everyone.
I will look for answers but first the estinated costs for the government will be another P38 B
https://www.rappler.com/nation/238310-gatchalian-estimated-cost-rotc-bill-government/
Boots= 3400 pesos
Uniform= 1000 pesos
Plus other costs
Not having to stand in the tropical sun: PRICELESS
to quote the old Mastercard ad which had a lot of variants:
Nice one IBRS!
hindi ba dapat “knowing you’re the hoff”?
There are so many variants:
got it! and thanks.
Boots= 3400 pesos
Uniform= 1000 pesos
Plus other costs
__________________
Thanks, karl. I don’t think this was covered yet, but will there be a women’s only ROTC, or is the assumption here that its only dudes, or that it’ll be co-ed?
As for the cost of boots and fatigues, all i’m sure will be provided by Napoles or her predecessors, just eliminate uniforms, and maybe just make it a local option to just wear a shirt or collared shirt, for the sake of uniformity.
After all, the Chinese in Korean War, Vietnamese in Nam, and the Afghans recently …all fought the US with just pajamas and flipflops.
But i do think squad then to platoon level manuevers are necessary, karl. fuck drill, marching around and all the pomp and circumstance shit is absolutley useless!
tactics and movement in 4 men, 12 men, 40 men units is very important, and will pay dividends well after ROTC, its basically like geography, karl, the ability to see oneself thru time and space, with adversary to boot, even better training. the team work involve!
I would stress, cover history, i know most WWII guerillas are gone now, but a lot of documented firefights are worthy of study, like this:
We have female officers who are productd of ROTC.
VP Sara is a reserve officer.
At present it is voluntary.
The legislation will make it mandatory military service for all citizend. Not sure what they will do with mandatory ROTC maybr we will know in a few months.
OT
Having read quite a bit about the man, I cannot say that it is beyond him to have kept those documents — some of which may contain sensitive nuclear technology or secrets — for sale or otherwise. It is right for DOJ and FBI to search the place through a search warrant.
I will discount however the thought that one of those documents is the long-lost Obama Kenyan birth certificate. 🤣
I ‘m not sure about the timeline. But here’s the relevant info i’ve gathered via Google, NH.
Trump was suppose to surrender presidential documents after leaving office to the Nat’l Archives.
Nat’l archives requested them, unsure if Trump declined, but FBI was involved. so safe to say Trump said come and get ’em but with search warrant.
National archives did collect said documents, but in the course of their search, found the nuclear weapons documents (which wasn’t what they were searching for). either on premises or outside later.
From that findings, the search got elevated to not just national archives issue now, but not to the level of national security, meaning FBI/DOJ generated now.
But supposedly, after the national archives search was conducted, the warehouse or room in question was ordered locked— presumably Trump would not have access, becuz it would be silly to have it ordered lock, just for Trump to be able to go in and out at will.
So let’s assume, its now locked, the way a murder scene would be locked. sealed stickers, signed and dated, etc. as to ensure comings an d goings.
Trump now is saying documents were planted. that’s his defense. it would’ve been another defense for him to say, yeah I was the one to de-classify these (which as president at the time as president, he has authority to).
But assuming we go with Trump’s defense, it was planted (which is what they are hinting at unofficially right now). National archives personnel and FBI personnel would be implicated.
Then that Steele dossier fiasco, etc. (there were others) would play into said pattern of behaviour , essentially it would be he said/she said. Trump of course also has this pattern of behaviour going way back to NYC in the 70s, hence the nickname Teflon Don. nothing sticks.
Therein lies the problem, NH, unless there is solid evidence that Trump took these documents for himself, cuz the burden of proof now at least in the public’s mind is that all this is kinda suspicious they remember the Steele dossier. either they convict Trump already, or
these half baked attempts will only build up and make a legend of Trump, twice impeached, jan. 6 hearings, tax evasion case in NY, etc. etc. now this…. its like the boy who cried wolf, and Trump always comes out on top, even more popular.
Teflon Don.
So there needs to be a conviction on actual crimes. Otherwise, its just free publicity for Trump, and setting him up for 2024 easy.
OR it was Melania all along. 😉
Thanks for that view, Lance. I am not buying, however. 🤣
In Pilipino, I say, abangán.
NH, here’s Newsweek’s take on today’s events, correction leak now not from national archives personnel, but from official FBI source, but i think can still be the nat’l archives personnel that searched in the first place, though it could now also be Melania herself, maybe the Don’s a pack rat and Melania just wants her storage space back to the way it was, LOL. 😉 :
“U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he “personally approved” the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Florida home, and has requested the search warrant be unsealed.
Trump has until 3:00 p.m. ET to oppose the motion, but indicated on his own social media platform that he will not seek to block its release.
The former president called reports that the raid on his Mar-a-Lago resort was to look for nuclear documents a ‘hoax’, after sources made the claims to The Washington Post.
The FBI’s search was based largely on information provided by an informer, Newsweek has exclusively revealed.
The raid on Mar-a-Lago was based largely on information from an FBI confidential human source, one who was able to identify what classified documents former President Trump was still hiding and even the location of those documents, two senior government officials told Newsweek.
The officials, who have direct knowledge of the FBI’s deliberations and were granted anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters, said the raid of Donald Trump’s Florida residence was deliberately timed to occur when the former president was away.
On Monday at about 9 a.m. EDT, two dozen FBI agents and technicians showed up at Donald Trump’s Florida home to execute a search warrant to obtain any government-owned documents that might be in the possession of Trump but are required to be delivered to the Archives under the provisions of the 1978 Presidential Records Act. (In response to the Hillary Clinton email scandal, Trump himself signed a law in 2018 that made it a felony to remove and retain classified documents.)
The act establishes that presidential records are the property of the U.S. government and not a president’s private property. Put in place after Watergate to avoid the abuses of the Nixon administration, the law imposes strict penalties for failure to comply. “Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined” $2,000, up to three years in prison or “shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.”
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the search warrant, will be the judge deciding whether to unseal the warrant. If Trump’s legal team does not object, it could be unsealed by this afternoon, a process Reinhart will oversee.”
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-news-live-warrant-time-update-fbi-raid-unsealed-nuclear-1733106
ps. I’m familiar with the word, abang , but not abangan:
https://cebuano.pinoydictionary.com/word/abang/
ábang CEBUANO
v. 1. rent. Ang usa ka kwartu giabángan sa tigúlang, The old man rents one of the rooms;
2. hire a prostitute;
3. make an offering to a supernatural being for the use of land which is thought to be in his possession. Iábang ni nákung baktína álang sa uma, I will sacrifice this pig as rental for the land;
n. 1. rent paid. Pilay ábang nímu sa libru? How much rent did you pay for the book?
2. money paid a prostitute;
3. toil taken by supernatural beings. Kadtung nalumus dinhi ábang kunu tu sa ingkantu, The man who drowned here is said to have been the rent collected by the supernatural spirit.
paN- v. patronize a prostitute. -an(→) 1, 2, 3. see ábang, n; 4. haunted place, place where departed spirits take a toll or rent. Abangan kunu kanang baláya. Náa giyuy mamatay káda túig, That house is haunted (lit. has a rental on it). Each year someone dies there.
abangán — [verb] to watch out for; to keep an eye out for.
We will wait and see then, Lance. The suspense is killing me. Hehe.
here’s an interesting coverage of the Atomic Energy Act, NH, its unmapped territory that still might favor Trump:
Lance, I suggest we wait for how the best lawyers on both sides handle this. This fellow, Alex Wellerstein — your tweet reference — admits to not being a lawyer.
Again I say that even war tested enlisted personnel become driver body guards and household staff of some Generals even after they retire. There are plenty man power to tap like tap water.
Plus this position to have a technical and specialized in a specific expertise in a long term duration sounds very boring for our promotion hungry personnel.
Without any proper turn over of functions, redundancy and trust of understudies. The length of stay in office would not matter.
Our AFP Modernization was supposed to be for a lean mean fighting (machines) forces
Why insist on mandatory military services during war then saying that it is not just for military services without being explicit about it in the text of the law.
This is not about the spirit and letter of the law.
We have to many Generals, that should be addressed, the proposed solution is a start but it will not work if you extend the age of retirement which is also a standing proposal of some sectors.
I think retirement should be voluntary, maybe for health reasons. not just because oldies have to remain at work coz they still have mouths to feed, their mistresses are getting younger and of child bearing ages, lol!
often, oldies have grandchildren to look after and are orphans – reason enough for them to stay employed and be employed. though, sometimes I dont like dealing with some oldies, their minds are still in the 80’s and its hard getting through them. they lost some filters and say things you would not normally say to others. at the shop, I was comparing prices per weight and the next thing, I have this old shop assistant parang galit sa akin for not making purchase! I told him I was comparing prices, tapos sagot sa akin – dont take too long! so I shop on line.
Until 65 only or 70 but some get dementia or alzheimer’s at a young a younger age, but put that in the exceptions clauses.
Sorry, karl. I did not mean to rain on your parade with my OT post and follow-up above.
No problemo. NH feel free. I do OTs too
My parade needs a little rain.
Hahaha! Gracious of you, karl.
Karl
Great Job.
I have only one point to make:
“Although there are numerous countries that require Mandatory military service, I am in the opinion that this should remain voluntary, otherwise this is likely to reach the Supreme Court as a violation of the Constitution.”
This is the difference between a presidential and parliamentary system. I’m not saying which is better, just a point of interest.
PH is similar to US where the judiciary interferes with the Executive and nothing gets done. Why a non-elected body can impose its will on an elected one seems a system set up for perpetual discord. This is highlighted in the Roe vs Wade issue. The system is rights-based, where judicial reviews bring everything to a halt.
In parliamentary system, if there is something political you don’t want, don’t expect the court to settle the issue for you. You settle it with your vote. The system is procedural law-based, where the judiciary believes the executive knows better in how to run the country.
In parliamentary system, there are only very few circumstances where the court will interfere with the constitutionality of any legislation. This have been well established by precedent case laws. The court will only interfere where the legislation is Wednesbury unreasonable (or irrational), ie, if it is so unreasonable that no reasonable person acting reasonably could have made it
I wish you could comment here more. I already asked you about your Military Service and apparently you have served longer than I expected.
Thanks for your discussion on the parliamentary system and if Robin Padilla gets his way we might have a Federal Parliamentary but I am not holding my breath that man always plans to fail, which is good because I do not want Charter change.
But like this National defense bill. If done right by all concerned, it could work.
Here our Supreme Court until now receives petitions to decide that a recently passed law is unconstitutional or not, they usually correct them selves even after decades is that akin to R vs W? Again I am not a lawyer and I do not know if we have an equivalent or near Roe vs Wade magnitude and impact when it comes to reversals.
If you have read through my comments above you will see that mandatory military service already reached the SC as early as 1938.
https://joeam.com/2022/08/09/amending-the-national-defense-act/#comment-469288
The constitution has been amended, what was deemed constitutional or unconstitutional 50 or more years hence may not be so, if you base it on the latest Constitution.
Unlike in the US where the constitution is a living document (whatever that means)
were incremental amendments happen, here we change the constitution wholesale.
https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-12-26
Dilbert gave an excellent illustration what a living document is supposed to be.Thanks.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/07/22/2197094/mandatory-military-training-schools-pushed
===
Now they also want mandatory scouting for the young.
This I have no objections as long as it is two years tops.(personal opinion)
In Martial Law days it was like this, at least in Pisay: 1st to 3rd year HS mandatory scouting. 3rd yr HS voluntary “cadet officer training” (I was a slacker and didn’t go for that, one from the same birth year but in Naga not Pisay who went for that was Ma. Leonor Gerona the future VP Leni, who mentioned in an interview that she fainted at times but unlike many never cried) and 4th year CAT with those trained in 3rd year as “cadet officers”. Still scouting was more or less the same marching all Saturday morning with wooden rifles as CAT “citizens army training” which was the hig school prelude to ROTC. Just different uniforms. The big day for all was the “Pasang Masid” or pass in review where a guest military officer would see our parade. Except for one bivouac a year not much else.
Discipline instilled? Obedience to marching in the sun all Saturday morning. And having to cut our hair short that’s it.
Cadet officer trainees did more that is for sure. Had to walk on the left side of the aisle always. Had to wear uniform all day even on school days. Had to salute a cadet officer at all times. It not squat or push up on the spot in school corridor. Remember that cadet officers were seniors and SCOs were juniors. One reason I didn’t go for it.
Also SCOs at times had to stand like honor guards near the flag pole.. motionless.. while cadet officers milled around them many to one and insulted them and of course they weren’t supposed to flinch.
Pisay the movie eve shows that aspect.
This maybe location specific, cuz most ROTC/Scouting stories i’m hearing is that there was more field training and /or camping types scenarios than those pass in review stuff.
So although the corruption may have been uniform, the quality of training may have differed greatly, and there may be a sense that folks from Mindanao, even the Visayas, would greatly favor these activities than in Luzon. since you’d have to travel a long ways just to “bivouac”.
Is there polling on this? Because if you went thru scouting, run by teachers; then ROTC run by military officers, but you ended up doing more activities outside, then you’ll remember these things with nostalgia.
This thought should be hammered in to the ROTC curriculum:
Avoiding the sun even if the Vitamin D happens at Noon as you say is priceless.
spending 38billion so students can march and play soldiers is – priceless?
anyhow, if rotc is made mandatory and instructors are military personnel, schools and colleges should expect presence of armed personnel in their campuses and ought to have a safe where high powered guns can be left and stored all the while instructors are instructing students, so instructor cannot just pull a gun to student’s head! or campuses ought to have policy of no guns, high powered or not, in campuses.
and if military personnel are to be made teachers and ‘forcibly’ become part of faculty, they may well be sitting at faculty meetings and may well influence outcomes and decisions. I think, campuses are already aware and ready for this. it is also highly possible a military instructor can then be voted as chancellor of a university! then education is turned on its head; about face! and more books will be banned.
As John Cleese would say, Cardema is so stupid that it is impossible for him to know just how stupid he is.
The Dunning-Kruger-Effect
https://www.openculture.com/2014/12/john-cleese-on-stupidity-and-a-cornell-study.html
Kinda like this,
Or why don’t we just EJKs all the stupids, both types, and then go from there? 😉
Killing the stupids might lead to extinction.
That’s the one! Ha, John Cleese is a god, I tell you.
He is he explained DK effect better than any TED talk speaker.
Got to see Youtube vids of Monty Python.
Literacy Training Program and Civil Welfare Training Service
karl,
So whats the success or popularity of these other programs? since 2001?
that Literacy program seems like our Americorps then take in recent college grads. and Civil Welfare seems like Team Rubicon, i don’t think theres a US equivalent program, but theres tons of civilian groups, especially church and Red Cross type organizations, that usually come out in times of crisis, but if they have a stand alone organization like a Team Rubicon outfit organized by school districts this would be tremendous.
I’ve not read arguments for these programs, vis a vis ROTC. that would probably be a good counter to ROTC, by saying , “see stupids! these programs are a lot better then ROTC, and heres why , this, this and that. i rest my case!”.
i am sure there were debates in the hollow halls of Congress before and after mandator ROTC was relplaced by the national service law.
More on the NTSP.
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1627546
Since you are a PHD in google you must be good in speed reading and summarizing because here is more literature.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318292654_NSTP-CWTS_of_the_Higher_Education_System_The_Philippine_Experience
and
Click to access 41-national-service-training-program-as-potential-service-learning-platform-in-the-philippines.pdf
====
The first attachment Discussed proposals for Implementing the National Service Training Program.
The next two links is about how NTSP leads to Service-Learning and Community engagement.
Your asking me if literacy training program is better than ROTC.
Punmaker and Irineo already pointed out learning poverty.
Sorry to say 10 year olds get promoted to the next Grade with out improving on reading and writing.
Literary service trumps ROTC for me but the institutions must make it a known option, but if people choose ROTC then so be it since it is still an option in the NTSP.
Thanks, that second link i got a better feel for, but 1st link the site kept on wanting me to click on something, but it seem s like , the gist, these non-ROTC programs are set up to be too complex. thus were not successful.
Literacy Training Program and Civil Welfare Training Service,
LTP should just teach Reading, Writing, Rithmetic, karl. forget about other stuff, just simple, run run dalagan bamboo kawayan stuff, then write. then some simple math nothing too complex just enough to run sari sari store and know if exact change is good, karl.
Writing and speaking should be stressed, producing thought; as oppose to reading and listening, consuming thought. KISS, karl.
As for CWTS, again keep it simple, communications, clean water, nutritious food and comfy shelters, get it to front line of disasters, that part is logistics. no theory, just do do do. practice practice practice.
but here’s more on speaking and listening, karl, and fluency:
Thanks again for input and insight.
Computer literacy should be taught as well. But 3Rs should be a priority.
I just heard in the news this morning, that theres such a bad teacher shortage in parts of the US that they are considering people with just high school education and/or military service to get them in classrooms to teach.
You can be only with high school education to be a cop/firefighter, but you need basically close to a masters degree to teach elementary (with all the licensure etc). Granted i feel dudes have no business teaching kids, maybe except for PE and coaching sports, where yelling is okay, but this gate keeping is also a big problem.
Just stick to the basics. ensure ratio of teacher to students is around 1:10, that’s the secret, karl. if not that then at least get teacher ‘s aids to get that one on one time. that’s where your LTP comes in.
It seems like (based on your links) they tried to add on a bunch of stuff like civics, history, sociology, etc. to that LTP literacy training program , karl. when you get PhDs involved, they think only PhDs can get things done. which is a seriously flawed assumption.
LTP, should’ve just been, you get on in the program then you report to a school, principal gives an overarching theme of what they are to be doing, then they all report to individual teachers, and they just teach one on one, or one on two, three, four kids and just focus on
the basics.
If kids like Manga then Manga or DC/Marvel comics is what you’re reading, etc. focus on their interests. then revolve around their interests to teach the basics.
But I do think writing and speaking should account for the bulk of literacy, create thought, then consume thought (reading and listening) and its a big cycle, input output input output and on and on, until death, karl.
Fuck PhDs is my point, karl. (but not PhDs in Google, 😉 )
And absolutely, you do the 3 R’s using the internet, go multi media, just get the kids interested and plugged in to your lessons! if you have to sing and dance to entertain and be memorable, then sing and dance!!!
Change of topic, LCX. I know you detest drone attacks. Biden is your guy.
https://theweek.com/foreign-policy/1007579/biden-nearly-ended-the-drone-war-and-nobody-noticed
Thanks , JOE.
It is a very bid deal. And I hope they get ethicists and warfighters to converged on this to form a more coherent strategy of its uses.
REmember our talk on this here: https://joeam.com/2015/11/22/the-islamic-renaissance-in-the-philippines/#comment-149734
As for the optics and politics of it, I think the Dems or WH just think it’ll make Biden look weak. thus the silence mode. People don’t like discussing ethics. I love Ethics!
They need to drill down on the drones flying around stateside now, cuz although the military halts, i’m sure local/state/Fed police will be more that happy to use it. and that’s no bueno, Joe!
True, no bueno. I’m going to get one though. I can fly it from my home to Naval after storms to check the roads. My neighbor flies one over our place to spy. I’m trying to figure out how to electrocute it. Until then, a moon shot will work.
Ubiquity is an issue.
Surveillance and means of even ing playing field seem fair use IMHO, like this:
https://www.dronesforukraine.fund
How to send a drone?
Step 1. Pack your drone so that it won’t get damaged on the way, preferably in the same package it was sold in, so we can easily identify it.
Step 2. Send it by any mail service to our hub in Poland or the USA. The delivery fee is paid by the sender.
To our hub in USA —
Account #859032
600 Markley Street, Port Reading, NJ 07064
For EU countries —
Mełgiewska 29, hala B / Rama T3, 20-234 Lublin, Polska
For non-EU countries —
Pol-Cel Sp Zoo (Help Ukraine Center), Rampa Brzeska 63, 22-100 Chełm, Poland
If you are in Ukraine —
Bring your drone to any branch of Nova Poshta and say it is a delivery for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Army of Drones. Operators will process the shipment themselves.
I’m more really concerned with algorithms and meta data used to kill. Only humans should kill humans, Joe! But then again there’s COVID19. 😉
My son is sharp at programming. I will urge him to develop automated intelligence applications that can identify and snuff malicious automated intelligence applications. It will be termed the Schwarzenegger Project.
@LCX
You have a problem with remote controlled weaponized machine’s algorithm killing people even if it is people who do the remote controlling?
But you do not have any problem with people using any other weapon including themselves to kill when and if necessary?
I think all killings should be personal and at close range, karl.
Which was how it all began when Cain did Abel. Cain didn’t use a drone. But come to think of it he could’ve poisoned him in person and at close range and i guess that would be fine too.
Then it went from stick and stones to arrows to swords to guns now drones…
My issue, is more on where the decision was made (far away or close by) and who made it, people in suits far away or AI. for example that drone strike during the embassy evacuation in Afghanistan that killed a family, but we were told it was the terrorist responsible for bombing kabul airport that they killed.
There should be a bigger investigation on that kill, karl.
I suspect based on all evidenced Googlable, that it was an algorithm kill, meta data and what not.
I know I know we all die eventually so who cares, but I care. and everyone should cuz that’s not a good way to die. just my opinion.
OT, but T for the actual blog:
I’ve been thinking about this ROTC thing more, karl. and since the bulk of it is under Inday Sara’s purview, not sure if she would also be head of CHED.
But how about using ROTC for the purpose of finding and placing talent in the Philippines.
Here’s my idea:
The military at least here is really good at shifting thru talent, when you go thru the recruitment process you take tests, and based on those test certain military occupational specialties are opened or closed to you. if you’re a dummy, you’re only doing infantry or cook. but if you score higher you’re doing more stuff.
Then when you’re in the military, other slots open up to you if you quality, then more test, and more shifting thru of talents and personalities.
These tests require lots of money and especially the ones that require psychologists and polygraphers, i don’t think the Philippines and HS ROTC can do that.
But you can use the personnel ensure teachers are involved and their military counterparts in to shiting thru talents. sure this opens up for corruption, eg. rich children paying to go into military intelligence or what have you. but the purpose
is to shift thru the Filipino people talent pool, and move the folks especially the poor or not so poor Filipinos that have no money but lots of talent and/or potential. kinda like how athletes are found there and placed in the military to ensure they’re paid and trained. but talent here i s not athleticism, but actual brain power you’re looking for, karl. just scaled up nationally.
My point ROTC doesn’t have to be just one thing, it can be a tool to shift thru the Filipino population to find talent and get them place where they will best serve the nation.
They did an investigation. “What we saw here was a breakdown in process, and execution in procedural events, not the result of negligence, not the result of misconduct, not the result of poor leadership,” Mr. Kirby told reporters.
Some killers kill the wrong people up close, some innocents are jailed or electrocuted for killing no one. How about everyone stop killing. That would work. Russia would go along, I’m sure.
Joe, I’m sure you’d agree that there should be a bigger investigation (or explanation to said investigation) to figure out how said process broke down— again my assumption here is that it was an algorithm/meta data type kill. thus the hush hush. and probably connected to why Biden has stood down said program.
This is not like Cain and Abel any longer, and although i agree we should stop killing for killings sake we both know thats also not realistic cuz we humans, but rein in non-humans making these decisions, because non-human s aren’t sentient thus should not have the right to kill humans. theyre our creation after all.
It is hard to find neutral investigators. Certainly Republicans are not unbiased. Nor dems. Not Middle Eastern states nor Europe. DOJ is not trusted. There are secrets involved. The ICC has no jurisdiction. The military leadership is biased toward results, so interprets the findings in terms of what is best for defense. I still trust the military so rather think you got what is best for US defense.
We don’t even know if it was in fact the military, Joe! Wedon’t know period. here:
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/08/09/covert_action_military_operations_and_the_dodcia_debate_113701.html
“Covert action is making its name again. Back on the strategic foreign policy stage, covert action is a way to achieve diplomacy without direct military confrontation. Kinetic operations by way of targeted killing have become a hot (and disputed) topic.
Even though Presidents Ford in 1976, Carter in 1978 and Regan in 1981 signed Executive Orders to ban political assassinations, the U.S. has engaged in targeted killings through drone strikes to kill enemy combatants on the battlefield. Signature strikes that target behavior patterns and personal networks often result in increased collateral damage, namely to civilians. Some of these actions are overt while others are covert, or at least clandestine in some nature.
So, who does these things? Is it the military, CIA or even both?
The answer to the purview of this comes down to law. More specifically, to the debate between authority in U.S. Title 10 and 50. The debate is widely and often invoked to address when the military is taking over actions or missions within the domain of the intelligence operations of CIA.”
The Secretary of Defense (Austin) delegated the investigation to military commanders who came up with the finding I quoted. Your article correctly states that secret acts are undertaken, as they are in any modern military state from Iran to Russia to the UK to Israel to the US. To Ukraine. Get them all to stand down and I’m with you. Biden has severely scaled back US drone activities so it seems a minor issue to me.
This article is excellent. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/biden-can-reduce-civilian-casualties-during-us-drone-strikes-heres-how/
My view is shaded toward the Philippines where developing a large defense force is not practical, but a Ukrainian “thousand bees” strategy is doable. Drones and small missile boats.
Here is the problem from a different angle, where drones are a threat to the US. Fascinating photo, too. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/biden-is-getting-serious-about-drone-threat-to-homeland
Thanks for the links , Joe. I really think people in general should think more about this stuff, and the ethics of machines killings us, decisions to kill should remain human and closer to the ground than farther.
Re drones as evening the playing field I’ m all for it, I read too some of the US drones sent to Ukraine can also kill on autopilot (metadata/algorithm) but in a pure battle situation and unlike that family in kabul getting killed— i think thats fair use of said technology, eg. closer to the ground. not thousands of miles away.
“I believe that Military training and service should remain voluntary.”
– – – – –
I agree.
Not being well-versed on military matters I tend to look at the issue of national security on the basis of the changing geopolitical landscapes and the socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors that affects world affairs in general.
A country’s economic strength and political influence can overpower and practically defeat a weak and less powerful nation such as ours without engaging in actual war. For example, I don’t think China will utilize its military muscle to punish us when all she has to do is limit her economic engagement with us directly and through proxy and exert her political influence to isolate us if possible. I mean, why waste lives and put your men under threat of harm when you can just shut off the flow of economic resources to isolate and punish your target enemy.
Even wars with our neighboring country, in the absence of actual invasion, is not feasible.
I’d rather give emphasis on establishing international relations with all countries and maintaining and preserving goodwill and friendship rather than preoccupy ourselves on military training, priming and other posturing that is not realistically useful.
All those talk from our past two presidents of Friend to All and Enemy to None is pure BS even in the diplomatic world. They are BSing the (nothe BSers but the) experts.
When invasion comes we will have enough men to serve the nation based on what national service training they have.
BTW the NTSP should be implemented properly too.
I agree it is bs, friend to all and yet terrorists are not welcome here, only big time scammers, delinquents and whatnots, lol!
friends to all and enemy of none and see what happened to our helicopter deal with russia? we are likely to lose the 2billion down payment that’s how ‘friendly’ we are! friend to all and enemy of none, meaning wala tayong backbone! we dont make a stand and let others walk all over us. we are sold cheaply and consider ourselves cheap trick and are treated accordingly.
sometimes, we have to say no! our true friends would understand; our fake friends not likely.
when invasion comes, if ever! we will not be alone, there will be allies, there will be much talks among our neighboring friendly countries willing to impose sanctions and embargoes on our enemies! there will be mobilisations, even overseas volunteers, adventurists, etc coming to our shores and they bring with them their expertise. and war and dispute can drag on, and on, and on . . .
“…when invasion comes, if ever! we will not be alone, there will be allies…”
– – – – –
Awkward!
I mean, we have allies but I don’t think they (whoever they are) will come to our aid in a second if there is an invasion. On what basis?
“…there will be much talks among our neighboring friendly countries willing to impose sanctions and embargoes on our enemies!”
– – – – –
Cringe-making!
Again, on what basis? Common sense dictates that if we’re under invasion other countries will not immediately come to our aid. I agree there will be “much talks” but I doubt if there will be enough action to stop the invasion.
“…there will be mobilisations, even overseas volunteers, adventurists, etc coming to our shores and they bring with them their expertise. and war and dispute can drag on, and on, and on . . .”
– – – – – Extremely dubious!
Mobilization requires prior agreement or understanding that partners/neighbors have approved of as a treaty or have legal basis before one can “come to our shores”, whatever that means. Do we have that contract or compact or protocol?
There is no clear indication on what our allies and neighbors will do if we’re under attack. One thing is clear, they will express concern and sympathy. That cannot be compared to them defending us for sure.
The US is obligated by treaty to defend the Philippines if attacked, and I believe she would abide by the treaty because losing the Philippines to any authoritarian state would be a huge loss for the US. Unless, of course, Trump becomes president again. Then the US would likely shrug. Brown-skinned people are on their own.
That is true, we have the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US. It is an agreement where both countries agreed to protect and defend each other against foreign attacks.
at the moment, philippines is not member of international court, ICC. duterte cancelled our membership with him having a pending court case of genocide, killed quite a number of drug suspects he did.
and despite duterte being apparent best buddy with china’s jinping, duterte’s foreign sec, teddy locsin, sent several diplomatic notes verbale to china, protesting china’s incursion in our EEZ, with hundreds of chinese ships docked side by side and harassing filipino fishermen. and more notes verbale sent again for china’s incursion in our airspace, our airforce forcibly turned away from our own airspace. so aggressive china is!
now with president bong marcos, our ICC membership is not on his agenda. though his overseas trip are on the card and he could well be visiting USA soonest!
He wants to be loved, I’d guess, and would be happy if it comes from the US.
“Friend to All and Enemy to None is pure BS even in the diplomatic world.”
– – – – – –
I think that line is a misnomer. The very idea of spreading goodwill through friendship and understanding is the very essence of the existence of diplomacy.
Anything that will contribute to peace and stability is never a BS.
“Friend to all and enemy of none, meaning wala tayong backbone! we dont make a stand and let others walk all over us. we are sold cheaply and consider ourselves cheap trick and are treated accordingly.”
– – – – –
Walang backbone saan? That’s the question. Making friends is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength for you have the courage to equate yourself to others in a non-threatening manner by being open and benevolent.
Being friends does not mean submission and losing our independence. That is not what the idea is. We are a member of the community of nations where we have a voice and identity and co-equal in status will all the members. Most importantly we are free and independent.
If we don’t want to be friends with other nations, does that mean we’ll just don’t care if we offend and make enemies in our interactions with the international community?
That doesn’t make sense.
My comment was biased and subjective. I have know arguments but I won’t take it back, but your points are duly noted.
What triggered my cynicism is the glaring double standard of FPRRD saying that line of friend to all and enemy to none and yet he is biased when it comes to China and he even badmouthed the leaders of the US.
Now as to the diplomatic world, all I am saying is that they heard that before and heard it many times.
We still have to see President Marcos’s Foreign Policy in Action so far:
Per Richard Heydarian Marcos restored US alliance.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/156105/an-alliance-restored-marcos-jr-s-us-policy
As to Pelosi’s visit PBBM said that it showed us how intense the conflict really is.
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/205880/bongbong-marcos-pelosis-visit-to-taiwan-demonstrated-intensity-of-conflict
??? We already know it is intense.
Philippine special forces and US forces are currently engaged in a month long cross-training exercise in Palawan. Read that today.
Thanks, nice to know.
Some of the older people (on twitter mayhap whose kids were to old to have experienced NTSP or no kids at all) thought that Military service was not an option and offered that ROTC be added to NTSP and some other suggestions.
Military service had always been an option otherwise we will have zero reserve force and zero non PMA graduate military officers except those sergeants promoted to Lieutenants.
We still have no solution to the impending fiscal crisis of paying retired uniformed personnel out of our national budget.
Many proposals left on the drawers and filing cabinets.
Plus per Senator Gatchalian, ROTC would cost government some P38 Billion.(more due to inflation)
Should NDA be left again in the figurative and literal filing cabinets or at least have an honest to goodness debate even with limited opposition.
I hope Senator Hontiveros and those in the opposition n the lower house or HOR would find time to meet this head-on when the time comes.
What’s the fiscal crisis?
I am not for ROTC re-institution or for more expansionist military spending but if the only known deterrence for such is lack of government money that’s not gonna fly. If the national government desires to embark on a project with wide popular support or deemed best for our national interest, money is not a problem.
Here in the US, Congressman John Yarmuth, Chairman of House Budget Committee demolished the myth of federal government spending and has gotten MMT insight going mainstream.
I know you want us to have the mindset that government spending is not a problem at all. Good that in the US MMT is on the right track, here in RP we are not yet even in the failure to launch stage.
MMT is not something that you need to launch. It is a description of how a sovereign national government operates under a fiat post gold standard system.
There are, however, ways to self undermine that sovereignty, chief of which (as in our case) is borrowing foreign currencies and incurring trade deficits.
But as long as the national government embarks on a particular project that does not necessarily involve importation of goods and services like (take your pick) improving public schools or direct financial subsidies to farmers, the national government cannot pretend to not being able to afford it!
As of now PBBM recognized that the inflation is imported that means less importation should be done.
Foreign debt.
I hope we halve tons of small contractors that can go head to head with the oligarchs without compromising on the biding with the supposed favored contractor. Then the debts on infra would be partially solved, unless the small contractor is too small then make a consortium like the oligarchs do.
We see a lot of intelligence funds that is insulting our intelligence, that is a big source of funds that can be rechanneled. The rest that you said I nod to.
We are not overly squimish when it comes to police and military spending. But when it comes to spending for our teachers and small farmers those bloody politicians suddenly become hawkish on balancing the budget.
Yeah and some police procurements like body cams that would ensure Police arrests or encounters are transparent have not been delivered until now. Orders were during the time of bato.
Teachers who have been temps or casuals longer than usual, teachers not paid during elections and many more and yes you are correct.
Subsidies to the farmers yes, we are not like the rich countries who subsidize agri only to dump them in the third world resulting to the third word unable to sell their rice, sugar, onions, tomatoes,etc.
Subsidize farmers to support them because they are getting the short end of the stick.
About the small contractors forming a consortia.
Our procurement law is anti-small anti startup with its proven track record, proven design thing. What the oligarchs do is to find a foreign partner and since the oligarchs own the banking system, money is no object.
Our small businessmen even if thy bundle together somehow they still do not qualify as bidders for big ticket projects. Unless you are a Ramon Ang or MVP all have to say for track record is that they are diversifying or entering a new chapter. To hell with Track record the foreign partner will take care of that.
I read somewhere that we import paper clips, ball pens and other school supplies.
Why o why?
Back to Agri after saying no to importation of sugar due to prior commitments PBBM has okd another batch of importation.
Bummer.
pbbm shows that the buck really stops with him, that he has the final say and that we all ought to sit up and notice, lol!
the sugar importation pbbm signed is half the amount the fired undersec had previously signed. lesson there is for any usec not to undermine pbbm or they had it coming! dont jump the gun.
Well put kb
@Karl, re Monty Python the Ministry of Silly Walking sketch is the absolute classic.
@Joe: the Filipino equivalent of that is the Department of Useless Requirements aka DOUR..
Thanks for this.
I thought, cleese was goosewalking! I think, that’s how russian soldiers march, they goosewalk. though as comedian, cleese had to do it funny.
I must hand it to comedians, lol! there is one comedian that is the bane of putin: zelensky!
Joe,
Here’s reliable info on that sugar import/signature issue from Boo Chanco:
https://www.philstar.com/business/2022/08/17/2203101/sweet-nothing
” Since he was given authority to sign on his behalf thru an SO from OP, he did sign it to facilitate matters and bring down sugar prices immediately. He was shocked to learn that PBBM is disowning the decision. There must be a last-minute lobby by someone close to him.”
Who wins? Follow the money- who’s having a windfall on steadily increasing prices as they dither on when and how much to import?
Yes, it seems he was authorized to sign by the Exec Secretary, but not by Marcos directly for this transaction. So the occasion arose that Marcos signed it, but did not sign it. Haha! MLQ3 wrote an article in the Inquirer about it.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/18/22/over-40000-sacks-of-sugar-found-in-bulacan-warehouse
there is apparent hoarding of sugar.
Sa Pinas kung di hoarding ang nagyayari nabubulok ang gulay at prutas naman na di mabenta dahil mas mura ang imported at binabarat sila ng negosyante at mga bumibili ng mga ito.
bad economic practices boosted by yet another bad economic practices, smuggling and hoarding, ay naku, itong deped ni inday sara instead of students mainly taught to march to become patriotic. students should also be taught it is our patriotic and nationalistic duty to buy and patronise our own domestic products, for the health of our economy and the nation instead of supporting the shenanigans of both smugglers and their padrinos who rarely pay taxes, their fattened wallets fattened still.
or so long, our own domestic products have been maligned as inferior products and lacking in class, whereas foreign products of dubious origins are seen as quality products whereby pushing the agenda of smugglers.
Farm to pocket este market roads.
Even highways across the country you will see alternate smooth and rough rods.
300 meters smooth 3 kilometers rough and so on. Some farmers prefer a carabao than a tractor siguro mahal maintainance at fuel. Fix the value chain and logistics. Then the underpricing and over pricing. Level the playing field and not literally or else children will just play in the field.
Smugglers. Since too many intelligence agencies for them to be really intelligent they need interagency coordination and cooperation.
Here are the problems then and still prevail.
The Gov concentrate on giving away fertilizer and seeds which the farmers and up selling . because of lack of irrigation, farm to market roads and no carabaos.
Many will disagree with the overly focusing on rice, I did an article echoing that here in TSOH.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/123270/managing-agriculture-right
https://opinion.inquirer.net/49495/wisdom-from-the-grassroots
https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/19/latest-stories/bbm-irked-by-govt-failure-to-handle-complaints-on-farm-to-market-deliveries/1855220
if only pbbm do a deep dive now that he still has ‘fresher eyes’ he would know the previous inactivities of the chiefs of public works, dilg, national security, and lgus how they butched up farm to market logistics. inactivity of one leads to inactivity of the other.
tama po kayo, inter-agency cooperation and coordination is needed. hindi yong sobrang bureaucracy where rarely anything gets done, at hindi yong masyadong territorial sila at playing politics. it should be that the closer they are to politicos, the more they ought work hard to ensure goodwill and not use political connection a privilege to plunder and commit crime.
TY
It’s only wrong if you get caught. I think that’s a basic rule for smuggling, hoarding, and shooting people.
bbm seems to be sending signals to smugglers, he is new king and he will have new practices whether they like it or not! it has started with the sugar cartel and their manipulation of sugar prices. if the cartel is dismantled, other cartels may soon follow suit and meet their demise, lol!
though if bbm has been around long enough and has kept his eyes wide opened, he would know how well these cartels operated, and how often they recycled themselves only to morph in another life form.
the pampanga sugar cartel got caught, I wonder what gloria arroyo is saying now, she being closer ally of bbm and fellow covid sufferer! I am presuming gma know all there is to know about her own balwarte: pampanga.
Customs intelligence and NBI common excuse: We have them under surveillance for the past (insert number of months, years or decades)
Still under investigation.
sure! have them under investigations and see how often they attend each other’s parties, sometimes being sponsors of weddings and baptisms, being ninangs and ninongs, that’s how close they are to one another transcending rank and file.
so much moles! and much vested interests. under surveillance and when times comes for them to launch raid like the raid that netted walden bello a libel suit, suspects are tipped off and off they go! haha!
True dat and all of dat.
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/opinion-senator-gatchalian-please-do-your-homework/
“But Senator Gatchalian is wrong in a fundamental sense.
His priority bill is premised on shaky reasoning.
One, he believes that “the supermajority of our population wants ROTC.” He is correct if we are to rely on the survey he commissioned. Pulse Asia reports that 69% of adult Filipinos agree with the proposal to make the ROTC mandatory. Two, he also believes that this will foster discipline among the youth. Without citing any evidence, he claims that “parents want the discipline back.” This is because the youth are all about “cellphone, Tiktok, games.”
These two points are easily refutable”
My short take.
ROTC if another stresser more reason to destress on the werkends.
An added burden.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/groups-reactions-marcos-jr-pushes-mandatory-rotc-sona-2022/
“Amid a crisis on student dropouts and mental health problems, Marcos’ solution is to add to the burden of students by forcing them to go under ROTC,” said Akbayan Youth, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines and the Bukluran ng mga Progresibong Iskolar in a joint statement.:
who needs discipline, I think, senate needed to be disciplined, not wearing mask amid pandemic, kaya sinara ang senado, maraming senadores may covid!
dswd sec tulfo needed to be disciplined too, acting on his own without consulting with lgus and school authorities, the money paid to students may well be used by parents/students to buy cellphones!
as well, had health dept been kept in the loop, vaccination would probly be made requirement to receiving money. vaccinate students and protect them from covid.
schools made students wear uniform and in a way instills discipline with students adhering to schools mission statement; failure to do so could result in expulsion.
students are better off taught self reliance, so they can stand and survive on their own in case their parents die. being disciplined o masunurin? could well make students prone to manipulations of scammers and be enslaved by them.
students should not be afraid to ask hard questions and not be severely punished for asking them. and if they’re not happy with answers given, they can shop around and read widely.
dswd financially helping students in crisis? 1st tulfo ought to ensure student in crisis is indeed enroll for sy (school year) 2022-23, and not previous dropouts!
coz if makoy and fake valor of medal, parents can fake students documents too.
I am presuming, tulfo has approached deped’s inday sara, so the two depts can share latest students enrollment data. making financial help available only to bonafide students currently enrolled in real schools, no ghosts students enrolled in non existing schools.
sherwin gatchalian should prepare himself for major disappointment. even if rotc is made mandatory and students thus disciplined the gatchalian way, there is no guarantee students will keep away from tik tok, stop playing games, and ditch their cellphones altogether.
in short, with rotc made mandatory, students could be left with no choice but become better at multi-skilling, be uber dexterous at doing more of the same. and if students burned out at a faster rate than anticipated, it will be their gatchalian’s fault for trying to social engineer students’ dna. and parents would be most affected: instead of getting the much longed disciplined kids obedient and docile, they got a totally different sort of hybrid animals!
@LCX @Joe
Phones with Drones.
For now its a just a drone with a camera who knows what’s next?
https://www.notebookcheck.net/New-concept-renders-envision-Vivo-s-smartphone-with-an-embedded-drone.549385.0.html
Thanks, Karl! if theres means to make this tiny drone lethal, theres a couple of people i’d like to EJK with it (maybe via novichoks?), then take selfie said EJK then post on Tiktok, get likes!
Lcx what if the incident of Chinese Drones swarm multiple destroyers again?
How do you fight that if it is already on attack mode?
They have EMP weapons big and small. but I don’t know if it can actually stop drones like in Matrix.
Israelis killed a guy with a cell phone bomb, but they got it next to his ear. Who knows.
Oh my, the Isis’ favorite brand is the nokia 10 for remote control bombng. They should phase those phones already
But Samsung had exploding phones before but it was not because of terrorism, but due to factory defects.
This link is quite interesting on mandatory school ROTC.
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“But will these young Filipinos answer a call to arms? Will they rise up in defense of the nation as patriots? The answer depends, not so much on whether they underwent mandatory military training or not, as it does on whether they believe our system is worth fighting for or rotten to the core; whether they want home to be the land of their birth or some other land of plenty; whether they feel they are nurtured, supported and told the truth or ignored, exploited and lied to.
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2022/08/23/2204421/high-school-rotc
Make OFW a mandatory program, isk, send Filipinos to Saudi Arabia, Brazil, even Russia, and they’ll never return! all the Philippines will see back home are balikbayan boxes— but isn’t that national policy already?
Balikbayan boxes and remittances. Filipinos were the first Amazon prime (but 2 months not 2 days).
but seriously people should be clamoring to see the oligarchs kids w/out their bodyguards to also be in the line companies getting down and dirty. with the poor. and unwashed masses in ROTC. even things out. maybe haze them some too.
Joking aside@LCX
Pinoy Wiki editors are up to date with this mandatory conscription and mandatory ROTC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_Philippines
The article cited Article 4 sec 2 of the 1987 constitution and an article lifted from the CIA factbook saying that that there is no conscription in the Philippines.
On your emp comment to neutralize drones.
If I may Interest you to the novel 2034 which the Indians reacted to .because they were dark horse in the novel
https://www.wired.com/story/2034-part-i-peril-south-china-sea/
i am so happy with this website