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Marcos Wealth―Nakalaan Na Para Sa Sambayanang Pilipino (Magugulat Ka Sa ...

2021-10-29T00:07:00.001+08:00

Create Mind-Blowing Artistic Images With Top Secret Photography Tutorials With Step-By-Step Instructions!

2020-01-11T09:58:00.000+08:00

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7 FACTS ABOUT THE NAME OF THE PHILIPPINES

2019-10-03T14:05:00.000+08:00

I’m absolutely sure, majority of Filipinos are unaware of the origin or meaning of our own country name, the Philippines. I, myself learned new things while researching for this piece.

1. The name Philippines was derived from the Spanish name Filipe or Philip in English, and specifically in honor of King Philippe II, the King of Spain from July, 25 1554 – November 17, 1558.

2. “Lover of horses” is the meaning of “Philip” is a common name among Christians. Philip who was also called “the evangelist”, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

3. Samar and Leyte were originally referred to of the name Philippines by Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos in 1543.

4. Las islas Filipinas was originally the Spanish name of the Philippines.

5. Las islas de San Lázaro or Saint Lazarus Island in English, was the name coined by Ferdinand Magellan when he arrived in 1521. In honor of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha who was raised by Jesus Christ from death.

6. Other variations of the present name Philippines.
Pilipinas – the Filipino term.
Republika ng Pilipinas – the official name in Filipino.
Republic of the Philippines – in English.

7. Several renaming of the Philippines. There had been several controversies regarding the renaming of the Philippines. One proposal in the 1990s was reverting it to its Spanish name “Filipinas”. The other was “Mahárlika” (noble warrior) during Ferdinand Marcos in 1978.

A Big Big Upgrade Of the Philippines

2019-09-22T11:47:00.000+08:00

New Manila International Airport

MANILA - San Miguel Corp on Friday released a number of design options for the proposed New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulakan, Bulacan.

The proposed P734 billion airport will have 4 runways, expandable up to 6, with a capacity of 100 million passengers every year, San Miguel said in a statement.

The new airport is expected to bring "trillions of dollars" in economic activity, 35 million tourists annually as well 30 million tourism-related jobs for people in Bulacan and nearby provinces, the company said.

"It will provide more and better livelihood opportunities, not to take them away, ensure environmental balance and enhance resilience against calamities, because it’s the right thing to do," SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said.

"In other words, we envision a brighter future for everyone, but we know what’s worth achieving isn’t necessarily easy. We will face rough waters along the way, that’s why we need everybody’s help and support to make this dream a reality," he added.

inside design

San Miguel is waiting for the "Notice of Award" from the government before it can start the construction of the project.

Its unsolicited proposal to build the airport was unopposed during the recently concluded Swiss challenge, required for every public-private partnership projects.

New Manila Airport MasterPlan:

New Manila Bay

World's Biggest "Smart City" to Rise in Manila Bay

Talks of the proposed city's development began as early as 2017, and a memorandum of agreement to carry out the project was signed by Manila mayor Joseph Estrada and Pasay City mayor Antonino Calixto in November 2018. The proposal for New Manila Bay City of Pearl was developed by a consortium led by local company UAA Kinming Group Development Corp., in partnership with a global mix of partners from China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and other regions. It promises a city featuring a central business district, along with residential, retail, entertainment, medical, education, sports, and other facitlities.

The 407-hectare project would, however, require some of Manila Bay's waters to be converted to land, which is why the reclamation project has drawn flak from green groups in the Philippines.

In a post on their Facebook page, the Earth Island Insitute Philippines warned of the negative impacts of reclamation projects. "Garbage pollution is not the only [thing] that [is] destroying the coast of the city. Reclamation, which is an irreversible project, poses a greater threat to the environment and the livelihood of thousands of [fisherfolk] living in the coastal communities of Mega Manila."

Mega Manila Subway

Description: This is aimed to be a 25-kilometer underground transportation system connecting major business districts and government centers. In its first year, it is expected to serve 370,000 passengers per day.

Estimated Budget: P227 billion

Implementing Agency: Department of Transportation (DoTr)

Estimated Start Date: March 1, 2015

Estimated Closure Date: 2024

Source of Funding: Official Development Assistance (ODA)

Mindanao Railway: Tagum-Davao City-Digos Segment

Mindanao Railway | media.philstar

Description: This is a 105-kilometer segment of the larger 830-kilometer Mindanao Railway system. This railway network will connect major cities, seaports and economic zones. This segment of the railway network is expected to serve 100,000 passengers daily.

Estimated Budget: P31.5 billion

Implementing Agency: DoTr

Estimated Start Date: Oct. 28, 2015

Estimated Closure Date: 2021

Source of Funding: General Appropriations Act (GAA)

NLEX-SLEX Connector Road

by media.philstar.com

Description: This involves the construction, operation and maintenance of a eight-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway over the Philippine National Railway (PNR). It runs from C3 Road in Caloocan through Manila crossing Espana towards PUP in Sta. Mesa connecting to Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3.

Estimated Budget: P23.30 billion

Implementing Agency: Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

Estimated Start Date: Sept. 3, 2016

Estimated Closure Date: Sept. 30, 2020

Source of Funding: Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

Bonifacio Global City to Ortigas Road Link Project, Sta. Monica-Lawton Bridge and Viaduct (Phase I & II-A)

Description: This project involves the construction of a four-lane bridge 9across Pasig River and a four-lane viaduct structure traversing Lawton Avenue toward the entrance to Bonifacio Global City.

Estimated Budget: P4.01 billion

Implementing Agency: DPWH

Estimated Start Date: April 3, 2017

Estimated Closure Date: March 31, 2020

Source of Funding: GAA

Philippine National Railways (PNR) North 1

Photo by media.philstar.com

Description: This is a 38-kilometer railway line that will connect Malolos, Bulacan to Metro Manila. This will reduce travel time between these areas from over one and a half hours to 35 minutes once this line is fully operational. This is expected to serve over 300,000 passengers daily in its first year of operation.

Estimated Budget: P105.3 billion

Implementing Agency: DoTr

Estimated Start Date: June 16, 2014

Estimated Closure Date: Dec. 1, 2021

Source of Funding: ODA

PNR North 2

PNR North 2 | media.philstar

Description: This is a 69.5-kilometer rail line extending PNR North 1, connecting Metro Manila to Clark International Airport (CIA) and Clark Green City. It will reduce travel time between Metro Manila and CIA to 56 minutes.

Estimated Budget: P150 billion

Implementing Agency: DoTr

Estimated Start Date: Nov. 30, 2016

Estimated Closure Date: N/A

Source of Funding: ODA

PNR South Commuter

Photo by media.philstar

Description: This is a 72-kilometer line connecting Manila and Los Banos, Laguna expected to serve over 300,000 commuters daily in its first year. This will make travel time between the two places less than one hour.

Estimated Budget: P134 billion

Implementing Agency: DoTr

Estimated Start Date: Dec. 31, 2014

Estimated Closure Date: N/A

Source of Funding: ODA

Most Intense Archaeological Discoveries and History of the Philippines

2019-09-15T16:26:00.000+08:00

This article discusses Filipino inventions and discoveries the details the indigenous arts and techniques, cultural inventions, scientific discoveries and contributions of the people of Philippine islands — both ancient and modern state of the Philippines.

Since ancient times, Filipinos has accumulated knowledge and developed technology stemmed from necessities; from were done. Parsa Habib. 9701 navigation knowledge, traditional shipbuilding technology, textile techniques, food processing to Architecture, indigenous arts and techniques, cultural inventions, scientific discoveries and contributions of the people of Philippine archipelago — both ancient and modern state of the Philippines

Fashion

The barong Tagalog (or simply baro, but commonly incorrectly called barong), an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked (similar to a coat/dress shirt), over an undershirt. It is usually worn by men during weddings, banquets, and other such formal events. Women wearing the barong Tagalog is uncommon, but not unheard of. The term "barong Tagalog" literally means "a Tagalog dress" in the Tagalog language. The baro was popularized as formal wear by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, who wore it to most official and personal affairs, including his inauguration as president.

The Baro’t saya (also known as Filipiniana) is an embroidered dress and is worn by women. The name is a contraction of the

Tagalog words barò at saya, meaning "dress (blouse) and skirt".^[1]^[2]

Bahag is a loincloth that was commonly used throughout the Philippines before the arrival of European colonizers, and which is used by some indigenous tribes of the Philippines today - most notably the Cordillerans in Northern Luzon.^[3]^[4]

Literature and arts[edit]

The Hudhud consists of narrative chants performed mainly by elder Ifugao women usually during the rice sowing season, at harvest time and at funeral wakes and rituals.^[5]

Pabása is a Catholic devotion in the Philippines popular during Holy Week involving the uninterrupted chanting of the Pasyón, an early 16th-century epic poem narrating the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.^[6] The verses are based on the bible and practiced every holy week.

Weapons[edit]

Swords and bladed weapons[edit]

Panabas is a curved-blade weapon.

The panabas is a large, forward-curved sword, used by certain ethnic groups in the southern Philippines. Its length varied from two to four feet, and was either wielded with one hand or with both. It was used as a combat weapon, as an execution tool, and as a display of power. Occasional use as an agricultural and butchering tool has also been noted. The sword's name is a shortening of the word "pang-tabas", which means "chopping tool". As such, its etymological origins are the root word tabas ("to chop off").

Balisong

The Balisong (a type of butterfly knife or fan knife) is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. It is sometimes called a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas, where it is traditionally made. In the hands of a trained user, the knife blade can be brought to bear quickly using one hand. Manipulations, called "flipping" or "fanning", are performed for art or amusement.
The barong or barung, is a short sword with a leaf-shaped blade, widely used in the island of Mindanao.
The gunong or punyál (also known as puñal de kris or kris knife) is a knife from Mindanao. It is essentially a diminutive form of the larger kalis or kris. The gunong serves both as a utility knife and as a thrusting weapon used for close quarter fighting – usually as a last defense. It is most often associated with the ethnic Maranao, among whom the gunong was traditionally carried by both sexes. The weapon is generally tucked into the back of a waist sash.

A kampilan hilt is sometimes wrapped with rattan to improve the grip. The two holes on the crossguard are where the metal "staples" (C- or U-shaped) go, as additional protection for the wielder's hand.

The kampilan is a type of single-edged long sword, used on the islands of Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon. The kampilan has a distinct profile, with the tapered blade being much broader and thinner at the point than at its base, sometimes with a protruding spikelet along the flat side of the tip and a bifurcated hilt which is believed to represent a mythical creature's open mouth. A notable wielder of the kampilan was Lapu-Lapu (the king of Mactan) and his warriors, who defeated the Spaniards and killed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan at the Battle of Mactan in 1521. The mention of the kampilan in ancient Filipino epics originating from other non-Muslim areas such as the Hiligaynon Hinilawod and the Ilocano Biag ni Lam-Ang is possible evidence for the sword's widespread usage throughout the archipelago during pre-Hispanic times
The kalis is a type of double-edged Filipino sword, often with a "wavy" section, similar to a keris. Just like the keris, the Kalis's double-edged blade can be used for both cutting and thrusting; except that the Kalis is much larger than most Kerises, making it a sword rather than a dagger. The wavy portion of the kalis is said to be meant to facilitate easier slashing in battle - since a straight edge tends to get stuck in the opponent's bones, the wavy portion allows the kalis' bearer to more easily pull the weapon out of his opponent's body.^[7]

Firearms/projectile weapons[edit]

Two lantakas

The lantaka (also known as kanyon in Tagalog) were a type of bronze swivel gun mounted on merchant vessels travelling the waterways of Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial South East Asia especially in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The guns were used to defend against pirates demanding tribute for the local chief, or potentate. Although most lantaka weighed under two hundred pounds, and many only a few pounds, the largest ones exceeded a thousand pounds, and some weighed over a ton. Many of these guns were mounted on swivels and were known as swivel guns. The smaller ones could be mounted almost anywhere including in the rigging. Medium-sized cannon were frequently used in reinforced sockets on the vessel's rails and were sometimes referred to as rail guns. The heaviest swivel guns were mounted on modified gun carriages to make them more portable.^[8] High quality metal casting, artillery, and other metal works had been traditions throughout the ancient Philippines. The metal smith, or panday piray of Pampanga was skilled at making weapons, and many individuals with the surnames Viray and Piray are said to be descendants of people who were once members of the guild of smiths who followed the tradition of the panday pira.^[9] Ancient peoples used small arquebuses, or portable cannons made up of bronze. Larger cannons, on the other hand, were made of iron and resembling culverins provided heavier firepower. The iron cannon at Rajah Sulaiman III's house was about 17 feet long and was made from clay and wax moulds.^[9]

Construction and civil engineering[edit]

The model of a Torogan

The Igorots built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC.^[10]

The Idjang is triangular hil-to citadel of the Ivatan people of the northern islands of Batanes, these idjangs are built fortifications to protect themselves during times of war. They built their so-called idjangs on hills and elevated areas.^[11] These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles would be via a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers and could be kept away when invaders arrived. ^[11]

Torogan was a symbol of high social status. Such a residence was once a home to a Lakan , Rajah's sultan or Datu in the Philippine archipelago a Torogan is elevated above the ground by its columns cut from trees of huge girth. Its walls are covered with plywood sticks and the roof thatched with dried coconut leaves. There is no interior partition, so it appears as a huge hall. Apart from the basic elements of this structure, it is intricately engraved with the flowing geometries of the Maranaw design system called okir. A Torogan will never be complete without the legendary bird, Sarimanok being displayed inside. Furniture is also common among Maranaws. one of the example was the Kawayan Torogan, built by Sultan sa Kawayan Makaantal in Bubung Malanding, Marantao, Lanao del Sur, the last remaining habitable Torogan, was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2008.^[12]

Music and instruments[edit]

A lute or Kutiyapi from Mindanao bearing Ukkil motifs

A five-key bamboo version regularly used in performances by Kontra-Gapi, a modern ethnic music ensemble from the Philippines

OPM include musical performance arts in the Philippines or by Filipinos composed in various genres and styles. The compositions are often a mixture of different Asian, Spanish, Latin American, American, and indigenous influences.^[13] ^[14]

The Kudyapi is a Philippine two-stringed, fretted boat-lute. It is the only stringed instrument among the people of Visayas and Mindanao, and one of several among other groups such as the Maranao and Manobo. It is four to six feet long with nine frets made of hardened beeswax. The instrument is carved out of solid soft wood such as that from the jackfruit tree. The kudyapi has been found among groups such as the Visayans whose prevalence just like the kubing and other musical instruments are and/or were found in other parts of the Philippines.^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]
Palendag, also called Pulalu (Manobo^[21] and Mansaka), Palandag (Bagobo),^[22] Pulala (Bukidnon) and Lumundeg (Banuwaen) is a type of Philippine bamboo flute, the largest one used by the Maguindanaon. A smaller type of this instrument is called the Hulakteb (Bukidnon).^[23] A lip-valley flute, it is considered the toughest of the three bamboo flutes (the others being the tumpong and the suling) to use because of the way one must shape one's lips against its tip to make a sound.^[24] The construction of the mouthpiece is such that the lower end is cut diagonally to accommodate the lower lip and the second diagonal cut is make for the blowing edge. Among the Bukidnon, a similar instrument with the same construction except that it is three-fourths the length of the palendag, is called the hulakteb.^[23]

gambang, properly called a gambang kayu ('wooden gambang') is a xylophone-like instrument used among peoples of Indonesia and the southern Philippines in gamelan and kulintang, with wooden bars as opposed to the metallic ones of the more typical metallophones in a gamelan. A largely obsolete instrument, the gambang gangsa, is a similar instrument made with metal bars.^[25]^[26]

gandingan is a Philippine set of four large, hanging gongs used by the Maguindanao as part of their kulintang ensemble. When integrated into the ensemble, it functions as a secondary melodic instrument after the main melodic instrument, the kulintang. When played solo, the gandingan allows fellow Maguindanao to communicate with each other, allowing them to send messages or warnings via long distances. This ability to imitate tones of the Maguindanao language using this instrument has given the gandingan connotation: the “talking gongs.”^[27]

Transportation and mobility[edit]

Jeepneys around Manila

Marine vessels[edit]

The balangay replica docked at CCP Harbor Manila after its South East Asian expedition

The balangay was the first wooden marine vessel ever excavated in Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Butuan boat, as nine specimens of these boats, dating back to pre-Hispanic times (the earliest being in 320 CE), were discovered in 1976, Butuan, Mindanao. It is believed that the Austronesians migrated to the Philippine archipelago, riding the balangay. When the first Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they found the Filipinos living in well-organized independent villages called "baranggáy". The name barangay originated from balangay, the Austronesian word for "sailboat".

The Karakoa was an ancient warship in the Philippines by the Visayan and Kapampangan people built out of plank fastened with stakes, fitted with accoutrements necessary for searading (mangayaw), slaves and occasional bride.^[28] Pedro Chirino, a Spanish friar and a historian, said on his book Relacion de las Islas Filipinas that Karakoa was three times faster than a Spanish Galleon, in the book detailed how friar Francisco Alcina a keen shipwright admired the efficiency of the vessels crafted by the native Visayans, There were 2,000 Kapampangan belligerents in the Battle of Bangkusay who boarded on 40 Karakoas.^[29]

The vinta (locally known as lepa-lepa or sakayan) is a traditional boat, made by ethnic Bajau and Tausūg, living in Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago, North Kalimantan (Indonesia), and Sabah (Malaysia). These boats, sporting a single, colorful sail, are used for inter-island transport of people and goods. Zamboanga City is known for these vessels.

Land transport[edit]

The Jeepney, a modified military jeep, is the most common form of transportation in the country today. After independence from the United States was declared in 1946, there was a surplus of American military jeeps in the country. Filipinos then modified these vehicles to serve as makeshift buses. Since then, this ubiquitous vehicle has faced a lot of innovative transformations until the modern “E-Jeepney” was finally introduced in Metro Manila and Bacolod.

Food techniques[edit]

Chicken adobo

A cup of Taho

Adobo (meaning "marinade," "sauce" or "seasoning") is the name of a popular dish and cooking process in Filipino cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in a sauce of vinegar and garlic, browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade. Although it has a name taken from the Spanish, the cooking method is indigenous to the Philippines. Dishes prepared in this manner eventually came to be known by this name, with the original term for the dish now lost to history.^[30]^[31]

Before the Spaniards came, early Filipinos cooked their food minimally by roasting, steaming or boiling. To keep it fresh longer, food was often cooked by immersion in vinegar and salt. Thus, early Filipinos could have been cooking its meat in vinegar, which is the basic process in making adobo. The process of adobo was an ancient method dating back to the Classical Period of preserving the pork and chicken meats. since there was no refrigeration at the time.^[32]

Sinigang

Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory flavor most often associated with tamarind (sampalok). It is one of the popular dishes in Philippine cuisine.
The recipe for banana catsup was created by Maria Orosa y Ylagan. Banana catsup is used as a substitute for tomato catsup, widely popularized by Max's, one of the biggest fried chicken restaurant chains in the Philippines. Orosa also experimented with foods native to the Philippines and formulated food products like calamansi nip, a desiccated and powdered form of calamansi that could be used to make calamansi juice, and a powdered preparation of soya-beans called Soyalac, a "magic food" preparation which helped save the lives of thousands of Filipinos, Americans, and other nationals who were held prisoner in different Japanese concentration

camps.

a bowl of Halo-halo.

Halo-halo (Tagalog: [haluˈhaloʔ], "mixed together") is a popular Filipino dessert with mixtures of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various ingredients, including boiled sweet beans, coconut, sago, gulaman (agar jelly), tubers and fruits. It is served in a tall glass or bowl.^[33] The similar Visayan dessert binignit is also referred to as ginataang halo-halo in Tagalog ("halo-halo in coconut milk"), commonly shortened to ginataan. It is made with mostly the same ingredients, although the latter is usually served hot.^[34]^[35]

Package of palitaw

Palitaw (from litaw, the Tagalog word for "float" or "rise") is a small, flat, sweet rice cake eaten in the Philippines. They are made from washed, soaked, and ground malagkit (sticky rice). After excess water is let out from the grinding process, scoops of the batter are rolled and flattened to a circular shape and cooked by dropping into boiling water; floating to the surface is an indication that they're done. Before serving, they are dipped in grated coconut, and presented with a separate mix of sugar and toasted sesame seeds.^[36]

Otap (sometimes spelled utap) is an oval-shaped^[37] puff pastry in the Philippines, especially common in Cebu where it originated.^[38] It usually consists of a combination of flour, shortening, coconut, and sugar. In order to achieve the texture of the pastry, it must undergo an eleven-stage baking process.

Bibingka is a type of rice cake from the Philippines usually eaten during the Christmas season. It is traditionally cooked in clay pots lined with banana leaves. Bibingka is also used as a general term for desserts made with flour and baked in the same manner. The term can be loosely translated to "[rice] cake".^[39]

Puto wraped in a banana leaf.

Puto is a type of steamed rice cake usually served as snack or as accompaniment to savory dishes such as dinuguan or pancit in Philippine cuisine and believed is to be derived from the Kerala dish puttu. It is eaten as is or with cheese and/or grated fresh coconut, or as an accompaniment to a number of savoury viands (most notably, dinuguan). The most common shape of the putuhán or steamer used in making puto is round, rangingfrom 30 to 60 centimetres (12 to 24 in) in diameter and between 2 to 5 centimetres (0.79 to 1.97 in) deep. These steamers are rings made of either soldered sheet metal built around a perforated pan, or of thin strips of bent bamboo enclosing a flat basket of split bamboo slats (similar to a dim sum steamer basket). The cover is almost always conical to allow the condensing steam to drip along the perimeter instead of on the cakes.^[40]^[41]^[42]
kutsinta is a type of steamed rice cake (puto) found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of rice flour, brown sugar and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, and steamed in small ramekins. The cooked cakes are topped with fresh grated meat from mature coconut.^[43] It is consumed year-round as a merienda or snack, and is frequently sold along with puto. Unlike its counterpart, which has a doughy texture, kutsina has a jelly-like, chewy consistency. It can be also enhanced by adding latik for a sweeter taste.

Taho is a Filipino snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal (sweetener and flavoring), and sago pearl (similar to tapioca pearls).^[44] This staple comfort food is a signature sweet and taho peddlers can be found all over the country. The Indonesian equivalent of this snack is Tauhue, and the Malaysian equivalent of this snack is called Taufufah.

Modern technologies[edit]

It may take up to 3 days (72 hours) before someone can be rescued from a disaster. Without any life-saving tools on hand, survival rate is significantly reduced. Such was the inspiration behind Rescue 72, a life vest and survival kit in one. Its inventor, Danvic Briones, drew inspiration from the sad fate of several Typhoon Ondoy victims. Rescue 72 is equipped with compartments into which one can put water-proof bags containing first aid kits, water, light snacks, and other items essential for survival.^[45]

Diosdado Banatao developed the first single-chip graphical user interface accelerator that made computers work much faster. This invention has allowed computer users to use graphics for commands and not the usual typed commands in older computers. It has allowed data processing to be a little faster using very little space, with small chips instead of large boards. credited with having developed the first 10-Mbit Ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transreceiver chip, the first system logic chip set for IBM's PC-XT and the PC-AT, and the local bus concept and the first Windows Graphics accelerator chip for personal computers.^[46] A three-time start-up veteran, he co-founded Mostron, Chips and Technologies, and S3 Graphics.^[47]

Sitting together on analog circuits and DSP circuits (digital signal processing) on the same silicon and make them work together demonstrated the invention of this one-chip video camera in CMOS. Banatao has received numerous awards, he has co-authored 13 papers and holds six U.S. patents. He has Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in mixed-signal CMOS IC design.^[48]

Eco-G NanoTechnology developed the Eco-G3000, a low-cost and low-maintenance fuel-emission reduction device. It is designed to reduce vehicular gas consumption and toxic emission.^[49]
Justino Arboleda devised the coconet, a sturdy but biodegradable net made from coconut husk.^[50]

The Vazbuilt Modular Housing System, an invention of Edgardo Vazquez, is a concept of a prefabricated or ready-to-build housing system. an easy to build and less time to construct Walls, floors, columns, window panels, and tied beams, with additional implementation which can potentially solved the country housing backlog.^[51]
Marc Loinaz invented the One Chip Video Camera,^[48] Ho-hum materials from a personal computer was the beginning of one-chip video camera created by the team of Loinaz at Lucent Technologies. It is small, a size of cigarette lighter, low power and cheap and can be integrated into everything from wristwatches to cars.^{[citation needed]} Contrary to CCDs (charge-coupled devices), which are relatively large, consume large power and are complicated to design, this one chip is also based on silicon chip found on microprocessors and memory devices.
Bobby Murphy, a Filipino-American, co-founded Snap Inc. (formerly Snapchat Inc.), a technology and camera company. The company has 4 main products: Snapchat, Spectacles, Bitmoji, and Zenly.
Rolly Palladio from Cotabato invented Water-Supplemented stove which the water acts as an enhancer to the LPG . However, this may look like a shady scam according to other studies.^[52]^[53]^[54]

Games and sports[edit]

Game of the Generals, a military-themed board game invented by Sofronio H. Pasola, Jr. The goal of this game is to capture the opponent's flag, or maneuver one's own flag at the end of the board while evading the opponent's soldiers and spies.
The spike is a volleyball technique developed by Filipino players in the first half of the 20th century and was known as the "Manila Bomb".^[55]

Martial arts[edit]

Eskrima masters along with students in Cebu City, Philippines

The Eskrima, Arnis,^[56] and Kali are umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts," or FMA) that emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons. It is also known as Estoque (Spanish for rapier), Estocada (Spanish for thrust or stab) and Garrote (Spanish for club). In Luzon they may go by the name of Arnis de Mano, Pananandata (use of weapons), Sinawali (Pampanga, "to weave"), Sitbatan (Pangasinan), Didya and Kabaroan (Ilocos region). In the Visayas and Mindanao, these martial arts have been referred to as Eskrima, Kali, Kaliradman, Pagaradman and Kalirongan. Kuntaw and Silat are separate martial arts that have been practiced in the islands. It also includes hand-to-hand combat, joint locks, grappling, and weapon disarming techniques. Although in general, emphasis is put on weapons for these arts, some systems put empty hands as the primary focus and some old school systems do not teach weapons at all.^[57]

For all intents and purposes, Eskrima, Arnis and Kali all refer to the same family of Filipino weapon-based martial arts and fighting systemsn fons.

Discoveries[edit]

In 1966, Rodolfo Aquino isolated nine specific breeds of rice for the International Rice Research Institute. His discoveries helped prevent famine in much of Asia.
Recurring polynya was first discovered by Josefino Comiso, a Filipino physicist working at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center studying global warming in the Arctic. Comiso located the recurring polynya in the Cosmonaut Sea, south of the Indian Ocean. A polynya is a semi-permanent area of open water in sea ice.^[58]
A method to formulate Erythromycin was discovered by Dr. Abelardo Aguilar A doctor from Iloilo, Aguilar worked for the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company as a researcher.^[59] Then in 1949, he submitted samples of his work to the company’s research team who in 1952 declared the discovery of a new kind of antibiotic.According to the team, the new drug was capable of treating several kinds of infections minus the common side-effects of antibiotics. What’s more, the drug was available to those who were allergic to penicillin.^[60] in 1949.
In 2007, Jayme Navarro of Bacolod discovered a method of converting plastic bags into fuel. It starts by melting the plastics and then taking out the polymers to mix with a catalyst. Pyrolysis will occur soon after to produce hydrocarbon gases. After a several processes of purification, the final output will then be compressed and stored. On average, 5,000 kilos of plastic bags can produce 400 liters of diesel. The discovery was assessed by the DOE and DOST which both attested that the resulting fuel is lower in sulfur and environment-friendly. The invention was finally patented in November 2008.^[45]

In urban legends[edit]

There are urban legends in the Philippines purporting the supposed invention by Filipinos. These assertions are presented as facts in some academic textbooks in history and science used by Filipino students.^[61]

Fluorescent lamp, said to be invented by a certain Agapito Flores. The name of the invention is supposedly came from the surname of the purported inventor; "Flores" sounding similar to the term fluorescent.^[61]
Yoyo, alleged to have been invented by Filipinos. Some believe that the toy could have been used as a weapon. Nestor Castro of the Department of Anthropology of UP Diliman said that the yoyo was indeed invented as a toy but said that he was uncertain where did the idea of the yoyo as a weapon originated. He pointed out that there are no credible sources stating that the yoyo was invented or not invented by Filipinos.^[61]

Are Filipinos Asian?

2019-09-13T08:51:00.000+08:00

Are Filipinos Asian?

The Philippines is part of Southeast Asia geographically. But many Filipinos feel a closer attachment to the West.

Are Filipinos Asians or Pacific Islanders? Is the Philippines part of Southeast Asia, Oceania or the Pacific Islands?

Officially, of course, Filipinos are categorized as Asians and the Philippines as part of Southeast Asia. But describing Filipinos as Pacific Islanders isn’t necessarily wrong either. In fact, for a long time, Filipinos were known as Pacific Islanders.

The Philippines used to be called the Philippine Islands of the Pacific, and when the Americans first arrived more than a century ago, they described the Philippine Islands as ‘orphans of the Pacific.’

They might well have been referring to the geographical distance of the country from mainland Asia. Composed of more than 7000 islands, the Philippine archipelagic state was a political creation of Western colonizers. It was Spain during the 16th century that united the major islands of the Philippines—if it hadn’t occupied the islands, the Philippine nation state wouldn’t have existed.

What would have happened if the country hadn’t been united? Luzon, the largest island in the north of the Philippines, could have become a territory of China or Taiwan, while Mindanao in the south could have become a province of Malaysia or Indonesia. The formation of a bigger nation state composed of the Philippine Islands, Taiwan and parts of Malaysia and Indonesia could have been another possibility.

Philippine society evolved differently from other Asian nations. For example, the Philippines (aside from Timor Leste) is the only Christian-dominated nation in Asia. The blending of Western and native cultures created a unique society that’s neither Western nor Asian.

Many Filipinos are unsure about their identity and although they believe they’re Asians, many also feel closer to the West, especially the United States. Indeed, they seem to be prouder of their Western upbringing than their Asian identity. This colonial mentality has been identified as one of the negative traits of many Filipinos.

Southeast Asia is defined as a purely geographical concept in the Philippines and Filipinos often don’t appreciate nor understand the cultural and religious practices of their neighbours. They’re also unaware of Indochina politics.

The Philippines was used as a launch pad by the United States during the Vietnam War. But while panic swept the rest of the region when Cambodia and Thailand almost went to war over a border dispute, the Philippines didn’t express any sense of alarm over the situation.

To Filipinos, their place in Southeast Asia is just an accident of geography. This is unfortunate, because the Philippines’ detachment from mainland Southeast Asia could have been maximized to exert political leadership in the region. By not being involved with the numerous squabbles in Indochina, the Philippines could have played the role of objective arbiter in the various regional conflicts and disagreements.

But Filipinos seem to be more interested in political events in the West. Instead of ignoring their neighbours, Filipinos should embrace their connection with Southeast Asia.

8 Hidden Paradises in the Philippines That Will Take Your Breath Away

2019-09-12T16:19:00.000+08:00

8 Hidden Paradises in the Philippines That Will Take Your Breath Away

So all your bags are packed and you’re now ready to go somewhere peaceful, private, and relaxing. Problem is, that kind of place is a rarity nowadays.

You mention “vacation spot” and people will immediately think of Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Pagudpud. Yes, they can still be great places to unwind but if you prefer solitude, there are other less popular places that can give you just that.

The good news is that you don’t even have to leave the country to visit some unspoiled vacation spots. Here are just 8 of the most stunning hidden paradises in the Philippines that are worth including on your bucket list:

. Tinipak River (Tanay, Rizal).

Photo Credit: Kirk Acebron via www.kirkanatomy.com

Tinipak River, a hidden paradise in Brgy. Daraitan in Tanay, Rizal, was awarded as the cleanest inland body of water in Region IV.

Reaching this destination requires patience and endurance in trekking giant trails of rock, making Tinipak River a perfect getaway for those who love outdoor adventure.

From giant boulders to tranquil and cool river water, this place has everything you need to enjoy an adrenaline-filled weekend.

How to get there

2. Jomalig Island (Quezon Province).

Photo Credit: Ermelo Villareal via www.outoftownblog.com

Jomalig is a lesser-known island municipality in Quezon Province. It boasts of gold and white beaches, the reason why many backpackers call it a desert paradise in the middle of the ocean.

Feast your eyes on its two breathtaking beaches: The Kanaway Beach on the east side facing the Pacific Ocean, and the Salibungot Beach on the west facing Lamon Bay.

Enjoy a gastronomic adventure by tasting some of the exotic seafood the island offers: Lobster, shrimps, crab, and the fish called surahan, considered by people in Pollilo Islands as the world’s most delicious.

How to get there

3. Seco Island (Antique).

Seco Island’s tip of the sandbar and the beach lagoon. Photo Credit: Flord Nicson Calawag of Katahum Tours.

The Seco Island is a serene and uninhabited island located about 50 km west of Panay. It’s basically an island made of white sand stretching 1.5 kilometers in the middle of the ocean. The island paradise was named after the Kinaray-a word for “elbow” due to its shape.

Named as one of the best kiteboarding spots in the Philippines, Seco Island is also the ideal place for those into camping and even as simple as soul-searching.

How to get there

4. Corcuera Island (Romblon).

Via xiaxigongzhu.blogspot.com

Corcuera is a virgin island municipality in Romblon and home to white sand beaches that could rival Boracay’s.

Locals still refer to it as Simara, the island’s old name when it was still part of Banton town. It was later renamed in 1931 to honor Spanish Governor General Hurtado de Corcuera who ruled the country from 1635 to 1644.

Swimmers will surely enjoy the seashores in barangays Poblacion, Ambulung, Tacasan, Colong-Colong, Mangansag and Alegria. You can also visit other tourist attractions such as caves filled with stunning stalagmites and stalactites.

How to get there

5. Quezon Beach (Patikul, Sulu).

Photo Credit: Christopher M. Diaz via trekero.blogspot.com

Quezon Beach in Patikul, Sulu is a non-commercialized tourist destination known for its fine sand and crystal-clear waters. It is considered as one of the best beaches in the country–some even say its better than the world-renowned Boracay.

How to get there

6. Calayan Island (Cagayan).

Sibang Cove in Calayan Island. Photo Credit: Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap via www.eazytraveler.com

Calayan is an island in Cagayan located 60 km north of Luzon in the Babuyan Channel. It is the seat of the municipality of a town of the same name which is also comprised of Camiguin, Dalupiri and Babuyan Claro. Together, they make up four of the five islands (the fifth being Fuga Island of the Aparri municipality) of the Babuyan Islands.

Also Read: Why was “Babuyan Islands” named as such?

Thanks to its remote location, Calayan Island is said to be as stunning as the nearby Batanes province. It boasts of white sand beaches, thick rainforests, and coves among others.

Calayan Island is also home to Calayan rail, an endemic species of bird locally known as piding.

How to get there

7. Balot Island (Sultan Kudarat).

Via www.choosephilippines.com

Balot Island may be a less popular choice for family vacations, but that doesn’t mean it can’t compete with other highly commercialized beaches in the country.

One of the six islets in Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat, Balot Island has all the components of a perfect summer getaway: It has white sand, stunning rock formations, and clear blue sea water showcasing amazing coral reefs.

How to get there

8. Nagsasa Cove (Zambales).

Photo Credit: Ada via Adaphobic.com

If you’re looking for an untouched and uninhabited paradise near Manila, the Nagsasa Cove in Zambales should definitely top your list. Located in San Antonio, it’s one of the three coves in the area–the other two namely Anawangin and Capones.

How to get there

thats it for today..hope you visit...

10 pm curfew, nightclub ban imposed on US troops in PH

2019-09-11T11:18:00.000+08:00

'Liberty is not authorized in the Philippines,' the spokesman of the US Pacific.

WAR GAMES. A US soldier looks on as Filipinos fire their rifles in a mock 'assault' scenario as part of the PH-US joint military live fire exercises in May 2014. Photo by Dennis Sabangan/EPA

MANILA, Philippines – The nearly 7,000 American soldiers participating in war games in the Philippines this month will have to follow the restrictions imposed on all US servicemen deployed in the country, including a 10 pm curfew and a ban on entering bars and nightclubs.

"Liberty is not authorized in the Philippines," Major Dave Eastburn, spokesman of the Hawaii-based US Pacific Command, told Rappler.

The liberty policy that was adjusted in late 2014 following the death of Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, allegedly in the hands of US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, remains in force.

It means the movement of US troops outside official activities will be strictly limited within the vicinity of their respective hotels.

"Liberty is not authorized in the Philippines. Service members participating in, and supporting Balikatan 2015 may only eat in restaurants inside their hotel or within close proximity to their hotel (walking distance) if their hotel does not have a restaurant inside.

Bars and nightclubs are off limits and all participants in Balikatan 2015 must be back in their hotel by 10:00 p.m.

Service members may participate in command sponsored community relations events and ships may authorize events on the pier."

– Major Dave Eastburn, U.S. Pacific Command spokesman

Scrutinizing US presence

Laude's death in October 2014 put US presence in the Philippines under scrutiny, dealing a blow on a new military-to-military agreement that seeks to give the Americans greater leeway in sending more troops and building facilities in the country.

Pemberton was in the Philippines for joint exercises and allegedly committed the crime during a furlough in Olongapo City.

He is currently detained inside Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippine military headquarters, while his murder trial is ongoing.

The national debate over Laude's death has not even died down when another crisis prompted questions on the activities of the US military in the Philippines – the botched operation of the police Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on January 25.

The Senate report on the SAF operation against terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan and Abdul Basit Usman was critical of US involvement in the bloodiest one-day operation in the history of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

"Are there any consequences to working with the US in pursuing its global war on terror? Obviously, in the Mamasapano operation, the consequence of that mission to get Marwan and Usman was the death of a large number of Filipino soldiers and civilians," the report said.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed in April 2014 shortly before the visit of US President Barack Obama, was negotiated in the backdrop of the US strategy to rebalance to the Asia Pacific and the Philippines' request for US assistance in its territorial row with China.

EDCA is still pending in the Supreme Court over questions on its constitutionality.

Expanded Balikatan

The Balikatan exercises is the first major activity between the two countries since Laude's death.

Still, both the US and Philippine militaries doubled the number of troops joining the war games this year – 6,656 Americans from 2,500 last year, and 5,023 Filipinos from 3,000 last year.

Balikatan activities are scheduled April 6 to 30 in various areas in the country.

It is held at a time when the US and the Philippines are strongly opposing China's massive reclamation activities in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea).

The war games are also led by the chief of the military command in charge of the West Philippine Sea. Palawan-based Western Command (WestCom) chief Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez is the exercise director.

Balikatan 2015 will have 3 simultaneous events:

Command Post Exercise on maritime security combined with live fire exercise to demonstrate the capability of the AFP National Maneuver Force

Field training exercises involving various units of the US and Philippine militaries

Humanitarian Civic Assistance events for combined and join civil-military operations

On its 31st iteration, the Philippine-US war games are designed to improve interoperability between the two militaries.

Experts warn of US-PH defense deal's implications

2019-09-11T11:10:00.000+08:00

Experts warn of US-PH defense deal's implications

MANILA - The signing of an enhanced defense cooperation deal between the Philippines and United States is certain to be hailed by various groups, amid mounting concerns about China's actions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), but some observers have a far less rosy view of its implications.

University of the Philippines Development Studies and Public Management Professor Roland Simbulan warned that the defense deal could simply be a way for Washington to legalize activities and operations that he says violate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries.

''The VFA is supposed to be strictly for transient training of US forces, but they have been violating this. They have built permanent structures, stationed 600 special operations forces especially in Mindanao -- these are violations of the VFA. So they want now an agreement that will legalize these violations,'' Simbuland told ANC.

Simbulan cited the US military installation in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City as one of the supposed VFA violations. The professor said US forces have been in the camp since 2003.

''I've seen them personally. For example, in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City, it's a large structure and according to the 2003 US congressional budget - because this passes through their Congress - the allotment for that cost 45 million dollars… That's no simple structure - it's complete - they have communications, and administrative facilities and so forth. And it's off limits to Philippines military personnel," he said.

Simbulan said the US is likely to seek the use of its former military and naval bases in Subic and Clark under the defense pact, which is why Philippines President Benigno Aquino III should insist that the US respect the Philippines' constitution and its laws, including its nuclear weapons-free policy.

Former Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Ariel Abadilla, meanwhile, said having increased US rotational presence in the Philippines is not good for the country in the long run.

"More US troops would certainly mean more possibilities of problems with our nationals, with our domestic policies...if you remember, there was the Smith case and when the bases were here, there were so many complaints about the misbehavior...It won't be good....In certain areas wherere there are disasters it would be good, but it is a question of assets and liabilities, pros and cons,'' he said.

Pacific trade pact

Simbulan and Abadilla both agreed that the Philippines should be wary of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade pact that potentially excludes China while putting the US right at the center of the region's economy.

They warn that doing so would unnecessarily antagonize China, amid projections that it could soon become the world's largest economy, eclipsing the US.

The Philippines and China are already at odds over their overlapping claims to parts of the West Philippine Sea.

The TPP aims to establish a free trade bloc among several countries.The pact is envisioned to connect a dozen Asia-Pacific economies by eliminating trade barriers and harmonizing regulations.

It is expected to be sealed by the end of the year by the US, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

''Aligning ourself with the TPP will align ourself economically with just the US… If we are to look at our national interest, we should relate with both countries. Our focus is we should not be the enemy of any country,'' Simbulan said.

''The implication of having US troops here and aligning ourselves with the TPP is we will unnecessarily antagonize a very important and significant neighbor and maybe this neighbor may soon be the number one economy in the world. So my feeling is that as this country grows, we should also try gain from it, because its a big large market."

Abadilla, for his part, said, ''I think as a country, we should always have our national interest in mind. If our national interest says we should say no, then we should learn how to bite the bullet."

The Truth About Duterte’s ‘Popularity’ in the Philippines

2019-09-11T08:20:00.000+08:00

The Truth About Duterte’s ‘Popularity’ in the Philippines

His support isn’t that much higher relative to his predecessors, and doesn’t mean as much as some contend.

The one thing that seems to unite supporters and opponents of the Philippines’ new president, Rodrigo Duterte, is the fact that his popularity is sky-high and ought to be respected. And if you glance at the headlines of media accounts of the latest round of polls that have begun to be released this week, they would seem to confirm this, with the latest the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey showing public satisfaction with him at a respectable 76 percent.

In reality, the truth about Duterte’s popularity in the Philippines is actually far more complex. Put bluntly, his popularity actually isn’t that much higher relative to his predecessors, and his initially high ratings tell us little about the degree to which Filipinos support his controversial policies, how much political capital he has to expend on his ambitious agenda, and how his political fortunes may evolve over time.

Polling in the Philippines

Before delving into the specifics, it is important to emphasize at the outset that polling in the Philippines suffers from any number of limitations. A primary one is the fact that we have a rather small sample size in terms of regular polling data. Duterte is only the sixth Philippine president since the era of dictator Ferdinand Marcos which ended in 1986, and, among the five presidents since – Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III – only four of them completed their full, single six-year terms (Estrada was overthrown following massive protests and subsequently imprisoned for corruption).

Furthermore, there are only a few notable polling outlets in the Philippines that seasoned observers truly trust when it comes to popularity ratings, unlike, for instance, the dizzying array of polls we see in the United States. In the Philippines, the most popularly cited ones are Pulse Asia and the SWS surveys, and even these two outlets sometimes word their questions differently, making it more difficult to compare them side by side. With this in mind, let’s look at Duterte’s popularity ratings and what we can say about them.

High, But Not That Much Higher

First, if we look closely at the data, while Duterte’s overall support may seem high, it is not that much higher than that of his predecessors such as to warrant the significance that many are according it.

Take for instance the recent 76 percent figure from SWS. Those who cite this like to emphasize that this is the highest ever rating in decades. What they leave out is the fact that this is just a mere five points higher than Aquino’s rating during the same period (71 percent), and a slightly higher seven points higher than Estrada (69 percent).

The same result is seen if one is to look at net satisfaction (percent satisfied minus percent dissatisfied), which SWS usually uses as a more meaningful indicator rather than just percent satisfied. Duterte’s net satisfaction rating is +64 percent, which is just four percent higher than the +60 percent that Benigno Aquino III and Joseph Estrada all got, and two percent lower than what Ramos had received at +66 percent. All of these fall under the category of “very good” under SWS’ classification system.

This is not unique to SWS data either. Take for instance the most frequently (and in most cases only) cited metric of Duterte’s popularity before this latest round of polls: his 91 percent trust rating from a Pulse Asia poll in July.

Those who cite this like to emphasize that this 91 percent figure is the highest ever rating recorded in that poll. What they leave out is that this 91 percent figure is just a little higher than the 87 percent that President Benigno Aquino had when he had just come into office. Again, dig a little deeper, and Duterte’s popularity no longer seems that impressive relatively speaking.

When I have mentioned this to some Duterte supporters, they shift the attention to vote totals or margins in the election as another marker of popularity (See: “Controversial Duterte Clinches Win in Philippine Election Amid Uncertainty“). But even Duterte’s figures here aren’t that remarkable by Philippine standards when put into proper perspective.

Take vote totals, for example. Duterte’s much-ballyhooed vote total of 15.8 million is only slightly higher than Aquino’s, which was at 15.2 million (about 3.7 percent). Furthermore, it would not be fair to attribute this slight increase to Duterte alone, since there was an increase in the population of voters as well as the overall turnout for the election (which was at a record 81.6 percent).

Furthermore, recall that, unlike in other countries where the winner needs to secure a majority of the vote, in the Philippines the one who simply wins the greatest share of the vote wins (indeed, no Philippine president since the Marcos era has won a majority). That ought to make us even more cautious about judging too much about what an entire country thinks about a president based on the percentage of the vote. In Duterte’s case for example, he only got 38.5 percent of the vote.

In terms of vote margin, Duterte did have a pretty significant margin of 6.2 million votes. But he is also behind on this score compared to Joseph Estrada, who recorded a 6.4 million vote total in 1998 which was the biggest majority in all races.

I could go on, but in short, Duterte’s popularity ratings are higher, but not that much higher than his predecessors to warrant any special attention.

Popularity vs. Policies

Second, it is important not to conflate Duterte’s popularity with support for his policies, which appears to be far lower and could in fact impact his popularity further down the line.

There is of course the general caveat that while Filipinos, as with other publics, may support the election of an outsider to signal their discontent with the status quo and their desire for something different, they may not necessarily also approve of all the things that he or she may do to accomplish that. But in Duterte’s case, that is additionally significant since some of the policies he has planned – like constitutional change and a federalist system of government or a peace process with communist rebels – are bold, risky, and not necessarily all that popular. Furthermore, some of his positions can easily feed into a narrative already forming in the Philippines of the emergency of another Marcos-style dictator bent on subverting democracy.

In Duterte’s case, this is already evident with some of the policies he is either pursuing or has said he will pursue. Take, for example, his proposal to change the constitution, which has long been a divisive issue in the country. Though Duterte considers this a key agenda item, according to a Pulse Asia poll conducted from July 2 to 8, only 37 percent of those surveyed said that they thought it should be amended now, with 44 percent saying it should not (29 percent said it could be in the future, 15 percent said it should never be) and 19 percent undecided.

Some point out that the silver lining for Duterte is that the percentage of those supporting this has increased compared to the last poll, and the undecided percentage has also lowered. But it is also true that Filipinos have been skeptical not just of constitutional change in general, but even when it is actually being attempted. The most recent demonstration of this was Aquino’s brief flirtation with charter reform in order to get past the single term limit imposed after Marcos. After he broached the idea in a television interview in August 2014, Pulse Asia found in a poll conducted from September 8 to September 15, 62 percent of respondents would not be in favor of Aquino running again if the constitution were amended. Unsurprisingly, Aquino did not follow through on this.

Another divisive position Duterte has taken is the decision to bury Marcos in a heroes’ cemetery. While Duterte was keen to push this, many saw this as opening old wounds that had barely healed. Data on this might be dated, but it nonetheless does confirm that this widely regarded tendency is indeed true. For example, an SWS survey back in March 2011 found an almost clear split in the answer to the question of whether Marcos deserved to be buried in the Heroes Cemetery, with 49 percent saying he was not and 50 percent saying yes, either with official honors (30 percent) or via a public burial (20 percent).

On the other side of the ledger, the widespread support for his war on crime would appear to suggest a congruence of popularity and policy support, though, even here, caution is warranted and there is actually much more ambivalence than is being conveyed. Let me explain.

Newly released SWS data this week shows that 54 percent were “very satisfied” with the war on drugs, with 30 percent “somewhat satisfied,” 4 percent “somewhat dissatisfied,” 4 percent “very dissatisfied,” and 8 percent “undecided.” Though media accounts have predictably simply combined the “very satisfied” and “somewhat satisfied” percentages to say that 84 percent support the campaign, in reality the fact that just under a third of those surveyed said they were only somewhat satisfied is significant as it indicates ambivalence that might otherwise be expressed simply as a “no” in a two-choice-only yes/no poll, rather than a four-choice one.

The significance of the somewhat satisfied group, and the ambivalence of Filipinos with respect to the campaign more generally, is made clear in the second question SWS asked – which has been omitted from several press reports – about how important respondents think it is that police keep illegal drug trade suspects alive, clearly a response to widespread concerns about extrajudicial killings. A whopping 71 percent thought it was “very important” to keep suspects alive, 23 percent thought it was “somewhat important,” 5 percent thought it was “somewhat not important,” and 2 percent thought it was “not at all important.”

If we were to combine the “very important” and “somewhat important” scores for the same effect as media accounts did with the first question, we end up with 94 percent of respondents believing that it is very important or somewhat important to keep suspects alive, even though we have 84 percent either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the campaign itself. That clearly signals some ambivalence, though it must be said that the intensity was greater on the importance of keeping suspects alive relative to satisfaction with the campaign. That is indicated both in the total figures (94 percent vs. 84 percent) as well as in the clearer reaction represented by either “very important” in the second question or “very satisfied” in the first (71 percent vs. 54 percent). In other words, though overall support for Duterte’s drug campaign is high, concern about the extrajudicial killings occurring as part of that is higher.

Turning to foreign policy, though it is still early days, Duterte’s first hundred days has seen him trying to distance the Philippines from the United States and move it closer to China. While we do not yet have direct polls about his policies towards both countries, we do have data on what Filipinos think of them, and what we know indicates that the population is not where the president is.

Polling data we have on the Philippines over the past few years have showed a general distrust of China, and that trend has not changed despite Duterte’s overzealousness to engage Beijing since coming to power.

The latest data we have on China comes from the SWS poll done from June 24-27, just before Duterte’s inauguration and weeks before the arbitral tribunal ruling at The Hague on the Philippines’ South China Sea case against Beijing. That showed that 51 percent of Filipinos had “little trust” in China, with 27 percent having “much trust” and 19 percent “undecided”. That’s a net trust rating of -24 percent, which is classified as “poor.”

Popular perceptions of the United States, by contrast, have long been sky-high, though there of course remain pockets of resentment owing to various factors including Washington’s colonial legacy in the country as well as perceived infringements on Philippine sovereignty. Though SWS has not done a comparable recent poll on the United States, we can use Pew data for both the United States and China to observe the stark difference between the two (just using it for the United States would violate the cardinal rule of not mixing different polls). For 2015, Pew data showed that while 92 percent of Filipinos had either a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” view of the United States, just 54 percent had the same view of China (though, to be fair, that number did increase from 2014). Despite Duterte’s vitriolic rhetoric against Washington, it appears he has got his work cut out to convince the Filipino people to view the United States unfavorably.

Initial Support vs. Trend Lines

Third, while we now have a sense of Duterte’s overall support after the first quarter of his presidency, in the Philippine context, that’s not nearly as important as the evolution of his popularity thereafter, which is still too early to chart.

If you look at charts showing the evolution of support for past Philippine presidents, they all dramatically decrease starting from their entry into office and end up significantly lower once they leave. Doing some math using the SWS data for instance, the past five presidents have averaged a huge 43 percent change in their net satisfaction ratings from entry to exit. That suggests that it is more meaningful to look at changes of support over time rather than just overall support they start with.

In Duterte’s case, it is arguably even more important to pay attention to trend lines rather than aggregate figures at the outset. As an outsider from the country’s south, his name is far less well-known relatively speaking compared to the dynasties we are used to seeing in Philippine national politics, so his actual popularity may in fact lag initial polls.

Furthermore, while he has called for bold changes, the Philippine population thus far has only been exposed to a few of his policies that are domestically popular – such as the crackdown on crime and drugs – rather than more controversial ones like constitutional reform and the move to a federal system. This, combined with the more general tendency for public opinion to quickly swing from embracing change to decrying it once rhetoric begins to move into reality, makes trend lines more meaningful than initial figures. Duterte’s high popularity ratings at the outset could be as much a product of what people do not yet know about him as it is their support for what they already do know.

What can we say about trends so far? Thus far, in Duterte’s case, it is too early to tell whether his support is dropping or rising relative to when he first took office or even just prior to that. The temptation of his critics might be to quickly point to the fact that since another SWS survey conducted from June 24 to June 27 had measured Duterte’s net trust rating at 79 percent, and the current result shows 76 percent, that is a sign that his popularity is declining. That would be unfair. The June poll had asked about “trust” rather than “satisfaction,” since in the former case, he had yet to assume power. To render a more just verdict, we will need a few more quarters of data during his time in office to really assess what the trend line is.

What, then, should we look for, and what might it tell us? That’s a tougher question to answer. What is clear is that a single dramatic increase or decrease may not mean as much in spite of what the headlines suggest since, if you examine the data, there can often be wild swings in one direction or another even after a single quarter. Ramos saw his initial +66 percent net satisfaction rating decrease to +60 percent the next quarter and then back to +66 percent after the following one, while Aquino saw his initial +60 percent increase to +64 percent then decline dramatically to +51 percent. Estrada – who is most similar to Duterte in terms of his ‘outsider’ quality and his former experience as mayor before assuming national office – offers a bit of a cautionary tale, with his net satisfaction rating of +60 percent rising to +61 and then +67, but then quickly tanking thereafter to +28 (though that’s a bit of an aberration due to his ouster).

What is more meaningful in terms of data on Duterte, then, is if we see either clear increases or stabilization after a few quarters on the one hand or dramatic decreases thereafter, especially if they occur after the population has had sufficient time to reflect on the impacts of significant policies that are central to the president’s agenda.

Evolving Popularity vs. Expending Political Capital

Fourth and lastly, it is important to stress that as important as a president’s evolving popularity rating is, it only one indicator of his support and does not tell us much about how successful his or her policies are or their eventual political fortunes. Popularity is especially fickle in the Philippines and can change back and forth quite dramatically very quickly either because of or in spite of certain policies, and often interacting with elite opinion, sentiment within key institutions like the military and legislature, and, of course, events or crises.

Fidel Ramos, regarded as one of the more successful recent Philippine presidents and now Duterte’s special envoy to China, still holds the record for the highest SWS net satisfaction rating at +66 percent, — even higher than Duterte’s — but also saw one of the highest net satisfaction differentials from the beginning to end of his term at 47 percent, above the average of 43 percent cited earlier. Ramos’ term started strong – with several important economic and governance reforms that paved the way for the high growth rates the country has witnessed since – but he faced stiff congressional opposition to some of his policies and his efforts to change the constitution to run for a second term towards the end of his term was quite unpopular.

Joseph Estrada, an actor initially elected president after Ramos in 1998 with an even higher vote margin than Duterte, soon faced corruption and impeachment and was overthrown midway through his term by a coalition of various groups including big business, a collection of activists and the powerful Catholic Church. Yet Estrada was also able to preserve his popular support and then run again for president in 2010, finishing second, before serving as the mayor of Manila.

Given the fickleness of popular support and the key role of various institutions in the fate of a president, a more useful and comprehensive indicator of a president’s success, for instance, might be to track how a president is expending his political capital taking into account the full extent of his elite and popular support, the various structural and circumstantial constraints around him, and the key priorities he chooses to advance and how he sequences them. In Duterte’s case, how he expends his political capital might also be a more telling indicator given both his repeated insistence that some policies must be implemented irrespective of their popularity as well as worries that he is trying to change too much too soon thereby risking making too many enemies. It is too early to tell how Duterte has been performing on this score, as we will have to look at various things including how he sequences his bold policy proposals, how successful he is at winning the support of key institutions and preserving his popularity, and how he handles both opposition to his policies as well as crises or failures which inevitably face any president. On the one hand, his war on crime seems to be quite popular and he has been trying to consolidate his support within the military which he knows is key to having on his side.

But on the other hand, we have not had enough time to see if congressional opposition will build in response to some of his more controversial policies or if he will respond to crises and failures by revealing what some see as an authoritarian streak, a surefire way to alienate the population and to sow doubts about his staying power among key institutions.

All the more reason then to be a bit more cautious about making headline-grabbing statements about Duterte’s popularity and prospects even as we see more initial polls coming out in the next few months.

Why Has the Philippines’ Military Struggled in its Terror Fight Under Duterte?

2019-09-11T08:11:00.000+08:00

Despite advances being made, it has been an uphill climb and the challenge is much deeper than the headlines suggest.

Last week, reports surfaced that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had asked the country’s legislature to support funding for additional troops as the country’s military continues to battle Islamic State-linked militants in the southern city of Marawi as it has since May 23. The move reflects the Duterte government’s determination to root out the terror threat that has highlighted both the limitations of the Philippine military as well as the lingering fears of a heavy-handed government response that could further exacerbate the situation.

Duterte’s call for additional troops was first publicly disclosed following a briefing with key lawmakers last week at Malacanang, which was convened to discuss the terror threat in Mindanao. Senate Majority Leader Franklin Drilon, who was present during the briefing, revealed to reporters that Duterte had told them that he had received intelligence about security threats in several new areas in Mindanao which had indicated that the threat was “serious,” which accounted for why Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had asked for additional manpower.

The request for additional troops comes as little surprise. For starters, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), despite some improvements over the past few years, still remains among the least capable militaries in the region (See: “The Truth About Philippine Military Modernization and the China Threat“). With around 130,000 personnel spread out throughout the country, only a portion of which are deployed and are combat ready, there have long been concerns about its ability to comprehensively manage a range of internal and external security threats following previous decades of underinvestment. That presents an issue for the government with any new challenge as it needs to ensure that even as it moves to secure certain areas under assault, it does not leave others vulnerable to attack.

Since May 23, Philippine forces have faced an uphill battle since members of the Islamic State-backed militants began the siege of the city of Marawi after government troops tried to target Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon. As I have noted previously, the Marawi siege had only heightened fears in the region of the establishment of a territorial foothold for the Islamic State in Southeast Asia.

Even though the past few weeks have seen some government advances and administration officials insist victory is on the way, Philippine defense officials have also admitted this has been a huge wake up call for them and that they are now concerned about other areas that could come under assault in the months that follow.

For those familiar with what the Philippines is confronting, this is understandable for a wide range of reasons. With respect to Marawi itself, the densely populated city is an easy place for rebels to blend with the population and difficult for Philippine forces to clean out completely, especially if it is trying to limit civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the dense, forested terrain outside of the city is also difficult to completely seal off. This geography does leave room for militants to move in and out of the city.

Besides, convenient though it might be, it is impossible in reality to separate the Marawi siege entirely from the broader challenge that the Philippines is confronting. While media accounts have often identified the Maute group as being the primary target, in actuality, the allegiances between it and other groups as well as foreign militants can be much looser, particularly with two raging insurgencies in the southern part of the country with Muslim and communist-linked militants. And amid the focus on casualty counts and troop numbers, in which the Duterte government is itself complicit, it is important to emphasize that the breeding ground that exists for such militancy is due to governance issues that date back decades and have deep political and socioeconomic roots.

Amid the struggle that Philippine forces have endured, they have been receiving some external support from countries and reinforcements have been on the way.

But as Duterte’s briefing made clear, the government’s assessment is that still more troops will be needed to secure not only Marawi, but also surrounding areas in Mindanao which could also come under assault. On Sunday, Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella captured the essence of the Philippine military’s ongoing challenge when he said that the additional troop request reflected the need to rebalance “troops in Marawi and other points in Mindanao” to guard areas where threats could arise.

To be sure, there are routes to accomplishing this. For instance, following the briefing with Duterte last week, Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief and current chair of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, told reporters that there could be fast-tracking of legislation to increase the troop ceiling, with perhaps about 20,000 more troops for the AFP and around 10,000 for the Philippine National Police (PNP). But Lacson also emphasized that this could be costly for the government, given the budgetary allocations that would need to be made for salaries, training, and equipment needed to support those troops as well. This would be the case even if there are ways to short cut this, including quickening the pace of training instead of leaving it at the usual pace which can take a year or two.

Beyond budgetary concerns, there are larger issues as well surrounding the Duterte government and its general approach to the handling of the Marawi crisis and security issues more generally. In particular, even though Duterte still possesses strong support among the Philippine people, as well as in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, to be able to pass controversial measures, such as the extension of martial law through the end of the year, such moves, along with his troubling rhetoric which often displays little regard for human rights, due process, and the rule of law, have led some to question whether he is using the crisis as an excuse to impose authoritarian rule in the Philippines.

For now, these concerns have not yet exacerbated into widespread opposition that could threaten Duterte’s reign. But if they do in the coming months or further into his six-year term, in facing the Philippines’ most urgent threat, Duterte could yet prove to be his own worst enemy.

Tightening Philippine military involvement with the US

2019-09-10T15:53:00.000+08:00

On May 7-18, the Duterte government will engage in its third Balikatan joint military exercises with the United States since October 2016. The exercises will have two new features: 1) participation of Japan and Australia, both America’s close cohorts in Asia and, 2) the start of construction, inside a Philippine base, of the first of five US facilities wherein the superpower can “preposition” military equipment and supplies for its exclusive use in operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Verily, these new features of the joint exercises signify the Duterte government’s tightening involvement in the United States’ military operations and geopolitical ambitions in Asia-Pacific, which has crucial, adverse bearings on Philippine sovereignty and national security.

The participation of Japan and Australia – to what extent has yet to be shown – begins to transform Balikatan from a bilateral arrangement under the Visiting Forces Agreement of 1999 to a multilateral exercise that can raise legal and constitutional questions.

On the other hand, the construction of US military facilities inside Philippine military bases – off limits to Filipinos, both military and civilian – is provided under the 2013 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The first to be built, with groundbreaking ceremonies held last April 17, will be a military warehouse in Basa Air Base in Pampanga. Four other facilities will be sited inside Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu City.

These developments need closer watching, in light of two factors: 1) America’s buildup of its military presence in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea (SCS/WPS) vis-a-vis China’s aggressive militarization of the artificial islands it has built there on reefs it claims to own (but also claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan); and 2) the brightening prospects of a final peace settlement of the 1950s war between South Korea and North Korea, tied up with an accord to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. In the prospective negotiations, both China and the US are playing key roles.

At this point, one can mull over these two prospects:

Should the China-US rivalry over supremacy in SCS/WPS (projected further in the whole Asia-Pacific) turn more bellicose toward military confrontation, the five planned US facilities inside Philippine military bases would be of prime importance to America’s effective capability in the area. However, the situation would expose such facilities – and the Philippine bases too – to preemptive or retaliatory attacks by China and drag the country into the armed conflict.

• Should the two Koreas sign a final peace accord and put in place a program for the denuclearization of the peninsula, these would be welcomed not only by the Korean people but by the international community as well. (Reflective of the sentiments of the South Koreans is the result of a Korea Research Center poll, done after the North-South summit, showing 78 percent of the respondents expressing trust in Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader. Their trust in Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, was 86 percent.)

Such a positive turn would mean that the US must withdraw its military forces from South Korea (authorized under a Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1953), and would therefore be looking elsewhere in the region to redeploy them. Redeploying tens of thousand US troops in the Philippines is a big No under the 1987 Constitution. Would the Duterte government push for amending the Charter to accommodate the US?

Little information has been made public about Balikatan 2018, the 34th version of the series of joint military exercises that began in 2002, in combat areas in Mindanao where the AFP was battling the Abu Sayyaf Group. What the current Balikatan spokesperson, Lt. Liezl Vidallon, said on April 19 was that this year’s joint exercises will focus on “enhancing interoperability” of the US and Philippine armed forces, mutual defense, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counterterrorism.

“Enhancing interoperability” was the original objective of the Balikatan along with “counterterrorism,” in line with US President George W. Bush’s global “war on terror” initiated through his campaigns of aggression in Afghanistan and Iraq. Till today, these two wars remain the longest that America has launched, costing trillions of dollars, with no defined timeframe for ending them.

In Balikatan 2016 (April 4-15, under the Aquino III administration), “enhancing interoperability” was replaced by a new purpose: “mission rehearsal,” coined by Lt. Gen. John Toolan, the US wargame director at the time – in the context of the “existing tension” in the SCS/WPS. That exercise involved 5,000 US troops as “trainors/advisers” of 3,500 Filipino soldiers: giving rise to the question, “Who was training whom?”

After Duterte assumed power in July 2016, he vowed to make changes. In September he announced the Philippines would pursue an “independent foreign policy” and initiated a soft diplomatic approach to the SCS/WPS maritime claims dispute. In October, he announced that he would terminate the joint military exercises even while retaining the 1951 US-RP Mutual Defense Treaty. However, he allowed the Balikatan scheduled that month, allegedly to save Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana from embarassment (“Ayaw ko lang mapahiya siya”) as the latter had already committed to carry out the exercises. They involved 1,400 US troops and 500 Filipino soldiers in amphibious landing drills in Palawan and other coastal areas in Luzon.

However, on September 1, 2017 US Defense Secretary James Mattis formally but quietly launched a “contingency operation” to support the Philippine government and the AFP in their efforts “to isolate, degrade, and defeat affiliates of the ISIS and other terrorist organizations in the Philippines.” It was named Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines, President Donald Trump’s version of Bush’s 2001 Operation Enduring Freedom. On September 18-26, a “low-key” Balikatan dubbed as Tempest Wind was carried out, with these three consequences: 1) it brought the Duterte government complicitly in closer security/defense alliance with the US; 2) tied down the country once more to the US global “war on terror”; and 3) reincluded the Philippines as a war front of the vicious American war, which has been extending into more and more African and other states not officially at war with the USA.

Philippines liberty policy was decades in the making

2019-09-10T15:28:00.000+08:00

150417-N-KE519-110 SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 17, 2015) Amphibious assault vehicles assigned to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Forward exit the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20). Green Bay is part of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, is participating in exercise Balikatan 2015. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Edward Guttierrez III/Released)

With a major joint exercise in the Philippines underway, liberty is all but secured for the more than 6,000 troops involved.

Liberty policy has been tight in the Philippines since the October killing of Jennifer Laude, allegedly at the hands of Marine PFC Joseph Pemberton, who is on trial for the slaying.

The current policy in place for Balikatan 2015 — the name of the exercise means "shoulder-to-shoulder" in Tagalog — limits sailors, Marines, soldiers and airmen to eating at restaurants inside their hotels or within easy walking distance.

Bars and nightclubs? Out of the question, according to U.S. Pacific Command, which set and is enforcing the policy.

PACOM spokesman Maj. David Eastburn said in an email that "there is no liberty of any kind in the Philippines" beyond command sponsored activities, prohibiting activities like shopping or seeing a movie.

Experts say that the strict liberty policy during Balikatan isn't just about the Laude slaying, but is only the latest tension point between the former U.S. colony and the U.S. military, both of which are pursuing a closer military alliance. The Philippines was a U.S. territory until 1946 when it was granted independence.

Memories of U.S. colonization and decades of tension between the Philippines and the U.S. military have laid the groundwork for the dicey political situation and the resulting liberty restrictions, said Jan van Tol, a retired captain and analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

"There was a great deal of tension that built up between the U.S. and various parties in the Philippines," Van Tol said. "There was a sense that U.S. service members were exploiting the locals. … Eventually that led to the U.S. being forced out of Clark and Subic in 1992."

But nerves in the Philippines have remained raw among some, and incidents such as the Laude death renew old resentments, he said.

Bryan Clark, a retired Navy commander also with CSBA, said those sensitivities are still alive and well.

"When we left it was tense, the Philippine people had had enough of the United States," he said. "Today the Philippine people are much more supportive of U.S. forces being there … but the people who were rallying for the United States to leave in 1992 are all still there."

The rise of a more assertive China, which is locked in territorial disputes with the Philippines, has sparked a renewed interest in having U.S. forces back at bases like Clark and Subic Bay.

But it's not just the standoff with China that has prompted the Philippines to soften toward the U.S. A robust U.S. response to Typhoon Haiyan, the 2013 storm that devastated large parts of the Philippines, also helped heal the fractious relationship.

After an agreement last year that allows U.S. forces to use Philippine military facilities, a signature achievement for the Obama administration's pivot to Asia, both sides are treading lightly.

The strict liberty policy, Clark said, means the U.S. is hedging against another high-profile incident that would antagonize Filipinos who oppose a U.S. presence.

"It's to make sure that there are no events that would derail their attempts to increase U.S. presence there," Clark said, "a preventative measure designed to minimize risk when we have these larger strategic goals to pursue."

Exercise Balikatan is coming at a time of rising tension between China and its neighbors over its construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, which lies off the coasts of Malaysia and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Analysts believe the Chinese government is seeking to expand its exclusive rights to resources, including fisheries and mineral deposits.

About 11,000 U.S., Philippine and Australian forces are participating in the exercise.

Philippines Travel Advisory

2019-09-09T15:07:00.000+08:00

Exercise Philippines level-2

Increased caution

Exercise increased caution in the Philippines due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, a measles outbreak, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do Not Travel to:

The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.
Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil unrest.

Reconsider Travel to:

Other areas of Mindanao due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.

Terrorist and armed groups continue plotting possible kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in the Philippines. Terrorist and armed groups may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. The Philippine government has declared a “State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence in Mindanao.”

There is an outbreak of measles in the Philippines. Philippine authorities have reported deaths in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, and Davao. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has additional information on the outbreak.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to the Philippines:

Visit the CDC Travelers Health Page.
Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
Avoid demonstrations.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
Review the Crime and Safety Report for the Philippines.
U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

The Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Terrorist and armed groups continue to conduct kidnappings on land and at sea for ransom, bombings, and other attacks targeting U.S. citizens, foreigners, civilians, local government institutions, and security forces.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel to those areas.

Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

Marawi City in Mindanao – Level 4: Do Not Travel

The Philippine government has declared martial law throughout the Mindanao region. Civilians are at risk of death or injury due to conflict between remnants of terrorist groups and Philippine security forces in Marawi.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Mindanao as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel there.

Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

Mindanao – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

The Philippine government has declared martial law throughout the Mindanao region. The Philippine government also maintains a state of emergency and greater police presence in the Cotabato City area, and in the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

Terrorist and armed groups continue to conduct kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks targeting U.S. citizens, foreigners, civilians, local government institutions, and security forces.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Mindanao as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel there.

How to monetized your website without adsense

2019-09-06T14:59:00.000+08:00

AdSense – for many wanting to monetize their websites Google AdSense is the key. And why shouldn’t it be? After all, Google is a huge company, they pay on time, AdSense is easy to use for both advertiser and publisher and they make sure all ads are as relevant to your site/user as possible.

However, for many people, they aren’t either an optimal or a valid choice. In all its glory, AdSense puts many boundaries on what sites they accept which leaves many people with no easy way to monetize their traffic. Luckily, nature hates a vacuum. There is a great number of alternative ways to monetize your website’s traffic. But first, let’s talk a bit more about why people need or may want an alternative in the first place.

Why and when an alternative to Google AdSense is needed?

Many website owners can’t use the bountiful AdSense network because their website topic is on the prohibited list. The regulations that AdSense enforces are quite strict and the number of prohibited topics and industries is quite long. Even though you may have, let’s say, a flourishing blog about tobacco products (see, nothing illegal there!) you won’t be able to monetize your traffic through Google AdSense just because they don’t accept such websites in their systems.

Other reasons for considering alternative website monetization methods is to diversify the revenue sources. Many website owners do not want to put all their eggs in one basket. One day Google may decide they add a new topic, skiing, to the prohibited topics list. Your website is about skiing and winter sports in general and even though you had a good relationship with AdSense throughout the years you got barred from publishing their ads. That is why many people tend to make a good relationship with other advertising systems even if they do not partner up with them right away

Some people also find their business damaged by AdSense. This is a very specific situation when your website is, for example, a well-known company blog that is considered a premium source of content of industry-specific topics. However, AdSense, through their relevant ads, drives some of your revenue away from you right to your main competitors. After all, their ads are the most relevant for your site. Luckily, there are some alternative ways of website traffic monetization that won’t damage your own conversion rate.

The wide seas of affiliate marketing

If you want everything that AdSense offers but for any reason can’t advertise through Google’s product,Media.net may be the perfect choice for you. It is basically an AdSense but for Bing and Yahoo contextual ads. While some traffic tests show that the payments are a bit lower in the case of Media.net, there are still better than in the case of many AdSense alternatives. Plus, you may add another tool that will cover the Google contextual ads in place of AdSense.

Another choice is to go straight into affiliate networks market. Many of them work as good as AdSense does but offer a bigger variety of accepted topics and faster integration process. In its most basic sense affiliate marketing depends on you, a website owner, choosing one of the products you wish to advertise from the network’s portfolio. You advertise that product – it may be a website, an online store or a service. You will get paid when the lead your website generated converted. There are of course many different models. Usually the longer the user flow, the harder it is to convert the user but the payment for you (the publisher) is also much higher. Among the shortest and least paid (per user) you can find models such as CPC (Cost-per-click) and CPM (Cost-per-mille) and the higher tier models include CPS (cost-per-sale) where an advertiser pays only when the customer made a successful purchase or more specialized models like CPI (Cost-per-install) very popular among the mobile apps developers. Also, remember that the better your traffic is the more you can earn. If you want more tips you may want to check out one of our past articles boosting your website traffic.

Now, which affiliate network should you use? It all depends on the type of “product” they offer. If you have a blog about professional poker, you may want to find an affiliate network that specializes in online gambling ads. On the other hand, you may choose a network by other characteristics, for example, VigLinkis a great network for text link monetization, whereas ClickFunnelsspecializes in designing the complete sale funnels. They also offer a very interesting thing, which is the sticky cookies. Usually, if the customer clicks through your ad but won’t convert through that session you won’t get anything even if they later come back to the target website and do make a purchase. Sticky cookie remains in the user’s cache and will affiliate the positive conversion with your site even when the user makes a purchase in a separate session, for a different product or in couple days after the initial clickthrough. Luckily, more and more affiliate networks and plugins introduce such means of tracking.

Other ways to monetize your website traffic

There are many more ways to monetize your website other than AdSense or affiliate marketing. For example, if your website is a popular blog you may want to consider writing sponsored blog posts or guest posting. The rates usually aren’t fixed and depend on individual deals with companies that want to use your traffic. The pros of this method of monetization are that you get to choose a topic/product/service that usually lines perfectly with your website’s theme and will be interesting to your regular visitors. On the other hand, it requires much more time and work on your side.

If you don’t have problems with putting more work into your website content try premium content strategy. Offer everything you offer right now for free, as it is, but add even better content behind some form of the payment wall. I would personally opt for a subscription model because that’s the economy in which we currently live in and to which most internet users are accustomed. The content may be exclusive data from your personal market research, a webinar or podcast. Whatever suits your (and your audience) taste. Also, the lack of ads for premium users is sometimes a good incentive.

Now, what if you don’t want to put so much work into your website but still want to live off it? If you don’t like the idea of placing ads on your meticulously designed website or you feel that they will interfere into the user experience too much, you may want to choose to add an intermediate page. Basically, the user entering your website will be greeted first with an intermediate page on which all the ads are placed and then he or she continues to your clean, ad-free website. Depending on your audience and geo this can bring a surprising amount of money. If you are interested, please check outShore.st website monetization tools, as this is one of the fields in which we specialize in.

Other, rather effortless (on your side) ad format is pop-ads. Basically, the ad will be displayed as a pop-up at your website. Many people find them very irritating but, on the other hand, if your traffic does not consist of many returning visitors they may prove to be a quick and good way of traffic monetization.

Experiment with ad formats! Test your traffic!

There are countless methods of monetizing your website traffic other then what we discussed above. However, these are the most popular and usually most profitable. Still, remember to always test your traffic. There is always a chance that your audience will respond better to a niche method of monetization. So, if you only have time, resources and means to experiment be sure to do that once in a while. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the first to find a new sweet spot.

Philippine Culture that will change you

2019-09-03T10:02:00.000+08:00

The Philippine culture that will change you

Are you a Filipino then Im proud of you?

For having 7000 islands there are many places to visit.

But the most of it is to experience a lot of Philippine cultures that will blow your mind.

This is my top list Philippine cultures
1.Friendships is sacred
-they will always care for you even what races are from or what places where you live they just want to be friends.
2.Music
-Filipinos loves singing
-when you visit Philippines you will encounter music everywhere.
3. Christmas celebration
- Christmas celebration starts to 1st ber month
-You will buy stuff/decorations for December celebration.
4.Giving
-even they not know you and you them while they are eating they will invite you
-even they are in bottom life if you have something you want they will give it to you
But not included money because money is so hard to earn in Philippines.
5.They love other races
-they are always interested to foreigners
-its like they want to challenge themselves by speaking English
6.Family Households
-this will be more importantly because they love their families
-they help each other inside the house needs
-They take care their grandparents at home they didn’t want to left their grandparents went to home for the agent, they want to support them until it very end.
7.Filipino gestures
-funny to foreigners but useful to Filipinos every time
8.Smile even in hatred
-characteristic of every Filipinos who have been experiencing a powerful disasters.
-because they didn’t want to live in sadness they just smile and its gone
9.Hangouts/Party
-they are always look for fun stuff
10.Respect Elders
-a characteristic of every Filipinos by saying “mano po” means bless me.

But the most important thing don’t invoke Filipino with bad attitude or they will return it back to you.

Is it reincarnation exist?

2019-09-03T08:12:00.001+08:00

Is it reincarnation exist?

By: Wilsonatsu

In this article we will talk about life after death,

Is there a life after death?

According to my research, maybe there it is.

Human life is shorten every decades passed, in A.D. and B.C. era have hundreds years older than today life expectancy. Approximately human life now is just 2% out of 98% of population will reach a hundred years old. Human born in this era maybe will reach only about 80-90 years old before death.

Based on my analysis the population and pollution was the cause of decreasing life expectancy every year. For example : The climate changes and unusual phenomena was cause only by us pollution on air, water, earth even destroying natural resources for human purposes. This changes every years will cause every humans to maintain its good health. That will cause untraceable illness that will hide to human body until it will come out for ending human lives.

Above details is only my analysis. So if not concern to you just ignore it.

Now we move to our main questions.

Will there be another life after death?

There it is ..(analysis and research)

Did you know that we all forget our past after we reach 70 above.

In medical purposes its called ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE.

But did you make questions about it ?

When an old woman/man dies they will not remembered their passed lives

In exchange for reincarnation. When there soul goes to another life (heaven/hell)

They will be rescheduled to be born again in this world.

Its like humans have a life cycle also. They died and be born with the same personality but different era.

The people claimed they remembered their past lives.

They will prove their existence before they died.

When Ryan was 4, he began directing imaginary movies. Shouts of 'Action!' often echoed from his room. But the play became a concern for Ryan's parents when he began waking up in the middle of the night screaming and clutching his chest, saying he dreamed his heart exploded when he was in Hollywood.

His mother asked his doctor about the episodes. Night terrors, the doctor said. He'll outgrow them. Then one night, as his mother tucked Ryan into bed, Ryan suddenly took hold of her hand. 'Mama,' he said. 'I think I used to be someone else.'

He said he remembered a big white house and a swimming pool. It was in Hollywood, many miles from his Oklahoma home. He said he had three sons, but that he couldn't remember their names. He began to cry, asking his mother over and over why he couldn't remember their names.

'I really didn't know what to do,' she said. 'I was more in shock than anything. He was so insistent about it. After that night, he kept talking about it, kept getting upset about not being able to remember those names. I started researching the Internet about reincarnation. I even got some books from the library on Hollywood, thinking their pictures might help him. I didn't tell anyone for months.'

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One day, as Ryan and his mom paged through one of the Hollywood books, Ryan stopped at a black-and-white still taken from a 1930s movie, Night After Night. Two men in the center of the picture were confronting one another. Four other men surrounded them. His mother didn't recognize any of the faces, but Ryan pointed to one of the men in the middle. 'Hey Mama,' he said. 'That's George. We did a picture together.' His finger then shot over to a man on the right, wearing an overcoat and a scowl. 'That guy's me. I found me!'

The book didn't provide any names of the actors pictured, but she quickly confirmed that the man Ryan said was 'George' in the photo was indeed a George—George Raft, an all but forgotten film star from the 1930s and 1940s. Still, his mother couldn't identify the man Ryan said had been him. She wrote Tucker, whom she found through her online research, and included the photo. Eventually, it ended up in the hands of a film archivist, who, after weeks of research, confirmed the scowling man's name: Martin Martyn, an uncredited extra in the film.

Not long afterward, Tucker and the family traveled to California to meet Martyn's daughter, who'd been tracked down by researchers working with Tucker on a documentary. Tucker sat down with the woman before her meeting with Ryan. She'd been reluctant to help, but during her talk with Tucker, she confirmed dozens of facts Ryan had given about her father.

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Ryan said he danced in New York. Martyn was a Broadway dancer. Ryan said he was also an 'agent,' and that people where he worked had changed their names. Martyn worked for years at a well-known talent agency in Hollywood—where stage names are often created—after his dancing careerended. Ryan said his old address had 'Rock' in its name. Martyn lived at 825 North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills. Ryan said he knew a man named Senator Five. Martyn's daughter said she had a picture of her father with a Senator Ives, Irving Ives, of New York, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1947 to 1959. And yes, Martin Martyn had three sons. The daughter, of course, knew their names.

The second case is equally remarkable. It involved 2-year-old James Leininger, a Louisiana boy who loved toy planes. But he started to have repeated nightmares of a horrible plane crash. He would kick his legs up in the air, screaming, "Airplane crash on fire, little man can’t get out." Then during the day, he would slam his toy plans into the family’s coffee table while yelling, “Airplane crash on fire,” to the extent that there were dozens of scratches and dents in the table.

James talked about the crash, relating that "he" had been a pilot and that "he" had flown off a boat. His father asked him the name of the boat, and he said, “Natoma.” When his father remarked, “That sounds Japanese to me,” James replied, “No, it’s American.” James went on to say that "he" had piloted a type of plane called a Corsair, that "his" nickname was Little Man, and that "he" had a friend on the boat named Jack Larson.

After years of painstaking research, James’ father learned that an American aircraft carrier, the USS Natoma Bay, had supported operations at Iwo Jima during that World War II battle—and that it had lost one pilot there, a young man from Pennsylvania named James Huston. His plane crashed almost exactly as described: hit in the engine, exploding, crashing into the water, and quickly sinking. And the pilot in the plane next to his when this happened was named Jack Larson.

It’s nearly impossible to conceive how children so young should have such vivid "memories," or how they (or anyone connected with them, for that matter) could have known anything about such obscure figures from the past, whether it be Martin Martyn or “Little Man” James Huston. Nor do such children appear to be abused or suffering from any trauma connected with their current life. Furthermore, the families in these cases are firmly believing Christians for whom the concept of reincarnation is foreign. The parents, besides being vexed in the extreme, are inevitably reluctant to have their children’s cases publicized for fear of being mocked.

These types of memories typically fade, by the way, around 6 years of age, according to Tucker. The kids involved usually express a desire as well to fully embrace the life they’re in now.

However, the degree to which these children show heightened emotion in recounting these apparent memories is a tipoff, to me, that something truly significant is going on. A boy like James Leininger shows all the hallmarks of PTSD at age 2. Why should he?

We can get a sense for the answer by realizing how fear—that most elemental of feelings—puts our entire being on red alert. The pupils dilate, muscles are tensed, and respiration is increased as the body prepares to fight, flee, or freeze. Meanwhile, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis springs into action by releasing a cascade of hormones that serve to marshal bodily energy. If we are indeed in mortal peril, our entire body and mind tenses like a spring ready to snap. Our senses are honed to a fine edge: We notice every detail that could affect our existence.

But consider what would ensue if all that energy had no outlet—if, because of a sudden accident or foul play, someone could neither fight nor flee, but were trapped in freeze mode? We know that rats that are given even a mild shock somehow transfer the fear associated with the particular stimulus on to their pups, and even to their pups’ pups. Could there be a mechanism, somewhere between life and death, where memories associated with the struggling person’s circumstances are preserved?

It would be akin to the echoes, preserved down the eons, of the Big Bang observable through faint but distinct background radiation. Except in the cases we are considering, the intensity of the person’s feelings—his or her life energy, self-awareness, and being—might somehow be captured in a fusion of space and time. This "imprint" might become available for another, nascent life form—not “his” or “her” memories (as in reincarnation), but a transmutation just the same.

Mobile legends Can Change Human Behavior

2019-09-01T08:20:00.003+08:00

Mobile legends Can Change Human Behavior
By: Wilsonatsu

Many people have been playing this game especially to the gamers.
It trends worldwide became most viral game according to social media
When I analyze this game I’ve seen a lot of videos threw their daily life for this.

Did you know?
It can trigger your mental behavior into aggression.
It can trigger by:
*Disturbance
*Ping / signal
*Lag / bugs
*Trash talk by other players
*Noob teammates/child’s play
*AFK players
*Events
*Wi-Fi disconnection/ disconnected to the game
*Battery life

This random moments will cause to weird behavior like:
*crying
*shouting
*talking to your phone
*trash talk some one beside you
*talking to self
*laughing

This was the majority result for what I analyze to game..
So please play the game moderately.

#gamersintellect

<Like or leave a comment>
For more articles visit my website:
http://wilsonatsu12site.blogspot.com

Sacrifice

2019-08-31T16:06:00.001+08:00

Sacrifice
By: Wilsonatsu

Maybe it will only last tonight,

the last time that I give all my might.

the last time that I fall,

into a place that fails us all.

I can see the pain in you,

and I can see the love in you.

I fight all the demons but it will take time,

I gonna give it all so please don’t mind.

Until the very last day, you were mine,

And we will be safe anytime.

There's a calm surrender to the rush of day,

when the heat of the rolling world can be turned away.

An enchanted moment and it sees me through

It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you.

There's a time for everyone, if they only learn,

that the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn.

There's a rhyme and reason, to the wild outdoors,

When the heart of this star-crossed voyager, beats in time with yours.

Lost heart

2019-08-31T16:04:00.001+08:00

Lost heart
By: Wilsonatsu

You know I cant forget you
Every night that have been passes by
Your are my only future
That I want to achieve for sure
You are the meaning of my life
Cause my love was never unending
And im hoping that I can hug you one last time.
Because you are the one that I search every time
And you are the only one to make my way right
I thought that you and i
Is written in the stars
The cloud is the mirror of our night
Hoping that happiness will return again
For our next meet I will say to you,” I love you.”

Sad Poems on Death

2019-08-31T11:05:00.004+08:00

Woman cryingSOURCE
It's only natural to feel sad when someone you care about passes away. Instead of trying to keep the grief at bay, it's healthier to release it via some sad death poems and allow yourself to process your feelings. Some people find it helpful to express their feelings through poetry,
but if you don't feel up to writing poems about death,
reading a few written by someone else may help you find the release you need.
Sorrowful Poems About Death and Dying A sad poem about death can offer some comfort to those who are grieving.
They can be shared with others who are also suffering as they express words and feelings that are sometimes difficult to express on your own.

Life before Death

2019-08-31T07:34:00.002+08:00

Life before Death
By: Wilsonatsu

People in this world all has an end,
The life we had and so called bend,
We born to this world where to intend,
To communicate each other and making friend,

Greediness is a characteristic of a human blend,
They swallowed you whole and make you bend.

Leeches that sucks you dry, my oh my,
Sometimes you became miserable and always cry,
Just don’t stop until you succeed just try and try.

From the race of your life you always lose,
Always find the solution and don’t make it close.
After you succeeded you will be like a flying goose,
Free to run to the forest like wilded moose.

Sometimes maybe you always ask,
That you want to be rich and make it fast.
You work so hard until you forget to mass,
You make more money but you didn’t last.

You became old and you didn’t rest,
You always complain about pain in your chest.
What purpose of gaining more?
You cant even stand straight and walk to the floor.
All the things you got cannot use it anymore,
Life is too short not forevermore.

#enjoy #lifetooshort

Nature

2019-08-31T06:55:00.002+08:00

Nature
By: Wilsonatsu

Oh, Nature are you feel lonely?
Because for what I seen lately
So many floods and water on the city
Always raining like you are crying screamingly

Oh, Nature are you feel confused?
For what I seen yesterday I’m not amused
You give a light but over use
You burn your own, and your part reduced.

Oh, Nature are you feel sad?
Because for what I seen today so very bad
Many landslide came and took so many lives
People is digging now for their love ones died..

Oh, Nature now we know?
You just showing your pain and decided to
To became aggressive so that they will listen to
But from the bottom of our hearts,
I’m sorry for what we have done to you.

Oh, Nature can you forgive us?

Child

2019-08-30T16:22:00.000+08:00

By: Wilsonatsu
In this world when you were born, Your family glad that you are like crown,
On the big ball with glowing evening gown.
Their hands will guide and light your way,
Until you make your own family someday.
Your mother and father don’t know what to do,
When you’re sleeping they even watching you.
In the night your mother always making milk for you
In the morning your father is always happy to see you
And now that you achieve puberty, And you always complaining you want to be set free,
Addicting to bad habits and days have passed,
Beginning to break like a shattered glass,
You have been changed a lot in a blink of an eye,
Your stubborness raising up and getting home high,
You don’t even want to listen to your father advice,
On how to roll your life on a darken dice,
Unfortunately, you have been stopped on a mice,
Continuing doing bad things until you become a vice,
Don’t even care on your father and mother teary eyes,
You even said to them that they were like flies.
But one day you have been caught by the police,
Using illegal drugs they plead you guilty pleas,
So now you have been jailed for years.
When your father and mother visits you,
They are crying and they asking you,
“My son whats goin on and what happen to you?”
You became emotional and ask if they will forgive you,
“Mother, Father will forgive me for what ive done?”
The water in your eyes starting to falling down,
The regret youre feeling is like youre going to drown.
But your father said,
“When you came to our life we always had,
When the first walk and first word you spoke we always glad,
But when the times youre not listening to us anymore,
We know you have goodness in your heart and its core,
Always remember we love you more, No ending and forevermore.
The day you were born and and up today,
We always forgive you day by day, So come home and go watch and play..” You cried so hard and hug them tight, The love that they had can never smite..
wilsonatsu.home.blog #family #regret