We beg to differ.
The Resorts World Manila siege on the 2nd of June that resulted in the deaths of 37 and injured more than 50 people highlighted yet again how unsafe the facilities are and how precarious the security situation is in the Philippines even inside world class establishments. The incident also shows the role media plays in adding to…
It’s time indeed. Filipino “activists” have worn the old Martial Law scarecrow to tatters. The idea that vigilance involves raising a screeching fit whenever even just a hint of the dreaded two words M-A-R-T-I-A-L L-A-W are detected in a verbal or written message is now a mere quaint relic of a peiod when “freedom fighters”…
Read More “Time for Filipinos to junk the old Martial Law narrative!” »
Ask anyone and they will agree that Terrorism directly equates to innocent people’s unnecessary deaths and suffering. So in light of recent days’ events, it is baffling the way certain “activists” screech so loudly about Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of Martial Law. A quick-and-dirty sampling of social media content shows that Martial Law-related tweets…
Read More “Why do Filipino activists complain more about Martial Law than terrorism?” »
Insurgency, rebellion, and separatist movements (Note: I will use these three terms interchangeably.) have always been part and parcel of Philippine history. In this regard, it is no different from other countries and their histories. Successive Philippine governments have had to deal with several of these movements. In the spotlight are the Communist Party of…
Read More “Lessons from history about insurgency in the Philippines” »
If there is anything that can be gleaned from the way Filipinos have so far responded to the crisis in Marawi, it is that Filipinos remain their own worst enemy. Rather than see the terrorists linked to the Islamic State overrunning Marawi City as the bigger enemy, many have, instead, lashed out at the more…
Read More “Imperial Manila ‘experts’ see Martial Law as a bigger enemy than Islamic terrorism” »
Physically, what separates Luzon and Mindanao, are the Philippine Sea, and the Visayas island group. Modern transportation has enabled this physical distance to be bridged: what was once a several-day sea journey, can also be traversed by a 1-2 hour airplane flight (if you have the money for it, of course). In terms of sentiment,…
Read More “Bridging the divide between Manila and Mindanao” »
I think it is unfortunate that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte cannot help himself and the people who support him win over his critics. In fact, he seems to be intentionally needling or provoking his detractors to react with more outrage. In a speech in front of the soldiers of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry (Magbalantay) Brigade…
Read More “Duterte should stop making ‘rape jokes’ for the sake of the Filipino people” »
Chalk it up to good old fashioned stubbornness on Philippine media’s part, maybe. However, one does not really have to be trained in the military to know what operations security (OPSEC) entails. Though an official definition is rather wordy, the spirit of it is that sensitive, or potentially compromising, information is very carefully handled, so…