Philippines President Duterte Tells Foreign Business They Can Leave

[manawatuman]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Probably not, however he does lead a country has beautiful cruising grounds, while condoning murder and vigilante action, and as such other cruisers need to be aware of the conditions in this country.

Yes, well spotted, i guess it may make some differences. Was a little worried it was getting a little too political, and we know who'll be the next subject then....

[poiu]

Originally Posted by manawatuman

Whats this got to do with cruising, really. Does duterte sail?

I saw you in a discussion on dating just now. That's also not directly related to sailing and has got no more to do with cruising than assessing the safety of your destination.

[Dulcesuenos]

We just spent 2 weeks between manilla and Cebu. We have never felt safer with all the police and armed security. It's sad they have to do this but it is effective.

[Boatguy30]

Were you boat shopping? I have a few friends in Cebu but not high on my list to visit.

[manawatuman]

Originally Posted by poiu

I saw you in a discussion on dating just now. That's also not directly related to sailing and has got no more to do with cruising than assessing the safety of your destination.

Looking for sailing company probably does mate

[Cadence]

How the world changes. At one time the USN and CG used the Philippines as a source for porters in the officers mess. They were not enlisted but it was a path to US citizenship.

Just a piece of useless info..

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Were you boat shopping? I have a few friends in Cebu but not high on my list to visit.

Always ;0) Croatia didn't pan out. Neither did the Phillipines, Thailand has some pretty interesting builds and good prices but think we're going to hold off on an upgrade for now.

[Dirk Williams]

I served in the Navy from 75 to 83. I served along side many many Filipinos, I found most to be very honorable men. I don't recall any female Filipinos in service back them. I spent a year plus in PO city, running the Subic bombing range.

Oddly enough what sticks in my minds eye was the Filipinos in bootcamp not being able to swim. Always was perplexed by that observation.

Had an opportunity to spend a week in Cebu,,and a week on the island with a large Muslim activity. Lots of currant terriost a now. The name escapes me. 5 hour flight from Manila, discovered Jack Fruit their.

DW

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

True, but politics does determine where most of us are likely to cruise, or even where we will be allowed to cruise.

It wasn't long ago I was (as a Canadian sailor) discouraged from mentioning Cuba because it was like throwing one's tackle into a piranha tank. Now, Cuba (due to politics) may be discussed.

I think if partisan politics unrelated to sailing is excluded, there's room for discussing world events (and world politics) as it affects sailing/cruising. For instance, I hold dual citizenship in the U.K. and Canada. Guess which passport I'll show when entering Argentina? There's no point in pushing buttons best left unpushed.

Well said,

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by n13L5

Well, he got it half right...

The American people are not bullies by and large, but FED, CFR and others that are controlling Washington, they are most certainly bullies.

And they know their trade of death, extortion and economic assassination well enough, to where Duterte should be smarter than running his mouth about it.

Washington will certainly have a go at replacing him by pulling the ample number of strings they hold. If that doesn't work, they'll go harder, like crashing the Philippine economy and/or arming rebels and drug cartels to the teeth, like they did in Mexico.

You never know if the CIA finds their favorite kind - a Pinochet type guy to replace him and it won't be much fun being in the Philippines anymore.

Its happened multiple times before. Most recently, do you think Venezuela turned to sh*t all on its own? No, they weren't obedient to Washington's demands and also offering political Asylum to Julian Assange and this is the punishment.

Good points, which history bears out. Duterte is trying to play the same game that Nasser and others played during the cold war - hinting at or threatening to change sides to gain concessions from each side. So far, Duterte has succeeded; but it is a dangerous game, and he has been playing it in a political vacuum .That will change once Jan 20 rolls around.

See my related posts on the "Pirate Attack Philippines?" thread. There are some links there that you will definitely find interesting.

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by DailyLunatic

I'm headed to the Philippines in a few months. Discussion so far has been about how the powers that be are flexing their muscles and mouths at each other.

I'm more concerned with how the Philippine people will treat a visiting American. Any one have any info?

-sterling

Generally, you will be treated well.

I married a Filipina, and when she's not driving me nuts, I love her to death : ) Could probably say that (more or less) about the culture and country at large, but the negative aspects are the kind of things that tend to wear on you only if you stick around for a good while in any "3rd world" country: stuff like the 100 cc motorbikes with mufflers that sound like 1,600 cc Harleys, the insane traffic, the roosters crowing day and night in the countryside, the smog and unbearable crowds in the cities, the hustlers that assault you constantly in the tourist areas, the jeepney's with windows you cannot possibly see out of, the open man holes in the middle of the road, the lack of street signs, the multitude of folks, who when responding to your request for directions answer "ditto lang" (just there) etc., etc..

The good part however, is that you can generally escape most of whatever might bug you in the PHL by making some smart travel choices. And, whatever bugs you will usually be smoothed over by a healthy dose of fairly good and reasonably-priced. local brew, a waitress with a pretty smile, lots of fond memories of the beautiful places you have visited and the positive vibes that were sent your way by the generally helpful and friendly folks that you will have met.

Bottom line is, "it aint all gravy", but you will probably enjoy your stay.

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Ironically more that one million Philippine civilians died at the hands of the Japanese during WWII. My father, an officer in the 38th Inf. Div., help secure the Bataan Peninsula in 1945. The election of this loose-cannon president only show the frustration of the people with their system.

Yes, you are right about the frustration issue. Despite the PHL having beat China lately to score the highest economic growth in Asia , beating all of the developed nations, and most of the rest of the world at 7.1%, most Filipinos have not shared in the wealth created. This was certainly a factor in Duterte's election, as was his support from the Marcos clan.

By the way, my Dad was in signal intelligence and stationed in both New Guinea and the PHL, as was the 38th. He has also mentioned that he had friends the 38th. Was your Dad ever stationed in New Guinea or up in Tarlac, near Clark Air Base? If so, please end me a PM.

Thanks,

G2L

[Gone2long]

... which may concern cruisers and potential visitors.

As per the below: Note that Leila De Lima was something akin to the US Attorney General and also head of the Human Rights Commission in the past administration, and she has been a vocal critic of Duterte's "war on drugs" in which he has advocated police killing up to 3 million addicts and pushers if necessary. Four thousand have died so far, half in rather opaque circumstances like those in the 1st of 2 rather unbelievable articles below:


2 drug suspects slain in Philippine DEA vehicle

By Roel Pareño


ZAMBOANGA CITY – Masked men shot dead two suspected drug traffickers who were in a vehicle of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte on Monday night.

The assailants fled after killing Crisanto Gulang, alias Maral, and Jeanet Acevedo, both of Purok Pag-asa in Barangay Bara.

Superintendent Rogelio Alabata, information officer of the Police Regional Office 9, said Gulang and Acevedo were earlier arrested by PDEA agents in Barangay Minaog.

Alabata said the agents and the suspects boarded a PDEA vehicle and drove to a police crime laboratory.

He said 12 men wearing black shirts pulled the vehicle over, ordered the agents to lay down their firearms and shot Gulang and Acevedo several times.

Meanwhile, in Bulacan, two drug suspects were killed in separate police operations in the city of Malolos and Santa Maria town yesterday morning.

Provincial police acting director Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat Jr. identified the fatalities as Alvin de Bora of Barangay Anilao, Malolos, and Wilson Acejo of Barangay Catmon, Sta. Maria.

Caramat said De Bora and Acejo were on the drug list of their respective barangays.

Investigation showed the suspects allegedly shot at the police undercover agents, triggering a shootout that resulted in their deaths.

Probers recovered guns, plastic sachets said to contain shabu and bullet shells at the crime scenes. – With Ramon Efren Lazaro



‘Leila, cops protected me’

By Paolo Romero, 24 November, 2016

Kerwin: I gave P8 M to De Lima

At the height of his illegal drug business from 2012 to 2015, Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr. was earning some P15 million every 40 days, with half of the proceeds going to some 15 police officials as “protectors.” He had hoped to go big time by giving a total of P8 million to Sen. Leila de Lima.

Facing the Senate committee on public order yesterday, Kerwin detailed his rise from a lowly pusher to a drug lord covering Eastern Visayas and how he purportedly gave cash to De Lima through her driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.

The committee, chaired by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, is conducting an investigation into the killing of Kerwin’s father and namesake, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. inside a jail cell in Baybay, Leyte last Nov. 5 by police officers serving a search warrant.

The younger Espinosa testified that he started pushing drugs, particularly shabu, in 2004 by the gram, earning a few thousand pesos a week.

His business grew but he was busted in 2005 in Cebu. Ironically, it was while he was
detained for three years in Lahug, Cebu that he began going big time, after he met Jeffrey Diaz, alias Jaguar, a suspected drug lord who sold drugs from jail using mobile phones.

Diaz was killed last June 17 in Las Piñas City by Central Visayas policemen out to arrest another suspected drug lord.

Kerwin was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 and was brought to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), where he was enticed by rival gangs to join them in their drug trade.

Kerwin joined the group of Peter Co – who remains at the NBP – and conducted his flourishing business using mobile phones, couriers and bank transactions in Binondo, Manila.

Sometime in 2009 or 2010, the Court of Appeals overturned his conviction and he was released. After spending some time with his family, he resumed his business in 2011 in the Visayas and by this time, he was selling eight to 10 kilos of shabu every 40 days.

It was also at this time that he began giving weekly payola to police officials under his “happy all” policy, Kerwin told senators.

From 2012 to 2016, he had nearly 20 police officials receiving weekly payola ranging from P5,000 to P25,000, which he wrote off as “SOP” (standard operating procedure).

“These (payola) were for protection. My people won’t be killed or arrested. Whenever there will be raids, we’ll be tipped off, and it will be negative,” Kerwin said.

He named a certain police general Dolina, who asked for P500,000 monthly but he was able to haggle the amount down to P300,000 through an intermediary named Victor Espina in 2015.

Kerwin could have been referring to Chief Supt. Asher Dolina, former regional police director of Eastern Visayas.

Kerwin testified he deposited three checks – P3 million, P2 million and P1 million – sometime February that year as Dolina reportedly sought an “advance” from him.

He also named then Chief Supt. Vicente Loot as receiving P100,000 monthly plus P20,000 to Chief Insp. Leon Laraga, who admitted to shooting the elder Espinosa.

Loot, now mayor of Daanbantayan in Cebu, was earlier tagged by President Duterte as one of five narco-generals.

Kerwin also tagged Laraga’s superior, Supt. Marvin Marcos, and other police officers who conducted the raid that led to his father’s death as receiving money from him.

Marcos, he said, got a total of P3 million from him days before the elections last May to fund the vice mayoralty bid of his ex-wife in exchange for “protection” for his father’s bid to be mayor of Albuera as head of augmenting PNP force for the elections.

Meeting with De Lima

Sometime in August 2015 as he was about to go diving in Batangas, Kerwin said he received a call from Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, the police chief of Albuera town, telling him to expect a call from a driver-bodyguard of De Lima.

Suspicious as he was not on good terms with Espenido, he called Co and Diaz to check on whether De Lima was really raising funds for her campaign – the two on the other end of the line said “she’s OK.”

He later learned the driver-bodyguard was Ronnie Dayan, who said De Lima – who recently admitted to having relations with him – wanted P2 million monthly.

After some haggling, Kerwin said he was able to bring down the amount to P700,000 but Dayan told him De Lima wanted “goodwill money” of P2 million. The money was delivered that same month at the parking lot of a mall in Pasay City.

[TrentePieds]

Hm... Aren't we pushing the limits of what's appropriate in this forum? This has got to the point of having nothing to do with sailing or cruising, unless we are talking about sailing too close to the wind, or, perhaps, cruising for a bruising :-)

TrentePieds