We are vindicated on signal jamming fuss

“There is no country on Earth where Internet and telecommunications companies do not face at least some pressure from governments to do things that would potentially infringe on users’ rights to free expression and privacy.” 

— Rebecca MacKinnon

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE feel vindicated when Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas assured the public there would be no more mobile phone signal jamming during the January 2024 Dinagyang Festival.

His confirmation that both he and the City Council are oppose to a repeat of this year’s festival signal disruption, which happened in the last five stagings of the cultural and religious festival “for security purposes,” has finally put to rest the long-overdue bickering on this frivolous and inconsequential subject matter.   

In 2017, we spearheaded the opposition and criticism in the Iloilo media on the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) proposal to shut down for two days the telecommunication signals in Iloilo City during the Dinagyang Festival’s final days held in the third week of January.

Although we respect the authorities and their expertise in the handling of our security, we thought it was a veritable copycat of what the PNP did when Pope Francis visited Manila on January 15-19, 2015 and during the Black Nazarene procession.

It’s also a clear case of infringement on users’ rights to free expression and privacy especially now that we live in the world of Internet and in golden age of the social media.

We insisted that when communication lines are shut down during important events like the Dinagyang Festival, the comfort and safety of visiting tourists and the residents who update their relatives and friends in other regions and abroad on what’s going on in their locality are spoiled and jeopardized.

We pointed out that drug addicts and drunken dolts don’t use high-tech communication gadgets to create a trouble.

Police deployed in performance areas can always manually overpower any amok in the crowd.

We argued that no real terrorists from other regions–or even outside the country– will commit a “hara-kiri” or “kamikaze attack” by sneaking into the well-guarded metropolis, surrounded by treacherous rivers, just to sabotage the Dinagyang.

“If they only intend to extort cash, bringing an explosive device in Iloilo City is like holding a microphone in public and announcing that they plan to pee at the Plazoleta Gay,” I wrote in jest.

“If they intend to send a political message, they will not only be barking at the wrong tree, they will be in the wrong place of the planet. Malacanang and Imperial Manila are several islands and regions away.”

 

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IF Filipinos with pending applications for U.S. nonimmigrant visas before, during, and after the pandemic from 2020-2023 applied for U.S. nonimmigrant visas from October 2022 through the federal fiscal year September 2023, chances are they’re now heading for the United States in December 2023 until next year and the years thereafter.

From October 2022 through September 2023 (the 2023 federal fiscal year), the Department of State said it issued a near record level of nonimmigrant visas—more than 10 million globally.  

Half of the U.S. embassies and consulates adjudicated more nonimmigrant visas than ever before.

In addition to the U.S.’s near historic total of more than 10.4 million nonimmigrant visas issued worldwide: They issued nearly eight million visitor visas for business and tourism, more than in any fiscal year since 2016.

Preparing Americans for a global environment and attracting future leaders from abroad: International students at U.S. colleges and universities inject up to $38 billion dollars annually into the U.S. economy.

 

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The Department issued more than 600,000 student visas, the highest in any year since FY 2017.

US embassy and consulates in India issued an all-time record of more than 140,000 student visas.

The Department issued nearly 40,000 student visas to African students, of which more than 9,700 visas were to Nigerian applicants.

Bolstering national and economic security: In recent years, international visitors have contributed as much as $239 billion in annual spending to the U.S. economy and supported an estimated 9.5 million American jobs.

The U.S. issued a record-breaking 442,000 visas to temporary and seasonal workers, addressing the need for workers in agriculture and other sectors where too few U.S. workers are available, contributing to the American economy while addressing the root causes of irregular migration.

The U.S. also issued 590,000 nonimmigrant visas to high-skilled workers and executives to work alongside American experts in some of the United States’ most critical fields, ranging from emerging technology to healthcare.

 

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It issued nearly 365,000 nonimmigrant visas to airline and shipping crew members, who are essential for maintaining global transportation and the supply chains that support the U.S. and global economies.

Preparing for the future and investing in innovation: These achievements were possible because of innovative solutions, such as expanding interview waiver authorities that allow frequent travelers who meet strict national security standards to renew their visas without having to visit an embassy or consulate. 

Looking to the future, the U.S. government announced it is exploring new technologies to assess opportunities to streamline operations, such as the option of domestic renewal in select visa categories.

The Department of State said it is committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States while maintaining high national security standards. 

“International visitors are instrumental in building people-to-people ties and bring enormous economic benefit to local communities and key sectors of the U.S. economy,” announced the State Department.  

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

How I roused a colleague from sleep for a ‘flash’ report

“We relish news of our heroes, forgetting that we are extraordinary to somebody too.”

—Helen Hayes

 

By Alex P. Vidal 

 

AT around 9:58 o’clock in the morning (around 2 o’clock in the morning in the Philippines), while I was in a courthouse in Los Angeles on November 29, 2011, I sent this text message to Health and Wealth publisher and editor and now The Daily Guardian columnist, Herbert Vego, in Iloilo City in the Philippines: “Flash report: Dr. Conrad Murray sentenced to 4 years in jail for death of Michael Jackson. Dramatic scene here in L.A. court!"

It was the second time I disrupted Mr. Vego’s sleep by sending a “flash” report via text message early in the morning. The first was on June 26, 2009, and it read: “American pop star Michael Jackson was declared dead upon arrival at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after his body arrived at around 1:14 o’clock in the afternoon.”

Having been at the Stanley Mosk Los Angeles Super Court in Los Angeles several times in the past, I didn’t find it hard to worm my way inside the courthouse when then 58-year-old Murray was handed a four-year jail term for "involuntary manslaughter" in the death of Michael Jackson. 

Judge Michael Pastor called the doctor’s treatment of the singer a "cycle of horrible medicine" and "medicine madness."

I observed Dr. Murray’s facial expression from start to finish. His mood was somber, reminiscent of John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a giant black man convicted of raping and killing two young white girls, arriving on death row in a 1999 Tom Hanks movie, The Green Mile. Coffey showed all the characteristics of being a "gentle giant": keeping to himself, soft-spoken, fearing darkness, and crying often.

Teary eyed and fighting back tears, the doctor was aware he was being videoed inside the courtroom.

On Nov. 7, 2011, Murray was convicted by a jury.

 

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Michael Jackson’s death on June 26, 2009, triggered a grief around the world, creating unprecedented surges of Internet traffic and causing sales of his music and that of the Jackson 5 to increase dramatically.

Jackson, then 50, was treated like a "medical experiment," the judge exploded, which factored into his decision to hand down the maximum sentence of four years, which the Jackson family had requested.

Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. Murray, his personal physician, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse, and that he administered CPR on his bed to no avail.

After a call was placed to 9-1-1 at 12:20 pm, Jackson was treated by paramedics at his home, and later pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. On August 28, 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide.

It was immediately reported that jail overcrowding could result in the four-year sentence being cut at least in half.

"Four years is not enough for someone’s life," Katherine Jackson, the singer’s mother, told a TV crew after sentencing. "It won’t bring him back but at least he got the maximum."

"One hundred years is not enough," quipped Jermaine Jackson who said he would miss playing music with his brother Michael and being a family.

Along with Jermaine, Katherine, siblings LaToya, Tito, Rebbie and Randy were present at the sentencing, but did not speak, instead allowed family friend and attorney Brian Panish to read a statement on behalf of Jackson’s three children and family.

 

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In the statement, Jackson’s children told the Los Angeles court that they lost their "father, best friend, and playmate" when the singer died, but stressed they were not seeking "revenge".

The statement asked the judge to "impose a sentence that reminds physicians they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder."

"As Michael’s parents, we never imagined we would live to witness his passing," Panish read, on behalf of the singer’s parents Katherine and Joe Jackson. "There is no way to describe the loss of our beloved brother, son, father and friend."

Murray’s defense attorney pleaded with Pastor to consider the cardiologist’s humble beginnings and good deeds, stressing that this was an unfortunate, tragic chapter in the doctor’s life.

"Whether he’s a barista or a greeter at Walmart, he’s still going to be the man who killed Michael Jackson," Ed Chernoff said.

The defense lawyer also put some of the blame on Michael Jackson. "Michael Jackson was a drug seeker... He was a powerful, famous and wealthy individual."

The judge’s tone grew sterner as he gave a scathing review of Murray’s actions while treating Jackson, saying the doctor "violated his sworn oath for money, fame, prestige." He said there was a "recurring, continuous pattern of deceit, lies," and cited a "longstanding failure of character" by Murray.

Murray "unquestionably violated the trust and confidence of his patient," Pastor said.

The judge also mentioned the tape the Murray made of a drugged-up Michael Jackson who was slurring his words so badly he could barely be understood and suggested that Murray was contemplating a new tactic if he needed at a later date.

"That tape recording was Dr. Murray’s insurance policy. It was designed to record his patient surreptitiously at that patient’s most vulnerable point," Pastor said.

The judge called the recording a "horrific violation of trust," and asked, "What value would be placed on that tape recording if it were to be released?"

Prosecutor David Walgren read from a statement Katherine Jackson made shortly after her son’s death, telling of how the family’s world "collapsed" after Jackson died.

Walgren described how Jackson’s daughter Paris was crying at the hospital. "I want to go with you," she told her father after he had passed.

"He trusted he would be cared for by Conrad Murray so he would see another day," Walgren said.

He mentioned that Jackson had plans to go into film making with his children, a passion they had recently developed.

The Jackson family watched from the packed court room.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

I have been warned of flu shot’s side effects

 

“The flu is very unpredictable when it begins and in how it takes off.”

—Harvey V. Fineberg

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

FIVE days after I canceled my scheduled flu vaccine at Duane Reade on Broadway in Queens, I received a warning from my insurance provider that “this winter, you may have a greater risk of catching and spreading seasonal flu.”

My insurance provider, EmblemHealth, added: “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC), the 2022-23 flu season infection rates were back to pre-COVID-19 levels.”

It added: “The 2023-24 season flu vaccine limits your risk of hospitalization if you or are a family member catches the flu. Visit your doctor or go to a local pharmacy and get your vaccination.”

It's not yet December, but New York City still (technically) saw its first snowflakes of the season as a mid-week blast of cold weather swept through the area.

The bitter cold kept temperatures downright frigid November 28: Highs barely topped the freezing mark throughout the day, with earlier wind chills in the teens and 20s.

Because of that bitter cold, weather experts have warned there was a chance NYC would see some snow in the morning and afternoon. And that came true, with some snowflakes seen falling in the wind around Rockefeller Center.

As soon as I moved to schedule another flu vaccine probably in the first week of December (I had my flu shots in October every year for the past four years), I became worried after learning from Facty Health Staff Jamie that there are side effects of flu shots. 

“At one point or another, you're going to get the flu. Most likely, you've already experienced the bed-ridden days of bad daytime television and a congested respiratory system peppered with the inability to keep solid food in your body,” Jamie warned.

“A flu shot can help you bypass these miserable symptoms. Flu vaccination should not cause the flu in the people to whom it is administered; there are no active viruses in the shot. Some people experience a few mild side effects, but the flu itself is worse than these, making vaccination a good idea for most people.”

 

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The possible flu shot side effects, according to Jamie, are the following:

1. Mild Fever. It takes 14 days for a flu vaccine to become fully active. A small percentage of people who get the vaccine develop a low-grade fever of 101 degrees or less. It is possible that your immune system is aggressively responding to the vaccine.

2. Muscle Aches. The flu shot is an intramuscular injection, which means the needle is inserted straight into the muscle tissue. This causes microscopic injuries to the muscular cells. Ten to 64 percent of people who get intramuscular injections experience muscle aches in their upper arms or pain at the injection site.

3. Redness, Swelling, and Sore Arms. If you notice increased swelling or redness or endure discomfort in your arm after receiving the flu vaccine, you're experiencing what immunologists call a topical reaction. This is a telltale sign that your immune system functions well. However, if you experience extreme swelling at the injection site or any facial swelling, seek immediate medical attention because you may be allergic to the vaccine.

4. You Shouldn't Get the Flu. There is a lot of misinformation about the influenza vaccine. There aren't any active viruses in the shot, so there's no way you can get the flu from the jab. This misconception probably comes from the fact that most people get the flu shot during flu season; an individual may have already contracted the infection before administration of the vaccine.

5. Allergic Reaction. It's very rare for someone to be allergic to the influenza shot. Anaphylaxis is the allergic response that can cause wheezing, difficulty breathing, the excessive swelling of the mouth and eyelids. Symptoms of allergic reactions include paleness, an outbreak of hives or rash, an increased heartbeat and general weakness. The symptoms occur within a few minutes to a few hours which require medical intervention.

 

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6. Types of Flu Virus. Different strains of influenza produce different symptoms and side effects. The primary types of the flu virus are A, B, and C. Type A flu viruses are the worst of the lot and cause the most harm; they are capable of mutating and defeating the current vaccines. H1N1 or swine Flu is a type A flu virus. Type B flu, a weaker strain of influenza, mainly affect children and the elderly. Type C flu viruses are common, and symptoms are comparable to the common cold.

7. Nausea. It is possible that the flu jab will cause nausea or an upset stomach. Again, immunologists believe this is due to the body's robust immune response to the vaccine. The immune system is responsible for fighting off germ invaders like viruses and bacteria. In the course of aggressively protecting you, you may experience discomforts like nausea and fatigue.

8. Fainting. Only a tiny population of people who get a flu vaccine experience fainting or dizzy spells. This is most often due to the fear of getting the injection than the injection itself. If you are belonephobic, don't worry, you're not alone. Warn the medical professional who gives you the shot and make sure you sit down during and following the injection.

9. Headaches. Many side effects experienced from the influenza shot are demonstrations of your immune systems vitality and strength. Immunologists use the term 'regulation' to describe the body's internal and often microscopic balance preventing the immune system from harming beneficial elements. Headaches, soreness, patches of hives, and even a mild temperature are all signs that your immune system is responding to the vaccine appropriately.

10. Small Risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Only one or two people per million injected with the flu vaccine contract Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). The condition is more prone to develop during an active flu outbreak than through a flu vaccine injection. 70 percent of all individuals who contract GBS fully recover, though this can take between a few weeks and a few years. GBS damages the nervous system and causes symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness, and even paralysis. There is no known connection between the disease and the nasal flu vaccine.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

Stay away from City Hall politicians

 

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

—H. L. Mencken

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT is time for some newly elected village officials to distance themselves from City Hall politicians and serve their local constituents with fervor and independence as what most of them had promised during the campaign period for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) held on October 30, 2023.

By being independent does not mean they would severe their ties with City Hall politicians or antagonize them without any justification.

They can still work hand and hand or through a critical collaboration with City Hall, but not to the point of becoming outright lackeys and entirely subservients.

We are making this reminder anew after it was reported that some City Hall politicians appeared to be claiming credits for the victories of some punong barangay especially in the hotly contested villages.

Some of these politicians had really openly campaigned for these winners—and even financially went all the way for them—but after the BSKE, these politicians should not have bragged about the role that they had played in the winners’ election success.

 

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These BSKE winners also have dignities to preserve and reputations as public servants to protect, which will altogether be mangled once the constituents of these BSKE winners will realize their newly elected barangay leaders are only at the beck and call—and at the mercy—of City Hall politicians.

Unless these politicians are sending a curt message of a quid pro quo relationship or “I have scratched your back, it’s your turn to scratch my back in the next mayoral and congressional elections.”

The newly elected BSKE winners have nothing to worry about. They will now have to serve their full terms with or without any alliance with some politicians.

George Will once said, “Voters don't decide issues, they decide who will decide issues.”

 

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WE laud the Iloilo City Government for its efforts to rehabilitate the different plazas all over the city. So far, Jaro Plaza has undergone a massive facelifting with some of the lampposts now equipped with modern lighting and the walkways have been improved. 

Jaro plaza is one of the most historic plazas in the Philippines owing to the presence of the Jaro Belfry, one of the few belfries in the country that stood apart from the church where it belonged.

La Paz Plaza is now reportedly undergoing an overhaul and repair. According to Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas’ social media account, “Lapaz Plaza is the biggest plaza in our city that has a huge football field, lawn tennis court, basketball court, amphitheater, garden view, and koi fish pond.” 

“More shared spaces for everyone to enjoy,” added Trenas.

Meanwhile, Saint Anne Parish Church’s Gothic style façade and vibrant environment makes Molo Plaza a cut above the rest when it comes to charm and artistry. 

Since it is one of the most visited places for tourists who come to Iloilo City, there is a need to also maintain its beauty and elegance with the help of the Department of Tourism.

Also expected to undergo a well-deserved beautification are the astonishing Arevalo and Bo. Obrero Plazas—and even the breathtaking and historic Plaza Libertad in the City Proper.

 

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OPEN EYES. Fifty percent of men keep their eyes open when kissing a male or female companion. (Source: Brigitte).

SWIMMING SPERM. It takes a sperm one hour to swim in 7 inches. It has no chance to participate in the Olympics swimming.

BLOOD IN SEMEN. One in 100 men experience this condition known as "hematospermia", and it's usually nothing to worry about as it's a routine plumbing problem. Ejaculating at least once a week improves our urologic health, decreasing the chances of prostate cancer and hematospermia. (Source: Dr. Judd Moul, Duke University Medical Center)

HUMAN BONES. There are 206 bones in the adult human body, but 300 in children (some of the bones fuse together as a child grows).

DEAD WIFE’S CLOTHES. The Roman Emperor Nero used to dress up young boys in his dead wife's clothes and make love to them.

SEXUALITY. Good sex education is safe sex education. Helping kids to be aware of their bodies and of their feelings about sexuality can only make them better able to practice safe and egalitarian sex in what could be history's most honest chapter of sexual relations.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

I witnessed Vancouver honor ‘Ka Andres’

MAYOR DEAL AND THE AUTHOR

“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.”

— Alexander Hamilton

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

TWELVE years ago, acting Vancouver City Mayor Heather Deal handed to us the original copy of a Proclamation signed by then Vancouver City Mayor Greg Robertson declaring 30^th of November each year as “Andres Bonifacio Day” in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The occasion was hosted by the Filipino-Canadian New Era Society event in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I was then the editor of Surrey-based Philippine Asian News and attended the event together with members of the powerful Filipino community in British Columbia.

Canada recognized Andres Bonifacio (November 30, 1863–May 10, 1897) as a leader of the Philippine Revolution and the president of the Tagalog Republic, a short-lived government in the Philippines. 

“Ka Andres”, as he was called then by some Katipuneros, helped the Philippines break free from Spanish colonial rule through his work. His story is still remembered in the Philippines today.

Andres Bonifacio y de Castro was born on November 30, 1863, in Tondo, Manila. 

His father Santiago was a tailor, local politician, and boatman who operated a river-ferry. His mother Catalina de Castro was employed in a cigarette-rolling factory. 

The couple worked extremely hard to support Andres and his five younger siblings, but in 1881 Catalina caught tuberculosis and died. 

The following year, Santiago also became ill and passed away.

At the age of 19, Bonifacio was forced to give up plans for higher education and begin working full-time to support his orphaned younger siblings. He worked for the British trading company J.M. Fleming & Co. as a broker, or corredor, for local raw materials such as tar and rattan. He later moved to the German firm Fressell & Co., where he worked as a bodeguero, or grocer.

 

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Bonifacio's tragic family history during his youth seems to have followed him into adulthood. He married twice but had no surviving children at the time of his death.

His first wife Monica came from the Palomar neighborhood of Bacoor. She died young of leprosy (Hansen's disease). Bonifacio's second wife Gregoria de Jesus came from the Calookan area of Metro Manila. They married when he was 29 and she was just 18; their only child, a son, died in infancy.

In 1892, Bonifacio joined Jose Rizal's organization La Liga Filipina, which called for reform of the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines. 

The group met only once, however, since Spanish officials arrested Rizal immediately after the first meeting and deported him to the southern island of Mindanao.

After Rizal's arrest and deportation, Bonifacio and others revived La Liga to maintain pressure on the Spanish government to free the Philippines. Along with his friends Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, however, he also founded a group called Katipunan.

Katipunan, or Kataastaasang Kagalannalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (literally "Highest and Most Respected Society of the Children of the Country"), was dedicated to armed resistance against the colonial government. 

Made up mostly of people from the middle and lower classes, the Katipunan organization soon established regional branches in a number of provinces across the Philippines.

In 1895, Bonifacio became the top leader, or Presidente Supremo, of the Katipunan. Along with his friends Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio published a newspaper called the Kalayaan, or "Freedom." Under Bonifacio's leadership in 1896, Katipunan grew from about 300 members to more than 30,000. 

With a militant mood sweeping the nation and a multi-island network in place, Bonifacio's organization was prepared to start fighting for freedom from Spain.

 

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Also, Sulong BC, a student and youth organization in British Columbia affiliated with Anakbayan Canada, screened the 2014 Philippine historical action-drama film “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo”

The movie was about the life of the Katipunan revolutionary Andres Bonifacio and was an official entry in the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival. 

GOMBURZA was put to death after the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. The movie then shows what else happened that year. Dr. Jose Rizal started La Liga Filipina as a peaceful reform movement on July 3, 1898. 

Its goal was to bring all Filipinos together and give them a single voice. Andres Bonifacio was a part of it. 

The Spanish government found the group and put Rizal in jail in the end, thus Bonifacio formes the Katipunan and decided to lead a revolution against the Spanish colonizers.

Bonifacio Day events have been held annually by Sulong BC in an effort to educate and organize Filipino youth and students on issues concerning the Filipino diaspora and their fight for national democracy in the Philippines.

“Bonifacio Day: Film Screening and Discussion” was an event at Bahay Migrante, 4974 Fraser Street.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Shame on Nicaragua

“Oh, humiliation is poisonous. It's one of the deepest pains of being human.”

—Pierce Brosnan

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT’S a shame that instead of giving newly crowned Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios a grand welcome and a ticker tape parade for being the first Nicaraguan beauty queen to be crowned Miss Universe in history, the authoritarian government hogged headlines worldwide for banning Miss Palacios’ entourage from returning to the country.

What a waste of grand opportunity for the Nicaraguans to show the world how proud and grateful they are for producing a world class beauty titlist in this generation.

What a bizarre timing for the entourage that brought pride and glory for Nicaragua to be shabbily treated and humiliated by its own government which benefited tremendously in terms of international fame, goodwill and distinction with Miss Palacios’ scintillating victory.  

According to the Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect, the Nicaraguan government has gradually eroded the rule of law and rapidly descended into authoritarianism, resulting in an unprecedented human rights crisis. 

It has engaged in a broad campaign of repressing dissenting voices, including human rights defenders, women’s rights groups, journalists, religious and community leaders, students and academics, business owners and political opponents, as well as violence against indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples. Repression further intensified in the context of the 2021 presidential elections, when the government banned large parts of the opposition from participating, including through criminal prosecutions of presidential candidates.

 

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Various government structures are committing widespread human rights violations and abuses that may amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution, murder, imprisonment, torture and sexual violence, deportation and politically motivated persecution.

The Nicaraguan government has revoked the citizenship of more than 300 alleged political opponents since early February 2023.

On February 9, Nicaraguan authorities reportedly forcibly deported 222 of these individuals, who had been arbitrarily detained for political reasons, and sent them to the United States.

On May 3 at least 40 government critics, including political opponents, independent journalists, human rights defenders and peasant activists, were detained in a massive police raid overseen by President Ortega and Vice President Murillo. 

According to the newspaper El Pais, this operation was likely the highest number of detentions registered on a single day since the so-called “Operation Clean-Up” in 2018.

On June 21, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that the silencing of critical voices persists in a context of widespread fear and harassment by authorities. 

As a sign of intensifying repression, 119 civil society organizations and eight universities have had their legal personality cancelled since March. 

Dozens of government critics, including prominent members of the Catholic Church, remain arbitrarily detained under what the GHRE has defined as a state policy. 

On August 19, the US announced the imposition of visa restrictions on 100 Nicaraguan officials who restrict Nicaraguans’ human rights and undermine democracy.

 

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LET’S be honest. If he was not among those 24 hostages released by Hamas on November 24, the Philippine Government wouldn’t know that Filipino caregiver Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco was among those held hostage when the terrorist group attacked and massacred more than a thousand people in northern Israel on October 7.

The Philippine government announced on November 25 the release of Pacheco, one of the two Filipinos reported missing following the reescalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict on Oct. 7 that had since killed thousands, only after he was listed as the only Filipino in the initial group of freed hostages.

Before the release of hostages, the Philippine Government never mentioned Pacheco’s name because, in the first place, they had no idea he was alive or whether he existed.

Now that Pacheco was freed, both the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials apparently tried to share if not own the credit as shown by their “full force” attendance in a press conference.

Indeed, victory has many fathers while defeat is an orphan.

   

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SENATOR Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, a former police general, should read this announcement from Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller on November 24, 2023:

The United States is designating former Colombian General Jesus Armando Arias Cabrales due to his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during the retaking of the Palace of Justice of Bogotá in November 1985. 

As a result of today’s action, Arias Cabrales, his wife Martha Paulina Isaza de Arias, and his children Francisco Armando Arias Isaza and Martha Lucia Arias Isaza, are ineligible for entry into the United States.

The United States steadfastly supports Colombia’s 2016 Peace Accord and joins the Colombian people in commemorating its seventh anniversary.  

The United States congratulates Colombia on this anniversary, and we value its continuing achievements thus far. We also commend the Special Jurisdiction for Peace’s (JEP) work to end impunity for conflict-related crimes.  

The JEP integrates reparative justice and acknowledgment with criminal prosecutions to ensure victims play a central role in all stages of the peace process.

ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United States commits to marshaling our full range of policy and diplomatic resources to preventing and responding to gender-based violence around the world.

To continue making progress toward the global eradication of gender-based violence, the United States is pairing the updated 2022 U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-BasedViolence Globally with concrete, survivor-centered actions, utilizing the $250 million in foreign assistance Congress appropriated in Fiscal Year 2023 for efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Furthermore, the

Department recently awarded a new $3 million program to prevent, mitigate, and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence in South and Central Asia.

The prevalence of gender-based violence is alarmingly high, leaving no country, society, or socioeconomic group unscathed. 

Working with our partners, the United States will continue to work for a future free from gender-based violence.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Iloilo vendors used to be chased like rodents

 

“Let your customers be your partners; let your vendors be your employees. What's necessary in this transformation more than anything else is courage and a willingness to change.”

—Safra A. Catz

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

POPULIST Iloilo city mayors like Reinerio “Nering” Ticao, Francisco “Paquit” Garganera, Zafiro “Zaf” Ledesma, Luis “Tuing” Herrera, Rosa “Tita” Caram, and Mansueto “Mansing” Malabor allowed sidewalk vendors to mushroom in the heart of metropolis’ downtown City Proper.

They believed the vendors catered for the hoi polloi, the chief source of strength in the economic and political spectrums; and as long as they didn’t disturb the pedestrians and block the sidewalks, it was alright to allow them to eke out a living by selling their commodities in public places.

The problem was some vendors selling their goods in cheaper prices, did not only compete with the regular retailers and wholesalers that paid taxes and owned permanent establishments in Calle Real, but also became recalcitrant and, to some extent, eyesores.

To compound the matter, some of the vendors disrupted the normal flow of pedestrian activities; they encroached the pathways and used a big chunk of the sidewalks to display their goods like mini bicycles, garments, and toys. 

There was also uptick of petty crimes like snatching and budol-budol scams with some of the perpetrators in cahoots with the vendors. 

But the vendors were quick to claim those “distractions” were isolated.  After a series of tongue-lashing and trading of barbs by the pros and cons in City Hall, tuloy ang ligaya.

 

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For a while, the heydays of Iloilo City sidewalk vendors became a regular and normal thing.

But when “Bagyo Roding”—the effervescent and thunderous Mayor Rodolfo Ganzon, who was first mayor in 1955-1959 and briefly in 1972, returned in 1988-1991—, everything changed drastically.

In a grand house-cleaning spree, the mercurial “Bagyo Roding” had no mercy for undisciplined street vendors, especially those who blatantly abused their privileges.

He went on to literally “put the law into his own hands,” so to speak, by kicking some of the fruit stands that blocked the sidewalks, sending some oranges and apples rolling down the pavements.

Bagoy Roding’s sweeping reforms didn’t spare ambulant vendors who had scampered into different areas all over the city like rodents being chased by cats, even as they sought succor in public markets. 

But those scary movies were now a thing of the past.

When Malabor took over from June 1992 and served three consecutive terms interrupted until June 2001 (he was acting mayor from July 1991-May 1992), sidewalk vendors, a rich source of voters during the election, enjoyed their salad days.

 

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For a while they have been regulated or even prevented from freely selling their wares in the sidewalks anywhere in Calle Real owing to city hall’s policy of “restoration of law and order” in the city sidewalks during the Mabilog administration. 

An ordinance was passed designating a common area for all vendors in the Muelle Loney or in the riverside, but only a few persevered and cooperated with City Hall. 

Sensing a potential disaster in their income owing to the “isolated” location, most of them rebelled against the edict and, thus, the move to provide them with a common area to sell their goods, nosedived. 

Under the Trenas administration, we are glad to learn that vendors have been given opportunity to use anew the sidewalks only during the holiday rush from December 10-30, 2023.

In Executive Order No. 151, Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas, thus, ordered: “In anticipation of holiday celebrations, it is expected that, as part of Filipino tradition, vendors will set up stalls along the allowed and identified streets of the metro, and customers will swarm to purchase their needs, especially during the holiday rush.”

The Executive Order says, “Only one stall shall be permitted to operate for every vendor. No vendor shall be allowed to operate two or more different stalls in all allowed areas.”

Like in the past, many of these vendors are expected to request City Hall to extend the privileges provided for under the Executive Order until next year.

Also, some of them might demand for a permanent place to sell beyond the limit expounded under the Executive Order. 

History is expected, as always, to repeat again.

 

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AN email from New York Governor Kathy Hochul she also sent to other New Yorkers:

Alex, I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving offers an opportunity to reflect on the blessings in our lives. I know I’m grateful to be celebrating with my family, especially our grand baby Sofia, who’s growing up so fast.

But for me and so many New Yorkers, this Thanksgiving is also bittersweet. This is the first year I’ll be celebrating without my dad, who passed away unexpectedly last month; and as great conflicts continue in our world, pain is being felt by communities across our state.  

I hope that the joy of spending time with loved ones brings you peace and comfort. 

As a mom, I know Thanksgiving and the holiday season offer a meaningful, and sometimes rare, opportunity to gather everyone around the table. Alongside younger children and high schoolers, college kids may be home for the first time since they left in August. With the rise in hateful rhetoric and actions both online and off, I encourage you to talk to your kids about what they’re hearing and seeing at school and on their campuses, and ways that they can spread kindness, not hate. New York State has resources to help facilitate these sometimes difficult, yet important, conversations.

Because it’s on all of us to do our part to create the kind of society we want to live in.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I also encourage all New Yorkers to give back.

Volunteer in your community.  

Support a small business this Saturday.

And, as we see the ugliness of hate rear its head amongst our communities, look for opportunities to spread love and kindness instead.  

As always, remember the spirit of warmth and appreciation that makes the holiday season so special.

From my family to yours: Happy Thanksgiving.

Gov. Kathy Hochul

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Iloilo village chiefs allergic to Big Brother

“Our movements and feelings are constantly monitored, because surveillance is the business model of the digital age.”

—Katharine Viner

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

BARANGAY chairpersons in Iloilo City engaged in monkey business like illegal drugs and illegal gambling will surely oppose if not delay the proposed installation of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in all the metropolis’ 180 barangays.

These unscrupulous village officials are aware the No. 1 antiserum for their nefarious activities is a “live” camera installed on a 24-hour basis as mandated by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The standby electronic Big Brother records all activities and monitors all the shady personalities that enter and saunter in every barangay, thus nothing escapes the police authorities once any untoward incident occurs, and they start to investigate with the aid of CCTV cameras.

The surveillance gadgets will expose the shenanigans not only of good-for-nothing barangay chairpersons, but also their minions and runners who are as edgy as their bosses.  

Many puzzling crimes difficult to solve 30 to 50 years ago when CCTV wasn’t yet conceptualized, are now easily resolved and the culprits are neutralized and tracked down because of the CCTV’s amazing technology. 

With or without the DILG mandate, not all barangay chairpersons will be keen to push for installation of CCTVs in their villages. 

Especially now that Councilor Ma. Irene Ong, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, has confirmed compliance of the DILG edict is in the discretion of barangay chairpersons.

 

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If former President Rodrigo Duterte wants to serve again the country, he is free to run for any position in the next election. 

No law can prevent him from seeking an elective or even appointive office.

He can run for vice president or senator as he had been telling reporters these past weeks “kahit matanda na ako” (even if I’m already an old man).

If Mr. Duterte thinks he still has what it takes to give the Filipinos a quality public service, his supporters who helped catapult him into the presidency in 2016, are more than willing to help him again.

But he should be serious and must refrain from tantalizing them again that he is running anew to eliminate all drug traffickers. Kumita na yan.

 

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For generations, the dominant cultural narrative of America’s Thanksgiving holiday has told how a Native American man named Squanto showed the Pilgrims how to get food after they arrived on the Mayflower in Massachusetts in 1620. 

Having fled their native England, Tony Tekaroniake Evans wrote in History, the new emigres endured hardship and privation in both their journey and their adjustment to the new land. 

Those who survived in the early settlement are said to have gathered with the Native people in a feast of gratitude, establishing the time-honored tradition of having a “Thanksgiving” dinner on the fourth Thursday of November.

The historical details of this somewhat mythologized story are far more complicated—as was the life of Squanto, whose actual name was Tisquantum, stressed Evans.

He and his Indigenous relatives would have been quite familiar with the tradition of “thanksgiving” because it was, and still is, an essential aspect of their regular spiritual practices, one that predates by many generations the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

 

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MASS COLLECTION. When the Egyptians destroyed Libya in the 13th century B.C. they took 13,230 penises of the conquered enemies as trophies.

LOYAL WOMEN. 85 percent of married women say they have never cheated on their spouse.

MASTER BACHELOR. Women must address a bachelor as master instead of mister, according to an Illinois state law.

PUBLIC PEE. If you pee in your bath water that means you are lazy. But if you pee in the public pool, you are really nasty!–BPBEE.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)