Thank You!!!

I would like to thank the readers of this blog for a month of frequent visits to this site and for taking time to read my posts here. It has been a tough month since most of the articles that I have written here are controversial in nature. They contained expose's of the Philippines society's weaknesses. It is not my goal to criticize but instead to make everyone aware about the realities happening inside our homeland.

I am not here to criticize people nor their actions. I just write about those things that would "enlighten" and probably help us get rid of the "Apathy" that has been eating up our society.

I hope that you enjoyed reading and I also wish that you would be able to get some lessons in life that oftentimes are just like a bitter pill to swallow. For me it is simply this "Veritas Vos Liberabit" - The Truth Will Set Us Free.

Again, thank you so much! God Bless the Philippines!!!

Illegal Drugs - Cover Up by Biggies?...

In the Philippines, there are cities that boast that they are drug-free meaning drug peddling, drug addictions are not happening in their areas. That is what most city government tells the public about illegal drugs. Decades ago, drugs (which is the so called "shabu" or poor man's cocaine) are coming in from China, Taiwan, and other nearby countries. Its effects to a drug user is tremendous - unable to sleep for a week or so, hyper activity, hyper emotions, paranoia and extreme reactivism to their environment, people and events and worst are crime related acts and behaviors.

Certain politicians in various cities, towns and municipalities claim that they have already "cleaned up" illegal drugs from their turfs. But in reality, there are still "shabu" being peddled, sold and used by illegal players in the Great Metro Manila Cities.

Some drug dependents that I talked to said that the effects of "shabu" to them is already different than before. Comparatively for those who have been addicted to these stuffs for more than a decade, they claim that the "shabu" being distributed now makes them "slowdown" and makes them crave for more. Unlike what they use to take a decade or two ago, wherein just a single session would already give them the "effect" that they need, the "shabu" now makes them fall asleep more often than usual specially if the effect to their bodies are already going down which usually just last for a couple of hours. Since the effect is not as long term (days) as before, they tend to buy again hoping to find that particular "item" that would give them the "effect" that would satisfy their cravings. No matter how much amount of money they put in to buy this "shabu," they never got enough.

I also found out that nowadays the main reason why foreign drug laboratories are unable to set their grounds is because "shabu" is already "Made in the Philippines." These drugs are now made and distributed locally by a local "pseudo chemist." This is the reason why whenever there is an intelligence report that there is a foreign laboratory that exists or about to exist, the Drug Czar's inside these cities are quite very quick to act and respond to cut off these foreign traders. They are very vigilant to protect and to ensure that there would be no competitors that would spring out specially from outside this land.

There was even a well-known city in Great Metro Manila that boasts that their city is drug free and that their city never peddle drugs. But in reality, that city is the "transit point" for drugs coming from the Southern Tagalog region being delivered via local municipality ambulances, police cars and even politicians' vehicles. The transit point is a local baranggay and the couriers of the illegal drug items are the baranggay tanods in their tricycles. They are the ones delivering these goods to the "drug dens/drug session houses" inside a neighboring city which have gained notoriety for illegal drugs.

Are the authorities unaware of these? I talked to a retired police captain (my compare) who had been the chief of that particular (transit point) baranggay that I am pertaining to. He said that they are unable to do anything about drugs since this particular thing is "hands-off" to them. Illegal drug trade or "shabu business" nowadays is somewhat "federal" in nature - meaning individual municipality, town or city takes care of its own when it comes to this business. He implied that policemen are powerless when they are up against the "Biggies" - the politicians. These policemen whether they like it or not are just puppets of these "Biggies." It is also these same "Biggies" who handpick and appoint Drug Czars to show the public that they are doing their best to eliminate illegal drugs from their areas. However, it is a reversed truth since these Drug Czars are the ones who run, protect and maintain these businesses. They are even the ones who are tasked to negotiate with their neighboring city on how to effectively transport and distribute illegal drugs.

This is a bitter reality that faces this land. No matter how we dream of a drug free society, "drug money funds governments" Silently on the background, the illegal drug industry in the Philippines is getting bigger. Bigger than what other people might think it is. Even in rural areas wherein electricities are still unavailable, shabu has already deeply penetrated their communities.

There are still a lot of drug peddlers or drug pushers proliferating in certain cities that are being cuddled and harnessed by these "Biggies." However, after "Biggies" term of office, these drug peddlers are silenced and/or incarcerated since their protections are coterminous with their protectors' tenure in office. Then the new "Biggies" through their Drug Czars would appoint another set of drug peddlers who they know would give them the loyalty that they need. It is a continuous cycle wherein each and every denizen of the communities to where these drug traders are operating are secretly aware about. These citizens are just fearful about their existence that they just chose to stay silent about these matters.

On a separate note, if you check out the local police's statistical reports on drug arrests, you'd be surprised to find out that the number of arrested individuals are quite "very few" specially in the drug city.

I witnessed one instance wherein a person was forced to come up with a certain sum of money or else he would be charged with illegal possession of drugs even there were no drugs found from him. However, I was already too late. When I talked to him, I asked him if he was really taking drugs, he said no and that he was just flagged down and searched in his car and the authorities said that they found drugs inside his car's compartment. I told him that he should have taken the drug test instead and should have filed a counter complaint. He feared that he might be incarcerated so he called his wife to come up with the agreed amount of money which is less than the Php200,000 bail if ever he would be sent to court. He feared that the test results would be "concocted" so he just relented and paid the amount of Php 10,000. He also feared the rejection and humiliation that he would get if he chose to complain. He feared that "his truth" might not be heard.

There have been several incidences like this happening all over. My question is who are they going to turn to in instances such as this one? Should they run to the "Biggies" who runs the show for this illegal trade? Should the Justice System be able to protect these people or is this plot similar to the Bigger Conspiracy Theory that was spreading across the World's government? That I don't know and I just leave the answer to this question to you.

Two Filipinos in Japan Caught Without Working Visas

18th July, 2008: This is an incident wherein two Filipinos were arrested by the Japan Immigration Bureau for working without proper working visas. Their employers are the ones who should be blamed for this incident.

They were arrested for working without visas at a warehouse next door to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau. Apparently the two Filipino workers had been told by their Japanese boss to be careful about going outside of the warehouse because of its proximity to the immigration office.

Nikkeijin Papers For Sale! Do You Want To Buy?!!!

There are lots of Nikkeijins here in the Philippines specially in the areas where the Japanese Imperial Armies habitated during the war. One notable place where I was able to meet a lot of "Nikkeijins" are in Davao.

When I accompanied a friend in Davao when they ventured into Nikkeijin processing to check the documentations of these Nikkeijins, I was astonished to find out that there are a lot of "Nikkeijins" in Davao than probably anywhere else in the Philippines.

They are literally thousands; from the Second Generations to the 6th Generations! That is what they claim. I was able to talk to a lot of them and conducted interviews to ascertain the validity of their claims. There are several things that I found out;

1. Some of the "Original Nikkeijins" who are mostly farmers from the rural places of the Davao Oriental and Davao Del Sur have sold their documents to a group of persons who have the money to pay for the processing. The amount involved sometimes just ranges from Php 50,000 to P150,000. They had no choice since they are really quite "illiterate" and they won't be able to take care of the process themselves.

2. Some of the "Original Nikkeijins" were victimized by unscrupulous brokers who have collected all their original documents which would serve as proof of their descendancy. These brokers have either collected their land titles as collaterals with the promise that they would get them back once they are already in Japan.

3. Since the 70's, "selling of Kosekitohon" or other documental proofs have been ongoing in Davao. I was also surprised to learn that most of the "Nikkeijins" I have talked to and met were "FAKES!"

With my experiences in the Philippine Army before I went out, my notable specialties are psychological profiling, interrogation and interviews. Some of the "Nikkeijins" I talked to have admitted through a series of interviews that they are indeed fakes. They were just sold certain names and birth certificates by another "Nikkeijin" for a fee. The fees vary though they could go as low as Php 10,000 to Php 300,000 depending on the status of the person(s) the documents are being sold to. Who sold them these documents? Another "fake nikkeijin" posing as an original.

Some of these people have prominent positions in the local government units in Davao; Among them are (just to mention a few); an elementary principal who opted to have another birth certificate, marriage certificate with another name and applied for the NBI clearance, they even have a "fake group marriage celebration" which is of course funded by the money that they paid the "fake family;" there is this personnel from the local civil registrar from a rural area in Davao Oriental who decided to venture into this "Nikkeijin" opportunity who also paid and invited others to join the venture; there is this wife of a known College Professor, who sold most of their lands without her husband knowing it and assumed another name from "Remedios" to "Maria" just to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to go to Japan as Nikkeijins. However, due to the nature of their transactions, they were all denied by the Japanese Embassy in Manila. There are several similar stories of this kind personally narrated to me when I was in Davao.

This is happening because some were able to get away with it. Some of the "Fake Nikkeijins" already have stable jobs in Japan with Permanent Resident statuses and have already embraced their "fake identities." Some of them are even prominent people in that area in Davao and the people around them have just kept silent about it. Some of them have been in Japan as "real nikkeijins" at the expense of the "original nikkeijins" who are still tending to their farms somewhere in Davao who have resigned their luck to fate that they won't be able to go to Japan.

I was also able to talk to an original Nikkeijin family in Tagum, their surname is Konishi. They are a family of peasant farmers who are really descendants of the Japanese named Konishi. It was undeniable because the living daughter of the Japanese really looks like him. They had proofs of their descendancy but the problems are most of the brokers that they talked to just swindled them. Some took their passports, some made fun of their Birth Certificates through corrections and alterations, some asked for money and some even gave them loans which up to now they were not able to pay, some even sold their family documents to interested "fake nikkeijins." I just don't know if any of these fakes were already able to land a spot in Japan.

Their case is very simple if someone would just have the big heart to really help their plight. The daughter of the Japanese who is now on her late 70's just have to be invited to Japan and process her documentation with the Ministry of Justice. I am really very much interested to help them but when I checked their documents. Most of their documents were "manipulated" by the brokers and/or foundations that used to process them. For one, I was even able to talk to "Tony," a third generation descendant who is a fireman. He even gathered too much loan from the foundation that processed them for the documentations and processing of their descendancy. When he was interviewed in Manila with his mother (2nd Generation Nikkeijin), the foundation helping them turned their backs on them when the interview results were negative. They were stranded in Manila for a couple of weeks. They didn't have the plane ticket to get back to Davao. Knowing their plight, I helped them return to their home and for Tony to resume his work with the local fire department in Tagum. I never heard of them after that time.

It seems that there are several crimes being committed by people just to be able to go to Japan at the expense of innocent and ignorant victims. Among them are; falsification of public documents - fake "on-time(ly) registered" birth certificates, marriage certificates, baptismal certificates, DepEd records, postal IDs, NBI clearances and etc.

"I pity the plight of those original Japanese descendants who have no way of fighting back with the sad plight that they encountered. I just wish that there would be measures to correct the upsurge of "Fake Nikkeijins" usurping the identities of those poor original Japanese descendants."

On Love, Bigamy and Family

I would like to thank the many Filipino readers from Japan and other parts of the world who took some of their precious time to read my blog about bigamy. I got mixed reactions out of that story.

In as much as I would like to dissipate the heat arising out of being caught in between a situation wherein two fellow kababayans on the verge of losing or breaking a family, I could not do so since both parties have their own reasons. Judgment for these kinds of instances are for the court judges to decide should there be a case that has to be filed against the woman.

As far as I could understand, life is really very hard specially in the Philippines. But if we have a set of stable and strong values, hardships are just parts of our lives that come and go. If we take it up as a team, just like a family should, everything would turn out fine. Life is just like a wheel they say, sometimes we are on top and sometimes we are at the bottom; sometimes we are inflated and sometimes we're not.

Now, probably some are asking why I wrote that incident for the world to see. The reason is simple. I would like to find out how people would react to such matters concerning families. I would like to collect their viewpoints and opinions to give me a glimpse on what is really happening out there. Moreover, to be able to have a deeper understanding why these things are happening and prevalent in that place. Are our values so degraded that we already forget about our family's reputation, credibility and honor? Families that have to be nurtured, cared for and preserved. The bond that couples got when they got married is sacred. The vows that they promised each other are supposed to be immortal. However, I am just surprised even at my age, that some people are still pre-occupied with material things more than intangible happiness in this world. Material things that they won't even be able to bring when they depart from this earthly abode.

However, legally the man has a point to pursue his case against the "secretive wife." The wife has her reasons why she got married again despite of being married in the Philippines. The damage has been done not only for the man but also to the woman who I believe still love him and their family. The damage is continually getting bigger the more she stays in that place. I was caught in that situation wherein I could not readily advise the man to file his case in court and copy furnish the Japan Embassy since I know that deep in their hearts they still want to save what they have - their family.

I understand that she is just probably torn between a situation wherein she is faced with two difficult options. To clutch the knifeblade or to let go.. But in my opinion, if I am faced with the same scenario, I would always choose "the lesser evil." I don't know also if how others would react to a similar situation.

Marriage in the Philippines is irrevocable. There is no divorce yet. Marriage is sacred as I repetitively say. How could we marry another person if we don't love that person at that point that we married him/her? Yes, love eventually fades, diminishes and probably evaporates along the way. But if we consider our marriage as a bond that would serve as a guide to our family, then that shouldn't be so. We should strive hard to save the marriage and preserve the family. Not for our own sakes but for the sake of the children. We probably should work out our best to change for the better, keep an open communication line between family members and become transparent with each other's plans.

Due to these broken marriages, breech of trusts between husbands and wives who promised to love each other "in sickness or in death; till death do them part," many children would suffer all the consequences, all the karmas and all the ill effects of those events. Some might justifiably say that "We are okay. My children understands. They are happy because they are having enough money more than they could need."

Are we suppose to pay our families with money, luxuries, diamonds and golds for them to keep silently mum and be apathetic about our ill deeds?

Right now, what I could say is that question is up for you to decide on. That is why I created a poll on this blog to know how you feel about this subject matter. Just a straight answer for those who would like to join in that poll. For us to know how we are different from the rest.

Beware of DFA Passport Error Makers!!!

The Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines may be one of the busiest governmental agencies in the Philippines. As early as 5 o'clock in the morning, you could already see several lines of people who are either applying for a new passport or renewing their current passports.

The Department's security force is efficient in lining up the tremendous amount of people as they flood inside the agency's property. However, as with all governmental agencies in the Philippines, one could readily see scammers and fixers everywhere. Among them are the men and women, posing as security personnels, helping people to line up as they went inside the agency's domain and reminding applicants to buy forms, have their photos taken, bring black ballpens and of course for a fee. They are the barkers for the nearby commercial establishments that you would find sprawled outside the DFA. It is alright since these people are in a way helping the applicants before they step inside the agency's property for faster transaction and facilitation of their transactions.

A friend asked me to join her inside DFA as she applied for a new passport for his son who is a minor.

There are two options in applying for a Philippine Passport.

First is to apply directly in person, the process of the direct passport process application is clearly outlined in DFA's website
( http://dfa.gov.ph/consular/stepbystep.htm). Regular process would take fourteen (14) days which costs Php 500.00 while expedited process would take six (6) days which costs Php 750.00.

Second option, is to have an agency or agent assist you in the passport application process, the agent would just collect the needed documents and would accompany you as you submit them inside DFA. Process would take six (6) working days.

My friend decided to have an agency/agent assist her in her son's passport application since she is in a hurry. The agent/liason personnel of DFA who assisted us in facilitating the passport applications for a fee of Php 1,500.00 already inclusive of the Php 750.00 actual passporting fee. He already has a mark-up of 100% on the actual passport fee. That is alright as long as the process would be efficient, quick and accurate. That was what we thought would happen.

My friend applied for the passport and was assured that it would come out after the six (6) working days period. We went to the DFA several times since she was asked by the agent/liason to fill up certain forms inside DFA aside from the Official Passport Application Form which she had accurately accomplished early on. She told me that she was told to sign a certain CGF or form on top of the Official Passport Application Form and noticed some mistakes on her name which is entirely different from the name that she had written on the Official Passport Application Form. She was told to check the items 1-6 of that CGF form and she told me that everything was in order after the corrections that she made on the error that was done on her name. To cut the story short, we were glad that we finished the process in two (2) days and then started in counting six (6) working days from that day on.

On the sixth day, she text'd the agent and was told that her son's passport is already available. She then went to the DFA to claim the passport. To her astonishment, the surname on her son's passport was "Wrong!" She then called upon the agent and asked what happened to that passport of her son with the wrong surname. The agent instead of explaining readily said that is was her error. It was her mistake because the agent said that she didn't carefully checked the details on that CGF form. He even claimed that it is impossible for the DFA personnels (inside DFA) to make the mistake since what is written on the CGF form is the official basis for the printing of the MRP or Machine Readable Passport. My friend almost collapsed to what had happened since she is quite in a hurry to have her son join her overseas and that time is really very critical for her since she only have a few days left to stay in the Philippines.

What happened next was a series of discussions between me and the agent. He claims that it is the "official" process of the DFA to base the data of applicants on that CGF form and that the error committed by the mother of the applicant would cost her another Php 1,500.00 plus precious time.

This got my ire and I told him that legally, the basis of Passport Applications anywhere in the world is the Birth Certificate. unless of course if the surname of the child on the Birth Certificate is different then it is acceptable to the applicant. However, the name is correct on the Birth Certificate and the error that was committed was on that CGF form.

I really don't know what that CGF form is all about. But what I really understood is that the Birth Certificate should be the sole basis of the Passporting of any denizens anywhere in the world. We huggled in our discussion since he was really driving that my friend committed the error. I told him bluntly that legally he would be liable for that since all date contained in the Official Passport Application form is accurately supplied by the mother. The CGF is a tool being used inside DFA and this should not be the basis for the applicants since the public knows that the Passport Application Form is the sole basis for the data that has to be imported on the Machine Readable Passport (MRP). Should there have been any errors in between, that error is not the mistake of the mother's applicant since the error was committed while encoding the applicant's data from the Official Passport Application form should that be the case. I asked him if I could get a copy of that CGF with that error and if I could talk to a supervisor inside DFA to clarify matters and to ask for the reason why my friend has to pay another Php 1,500.00 for the reprinting of the error she didn't commit.

Upon learning that we are stiff on our stand that we want to talk to a Supervisor inside DFA, he took the printed passport with errors and told us to wait for his advise on what to do next. He then went inside DFA and after a couple of minutes, he told me to meet him up again in a nearby foodshop. This time my friend was already late for another appointment so I was left there to talk to the agent. As he explains things to me, he said that the mother has to reappear again for the reprinting of the passport. My friend was already scheduled to depart Philippines the next day since she is badly needed in her job and her leave of absence is only valid for that date. There would be no extensions that would be granted to her by her employer.

I told him that it is a big no since my friend is already about to leave the country again. He told me that my friend could make an SPA (Special Power of Attorney) with me as the authorized person to appear inside DFA. I again told him no. The error that was committed was not my friend's error and the downtime that is being suffered by the applicant is already tremendous. I told him that I would just guide my friend to file a formal complaint in DFA. After repeated discussions and upon knowing that I am really serious with this filing of complaint, we arrived at a conclusion that for my friend not to file a written complaint with the DFA , he would let me talk to the Supervisor inside DFA and that I could channel my complaints to her for this matter. So we set the date for that meeting that same afternoon after office hours which was later postponed for another day.

The day came when I met up with that Lady Supervisor inside the Agency Releasing Area in DFA. I was suppose to freely talk to her during the meet up but the agent preempted me and instead said different things as to the status of the applications. I just listened and understood that he is trying to conceal the real scenario from that supervisor. Bottomline, I just kept silent so as not to prejudice the application process and so that it would be speeded-up. What I just told the lady was the child needs the passport ASAP since he is already enrolled overseas and time is really critical. The lady supervisor told me that she would act on it.

I admire the lady supervisor of DFA for protecting that agent who is trying to make another set of money from my friend. To cut the story short, my friend through her sister just paid Php 500.00 for the reprinting and not the Php 1,500.00 that the agent is claiming.

It is my analysis that the error was done deliberately to get another payment from the applicant. I learned that from the first of Php 1,500.00 that an applicant pays the agent, Php 750.00 goes directly to the DFA specially for the expedited process, the Php 750.00 goes to those people including the agent who are behind the process. If the agent did not earn a lot from the cut that he got, he could make deliberate errors in the application process through the CGF so that the applicant would have no other choice but just to pay just to have a Philippine Passport. From this second payment of Php 1,500.00, probably the agent would get more cut than before; Php 500.00 for the reprinting; Php 1,000.00 for him and his cohorts inside DFA.

DFA Philippine Passport Applicants Beware!!!!

This is a reminder to all Passport applicants that they could directly facilitate their applications with the Department of Foreign Affairs same way as agents would handle it. This is also a wake-up call to all agents of this Governmental Institution to beware since this modus operandi is already exposed. I pity those applicants who were told that they committed errors in this CGF form and was asked again to pay another Php 1,500.00 which would make a Philippine Passport probably one of the most expensive Passport in the world at Php 3,000.00!!!

For those who experienced a similar fate, you could post your comments here and let the rest of the Philippines and the world know about these irregularities.

A Lady Who Sacrificed Her Freedom for a Man He Loved...

I learned about the story of this lady from Makati City Philippines who fell in love with a Drug Pusher whom she dearly loved and cared for. The man he loved was a drug pusher who was never been caught during his active drug dealing career. This woman who had a child with a former husband lived-in with this drug pusher and almost did everything for him - literally took care of him just like a baby while the drug dealing boyfriend supported her and her child's needs. Due to the notoriety of illegal drug trades in that area and the clean up drive of the politicians to rid the city with illegal drugs, her boyfriend was on the top list of those who are in the Order of Battle with the Drug Enforcement Unit. However, he always eluded arrest. Some say he has an amulet while others say that it is just pure luck. Then came a time wherein a group of armed men from the Drug Enforcement Unit of Makati went to their house. She was washing clothes at that time and was only clad in thin shirt and shorts. The men were obviously looking for her boyfriend who was not in their house at that time. She was dragged, tied up, was slapped, punched several times with almost all her clothes ripped off from her body and was taken prisoner to the nearest police station in Makati wherein she was jailed and was later charged with drug dealing crimes she had never done before. This lady is not even a drug user. Her only crime is that she fell in love with a drug pusher who was never caught. She was charged with illegal trade of prohibited drugs and was sentenced to serve a lengthy term in jail. One thing that baffles me up to now was that her real name was different from the name that was charged and incarcerated. I am really perplexed on how things like this could be done unseen and unnoticed by authorities. She never even squealed the acts of her boyfriend and never even reported of his drug trades but instead kept mum and silently suffered inside that jail just to be able to show and prove to the world what real love is all about... She kept silent even for a fact that the name that was charged was not even her real name meaning she is not the person that was supposed to be inside that jail. A jail wherein she had suffered for almost a decade now without even knowing why she was there and without even being given the chance to prove her utmost innocence... Her mission is just to protect the man he loves no matter what the costs might be.. I wish that there would be legal vanguards for this kind of folks who were caught between the crossfire of crime and passion.. I wish that she would be able to get the justice that have been denied for the sake of truth...