Multiple people were killed and dozens more were injured on Sunday following a church bombing in Marwari in the southern Philippines.
The National <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/2023/12/03/bomb-blast-kills-four-at-philippine-church-service-in-suspected-isis-attack/">reported</a> that at least four were killed and 50 more injured during the suspected ISIS terrorist attack that targeted the Catholic church during mass.
&#8220;I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists upon the Mindanao State University (MSU) and Marawi communities early this Sunday morning,&#8221; said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. &#8220;Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society.&#8221;
The blast happened in the school&#8217;s gymnasium just as the congregation began reading the Bible.
Military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said that there were &#8220;strong indications of a foreign element&#8221; to the terrorist attack and that all evidence &#8220;points to the Maute-ISIS.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The area is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was given self-rule under former President Rodrigo Duterte in an effort to stave off growing Islamic terrorism.
The military killed 11 suspected pro-ISIS fighters on Friday after civilians provided information to the government on the terrorists&#8217; whereabouts.
Brig. Gen. Oriel Pangcog, commander of the Philippine Army&#8217;s 601st Infantry Brigade, said: &#8220;Eleven members of the local terrorist group, including the proclaimed Ameer of Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines, were killed in decisive military operations in the mountainous area of Mother Tuayan, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, at 12:15 p.m. on Friday. The operation also led to the recovery of ten high-powered firearms and three explosives.&#8221;

PHILIPPINES-UNREST

Multiple Dead, Dozens Injured After Church Bombed In Asia In Suspected ISIS Attack

Bombings

Church

ISIS

Philippines

Terrorism

World

The San Diego Comic Con took some heat this week for slapping a woke label on a panel featuring Filipino &#8220;Voices In Pop Culture&#8221;: Filipinx.
Much like the often-criticized term <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ive-never-met-a-latinx-van-jones-says-the-way-liberals-talk-is-just-weird/">Latinx</a> — which has been <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/new-poll-shows-only-2-of-hispanics-use-term-latinx-many-find-it-offensive/">widely panned</a> by members of the very community it is used to describe — the convention&#8217;s social media team&#8217;s use of the term Filipinx appeared to be an attempt to be gender-inclusive.
&#8220;The Filipinx Voices in Pop Culture was a fun and educational all Filipinx panel discussing Filipinx influences behind your favorite media!&#8221; @Comic_Con <a href="https://twitter.com/Comic_Con/status/1550269418953125888">tweeted</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Filipinx Voices in Pop Culture was a fun and educational all Filipinx panel discussing Filipinx influences behind your favorite media! 📸 Edward S. <a href="https://t.co/OOgLFKp2pf">pic.twitter.com/OOgLFKp2pf</a>
&mdash; San Diego Comic-Con (@Comic_Con) <a href="https://twitter.com/Comic_Con/status/1550269418953125888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But critics were not impressed, and quickly took to Twitter to hit back at Comic Con.
&#8220;Stop using these made-up words to score woke virtue signaling points from people who never asked you to speak for them in the first place,&#8221; @nknewsorg&#8217;s social media editor Oliver Jia (@OliverJia1014) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliverJia1014/status/1552020027398037504">commented</a>.
&#8220;Want to know why white liberals push this &#8216;Latinx&#8217; and &#8216;Filipinx&#8217; s***? It&#8217;s the &#8216;white man&#8217;s burden,'&#8221; @ReviewsPossum <a href="https://twitter.com/ReviewsPossum/status/1552019029048676353">added</a>. &#8220;They see you as a savage and feel the need to civilize you, so they colonize your language to make it more appealing to their own &#8216;enlightened&#8217; sensibilities. It&#8217;s racism.&#8221;
&#8220;We are NOT going to start using Filipinx. nuh uh. no,&#8221; @Chef033 <a href="https://twitter.com/chef033/status/1552099331968221184">declared</a>.
&#8220;The gringx are at it again,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/KalebPrime/status/1551971962599182336">came</a> from @KalebPrime.
@RioXVII <a href="https://twitter.com/RioXVII/status/1551948739149021185">added</a>, &#8220;We don’t use Filipinx at all. this isn’t a thing. It’s always been gender neutral, which is why we use Kami = us, Tayo = we, Sila = they. Please stop trying to make it a thing.&#8221;
&#8220;¿Qué diablos es Filipinx? ¿Una nueva enfermedad venérea?&#8221; Agustin Laje <a href="https://twitter.com/AgustinLaje/status/1552084650570485760">tweeted</a>. (Translation: What the devil is Filipinx? A new venereal disease?)
&#8220;If you call me Filipinx I will personally go to your house and eat you alive,&#8221; @yousoromi <a href="https://twitter.com/yousoromi/status/1552099156868489218">warned</a>.
&#8220;How is it that I, a white American dude, who has a moderately basic knowledge of Latin languages know more about said languages — like the fact that &#8216;X&#8217; doesn&#8217;t exist in the vocabulary or that gender neutral terms already exist in said languages — than these people?&#8221; @soulkibble <a href="https://twitter.com/soulkibble/status/1552063361235357696">added</a>.
A number noted that the <a href="https://learningfilipino.com/language/filipino-alphabet/">Filipino language</a> did not include the letter X at all until 1976, when 8 new letters were added to the original Tagalog alphabet — and even then, the letter only appears in words that are derived from foreign origins.
Others pointed out the fact that the word Filipino is already a <a href="https://preen.ph/96642/on-the-filipino-gender-neutral-language-and-our-egalitarian-origin">gender neutral</a> term — as are the language&#8217;s pronouns. Typically, a person is addressed as &#8220;siya&#8221; (&#8220;them&#8221;) and there are no gender-specific words for he/she or him/her.

San Diego Exteriors And Landmarks – 2022

‘Stop Using These Made Up Words’: Comic Con Slaps Woke Term On Filipino Panel, Gets Torched

Comic Con Torched For Labeling Panel 'Filipinx'

Comics

Culture

Movies

Woke Culture

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/world-war-ii">World War II</a> Navy destroyer was discovered off the coast of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/philippines">Philippines</a> in the “deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed,” according to the explorers who found the ship.
Caladan Oceanic, a Texas based underwater exploration group, and EYOS Expeditions <a href="https://phys.org/news/2022-06-deepest-shipwreck-wwii-ship-philippines.html">found</a> the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shipwreck-credited-with-inspiring-the-goonies-found-off-oregon-coast">wreck</a> of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, which had sunk on October 25, 1944. The ship was challenging the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in a battle near Samar, one of the Philippines’ central islands.
“With sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet, I piloted the submersible Limiting Factor to the wreck of the Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413). Resting at 6,895 meters, it is now the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed,” Victor Vescovo, founder of Caladan Oceanic, <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorVescovo/status/1540275623960133632">tweeted</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
With sonar specialist Jeremie Morizet, I piloted the submersible Limiting Factor to the wreck of the Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413). Resting at 6,895 meters, it is now the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed. It was indeed the &quot;destroyer escort that fought like a battleship.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VjNVERdTxh">pic.twitter.com/VjNVERdTxh</a>
&mdash; Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorVescovo/status/1540275623960133632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Vescovo also shared footage from the expedition, showing the destroyer resting on the sea floor four miles below the surface. You can see fish swimming by in the video taken from the Limiting Factor sub.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Part of the dive on the Sammy B. It appears her bow hit the seafloor with some force, causing some buckling. Her stern also separated about 5 meters on impact, but the whole wreck was together. This small ship took on the finest of the Japanese Navy, fighting them to the end. <a href="https://t.co/fvi6uB0xUQ">pic.twitter.com/fvi6uB0xUQ</a>
&mdash; Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorVescovo/status/1540295606970769409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Part of the dive on the Sammy B. It appears her bow hit the seafloor with some force, causing some buckling. Her stern also separated about 5 meters on impact, but the whole wreck was together. This small ship took on the finest of the Japanese Navy, fighting them to the end,” he explained.
Days before they <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorVescovo/status/1539946783496933378">found</a> the Sammy B, the expedition located a torpedo rack they believed to be from the ship. During the battle, which was part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the ship went down losing 89 men from its crew of 224 after being hit by Japanese fire.
“This site is a hallowed war grave,” retired Rear Adm. Sam Cox said, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/25/uss-samuel-roberts-sammy-deepest-shipwreck/">according</a> to the Washington Post. Cox runs the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C.
Vescovo shared more photos of the historic discovery, the deepest shipwreck ever found, on twitter, including the bow, the mast, and the aft turret.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Some additional photos from the Sammy B. The bow, the fallen mast, the gap between fore and aft where she was hit by a battleship round, and the aft turret . . . where the brave and mortally wounded GM3 Paul H. Carr died trying to place a final round into the broken breech. <a href="https://t.co/3VcZoZyPo3">pic.twitter.com/3VcZoZyPo3</a>
&mdash; Victor Vescovo (@VictorVescovo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorVescovo/status/1540534447182909441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He called the discovery an “honor.”
“It was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so have the chance to retell her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know of the ship and her crew’s sacrifice,” Vescovo stated.
Kelvin Murray of EYOS also was thrilled to have helped discover the ship.
“Using a combination of detective work and innovative technology, everyone has pulled together to reveal the final resting place of this tenacious ship,” he said.
The discovery of the Sammy B follows Vescovo’s discovery of the USS Johnston last year, which went down in the same battle. Despite these losses and the Americans being outgunned, the U.S. still managed to defeat the Japanese.

Underwater view of waves

WATCH: Sub Discovers World War II Navy Destroyer 23,000 Feet Under The Sea

Expedition Finds USS Sammy B. Roberts Off Coast Of Philippines, Deepest Wreck Ever Found

American History

U.S. Navy

World War II

Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of the outgoing president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, was sworn in as vice president on Sunday following a landslide victory last month.
The inauguration took place in her hometown of Davao, where she will leave her role as mayor to assume the new post on June 30.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not the best or the most intelligent person in the Philippines and the world but nobody can beat the toughness of my heart as a Filipino,&#8221; Duterte-Carpio <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/20/1106186237/the-daughter-of-the-outgoing-philippine-president-takes-oath-as-vice-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a speech after taking her oath before a Supreme Court justice.
&#8220;The voice of 32.2 million Filipinos was loud and clear — with the message to serve our motherland,&#8221; she added.
Duterte-Carpio, 44, ran alongside Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who won the presidency on May 9 in a sweeping victory. Marcos, the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, also supported Duterte-Caprio at the inauguration ceremony.
The newly elected vice president <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/dutertes-daughter-sworn-philippines-vice-president-2022-06-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously served</a> as the first female mayor of Davao starting in 2010. Duterte-Carpio took her first political role in 2007 as vice mayor under her father, who then led the city as mayor.
The two controversial names now set to lead the Philippines are not without critics.
&#8220;In the Philippines, political dynasties dominate — with the Marcos family being among the most well known. Ferdinand Marcos, his wife, Imelda, daughter Imee and son have all held political posts in or representing the province of Ilocos Norte,&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/10/philippines-presidential-election-result-ferdinand-bongbong-marcos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The human rights group Karapatan called on the public to express rejection of Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio&#8217;s victory.
&#8220;We call on the public to express our rejection of the Marcos Jr.-Sara Duterte tandem in the 2022 polls and beyond,&#8221; the group <a href="https://www.karapatan.org/reject+marcos+jr+and+sara+duterte+in+the+elections+and+beyond" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> following the May election.
&#8220;The two represent the worst brand of traditional politics and governance in our nation’s history — one that promotes authoritarianism as a response to legitimate exercise of political dissent, upholds mendicancy to foreign interests over national sovereignty, and uses an empty and fake rhetoric of unity to sugarcoat their incompetence to respond to social problems and their adherence to neoliberal policies that will further demean human dignity,&#8221; the statement added.
Outgoing President Duterte made headlines last year when he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/philippines-president-threatens-to-jail-citizens-who-refuse-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commanded</a> citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19, threatening them with prison time or forced injection of a drug if they refused the vaccine.
Duterte could be seen threatening the public during a June 2021 speech, according to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DCuND1RR0">video</a> released by The Guardian.
“You choose, get vaccinated or I will have you jailed. I’m telling you, those police jail cells are filthy and foul-smelling, police are lazy in cleaning. That is where you’ll be,” he said.
The video clip cut to another moment when Duterte says, “You get vaccinated, otherwise I will order all the village heads to have a tally of the people who refuse to be vaccinated. Because if not I will inject them with Ivermectin which is intended for pigs.”

Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio

Philippines President’s Daughter Takes Oath As Vice President

Philippines President's Daughter Takes Oath As Vice President

COVID-19 Vaccine

Elections

President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, commanded citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19, threatening them with prison time or forced injection of a drug if they do not get the vaccine.
Duterte can be seen speaking to the camera while wearing a mask and threatening the public, according to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DCuND1RR0">video</a> released by The Guardian.
“You choose, get vaccinated or I will have you jailed. I’m telling you, those police jail cells are filthy and foul-smelling, police are lazy in cleaning. That is where you’ll be,&#8221; he said.
The video clip cut to another moment when Duterte says, “You get vaccinated, otherwise I will order all the village heads to have a tally of the people who refuse to be vaccinated. Because if not I will inject them with Ivermectin which is intended for pigs.”
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/duterte-philippines-arrest-vaccine/2021/06/22/9ac3eed8-d337-11eb-b39f-05a2d776b1f4_story.html">reported</a> that Duterte also said, “If you don’t want to be vaccinated, I’ll have you arrested and have the vaccine shot into your [buttocks],” he said, reportedly using a vulgar word. “If you don’t get vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want, or somewhere, America.”
Justice Secretary of the Philippines Menardo Guevarra reportedly cleared up Duterte’s words on Tuesday and said refusing vaccination was not a violation of the law, per The Post. 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned everyday people not to use Ivermectin against COVID-19. 
On its website, the FDA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/why-you-should-not-use-ivermectin-treat-or-prevent-covid-19">stated</a> that the agency “has not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans. Ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. Ivermectin is not an anti-viral (a drug for treating viruses),” adding that “Taking large doses of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious harm.”
The agency added, “Never use medications intended for animals on yourself. Ivermectin preparations for animals are very different from those approved for humans.”
In March, the WHO <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-advises-that-ivermectin-only-be-used-to-treat-covid-19-within-clinical-trials">recommended</a> that Ivermectin only be used in treatment of COVID-19 within clinical trials. “The current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. Until more data is available, WHO recommends that the drug only be used within clinical trials,” it stated, citing a guideline development group that looked at data from trials. 
As Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-duterte-threatens-those-who-refuse-covid-19-vaccine-with-jail-2021-06-21/">reported</a>, “Duterte is famous for his bellicose rhetoric and his remarks on Monday contradicted those of his health officials, who have said getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is voluntary.”
&#8220;Don&#8217;t get me wrong, there is a crisis in this country,&#8221; Duterte said. &#8220;I&#8217;m just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government.”
COVID-19 <a href="https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19">cases</a> have gone down in the Philippines since a spike in April, but continue to maintain an uncomfortable rate. 
According to the WHO, “from 3 January 2020 to 5:44pm CEST, 22 June 2021, there have been 1,364,239 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 23,749 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 12 June 2021, a total of 6,624,417 vaccine doses have been administered.” The current population of the country is 111,034,497 people, according to <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/philippines-population/">Worldometer</a>. 
Reuters reported that “as of June 20, just 2.1 million people had been fully vaccinated of the 70 million people targeted for this year.”

Tokyo Holds The Future of Asia International Conference

Philippines President Threatens To Jail Citizens Who Refuse Vaccine

On Sunday night, the Foreign Minister of the Philippines, Teddy Locsin Jr., issued a fiery tweet targeting the Chinese Communist government and warning them about their incursions into the South China Sea, snapping on Twitter, “GET THE F*** OUT.”
Locsin’s tweet, which came in response to Chinese coast guard vessels harassing some ships from the Philippines, stated:
<blockquote>China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see… O…GET THE FUCK OUT. What are you doing to our friendship? You. Not us. We’re trying. You. You’re like an ugly oaf forcing your attentions on a handsome guy who wants to be a friend; not to father a Chinese province.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see… O…GET THE FUCK OUT. What are you doing to our friendship? You. Not us. We’re trying. You. You’re like an ugly oaf forcing your attentions on a handsome guy who wants to be a friend; not to father a Chinese province … <a href="https://t.co/KTv1TOQvN7">https://t.co/KTv1TOQvN7</a>
&mdash; Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) <a href="https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1389021070045290497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked later about his strong rhetoric, Locsin replied, “Usual suave diplomatic speak gets nothing done,” the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9537307/Philippines-foreign-minister-tells-Beijing-f-South-China-Sea.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline">Daily Mail</a> reported, adding, “The latest row was sparked by confrontations between rival coast guards around the Scarborough Shoal &#8211; an uninhabited island claimed by both nations.”
The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said it “has protested the shadowing, blocking, dangerous maneuver and radio challenges by the Chinese coast guard of Philippine coast guard vessels conducting legitimate maritime patrols and training exercises” on April 24 and 25 near Scarborough Shoal, adding that it warned against “the incessant, illegal, prolonged and increasing presence of Chinese fishing vessels and maritime militia vessels in Philippine maritime zones,”
The Chinese Communist government reportedly claims most or all of the South China Sea. In 2016 an arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled in a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/world/asia/south-china-sea-philippines-hague.html">case</a> brought by the Philippines that China did not have a legitimate claim to most of the South China Sea.  <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-hague-ruling-philippines.html">The New York Times</a> reported, “The tribunal also said that China had violated international law by causing ‘irreparable harm’ to the marine environment, endangering Philippine ships and interfering with Philippine fishing and oil exploration.”
“But while the decision is legally binding, there is no mechanism for enforcing it, and China, which refused to participate in the tribunal’s proceedings, reiterated on Tuesday that it would not abide by it,” The Times added.
One resident of the Philippines asked Locsin, “Sir Teddy, what’s the next step? Are we getting any true aid from allies? How do position ourselves moving forward?”
“If we ask for it specifically,” Locsin answered. “But I’d rather polish institutional arrangements to more efficiently operationalize Mutual Defense Treaty—a Cold War thing that no protagonist in the South China Sea wants tampered with. All the big players have studied the provisions and worked out the scenarios thereunder to strategize accordingly. In the Struggle for Power in the South China, contenders want all sides to be predictable so no accidental conflicts; only the one they set their minds to—then they’ll let weaponry rip. U.S. &amp; China militaries talk a lot to each other, I was assured, like U.S. and USSR in the Cold War. In my first or second meeting in Beijing, I gave assurances all around that the MDT would not be tampered with. And that the Americans don’t want it touched. It’s a treaty; U.S. Senate may not pass another.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
1 If we ask for it specifically. But I’d rather polish institutional arrangements to more efficiently operationalize Mutual Defense Treaty—a Cold War thing that no protagonist in the South China Sea wants tampered with. All the big players have studied the provisions and… <a href="https://t.co/N5gaZk4gah">https://t.co/N5gaZk4gah</a>
&mdash; Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) <a href="https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1389204887859171330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
3 a lot to each other, I was assured, like US and USSR in the Cold War. In my first or second meeting in Beijing, I gave assurances all around that the MDT would not be tampered with. And that the Americans don’t want it touched. It’s a treaty; US Senate may not pass another.
&mdash; Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) <a href="https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1389204891118100481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When someone opined, “It should be noted that the Philippines has very much swung back towards the United States since Biden come to office,” Locsin fired back, “Nah, What did that was Trump, his strong foreign policy and his shared affection for Duterte and my deep liking for and implicit trust in Mike Pompeo.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nah, What did that was Trump, his strong foreign policy and his shared affection for Duterte and my deep liking for and implicit trust in Mike Pompeo. <a href="https://t.co/bGmnp3XSrm">https://t.co/bGmnp3XSrm</a>
&mdash; Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) <a href="https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1389183665683374081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yearly, on the 12th of June  Philippines honor the

‘Get The F*** Out’: Philippines’ Foreign Minister Warns China On South China Sea

China

Though our nation’s complex system of checks and balances is not always perfect, we remain the greatest example of democracy and freedom the world has ever seen. While our country still stands as the world’s great beacon of freedom and opportunity, the far-left narrative disingenuously portrays the U.S. as rife with oppression and persecution. The sad fact is that actual oppression and persecution are a tragic fact of life in many other countries. Liberties we often take for granted — such as due process, freedom of speech, and the right to bear arms — are non-existent under these authoritarian regimes. Here are some alarming developments in five of the most oppressive.
1. Venezuela
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela at the hands of Nicolás Maduro’s “illegitimate regime” has only been exacerbated by the current pandemic.
The Trump Administration “indicted Maduro and 14 regime officials on narco-terrorism, proposed a dramatic power-sharing and transition agreement, and bolstered U.S. counter-narcotics assets in Latin America,” according to <a href="https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/IB5060.pdf">Ana Quintana</a>, a senior policy analyst at the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy.
<a href="https://www.heritage.org/index/country/venezuela">The Heritage Foundation</a> gives Maduro’s Marxist regime and abysmal “economic freedom score” of 25.2, “making its economy the 179th in the 2020 Index.”
“Economic freedom has been suffocated in Venezuela under the Maduro regime,” The Heritage Foundation continues. “If a transitional government could take power and begin the long return to market democracy, it would have to end hyperinflation, restructure public debt, and rebuild institutions to restore confidence and promote investment.”
Starvation is now commonplace in Venezuela due to decades of socialism alongside widespread corruption. A recent piece in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/venezuelas-suffering-shows-where-illiberalism-leads/606988/">The Atlantic</a> reported that “78 percent of Venezuelans eat less than they used to, and 41 percent go whole days without eating.” The report goes on to provide horrifying details that harken back to Stalinism:
“To anyone who knows the long history of the relationship between Marxist regimes and famine, this development seems uncannily familiar. More than 80 years ago, in the winter of 1932–33, Stalin confiscated the food of Ukrainian peasants and did nothing while nearly 4 million died. Then he covered up their deaths, even altering Soviet population statistics and murdering census officials to disguise what had happened. To anyone who knows the long history of Communist countries’ use of food as a weapon, the Venezuelan regime’s manipulation of the food supply comes as no surprise, either. Most Venezuelans—80 percent according to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://reliefweb.int/report/venezuela-bolivarian-republic/venezuela-complex-emergency-situation-report-9-february-24-2020&amp;sa=D&amp;ust=1582638965391000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF87io5EN_SeeijYS6FWnEJMEcGmw">a recent survey</a>—now rely on boxes of food, containing staples such as rice, grain, or oil, from the government…The hungrier people get, the more control the government exerts, and the easier it is to prevent them from protesting or objecting in any other way. Even people who are not starving now spend most of their time just getting by—standing in lines, trying to fix broken generators, working second or third jobs to earn a little bit more—all activities that keep them from politics.”
2. Saudi Arabia
Though a U.S. ally, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia enforces all sorts of arcane strictures on its people, often in the name of a draconian understanding of Islam that emerged in the nineteenth century. The kingdom spends billions upon billions promoting its brand of religious extremism — loosely known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabism">Wahhabism</a> — across the globe and has done so now for decades “[b]y investing heavily in building mosques, madrasas, schools, and…cultural centers across the Muslim world,” according to <a href="https://theweek.com/articles/570297/how-saudi-arabia-exports-radical-islam">The Week</a>.
Much of the radicalism emerged in 1979 when fears of “Western decadence” led “hundreds of armed militants to occupy the Grand Mosque in Mecca.” The royal family acquiesced to the demands of these extremists and formed an ignoble pact of sorts.
“The royal family made a grand bargain with the clerics: Riyadh would fund the spread of Wahhabism abroad,” according to The Week, “as long as the extremists kept any militant activities off Saudi soil. That deal ensured that radical Islam would overwhelm moderate versions in many countries, and planted the seeds of many terrorist groups.”
Worse, as fanatical as Saudi Arabia’s brand of religiosity is, “ISIS represents a form of Wahhabi ideology that the Saudis can&#8217;t control — a cancer that now threatens the kingdom.” One can very much argue that Saudi Arabia had a direct influence on the rise of ISIS and its virulent ideology with the kingdom’s proselytizing around the world.
Saudi Arabia also has little regard for due process and crushes any form of dissent with imprisonment or capital punishment. In 2019, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-52358476">only Iran</a> had more executions.
“Saudi Arabia announced the mass execution of 37 men on April 23, 2019 in various parts of the country,” according to <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/24/saudi-arabia-mass-execution-37-men">Human Rights Watch</a>. “At least 33 of the 37 were from the country’s minority Shia community and had been convicted following unfair trials for various alleged crimes, including protest-related offenses, espionage, and terrorism. The mass execution was the largest since January 2016, when Saudi Arabia executed 47 men for terrorism offenses.”
Like many other brutal regimes, forms of dissent in the country are often labeled “terrorism” as an authoritarian form of subterfuge. “Saudi authorities will inevitably characterize those executed as terrorists and dangerous criminals” even though the kingdom is “largely devoid of any due process.”
The recent imprisonment of a child provides just one grave example of this ongoing injustice. 13-year-old Murtaja Qureiris was detained by Saudi authorities for taking part in a protest in support of religious freedom at the age of ten, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/06/middleeast/saudi-teen-death-penalty-intl/">according to CNN</a>.
“Three years after he was filmed taking part in the bike protest, Saudi authorities arrested Qureiris, then just 13 years old. He was traveling with his family to Bahrain when he was detained by Saudi border authorities on the King Fahd causeway that connects the two countries.”
Qureiris barely escaped execution due to international outcry. He was still sentenced to 12 years in prison by the kingdom.
3. Russia
In a bizarre referendum in which “[t]he opposition accused the government of rigging the vote,” Vladimir Putin can now remain president of Russia until 2036, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/07/01/886440694/referendum-in-russia-passes-allowing-putin-to-remain-president-until-2036">according to NPR</a>.
“Russian voters have overwhelmingly backed a referendum on constitutional changes that includes a provision allowing President Vladimir Putin — who has already served for some two decades — to remain in power until 2036.”
Putin is now able to maintain his stranglehold on the Russian people and beyond under the guise of being “democratically elected.”
A 2019 report from the <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/more-and-more-russians-are-fleeing-oppression-in-russia/">Atlantic Council</a> argues that oppression and lack of civil liberties are driving Russians to flee elsewhere now more than ever:
“An oppressive political climate marked by a lack of rights and freedoms is now a key factor driving emigration from Russia, according to a new report from the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. This is in stark comparison to emigration before 2012 when economic factors were the primary driver.”
The Russian leader and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/27/catherine-belton-putin-people-book-review-kgb-russia-west/">former KGB agent</a> also excels at Machiavellian tactics, appealing to the moral impulses of many as a smokescreen for his political schemes inside and outside of Russia. “Putin has cleverly cast himself as a belligerent in the culture war” and “a defender of traditional morality” rooted in Orthodox Christianity that appeals to some conservatives far and wide, according to <a href="https://www.heritage.org/europe/commentary/how-putin-uses-russian-orthodoxy-grow-his-empire">The Heritage Foundation</a>.
His appeals to faith seem a tired ploy, however, and far more rooted in “geopolitics than religious sincerity.”
“Putin is seeking to tighten his grip on Ukraine and Belarus, as well as expand Russian influence further into Eastern and Central Europe. He will undoubtedly continue to promote Orthodoxy in the process. This is simply an attempt to seduce former Soviet republics back under the sway of Russia…Putin’s use of traditional Christianity is calculated for political effect. American and European observers would do well to see through the charade.”
4. The Philippines
Rodrigo Duterte’s reign in the Philippines began with an almost complete abandonment of due process in a treacherous effort to combat rampant drug use in the region.
During his inaugural speech in 2016, Duterte told a crowd of supporters “to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/05/kill-drug-dealers-medal-philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte">The Guardian</a> reported. He urged his citizens to take the law into their own hands if they had the means, adding, “Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun, you have my support.”
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-1987eb2a568d773b36b578bda820abe4">AP News</a> reported that “[m]ore than 5,700 mostly poor drug suspects have been killed under Duterte’s anti-drug crackdown” since his infamous declaration in 2016.
His deeply misguided decree has led to allegations of unprecedented vigilantism and a complete disregard for the rule of law from the International Criminal Court and various human rights groups, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-philippines-rodrigo-duterte-manila-crime-4b47dbd244d4e67e231e0fbfeb5db383">AP News</a>:
“At least two complaints for crimes against humanity and mass murder in connection with Duterte’s campaign are being examined by an ICC prosecutor, who will determine whether there is enough evidence to open a full-scale investigation.”
Duterte recently urged his police force to kill anyone defying lockdown orders and “challeng[ing] the government” at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as detailed by <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rodrigo-duterte-philippines-president-coronavirus-lockdown-shoot-people-dead/">CBS News</a>:
&#8220;‘I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, as well as village officials, if there is any trouble, or occasions where there&#8217;s violence and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead,’ he said in a mix of Filipino and English in the televised address. ‘Do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will lose.’&#8221;
5. North Korea
Though President Trump attempted to make unprecedented diplomatic inroads into North Korea in 2018, the country remains enshrouded in secrecy, isolation, and ongoing oppression. It’s no exaggeration to assert that there is virtually no freedom in North Korea. Everything that can be controlled by the state is controlled by the state.
While officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea is a decidedly Marxist regime. All means of production are run by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers%27_Party_of_Korea">Worker’s Party of North Korea</a>, including agriculture which is “owned by the party and therefore by the state,” according to the late <a href="http://www2.law.columbia.edu/course_00S_L9436_001/North%20Korea%20materials/hwang%20jang3.html">Hwang Jang-yop</a>, a high-ranking official in North Korea who <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwang_Jang-yop">defected in 1997</a>.
Land is broken down into cooperatives “[s]o ultimately, all the land managed by the agricultural cooperative belongs to the Great Leader.” Such a socialist monopoly on food production has led to ongoing mass starvation and what the late Hwang Jang-yop considers “the greatest human rights violation.”
“That more than 1.5 million people died of hunger from 1995 to 1996 is an irrefutable fact,” the late Hwang Jang-yop explains. “We do not have accurate data about the situation from 1997 to 1998, but since the food supply did not improve much, it can be deduced that at least a million people have met their deaths every year. According to reports that Chinese telecommunications company Xinhua claims it received from officials of the Agricultural Committee in North Korea, a total of 2.8 million people have starved to death at last count at the end of 1997. From this and the irrefutable fact that 1.5 million had died by the end of 1996, we can deduce that another 1.3 million people died in 1997 to add up to a total of 2.8 million deaths by starvation. We have consistently said that more than 1.5 million died between 1995 and 1996 and that 1 million more probably died every year from 1997 to 1998. We never resorted to exaggerating the situation.”
By all accounts, little has changed in North Korea except a greater potential to disrupt the geopolitical balance. <a href="https://www.heritage.org/asia/report/us-will-face-stronger-more-provocative-north-korea-2021">The Heritage Foundation</a> recently reported a “massive military parade on October 10” that “revealed an intimidating array of new military systems that increase the threat to America’s homeland and to its Asian allies.”
“Also of great concern for American security,” according to The Heritage Foundation, “the regime demonstrated that it could indigenously produce ICBM transporter erector launchers (TELs). During the parade, four Hwasong-15 ICBMs and four of the new ICBMs were paraded on TELs. North Korea had previously been constrained to six TELs converted from large trucks imported from China in 2012.&#8221;

Maduro Forces

Troubling Developments Under 5 Oppressive Regimes Around the World

North Korea

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Venezuela

An eruption at Taal Volcano 40 miles north of Manilla, Philippines, the country’s capital city and home to more than 1.5 million people, momentarily disrupted air travel on Sunday but has since caused tens of thousands of people near the eruption to evacuate the area. 
Renato Solidum, director of the Phillipine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, told the <a href="https://apnews.com/11cacd39a4aa509097d44d090e20c93d">Associated Press</a> (AP) that the ash column above Taal Volcano was over one mile high, and that lava was spewing from the crater and a secondary exit point. Ash columns consist of finely ground rock, minerals, and glass that erupt from magma chambers beneath the Earth’s surface. 
The institute has also issued an emergency bulletin stating that people within nine miles of the Taal crater should evacuate, but also states that people outside the perimeter should remain cautious of dangerous ash falling from the sky. 
“Population in areas in the southwest are advised to guard against the effects of heavy and prolonged ashfall,” according to a bulletin published by the <a href="https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/volcano-hazard/volcano-bulletins3">institute</a>. “Civil aviation authorities must advise aircraft to avoid airspace around Taal Volcano as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from the eruption column pose hazards to aircraft.”
Wilson Maralit, the mayor of Balete, a town that hugs Taal Lake and has over 20,000 people, has been warning residents to flee, reports the AP. 
“We have a problem — our people are panicking due to the volcano because they want to save their livelihood, their pigs and herds of cows,” Maralit told DZMM radio, reports the AP. “We’re trying to stop them from returning and warning that the volcano can explode again any time and hit them.”
Angelica Sinfuego, a 32-year-old woman who is pregnant and lives near the site of the eruption, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/world/asia/volcano-philippines-taal.html">The New York Times</a> that she left her home on foot with her children: “It was like the end of the world. I was praying, ‘Please protect the baby, please protect the baby,’ as we negotiated the darkness.”
The Telegraph put together a video montage of the eruption, which shows lightning ripping through a roiling column of volcanic ash. According to the Telegraph, lightning inside the column occurs when volcanic ash particles strike each other at high speeds, producing static electricity. 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FGPnZpaIolU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/world/asia/philippines-taal-volcano.html">Times</a>, Taal Volcano “has been showing signs of activity since last March, and about three dozen eruptions have been recorded in recent history. Sitting on a lake that partly fills a caldera formed thousands of years ago, it is a popular attraction for tourists.”
The volcanic island, which resides in Taal Volcano National Park, is also home to a famed geological phenomenon: The largest lake on an island in a lake on an island in the world. The lake also contains a smaller geological feature, Vulcan Point, which is considered by some to be an even smaller island. 
According to the <a href="https://geog.ucsb.edu/an-island-within-a-lake-on-an-island-within-a-lake-on-an-island/">department of geology</a> at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Vulcan Point “is the world’s largest island within a lake (Main Crater Lake) that is situated on an island (Volcano Island, a.k.a Taal Island) located in a lake (Lake Taal) within an island (Luzon).”

Taal Volcano Erupts In The Philippines

WATCH: Volcanic Ash Column Emits Lightning Over Famed Geological Site

A Catholic cathedral and nearby radio station in the region of Cotabato on the island of Mindanao, Philippines were shaken by a grenade blast on Sunday that caused injury to at least 14 people. This was immediately followed by two more explosions: One by an IED in the town of Libungan, Cotabato province where six more were injured, and one in Upi, Maguindanao where two people were harmed. 
According to <a href="https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/12/14-injured-in-cotabato-city-blast-5-in-libungan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MindaNews</a>, three men riding motorcycles threw grenades at members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who were standing guard at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and a radio station owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. At least seven soldiers and several nearby civilians were injured by the explosion. 
Military spokesperson Major Homer Estolas insisted the military guards were the target. 
“It was clear that the suspects targeted the soldiers first,” he said. “The civilians were hurt because they were there waiting for their rides home.”
Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, who previously called for martial law to be extended, condemned Sunday&#8217;s attacks. “Tonight is a sad and unfortunate night for all Cotabatenos. As of this time, 16 are reported wounded,” she said, urging citizens to “remain calm as our police and military have the situation under full control.” 
She continued, “We can rise above these acts of terrorism. We are resilient and strong enough to fight against these people whose mission is to disrupt our peace. We must all be united in the face of these adversities.”
The region has been under martial law since 2017, following a series of attacks from suspected members of a local terrorist group. The bombings come just nine days before martial law was supposed to be lifted. 
A spokesperson of the military&#8217;s Western Mindanao Command, Major Arvin Encinas, told <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/22/19/17-wounded-in-series-of-blasts-in-cotabato-city-nearby-town" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ABS-CBN News</a> that the military could not dismiss the possibility of radical Islamic terrorist-linked groups being involved in the attacks. 
&#8220;We do not discount the possibility that Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Daesh-inspired groups are behind this,&#8221; he told the outlet.
BIFF is an extremist group with ties to the Islamic State that operates in the Asia-Pacific country. 
According to <a href="https://www.rappler.com/nation/247753-grenade-attack-cotabato-city-december-22-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rappler News</a>, Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco condemned the grenade attacks as “terrorist acts.”
“The bombings in the Municipality of Libungan and in Cotabato City have struck another blow to our people’s sense of security that is still reeling from the losses, damages, and trauma of the recent earthquakes,” she said in a statement. “Let us keep in mind that these terrorist acts aim to instill fear and to spread panic. Therefore, I call on everyone to remain calm and to stay vigilant. We need to muster our courage and to strongly resist fear.”
The attacks are suspected to be connected to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which distributes certificates of land ownership awards to agrarian reform beneficiaries. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte arrived the following day in Cotabato to personally pass them out and to visit those injured in the explosions. 
“He will distribute land certificates and then visit the venues where the bombing took place. I don’t know which of the two but one of them,” a spokesperson told the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/24/19/duterte-to-visit-cotabato-city-despite-bombings-palace-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">media</a>. 
BARMM is heavily opposed by Islamic State-tied radical Muslim organizations like BIFF and rebel group Abu Sayyaf, who have refused to enter negotiations with the Filipino government over the dispute. 
“It is sad that this kind of violence is happening while we are celebrating the holy Christmas season,” one witness said, according to <a href="https://morningstarnews.org/2019/12/grenade-attack-near-cathedral-leaves-several-wounded-in-the-philippines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Morning Star News</a>. 
This series of attacks follows a similar one in November, when a man on a motorcycle threw a grenade inside a house in Aleosan town, Cotabato during a birthday party. Three people, including a child, were injured, according to <a href="https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1188934/3-hurt-in-cotabato-grenade-blast-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inquirer News</a>, but no one was killed.

Philippines Rocked By Multiple Christmas Week Terrorist Attacks

Catholicism

Christianity

Islam

Islamic State (ISIS)

Persecution

Mayon volcano began spewing lava on Monday, leading to the evacuation of over 3,000 people living on the Philippines&#8217; main island of Luzon as ash fell from the sky. 
After steam began to rise from the summit and trails of lava began pouring down the volcano&#8217;s side, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and authorities announced that the volcano had reached &#8220;level 3&#8221; status, according to a CNN <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/15/asia/mayon-volcano-alert-level-increased/index.html">report</a>. 
Citizens in the towns of Barangay Anoling, Daraga, Barangays Sua, Quirangay, Tumpa, Ilawod and Salugan of Camalig and in Barangays Tandarora, Maninila, and Travesia in Guinobatan reported ash in the air moments after.
PHIVOLCS noted in an alert that the ash along with several rockfalls indicated an &#8220;increased tendency towards hazardous eruption,&#8221; adding that a &#8220;bright crater glow&#8221; coming from Mayon indicates &#8220;the growth of a new lava dome and beginnings of lava flow towards the southern slopes.&#8221; 
The institute advised the creation of a 7-mile danger zone perimeter around the affected areas and instructed pilots to avoid flying in the region so the ash would not cause any danger to aircraft. 
Mayon is one of the world&#8217;s most active volcanoes, erupting 47 times over the last four hundred years. In 2014, the residents on the island of Luzon were ordered to evacuate after the volcano reached &#8220;critical alert&#8221; status. 
PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum stated that while conditions were similar to Mayon&#8217;s last eruption, they may not necessarily lead to one. 
&#8220;Sometimes this eruption activity need not really result (in) very explosive eruptions,&#8221; he told CNN. &#8220;Sometimes it would result (in) non-explosive eruptions where lava would ooze out of the crater, but not explode.&#8221; 
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Coordinating Council (NDRRMC) reported that over 900 families on the island of Luzon have been evacuated from the vicinity of the volcano. 
On Tuesday, the province of Albay declared a state of emergency after lava flows were detected nearly four miles from the region.

Thousands Evacuated After The Philippines’ Most Active Volcano Spews Lava

Climate Change

<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/11/10/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-stabbed-someone-to-death.html">On Thursday</a>, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines bragged about stabbing someone to death when he was 16-years old and went off on former President Barack Obama, calling him &#8220;so black and arrogant.&#8221;
Addressing critics of his aggressive drug crackdown, President Duterte claimed he would go into jails and have &#8220;rumbles here, rumbles there&#8221; during a speech at a summit in Vietnam, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/11/10/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-stabbed-someone-to-death.html">reports</a> Fox News.
&#8220;At the age of 16, I already killed someone. A real person, a rumble, a stabbing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I was just 16 years old. It was just over a look. How much more now that I am president.&#8221;
Similarly, in 2015, Duterte bragged, &#8220;maybe I stabbed somebody to death&#8221; at 17.
Duterte also targeted Obama for his past criticism of the Philippines&#8217; actions against drugs.
&#8220;These white people, those from [the European Union], the ignorant Americans, pretending to be, this Obama,&#8221; said the 72-year-old. &#8220;You are so black and arrogant. [He] reprimanded me. Why you reprimand me? I&#8217;m the president of a country.&#8221;
The war on drugs in the Philippines has been extreme, to say the least. &#8220;Since Duterte took office 16 months ago, police said more than 3,960 people have been killed in the war on drugs. Another 2,290 people have been murdered in drug-related crimes, the government said,&#8221; reports Fox.
Duterte has previously said he&#8217;d be &#8220;happy to slaughter&#8221; millions of drug addicts.
Per a spokesman of the president&#8217;s, Duterte was making his remarks &#8220;in jest.&#8221;

Philippines President Brags About Stabbing Someone To Death, Says Obama’s ‘So Black And Arrogant’

Barack Obama

Crime

Drugs

Murder

A new video has been posted online by the Islamic State&#8217;s Amaq news agency showing the Maute Group, an ISIS affiliate, destroying the inside of a church in Marawi, Philippines:
<iframe loading="lazy" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="385" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZJfAS3I0n44" width="720"></iframe>
The militants can be seen tearing up a photograph of Pope Francis, and knocking over and stomping on a large wooden crucifix, among other acts of desecration.
The destruction of property and monuments is nothing new for the Islamic State. When ISIS took the city of Palmyra in Syria, they <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/palmyra-destruction-temple-bel-triumph-arch-isis-before-after/">tore down</a> the Temple of Bel, the Arc du Triomohe, and laid waste to numerous cultural artifacts in the Palmyra museum. 
<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/marawi-city-news-update-isis-linked-maute-group-destroys-churches-siege-620966">Newsweek</a> writes that this is just a part of what the Maute Group has been doing in Marawi:
<blockquote>
The siege of Marawi began on May 23, when the Maute Group, who have pledged allegiance to ISIS, stormed the city, released prisoners from the jail, and took hostages. The video is the second one about Marawi that Amaq has released since the siege started, according to the Long War Journal&#8230;
Hundreds of residents are still trapped in the city, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It is one of the country&#8217;s only Muslim-majority cities in a predominantly Christian country, and most of the city&#8217;s 200,000 residents have fled.
</blockquote>
Marawi is located on the southern-most island of the Philippines, and the Maute group, loosely affiliated with ISIS, &#8220;first grabbed national attention in the Philippines when they raided the prison in Marawi in August last year, freeing 23 inmates,&#8221; reports the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40103602">BBC</a>.

ISIS-Affiliated Group Destroys Church in Marawi, Philippines

Menu