Fr. Flavie’s Program Paghilum

Dutch ambassador gives ashes to son of the victim. Photo by Vincent Go.

“I think he is into drugs.”

Fr. Flavie Villanueva was referring to Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, who suggested on May 23 that former president Rodrigo Duterte be named as anti-drug czar. Duterte’s presidency was notorious for the brutal drug war that killed more than 20,000 (official police figure is more than 6,000) persons.

Thankfully, Duterte shot down immediately his former aide-turned-senator’s idea, saying that it is President Marcos Jr.’s call now and he should be given “the greatest elbow room, leeway to do his job.”

Fr. Flavie does not buy the line that the Duterte administration’s murderous war against illegal drugs is much more effective than the current government’s strategy, given the recent expose of police involvement in illegal drug trafficking. “Ang mga nahuhuli nila noon ay mga nasa laylayan. Ang mga nahuhuli nila ngayon ay malalaking isda.”

(The ones they caught before were those in the low fringes of society. The ones caught now are the big fishes.)

Fr. Flavie knows the heavy toll of Duterte’s “kill, kill, kill” formula, having taken care of hundreds of orphans, widows and widowers left behind by the victims of those bloody operations.

At the time of the interview, Fr. Flavie was officiating the blessing and turnover of urns to the families of six victims at the Sacred Heart of Parish Shrine in Quezon City. The event was part of Program Paghilum (Healing), which helps widows and orphans of EJK victims in rebuilding and re-creating their lives.

Fr. Flavie blesses the urns containing the ashes of the EJK victims. Members of the victims’ families join him in prayers. Photo by Vincent Go.

Under “Project Arise,” the remains of the victims of extra-judicial killings, which are buried in apartment-tombs that are for lease for a limited period, are exhumed. Scientific autopsy is conducted as part of the families’ search for truth and justice.
The remains are then cremated, put into urns and turned over to the families. Later, the remains are laid to a permanent and dignified resting place.

The six victims remembered and blessed last March 23 were Jaime Alcover, 25; Henerciso Amper,50; Erwin Garzon, 37; Florencio Tion, 60; Jampol Barros, 26; and Pablo Cabangon, 46.

Each of those urns contains stories of pain and anguish that Program Paghilum is helping the survivors in turning them into testaments of faith and courage.

Normie Alcober, sister of the victim, remembers the midnight of Oct. 05, 2017 when they were awakened by the loud banging on their door in their house in Tondo. When they opened the door, they were confronted by armed men who ordered her and her children out of the house. Inside the house were Jaime, who was still asleep, her father, her uncle and cousins.

After a few hours, the intruders brought out two dead bodies wrapped in blankets and dumped them in the compartment of a waiting vehicle. The two bodies were those of Jaime and her uncle. Her father was jailed and was not allowed to visit Jaime’s wake.

Henerciso Amper’s partner, Nancy Imbat, said that on July 23, 2018 he told her he was going to the market to buy food. He never came back.
Nancy learned that while Henerciso was buying food someone approached him and shot him to death. This happened in Camarin, Caloocan City.
On Sept. 14, 2016, two unidentified masked men barged into the home of Erwin Garzon in Bagong Silang, also in Caloocan City, and shot him on the head. He died instantly.

His death certificate states he died of pneumonia.

Marie Tion said that on the evening of July 29, 2018, she knew her husband Florencio was having a drink with his kumpare. After a while, a neighbor told her that Florencio was shot. She brought him to the hospital where he died 20 days later.

Medarda Barros said that on March 7, 2018, her son Jampol stepped out of their house in Camarin, Caloocan City. Then she heard shots. When she went out looking for her son, she saw him lying on the ground, face down, soaked in his own blood.

Witnesses said Jampol was just sitting when two men on a motorcycle came, shot him and sped away.

Pablo Cabangon from Bagong Silangan, Quezon City was killed on December 02, 2016 and is believed to be a victim of a deplorable police practice of palit-ulo ( head exchange).

Pablo’s daughter, Princess, said the police went to someone in their community who pleaded for his life and offered to lead them to another person, who turned out to be her father.

The police barged into their home and shot Pablo on the head. They also shot her brother who luckily managed to escape.

Dutch Ambassador Marielle Geraedts, who witnessed the turnover of the remains, said she was “in awe and perplexed by the massive disruption and impact the war on drugs has had on the lives of the families.”

At the same time, she said she saw hope and inspiration from the courage of the families of the victims: “Truly, the fight for accountability and justice may be a long one, but it is one that you have all chosen to take on.”

She then shared: “For the Netherlands, we do not only believe that human rights are the cornerstone of democracy and peace, but also that lasting peace must be based on justice. There can be no justice without accountability. We believe in the value of rule of law and accountability. There must be a focus on inclusive involvement and a voice for victims at all stages of the accountability process: documentation, evidence gathering, prosecution, sentencing and redress.”

She expressed admiration for the work Fr. Flavie was doing: “You have created a caring community that gives hope amidst uncertainty and fear. And for that, we thank you for your service and leadership.”

Speaking to an eight-year-old son of one of the victims who was hugging tightly the urn containing his father’s ashes, Fr. Flavie said: “Huwag ka nang umiyak. May paglalagyan na sa kanya. Wala na diyan si Tatay. Malaya na siya ngayon sa langit.” (Don’t cry. Your father is not there anymore. He is now in heaven where he is free.)

I found good persons when I lost my cellphone

The good person. Lubert Perona of Ayala Center Security Team turning over to me my cellphone he found on the sidewalk in Ayala Center.

Something happened last week that once again affirmed my belief in the goodness of men.

It was Tuesday, May 23, when my VERA Files colleague Chin Samson and I had a meeting with a visiting German journalist, who was doing a story on the first year of the Marcos Jr. presidency, at the Mentore UCC Café, Ayala Center in Makati.

Throughout the interview, my phone was on silent mode.

We went our separate ways after. I went to the Landmark Department Store, which was just across Mentore Café, then walked to Ayala One Terminal to take the shuttle van to Las Pinas. It was about 5 p.m.

While waiting for the van to leave, I thought of checking my email. I couldn’t find my cellphone!

I got off the van and walked back to Mentore Café. The waiter said he didn’t find any cellphone when he cleared the table after we had left. The coffee shop management said it will take a few days before they could check on the CCTV and promised that they will update me. They never did.

I tried calling my number using my back-up mobile phone. It was ringing but no one was responding. Maybe because it was on silent mode. I texted and pleaded to whoever may have found it to please contact me.

Worried that it could be used for something bad, I tried calling Tarra Quismundo, Globe’s public relations manager, but she was in a meeting. I was able to immediately get through Liza Reyes, head of Globe’s public relations and communications strategy, who patiently guided me on what to do:
• Freeze the account.
• Execute an affidavit of loss.
• Go to a Globe store where a customer officer will give you the assistance you need.

I did all of those.

Losing a cellphone is upsetting not only because of the cost of the unit but also because a lot of one’s life is linked in that 168-gram thermoset plastic. Through the Grab app on my cellphone, I order food. Transport is made easier through the same app. Payments are made through G-cash. Etcetera. Cellphones have become an essential part of one’s home and office.

With the possibility that my number has been compromised, I tried to freeze and deactivate a number of those links.

Meanwhile, to manage my misery, I tried to rationalize the loss as a lesser misfortune than if I slipped and got injured, or other worse incidents. I think of others who are bearing heavier burdens calmly and courageously and I felt embarrassed by my distress.

But still, I prayed and prayed that the one who found it would be a good person and return my phone.

Past 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, VERA Files editor Elma Sandoval sent me a message on Facebook asking if I had lost my cell phone because Merinette Retona, head trainer of VERA Files who was in Chiangmai, Thailand, saw a message in VERA Files Facebook messenger from a certain Lubert Perona. He introduced himself as the person who found my phone and gave his phone number.

It was a miracle!

I immediately contacted him. Lubert is with the Ayala Center Security Team. He said he was on duty as a roving security guard on Tuesday afternoon when he found my phone, which was inside a red leather case, on the street in front of Mentore Café.

I surmise that when I put it inside my cross-body bag, it slipped down to the ground instead. It didn’t make a sound because it was in a case.

He said he was trying to find a way to contact me but can’t open the phone because it was locked. Until he found my calling card in the pocket of the case.

He said he turned over my phone to the Ayala Center marshal security office at the 2nd level of Park Square Steel Parking. I went there the next day and got back my phone. It was Lubert’s day off but he came to personally turn over my phone.

Of course, a big thank you is in order for Lubert.Imagine if someone not-so-honest had found it. “Ginawa ko lang po ang ‘yung tama” was all he could say in reply to my profuse thanks.

My gratitude also to the Ayala Center Security Team led by Roosevelt Battaring. And to Ayala Center General Manager Wilbert Guevarra, who apparently runs an efficient and upright team.

It was also nice meeting retired police officer Edwin Quilala, security coordinator of Ayala Center.

They declined my thank you cash gift, saying, as Lubert had said, they just did their job.

When you go through bad experiences such as this, you appreciate every bit of kindness, such as Globe’s efficiency and compassion (special mention for the staff of Globe Southmall), and Banco de Oro’s helpful customer service.

Truly, as my favorite poem, Desiderata, reminds us, “With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. “

Outsmarting the scammers

A VERA Files colleague (Let’s call her “A.”), who is based in Mindanao, received a call last week from a number not listed in her contact list, asking if she knew a certain person, who happened to be another colleague (“B”) in VERA Files.

She replied “Yes” and inquired why she was asking. The caller said she was actually contacting “B” because he took a loan from their company and had listed her (“A”) as a reference person.

“A” told the caller that she is not based in Manila. The caller asked “A” to pass the message to “B” to settle his loan. “A” sensed something fishy so she immediately blocked the number and the SMS that came later.

“A” then asked “B” if he had made her as a reference for a loan and the latter said he did not.

On that same day, another colleague (“C”) received a call from a certain “Joana” of PesoBuffet, a lending company known for its high interest rates, asking if he knew a person named Raymond (“C” couldn’t recall the surname.). She said they couldn’t contact him and the name of “C” was one of those listed by Raymond to call if he is not available.

“C” said the caller was polite and even apologized for bothering him with the inquiry.

“C” does not exactly consider it a scam but he was still alarmed because someone used his phone number.

“Either some malicious app managed to access my mobile device or someone got it from the countless contact tracing forms that I have filled up,” he said.

We learned later that the phone of “B” was hacked and those scam agents must have gotten their numbers from there.

“A,” who is our tech gal, said one way that our numbers are accessed by scammers is through the apps that we install in our smartphone.

She said: “When we install apps in our smartphone, it usually asks permission to access our phone’s contacts, media, storage and what not. Usually, you don’t really have a choice because you can’t install the app if you don’t give permission to those items, so just be cautious.

“If the app is asking for permissions not significant to the apps’ function, then don’t give permission. If it’s necessary, just give permission while the app is being used. If the app is not so important better not install.

“If you’re installing a game and it asks access to your contacts– then it’s quite suspicious– better not install the game.

“Be discriminating. Only install apps from your smartphone’s app installer and not from a link of a promotion/ad you saw in your social media feed. Only install apps developed by reputable or legitimate institutions. When you search for the app to install– look at who developed the app, the logo and a badge that it’s recommended or editor’s pick — to check if they’re legitimate.”

“A” suggests installing an antivirus. Upon her recommendation, I installed Bitdefender Mobile Security free version on my phone.

She said: “An antivirus installed on your smartphone is a layer of security, but still your personal practice– how you use your smartphone– is the one that matters and the one that will give you security and protection.”

Another target of scammers are bank accounts and credit cards. I have received calls purportedly offering to assist me in updating my bank accounts. I just dismiss them as scammers or reply to them that they should stop their illegal operation.

Security Bank gives these tips to its clients:

• Be skeptical when you receive messages from any sender. Security Bank will never ask for your OTP, CVV, and PIN via call, text or email.

• Ask questions and probe further. Fraudsters are trained to sound very convincing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to verify the legitimacy of a call.

• Scrutinize emails and text messages received. It helps to pay close attention to messages you receive. Check for grammar or spacing errors.

BDO has almost the same advice:

• Do not share username, password, OTP and card details (card number, expiry date and CVV.)

• Do not click links. BDO will not send links via email, SMS and Viber.

• Do not reply to suspicious senders. Visit the BDO website and search for “BDOStopScam” to view all official BDO sender names.

Stay vigilant.

This column was carried also by VERA Files.

Outsmarting the scammers

A VERA Files colleague (Let’s call her “A.”), who is based in Mindanao, received a call last week from a number not listed in her contact list, asking if she knew a certain person, who happened to be another colleague (“B”) in VERA Files.

She replied “Yes” and inquired why she was asking. The caller said she was actually contacting “B” because he took a loan from their company and had listed her (“A”) as a reference person.

“A” told the caller that she is not based in Manila. The caller asked “A” to pass the message to “B” to settle his loan. “A” sensed something fishy so she immediately blocked the number and the SMS that came later.

“A” then asked “B” if he had made her as a reference for a loan and the latter said he did not.

On that same day, another colleague (“C”) received a call from a certain “Joana” of PesoBuffet, a lending company known for its high interest rates, asking if he knew a person named Raymond (“C” couldn’t recall the surname.). She said they couldn’t contact him and the name of “C” was one of those listed by Raymond to call if he is not available.

“C” said the caller was polite and even apologized for bothering him with the inquiry.

“C” does not exactly consider it a scam but he was still alarmed because someone used his phone number.

“Either some malicious app managed to access my mobile device or someone got it from the countless contact tracing forms that I have filled up,” he said.

We learned later that the phone of “B” was hacked and those scam agents must have gotten their numbers from there.

“A,” who is our tech gal, said one way that our numbers are accessed by scammers is through the apps that we install in our smartphone.

She said: “When we install apps in our smartphone, it usually asks permission to access our phone’s contacts, media, storage and what not. Usually, you don’t really have a choice because you can’t install the app if you don’t give permission to those items, so just be cautious.

“If the app is asking for permissions not significant to the apps’ function, then don’t give permission. If it’s necessary, just give permission while the app is being used. If the app is not so important better not install.

“If you’re installing a game and it asks access to your contacts– then it’s quite suspicious– better not install the game.

“Be discriminating. Only install apps from your smartphone’s app installer and not from a link of a promotion/ad you saw in your social media feed. Only install apps developed by reputable or legitimate institutions. When you search for the app to install– look at who developed the app, the logo and a badge that it’s recommended or editor’s pick — to check if they’re legitimate.”

“A” suggests installing an antivirus. Upon her recommendation, I installed Bitdefender Mobile Security free version on my phone.

She said: “An antivirus installed on your smartphone is a layer of security, but still your personal practice– how you use your smartphone– is the one that matters and the one that will give you security and protection.”

Another target of scammers are bank accounts and credit cards. I have received calls purportedly offering to assist me in updating my bank accounts. I just dismiss them as scammers or reply to them that they should stop their illegal operation.

Security Bank gives these tips to its clients:

• Be skeptical when you receive messages from any sender. Security Bank will never ask for your OTP, CVV, and PIN via call, text or email.

• Ask questions and probe further. Fraudsters are trained to sound very convincing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to verify the legitimacy of a call.

• Scrutinize emails and text messages received. It helps to pay close attention to messages you receive. Check for grammar or spacing errors.

BDO has almost the same advice:

• Do not share username, password, OTP and card details (card number, expiry date and CVV.)

• Do not click links. BDO will not send links via email, SMS and Viber.

• Do not reply to suspicious senders. Visit the BDO website and search for “BDOStopScam” to view all official BDO sender names.

Stay vigilant.

This column was carried also by VERA Files.

Can the U.S. invoke MDT if its vessel is attacked while aiding Taiwan vs China?

U.S. President Joe Biden receives President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. at the White House.Malacañang photo.

Number 14 in the United States and Philippines Bilateral Defense Guidelines, forged on May 3 during the official visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Washington D.C, states, “An armed attack in the Pacific, to include anywhere in the South China Sea, on either Philippine or U.S. armed forces – which includes both nations’ Coast Guards – aircraft, or public vessels, would invoke mutual defense commitments under Article IV and Article V of the MDT.”

The first paragraph under Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty states, “Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.”

Article V states that “for the purpose of Article IV, an armed attack on either of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”

With these commitments, can the United States invoke the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty to be allowed to use the EDCA sites in Cagayan, just about 600 kilometers to Taiwan, to launch attacks to stop the Chinese from taking over Taiwan?

I posed this question to retired Supreme Court justice Antonio T. Carpio at the sidelines of the forum “Modernizing Philippine defense capabilities and elevating security partnerships,” organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute at the Manila Golf Club last May 3.

Carpio said it is a gray area. He immediately added, “No.” He explained that the authority of EDCA is derived from the MDT, the purpose of which is “to resist armed attacks.”

He said this was underscored in the 2016 Supreme Court decision on the petitions questioning the constitutionality of EDCA.

EDCA stands for Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States. Signed in 2014, it established “agreed locations” in the country where the U.S. Armed Forces can have access on a rotational basis.

Under EDCA, “the Philippines authorizes the United States forces, United States contractors and vehicles, vessels and aircraft operated by or for United States forces may conduct the following activities with respect to Agreed Locations: training, transit, support and related activities; refueling of aircraft, bunkering of vessels; temporary maintenance of vehicles, vessels and aircraft; temporary accommodation of personnel; communications; prepositioning of equipment, supplies, materiel; deploying forces and materiel and such other activities as the Parties may agree.”

Always, what we have in mind is that the Americans are coming to aid the Philippines in case of what we-pray-it-won’t-happen scenario of an armed confrontation with China over our conflicting claims in the South China Sea.

The U.S.-PH Bilateral Defense Guidelines, signed by Defense Secretaries Carlito Galvez and Lloyd J. Austin III, underscores the obligations of both parties to each other: “An armed attack in the Pacific, to include anywhere in the South China Sea, on either Philippine or U.S. armed forces – which includes both nations’ Coast Guards – aircraft, or public vessels, would invoke mutual defense commitments under Article IV and Article V of the MDT.”

With the rising tension between China and Taiwan, we raise a scenario which, a few years back, we thought was farfetched: If the U.S intervened in a China-Taiwan armed conflict and an American ship got attacked by China, would that be considered an armed attack on Philippine metropolitan territory or in one of its islands and justify U.S. operationalization of the MDT and the use of the EDCA sites, two of them in Cagayan “only a stone’s throw away from Taiwan,” as described by Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, to launch an attack against Chinese forces?

Carpio said that would not be within the coverage of the MDT.

The president himself, in his talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on May 4, said, “Should there be such an attempt to use such – the EDCA sites for offensive action, then that would be outside the parameters of what we had discussed and what the EDCA sites are.”

To be fair, he added, “the United States has never brought up the possibility –– that we will use – that the United States will use the EDCA states as staging areas for any offensive action against any country.”

Marcos was also asked: Has the U.S. asked your government to contribute Philippine military troops to combat operations should a war break out between the U.S. and China over Taiwan?

Marcos replied: “No.”