Taiwan’s animosity towards the Philippines is lamentable

 

At this time when the country is having serious territorial dispute with China, another bickering with another Chinese nation, Taiwan, is the last thing that we would like to have.

 Unfortunately, the incident that resulted to Taiwan’s utter show of animosity towards the Philippines is not a minor one as it cost the life of one of their fishermen.

 To them the Manila hostage crisis of 2010, where eight Taiwanese hostages were killed, has barely healed the wounds of the victim’s families, when another fatal shooting has been committed by a Filipino on their citizen.

 According to reports, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had warned first the Taiwanese fishing vessel that they were in the waters of the country’s exclusive economic zone, but the vessel did not leave and instead tried to ram the PCG boat.

 In self-defense, the coast guards opened fire on the fishing boat hitting Hung Shih-cheng, 65, who died from a bullet wound in the neck.

 The underlying problem here is that the location the fishing vessel was found in is the same exclusive economic zone that, like China, Taiwan is also trying to claim as theirs.

 The highly regrettable incident is just the latest proof that the South China Sea is an emerging flashpoint over competing claims, in part, by nations like the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, and claiming it in whole is China and its estranged neighbor, Taiwan.

 Because of this, Taiwan has announced the withdrawal of its representative in Manila and said it had stopped accepting applications for Filipino workers, as a retaliatory step for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman.

 But what does not augur well with our country’s relationship with Taiwan is that the office of President Ma Ying-jeou, has rejected President Benigno Aquino’s apology, branding it as inadequate.

 They didn’t want PNoy calling the shooting as “unfortunate” and “unintentional”, as if it is in our character to be trigger happy and assassins.

 What is exacerbating the worrisome situation is the threat that Taiwan’s Navy and Coast Guard would stage an exercise as a show of strength in disputed waters near where the upsetting incident occurred.

 Shall we be seeing then Taiwan’s F-16 fighters, Kidd-class destroyers and other warships, if only to show how militarily muscled they are for our own good?

 We just hope this lamentable problem can be settled diplomatically before it worsens and pray similar incidents will not happen again.

Hitler’s nonagenarian food taster confesses

 

Margot Woelk, as she looks now.

This is the story of Margot Woelk who waited until the sunset years of his life to confess about her harrowing experience as one of the 15 young women taken in by the Nazi regime as food tasters before the same were served to its leader, Adolf Hitler, to make sure that it was not poisoned.

Ashamed and afraid of being prosecuted, she kept the secret of her wartime role for decades, including from her husband, who passed away 23 years ago. However, just a few months after her 95th birthday, Woelk decided to share her memories of Hitler’s secret Wolf’s Lair with the world.

The Wolf’s Lair is the heavily guarded command center in Rastenburg, the site of Hitler’s secret compound that was then in Germany and now is part of Poland. This is where Hitler spent much of his time in the final years of WWII.

Woelk’s involvement with the Wolf’s Lair kitchen happened when she was in her mid-twenties and fled Berlin for Rastenburg to escape Allied air attacks. At that time her husband was already serving in the German army.

“He was a vegetarian. He never ate any meat during the entire time I was there,” Woelk said of the Nazi leader. “And Hitler was so paranoid that the British would poison him — that’s why he had 15 girls taste the food before he ate it himself.”

“The food was delicious, only the best vegetables, asparagus, bell peppers, everything you can imagine. And always with a side of rice or pasta,” Woelk said.

“But this constant fear – we knew of all those poisoning rumors and could never enjoy the food. Every day we feared it was going to be our last meal.”

Margot Woelk as she looked before.

But then as the Soviets started gaining grounds, which eventually resulted to Hitler committing suicide, Woelk was told by one of her SS friends to leave the Wolf’s Lair.

So, after two and a half years tasting Hitler’s meals, Woelk fled back to Berlin to escape the onslaught of the Russians.

But it was never meant to be.

Although she later found out that the Russians shot all of the 14 other girls that stayed behind since Rastenburg was their home, Woelk also met her misfortune at the hands of the enemy.

“The Russians then came to Berlin and got me, too,” Woelk said. “They took me to a doctor’s apartment and raped me for 14 consecutive days. That’s why I could never have children. They destroyed everything.”

Like millions of Germans and other Europeans, Woelk began rebuilding her life and trying to forget as best she could her bitter memories and the shame of her association with a criminal regime that had destroyed much of Europe.

She worked in a variety of jobs, mostly as a secretary or administrative assistant.

“For decades, I tried to shake off those memories,” she said. “But they always came back to haunt me at night.”

Well, not any more. For now the truth has set her free and to be free is relieving – especially for one whose life is nearing the end.

North Korea continues to rant

North Korea leader, Kim Jong-Un

This is one country whose leader is truly behaving in the most absurd way.

It is simply giving credence to the fact that Kim Jong-Un has not mature yet as an individual, but more so as a leader of a rogue nation, where the impulsiveness of youth is getting the best of him, especially that he is being treated like god by his military minions.

He has been seen as a chip off the old block as he continues his recalcitrant attitude towards leaders of democratic countries, especially those that are staunch supporters of South Korea.

The Korean peninsula has been in a state of heightened military tension since the North carried out its third nuclear test in February.

Incensed by fresh UN sanctions and joint South Korea-US military exercises, Pyongyang has spent weeks issuing blistering threats of missile strikes and nuclear war.

Peace initiatives from South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and the US seem to be falling on deaf ears prompting South Korean and US forces to be on a heightened state of alert for days now. Even Japan has deployed Patriot anti-missile systems around Tokyo and promised to shoot down any missile deemed to be a threat.

It was reported that the missiles mobilized by the North for a possible launch are reported to be untested Musudan models with an estimated range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles).

That would cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam.

But, what is ridiculous about all these blistering vituperation and ominous threats of war is Jong-Un’s gung-ho attitude and continued ranting against the people in South Korea when he saw them burning effigies of himself, his father, Kim Jong-Il and his grandfather, NoKor’s founding leader, Kim Il-Sung.

This show of strong protest by the South Koreans against NoKor leadership was purposely coincided with the birthday celebration of Kim Il-Sung, which is considered a major national holiday.

Because of this seemingly inappropriate show of reverence towards Kim Il-Sung, NoKor’s military threatened the South with imminent “sledge-hammer” retaliation, unless Seoul apologized for anti-Pyongyang protestors burning effigies of its revered leaders.

Condemning what it described as a “thrice-cursed… monstrous criminal act,” the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Supreme Command issued an “ultimatum” threatening immediate action if an apology was not forthcoming.

“Our retaliatory action will start without any notice,” it said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency

“The military demonstration… will be powerful sledge-hammer blows at all hostile forces hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership,” it added.

Indeed, pretty strong words that must have elated and bloated Jong-Un’s ego!

But, why get upset about the burning of effigies? That is done all over the world by the aggrieved who wants to make an emphatic statement of disgust. That’s an international symbol of showing revulsion.

If Jong-Un thinks Seoul will apologize, he must be kidding himself.

And the ranting continues.

Dying war veteran blames Bush for woes

 

Tomas Young

This is a poignant story of a brave and eloquent Iraq war veteran whose health condition has deteriorated so much that continued living is no longer an option. He has finally decided to put an end to his suffering.

Exuding with patriotism, Tomas Young was only 22 years old when he joined the US Army after hearing the call of former President George W. Bush, who stood on the rubble of Ground Zero just after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and pledged to go after those responsible.

Since it was known, without doubt, that Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda terrorist group were behind the attacks, with Afghanistan identified as their base of operation, Young thought this is where he wanted to go and join the forces that would hunt them down.

But instead of being deployed to Afghanistan to fight al-Qaeda and its allies, he ended up in Iraq in 2004 following Saddam Hussein’s capture by coalition forces.

On the fifth day into his deployment, Young’s unit came under fire from insurgents in Baghdad. He was hit and his spine was severed. This was the start of the young soldier’s woes.

After his return to the US he campaigned from his wheelchair against the war in Iraq and in 2007 was the subject of a documentary, Body of War.

But Young was not getting any better despite the best medical attention due a war veteran.

In 2008 Young suffered a pulmonary embolism and an anoxic brain injury due to a reduced oxygen supply that impaired his speech and arm movement. A colostomy operation last year provided only temporary relief.

Young’s wife, Claudia Cuellar Tomas, said that last year his pain and discomfort increased dramatically and he grew weary of repeated hospital visits to treat infections and other ailments.

“He didn’t want to do any more procedures or surgeries. It’s not that he wants to die – he simply doesn’t want to suffer any more,” Claudia added.

Unable now to eat solid food, he is fed through a tube in his stomach. The skin on his hips is breaking down, exposing raw flesh and bone.

As agreed by the couple, however, Young will continue to take food and liquids until their first wedding anniversary on 20 April. After that they will stop talking publicly about his case and spend time together until they feel the time is right for him to end his life, which most likely is by starving himself to death since there is no suicide-assisted death permitted in Missouri.

But, what I wanted most of all to bring out of this blog is the moving letter that Young wrote to Bush and Cheney, the former US president and vice president, respectively, who were the  leaders behind the Iraqi invasion.

Please open this link: http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_last_letter_20130318

 

Saving Syria from annihilation

 

Britain Prime Minister David Cameron and France President Francois Hollande

If Syria, under President Bashar al-Assad, was having war with another nation, it would have been seen as acceptable and tolerable because conflicts, for one reason or another, do happens as it has happened in ages past and continues to happen in this day and age.

The problem, however, with Syria today under the despotic rule of Assad is that he is waging war against his very own people.

War has been going on now for two years and it is so brutal and destructive that the country is in ruins, over 70,000 people dead and an estimated 1.1 million people are in refugee camps in Syria’s neighboring countries.

Nobody seems to succeed in negotiating for peace between Assad and the rebels because meeting of the minds don’t simply exist and neither Assad nor the rebels would give an inch for a settlement.

For how could you end an impasse and start talking peace when Assad is bent on staying in power no matter the dreadful consequences of war have been already.

Bottom line is that, take Assad out of the equation and their will be peace.

Otherwise, the annihilation continues with Assad’s government employing all the armed resources they have against the rebel forces.

The truth, however, is that the rebel forces can only do so much against the superior military hardware of Assad that continues to be supplied by Russia and Iran.

Thus, exasperated with what has been going on in Syria, Britain’s David Cameron and France’s Francois Hollande will be urging other European Union (EU) leaders who will be meeting in Brussels to lift the embargo of arming the Syrian rebels.

Both says they could no longer stand watching as the Syrian regime, armed by Russia and Iran, kills civilians and seeks to crush rebels just so Assad can continue to rule Syria.

“There is a perversity about an arms embargo. It doesn’t stop those aiding Assad,” said a source from Cameron’s office.

“It does stop EU countries and others helping those against whom Assad is waging a brutal and terrorizing war.”

Indeed, time has come to save Syria from annihilation.

 

Hugo Chavez: Hero, heel or coward?

 

The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s larger than life image is continuing even in death.

The fact alone that his body will be embalmed to be perpetually displayed inside a glass tomb at a military museum is a testament to that populist image which seemed to have mesmerized the Venezuelan masses.

But, was Chavez the best thing that ever happened to Venezuela?

When you think that Venezuela has the world’s biggest oil reserve and yet it has failed to develop into a progressive and respectable nation as it should have been after more than 14 years under Chavez, a self-styled socialist leader and classic Latin American military dictator, then something was awfully wrong with the man himself.

But Chavez was smart and he knew where to get his power from. He used the country’s wealth to ‘oil’ his way into the hearts of the Venezuelan masses by establishing welfare programs called missions, which set up medical clinics and schools, operated a chain of cut-rate grocery stores, and nationalized farms and ranches to be divvied up as cooperatives of the impoverished.

In return Chavez got the votes he needed badly to stay in power despite rising crime, persistent scarcities of basic food items, double-digit inflation and unpopular foreign aid programs. His reelection was a testament to the near-religious devotion of Venezuela’s impoverished to their comandante.

This is how Chavez became a hero to the ordinary Venezuelan, not to mention that Chavez’s anti-American rhetoric added to the listening pleasure of the impoverished sector.

For the US, however, a known Chavez nemesis, whose intelligence knew the real score in Venezuela in terms of corruption, human rights violation and stifling of press freedom, Chavez was an antihero – a heel. What makes it more so was his close association with the world’s pariahs that includes Cuba’s Fidel and Raul Castro, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Libya’s former “liberator” Muammar Gaddafi and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

Who can forget Chavez’s antic before the United Nations in 2006 where at the podium he described then US President George W. Bush as satan.

“The devil came here yesterday,” Chavez said, while theatrically sniffing the air. “It smells of sulfur still.” He even made the sign of the cross as if trying to shield himself from the devil.

What an arrogant display of power!

But was this seemingly tough stance and demagogic remarks in front of the representatives to the UN, guests and other dignitaries, a mark of a strong and fearless leader that he was trying to project himself to be?

Frankly, to me he was neither a hero nor heel.

To me he was an ultimate coward.

If being tough, fearless and bellicose towards his enemies has defined who Chavez was in life, then, he would have continued being tough, fearless and bellicose against the worst of all his enemies – death.

But, look what happened.

It was reported that tough guy Chavez’s last words were: “Yo no quiero morir, por favor no me dejen morir.” (Translation: “I don’t want to die. Please don’t let me die.”)

According to an officer of Venezuela’s presidential guard, Chavez made that plea “because he loved his country, he sacrificed for his country.”

That’s a lot of bull!

My guess is that Chavez was probably scared to die because of retribution in hell for the crimes he has committed, which instilled fear on his people and made hundreds of thousands flee Venezuela. But, most likely though is, perhaps, that he could no longer be the center of attraction that he enjoyed being and that he could no longer exercise the pomposity brought by power and wealth.

My brother was much tougher when he faced death at 58 also. Sensing that he was losing the fight against kidney failure, he finally gave up having dialysis and declared he was ready to go. Never did he make the same plea as Chavez did.

The difference between them is that my brother died with a clear conscience and Chavez died with guilt in his conscience.

 

North Korea ends peace pacts with South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting troops (Photo by Reuters)

The announcement that North Korea has ended all peace agreements with South Korea and cutting off its hotline connection with Seoul is not only a reckless decision but a damning one at that.

This announcement is an offshoot of the new UN Security Council agreement to intensify existing sanctions on Pyongyang for proceeding with its February 12 nuclear test.

The new sanctions will “bite hard”, said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice. “They increase North Korea’s isolation and raise the cost to North Korea’s leaders of defying the international community.”

The good thing about this is that China fully agrees with sanction and, in fact, wants full implementation, saying, that efforts must be made to bring North Korea back to negotiations and to defuse tensions.

The resolution adopted by the 15-member Council not only tightened restrictions on the rogue country’s financial dealings, notably its suspect “bulk cash” transfers, but even the earlier resolutions giving the other countries the right to inspect cargo suspected to contain weapons material will become mandatory now.

The bad thing, however, is that even knowing that China has gone against NoKor this time, Pyongyang, through its Foreign Ministry, continues with its bellicose rhetoric and, in fact, threatened a “pre-emptive nuclear attack” against the United States and all other “aggressors”.

What seems to be aggravating the situation is that the annual US- South Korea exercise known as Foal Eagle has started on March 1 and continues until April 30, participated by more than 10,000 US troops along with a far greater number of South Korean personnel.

This generated a warning from Pyongyang that the North Korean military would respond “mercilessly” to any intrusion — “even an inch” — into its land, sea or air space.

This arrogant and threatening language seemed likely to have come from NoKor leader Kim Jong-un himself who visited military units in an island near the sea border known as the Northern Front Line, which has been the scene of previous clashes.

With NoKor also conducting military drills and getting ready for state-wide war practice of an unusual scale in the area, anything can happen, either by accident or by devious intention.

Meanwhile,  Washington said North Korea’s nuclear threats would only lead to Pyongyang’s further international isolation and declared the United States was “fully capable” of defending itself and had reassured South Korea and Japan “at the highest levels” of its commitment to deterrence, through the U.S. nuclear umbrella and missile defense pact.

It would be best for the young, swaggering Kim Jong-un and his military fanatics not to belittle the resolve of the US and her allies in the region to strike back.

But, what I believe will happen at the end is that Kim Jong-un will relent with his tail between his legs – and who cares, he is still the boss – rather than choose the option of dying young.

Marcos son lectures Aquino on Sabah issue

Familiar names and figures: Aquino and Marcos

Look who is calling the kettle black?

By God, every time Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, opens his mouth chastising somebody over improprieties committed, especially when it comes to lives of people, I can’t just seem to keep my own mouth shut and pretend not to hear it or read about it.

His words do not only leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who have known who the Marcoses are, but, in my case, my body also shudders for the gall that he has and the pretense he exhibits as if he is unaware of the barbarous treatment the Filipino people suffered under the martial law regime of his father.

Again this is a classic case of the saying, “When you point one finger, there are three fingers pointing back to you.” The bible had a version of this wisdom when Jesus said, “Don’t focus on the speck in your brother’s eye while ignoring the log in your own eye.”  And when unfair lectures are flying, like the one given by Marcos Jr., we all need to hear the voice of reason that says, “Look in the mirror, bro.  You might just be talking about yourself.”

Marcos Jr.’s lecture came in the heels of ground and air attack unleashed by the Malaysian forces upon the soldiers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III occupying an area in Lahud Datu, Sabah.

The senator was reported as saying, “We, as a republic, have a claim over Sabah since the 1960’s, we have historical claim over Sabah and that’s a fact. But whatever else the issue there may be, the Sultan of Sulu and his people are Filipino citizens and, by virtue of that fact, they deserve protection from the government of the Philippines.”

He went on saying, among other things, that “First and foremost, it’s the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens.”

I don’t think President Benigno Aquino neglected, even for a moment, the safety and well being of the disgruntled Sulu sultan and his people, who are, first and foremost, also Filipinos.

This was an invasion covertly planned by this sect or cult, if you may, on a sovereign island, yet despite its disregard and disrespect of the Aquino government, they were advised to desist from pursuing their adventurism because of its deadly consequences if they went on with it. This was done to save lives, and for that matter a ship was sent to fetch them – but to no avail.

But, that is neither here nor there.

On their own, the sultan’s ill-conceived plans was at its best, a losing proposition, and at its worst, a declaration of war.

And war it had to be.

But, my point is simply this: What is happening in Sabah now could not be compared with the killings that happened during the dark days of martial law under the Marcos regime.

In Sabah, it is the Malaysians against the Filipinos.

During the martial law regime, it was Ferdinand Marcos Sr., a true blue Filipino, and his minions fighting and killing its own people.

I have said this many a times before and I am going to say it here again that Sen. Marcos should be doing himself and the country a favor if he would just keep his mouth shut instead of blurting out comments that would just boomerang on the beastly acts of his father.

The kettle definitely is far from having the ebony appearance of the pot.

Honasan, Villar and the hot Sabah issue

Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan

A few days ago Sen. Gringo Honasan was in the news expressing his displeasure over the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which showed him lagging behind in the senatorial race.

What bothers me about this kind of reaction is the fact that the same polling body had made an earlier survey that showed him in the magic 12 and he let it pass without commenting on it.

This time, however, he has this to say: “Like myself, from 6th rank, I go down to 15. You look at statistical probability. It did not bother me, however. Historically, I started in this manner, I go up, then I go down.”

Well, that is just how surveys are. The truth comes out with succeeding surveys as you get nearer to the day – whatever it may be – but, which, in Honasan’s case is election day.

Unlike the other candidates whom those surveyed believe are the best choices, they maintain their positions in the polls. But for others, the participants in the survey feels that, for one reason or another, someone else is better than the other or ‘a new star is born’ especially given the fact that there are more choices to make.

It does not follow that because you are an incumbent and regardless of which party you belong, that you will get to be chosen. Those surveyed are now seeing who you are compared with the others and what your performance have been based on studied questions that will determine whether or not you deserve to be elected.

Now Honasan is saying that if he gets reelected he will file a bill banning the conduct of surveys during election period.

What a ridiculous idea!

Actually, I believe more in what SWS does for the public, than what Honasan does in the senate. If it was not because of his close relationship with Enrile, Honasan, who led a number of unsuccessful coup against Cory Aquino, could not have been sitting in the senate today. But we only have ourselves to blame for Filipinos always falls for those involve in adventurism, although his kind is the least of what is needed to become member of a law making body.

Rep. Cynthia Villar

In the case of another senatorial candidate, Cynthia Villar, she may be elated that she has gone up in the ratings in the latest survey by SWS – from  8th to 9th in January to 4th  place last February. But for how long she will stay up there, only time will tell.

Villar made a real bobo of herself when she insulted the Filipino nurses and their chosen profession during a TV program, “Pagsubok sa mga Kandidato” aired over GMA News TV.

When economist, Winnie Monsod, asked Villar to substantiate her desire to help the poor when she allegedly sided with the owners of nursing schools accused of providing low-quality education to students in 2005 to 2006, the latter answered that “CHED already issued permits for the schools to open and that the owners have already invested in nursing equipment.”

But what was unforgivable and revolting to the nurses is when she made this additional comment in Tagalog, “Ang sinasabi namin sa kanila na ‘actually, hindi naman kailangan ng nurse na matapos ang BSN (BS Nursing). Kasi itong mga nurses, gusto lang nilang maging room nurse.”

What she was implying is that nurses need not finish the BS Nursing course since all they want to do is being room nurse or in another word, a caregiver.

No wonder professional nurses all over who heard about this silly comment from a moneyed politician and a senatorial candidate went ballistic.

Though Villar has apologized since, the fact is the harm has been done and pretty much deep in the heart. But, what is she good for in the senate anyway?

Now to the hot Sabah issue. It is very unfortunate but, nevertheless, expected that this foolish adventurism will culminate in bloodbath.

I need not say more as I foresaw, like many others, what was going to be the end.

But, what should make us all wonder is this: If the controversial Sabah issue was not resolved before during the time of the Salongas, the Sumulongs, the Tolentinos, the Tañadas, the Pelaezes, the Rodrigos, the Roxases and the rest of their other illustrious contemporaries in the senate – all of them brilliant in their own rights – what makes us think that the same contentious issue can be resolve now having actors, comedian, military officers and what have you, all mediocre compared to the much respected and superior minds of the past senators?

For better elucidation or clarification that will lead us all to better understanding of the complex Sabah issue, please open this link: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66689/does-sabah-really-belong-to-the-philippines.

“Taps” in its entirety

For those of us who have been in the military service, one time or another, the “Taps” has always been a familiar sound played from a bugle or trumpet signaling the last call of the day and ‘lights out.’ The call is also sounded at the completion of a military funeral ceremony.

We have learned to appreciate and respect it as it allows us to ponder the day that has come to pass in peace.

I did not know that there was more to its melody than what we have been used to hearing that is simply beautiful, awesome and sublime.

Having heard it only now in its entirety made me speechless, especially that it was played with passion by a young lady.

Listen to it and you will understand what I am saying.