EMONG'S JOURNALS

Here are ways to make your checkpoint nights trouble-free. The Commission on Elections will conduct checkpoints nationwide starting October 1, Sunday, to effectively implement the gun ban and other prohibitions in connection with the October 23 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. During this period, it shall be unlawful for any person to bear, carry or transport firearms or other deadly weapons, unless authorized by the Comelec. All permit to carry licenses are automatically suspended. Violators will be punished one to six years of imprisonment, disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right to suffrage. Do you have to stop at a PNP-Comelec checkpoint? if you drive up to a Philippine National Police (PNP)-Comelec checkpoint, you have to stop the vehicle and comply with law enforcement. This is an exception to the normal rule that police officers cannot pull someone over without a reason. Because of the enforcement of the nationwide gun ban, thes...

Take note, all ye youngsters (and oldsters, too!). The number of killings in the government's war against illegal drugs continue to increase and has reached around 2,000, two months into the Rodrigo Duterte administration, according to data released this week. The Philippine National Police recorded 929 casualties killed in police operations from July 1 to August 31, an increase of 141 people over a week, on average 20 people a day. There are also reported deaths who died under "mysterious circumstances" with some reports saying a few of them have been killed due to mistaken identity or due to their associations with drug men. Their deaths, most of the times, are referred to as "collateral damages." The statistics speaks for itself. In this instance, prevention is most certainly better than cure. Here's how not to become a victim of mistaken identity in a drug war: 1 Choose your friends wisely.  Not every one you meet are worthy of your fr...

No one expected the kill list to hit a thousand so darn fast! More than 1000 suspected drug users or dealers have been killed by police or vigilantes in the Philippines in less than three months, according to a news report from ABS CBN News. A separate tally from GMA News is fewer, and said that since 10 May – the day Rodrigo Duterte was announced the winner of the presidential poll – at least 601 people have been killed because they were suspected to have been involved with drugs. The deadliest day fell on August 11 where a total of 27 drug men were killed. The killings appear to have been carried out by police, who attribute the violence to suspects who “resisted arrest and shot at police officers”, and vigilante groups emboldened by Duterte’s promises of impunity. During the campaign, Duterte said 100,000 people would die in his crackdown, with so many dead bodies dumped in Manila Bay that fish there would grow fat from feeding on them. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS PO...

The next dude (or babe!) you'll be dancing with tonight might be a covert cop. The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now eyeing high-end bars in Taguig and Makati cities in an attempt to combat the proliferation of party drugs, according to a report from the Manila Bulletin . Police Senior Supt. Tomas Apolinario, head of the Southern Police District, explained: We are conducting patrol on big bars and club. We have already coordinated with bar and club (owners) and they are now giving special security passes for our personnel. They are there to observe and even use the comfort rooms because as we all know, it is in the comfort rooms where the party drugs are being passed." The focus on high-end bars and clubs, which are usually the favorite hangout spots of rich kids and celebrities, was brought about by the death of five concertgoers in a Pasay City concert due to party drugs, he added. Police operatives will also scour posh subdivisions in Makati, Taguig, Parañaq...

There's a lot to this place other than tennis courts, jacuzzis and bags of shabu. Here's the ten most amazing facts about the Bilibid penitentiary that you probably haven't heard of. 1. The word Bilibid is a Filipino noun which literally means "twine, cord, string, etc. wound around something." 2. The original Bilibid prison was formerly situated in Manila and was then known as "Carcel y Presidio Correccional" established by the Spanish colonial government on 25 June 1865. Back then, it could only accommodate a little over a thousand inmates. 3. When population grew, the Bilibid was transferred to a 551-hectare piece of land in Muntinlupa City, at that time considered to be "remote." It was built in 1936 with a budget of just one million pesos. 4. Throughout the Japanese Occupation during World War 2, the Bilibid was transformed into a Prisoner of War (POW) camp and housed more than 13,000 POWs, the great majority of them Americans....

UPDATED January 2020 A "provisional" License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) will now be available for all gun holders who need to renew their firearms. The provisional LTOPF is exclusive only to gun holders with existing firearms and will no longer require a drug/neuro test. It will be valid for six months. The LTOPF for first-time gun purchases, however, still require the drug/neuro tests. As of January, 2020, the online processing is considered the easiest and hassle-free way of applying for both LTOPF and gun renewals. Below are a few observations shared by our team, gun applicants and others who tried getting their LTOPFs prior to the implementation of the PNP online program . UPDATE as of August 8, 2016 Just this morning, the EJ admin team went to visit the Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) at Camp Crame to see how the application for a License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) goes. We found out that the 4 documentary requirements for LTOPF...

The word is clear, "We're out to get y'all!" At least four drug-related personalities are killed everyday, according to the latest data of the Philippine National Police (PNP). Just last week, from June 27 to July 3, a total of 31 drug suspects were killed nationwide. From May 10 up to July 3, a total of 103 were killed during police operations, with Central Luzon (Region 3), Calabarzon (Region 4-A), and MIMAROPA (Region 4-B) recording the highest number of fatalities. Police authorities had earlier said those who were killed in these operations resisted arrest and fought back. They, however, assured the public that the police is equally protective of the human rights of the suspects and is conducting an investigation for every casualty. Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) had already launched "Oplan Double Barrel" - a scheme to arrest big time drug lords and dismantling syndicates. Oplan Double Barrel will deploy ten t...

More legit cash for cops makes them less prone to corruption. Incoming Philippine National Police head Chief Superintendent Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa confirmed President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's earlier pronouncements to double the salaries of the PNP's uniformed personnel. In the "Yes or No" interview with ABS-CBN's Bandila , news anchor Julius Babao, on the video's 13:27 mark, asked Dela Rosa, "Tataas ba ang suweldo ng mga pulis sa ilalim ng Duterte administration?" (Will the policemen receive a salary increase under the Duterte administration?) Without batting an eyelash, the next PNP chief replied, "Times two, yes!" At present, the entry level of Police Officer 1 gets a monthly paycheck of P14,834 plus allowances of about P6,000 (a total of around P20,834) while an average senior police officer with a rank of SPO1 earns P21,711 plus allowances of about P10,000 (a total of around P31,711). Their basic salary doubled, a...

The son of basketball superstar and former senator Robert Jaworski was hurt after an encounter with police authorities in Makati City early Saturday. According to a report from Inquirer.net , Senior Supt. Ernesto Barlam, Makati chief of police, confirmed that Ryan Joseph Jaworski, 40, of Quezon City, is currently confined at Makati Medical Center (as of this post) after sustaining injuries reportedly in the leg. Initial reports disclosed that prior to the incident, Jaworski and his two friends Joselito Au of Cainta, Rizal, and Ferdinand Parago were on board a maroon Nissan Sentra, with plate number WNE-425, when they reportedly noticed vehicles trailing them and fired at them at the corner of Chino Roces and Pasay Road. The vehicles, being driven by police operatives, fired back; but Jaworski and his companions were able to escape. Follow-up operations conducted by the police led them to the Makati Medical Center where Jaworski was having himself treated for a gunsho...

They'll flag you down, get your driver's license, then BOOM! Your citation ticket in your face after only 30 seconds! That's the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) response time in issuing you a ticket when you break a traffic rule while on EDSA. According to HPG director Chief Superintendent Arnold Gunnacao, his boys will implement the 30-second rule in apprehending erring motorists on EDSA to curb bribery in imposing traffic violations. The traffic cops will also undergo constant reshuffling of posts so they can avoid some unscrupulous operators and drivers from "familiarizing" with them. Gunnacao warned that HPG cops and motorists who will be engaged in bribery shall be immediately arrested. To be able to do this, our guess is he may deploy several secret marshals on the road to watch over the traffic cops and the motorists. In an article from ABS-CBN News , it said about 150 personnel from the HPG will be deployed in six foca...

P ope Francis, the most closely guarded religious man in the world, will remain under the watchful eye of an extensive, and intense, security detail of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during his first papal visit to the country. When he arrives on Friday, January 15, he will be secured by nearly 40,000 uniformed police and army personnel, and more than 20,000 civilian volunteers. The Vatican City also have a security contingency of their own. Its security detail is never officially confirmed, but security experts say his entourage is expected to include hundreds of elite and heavily armed security personnel. Meanwhile, to further boost security measures, the PNP has already listed down a number of items which civilians must not bring when they go and see Pope Francis. 1. No big bags or backpacks. 2. No umbrellas. 3. No bladed weapons or any deadly weapons. 4. No wearing of hats and caps. Security operations will include close-in security, route security including ...