Nevertheless, the old base (like Subic) has bee converted to civilian uses: It has an international airport, lots of businesses, and holds meetings.
Pampanga (like our area) used to be notorious for the communist led insurgents, but nowadays not so much. Our lovely ex president Gloria did a lot to improve the area.
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The Bird flu epidemic has seemed to settle down in our area. A lot of chickens, and also quail and ducks had to be killed (quail eggs are common here, and duck eggs are salted and sold, or used for balut).
However, I am seeing a lot of live chickens in cages in the last few weeks being sold by vendors on the street (not in the palenke). I am wondering if they are selling them to eat: If the bird is alive and well when you take it home, you know you won't be eating "double dead" meat or chicken meat from a sick chicken that was killed before it could die on it's own.
Luckily, it was ordinary bird flu, not the virulent one that is simmering around China (and could morph to kill humans as it did in 1918).
The reason I notice: These are white chickens, the type you eat, and medium sized.
Here, a lot of folks have fighting cocks in their backyard: Usually red ones with impressive feathers, under a small shelter and with a leg tied so it doesn't get lose.
It says a lot that although the local dogs are often left out at night to do their thing in the vacant lots, and we do have stray dogs (alas) that wander around, yet few of these cocks seem to get killed. They are pretty mean...
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Duterte thanks China for giving the Philippine military decent rifles etc. which were used to kill the terrorists in the south.
He said the Americans and the Israelis only allowed Filipino troops to use their equipment without leaving them behind. “They are not willing to give it to us unlike China—no payment,” he said. “The thought of helping us was something that was useful to the community of the world.”
President Obama denied requests for weapons to "punish" Duterte early in the anti drug push here. And called him names. This was accompanied by hysteria about all those murders (whereas murders in the past were rarely even noticed, even when US citizens like our cousin's death by the ex mayor or the FilAm vet down the street killed by robbers, presumably druggies,).
But hey, Obama did nothing to help PNoy when China destroyed our reefs to build their artificial islands to claim the west Philippine Sea.
But Trumpie boy? A bromance. Place horrified tweets by SJW HERE.
And yes there is a Trump tower being built in Manila, but it's run by Trump Jr.
But Trump isn't military as much as doing deals, so presumably will understand when Duterte does the same.
Oh FYI: The Russians are coming! the Russians are Coming!
and they are delivering much needed weapons to fight the bad guys too...
as for the war in the South: Marawi is now essentially liberated, the the leaders and money men are dead... what is left now is a couple dozen hold outs and a lot of booby traps and hidden mines.
now the soldiers are being welcomed back,
most of the US press is not saying: Good job, guys.
Like the liberation of Raqa, victories in the war on terrorism is not usually celbrated because... war is evil, dontchaknow? And for the MSM in the USA, veterans who risked their lives to liberate cities, and dead military heroes are only in the news if they can be used to push the hate Trumpieboy meme.
So the MSM are busy warning: This is not the end to ISIS linked guys.
And so expect to see lots of breathless and admiring stories in the US MSM about how the bad guys are soooo powerful... or stories complaining how those bad soldiers destroyed the city in order to liberate it.
Uh, the problem with Muslim terrorists/slavers has been going on here for over 300 years, long before ISIS. (as for the Middle East: well those wars go back 3500 years to the Battle of Kadesh).
But the big discussion now is how to rebuild the place. Lots of people there to help, including China, who is trying to make nice so we won't notice them stealing our fishing grounds and the oil beneath them.
(and hopefully we won't see most of the aid diverted into the pockets of politicians, as happens alas too often here).
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