Political Thuggery Filipino Style

[Mr Lee]

i have refused to pay anyone espite immense pressure from badge carriers to do soresult CIDG are confined to barracks, 5 have administration charges against them and face dismissali will continue trading and respecting the law. i have never said we should ignore laws if we feel they are unjust, that is plain dumb.i am saying if you dance with the devil expect to get burned.i refused despite your claim otherwise to get involved with paying anyone off. i went very public in making damn sure it would not happen. goldstar daily carried the article courtesy of Herbi Gomez who also coverd the fishing incident.i will close my business before i pay 1 peso to anyone. hope the above clears that up for youif you are not prepared to stand up for yourself, then we have no right to expect anyone else to help.so I have replied because i regard your comments as ignorant, crass and totally unwarranted for a public forum.

Mike, I thank you for replying and I take your comments in stride because I was not trying to insult you. I am glad you stand up for your rights and maybe you are doing it all the correct way and I surely respect you for that. My comment was based on the fact that anyone and everyone that I have known to be in business in the Philippines up to this point and besides you that is, have always had to pay off to stay in business or end up getting busted or end up out of business, so keep up the good example and hopefully more people will follow your lead. :SugarwareZ-037: BTW, it is also common knowledge these things usually go on.added Let me add that I apologize to you since you took my comment as an insult and read it not as I meant it.Let me also add, I suspect means to think possible or to surmise, I also said that is just my guess. To guess means to form an a judgement or opinion of on uncertain or incomplete knowledge. I formed that guess based on every business that I have known about that an expat tried to run or does run in the Philippines, I do not know your business or what you do and have only been there once, so how would I know otherwise. Edited August 30, 2009 by Mr. Lee

[Mr Lee]

This does not look like it is going to end well for Mr. Stirm and his wife. I sure hope he knows what he is doing and no harm comes to him or his wife. It would be hard to win when fighting a government in our own countries, but most likely close to impossible in a country where we are more or less just guests. THE American who linked Gingoog city

[Old55]

He is in a very dangerous situation now and even if he were to win or lose the case that danger will follow him. Filipinos hold a grudge better than any others I know of.I truly wish Mr. Stirm and his wife well and pray for their safety.

[mike]

This does not look like it is going to end well for Mr. Stirm and his wife. I sure hope he knows what he is doing and no harm comes to him or his wife. It would be hard to win when fighting a government in our own countries, but most likely close to impossible in a country where we are more or less just guests. THE American who linked Gingoog city's top officials to alleged illegal seizure of his fishing boat and harassment, has complained about what he called were efforts by a prosecution office to make things more difficult for him and his wife and their lawyer.Randy Stirm has cried foul over the Gingoog city prosecutor's office's alleged failure to follow proper procedured in sending out subpoenas.Stirm said they were supposed to receive subpoenas at least 10 days before a preliminary investigation.Instead, according to Stirm, they received subpoenas just three days before a Sept. 7 preliminary investigation scheduled in Gingoog. Stirm also said he and his wife Cherry received an Aug. 27 subpoena last Sept. 4. He said his crew did not receive any."There should have been seven subpoenas for me and the boat's crew," he said.He said his lawyer, Elmer dela Rosa, sent an associate to personally inform the Gingoog prosecutor that they (Stirms) could not come for the preliminary investigation because they were pressed for time.Stirm said the prosecutor's office agreed to reset it last Sept. 11. But here's the catch: the lawyer was informed that the subpoenas were to be sent via LBC on Sept. 9.Stirm said his lawyer also told him that the subpoenas should have been delivered by the Jasaan or the Gingoog police to their residence.Meanwhile, Stirm said he hoped he could receive government protection because he felt under threat.He claimed a white van with a police sticker tailed him from Gusa around 11:30 am last Sept. 4. The heavily tinted vehicle did not have license plates, he said.Stirm has accused Gingoog Mayor Ruthie Guingona, Vice Mayor Marlon Kho, local fisheries officers, and Navy and police personnel of being responsible for damages to his fishing boat following its seizure off eastern Misamis Oriental. http://www.goldstardailynews.com/content.php?id=6031

Good news is that the press are on this and the US embassy is running with it.Even better is that those who are responsible for this mess are making stupid childish mistakes in a public forum (Goldstar) that is being exposed. The more they get it wrong the more difficult it becomes to avoid reality.The only charge made is fishing with assisted gear and illegal lights, except there is no assissted gear and the lights fall well within the legal limit that are are used to assist to untangle nets being manually hauled.That the fishing was fishing in Medina and not Gingoog. Video footage showing the fishing vessel being boarded by journalists who are not allowed to board and a heavily armed member of the GBA (Gingoog Bay Association an illegal entity) has added even more questions. Other native fishing boats in the vicinity of the boarding have also offered testimony as to where they were all fishing, ie legally etc.The naval officer recalled to Manila has basically confessed that they did use long arm weapons to fire into a fully manned vessel. His hearing at the admiralty under observation by US embassy is proving to be uncomfortable as well as illuminating, certainly shedding far more light on this incident than the entirely legal fishing lights being used on the said fishing vessel.m Edited September 15, 2009 by Boss Man
fixed posting error

[Old55]

Thanks for the update Mike. If you hear more please keep us informed. I truly wish them the best!

[tom_shor]

Just keep in mind that the officials involved in this and their families will NEVER forget this. Even if they were 1000% wrong they will never admit it and they will never forgive it. Please use caution. They know you you don't know all of them. I am not trying to be scary here just sharing some of my slowly accumulated knowledge about how these kind of people work.

[Old55]

Especially if they are wrong.

[mike]

I choose to live here and choose to run businesses here and so I choose not to live in a hole and in fear.Therefore I accept the consequences.Once that is come to terms with, life whilst you have it is for living, not for living in fear.M

[Old55]

I agree with you Tom. We all need to accept accountability for our choices. :7_4_17[1]: It would be interesting to hear your experiences operating a successful business in the Philippines. I

[tom_shor]

I choose to live here and choose to run businesses here and so I choose not to live in a hole and in fear.Therefore I accept the consequences.Once that is come to terms with, life whilst you have it is for living, not for living in fear.M

I did not suggest you live in fear only that you be aware that for these kind of people it will never be over. Win or lose in court they will not forget.