SOUNDING BOARD is an outlet for opinions on good and crazy things going on at home (wherever I may be). All are welcome. You are not expected to bring anything except your common sense & sense of humor.
'If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.'
-Robert X. Cringely (from geek wisdom)
SOUNDING BOARD
Thursday, November 21, 2002
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Lacson declares presidential candidacy with a pro-choice platform
He will certainly not seek Cardinal Sin's blessings.
Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday became the first politician to declare his candidacy for president in 2004. Expectedly, he accused the incumbent, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of being obsessed with her own candidacy and thus bringing the country to ruin. Quite unexpectedly, he is also the first major politician to challenge the highly influential Catholic Church when he vowed to promote wider use of contraceptives to address the country's population growth.
Mr. Lacson knew that he may never have the backing of the highly influential Catholic Church. Sensing that, his adopts a strategy to categorically support pro-choice groups on the family planning issue. Unfortunately, because of his role during the corrupt Estrada regime, his alleged participation in the Kuratong Baleleng rubout, his alleged human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship, and unexplained US bank account, he may have a tough time convincing the pro-choice groups to support him. And even if Mr. Lacson miraculously get the support of pro-choice groups, it is till unwise for any presidential candidate to go against the Church. Almost 85 percent of the population of the Philippines are Catholics. Bishop Teodoro Bacani said that the loyalty of the Catholics is so strong that most of the people follow the Church. If Mr. Lacson does not change his platform, he will never win even if he runs for Vice President.
In chess and in politics, playing the center is always a wise strategy. Learn from the country's recent political history. The ousted president, Mr. Joseph Estrada, did not go against the Catholic Church even he already had the backing of the majority of the low-middle income classes. Mr. Fidel Ramos (Protestant) also sought the support of the Catholic Church. However, Mr. Lacson's problem is more immediate: getting the support of pro-life groups. First, he may not even get it. Second, the minds of the sleeping majority need to be opened up a little bit more. Blind faith in religion still extends to political choices. One word. Gullible. Unless we see progress in this area, a pro-choice platform will never work, ever.
posted by Allan at 12:59 AM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
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North Korea corrects confusing report
In an effort to correct the apprently confusing report that North Korea now "has come to have nuclear and other strong military weapons to deal with increased nuclear threats by the U.S. imperialists", Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) clarified what the statement really means: that North Korea believed it was 'entitled' to have nuclear arms. The exact revised statement reads: "To safeguard our sovereignty and right to exist we are entitled to have powerful military countermeasures, including nuclear weapons" (Reuters, 18 November 2002).
The only thing that this revision implies is that it is not clear as of the moment if indeed Pyongyang has the weapons. The intention is still there - an intention that presents a danger, especially to the region. Overthrowing Pyongyang diplomatically is still the most viable option in the medium- to long-term. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is a major force behind the diplomatic strategy in dealing with Iraq, seems to be following this track. He said on Monday that US is still willing to help North Korea if it ends its nuclear weapons and other "destabilizing" programs (Presumably, this statement was made before the clarification of North Korean statement). To leave the apologetic kidnapper with limited choices, other stronger strings may have to be attached to the diplomatic solution to the Pyongyang problem. Otherwise, Pyongyang can be placed next on the list - after Iraq.
posted by Allan at 8:09 AM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Monday, November 18, 2002
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UK MPs' emails are reported to be plagued by "unsolicited" porn these days. A filter is now placed on the politicians' internet connection to block the materials from coming through. One MP said that if one email has been "accidentally opened", offensive materials will be displayed on screen.
Very funny. "Accidentally" opened, huh? Unsolicited? Hmmm. Porn sites allow hackers to do some of their activities because those sites never fail to get "accidental" clicks from unsuspecting people. But yes, Mr. MP, I believe you. Those are unsolicited emails.
posted by Allan at 3:14 AM (GMT+8)
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North Korea says it has nukes
Yes, Washington, they have it. Pyongyang seems to be getting desperate for Washington's attention - to bring Washington to the negotiating table. So the apologetic kidnapper thinks he has the upperhand now? Wrong move. The rationale for multilaterally ganging up on Iraq could also be applied to Pyongyang now that it has admitted having nukes. However, there is another way. Washington can get rid of the "Pyongyang problem" diplomatically.
The National Republic Online has come up with an article on how to overthrow Pyongyang peacefully. The four countries - Russia, Japan, China and US - can provide aid to Pyongyang with tight strings aimed at gradually shifting its sovereign prerogatives into South Korean hands e.g., food aid and technical assistance on agriculture could be tied to agricultural-sector reform overseen by an ad hoc four-power technical group, with nongovernmental South Korean participation; energy-sector aid could also be conditioned to require the connection of North and South Korea's electricity grids…etc.). Eventually, the diplomatic solution is a unified Korea. Too ambitious? I don't think so. Read the full article here.
First things first, though. Washington should not let itself be bullied by Pyongyang. Pyongyang should get rid of its nukes. In the meantime, deny it of all aid, except stricly tied ones, as mentioned above. If it still insists, put it next in line after Iraq. After Iraq.
posted by Allan at 2:45 AM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Saturday, November 16, 2002
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Is religious intolerance here to stay?
They've done it again. Parapundit.com posed an article recently on how Islamic fundamentalists made another Salman Rushdie out of a 32-year-old Dutch political researcher, born in Somalia, named Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She spoke about the treatment of Muslim women by Muslim men in the Netherlands. The the usual intolerant practices followed: she received hate mails, anonymous messages branding her a traitor to Islam and a slut. Others said she deserved to be knifed and shot. Phoned death threats followed. She tried living in hiding. Then she left The Netherlands, her second time to become a refugee. See the original New York Times article (through Google News) here.
I've discussed a related issue on intolerance recently posted on the SOUNDING BOARD'S featured posts. I don't need to belabor this point except to say that this is plain intolerance. Those threatening Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's life would certainly welcome a public apology, like what Rushdie and Falwell did in the past. Ms. Ali is a very determined woman. "Either I stop my work, or I learn to live with the feeling that I'm not safe. I'm not stopping." (NY Times, 9 November 2002). I don't think she will apologize. She shouldn't.
I am not putting all three and the rest who got the receiving end of all those fatwa (well most of us did, from Usama, right?) and death threats, etc for speaking against Islamic fundamentalism. I am also not passing any judgment as to whether or not these persons' views are correct. Those are their views. And I am definitely *not* saying that all Muslims are intolerant. We have to dig the real issue here. Does expressing one's candid views against anything, anything at all, merit death threats and violence? Not in the modern world. We live in the modern world where we practice tolerance and a healthy exchange of views. These should be encouraged. Violent means to curtail freedom of expression should be discouraged. If views are offensive, libelous or falsely accusing another person or group, we have a *more civilized* way of dealing with that. Well, of course, I could only speak for those who are part of the modern world. So is intolerance here to stay? Only if the modern world allows it.
posted by Allan at 11:02 PM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Friday, November 15, 2002
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UN: Stop branding rebels as terrorists
Dr. Francis Deng, special representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, has urged the Philippine government to stop branding rebel groups as "terrorists" and instead seek solutions to terrorism in the Philippines. According to Deng, "the best way to fight terrorism is to address the genuine grievances of the people, particularly in the region of Mindanao... They (children) see the military as a source of potential problem. They are not in the best state of health, children are unable to attend school" (Gulf News Online Edition).
Al Neuharth (USA Today) presents Secretary of State Colin Powel's influence on the President. See the transformation as reflected in Bush's own words:
April 4: "I made up my mind that Saddam needs to go."
July 8: "We will use all tools at our disposal" to change Iraq's regime.
Sept. 7: "My administration still supports regime change. There's all kinds of ways to change regimes."
Oct. 21: "If he (Saddam) were to meet all the conditions of the United Nations that in itself would signal the regime has changed."
"Regime change" has completely shifted from "change of leadership" to "change of heart" of the leadership. Wow.
posted by Allan at 3:47 PM (GMT+8)
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Ooops, she did it again. As early as August, she had been advised not to parade crime suspects in front of the media. Yesterday, she paraded what she claimed to be a top bomber from the Abu Sayyaf Group. Fortunately for Ms. Arroyo, and unfortunately for the suspect, including the ones she presented to media in the past, this "right" is not included in the Republic Act No. 7438, defining certain rights of arrested persons. This is being addressed by House Bill 181. Nevertheless, when Ms. Arroyo said "He's the top bomber, the number one bomber, of the Abu Sayyaf," did she not already pass her judgment on the accussed which the constitution mandates to be treated as innocent unless proven guilty? And when no less than the President does this, does she not unduly influence the judicial process?
I am in full support of Ms. Arroyo's crackdown on the Abu Sayyaf Group. But please, my goodness, respect human rights. Let the courts do their work. If Ms. Arroyo's counter-terrorism efforts vs. the Abu Sayyaf are effective, she doesn't have to do this shit. Yes, it's shit.
posted by Allan at 2:01 PM (GMT+8)
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International conference on sex urges more sex to boost productivity
"Healthy sex lives make happy workers, who will in turn create a more robust economy", according to Emil Ng, sex therapist and founder of the Asian Federation of Sexology. And when the economy is down, he said sexual activity will be lower because of financial problems.
A chicken-and-egg situation. More like a sperm-and-egg to me. Oh they also talked about the P-spot. Nice.
I wonder if this sex variable has been inputed in the cross-country productivity studies, and how strongly correlated it is to productivity measures, and which countries have high correlation coefficients. Ewww. Geek.
posted by Allan at 1:02 PM (GMT+8)
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Singapore may lift its ban on chewing gum imports, also featured by greengrl
Singapore's 10-year ban on the import of chewing gum may be scrapped as part of a free trade deal with the United States. It's one of the items on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with US.
Oh ok, so Singapore government has probably estimated that the benefits of signing this FTA is greater than the savings they would generate from having that ban in place. Gheeez. It's so Singaporean. Maybe one of those "Asian values"... now who did I hear that from?... Oh... oh... it's from the former PM Lee Kwan Yew... I better shut up, right? Yeah right. Asian values my ass.
posted by Allan at 12:26 PM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
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"I want to form a Council of Economic Advisers made up of professional economists who are not in the executive." - Arroyo
So instead of a revamp, Ms. Arroyo told the Malacañang Press Corps that she will form a Council of Economic Advisers. As for the rationale of Council, Ms. Arroyo said, "...you are in the forest... it is very important to look at it from outside the forest".
The Office of the President since the time of Mr. Ramos has always had high-calibre and excellent performing economic advisers, mostly coming from finance, planning and budget departments (you can add Winnie Monsod as NEDA chief during the Aquino presidency, but not her Opus Dei "replacements"). The outside perspectives are always there in the form of the dynamic interaction between government, private sector, academe and civil society. So why do I get the feeling that Ms. Arroyo thinks that to improve the way we look at our economic problems, she needs to bring in these people "from outside the forest"? I think the President is missing the point here. The objective should not be to bring "outside lookers" inside. The issue is not about her present crop of excellent economic advisers becoming too engrossed in their jobs that they may miss the whole picture. The issue is not about bringing non-state actors inside so that they can be more effective in influencing public policies. The general issue is this - the president's economic advisers (past and present) do not decide even on matters within their turf. They only recommend. The decisions still rest on the politicians. Operationally, that implies you do not have to bring in more economic advisers. You have to be able to consider the political factors (including civil society participation) as economic variables, so to speak. The economy is composed of people anyway, with needs and aspirations, not some lifeless variables. The present structure is fine, Ms. Arroyo. There is no need to bring in non-state actors as economic advisers. Non-state actors have been giving their "advice" to the government. Government needs to listen more. The "council of advisers" has been here with us all along, "advising" government from outside. After all, that's what democracy is about - non-state actors influencing public policies from outside government.
posted by Allan at 10:07 PM (GMT+8)
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Street children to be hauled to rehab; parents to be charged
Street children, especially those sniffing solvent along Metro Manila’s streets would be hauled to rehabilitation centers. Their parents would be charged with negligence. These comprise government’s intensified campaign dubbed as “Sagip Kalinga” program, which would start on 15 November 2002. Dinky knows what happened before --- after pulling them out from the streets and returning them to their communities and parents these kids are back on the streets after a day or two. Government's solution? To house at least 500 street children in rehab centers and sanction wayward parents.
Hmmm. If I'm missing a point, please tell me. The parents do not have any sustainable employment or livelihood. Do you think sanctions will work? You can have them arrested everyday, and their outlook will not certainly change. Haul the children to rehab, without parental, or community care, they'll be back to the streets. I know Dinky knows these things. These welfare interventions for street children should be approached in a holistic manner. I hope Dinky has some other tricks up on her sleeves. Otherwise, as a stand alone program, this is not gonna work.
posted by Allan at 7:52 PM (GMT+8)
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US Supreme Court to lose virginity by end of the year
Onion reports that the members of the U.S. Supreme Court collectively resolved to lose their virginity by 31 December 2002 in a 8-1 vote. They have finally overcome their nervousness and made a pact to get laid. In the words of Justice David Souter, "Hey, everybody... we're all gonna get laid!" (The Onion 13 November 2002)
So how many judges does it take to screw justice? All nine of them.
SOUNDING BOARD
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
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New state to emerge from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Sabah?
Based from classified reports, MILF reports that a new state will be created in Mindanao to span Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Sabah. It says that a third country is behind the move, and will use the 1935 Dansalan Declaration to justify the creation of the new state. it also says the government knows it... it is related to US-led war on "international terrorism"... has something to do also with oil in Sulu and Sabah... and that Malaysia is aware of it and links even the massive repatriation of Filipinos from Sabah this year...
posted by Allan at 3:30 AM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Sunday, November 10, 2002
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Crackdown on abusive taxi drivers in Manila
DOTC seems to have a renewed effort against abusive taxi drivers. The Spunky Daisy posted this on 7 November 2002. One moron, errr... taxi driver refused to take her and her sis to Megamall (from Makati). Then she called DOTC hotline 7890 and after taking down all the details, the operator asked her if she would be willing to come for a hearing at Action Center in Ortigas. She said yes (go girl!). DOTC sent her a letter inviting her to a hearing on Nov. 19 at 10 am. She is definitely going. I hope this effort of DOTC will be sustained. Let's get those bastards off the streets.
posted by Allan at 2:38 PM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Saturday, November 09, 2002
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Vietnamese government jails internet dissident
A Vietnamese dissident has been jailed for four years. For what? For criticizing the Communist government and publishing it on the web. He was sentenced after a 1-day trial. Talk about swift "justice". Human rights. Freedom of expression. I wonder what those phrases mean in Vietnamese language.
posted by Allan at 3:10 AM (GMT+8)
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Cabinet shuffle in the Arroyo administration
INQ7.net's sources said that the shuffle may take place at the end of the year. Mr. Montemayor (Department of Agriculture) may be moved to DAR, while Mr. Braganza (Department of Agrarian Reform) may change posts with Mr. Montemayor or be transfered to the Department of Transportation and Communications. I wonder how some people would react this.
posted by Allan at 2:42 AM (GMT+8)
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Workers to donate sperm to pay for plant debts
Workers at a Romanian car factory have decided to donate sperm to save the debt-ridden plant. But get this - they'll do it for more than a month. Wait, here's the best part - the fertility clinic pays $50 per visit. Whoa. Per visit. Are they accepting non-Romanians? Well, I figured that one couldn't be altruistic all the time, even if it's for peace.
The Bali bombers really wanted to target Americans, not Australians, according to this Reuters news article. What they got were Australians. Of course it doesn't matter whether the casualties were Americans or any other group of people. Unfortunately for Australians who were in Bali at that time, these are third rate terrorists. Stupid ones.
posted by Allan at 1:11 AM (GMT+8)
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Do you wanna play God?
I played God a few minutes back. Yes I did. I got angry as hell... errrr... wait, I think that didn't fit well. Let me rephrase. I got really sick of those puny humans complaining all the time so I killed them. The cows were too noisy, so I killed them too. I swear (ooops), I had fun striking those idiots with lightning. It would have been more fun to have an option to put some names above their heads and strike on them until hell freezes over... ooops... Wanna play God? Click here, also posted by greengrl.
posted by Allan at 12:26 AM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Friday, November 08, 2002
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Man spreading HIV-virus by injecting people: another urban legend?
Some people are so not in-the-loop. This was forwarded to me today, a poorly written version of the HIV urban legend several years back. This version tried so hard to make it appear recent so it quoted a recent movie. Here...
Please check this out and take it as a warning. A friend of mine told me last night that there was a student from ---(the school)--- who recently experienced a very scary incident. Apparently, this girl was watching a movie when she felt something on her arm. A guy beside her injected something on her arm with a small syringe. What scared her was when the guy laughed his heart out, tried to shake her hand, and said "Welcome to the world of AIDS". She shouted and everyone panicked. When the girl reached home, she told her mom. They went to several doctors. It was confirmed, she is now HIV positive. Unfortunately, she was kicked out of ---(the school)--- because of this reason. This incident happened in ---(the mall)---. So please be careful guys. They may be doing this in other malls as well. Avoid watching movies for some time.... (and other similar stories follow).
Spreading stuffs like this only causes panic (among the gullible?). Several HIV tests? Those things don't come cheap. Doubtful. Especially when matched with the school where maybe less than 10 percent of students belong of the upper income bracket. Really doubtful. Besides, this thing should be in the news by now. It's not. This is another urban legend, like some sick person is stealing kidneys; like Procter and Gamble is affiliated with the Church of Satan. The method is very much similar to the so-called "netlores" - like Bill Gates is giving away money; like Mama Mary will grant you a wish if you forward an email to 10 friends; and you'll get strings of bad luck if you don't forward the damn email. Sure. How pathetic.
SOUNDING BOARD
Wednesday, November 06, 2002
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MILF to help in anti-terror drive vs. JI
MILF to help in anti-terror drive by hunting Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Good move. There is really no way that MILF can be linked by hawkish elements of the Arroyo government to JI. I guess this will put an end to this wild accusation.
JI wants an Islamic superstate spanning Malaysia, Indonesia and parts of the southern Philippines and northern Australia. Even MILF is helping to step up counter-terrorism efforts vs. JI. Well, who wouldn't? Superstate? Superjoke.
posted by Allan at 4:09 AM (GMT+8)
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Smartcard solutions to bridge the digital divide
Sangam Krishi Sangam (SKS), a Grameen Bank replication project in drought-prone Medak district of Andhra Pradesh is pioneering the use of smart card technology to improve the delivery of microfinance.
Swayam Krishi Sangam made a presentation in 2 June 2001 entitled “Achieving Connectivity for the Rural Poor in India Using Smart Card Technology for Poverty Alleviation” . A smart card looks similar to a credit card and it carries the capability to encrypt large amounts of data that can be read and written to a small microchip on the card. The data can be accessed by a card reader into which the card is inserted (like the simputer, see below). The information may include access codes, account number, and electronic cash. He cited the following uses of smart card: (a) record savings and loan transactions; (b) dial a connection on a mobile telephone and be charged on a per-call basis (e.g., Grameen Phone); and (c) give hospitals/doctors/clinics personal data without filling out a form. As an electrical passbook, Smart Cards can: (1) eliminates manual passbooks/collections sheets; (2) reduce the time of meetings by one half; (3) increase—virtually double—staff productivity; (4) reduce operational cost; (4) reduce the risk for error and fraud by creating one point of entry; and offer a more diverse/real-time set of financial products.
For simputer, a smartcard acts as a prime method of enabling the "sharing" of devices. Rural communities could own several devices and hire these out for usage to individuals based on the ownership of a smartcard. Each user's smartcard would contain the minimum "personalization" information required to log into a community server which would maintain personalized data about the user. This model of sharing would bring down the cost of the Simputer to that of owning only a simple smart card, and paying for the usage of a shared Simputer.
SOUNDING BOARD
Sunday, November 03, 2002
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Only in the Philippines. Two officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, who were suspended in connection with the multimillion-peso vehicle repair scam, have been allowed to return to work. On one condition: they have been ordered to be in the forefront of the fight against graft. Moral ascendancy, anyone?
posted by Allan at 12:01 AM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Saturday, November 02, 2002
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New mysteries of the Holy Rosary and old "mysteries" by some priests
In the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Latin for The Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Pope declared new mysteries of the Holy Rosary: (1) The baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. (2) His self-manifestation and miracles at the wedding at Cana. (3) His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion. (4) His transfiguration. And (5) His institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Church leaders said last week that Pope John Paul II's move to add new mysteries of the rosary was very timely because "the worldwide gloom cast by the long shadow of terrorist bombings called for an explosion of light". (INQ7.net 2 November 2002). Puhhhleeese. Maybe you mean to distract the gullible majority from the reported sexual abuses of priests? Giving them more mysteries may cloud the sex-related "mysteries" in our midst.
posted by Allan at 11:55 PM (GMT+8)
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On Sison's threat that a fiercer armed revolution would result from his and the NPA's blacklisting, MILF wants Sison to think twice before abandoning the peace process. What a level-headed advice. I like that.
posted by Allan at 11:47 PM (GMT+8)
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Multiplayer online role-playing games (RPGs)... featuring EverQuest, the biggest online role-playing adventure game known to mankind. Damn it. I can't wait to go home.
posted by Allan at 11:01 PM (GMT+8)
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NUS undergrad students' new condo-type residence hall. *Very* posh. I bet they don't have a swimming pool there :-P Well, we do... beeeee. However, between the residence halls and my place, for some reasons I'd rather keep to myself, I prefer to stay in the residence hall (I stayed at Eusoff DVA4 for a month before moving to my place).
posted by Allan at 10:02 PM (GMT+8)
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SOUNDING BOARD
Friday, November 01, 2002
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This German schoolgirl has invented something for me - a bed that has a built in alarm clock that literally *throws* you out of bed. Five minutes after the alarm, an electric motor slowly tilts the bed. You can either get up, or you roll out of it.
posted by Allan at 8:36 AM (GMT+8)
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An episode of HBO's Emmy-winning drama series, "Six feet under" has been banned from being shown in Singapore. The reason? it has strong themes of drug abuse and homosexuality. "Asian values". Sure. Whatever that means.
Philippines may have a seat in the UN Security Council in 2003? Bringing in the staunchiest US ally in the UN security Council. Of course that means one more US supporter added to the Council. Call me naive but I still have high hopes for ASEAN if only some leadership can be shown there. Instead of gloating on this UN Security Council issue, the ASEAN is *the* committee that needs to be strengthened. ASEAN needs to show more of its presence in the global scene. How about showing more action on that front rather than anticipating a seat in the UN Security Council?
posted by Allan at 2:28 AM (GMT+8)
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On EU's terrorist tag at NPA and Malacañang diplomacy
NPA/Sison tagged as terrorists by EU. Mr. Ople went to Europe recently to convince allies to declare CPP/NPA as terrorists. So they did. Apparently, Malacañang's purpose is to give the Sison's group no choice but to go back to the negotiating table. Convincing EU to lable them as terrorists is a strategic move, I would say, in terms of giving Sison and his group a bad name in EU. But is it a *good* move insofar as negotiations with the rebels are concerned? So has Malacañang thrown the diplomatic towel on this issue? Or is coercion still part of Malacañang's diplomatic strategy on CPP/NPA?
Presidential spokesperson Tiglao hinted that Malacañang's will have to evaluate if the negotiations with the rebels can still lead anywhere "given this new factor that the EU and the US have declared them as terrorist organizations" (INQ7.net, 1 November 2002). So what if NPA is on their lists? Aside from coercing Sison and his group to the negotiating table (if that move will not generate more antagonism), EU and US lists should have nothing to do with Malacañang's *internal* problem on NPA. Mr. Tiglao seems to believe that since Manila has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, NPA's inclusion in terrorist watchlists raises a complication. Of course, on paper, EU and US lists only apply to their strategies as the listed organizations enter their respective territories. However, EU and US *may* put diplomatic pressure on Malacañang to pass an anti-terrorism law, for example, that can categorize NPA further as terrorists. If that materializes, Malacañang couldn't negotiate a peace deal with NPA. And the Malacañang hawks will be very happy.
