With the Peso performing terribly in the global currency market, weakening economic growth, high inflation and fears of an economic recession growing, 2026 has not been good for the Philippines. There is a bright spot in tourism, however, as the Philippines saw its 2026 foreign tourist arrivals reach 4.11 million in the January-August period and the United States and South Korea combined for more than 1.5 million tourist arrivals, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of BusinessWorld. Some parts in boldface…
The Philippines has recorded 4.11 million foreign arrivals from January to August, higher by 3.7 percent compared to the same period last year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Tuesday.
The United States posted the highest number of share at 818,318, followed by South Korea at 727,379, Japan at 350,191, China at 310,088, and Australia at 234,156.
Also making it in the top 10 source markets are Canada with 231,972, Taiwan with 154,957, the United Kingdom with 132,370, Singapore with 126,812, and India with 77,883.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the Philippines targets to surpass its 2025 arrival figures to reach between 6.4 million and 6.8 million, or at least 7 million, by the end of 2026.
To achieve this, she said the DOT is intensifying its branding and promotions to reach more tourists in its key source markets.
The DOT is also in active talks with airlines to open up and establish more chartered flights between the Philippines and secondary cities of Korea and China.
DOT Assistant Secretary Ren Sapitan said the agency is also set to sign a contract with a creative agency in November to broaden the country’s marketing efforts and make the Philippines more visible worldwide.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the Philippines will be able to exceed the 2025 foreign tourist arrivals number by the end of this year? Do you think the DOT is doing a good job to strengthen the Philippines’ attraction of foreign tourists? Considering the Top 10 markets of foreign tourists the Philippines attracted so far, are you convinced that the nation’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit did not create any positive tourism results?
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
The United States officially revoked the US visa of Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi, the Iraqi national who was awarded by the failed Biden Administration in 2022, according to US State Department citing her placement on the Terror Watchlist of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In a New York Post report, Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi’s alleged links to the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran and Iran-backed militias in Iraq drew headlines. She was also the target of two Republicans in the US House of Representatives accused of being the “key enabler of terrorist funding in Iraq.”
To put things in perspective, posted below is the entire statement of the US State Department. Some parts in boldface…
The U.S. Department of State has revoked the visa of an Iraqi national who was presented an award by the Biden Administration for her purported role in fighting corruption and her advocacy for “gender equity.”
Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi was given the International Woman of Courage Award in 2022by former Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) and former First Lady Jill Biden.
The award recognized “women from around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity.”
This Iraqi national’s visa has now been revoked by the State Department following her placement on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terror Watchlist. She is no longer present in the United States.
Under President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, suspected terrorists will never be allowed to remain in the United States.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you aware that Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi was Iraq’s Finance Minister from 2022 to 2026? Do you suspect Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi may have been involved in financing connected with Islamic terrorists? Should all her communications and interactions with the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran be investigated?
For the first half of this year, the Philippines attracted 2.9 million foreign tourists and 1.13 million of that came from the United States and South Korea combined, according to a news report by Business Mirror. The figure does not include the 260,717 overseas Filipinos or balikbayan.
When compared to its Asian neighbors’ first-half foreign tourist numbers, the Philippines is still way behind Vietnam which attracted 12.3 million and Japan which attracted 21 million.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Business Mirror report. Some parts in boldface…
MORE relaxed visa entry requirements have enabled the Philippines to attract an increasing number of foreign tourists, lifting total visitor arrivals by 5.41 percent in the first half of the year.
Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed 3.16 million inbound tourists from January to June 2026, of which 2.9 million were foreign nationals and 260,717 were overseas Filipinos. The latter are described as Philippine passport holders permanently residing abroad. This year’s arrivals are 76.5 percent of the 4.13 million total in the first half of prepandemic 2019.
The DOT stressed that the data are based on e-travel records provided by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and are not final until Bureau of Immigration records are taken into account. E-travel registration is mandatory for those arriving in the Philippines except foreign diplomats, dignitaries, foreign government officials and their delegation, visiting business executives and students sponsored by the Philippine government or international organizations, and their immediate family members (9e visa).
Of the total foreign nationals, which were up 6.3 percent from the 2.73 million year on year (yoy), tourists from China and India were the most improved by 64.54 percent and 43 percent, respectively. Residents from both countries have been allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free for tourism purposes for 14 days.
The top 12 source markets of visitors for the Philippines all recorded increases, except for South Korea, with long-haul markets like Germany even showing monthly increases yoy, despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, which had jacked up jet fuel prices.
S. Korea plunges 13.7%– The United States continues to be the top source market for the Philippines with arrivals at 581,565 in the first half of the year, an increase of some 6.9 percent from the same period in 2025. Most of the market continues to be composed of Americans of Filipino decent, or Filipino immigrants, who visit the Philippines usually during the holiday season in December and January.
Some 300 Filipino-Americans are currently in the country as part of government’s long-running Very Important Pinoy (VIP) tour, and visiting destinations other than Metro Manila such as Cebu, Dumaguete, and Siquijor.
In second place are tourists from South Korea at 552,860, slumping by 13.7 percent, yoy. This was followed by Japan at 581,565 (+6.87 percent); China at 219,796 (+64.54 percent); Australia at 174,257 (+12.3 percent); and Canada at 156,763 (+15.6 percent), another haven of Filipino immigrants. Air Canada began offering direct flights from Vancouver to Manila in April last year, while flag carrier Philippine Airlines offers nonstop flights between Manila and Vancouver, and Toronto.
Tourists from Taiwan were in seventh place at 111,134, an increase of 11.85 percent; folowed by the United Kingdom at 92,829 (+1.7 percent); Singapore at 78,069 (0.35 percent); India at 60,583 (43.03 percent); Malaysia at 53,437 (+11.5 percent); and Germany at 48,657 (+6.9 percent).
Under the General Appropriations Act of 2026, the DOT committed to attract 6.7 million foreign tourists this year.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the Philippines will be able to attract 6.7 million foreign tourists by the end of this year? What do you think are the three most serious problems the Philippines has when it comes to attracting foreign tourists?
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
Remember a few years ago when the administration of failed US President Joe Biden came up with a foster care rule that sought to require children who identify as LGBTQ be placed with families willing to accept them through gender identity? That outrageous rule was never implemented but the Trump administration formally eliminated it which is good for the United States, according to a news report by Newsmax.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt of the Newsmax report. Some parts in boldface…
The Trump administration on Tuesday formally eliminated a Biden-era foster care rule that sought to require children who identify as LGBTQ be placed with families willing to affirm their stated gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) removed the April 2024 regulation from the Code of Federal Regulations, saying the move will provide clarity and help recruit more foster families nationwide.
The rule never took effect after it was struck down by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, but the administration said removing it entirely closes the door on the policy.
Assistant HHS Secretary Alex Adams told The Daily Wire the decision reflects the administration’s belief that more families should feel welcome to foster children.
“The message that we think it sends is that all families are welcome,” Adams said. “We have too few foster families nationally. We must roll out the red carpet, and we must ensure that there’s homes waiting on kids, not kids waiting on homes.”
The Biden administration’s rule directed federally funded child welfare agencies to ensure that children who “self-identify with an alternative sexual orientation or self-identify as something other than their sex in foster care” were placed with families that would affirm those identities.
The Trump administration said rescinding the regulation supports first lady Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative and a related executive order calling for a government-wide effort to strengthen the nation’s foster care system.
Adams said the administration has also launched its “Home for Every Child” campaign to increase the number of foster homes available for children entering the system.
“Nationally, we have a shortage,” Adams said. “We only have 57 homes for every 100 kids coming in, so we can and must do better to ensure that there’s enough homes for kids because when there’s not enough homes, kids end up in short-term rentals, hotels, government office spaces, etc.”
Adams said families with strong religious beliefs and moral convictions make up a large share of those willing to foster children, making it critical that the federal government not discourage them from participating.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted that US President Donald Trump and his administration scrapped the Biden-era rule and made sure it would not be revived soon? Do you think the woke, the SJWs and LGBTQ mob will react violently to this development?
As a long-time Xbox fan and owner of three Xbox game consoles, I can say that this current console generation has been disappointing and the current state of Xbox gaming is a huge letdown.
With the approval of Microsoft’s leadership, Team Xbox acquired a lot of game companies that include the giants Activision-Blizzard-King (ABK) and Bethesda, going right down to the smaller game studios. Those were acquired with the promise of new and exciting games that would make Xbox gaming really great in the form of exclusive games, new content for Game Pass subscribers and more.
Sadly, things turned out really disappointing and now the new Xbox head Asha Sharma has the tremendous challenge of making drastic reforms, downsizing and correcting the cases of mismanagement by the previous leadership. That said, she declared a hard reset of the Xbox business and the changes are being implemented already.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Xbox announcement focused on Asha Sharma’s message to the entire team. Some parts in boldface…
We are beginning the most significant restructure in XBOX history. After careful consideration, I’ve made the difficult decision to reduce our team by approximately 3,200 throughout FY27. This will include approximately 1,600 role eliminations today, and in addition, four studios will leave XBOX to new management. I recognize that a year-long restructuring creates additional challenges. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make all the necessary changes in a single day, and I wanted to be direct about the scale.
I know this is painful. These changes will directly affect people who have poured their creativity into building XBOX. Many joined us through acquisitions, while others were recruited here, or sought us out because they loved this industry and loved XBOX. Today’s decisions do not reflect their talent or dedication.
Our business today is not healthy. We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses. We entered Gen 9 with a smaller install base and a higher cost structure. To grow, we bet on Game Pass, multi-platform, and a broader portfolio of content. While those businesses have created meaningful value, they did not grow at the pace we expected. As that happened, our core business weakened, and we added more teams, more investment, and more time, hoping for a better outcome. And now the industry is facing the most severe hardware crisis in its history. We must reset XBOX.
First, we will reset our content portfolio.
Since 2018, we have aggressively expanded our studio portfolio while the number of games created each month across the industry now outpaces the last ten years combined. We now find ourselves competing not only with the largest publishers, but also with smaller independent studios. It is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio. We have also learned that we are not the best home for every type of studio; in a typical year, we lost 64 cents for every dollar we invested. As we reset XBOX, we will help independent creators succeed by providing open development tools and audiences to realize their vision.
Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions will return to management and transition to independent studios with their IP, catalog, and runway for their next games. Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have entered terms to join new ownership with funding to complete and grow Senua and State of Decay 3. In France, Arkane’s management is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.
We are also making reductions across other units, and in some cases, shifting investment to focus on higher priority projects. These changes vary in size across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, and XBOX Game Studios. None of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions.
In addition, Mojang and King will now report directly to me. These two studios have increasingly become platforms and are our largest by monthly active players. They bring critical geographic, demographic, and differentiation to XBOX.
Second, we will reset our platform.
We know that great technology gets better when it gets simpler, not bigger. Today, in some parts of the company, work passes through as many as 14 layers of management. Our platform teams are 40% larger than they were at the start of this generation, even as our player base and playtime have declined. That complexity has slowed decisions, blurred accountability, and made it harder to deliver for players. As we reset XBOX, we will simplify.
We will reduce management layers to no more than 5, and where possible, 3. We will deliver success through a flatter organization that is built around makers (individual contributors focused on building), player-coaches (leaders who remain deeply involved in the work while developing their teams), and directly responsible individuals (DRIs) who own key decisions and outcomes. And we will streamline how we work across our tools, with a cleaner code base, shared services, and 50% reduced vendor spend.
Third, we are resetting how we operate.
As XBOX grew our headcount, we became more fragmented. Teams, studios, and functions often operate independently, and it became harder to work towards a shared goal, make the right tradeoffs, and get things done.
For the first time, we are establishing a Chief Operating Officer with end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services. Helen Chiang has been promoted to this role and will report directly to me. Over nearly two decades at XBOX, Helen has helped build some of our most important businesses, from XBOX Live to leading Mojang and the Minecraft franchise. She will bring our businesses together under one operating model, making sure we make clear investment decisions, learn from our successes and failures, and hold ourselves accountable for results.
Thank you, Dave McCarthy, who is retiring after 17 years with XBOX. Dave has played a defining role in building the platform that millions of players rely on every day and has been a trusted partner through many of the biggest moments in XBOX’s history. We wish him all the best.
These changes are about a bigger future for XBOX, not a smaller one. The next decade of gaming will be larger, more global, and more creative than anything we’ve seen before. This year, we’ll invest as much in XBOX as we ever have, but we’ll invest with greater focus, greater discipline, and greater clarity, all in service of making XBOX where the world plays and creates.
I want XBOX to be one of the few companies that entertains more than a billion people each day and gives everyone the opportunity to create and connect.
Indeed, the Xbox business model deteriorated financially and became much harder to manage. The billions of Dollars spent on Xbox gaming over the past several years did not result in the great gaming experiences for fans and gamers, nor did it compel the Xbox game studios to become productive and disciplined.
First-party games of Xbox in the generation of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have been lackluster in quality and enjoyment overall. I played Starfield a lot on my Xbox Series X via Xbox Game Pass and my enjoyment of it has been limited compared with other games of Bethesda. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was fun at first but it ended up being hollow. As the said Ninja Theory-developed game lacked depth with its gameplay and game design, I never bothered to replay it after finishing it. Obsidian Entertainment, a company that specialized in making role-playing games (RPGs), produced new RPGs under the Xbox umbrella but none of them were great. In fact, Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 ended up as commercial failures.
Going back to Asha Sharma’s message, I can say that letting go of Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions was the right move as the huge amount of money Team Xbox spent of them did not result in great games. Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight was a $100,000,000 production that ended up with sales of way below one million copies. More notably, Compulsion Games has a discriminating woke and hateful community manager who goes by the handle @PikaChulita. Look at the captured evidence below.
The community manager of Compulsion Games openly hates gamers.
Look at the details very closely.
Speaking of wokeness and discrimination, the controversial Matt Hansen has been laid off from Obsidian Entertainment. Hansen was heavily involved in the huge disappointment called Avowed. That being said, Team Xbox should really REMOVE all the untalented woke activists among its many game developers. Those activists – the feminists, the LGBTQ mob, the Islamists, the Black Lives Matter zealots and others –do not care about making great games at all and they have been misusing Microsoft’s money to turn new Xbox games into vehicles of Leftist/woke/socialist propaganda. Xbox should also cut off any ties with the super woke Sweet Baby Inc.
When it comes to the larger entities like Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King and Mojang, the layoffs are painful but it makes sense to shift investment to focus on higher priority projects. Activision should regain focus on ensuring quality and great fun with its continued productions of Call of Duty (COD) games. Bethesda has to deliver new Fallout and The Elder Scrolls games faster and with the highest quality possible.
With the way things are right now, I am not certain if I will pursue the next-generation Xbox console called “Project Helix”. Memory has gotten much more expensive in recent times due to extremely high demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and the memory manufacturers’ deals with AI companies. How much memory could the next-generation Xbox have and could its retail price exceed $1,000 at launch?
Indeed, the future of Xbox gaming is really clouded and I can only hope that the hard reset of the Xbox business under Asha Sharma will create positive changes and results. To say the least, the reforms have started and only time will tell what will happen next.
In ending this blog post, posted below are selected YouTube videos about the state of Xbox for your enlightenment.
Recently in the City of Parañaque, a Japanese national got duped, assaulted and robbed by three transgendered suspects inside a hotel room and one of them eventually got arrested, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. A manhunt has been launched to find the two transgendered suspects who escaped.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
A supposed dating app meet-up turned into a violent incident after a Japanese national was allegedly duped, assaulted, and robbed by three transgender suspects inside a hotel room in Parañaque City on April 8.
Parañaque City Police chief Col. Nicolas Pinon identified the victim as Uri, 26, who was staying at Seaside Drive, Entertainment City, Barangay Tambo.
Police arrested one of the suspects, identified as Justine, while two others, known only as Riley and Kitty, managed to escape and are now the subject of a manhunt.
According to the victim, he met Riley through a dating app and agreed to meet at his hotel room. Riley later arrived with companions Justine and Kitty.
Once inside, the suspects allegedly stripped the victim and forced him to perform a sexual act. They then demanded P20,000 each, but the victim refused.
The situation escalated when the suspects allegedly assaulted him—kicking him and threatening him with a stun gun pointed at his face—forcing him to comply and agree to withdraw money.
Police said Justine accompanied the victim to an ATM, where Uri discreetly sought help by typing “Please help me” on his phone and showing it to a hotel receptionist.
The receptionist immediately alerted hotel security, and with the help of a Japanese interpreter, authorities were able to arrest Justine.
However, upon returning to his room, the victim discovered that the remaining suspects had fled and his belongings had been ransacked. Around 200,000 yuan and P9,000 in cash were reported missing.
Justine is now detained at the Parañaque police custodial facility and faces robbery charges.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a resident of Parañaque, do you think there are a lot of violent criminals and thieves within the transgendered community as well as within the LGBT community? Do you know anyone who was victimized by transgendered people lately? What do you think makes transgendered individuals violent? Do you think this incident will discourage Japanese tourists from visiting the Philippines?
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Since he returned to the White House, US President Donald Trump made it clear that common sense and clarity will return to American life starting from the top. In his latest move, Trump formally ended the “Transgender for Everybody” insanity of the Democrats and this means dismantling the subversive woke policies that harmed children, women and families. The latest executive move is also about restoring decency in America as we know it.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the White House announcement. Some parts in boldface…
Two years ago today, the Biden Administration desecrated Easter Sunday with a “transgender” message that elevated radical leftist ideology over faith, family, and biological truth. This Easter season, the Trump Administration is celebrating a decisive victory: the swift and unrelenting dismantling of subversive, woke policies that endangered children, eroded women’s rights, assaulted common sense, and dragged America toward moral and cultural decline.
Under President Trump, the era of government-sanctioned delusion is over:
President Trump declared it the official policy of the U.S. Government that there are only two immutable sexes: male and female.
President Trump banned federal funding, sponsorship, or promotion of the chemical and surgical mutilation of minors — protecting children from irreversible harm and directing agencies to defund institutions engaged in these practices.
As a result, more than three dozen health systems across the country — including Kaiser Permanente, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Children’s Minnesota, Denver Health, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Stanford Medicine, NYU Langone, and many others — announced they are stopping or suspending child mutilation programs.
The Trump Administration ended the un-American indoctrination of schoolchildren by terminating federal support for “gender ideology” and “equity” curricula — enforcing parental rights and putting states on notice to remove such content or lose funding.
President Trump ended the unfair, demeaning practice of forcing women to compete against biological men in sports — which resulted in both the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee, as well as multiple state high school athletics associations, to realign with biological reality.
The Department of War reinstated standards requiring service members to serve according to their biological sex, banned transgender individuals from military service where it conflicts with readiness and cohesion, and prohibited taxpayer funds for sex change procedures — restoring the military’s focus on excellence, not ideology.
The Department of Health and Human Services conducted a comprehensive review of so-called “gender-affirming care” and confirmed the lack of medical or scientific evidence supporting its irreversible effects on minors.
The Trump Administration — including across the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs — ceased all funding for sex change surgeries and related procedures.
President Trump eliminated radical gender ideology from U.S. service academies and training programs.
President Trump directed enforcement to protect single-sex spaces designed for women and girls — including bathrooms, locker rooms, and shelters — based on biological sex.
The Trump Administration axed billions of dollars in grants that had been used by states to perpetuate radical gender ideology and related propaganda.
The Trump Administration ended the practice of allowing gender self-identification on federal documents — including passports — restoring biological sex as the sole basis for official records.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think President Trump and his administration executed enough reforms to restore decency and common sense in America? Are there many members of your family who allowed themselves to be consumed and even controlled by the LGBTQ mobs? Was there a significant increase of members of your local community who came out identifying themselves as transgender or non-binary individuals? Are the transgendered people in your local community openly supporting Palestinian terrorists and the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran?
America’s impact on the world was felt yet again as it has officially withdrew itself from more than sixty-five international organizations declared as wasteful, ineffective, and harmful, the US State department announced.
For the newcomers reading this, the administration of President Trump conducted an in-depth review of many international organizations and eventually it led to the execution of Executive Order 14199. In short, America will halt funding the mentioned international organizations as many of them were found redundant, dishonest, irresponsible and even abusive over the handling of American taxpayer funds. America has its own interests and it is simply exerting its muscle on the global stage. Trump’s America is clearly rejecting the globalists and other sinister forces from around the world.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from US State Department’s official announcement. Some parts in boldface…
Today, in furtherance of Executive Order 14199, President Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations identified as part of the Trump Administration’s review of wasteful, ineffective, and harmful international organizations. Review of additional international organizations pursuant to Executive Order 14199 remains ongoing.
The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity. President Trump is clear: It is no longer acceptable to be sending these institutions the blood, sweat, and treasure of the American people, with little to nothing to show for it. The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over.
As such, the United States will be withdrawing from the 66 organizations that can be found here.
As this list begins to demonstrate, what started as a pragmatic framework of international organizations for peace and cooperation has morphed into a sprawling architecture of global governance, often dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests. From DEI mandates to “gender equity” campaigns to climate orthodoxy, many international organizations now serve a globalist project rooted in the discredited fantasy of the “End of History.”These organizations actively seek to constrain American sovereignty. Their work is advanced by the same elite networks—the multilateral “NGO-plex”— that we have begun dismantling through the closure of USAID.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think America’s withdrawal from the 66 international organizations will have a huge impact worldwide? Do you think the foreign abusers of American taxpayers’ money will eventually be exposed and held accountable for financial crime? Are you convinced that there are Islamo-Leftist elements working secretly among international organizations that received money from the United States?
Recently in Japan, the Tokyo High Court ruled that the nation’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional, according to a news release published by Kyodo News. Already the woke mob, the liberals, the social justice warriors (SJWs) and the LGBTQ extremists – including those who are not even Japanese and are based outside of Japan – condemned the decision through social media and a fight at the Supreme Court of Japan is anticipated.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news release of Kyodo News. Some parts in boldface…
A Japanese court on Friday ruled that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional, becoming the only high court to uphold the state’s position among six rulings on similar lawsuits filed nationwide.
The Tokyo High Court concluded the current civil law provisions that do not allow same-sex marriage are still reasonable under the current circumstances, in contrast with five earlier high court rulings in Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka that said the lack of legal recognition of same sex marriage violated the Constitution. Those other rulings, however, all rejected compensation claims.
In handing down the latest ruling, Presiding Judge Ayumi Higashi said that the current marriage system is useful in preparing an environment for raising children, and that it is reasonable to interpret “husband and wife” as a man and a woman.
The ruling also said that the freedom of marriage guaranteed under Article 24 of the Constitution does not apply to same-sex couples, noting that “part of the effects of marriage can be substituted by contracts,” and that people can marry if they change their legal sex.
The court expressed concern, though, over stalled discussions in parliament, warning that if this situation continues, it could lead to violations of the constitutional guarantee of equality under the law. It also urged that being treated based on gender identity is an important legal interest.
As the plaintiffs plan to appeal, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a unified decision next year at the earliest.
In the latest lawsuit, eight plaintiffs in their 40s to 60s had sought 1 million yen ($6,400) in damages each, arguing civil law provisions that do not allow same-sex marriage violate the right to equality ensured under the Constitution and its guarantee of freedom of marriage.
The government denied that the provisions are unconstitutional, arguing that the Constitution defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The plaintiffs had appealed a Tokyo District Court ruling in March 2024 that found the situation to be “in a state of unconstitutionality” but rejected their damages claims.
Among 12 high and lower court rulings so far, the Osaka District Court was the only other court that ruled that the lack of legal recognition is constitutional.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you seriously believe that having same-sex marriage (AKA gay marriage) will be beneficial to Japan socially and economically? Do you think that the LGBTQ and Leftist forces from around the world are secretly funding the same-sex marriage movement in Japan? Do you think it is inevitable for the Supreme Court of Japan to declare the same-sex marriage ban constitutional? Are you convinced that same-sex marriage in Japan will ruin not only Japanese families but also the nation’s society?
Nepal, a nation of more than 30 million people and with a Hindu majority, has a certain group of minority people whose reliance on the scandalous U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ended months ago and they event went on to celebrate pride recently, according to a news report by the Leftist Associated Press (AP) magnified by the Manila Bulletin.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from AP story published through the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface.
Members of the Nepal’s LGBTQ+ community and supporters rallied in the capital Sunday in the annual pride rally, which was the first since a major cut in funding after the U.S. government ceased financial aid.
Hundreds of people took part in the rally through the heart of Kathmandu, playing music and dancing in the Gai Jatra festival, which is celebrated to remember family members who have passed away during the year. But it has long drawn colorful parades by bringing in sexual minorities to join in on the festivities.
Nepal’s LGBTQ+ campaign has been hit after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration began dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was responsible for humanitarian aid.
Most of the support centers for Nepal’s LGBTQ+ community have been closed because of a lack of funds.
In the past few years, Nepal’s LGBTQ+ community made rapid advancements in securing their rights. The nation became one of the first in Asia to allow same sex-sex marriage. The constitution adopted in 2015 explicitly stated there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
The U.S. was among the biggest donors for the LGBTQ+ rights campaign.
Over the years, USAID and others stepped in and partnered with help centers to support initiatives like HIV prevention and care, and safe-sex counselling. The U.S. funds were vital for running the centers and clinics that helped with distributing free condoms, screenings and follow-up treatment for people with HIV. Now the USAID office in Nepal is closed.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you glad that the Trump administration ended USAID? Are you still upset over the fact that American taxpayers’ money funding LGBTQ projects, contraceptives, DEI (diversity-equity-inclusion) causes, and sex change procedures around the world through USAID? What do you wish to say to LGBTQ groups overseas who benefited from USAID support? Do you think that the LGBTQ projects funded by USAID might have involved bribery? Do you think US Congress should pass a proposal to prevent USAID from ever being revived?
Author Carlo Carrasco 