In today's #dailysoup, I'll be talking about a series of so-called "expert seminars", the Pandesal Forum (@PandesalForum).
Despite claiming to be "non-partisan and issues-focused", it is known for hosting infamous Filipino politicians, vatniks, and pro-China peepotalkers.
1/23
This will serve as a rabbit hole before we delve deeper into Filipino crooks, vatniks, and pro-China peepotalkers such as Harry Roque, Anna Malindog-Uy, and Sass Sasot in future #dailysoup entries.
2/23
The "Pandesal Forum" is derived from a famous kind of staple bread in my country, the "pandesal". It usually takes place at the Kamuning Bakery Cafe, which is founded by Filipino entrepreneur Wilson Lee Flores.
3/23
Although a huge chunk of its seminars focus on current events, some of them focus on a variety of topics such as a World Book Day celebration.
However, when we dig deeper, it is a different story.
4/23
The Pandesal Forum is known for hosting big Filipino political honchos like Ernie Abella, Lito Atienza, Ping Lacson, and Tito Sotto.
However, it is also known for hosting infamous ones like Imee Marcos, Rodante Marcoleta, and Harry Roque.
5/23
There were times wherein the Pandesal Forum would be complicit to unprofessionalism.
For example, National Youth Commission chairman Ronald Cardema gatecrashed a Pandesal Forum conference uninvited to force Rep. Raoul Manuel, one of the conference's resource persons,...
6/23
...to "deny corruption allegations against him".
In the middle of the conference, Cardema and Manuel engaged in a brief verbal battle, with Cardema calling Manuel as "bastos", which means "rude" in my country's language.
7/23
Then, instead of intervening to deal with the uninvited guest and his unprofessional stints in the conference, the Pandesal Forum just allowed them a picture, a handshake, and a pandesal.
8/23
Moreover, the Pandesal Forum has recently been known for hosting Filipino vatniks and pro-China peepotalkers, labelling them with "professional-looking names" like "foreign policy analyst" and "President of Asian Century Philippines".
9/23
The stances of the Pandesal Forum RPs are somewhere along the lines of "we have to accept multipolarity", "we should stay neutral", and "the West is the one provoking China and Russia".
Again, I will write in depth about these RPs in future #dailysoup entries.
10/23
One day before Russia invaded Ukraine in 02/24, Herman Laurel, one of the core Pandesal Forum resource persons, said something along the lines of "...the Maidan regime used racist, neo-Nasi forces to set up a US puppet regime to harass Russia...". Moreover,...
11/23
...Laurel spewed out anti-US remarks when he did something along the lines of "accusing the US for using the Philippines as a pawn just like what it is doing to Ukraine".
He also tried to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine by peepotalking about the "Heartland Theory".
12/23
Few days after Russia invaded Ukraine, another Pandesal Forum had Filipino vatnik Bobby Tuazon peepotalking about the "Maidan-was-a-US-coup" remark.
This conference also had more pro-Russia peepotalking points like "NATO expansion", "Ukraine-violated-the-Minsk-Agreement".
13/23
Meanwhile, Tuazon peepotalked about how "There are really neo-Nasis in Ukraine" and "ethnic Russians are being oppressed by Ukrainians". He also parroted quotes from Putin, especially the one when Putin peepotalked about "NATO expansion as a serious provocation" in 2007.
14/23
Moreover, Rommel Banlaoi peepotalked about something along the lines of "Ukraine was a part of Russia in the first place according to history".
Banlaoi claimed that "the only way Russia will allow Ukraine to become independent is when it becomes neutral or pro-Russia".
15/23
Furthermore, Banlaoi claimed that "Russia has already downed lots of communications sites in Ukraine".
In reality, Russia is on a notorious losing streak in Ukraine.
16/23
Then, in a Pandesal Forum conference titled "Averting a Ukraine Scenario in the Philippines", Laurel peepotalked about how "NATO was planning the dismemberment of Russia", parroting Putin's anti-West peepotalks.
Laurel mentioned the phrase "special military operation".
17/23
In the same Pandesal Forum conference, one of its resource persons, Sass Sasot, peepotalked something along the lines of "the expansion of the EDCA bases are a sign of US provocation coz the US is turning the Philippines into a pawn in a Ukraine scenario".
18/23
Laurel parroted Xi Jinping's peepotalking remarks on "China's peaceful efforts on reunification with Taiwan", adding that "the US has accelerated everything with the Pelosi visit."
Afterwards, he went on a mad rant, "accusing the US for being evil", while...
19/23
...daring the Filipino generals to "go challenge him, Anna Malindog-Uy, and Sass Sasot in a debate".
One of the resource persons in the Pandesal Forum, Bobby Tuazon, is notorious for spewing pro-China peepotalking points. Read more here:
20/23
Meanwhile, the Pandesal Forum is also known for hosting pro-China officials like Huang Xilian and SCSPI, which is notorious for spewing pro-China propaganda, especially with regards to the SCS/WPS dispute.
21/23
The Pandesal Forum is also known for hosting RPs with connections to vatniks mentioned in @P_Kallioniemi's #vatniksoup. It once invited Col. Ann Wright, who is connected with CODEPINK.
For more details, you may read this #vatniksoup entry here:
22/23 https://t.co/rn8foxDP8q
Moreover, the Pandesal Forum once hosted Miguel Urban, who was one of the 13 MEPs, together with other #vatniksoup people like Claire Daly, Mick Wallace, and Tatjana Zdanoka, who voted against the condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
23/23
Related entries:
#vatniksoup entry #120 (Russian narratives) -
Entry #52 (Pro-CCP peepotalking points) - https://t.co/0UwyfHrhZn
#vatniksoup entry #78 (NATO expansion) -
https://t.co/c0hoeCAm2w
Entry #68 (Bobby Tuazon) - https://t.co/RoVkvR1RHz
Related entries (cont.):
Entry #48 (Huang Xilian) -
Similar entries:
#vatniksoup entry #164 (Antiwar coalition) - https://t.co/ZrhkZ1XPer
Shoutouts:
@Keen_Sentinel, @joycebalancio, @LukeShiga, @P_Kallioniemi
This is Entry #69 of the #dailysoup. Feel free to read the previous entries here 👇
bit.ly/thedailysoup
@PandesalForum @threadreaderapp unroll
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