Thread by @marortoll

Afghanistan and the Delta variant. The US quietly pulled out of Afghanistan last week. It was actually more sneaking out as the last Americans pulled out under the cover of darkness. The Americans left behind the Afghans who supported their war against the
philstar.com/opinion/2021/0…

Taliban, which was also their own creation at the time it was the USSR ehich invaded that country. The Afghans have again proven their mettle against a superpower. They have now defeated the US and Russia one after the other. So much for the fight against terrorism which was the

US battlecry when they justified the war with Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq is also in shambles despite the continuing US presence. The US can't afford a total pullout just yet because of the Iranian threat. The Afghanistan withdrawal serves a warning to US allies throughout the

world; the US always puts its interests first. Its guarantees cannot be taken to the bank. Up front, they're at best, lip service. The opposition continues to criticize Duterte's foreign policy but as it appears now, the President is more pragmatic. This is why he continues to

hold the VFA over the US' head like a Sword of Damocles. Duterte realizes we cannot be at the wrong side if and when a shooting war breaks out between China and the US. The flashpoint will most likely be Taiwan. China will not back down over Taiwan which it deems to be a renegade

province. The US will not back down either because it considers the island as vital in keeping that sea lane open from the East China Sea into the Pacific Ocean. China has been clamping down in Hong Kong because Xi can't afford to have renegade provinces making a fool of the

central government. The US would like nothing better than for China to become a "democracy." This is not likely to happen even in the far future. The powers that be will fight tooth and nail to preserve the status quo. This is why China has been beefing up not only its defensive

capabilities but its offensive as well. We can't afford to get caught on the wrong side as when we did during World War II. /The Delta variant has reached the country. It was not a question of if but when. We can't afford another lockdown because of the economic burden but we

are also incapable of handling a surge of this magnitude. Indonesia is now the epicenter of COVID-19. It has alread exceeded both Brazil's and India's record-highs in daily cases reported. The quarantine classification for hotspots should revert to ECQ. NCR+ should revert to GCQ

with restrictions. Children below 18 years old shouldn't be allowed out of their residences because Delta is infectious for the younger in the demographic. The IATF-EID should finally come out with a unified contact-tracing system. We should be testing more. We cannot prevent

OFWs from returning but quarantine protocols should be stricter not only for them but for all returning residents. The daily number of cases reported hasn't gone down below the 3,000 level since March. The government should follow Singapore in assuming the pandemic is endemic if

the economy is to maintain a semblance of normalcy. Again, digitization should be prioritized. The red tape in the construction of mobile broadband towers should be eliminated. The government must compel telcos to construct these towers for improved connectivity which is what is

required of digitization. Lawmakers should pass emergency powers for the President in the same manner a bill was passed during the Ramos administration for power plants. Covid is living up to its moniker as the forever virus. We should do what we can for the younger generations

NOW.