IMMORTALISED IN THE GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS
4 | THE CANBERRA REPORTER July 2017
POLITICS
CONTINUED from p3
A MAN ’ S VISION TO LIFT FILIPINOS OUT OF POVERTY
“ I have discussed this with a number of economists and although they agree with my analysis , they do not believe that we can do anything about it – because the current mainstream economic principles and economic gurus are simply too entrenched .”
YES HE CAN . Esguerra says he believes that he can . He was only aged seven in the Philippines when the young Esguerra became aware about poverty in the country , and he asked his father why so many people were poor . And it became an obsession to him to find a way out poverty for Filipinos . Esguerra ’ s family arrived in Australia when Victor was 10 years of age with that obsession , and it never never left him . Over he next 50 years , Esguerra earned a bachelor of science degree , a graduate diploma in computer science , a bachelors of arts degree in economic history and political sociology , and he read more than 400 books on economics and politics . All the time focusing on his obsession to find a way to rid Filipinos of poverty . At the end of this year , Esguerra packs up for his moment of truth in the land of his birth . To meet his destiny . •
COMMENTARY
SHOOTING STRAIGHT
What ’ s behind land-grab in the South China Sea
WHY are people surprised at the blatant and unlawful Chinese “ taking ” of islands in the Spratlys and the Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines ? Why is China ’ s Government not adhering to the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in which their “ 9 Dash Line ” claim of 80 percent of South China Sea was found to be baseless and illegal ? And here in Australia , why would a politician ’ s personal debt be paid by a Chinese state-owned corporation ? Soft Loans , campaign donations , land and business acquisitions are just among the many schemes and manoeuver that we are seeing and hearing now . Perhaps the answer to all of these questions are contained in the book Unrestricted Warfare , written in 1999 by two senior colonels in China ’ s air force - political officers - Wang Xiangsui and Qiao Liang . Unrestricted Warfare outlines a grand strategy that seeks to bypass and overcome other powerful countries ’ military dominance or any target country ’ s will to resist . According to the thesis of the of these colonels , warfare will no longer be defined as using only the armed forces to compel the enemy to submit to one ’ s will . Warfare must use “ all means including armed forces and unarmed force , military and non-military , lethal and non-lethal means to compel the enemy to accept one ’ s interest ”. At the core of unrestricted warfare are what Qiao and Wang describe as “ non-military war operations ”. Example : International law warfare ( Lawfare ), diplomatic warfare , trade warfare , financial warfare , economic aid warfare , psychological warfare , ecological warfare , media warfare ,
JOSEPH ORBASE
drug warfare , smuggling warfare , cultural warfare , information warfare , ecological warfare , network warfare , political warfare , or even the use of traditional terrorism and cyber terrorism . One must realise that there are endless numbers of possible combinations that can be used . The idea is not to limit one ’ s thinking to a singular concept of strategy or even attack , but to combine all of these in one , two or several packages to be delivered against the enemy . “ The main purpose is to achieve one ’ s objective by bending , eroding or defeating the will of your enemy to offer or give any resistance .” How very true now are the teachings of Sun Tzu when he said : “ The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting ” That is very inviting to say , but that is against the common rules of warfare . Well , according to Wang and Qiao , the rules are written and made by rich and powerful nations ; that poor nations should just discard them . Most importantly in the concept of unrestricted warfare , the “ first rule is that there are no rules - with nothing forbidden , no limits , no boundaries .” The battlefields will be everywhere and encompassing . Political , economic , technological stratagem will be used more on unrestricted warfare while military violence or option will decreased . “ Winning military victories in nonmilitary spheres and winning wars with non-military means can now become a reality .” “ If you know the enemy and know yourself , you need not fear the result of a hundred battles .” - Sun Tzu ( The Art of War ) •
FEATURE
Australian filmmaker completes seven-year search for a Filipino dwarf who found fame and fortune as an action hero in films but died in obscurity . MARILIE BOMEDIANO writes :
WENG WENG , left in one of his ’ James Bond-type action films and co-start .
Weng Weng rediscovered
IMMORTALISED IN THE GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS
A SHOOTING star who earned a place in the Guinness Book of world records but died in obscurity at 34 years of age : That ’ s the story of Ernesto de la Cruz , better know as Weng Weng through movies in the Philippines as an action star . Australian filmmaker Andrew Leavold brought the Filipino back to life in a documentary , The Search for Weng Weng , and a book by the same title , to Australia recently What made Weng Weng so special was that he stood only 2ft 9in tall , born with a condition known as primordial dwarfism , yet he starred in 14 movies . He rose to fame in B-movies as an action-hero in the mould of English author Ian Fleming ’ s superspy James Bond ‘ Agent 007 ’. The Guinness Book record the diminutive Filipino action star as the world ’ s shortest actor to star in the lead role . Some people have said that Weng Weng has become a cult figure in some parts of the world , particularly in the United States . The Chuds , an Australian rap group , and John R of R Room produced a music video about the Filipino action star . The Weng Weng documentary and book launch was organised by the Philippine Australian Sports and Culture
Club ( PASC ) led by president Lolita Farmer . They were held at Rooty Hill RSL Club on Monday , June 12 , 2017 . Leavold . 47 , was at the function to detail his undying interest in Weng Weng ’ s life and the seven-year journey it took to complete the documentary and book . Ernesto de la Cruz was born in Baclaran , Manila , in 1957 . Among his more memorable films were For Y ’ ur Height Only where he starred as ‘ Agent 00 ’ in a spoof of James Bond ’ s ‘ Agent 007 ’; The Impossible Kid , D ’ Wild Wild Weng and Da Best In Da West .
FAME . In time Weng Weng ’ s fame waned , movie offers dwindled and ceased altogether . He fell into obscurity and alcoholism , dying after a series of strokes in 1992 , in the same Baclaran shanty where he was raised . The Search For Weng Weng will be screened in Sydney again at the Fiesta Kultural on the 2017 October longweekend . The film will be screened in many other parts of the world including Spain , Italy , Sweden , Denmark , Norway , England , Scotland , Wales , The Netherlands , Belgium , France , Germany , United States , Mexico , and Cambodia . •
NEWS ROUNDUP
MORE FUNDS FOR ACT SCHOOLS
CATHOLIC and Independent schools in the act stand to benefit from $ 57.9 million worth of Federal Government funding . Senator for the ACT , Zed Seselja will assist with the transition to the new model while key reviews are undertaken . This comes on top of a record funding for ACT non-government schools of $ 780 million over the next four years . “ In addition to what I have negotiated for the non-government sector , Government schools in the ACT will receive record Commonwealth funding of $ 492 million over the next four years ,” Seselja said . “ Since the Turnbull Government ’ s ‘ Quality Schools ’ reform package was announced in early May , I have been clear both publicly and privately about the unique effect of the SES model on ACT schools ,” Seselja said . “ I ’ m pleased that as a result of my advocacy , and the advocacy of others , the SES model will be reviewed as a priority by the new National School Resourcing Board . “ I have listened to parents , teachers , and school principals and I have been working to ensure that the Prime Minister and the Minister for Education and Training understand their concerns and the need for our schools to receive adequate resources that enable them to provide high quality teaching that delivers better student outcomes . •
Support for a Modern Slavery Act
THE Federation of Ethnic Communities ’ Councils of Australia ( FECCA ) has supported an announcement by the Australian Labor Party that , if elected , it would introduce an Australian Modern Slavery Act . . In April this year , FECCA made a submission to a joint standing committee on foreign affairs , defence and trade sub-committee on Human Rights ’ Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act with the Salvation Army ’ s Freedom Partnership , the Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans and the Uniting Church ’ s Justice and International Mission . In its submission , FECCA called for an Australian Modern Slavery Act to include the establishment of an independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and enhanced disclosure around supply chains . •