Monthly Archives: April 2014

International, Law Enforcement, Politics, The Media, Travel

BIRTHERS’ NEW ALLEGATION: BARACK OBAMA IS FILIPINO

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Obama in a Barong Tagalog
Obama in a Barong Tagalog

Phoenix, Arizona (The Adobo Chronicles) – Can the “birthers” ever be convinced that Barack Obama was born in America and is eligible to serve as president?

Over the past few years, the allegation that he was born overseas — in Kenya or perhaps Indonesia — has taken on a life of its own, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Not even the release of copies of Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate could convince the doubting Thomases.

Now the birthers have a new allegation: that Obama may have actually been born in the Philippines while his then pregnant mother was vacationing in this Southeast Asian country.

The new allegation surfaced after the birthers saw a photo of Obama on social media, donning the Barong Tagalog during his recent state visit to Manila. The barong is the Philippines’ national attire for men.

“I mean, how could there be any doubt, ” one birther commented, “just look at that photo. He’s unmistakenly Filipino!” Another birther said: “The White House chef is Filipino and Obama himself admitted that the First Family is  often served adobo and lumpia! What other proof do we need?”

 

 

Business, Human Interest, International, Science and Environment, Travel

METRO MANILA : THE VENICE OF ASIA?

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imagePasig City, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Philippines’ Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) seems to have found the perfect solution to the metropolis’ daily traffic nightmare, and it has its unintended positive consequences.

MMDA has just reopened the ferry service along the Pasig River, enabling commuters to cut travel time between the cities of Manila , Makati and Pasig by almost two hours. MMDA says that the two ferries it has launched this week will greatly reduce the number (in the millions) of commuters that rely daily on bus and jeepney transportation to get to and from work or school.

Little did MMDA know that the ferry boats – dilapidated buses placed atop flat barges – is putting Metro Manila on the world map and has sent nervous chills to the Italian city of Venice, known for its gondolas. Metro Manila is on its way to being recognized as the Venice of Asia, thanks to the Pasig River ferry boats.

However, the new service is not necessarily getting all positive reviews from commuters.

Riders were exposed to trash floating in the river—plastic wrappers, broken chairs, Styrofoam—on top of the foul smell emanating from its murky waters. “It smells like rotting things, like a canal’s stinky water. I had to cover my nose all the time,” Jovy Cabilitasan, a 37-year-old Makati resident, said. Her aunt Paneng Loreto, 68, fainted, apparently from the boat ride and the river’s assaulting smell. Passengers also noticed illegal settlers who had turned Guadalupe Bridge into their shelter.

But the MMDA has dismissed these complaints, saying that eventually, riders will get used to it and the ferries will become a prime tourist attraction.

International, Law Enforcement, Politics, The Media, Travel

FEISTY PHILIPPINE SENATOR CALLS OBAMA AND AQUINO ‘MODERN-DAY PONTIUS PILATES’

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Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the feisty chair of the senate foreign relations committee, slammed the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and called Presidents Barack Obama and Noynoy Aquino the modern-day ‘Pontius Pilates.’

miriam
Defensor-Santiago

EDCA provides for increased U.S. military presence in the Philippines. The 10-year agreement was signed by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. The senator asked: “Obama was coming to the Philippines anyway, so why was the agreement not signed by him and Aquino? I suspect both presidents wanted to wash their hands over this controversial agreement so that if things take a turn for the worse, neither of them would be held responsible.”

Defensor-Santiago also protested the fact that the Senate wasn’t given the courtesy of being furnished a copy of the draft agreement, as would be proper in a democratic government with three branches.

“Pontius Pilate washed his hands because he wanted no part in crucifying Jesus Christ. Well, I think the Filipino people should crucify Aquino and Obama,” Defensor-Santiago said.

Aquino’s presidential press office, reacting to Defensor-Santiago’s tirade, said, “it’s sour grapes on her part; she’s mad because she was not given a seat next to Obama during the state dinner honoring the American president. She wanted the opportunity to take a ‘selfie’ with Obama.”

The senator countered: “Had I known that they were going to serve lapu-lapu (grouper) at the state dinner, I would have politely declined the invitation. I hate fish!”

And so it looks like the battle moves on to the third branch of government, all the way to the Supreme Court.