Yearly Archives: 2014

International, Religion, Travel

POPE FRANCIS REPRIMANDS PHILIPPINE MAYOR

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Mayor Petilla of Palo, Leyte in the Philippines (photo: ABS-CBN News)
Mayor Petilla of Palo, Leyte in the Philippines (photo: ABS-CBN News)

Vatican City, Italy (The Adobo Chronicles) – Pope Francis sent a strongly-worded letter to the mayor of Palo, Leyte in the Philippines, reprimanding her for attempting to hide the truth from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.  The pope is scheduled to visit the Philippines next January and wants to meet with the victims devastated and rendered homeless by last year’s typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

Mayor Remedios Petilla of Palo wants to transfer 250 families living in bunk houses in Barangay Candahug to another place five kilometers away so they will not be very visible when Pope Francis visits the town in January. The families, who had been staying in the bunk houses in Candahug after their houses were destroyed by the supertyphoon on Nov. 8, 2013, would be transferred to other bunk houses in Barangay Tacuranga or permanent relocation sites ahead of the papal visit.

The transfer “is being fast tracked because of the scheduled visit of the Pope next year,” Petilla said.

Pope Francis
Pope Francis

In his letter to Petilla, Pope Francis said, “What part of ‘visiting the typhoon victims’ do you not understand? That is the primary reason I am coming to the Philippines. Do not displace them just to impress me because I am not that easily impressed, especially by those who are not truthful like yourself.”

The Vatican is considering papal visit guidelines which now include banning Mayor Petilla from coming anywhere close to the pope when he visits Leyte.

International, Tourism, Travel

FOR THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS, THE PHILIPPINES IS THEIR FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION

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imageKansas City, Kansas (The Adobo Chronicles) – For people who live in Kansas, their favorite top travel destination is … drum roll … the Philippines.

This was revealed in a new research study conducted by Hopper.com. The study surveyed all 50 U.S. states to determine their population’s top travel destination. The results showed that the Philippines was also the top choice for California and Nevada. But Kansas?

So, The Adobo Chronicles conducted an independent follow-up survey to try to determine why Kansans chose the Philippines as their top international travel destination. Our survey was very revealing, and unanimous!

imageWhen Kansans think of the Philippines, they almost always think of ‘The Wizard Of Oz,’ the timeless classic that began in Kansas and ended up in lala land. In the ‘Oz,’ the main character, Dorothy, was transported by a tornado into the make- believe world of munchkins, the wicked witch, the heartless tin man, the brainless scarecrow and the cowardly lion.

Respondents to our survey indicated that their view of the Philippines includes the little people (Munchkins) – the Filipino masses who are forever poor and powerless because of the manipulation by the rich and corrupt politicians.

When Kansans think of the wicked witch, they think of Kim Henares, the Internal Revenue Commissioner who is constantly engaged in a witch hunt to collect taxes and more taxes while knowing that it all goes into the pockets of politicians.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is looked upon as the heartless tin man — from the bribe-collecting traffic policemen to PNP chief Alan Purisima who has enriched himself by receiving expensive gifts and building a mansion-like home in the province of Nueva Ecija which he describes as just “ordinary.”

The brainless scarecrow is, of course, President NoyNoy Aquino, forever clueless and always blaming someone else for the problems of his country. He loves using empty rhetoric and scare tactics when confronting his critics and enemies.

The cowardly lion is Vice President Jejomar Binay who is not man enough to face the Senate inquiry into his and his family’s shady practices, especially with regards to the now infamous and overpriced Makati City Hall parking structure.

Then, there’s Dorothy’s ruby slippers which remind Kansans of Imelda Marcos’ collection of 3,000 pairs of shoes (In fairness, nine of Imelda’s shoes were made of ruby).

In conclusion, our survey confirmed that Kansans were right on in choosing the Philippines as their top destination. After all, in the Philippines, life imitates fiction; a life of make-believe.

Politics, Religion

PHILIPPINE BISHOPS TO PRESIDENT AQUINO: RESIGN AND LET US TAKE OVER

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imageCebu City, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Nowhere else in the world is the principle of separation of church and state more evident than in the Philippines, a nation where more than three-quarters of its 100 Million population are Catholic. Or, maybe not.

Church leaders in Cebu are calling for the resignation of President Aquino. The group called the National Transformation Council said “the President had lost the moral ascendancy to lead the nation.” The group is led by Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal who alleged the President had violated the Constitution by corrupting Congress, intimidating the judiciary, taking over the Treasury, and perverting the impeachment process.

The group said once the President resigns, an alternative government consisting of men and women of integrity must be organized to avoid a political vacuum.

Asked by The Adobo Chronicles how the Catholic Church plans to help fill the void after Aquino steps down, Vidal says that until new elections are held, Manila’s Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will act as interim president. In addition, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines  (CBCP) should be designated as the interim Congress and that provincial governors and city mayors should be immediately replaced by Catholic parish priests and pastors.

To sustain the interim government, CBCP has proposed that Filipino taxpapers suspend all tax payments  to th Bureau of Internal Revenue and instead contribute 10 to 15 percent of their income directly to the church through Sunday collection baskets.

We’re calling this a “moral descendancy from heaven, ” Vidal said.