Yearly Archives: 2014

Politics, Travel

AFTER REJECTING THE ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE, AQUINO SNUBS THE MRT CHALLENGE

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Daily scene at MRT stations
Daily scene at MRT stations

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Last week, The Adobo Chronicles reported that Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino rejected the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, claiming that he was “under the weather” with a cold.

Today, the Office of the President announced that Aquino has also refused to take the MRT Challenge.

MRT (Metro Manila Rail Transit System) is a rapid transit line in Metro Manila along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).  Envisioned in the 1970s as part of the Metropolitan Manila Strategic Mass Rail Transit Development Plan, the thirteen-station, 16.9-kilometer (10.5 miles) line was the second rapid transit line to be built in Metro Manila when it started operations in 1999. It is operated by  a private company operating in partnership with the  Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Serving close to 600,000 passengers daily, MRT’s total ridership significantly exceeds the line’s built maximum capacity and experts have questioned the line’s structural integrity.

Recent derailment of an MRT train
Recent derailment of an MRT train

In recent days, public officials have been challenged to ride the MRT in order to experience first-hand the long queues, overcrowding, delays and technical problems that ordinary commuters face every single day.

Several public officials, including Senator Grace Poe and DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya , have taken up the challenge.  Filipinos have been clamoring for Aquino to take the challenge.

In announcing that Aquino has refused to take the MRT Challenge, a presidential spokesperson said that the president is suffering from claustrophobia (fear of being in an enclosed environment) and agoraphobia (fear of being in crowded places).  “It is not in his best interest nor the best interest of the country for him to take up the challenge.” the spokesperson said.

“It will also be very difficult for the president,  a known chain-smoker, to ride the MRT trains where smoking is prohibited,” he added.

International, Military, Politics

FIDEL CASTRO ACCUSES JOHN MCCAIN OF WAR-MONGERING, MCCAIN FIRES BACK

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McCain, left, and Castro
McCain, left, and Castro

Havana, Cuba (The Adobo Chronicles) – Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro has compared NATO with the Nazis while accusing the U.S., and in particular, former presidential candidate Senator John McCain, of war-mongering.

Castro criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East and called McCain “Israel’s most unconditional ally.”

The obviously enraged McCain fired back at Castro today by accusing the ailing Cuban leader of rumor-mongering. “To imply that I am responsible for U.S. policy in the Middle East is utter misinformation and is a total lie,” the Arizona senator said.

“Castro needs to immediately stop spreading the rumor that I am the president of the United States.  May I remind Castro that I lost the election to Barack Obama,” McCain added.

In his strongest attack yet against Castro, McCain referred to the Cuban leader as “El capitan muy loco.” (Very crazy captain).

Castro, of course, is a general.

Business, Travel

GENEROUS PENSION BENEFITS AWAIT RETIRED PHILIPPINE AIRLINES BOEING 747-400 FLEET

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Philippines 747-400 RP-C8168 (86)(Apr) LAX (MBI)(46)-MManila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Philippine Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier, has completed the process of retiring its fleet of five Boeing 747-400 planes, after serving for nearly 21 years.

The fleet has been used primarily on long-haul services to the United States along with regional destinations like Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok. It will be replaced by a modern fleet of 777-300 aircraft.

One of the retired aircraft recently made its way from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to Clark International Airport to join the airline’s retired Airbus A300 and A340 aircraft.  A retirement ceremony was held at Villamor Airbase.

To mark this historic occasion, President NoyNoy Aquino signed an executive order granting the retired fleet a lifetime pension of 44,000 pesos (roughly $1,000) each a month, tax-free.  A presidential spokesman told reporters that the pension funds will be drawn from the President’s Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP, which was recently declared by the country’s Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

Who exactly will receive the pension funds is not clear, although The Adobo Chronicles learned from very reliable sources that a nongovernmental organization (NG0) has been set up to receive the retirement funds.  Incorporation papers filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show that the chair of the NGO’s Board of Directors is businesswomen Janet Lim-Napoles who is currently in jail for criminal charges relating to the pork barrel scam.

It may be the end of era for Philippine Airlines, but certainly not for Napoles.