Monthly Archives: March 2015

Economy, Government, Law Enforcement, Politics

PHILIPPINES’ AMBITIOUS PROJECT TO SOLVE HOMELESSNESS

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More prisons like this one (National Bilibid Prison) will be built outside of Metro Manila to ease the problem of homelessness.
More prisons like this one (National Bilibid Prison) will be built outside of Metro Manila to ease the problem of homelessness.

MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino administration has finally found a permanent solution to the Philippines’ nagging problem of homelessness: create new housing units for the homeless — in jail!

The  administration has rolled out its 22nd Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project involving the construction and maintenance of a P50.2-billion modern prison facility at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, north of the capital.

The proposed facility could accommodate 26,880 inmates, including staff housing and administrative buildings, areas for rehabilitation (sports, work and religious activity), and would be installed with high security equipment.

homelessThis is just the first of several initiatives to rid Metro Manila of homeless families and street children. Metro Manila has the highest homeless population in the world.

“There’s just not enough money to go around,” a presidential spokesperson said, “so the government needs to address one problem at a time.  Since we can’t build dwellings for the millions of homeless people, we think that building prisons will help address the problem.  In the prisons, inmates practically get a free roof over the heads plus free meals.”

Related Article: “Homeless In Paradise”

The spokesperson added that the reason the new prison facility will be built in Nueva Ecija is precisely to decongest and rid Metro Manila of homeless families. “It will eliminate eyesores especially when we are have visiting dignitaries and tourists,” he said.

Business, International, Travel

‘BALIKBAYAN’ BOXES WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWED ON INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER FLIGHTS TO THE PHILIPPINES

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balikbayan-box-shippingHONOLULU, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles) – Starting April 1 this year, Filipinos returning to or going on a holiday to the Philippines will no longer be able to bring balikbayan boxes on board international flights to Manila, Cebu and other destinations in the country.

Balikbayan boxes are those corrugated cardboard boxes that Filipinos pack with tax-free goods to bring back to loved ones in the Philippines. The goods range from designer shoes and clothing to cartons of canned foods, cigarettes and toiletries — mostly purchased from big box stores like Costco and Walmart.

During their annual convention held last weekend in Honolulu, members of the International Commercial Airline Association (ICAA), agreed to totally ban balikbayan boxes as a way to speed up check-in procedures at airports and to maintain universally-accepted weight limits on their aircraft.

The ICAA said that many of their airline customers have constantly complained about the long check-in lines at airport counters, notably for flights going to the Philippines, because of the large number of balikbayan boxes being checked in by Filipino passengers.  The long lines have caused many passengers to miss their flights.

The ICAA also said that flights to the Philippines are always up to the load limit for aircraft due to the heavy weight of the balikbayan boxes. Most balikbayan  boxes  exceed the 50-pound limit for checked in baggage. “It compromises airline safety,” an ICAA spokesperson said.

Overseas Filipinos will still be able to send back goods to the Philippines in balikbayan boxes but only through cargo vendors that ship via ocean vessels.  It takes an average of 30-45 days to ship from the U.S. Mainland to the Philippines.

 

 

Government, Health & Medicine, International

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE U.S. NOW STANDS AT 112!

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Photo credit: tampabay.com
Photo credit: tampabay.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – For many decades, Japan has topped the list of countries with the highest life expectancy among the population, with an average of 84 years. The worldwide average is 71 years (68 for males and 73 for females).  The United States’ life expectancy has been known to average at  79.

But official records at the U.S. Social Security Administration show that life expectancy among Americans has been grossly miscalculated.

A recent review found that at least 6.5 million active Social Security numbers belong to people who are at least 112 years old, according to a report by The Washington Post. Thousands of workers over the age of 100 applied for employment verification through the U.S. government in recent years, the report added.

Previously, it has been estimated that less than half a million people worldwide are centenarians, or people still living at the age of 100 and above.

Population experts surmise that the the significant rise in American life expectancy could be due to a better and  more modern health care system,  increased calorie consciousness among the population (resulting from dietary labels on food packages as required by law), and the growing popularity of Zumba dance exercise among senior citizens.

Can we propose a toast of red wine to longer life for all?