Monthly Archives: March 2015

Business, Food, Government, Health & Medicine, International, Politics

CALIFORNIA BANS ALL PORK IMPORTS FROM THE PHILIPPINES

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Philippine pork longganisa (sausage). Photo by The Adobo Chronicles
Philippine pork longganisa (sausage). Photo by The Adobo Chronicles

SAN FRANCISCO, California  (The Adobo Chronicles) – If you live in California and you like Filipino food, you had better stock up on your packaged tocino or longganisa.

Effective March 15, 2015, the state of California will impose a comprehensive ban on all pork imports from the Philippines. The ban covers livestock, frozen meat and packaged pork-based food items.

The Manila government immediately criticized the move, saying that California is merely retaliating for a recent ban on chicken imports from California imposed by the Philippines.  The chicken ban was a result of confirmed cases of Avian or Bird Flu found in several chicken farms in California.

But California Governor Jerry Brown told reporters that the state’s decision to ban Philippine pork imports was the result of a series of serious considerations which began after Filipino business people and senators were accused and jailed for the pork barrel scandal which defrauded taxpayers of some Ten Billion Pesos. The pork barrel money allegedly went into the pockets of the individuals accused of the massive scam.

“We’re simply taking precaution to make sure that our state government, especially our state legislature, will not engage in similar pork scams ” Brown said.

The price of pork in the world market currently averages $198.00 per barrel.

U.S. imports of agricultural products from the Philippines totaled $991 million in 2013 alone. The California ban on pork imports will hurt the Philippines’ overall revenue from its exports to the U.S., since California is recognized as having one of the largest economies in the world.

Business, Technology

FACEBOOK PLATINUM DEBUTS IN THE U.S., BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

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imageMENLO PARK, California  (The Adobo Chronicles) – You’ve probably wondered why many of your friends or family have not been liking, or responding to, your Facebook posts. Well, it’s because they’re not seeing it.

By some kind of algorithm, Facebook determines who gets to see your posts, and it’s not a whole lot, unless, of course, you boost your posts by paying some dollars. You can complain all you want, but business is business. Like everyone else, Facebook has to make some money, right?

But there is some good news for netizens in the U.S. This weekend, Facebook will launch Facebook Platinum, which, if you subscribe to it, will increase the number of people that will see your posts. But it is not free.

Platinum subscription will cost you $100 per month, but you can be assured that every single post from you will reach a minimum of 5,000 people, whether or not they’re your FB friends. The Platinum version will only be available in the U.S.  Facebook says it will consider offering this premium service to other countries depending on how well this new initiative is received in America.

So, watch out for your invitation to subscribe to Facebook Platinum.  And once you have it, don’t leave home without it!

Food, Law Enforcement, Politics, Religion

INDIA BANS SLAUGHTER OF COWS; PHILIPPINES CONSIDERS A BAN ON PIGS

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IMG_6760MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Philippines Senator Nancy Binay is proposing a bill that would copy a newly-approved law in India which bans the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef in the western state of Maharashtra.

Hindus, who comprise 80% of India’s 1.2 Billion population, revere cows and the sale and consumption of beef is banned or restricted in many states.The state of  Maharashtra includes India’s commercial capital and biggest city, Mumbai.

Binay wants a similar law to apply to pigs in the Philippines.

The daughter of the Vice President says her bill will prevent future pork barrel scams which have plagued the country in the last two years. The scams siphoned  some Ten Billion pesos of taxpayer money into fake projects and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for the personal gain of some business people and politicians.

Several senators and high-ranking government officials are now in jail facing charges of corruption in connection with the pork barrel scandal.

“Kung bawal na ang kumatay ng baboy, eh di wala nang pork barrel,” Binay said. (If the slaughter of pigs is banned, then there will be no more pork barrel)