Monthly Archives: October 2015

Military, Sports

FILIPINO ARMY RESERVISTS CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY FOLLOWING BASKETBALL TEAM’S LOSS TO CHINA

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Lt. Col. Pacquiao, left, and Lt. Col. Henares
Lt. Col. Pacquiao, left, and Lt. Col. Henares

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – The Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Command (RESCOM) has called hundreds of thousands of army reservists to active duty following the Philippines’ loss to China in yesterday’s FIBA Basketball Asia Championship game.  The Filipino team, Gilas, lost the 2015 title to China 78-67.

The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship game was held in Changsha, Huna, China.

The Filipinos accused China of cooking the game through bad calls by Chinese referees.

The Philippines and China are embroiled in a territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Till yesterday, the Philippine government has been passive in dealing with the dispute, choosing to resolve the hot button issue through diplomatic means, including filing a formal protest with the United Nations.

Gilas’ loss — its second failed attempt in a row at the much-coveted title — was too much for the Philippines to bear, so it decided to bear arms instead.

“We’ve been trying our best to be sportsman-like in dealing with the South China Sea conflict, but it seems that the Chinese  can’t be sport enough even in a supposedly friendly competition like basketball,” President NoyNoy Aquino said.

Among those called to active duty were Filipino champion boxer and Congressman Manny Pacquiao, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve;  and Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares, lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

Science and Environment

MATT DAMON SIGNS UP FOR NASA’S FIRST HUMAN MISSION TO MARS

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Damon in
Damon in “The Martian”

HOLLYWOOD, California (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Is it film imitating life, or life imitating film?

Following Monday’s earth-shattering announcement by NASA that scientists have discovered flowing water — ergo, life — on Mars, the space agency unveiled its new spaceship  scheduled to head for the red planet in mid- 2016, with human crew members.

In addition to two astronauts still to be selected and named, NASA has offered a seat on the spaceship to private individuals who would cough up  five million dollars for the experience.

It didn’t take long for that seat to be filled.

Actor Matt Damon who, incidentally, stars in a new Hollywood film, “The Martian,” just sent NASA a cashier’s check for $5 Million.

The film, to be released by 20th Century Fox, opens in theaters worldwide starting in October.

Damon says that his portrayal of an astronaut left for dead after a botched mission on Mars, was so realistic that he felt it was almost like the “real thing.”  “So, to complete the experience, I would like to be part of a human mission to further explore life on the red planet,” Damon stated in his application to NASA.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump also expressed interest in the human mission, but he wanted to wait and see if he gets his party’s nomination for president in the 2016 elections. “I am prepared to pay one billion dollars for the experience,” Trump said.

(We hope that if Trump is selected, it would be a one-way ticket to Mars!)

Sports

GILAS PILIPINAS TEAM LOSES TO CHINA; FILIPINOS CRY: ‘HOMETOWN DECISION!’

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Photo credit: FIBA
Photo credit: FIBA

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – The Philippines’ national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, failed again in its bid to win the FIBA Asia Championship when it lost to China, 78-67 on October 3rd. It had to settle for silver, just like it did in the last championship when it lost to Iran.

The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship game was held in Changsha, Huna, China.

Filipinos were quick to cry ‘foul’ and maintained that China’s win was a “hometown decision.”

Congressman Manny Pacquiao, himself a basketball playing coach, called for a rematch, this time to be held in Manila.

It’s been one frustration after another for the Filipinos — from the Philippines failing to win the last Miss Universe Pageant to Pacquiao losing to Floyd Mayweather last May.

President NoyNoy Aquino ordered that the Philippine flag be hoisted at half mast in all government offices for the entire week starting Monday, in solemn observance of Gilas’ loss to China.

Aquino said that the Philippines’ loss could only strenghten his resolve to fight China in its territorial claim over the disputed islands in the South China Sea.