Monthly Archives: October 2015

Government, Health & Medicine, International, Science and Environment

PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT AQUINO PLEDGES AID TO NEIGHBOR COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY HAZE

Leave a comment
People rest in the backdrop of private residential estates shrouded by haze in Singapore October 25, 2015. Indonesia is preparing warships as a last resort to evacuate children and others suffering from smoke inhalation from slash-and-burn fires, a minister said on Friday, as the country struggles to contain fires expected to continue for weeks. Southeast Asia has suffered for years from annual
People rest in the backdrop of private residential estates shrouded by haze in Singapore (Photo credit: Edgar Su/Reuters)

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – On many occasions, the Philippines has been on the receiving end of international financial and humanitarian aid following devastating natural disasters like 2013’s Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Now, the country, most recently described as Asia’s ‘Rising Tiger,’ is poised to be on the giving end, providing much-needed relief to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian nations experiencing a region-wide haze brought about by agricultural fires in East and South Sumatra.

The haze has been blamed for deaths in Indonesia and respiratory illnesses in around 500,000 people. Elsewhere, it has prompted school closures, flight cancellations and virtual shutdowns of towns and cities.

The Philippine donation will come in three colors: yellow, black and red
The Philippine donation will come in three colors: yellow, black and red

President NoyNoy Aquino, in one of his proudest moments in office, announced to the world that his government is donating One Million portable electric fans to be distributed among the affected countries in Asia. In addition, Aquino said the Philippines will be shipping twenty containers of surgical face masks to these countries.

“This is our way of reciprocating the generosity of our Asian neighbors and other foreign governments when it was the Philippines that was needing help and humanitarian relief,” Aquino said.

“The fans will help blow away the haze and the masks will prevent further respiratory illnesses.”

Indeed, a great gesture from the Rising Tiger. No long the ‘Sick Man of Asia.’

Food, Health & Medicine, International

HAWAII UP IN ARMS AGAINST WHO ON CANCER STUDY

Leave a comment
SPAM Musubi
SPAM Musubi

HONOLULU, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles) – First, it was the Filipino longganisa and tocino  makers that were up in arms against the World Health Organization (WHO) for releasing a study that concludes processed meat causes cancer.

Now, all of Hawaii is protesting against the international organization for one reason: SPAM musubi.

SPAM, of course, is the canned processed meat manufactured by Minnesota-based Hormel Foods.  Like all other processed meat products, SPAM is preserved by using a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrate, which WHO says is responsible for causing cancer.

SPAM musubi is a popular snack and lunch food in Hawaii composed of a slice of grilled SPAM on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori dried seaweed in the tradition of Japanese omusubi.

Inexpensive and portable, SPAM musubi are commonly found near cash registers in ABC stores, refrigerated sections of supermarkets and hole-in-the-wall food outlets and trucks all over Hawaii.

Even the McDonald’s chain stores in the islands serve SPAM as part of their island breakfast menu of SPAM, Portuguese sausage (another cancer-causing food), eggs and rice.

Hawaii residents are planning to form a human chain along the entire stretch of Waikiki Beach this Sunday to register their protest against WHO.

“Leave our SPAM alone,” one Filipino Hawaii resident exclaimed as he ordered his island breakfast at McDonald’s on Kalakaua Avenue.

Government, International, Politics

CONGRESSMAN PAUL RYAN’S CHIEF OF STAFF IS A FOREIGN AGENT FOR THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT

Leave a comment
Ryan, left, and Hoppe
Ryan, left, and Hoppe

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Adobo Chronicles is set to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with th U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking disclosure of information about presumptive House Speaker Paul Ryan’s newly-appointed Chief of Staff.

Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, is already moving to build his new team to help him take over as House speaker, naming over the weekend a Capitol Hill veteran, Dave Hoppe, as his planned chief of staff.

Hoppe, 64, is known as a successful lobbyist and most recently, as a so-called registered foreign agent, representing the governments of Kosovo and the Philippines.

What this means is that Hoppe is being paid by the Philippine government to lobby the U.S. Congress to gain some favors and concessions or to influence legislation affecting the island nation.

The questions are plenty, among them:

  • What is the Philippine government seeking from U.S. Congress? For the Philippines to become the 51st U.S. state? For the U.S. to reopen all its former military bases in the Philippines? More financial aid?
  • How much is the Philippine government paying, or has paid, Hoppe for his services?
  • Did the Aquino government use any taxpayer funds from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to pay Hoppe?

Of course, The Adobo Chronicles won’t be able to seek answers to these questions from the Philippine government because there is no Freedom of Information Act in place. An FOI bill in Philippine Congress has failed to pass thus far.

But the U.S. has an FOIA in place, so stay tuned!