Monthly Archives: November 2015

Government, Politics

VP CANDIDATE LENI ROBREDO BITES THE HAND THAT FEEDS HER; PRESIDENT AQUINO NOT HAPPY

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Robredo
Robredo

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles ) – The ruling Liberal Party candidate for vice president, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, has admitted that the Aquino administration has failed to distribute land to farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

The admission comes weeks after a federation of agricultural workers accused President NoyNoy Aquino’s family of using a bogus sale of assets to retain ownership and control of the 6,453-hectare Hacienda Luisita.

Robredo, a member of the House committee on agrarian reform, said that many tracts of land intended for distribution were not transferred to the control of farmer-beneficiaries.

This has angered President Aquino and his anointed successor, Mar Roxas.  Both expressed regret for choosing  the congresswoman to be the ruling party’s VP candidate.

“We  didn’t have a clue that she would “bite the hand that feeds her,” Aquino said, adding that she shouldn’t be making statements that would put the administration in a bad light.

The Aquino administration has been touting its anti-corruption mantra of “daang matuwid” (straight path) and Robredo’s statements were in direct contradiction to said mantra.

Luckily for Robredo and the Filipino electorate, Philippine electoral rules allow voters to vote for president and vice president who may or may not belong to the same political party, so potentially, Roberedo could be elected VP but not Roxas, the administration’s presidential standard bearer.

 

International, Politics

OBAMA ANGERS RUSSIA’S PUTIN AS AMERICAN PRESIDENT PARDONS TURKEY

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Putin, left, and Obama
Putin, left, and Obama

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – Tensions between Russia and the United States escalated today as Moscow received word that President Barack Obama has pardoned Turkey.

Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was recently accused of shooting down a Russian military plane for allegedly crossing Turkish airspace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Moscow that “Obama didn’t have the right to issue the pardon since it was not the United States that was the aggrieved party in this international incident.”

The U.S. State Department however said that it was a case of “lost in translation.” Putin was misinformed and wasn’t made aware that the turkey Obama pardoned was a bird, not the country.

It is an annual White House tradition to pardon a turkey to save it from being served for dinner at Thanksgiving.

Beauty, International, Politics

MAYOR DUTERTE WANTS MISS PHILIPPINES TO WITHDRAW FROM MISS UNIVERSE CONTEST

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Miss Philippines-Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach
Miss Philippines-Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – If there is one quality that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte can be proud of, it is his consistency.

The on-again, off-again Philippine presidential contender finally confirmed that he is definitely running for president in the 2016 elections, citing as his main reason the fact that he does not want an “American Philippine president.”

Duterte is, of course, referring to Senator Grace Poe, candidate for president and consistent frontrunner in national polls.  Her candidacy has been challenged on the grounds that as a foundling whose biological parents have not been identified, she is not a natural-born citizen and is therefore ineligible to become president.

Poe was a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Philippines, but claims she had renounced her U.S. citizenship before she became involved in Philippine politics years ago.

Consistent with his view about Poe, Duterte has asked the Binibining Pilipinas Charities to withdraw the candidacy of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, the country’s representative to next month’s Miss Universe Pageant to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Binibining Pilipinas Charities is the local franchise holder of the Miss Universe Pageant).

Wurtzbach was born in Stuttgard, Germany.

Duterte said that “our candidates to international competitions, including beauty pageants, should be truly representative of our country and people.  I cannot accept the fact that we are sending a German-born candidate to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe Pageant.”

Stella Marquez-Araneta, chairperson of Binibining Pilipinas Charities, has not returned calls from The Adobo Chronicles.