Monthly Archives: February 2016

Local News, Social Media

Move Over, Hot Cop Of Castro: Here Comes Carrot Man Of The Philippines

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imageBAGUIO CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Obscure men and women become instant celebrities with just one snapshot posted on the Internet.  That’s what happened with Chris Kohrs, the ‘hot cop of Castro’ after an admirer snapped a picture of him while patrolling the gay Castro Street in San Francsico.  The post went viral, and the rest is history.

Now, an unassuming man from a farming family in Sagada, Mountain Province — north of Baguio City — is the new darling of the Internet.

The vegetable farmer was photographed carrying a load of carrots by a Facebook user, Edwina Bandong.  Netizens around the world went crazy.  Many have said he was a lookalike of very prominent Korean actors like Jan Geun-Suk.

His name is Jeyrick Sigmaton, and he is living proof that it doesn’t take multiple postings of your selfie photos for you to become famous.  You just need to be at the right place and right time, and be around someone with a good eye for beauty, and of course, a camera. Or smart phone.

 

International, Music

Philippine Commission Called For Madonna’s Deportation

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imageMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The Philippines’ National Historical Commission (NHCP), upset over Madonna’s use of the Filipino flag during her ‘Rebel Heart” concert in Manila, had called for the deportation of the Queen of Pop.

Teodoro Atienza, chief of the Heraldry Section of NHCP, complained during a radio interview that Madonna wore the flag inappropriately and let it touch the stage floor. (Republic Act No. 8491 prohibits wearing the flag as costume or uniform.)

Atienza sought to contact the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration to ask the agency to deport Madonna and her crew for violating Philippine law. Alas, it was too late.  The diva had already departed for her next concert in Singapore.

Just days earlier, a Filipino Catholic archbishop called for a boycott of Madonna’s concert, calling the singer’s act as a “subtle attack of evil.”

The Philippines seems to have a love-hate relationship with international celebrities.

The issues surrounding Madonna’s concerts in Manila are remiscent of the Beatles’ visit to the Philippines during the Marcos years.

 

Local News

California Wants To End Daylight Saving Time, Daly City Wants To Adopt Filipino Time

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Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

DALY CITY, California (The Adobo Chronicles, San Francisco Bureau) – Daylight Saving Time (DST) could be a thing of the past in California, if a bill introduced by Assemblymember Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) is approved by the state Legislature.

AB 2496 would keep California on Pacific Standard Time year-round. Chu says there is no evidence DST reduces energy consumpion.

Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time year-round. In the past, some parts of Indiana did not observe DST.

Following the introduction of the proposed bill, Filipinos living in Daly City have launched a petition asking their city council to enact a resolution that would make Filipino time the standard time year-round in this Bay Area city, oftimes referred to as “Little Manila” because of the huge number of Filipino residents.

The petition claims that Filipinos in America are having difficulties and challenges navigating between California time and Philippine time.  There is a 16-hour difference between the two time zones.  With increasing globalization, it just makes sense that we get rid of time differences, not just between the U.S. and the Philippines, but worldwide, the petition concludes.

Filipinos working in call centers and those engaged in business process outsourcing (BPO) operations in the Philippines welcome the Daly City proposal, saying that it would be nice to do business in real time.

(Editor’s note: “Filipino time” in this context does NOT refer to Filipinos being always late to appointments and schedules.)