Filipinos To Burn Star Trek DVDs To Protest George Takei’s Tweet On The Philippines

6AD1CDB2-C0CB-4FFE-A50A-F6BDBFAEC823.jpegMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles,Manila Bureau) – Many Filipinos are fans of ‘Star Trek,’ especially of George Takei who originated the role of Mr. Sulu in this Science Fantasy series.  Thousands upon thousands have prized collections of ‘Star Trek’ DVDs (and Betamax tapes).

But these collections will soon go up in flames, thanks to a single tweet by Takei.

In a Twitter post, Takei said:

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Takei’s tweet didn’t sit well with many Filipinos, especially the supporters of their popular president, Rodrigo Duterte.

They took to Facebook and other social media platforms to refute Takei’s statement, saying that while it is true that Duterte was democratically elected, Filipinos don’t live in fear or have been called upon to incite or commit violence. They also said all Democratice safeguards, including a Free Press and independent Legislative and Judicial branches of government are very much in place.

In a show of People Power, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos will stage a huge rally this weekend along EDSA ,the epicenter of mass protests, where they will burn DVD and betamax copies of their Star Trek collections, but only those in which Takei plays Mr. Sulu.  Star Trek versions featuring John Cho playing the character will be spared.

You don’t mess with Filipinos.  Not even if you are Mr. Sulu.

Saying Boracay’s Rehabilitation Was A Big Success, Duterte Orders Closure Of Baguio City For Six Months

794FCB86-977E-4502-9828-1874C0FFB1AD.jpegBAGUIO CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Baguio Bureau) – The verdict is in! The six-month closure of Boracay is a huge success.  Even President Rodrigo’s fiercest critics are impressed.

Duterte had ordered the closure of Boracay in order to rehabilitate this island resort and clean up the environment.  The powdery white sand on the beach is back and businesses have cleaned up their act to restore the paradise image of Boracay.

Next up: Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines.

Many visitors may no longer find what they’re looking for in this mountain resort. Gone is the scent of pine trees. Gone are the sunflowers that adorn the facade of the city’s mountains and hills. Traffic has become a nightmare, and pollution has become an everyday occurence.  Visitors can expect a short supply of water and electricity.  It’s an environmental disaster.

In a surprise visit to Baguio this weekend, Duterte announced that he has ordered the closure of the city for six months, beginning November 1, 2018.  He says that during this period, the city will be off-limits to tourists.  Only registered Baguio residents will be allowed in and out of the city.  The only exception are foreign students — mostly Koreans — who are enrolled in local universities.

The “new” Baguio is expected to reopen in mid-April, in time for the annual trek to the city during Holy Week.

It takes political will to clean up the environment, and Duterte has proven he has what it takes to do the job.

 

 

Adobo Chronicles’ Word Of The Year: TOKWA

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Photo credit: Patrick Martires

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – This year’s linguistic conference at the University of the Philippines in Diliman has chosen the word of the year: “tokhang.”

It is common knowledge that “tokhang” was coined by the Duterte administration in connection with the war on drugs. It beat finalists that included dengvaxia, quo warranto, dilawan, fake news and resibo.

As if by coincidence, members of The Adobo Chronicles’ editorial board just voted on their own word of the year: TOKWA.

In explaining their choice, board member Pol Pinoy said that “ tokwa partners very well with the popular Filipino dish, tokwa’t baboy, and that there are many pigs among our elected officials.”

’Nuff said.