Government, International, Science and Environment

Bluff Diplomacy: Canada Offers To Take Back Its Trash Shipped To The Philippines

May 2, 2019 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – For many years, dozens of containers of trash and toxic waste shipped from Canada have been sitting idle in the Port of Manila. The shipment was supposed to contain recyclable plastic.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has had it, so he threatened to declare war on Canada if the trash aren’t shipped back ASAP.

Well…

Canada has made an offer to the Philippines to repatriate six dozen shipping containers full of rotting garbage that were erroneously shipped there six years ago, the federal environment minister said recently.

If the offer is accepted, the trash would return to Canada through the port of Vancouver before disposal.

The previous Aquino administration used channels at the United Nations to resolve its international conflict with China. Didn’t work.

Duterte used bluff diplomacy to put an end to a long-standing issue with Canada, and it worked!

Government, Politics, Religion

Senate Proposes Bill To Tax Philippine Catholic Church, Iglesia Ni Cristo

May 2, 2019 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

9D8488C6-0584-4065-9FA1-54B84A0E9542 — Philippine Catholic Bishops, left, and one of INC’s huge church buildings, right

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Following the lead of Montreal, Canada, the Philippine Senate is now conisdering a bill that would strike down the tax exemption for churches. Not all churches, but the two largest denominations — the Roman Catholic Church and the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ).

(Montreal has begun to tax churches, especially those that use their facilities for non-worship purposes.)

The Senate bill is authored by Senator Kiko Pangilinanan, chair of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws. It has the full support of 100% of the Senators.

In justifying the proposed law (which would require a Constitutional Amendment). Pangilinan said that since the Catholic Church and INC have been using their religious platforms to meddle in politics, their tax exemption is no longer warranted.

”Catholic churches have used the pulpit to influence people on who to vote for in this coming and past elections while allowing church builidngs to serve as venues for political campaigns and partisan propaganda,” Pangilinan said. He also alluded to the Catholic Church’s huge investments in the stock market.

As for INC, Pangilinan said that it has always been known to vote as a block, dictating their followers to vote for chosen candidates.

As expected, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and INC head Eduardo V. Manalo have expressed stiff opposition to the proposed law, citing the Constitutional guarantee of Separation of Church and State.

Government, History, International, Politics

BREAKING: Leni Robredo Abdicates Philippine Vice Presidency, Liberal Party

May 1, 2019 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Following the lead of Japanese Emperor Akihito, Leni Robredo has announced she will formally abdicate the Philippine Vice Presidency as well as the leadership of the Opposition Liberal Party.

(Akihito handed over the symbols of power to his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito on Tuesday. The 85-year-old Emperor who reigned for 30 years was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health.He is the first Japanese monarch to step down in more than 200 years.)

In a statement issued to local and international news media, Robredo said that she feels she is no longer effective as Vice President or leader of her party given the fact that the popularity of President Rodrigo Duterte has reached and continues to maintain unprecedented levels.

Robredo says her abdication is effective immediately, coming within less than two weeks before her country’s mid-term elections where the Opposition Party’s candidate slate is expected to do very poorly.

“It’s time for our people to heal and I don’t want to be an obstacle to that healing. Rather than do a ‘harakiri,’ I have chosen to step down and abdicate,” Robredo said.