QUEZON CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Quezon City Bureau) – A total of 186 congressmen, or majority of 299 members of the House of Representatives, have elected Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco as the new Speaker in a session described by allies of Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano “illegal.”
It will be recalled that Cayetano and Velasco had earlier agreed to a term-sharing of the Speakership, brokered by no less that President Rodrigo Duterte. Cayetano’s term would have ended this October but from indications, he was unwilling to vacate the powerful position.
The Speakership row had put in jeopardy deliberations and actions on the government’s 2021 national budget, very much needed during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
While Presidential coups are not uncommon in the Philippines, many are saying that this coup involving a sitting House Speaker is unprecedented, calling it a nincomcoup.
MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Workers in the Philippines will not get their 13th month pay this year, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic which has greatly impacted businesses and employers in the country.
But if a proposed bill makes it through Congress, workers will, instead, receive the equivalent of 9 months in extra pay (March to December) to compensate for the lockdowns and community quarantines imposed by the government.
The bill will be introduced today by a group of unnamed Senators and Congressmen to ensure that all Filipinos will still enjoy their Christmas holidays while being compensated for lost income due to the pandemic.
The proposed bill does not discriminate. Whether or not workers continued to receive their paychecks since the community quarantine was imposed in March this year, they will be entitled to the 9 months extra pay.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles, Washington Bureau) – While many Americans who watched today’s Vice Presidential debate were amused by the fly that descended upon Mike Pence’s hair, Republicans were one in saying that it was a “sign from God.” They said it was a foreboding of a landslide victory by Donald Trump and Pence in the November 3rd elections, despite most national polls showing that the Biden-Harris team was leading the race with double-digit numbers.
The Biden-Harris camp however had a different take on the incident which unfolded on live TV. The Democrats said it shows that the debate organizers didn’t do a good job disinfecting the debate venue in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. They said: “If flies escaped the disinfection, how on earth would we be assured that the coronavirus didn’t?”
The Adobo Chronicles 
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