All posts by Pol Pinoy

Rappler’s Maria Ressa Crowdsourcing For New Memes To Use Against The Duterte Government

85E74EC0-AE6D-482F-AA8F-84BD2FF1C488MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa and members of the company’s 2016 board have been charged in court for alleged violation of the Anti-Dummy Law.

In information filed before the Pasig Regional Trial Court on Tuesday, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Randy Esteban accused Ressa and six others of allowing Omidyar Network Fund, a foreign corporation, to intervene in Rappler operations by issuing Philippine Depository Receipts (PDR) to the investment firm in 2015. 

Ressa, who is reportedly out of the country, has run out of memes to counter this latest case. She has alleged that all the cases against her including violation of the Constitution, tax evasion, and cyber libel are all part of the Duterte government’s  efforts to weaponize the law to silence her and Rappler. She has been mouthing memes like ‘suppression of Press Freedom,’ ‘Political harassment,’ and ‘intimidation’ to counter the charges against her. But the memes are getting old, tired and ineffective.

If you have new memes that Ressa and Rappler could use, please send an email to Rappler or post a comment on its website, Facebook or Twitter accouts. Ressa would be so appreciative.

Board members Manuel Ayala, Nico Jose Nolledo, Glenda Gloria, James Bitanga, Felicia Atienza, and James Velasquez have each posted bail of P90,000. Ressa is out of the country.

They have also been reportedly charged for violation of the Securities Regulation Code, but the case has yet to be assigned to another judge.

Passengers On British Airways Detained By Scottish Immigration

LONDON, United Kingdom (The Adobo Chronicles. Berlin Bureau) – Passengers on a British Airways flight from London’s City Airport to Dusseldorf in Germany were met with a surprise Monday morning when their plane touched down — in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
The misdirected flight was operated by German leasing company WDL Aviation on behalf of the British Airways subsidiary airline BA CityFlyer.  The compny said an incorrect flight plan was filed at WDL Avition’s offices in Germany.
Upon disembarking from the plane, the passengers were met by Scottish immigration authorities. All were detained because none of them  held Scottish visas.  They were subsequently released after the pilot claimed responsibility and promised to fly the passengers to the correct destination .
All’s well that ends in the wrong airport.

Hong Kong Aftermath: Robredo Fires Political Aides

4508CEA7-A5E5-4A40-9251-CC9796896ACC
Robredo in Hongkong

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) -Philippines Vice President Leni Robredo has fired her team of political advisers after a harrowing experience during a sparsely-attended Opposition campaign rally in Hong Kong.

She flew to Hong Kong over the weekend to campaign for the senatorial bets running under the Otso Diretso coalition.

Several videos surfaced on social media showing Robredo being met with shouts of “Duterte! Duterte!” The videos showed the VP  remaining inside her van to avoid the angry mob.

“Nakakabahala,” Robredo told The Adobo Chronicles, after announcing that she had cut ties with her political advisers.

”They told me I would be speaking before hundreds of thousands of adoring OFWs in Hong Kong. It turned out there was at most, a hundred.”

Robredo is now busy putting together a new team of advisers in preparation for a planned trip to the Middle East. Part of her plan is to bring several planeloads of supporters from Manila and Naga to ensure that her personal appearance in U.A.E. will not suffer the same fate as her Hong Kong trip.