All posts by Pol Pinoy

Philippines’ Black Friday Movement Sold To China

983F5A6F-F867-4DD6-8BF4-B1D09F480665MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – It’s Black Friday in the United States — the day after Thanksgiving when millions of American consumers troop to the malls and other business establishments to avail of a huge sale on goods and services.

In the Philippines, Black Friday is a political movement where public protests are staged to call attention to national issues ranging from press freedom to Martial Law to the burial of the late Ferdinand E. Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (National Heroes Cemetery.)

Alas, the Filipino Black Friday is no more. It has been sold to China.

This was confirmed by protest organizers who said that the supposed sale of the Philippines to China as part of the signed agreements between Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping included their Black Friday Movement.

The Adobo Chronicles could not independently confirm the agreed-upon sale price for the movement. Was it at full price or a huge discount?

 

Rappler Wants To Be The 4th Telco

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – In an apparent concession  that it will eventually  lose its case with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which revoked its media license, Rappler through its parent company, Rappler Holdings Corporation, has filed  a formal application to be the Philippines’ 4th Telco.

Rappler’s application comes just days after the National Telecommunications Commission  (NTC) officially confirmed Mislatel as the new third telecommunications player in the Philippines.

Mislatel is comprised of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Inc.,  Udenna Corporation, Chelsea Logistics Holdings (CLC), and China Telecom.

”It fits our business goal to convert Rappler from a media company to a telco since there is not a Constitutional provison that prohibits telcos from being partly owned by foreigners,” Rappler CEO Maria told The Adobo Chronicles. “Our foreign investors are ready.”

The SEC decision to revoke Rappler’s media license was based on what appears to be foreign investment in the online news source which is in violation of the Philippine Constitution

We wish Rappler the best luck.  As they say, “the more, the merrier.”

 

 

 

 

Dozens Of Filipinos Arrested For Using Chinese Currency In Divisoria

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Dozens of Filipino shoppers in Divisoria  were arrested by police authorities for trying to pay with renminbi, the currency of China.

Most of those arrested recently visited Beijing and other cities in China as part of a tour group and had leftover Chinese currency.

Apparently, those apprehended read a news story in radyo.inquirer.net that Chinese currency may now be used in business and other transactions in the Philippines. It was supposedly one of the 29 agreements signed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latter’s recent visit to Manila.

Others said they saw a tweet by retired celebrity Jim Paredes about the Inquirer story.