All posts by Pol Pinoy

VP Leni Robredo Unveils ‘Just Do It’ Campaign For Filipino Youth

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QUEZON CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – She has called for the decriminalization of drug use.  Now, Vice President Leni Robredo, encouraged by recent pronouncements by drug experts, has unveiled her latest campaign directed at Filipino youth.

Calling it “Just Do It,” Robredo said the campaign aims to encourage young people not to even think twice before using illegal drugs. “It does no harm,” she says.

The new national campaign came just days after two international experts spoke at a drug conference at the University of the Philippines 🇵🇭 .

Dr.  Carl Hart, head of Columbia University’s Psychology Department debunked President Rodrigo Duterte’s claims that the repeated use of shabu (methamphetamine) shrinks a user’s brain over time. “The data simply isn’t there,” said Hart, whose area of research includes “behavioral and neuropharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs in humans.”

At the same time, Agnes Callamard, United National special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions declared that Duterte’s war on drugs does not work as it breeds more problems for the government.

Malacañang has not yet responded to The Adobo Chronicles’ request for comment on Robredo’s new project.

American Society Of Newspaper Editors Embrace Fake News As Part Of The Fourth Estate

IMG_1030.PNGWASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chroniclers, Washington Bureau) – U.S. President Donald Trump has complained about it.  So has supporters of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. FOX News and CNN have been accused of it.  And netizens overwhelmingly rely on it to keep up with current events.

So, in a historic move, the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), meeting in Washington D.C. over the weekend, has adopted a resolution officially embracing fake news as an integral part of the Fourth Estate.

In a statement announcing the resolution, ASNE said that the newspaper industry — and its online incarnations — can no longer ignore the impact of fake news on the lives of everyday Americans and citizens of the world. “The more fake news is repeated, shared and tweeted, the more it becomes reality,” the statement said. “So it is time to embrace it as part of our industry.”

Meanwhile, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the broadcast counterpart of ASNE, is reportedly considering a similar resolution that would apply to its members  in the radio, television and digital news media.

Fake news is not a modern phenomenon.  It has existed way back during the time of Truman and Dewey.

And it’s here to stay.

 

UN Rapporteur Clarifies Purpose Of Philippines Visit

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MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Insisting that her visit to the Philippines 🇵🇭 was unofficial, Rapporteur Agnes Callamard today clarified her trip to Manila had nothing to do with her capacity with the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Callamard told The Adobo Chronicles that she came not as UN Rapporteur but as a Reporter for The New York Times (NYT). She confirmed that she had a second job with the Pulitzer Prize-winning publication.

Expect another hard-hitting NYT piece in the next few days.