All posts by Pol Pinoy

President Aquino’s Dream: EU Membership For The Philippines

June 23, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

LONDON, United Kingdom (The Adobo Chronicles, Berlin Bureau) – As the United Kingdom concluded its referendum today on whether or not it should leave the European Union (EU), Philippine President Aquino has revealed his secret wish for his country to become an EU member.

“It has been a long-time dream of mine,” Aquino said, as he continued to pack up his belongings in preparation for turning over Malacañang (the presidential palace) to incoming President Rod Duterte.

Aquino said that becoming an EU member will be a testament to the fact that the Philippines is on its way to becoming a first-world country. “Everything I’ve done in my 6 years as president has been geared towards this goal,” he said.

It is estimated that more than one million Filipinos live in EU member-countries, with the top five destinations being the U.K., Italy, Germany, France and Spain.

“Since U.S. statehood for the Philippines is becoming less and less of a reality, the next best thing for our country is to be part of Europe,” Aquino told The Adobo Chronicles.

The outgoing president is hopeful that Duterte will continue to pursue this dream during the next 6 years.

Government, Law Enforcement, Politics

Congressional Democrats Sit Down, Republicans Stand Up, On Gun Control

June 23, 2016 Pol Pinoy 1 Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles, Washington Bureau) – For more than 24 hours, Democrats led by Representative John Lewis (D-Georgia), staged a sit-in on the floor of Congress to demand action on sensible gun legislation. The protest follows the recent shooting at an Orlando gay bar, killing 49 people and injuring scores of others.

House Democrats were looking for votes to expand background checks and ban gun sales to those on the no-fly watch list.

For their part, House Republicans stood up as Speaker Paul Ryan declared a recess that will last through July 5.

As they were leaving the chamber, many GOP representatives said they were so looking forward to return to their respective constituent areas to participate in fireworks in connection with Monday’s Fourth of July celebration.

Indeed, the balance of power in Congress is one to behold. Let’s just call it “firepower,’ courtesy of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

A new Congressional meme has emerged: “You either sit with us, or stand with us.”

Meanwhile, The Adobo Chronicles can now confirm that there is no truth to the rumor that the NRA is providing each Republican member of Congress with a limited-edition hand gun that bears the image of the American flag as a “gift” to commemorate this year’s Independence Day.

Food, Government

Severe Banana Shortage In The Philippines

June 23, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The Philippines has seen severe shortages of basic food items like rice, flour and garlic, but this is the first time that a banana shortage is being reported nationwide.

Public markets, groceries and supermarkets are all reporting very low supply of bananas, particularly the saba variety.

Saba bananas are widely used for Filipino delicacies like turon (banana egg roll), bananacue (sweetened fried banana on a barbecue stick) and maruya (banana fritters).

It didn’t take long for the Department of Agriculture to pinpoint the culprit — none other than incoming President Rod Duterte. Duterte had announced that during his June 30 inauguration at Malacañang (the presidential palace), he will feed the diplomatic corps and other guests with maruya and buko (coconut) juice, instead of expensive hors d’oeuvres and champagne.

In solidarity with their new president, many Filipinos are planning on serving maruya in their respective households, hence the shortage of saba bananas.

Duterte spokesperson Martin Andanar appealed to Filipinos for calm and assured them that the shortage is only temporary.

Instead of fretting over the banana shortage, Andanar encouraged Filipinos to turn to other fruit snacks and desserts, like mangoes, halo-halo and leche flan.