All posts by Pol Pinoy

Government, Politics

Philippines’ Social Welfare Secretary Desperate To Keep Her Job Beyond 2016

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Soliman before, left, and after
Soliman before, left, and after

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The Philippines’ Social Welfare Secretary, Dinky Soliman, has had her share of criticism, not the least of which was the accusation that she rounded up street children and families and hauled them away to resorts outside of Metro Manila to impress visiting dignitaries like Pope Francis and the APEC heads of state.

She reportedly loves her job so much that she is doing everything within her power to be re-appointed to her position when the new president takes office later this summer.

Well, the only way that would happen is if former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Aquino’s appointed successor, wins the presidential election in May this year.

So, the 63-year-old Soliman embarked on a very personal crusade to make sure that Roxas, of the Liberal (Yellow) Party, wins.

The secretary, who used to sport a red streak on her hair, has done a total  makeover, changing her streak from red to yellow, to show her full support for Aquino’s candidate Roxas and the Yellow party.

Will Soliman’s strategy work?  We will know after the May elections.

 

Entertainment, Film and TV

The Philippines’ Next Hit Reality TV Show: ‘Housemaids Academy’

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Trainees hard at work at the Housemaids Academy in Quezon City
Trainees hard at work at the Housemaids Academy in Quezon City

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Aldub fans might not be happy about this news.  There is a new reality TV show that’s brewing on ABS-CBN, and it’s called “Housemaids Academy” which producers think will break all reality show ratings in the Philippines.

The Adobo Chronicles learned that the network is about to announce a casting call for Filipino domestic helpers who want to train in the Housemaids Academy and earn a contract to work in Hong Kong or Singapore.

Housemaids Academy is for real.  It is a government-run training center for domestic helpers to prepare them for work abroad. It is located on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.  At the center, Filipinos are trained to properly clean, cook, use the washing machine (always separate whites from colors), and perform other tasks that domestic helpers are expected to do by their prospective foreign employers.

With more than 96,000 women leaving the Philippines each year to work abroad as maids, domestic helpers are the second largest overseas Filipino workforce behind merchant seamen, according to government statistics. The top 10 destinations for Filipina maids are Hong Kong, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Bahrain, Oman, Cyprus, and Italy.

Now, back to the reality show.

It is patterned after a similar show on GMA-7 called ‘Pinay Beauty Queen Academy’ where beauty queen aspirants are selected to compete for the top spot with the guidance of professional mentors, all of them previous beauty title holders.  Contestants are eliminated one by one until the last woman standing.

“Housemaids Academy” will also involve an elimination (voting out) process, and the last contestant remaining will be declared the winner, bagging a contract plus free round-trip airfare to the country of her new employment.

Watch out for ABS-CBN’s casting all announcement.  In the meantime, brush up on your domestic skills.

Local News, Social Media

Move Over, Hot Cop Of Castro: Here Comes Carrot Man Of The Philippines

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imageBAGUIO CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Obscure men and women become instant celebrities with just one snapshot posted on the Internet.  That’s what happened with Chris Kohrs, the ‘hot cop of Castro’ after an admirer snapped a picture of him while patrolling the gay Castro Street in San Francsico.  The post went viral, and the rest is history.

Now, an unassuming man from a farming family in Sagada, Mountain Province — north of Baguio City — is the new darling of the Internet.

The vegetable farmer was photographed carrying a load of carrots by a Facebook user, Edwina Bandong.  Netizens around the world went crazy.  Many have said he was a lookalike of very prominent Korean actors like Jan Geun-Suk.

His name is Jeyrick Sigmaton, and he is living proof that it doesn’t take multiple postings of your selfie photos for you to become famous.  You just need to be at the right place and right time, and be around someone with a good eye for beauty, and of course, a camera. Or smart phone.