Category Archives: Business

Business, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, Travel

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FILIPINOS GATHERING IN FRONT OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN MANILA

March 2, 2014 Pol Pinoy 10 Comments

Aerial view of Roxas Boulevard in front of the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines

Manila, Philippines – The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines may be in deep trouble.

On Saturday, Ambassador Philip Goldberg encouraged Filipinos to travel to the U.S., saying the visa application process is relatively “easy.”

“The majority of people who apply are approved for visas. It’s rather a standard and very easy process. You make an appointment, you go in, you have an interview and as long as you are a stable resident of the Philippines, you’re going to get the visa and you enjoy the United States,” Goldberg told reporters at the U.S. Embassy’s road show at a mall in Pasay City.

Soon after he made this statement, Filipinos started lining up in front of the U.S. Embassy on Roxas Boulevard and by noon Sunday, police authorities estimated the crowd at 500,000. Independent media reports say that the crowd may swell to one million by the time the Embassy offices open at 8:00 a.m. on Monday.

Manila mayor Joseph Estrada said the city has not seen a crowd this big since last year’s Million People March which was organized to protest the pork barrel scandal that rocked the Philippine government.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to fly to Manila later today to meet with Goldberg and deal with this developing situation.

Business, Human Interest, Politics, Science and Environment

PHILIPPINE SENATOR WANTS TO CHANGE NATIONAL SYMBOL FROM EAGLE TO TIGER

February 28, 2014 Pol Pinoy 3 Comments

The Philippine Eagle, left, and the tiger

Manila, Philippines – Vicente “Tito” Sotto III is a Philippine actor, singer, television host, journalist and politician. He is an incumbent senator.

Like most politicians, Sotto is embroiled in controversies, not the least of which was the accusation that he plagiarized several passages in a speech opposing the Reproductive Health Bill. The news and social media reported that Sotto had taken passages from a 2011 blog by American home economist blogger Sarah Pope. The bill, which ultimately passed, calls for government-funded contraception and sex education classes in the Philippines, a first in the heavily Catholic nation.

In 2013, Sotto filed a bill that would mandate all government and non-government employees to receive a “14^th month” pay as part of their annual salaries. Most employers already provide a “13^thmonth” bonus to their employees. However, Sotto pointed out that the existing 13^th month pay is not truly a bonus because there are 13 months in a year. “There are 52 weeks in a year and if you divide that by four weeks a month, that’s 13 months,” he insisted.

Now the oft-criticized Sotto has put forward another controversial proposal.

International financial experts and analysts have labeled the Philippines as the “New Asian Tiger,” referring to the country’s fast-rising economy and stellar investment climate compared to most other countries in the Asian region.

Capitalizing on this emerging image of the Philippines, Sotto is proposing that the country replace the Philippine Eagle with the Tiger as its official symbol. Once called the “monkey-eating eagle,” the Philippine Eagle – an endangered species – became the country’s national bird and symbol in 1995.

Political opponents of Sotto labeled the proposal “ridiculous” and “too literal.” “We don’t even have tigers in the Philippines, except in the zoo,” they said.

Prior to Sotto’s proposal, there were rumors that other politicians were scheming to change the Philippine national symbol from the eagle to the pig, in view of the 10 Billion-peso pork barrel scam that has implicated members of the Philippine Senate.

Sotto, defending his proposal, told reporters, “I’d rather call our country the Asian Tiger than the Pork Barrel Republic.”

Business, International, Politics

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TO GENERAL MOTORS: ‘KISS YOUR CHEVY GOODBYE’

February 19, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Moscow, Russia – Though General Motors will soon make Chevy cars a thing of the past in Europe, the American automaker is committed to advancing the Chevy brand in Russia and other former Soviet countries. Or, maybe not. At least not in Russia.

The government of President Valdimir Putin has decreed to permanently ban the sale of Chevy cars in Russia following the airing of a Chevy television commercial during the Sochi Winter Olympics telecast. The Chevy ad features a segment showing a marriage ceremony between two gay men. Russia has existing laws prohibiting the public display of homosexuality, but General Motors sneaked in the gay segment in its car commercial. It may have well been a marketing strategy gone awry.

Now GM will have to find a new market for its Chevy cars elsewhere outside of Russia. Informed sources have secretly indicated to The Adobo Chronicles that GM may auction off its fleet of Chevy cars now parked at Russian dealerships for half price in Central and Southeast Asia.