WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles, Washington Bureau) – Filipinos looking to visit the United States after the coronavirus pandemic period will no longer need an entry visa, thanks to a proposal reportedly being considered by the incoming Biden administration.
A spokesperson for the President-elect said that the proposal is in recognition of the great service rendered by Filipino nurses and other healthcare workers to Americans amid the Covid-19 crisis. “They are our heroes and it is but proper to reward them for their life-saving work,” he said.
For the longest time, Filipino citizens needed a visa to enter the U.S., despite the fact that U.S. citizens enjoy a visa-free entry into the Philippines as long as they stay for no more than 30 days.
A draft of the proposal obtained by The Adobo Chronicles states that Filipino citizens will no longer be required to have a visa to visit the U.S. as long as they have a Mastercard. American Express will not be honored so Filipino tourists can leave home without it.
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (The Adobo Chronicles, San Francisco Bureau) – It’s that time of the year when Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary picks its word of the year, and its choice comes as no surprise in this age of the coronavirus: PANDEMIC.
This year, Webster also picked a word of the year in each of the countries in the world.
For the Philippines, the dictionary picked “Cosmetic” as its word of the year.
The choice stems from recent highfalutin statements of Vice President Leni Robredo mentioning the word “cosmetic,” like when she said “cosmetic affinity” and “cosmetic courage.”
Robredo’s recent messages in English were miles apart from her usual rhetoric in the Filipino language which were full of “iyon,” “iyong” and “ang sa akin.”
How politics influences language! Or is it the other way around?
MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Under the U.S. Constitution, Donald Trump has the power to grant Presidential pardons to individuals convicted of crimes. That has given Rappler CEO Maria Ressa much hope that she could be pardoned for her cyber libel conviction in the Philippines. Ressa is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Philippines.
Informed sources told The Adobo Chronicles that Ressa is preparing a letter to Trump seeking Presidential pardon, citing her U.S. citizenship and one named by Time magazine as a Person of the Year, not to mention the many international awards she has received from various U.S. organizations. She is hoping the American President will act on her request in the next several weeks before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20, 2021.
The Adobo Chronicles 
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