Category Archives: International

Philippines’ Department Of Tourism Unveils New Promo Slogan, A Double Entendre

IMG_7221.PNGMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Advertising company McCann Worldgroup Philippines will be in charge of crafting the new tourism campaign of the country, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said over the weekend.

Tourism undersecretary for advocacy and public affairs Katherine de Castro said the P650-million contract with McCann, which won the bid to be the advertising and promotions partner of the DOT for one year, includes the production and positioning of marketing materials, as well as the formulation of a new tourism slogan.

The Adobo Chronicles spoke with a McCann spokesperson who informed us that the slogan selected for the 2017 tourism year is a take-off from the previous “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

The new slogan is “More Fun in P.I.”

P.I. of course stands for Philippine Islands (although the country is now known by the acronym of ‘PH.’)

But it also stands for ‘P*tang Ina’ (Son of a Whore),  the cuss words often heard from President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in his speeches and interviews.

“President Duterte’s rhetoric and cussing have put the Philippines on the world map and we would like to capitalize on that,” the McCann spokesperson said.

He added: “Why reinvent the wheel when we can just tweak it to reflect the current situation in the Philippines?”

image

 

Apple Adds ‘Alt-Right’ Key To Its Computer Keyboards

IMG_7188.PNGCUPERTINO, California (The Adobo Chronicles, San Jose Bureau) – Technology giant Apple is known for its innovation and for constantly reinventing itself and its products.  This strategy has spelled the company’s tremendous success across the globe.

Occasionally, Apple immerses itself in politics and the current political atmosphere following the election of Donald Trump as the 45th U.S. president is one of those times.

By now, the term Alt-Right (Alternative Right) has become a familiar phrase especially on social media.

The Alternative Right, commonly known as the Alt-Right, is a set of far-right ideologies, groups and individuals whose core belief is that “white identity” is under attack by multicultural forces using “political correctness” and “social justice” to undermine white people and “their” civilization. Characterized by heavy use of social media and online memes, Alt-Righters eschew “establishment” conservatism, skew young, and embrace white ethno-nationalism as a fundamental value.

In keeping up with this new political atmosphere, Apple has just announced that it will be replacing all keyboards on its desktops, laptops, iPhones and iPads with a new design that adds the “Alt-Right” key. The key will be located in the lowermost right corner of the keyboard.  How appropriate

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the addition of this all-important key will enable those who subscribe to the Alternative Right ideologies (and idiosyncrasies) to identify themselves when sending emails, texts or posting on social media. Hitting the “Alt-Right” key will automatically add the hashtag #AlternativeRight to whatever a person is typing on the keyboard.

Welcome to the 22nd century!

image

Imelda Marcos: Melania Trump And I Could Have Been Neighbors

IMG_7148.PNGNEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles, Washington Bureau) – Imagine one entire block in Midtown Manhattan, near the corner of Fifth Avenue and 56th Street.  Imagine two First Ladies living in the same block.

As president-elect Donald Trump announced that his wife Melania and 10-year old son Barron will not be moving to The White House but will remain in their Trump Tower residence, the Philippines’ former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos tweeted, “Melania Trump and I could have been neighbors.”

The Trump Tower is located at 725 Fifth Avenue.  Just across — on 730 Fifth Avenue is The Crown Building, formerly owned by Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.

Imagine Melania and Imelda waving at each other from their respective penthouse suites.  Imagine the two First Ladies meeting up for coffee or shopping in one of the most expensive retail locations in the U.S.

Or, you also imagine one lady snubbing the other: one, a former fashion model; the other a fashion shopper.

It could be a security and traffic nightmare, but it could also be a popular tourist destination for both fans and haters.

But alas, for Imelda, this can now only happen in her dreams.

image