Category Archives: International

(Biased) Philippine Media React To Pope Francis’ Statement On Journalism

September 22, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chroncles, Manila Bureau) – Journalism based on gossip or rumors is a form of “terrorism,” Pope Francis told an Italian guild of national journalists Thursday.

The pope said that spreading rumors is an example of “terrorism, of how you can kill a person with your tongue”, he said. “This is even more true for journalists because their voice can reach everyone and this is a very powerful weapon.”

Reacting to the pope’s statement, a coalition of biased Philippine media issued a joint statement criticizing the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The coalition members include ABS-CBN, GMA-7, Rappler and the Philippines Daily Inquirer.

In its statement, the coalition admonished Pope Francis, saying that “The Vatican should not be meddling in internal affairs of the Philippines and its media. Does the Holy Father know about separation of church and state?”

The concerned media organizations denied they were “terrorists.” “We only report what we see with our own yellow eyes,” they said.

In addition to the news media, some netizens signed the statement, including Raissa Robles, Jim Paredes, Leah Navarro, Carlos Celdran and Cynthia Patag.

Government, International, Politics

Philippine Senator Leila De Lima Vying To Be The Next U.N. Secretary General

September 22, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles, Washington Bureau) – Now we know why Philippine Senator Leila De Lima has been waging an all–out war against the alleged extra-judicial killings under the Duterte administration, weathering the resulting political fallout while trying to downplay accusations that she herself benefited from the drug trade proliferation inside the New Bilibid Prison during her tenure as Secretary of Justice.

She wants to be the next U.N. Secretary General to succeed Ban Ki Moon who is stepping down at the end of this year after six terms.

She has been consciously building a reputation as a lone woman crusader on human rights and a no-nonsense defender of the rule of law — qualities that auger well for the position of secretary general.

There is a strong clamor at the U.N. for the international body to elect a woman to replace Ban Ki Moon. Clearly, De Lima has that advantage.

Is De Lima qualified to be secretary general?

It doesn’t matter. There are no established criteria for the position, other than the process of selection :

Article 97 of the UN Charter provides that, “The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” In other words, Article 97 creates a two-stage process: a recommendation by the Security Council followed by a decision by the General Assembly.

So all De Lima needs to do now is to schmooze with members of the Security Council.

Schmoozing seems to be one of De Lima’s strengths. Or maybe not.