Category Archives: International

Beauty, Diversity, International, Politics, Race Relations

MORE THAN A DOZEN COUNTRIES BOYCOTTING THIS YEAR’S MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT

November 26, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (The Adobo Chronicles) – It’s payback time for Donald Trump!

When the 2015 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant unfolds at the Planet Hollywood resort in Las Vegas on December 20, there will be fewer contestants and none of the traditional top contenders and title holders. It is the biggest boycott of the pageant, owned by the real estate mogul.

It’s all because of Trump’s rhetoric since launching his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president of the United States. He had bashed Mexicans for being criminals and rapists, criticized the Chinese for tourism births (‘anchor babies’), made insensitive remarks about the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and touted the superiority of the white race over colored people.

Among the Latin countries boycotting the pageant in solidarity with Mexico are Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia — all perennial top ten finalists or title holders in the prestigious international beauty contest. Miss China has cancelled her trip to Las Vegas, as has Miss Japan, who is half black. Countries in West Africa have also indicated they will not send their representatives to Las Vegas.

As of presstime, it wasn’t clear whether Miss Philippines will compete in this year’s pageant, although for a different reason.

Earlier reports indicate that a candidate for Philippine president, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, has asked the Philippines to withdraw the candidacy of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who was born in Germany. Duterte is a known ‘birther’ and has questioned the candidacy of Senator Grace Poe, a foundling, whom the mayor says is ineligible to run for president because she is not a natural-born citizen.

The 2015 Miss Universe Pageant will be aired on Fox Channel. This, after NBC and Univision severed their ties with Trump over his remarks on Mexicans.

International, Politics

OBAMA ANGERS RUSSIA’S PUTIN AS AMERICAN PRESIDENT PARDONS TURKEY

November 25, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – Tensions between Russia and the United States escalated today as Moscow received word that President Barack Obama has pardoned Turkey.

Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was recently accused of shooting down a Russian military plane for allegedly crossing Turkish airspace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Moscow that “Obama didn’t have the right to issue the pardon since it was not the United States that was the aggrieved party in this international incident.”

The U.S. State Department however said that it was a case of “lost in translation.” Putin was misinformed and wasn’t made aware that the turkey Obama pardoned was a bird, not the country.

It is an annual White House tradition to pardon a turkey to save it from being served for dinner at Thanksgiving.

Beauty, International, Politics

MAYOR DUTERTE WANTS MISS PHILIPPINES TO WITHDRAW FROM MISS UNIVERSE CONTEST

November 25, 2015 Pol Pinoy 6 Comments

Miss Philippines-Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – If there is one quality that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte can be proud of, it is his consistency.

The on-again, off-again Philippine presidential contender finally confirmed that he is definitely running for president in the 2016 elections, citing as his main reason the fact that he does not want an “American Philippine president.”

Duterte is, of course, referring to Senator Grace Poe, candidate for president and consistent frontrunner in national polls. Her candidacy has been challenged on the grounds that as a foundling whose biological parents have not been identified, she is not a natural-born citizen and is therefore ineligible to become president.

Poe was a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Philippines, but claims she had renounced her U.S. citizenship before she became involved in Philippine politics years ago.

Consistent with his view about Poe, Duterte has asked the Binibining Pilipinas Charities to withdraw the candidacy of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, the country’s representative to next month’s Miss Universe Pageant to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Binibining Pilipinas Charities is the local franchise holder of the Miss Universe Pageant).

Wurtzbach was born in Stuttgard, Germany.

Duterte said that “our candidates to international competitions, including beauty pageants, should be truly representative of our country and people. I cannot accept the fact that we are sending a German-born candidate to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe Pageant.”

Stella Marquez-Araneta, chairperson of Binibining Pilipinas Charities, has not returned calls from The Adobo Chronicles.