Category Archives: International

TRAVEL ADVISORY ISSUED FOR AMERICANS VISITING MANILA

NAIA sink hole (Photo: ABS-CBN News)
NAIA sink hole (Photo: ABS-CBN News)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles® ) –  The U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory to all Americans and others intending to visit Manila.

“The safety of our citizens is a priority concern,” the advisory said, “so we are advising Americans to postpone or cancel non-essential travel, or to be extremely careful when visiting the Philippines, especially when arriving in or departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The travel advisory was issued after an arriving foreign national sank into a 2-ft sink hole while waiting in line at NAIA’s immigration counter. The platform he was standing in suddenly collapsed.

Earlier this year, arriving and departing passengers  were drenched with rainwater after part of the airport terminal ceiling collapsed and leaked during a heavy rainstorm.

NAIA is known to be among the worst airports in the world where overcrowding, long lines, confusing signage, non-working toilets and indoor heatwaves are an everyday occurrence.

Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters today that Americans who absolutely need to travel to Manila can still do so, but at their own risk.

MCWHOPPER JOY: MCDONALDS, BURGER KING AND JOLLIBEE JOIN HANDS ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

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The McWhopper Joy meal combo

NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – On September 21, the world commemorates the International Day of Peace as designated by the United Nations General Assembly.  It also marks the U.N. body’s opening day of its annual meeting.

To create greater awareness of the occasion, Burger King has proposed opening up a pop-up store in a parking lot between McDonald’s and Burger King in Atlanta, Georgia.

The goal? To operate one restaurant for one day staffed by employees of both companies and selling a burger called the McWhopper, a blend of the Big Mac and the Whopper, the best-selling burgers at McDonald’s and Burger King.

Sales proceeds would be donated to Peace One Day, a nonprofit group seeking to raise awareness of the International Day of Peace.

To make it a truly international event, the Philippines’ top fast food company, Jollibee, is joining the effort and will add its famous spaghetti to the day’s special meal package. Jollibee will even throw in a medium soda and a small cup of frozen yogurt.

September 21 also happens to be the anniversary of the official proclamation of Martial Law by the late Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1972.

“We’ll be hitting two birds with one stone,” said Ernesto Tan Mantiong, Chief Executive Officer of Jollibee. “It shows our commitment to world peace and the rule of law.”

The McDonald’s-Burger King-Jollibee meal combo will be called McWhopper Joy. (Jollibee’s famous chicken is called ‘Chicken Joy.’)

DONALD TRUMP NOW WANTS TO SECURE AMERICA’S AIRPORTS TO PREVENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Photo credit: USA Today
Photo credit: USA Today

DALLAS, Texas  (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Donald Trump may have been focusing on the wrong country — Mexico — in his campaign to end illegal immigration. Building a great wall along the entire stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border has been the focal point of his campaign.

A new report from the Migration Policy Institute says that Asians now outpace Mexicans in terms of undocumented immigrant growth.

China, South Korea, India and the Philippines are among the top ten countries with the fastest growth of undocumented immigrants.

Reacting to the report, Trump unveiled a new plan to secure America’s airports to prevent undocumented immigrants or potential undocumented immigrants from entering the country.

The Republican candidate’s plan is for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from the Department of Homeland Security to board all arriving international flights and check passports and visas even before the passengers disembark.  Passengers from Asian countries  — regardless of whether or not they have valid visas — will be subject to intense interviews by the agents to determine whether they have the potential to overstay their visas.

Pregnant women, regardless of nationality, will be automatically denied entry, a move that another presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, supports. Bush recently made public statements against ‘anchor babies,’ children born in the U.S. to non-citizen mothers.

Paasengers who do not pass the on-board inspection and interview will not be allowed to disembark and will be sent right back to the flight’s country of origin.

“The best way to curb illegal immigation is to do it right at the source — the airports,” Trump said, “and the best time to prevent anchor babies is before they are born.