Category Archives: International

TRUMP ENTERTAINMENT RESORTS FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY; WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT?

101899939-50816074.530x298Atlantic City, New Jersey (The Adobo Chronicles) – There may be a reason that the venue for the next Miss Universe Pageant has not yet been identified. Is it because its owner, Donald Trump, is in financial trouble? Will the pageant, which was first staged in 1952, be shut down?

Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc, which runs two casinos in Atlantic City, filed for bankruptcy protection for a third time, in another blow to the city’s crumbling casino industry. One of the Trump casinos, is expected to close next week.

Trump Entertainment, which Donald Trump founded but no longer controls, operates the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort and the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, the second-largest U.S. gambling destination after Las Vegas.

Trump owns many other real estate properties and businesses elsewhere, including New York, Florida, Hawaii and Las Vegas.

Miss Universe Pageant’s Future In Doubt?

Trump, left and Tan
Trump, left, and Tan

There has been a lot of speculation that due to financial troubles, Trump is getting ready to give up the Miss Universe Organization of which he is president. This would mean the end of the 62 year-old pageant.

The Philippines, which has produced two Miss Universe titles — Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margarita Moran in 1974 — is said to have put in a bid to host the next Miss Universe either in Cebu or Palawan, two provinces that have gained enormous popularity among tourists.

Filipino Billionaire Businessman Wants To Buy The Rights For Miss Universe

Reliable sources have also informed The Adobo Chronicles that Filipino billionaire Lucio Tan is preparing an offer to Trump to purchase the rights for the Miss Universe and to make the Philippines the permanent site for future pageants. Tan recently gained full control of Philippine Airlines by purchasing a 49 percent stake in the company which was previously controlled by San Miguel Corporation.

Can Tan save Miss Universe from bankruptcy?

 

PHILIPPINE AGENCIES HELD ON TO ‘HAIYAN’ RELIEF FUNDS, THINKING THEY WERE ‘RESERVE’ FUNDS

File photo: a message in chalk from typhoon Haiyan victims
File photo: a message in chalk from typhoon Haiyan victims

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Some 1.58 Billion pesos in typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) relief funds remained unspent in the hands of several Philippine government agencies, according to a report by the country’s Commission on Audit.

The funds were part of donations given by governments and private individuals and groups  to help victims of the worst typhoon ever to make landfall in the Philippines.  Haiyan’s first year anniversary is coming up. To this day, many typhoon victims remain homeless, without jobs or still waiting for financial aid and support services.

In defending government agencies like the Departments of Social Welfare and Development,  Health, Interior and Local Govenrments, Public Highways, and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Office of the President said that at the time of the audit, the government was waiting to first spend the calamity funds under the General Appropriations before it touched the privately-donated relief funds.

In addition to the donated funds, an investigation is ongoing regarding millions of pesos worth of food and other relief goods that were spoiled and never reached the typhoon victims.

In ‘off-the-record’ conversations between presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma and Malacañang (presidential palace) reporters, he admitted that the heads of government agencies concerned innocently thought the donations were ‘reserve’ funds, not relief funds. “They were savng them for a rainy day,” he said. Or perhaps, the next typhoon.

Now we know.

 

OBAMA ILLEGALLY CROSSES THE BORDER AT STONEHEDGE

 

Obama at Stonehedge
Obama at Stonehedge

Wiltshire, England (The Adobo Chronicles) – Just as U.S. President Barack Obama announced that he was putting off his promise to use his executive powers to reshape the country’s broken immigration system involving millions who crossed the U.S. border illegally, the international media are now reporting that Obama himself illegally crossed a border — that of Stonehedge.

Stonehedge is the world’s most famous pre-historic monument located in Wiltshire, England that is among the most visited shrines by world  tourists.

Tourists could only view  Stonehedge from outside the border fence
Tourists could only view Stonehedge from outside the border fence

In an effort to preserve the integrity of the monument, British authorities have built a border fence around it to the dismay of visitors  who could only view this wonder from outside the border.

In his last stop following the NATO summit held last week in Newport, Wales, Obama visited the Stonehedge and illegally crossed the border fence. He was photographed standing right in the middle of the stone structures.

American Spandan C., an avid supporter of Obama who was at Stonehedge just a couple of weeks ago, expressed deep disappointment and disgust that his idol got to stand  and be photographed close to the monument and he could not.

“It’s hypocritical for Obama to renege on his promise to legalize the status of millions who had crossed the U.S. border when he himself is guilty of the same offense ” Spandan said.