Category Archives: International

Business, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, Travel

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FILIPINOS GATHERING IN FRONT OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN MANILA

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Aerial view of Roxas Boulevard in front of the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
Aerial view of Roxas Boulevard in front of the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines

Manila, Philippines – The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines may be in deep trouble.

On Saturday, Ambassador Philip Goldberg encouraged Filipinos to travel to the U.S., saying the visa application process is relatively “easy.”

“The majority of people who apply are approved for visas. It’s rather a standard and very easy process.  You make an appointment, you go in, you have an interview and as long as you are a stable resident of the Philippines, you’re going to get the visa and you enjoy the United States,” Goldberg told reporters at the U.S. Embassy’s road show at a mall in Pasay City.image

Soon after he made this statement, Filipinos started lining up in front of the U.S. Embassy on Roxas Boulevard and by noon Sunday, police authorities estimated the crowd at 500,000. Independent media reports say that the crowd may swell to one million by the time the Embassy offices open at 8:00 a.m. on Monday.

Manila mayor Joseph Estrada said the city has not seen a crowd this big since last year’s Million People March which was organized to protest the pork barrel scandal that rocked the Philippine government.

U.S. Secretary of State John  Kerry is scheduled to fly to Manila later today to meet with Goldberg and deal with this developing situation.

Food, Human Interest, International, Politics

CONGRESSIONAL BILL SEEKS TO MAKE ‘ADOBO’ THE NATIONAL FOOD OF THE PHILIPPINES

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Bill author Congressman Relampagos
Bill author Congressman Relampagos

Quezon City, Philippines – If you think adobo is the national dish of the Philippines, you’re wrong! Well, at least according to one Philippine Congressman’s logic which may actually have some merit.

Representative Rene Relampagos of the province of Bohol has filed a bill in the Philippines’ House of Representatives that would make this popular dish of chicken or pork marinated and simmered in a combination of soy sauce and vinegar as the “official” national food of the Philippines.

While most Filipinos already consider adobo as their national dish, nowhere in the legislative dockets does it say so, unlike the Philippine Eagle as the national bird or Sampaguita as the national flower.

Chicken adobo (photo courtesy of www.MyBayKitchen.com)
Chicken adobo (photo courtesy of http://www.MyBayKitchen.com)

House Bill 3926 will also make the jeepney as the national vehicle, barong tagalog and baro’t saya as national costumes, mango as national fruit, and, read this – Dr. Jose Rizal as national hero!

Congressman Relampagos also wants The Adobo Chronicles to become the official gazette of the Philippine government.

Well, Mr. Congressman,  we at The Adobo Chronicles are very honored but we can’t comment because that would constitute a conflict of interest.  But we will gladly report the facts as your bill moves through the respectable congress.

Festivals, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, Same-sex Marriage, The Media, Travel

ARIZONA GOVERNOR JAN BREWER WILL BE GRAND MARSHALL IN SAN FRANCISCO’S 2014 GAY PRIDE PARADE

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imageSan Francisco, California – San Francisco’s Gay Pride Parade, the largest such celebration in the world, has just identified its Grand Marshall for 2014. It’s no other than Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

The SF Pride Committee met in an executive session today following Brewer’s announcement that she was vetoing Arizona’s Senate Bill 1062 which would have legalized discrimination against lgbt people on the grounds of religious rights.

Soon after she vetoed the bill, U.S. media outlets – recovering from a slow news day today – flashed the news report on their websites, news alerts and live broadcasts. The social media also burst with posts, even among self-identified gay men and women, praising Brewer for her act of courage.

The Pride Committee said that no other act by an individual merits the honor of being named Grand Marshall . “We might even double the parade attendance by the potential of Arizona residents coming to San Francisco in June to support their well-loved governor,” the committee said.

Upon hearing about the Pride Committee’s decision, the National Coalition of Gay Immigrant Associations ( NCGIA) annouunced that it will boycott the SF Pride Parade this year, citing Brewer’s anti-immigrant record. She signed into law  Arizona’s SB 1070, the most stringent anti-immigrant law in the country.