Category Archives: International

International, Politics

BEAUTY PAGEANT BAN FOR PHILIPPINES LIFTED

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Newly-crowned 2013 Miss Earth, Alyz Henrich of Venezuela (Photo credit: Rappler.com)
Newly-crowned 2013 Miss Earth, Alyz Henrich of Venezuela (Photo credit: Rappler.com)

Muntinlupa City, Philippines  (EXCLUSIVE to The Adobo Chronicles) – Last month, The Adobo Chronicles broke the story about the decision by the Association of Beauty Pageant Franchise Holders (ABPFH) to disqualify the Philippines from international beauty pageants in the next two years, along with Venezuela and Brazil.  The decision was based on the  extraordinary record of the three countries in winning the titles of the major beauty pageants and for consistently making it to the top 5 in the pageant finals.  Close to three million netizens took to Facebook and Twitter to protest that decision, but the ABPFH did not budge.

Yesterday, however, the ABPFH announced that it has lifted the ban for both the Philippines and Brazil after winners of the 2013 Miss Earth Beauty Pageant held in the Philippines were named.  Miss Venezuela, Alyz Henrich, won the title. Miss Brazil didn’t make it to the top 16.  Although Miss Philippines Angelee de los Reyes was among the 8 finalists, ABPFH said it wasn’t good enough to maintain the Philippines’ winning streak of always being in the top 5.

Venezuela, Brazil and the Philippines hold the record of having won the title for all the major international beauty pageants. Venezuela  added another feather to its cap when it won the 2013 Mr. International Pageant held in Jakarata, Indonesia last month.

It remains to be seen whether Filipino netizens will praise the ABPFH decision to lift the ban for the Philippines or criticize it for dismissing and devaluing  the “top 8” performance of Miss Philippines.

Business, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, Sports

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS POUR IN FOR PACQUIAO RELIEF

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imageSarangani, Philippines – While the Filipino people were still celebrating Manny Pacquiao’s victory over American Brandon Rios in last Saturday’s title fight in Macau, China, the Pinoy boxing champ has already set foot in the Haiyan typhoon-ravaged region of the Philippines, ready to personally provide relief to calamity victims using his own funds.

There was one problem. A Philippine court has frozen billions of pesos in Pacquiao’s bank accounts. The reason: the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR),  the Philippine counterpart of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), wants to see the original receipts to prove that the boxer paid taxes on his prize earnings.

The BIR, which has the distinct honor of consistently being voted the most corrupt government entity in the Philippines, seems to believe that the IRS issues “original receipts” for paid or withheld taxes like the ones customers get when they purchase items from a grocery store.

Both HBO and boxing promoter Top Rank have indicated that taxes were duly withheld from payments made to Pacquiao and subsequently electronically remitted to the IRS.  But a statement from the BIR said, ” Well, we haven’t had our share of the pie.”

Upon learning of Pacquiao’s predicament, international fans of the boxer — individuals and companies alike — immediately set up a special relief fund for the boxer so that he can fulfill a promise he made earlier to personally help those affected by the super typhoon. As of this writing, the Manny Pacquaio Relief Fund has raised Two Million Dollars which is equivalent to over Eighty Million Philippine pesos.  Offcials at the BIR are reportedly fuming because by law, they cannot touch a single centavo of funds designated for relief.

Double taxation has made a double champion of Pacquiao!

Business, Food, International, Politics

PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY AWARDED SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN PRIZE

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DTIOslo, Norway – A special Nobel Prize was announced today by the board of governors of this annual international award-giving body.  The recipient: the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) . This once-in-a-blue-moon award is given to an individual or entity that comes up with and implements an above par humanitarian idea leading to the relief of citizens and countries in need, especially those affected by severe natural disasters.

The only other time the special humanitarian prize was awarded was in 1913 – exactly 100 years ago — but no record exists on who received that award.  The very first Nobel awards were given out in 1901. It is believed that an intern working for the Nobel organization in 1913 misplaced the records.

DTI was awarded the humanitarian prize for its brilliant idea to help Filipinos in many provinces in Central Philippines who were left homeless and hungry in the aftermath of the strongest typhoon ever to make landfall anywhere in history. Billed “Diskwento Caravan”  (Discount Caravan), the DTI project offered basic goods at discounted prices, including bottled water, canned goods, coffee, milk, noodles, rice, biscuits, bread, condiments and personal care products. DTI regional director for Central Visayas Asteria Caberte said that through the caravans, the department is helping replenish local supply of goods to stabilize the situation in those provinces.

Asked by The Adobo Chronicles why there was a need to “sell” the goods to the typhoon victims when millions of cash and donated items have been pouring in from all over the world to help with typhoon relief, DTI said “We work independently from private relief agencies or the local governments. We are only concerned with our own project and it is in addition to what relief operations are already out there.”  It added: “We are proud of what we’re doing to help our countrymen in need, while making a little money ourselves to boost our department’s discretionary funds.”

The special Nobel medal will be given out at a special ceremony in Oslo on Christmas eve.