Category Archives: Politics

Economy, International, Politics

PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT AQUINO TOUTS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN A SPEECH IN MADRID, CITES WORSENING TRAFFIC

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imageMadrid, Spain (The Adobo Chronicles) – Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino, who is visiting Spain, took time to speak before the Filipino community in Madrid, touting the accomplishments of his administration.

Aquino took credit for his country’s improved economy, the successful war against government corruption, massive upgrading of airports, and even the impressive showing of the Philippine basketball team at the ongoing World Cup.

“We have also seen a change in the nightmarish traffic situation in Metro Manila and other urban cities,” Aquino said, “it has gotten worse.”  Aquino received a standing ovation after he made this statement.

Meanwhile, hours after boasting of the country’s economy, the Philippine peso lost 0.5 percent at 44.130 pesos to the U.S. dollar, the weakest rate since August 8.

Back in the Philippines, Aquino’s critics said the president needs a new eyeglass prescription. “His bifocals seem to let him see two different things at any given time: his imaginary reality and the real plight of the country outside of the presidential palace,” they said.

Business, Food, LGBT, Politics

FILIPINO AMERICAN LGBTs PROTEST NEW ‘HECHO’ NAME OF FORMER BANDIDOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT

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Mapa
Mapa

San Francisco, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Yesterday, The Adobo Chronicles reported that the newly-opened Mexican restaurant in the Castro changed its name from Bandidos to Hecho.

The name change came after a small group of Latino Americans headed by openly-gay Latina comedian Marga Gómez protested the name Bandidos which they said was offensive to Mexican Americans. It is a Spanish word for “criminal” or “outlaw.”

Well, the name change didn’t put an end to the controversy. Now a group of Filipino Americans living and working in the Castro is protesting the new name. In Tagalog slang, the plural of Hecho sounds too close to  a Filipino term, echos, which means “lie.”  When someone is called echosero or echosera, it means he or she is a liar.

“We are thrilled that a new Mexican restaurant has opened in the Castro,”  the group said, “especially because Mexican cuisine is similar in many ways to Filipino food. But to name the restaurant  Hecho is offensive to us, Pinoys (slang for Filipino).

The group is headed by openly-gay Filipino American actor and comedian Alec Mapa, a San Francisco native. It is scheduled to meet with Hecho’s owners early next week.

Will Bandidos, a.k.a. Hecho change its name yet again?  How about just “The Mexican Restaurant?”

 

 

Politics, The Media, Tourism

ASIAN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS WANT TO ERASE ‘CHINAMAN’ FROM HAWAII

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Oahu's Mokoli'i Island, a.k.a. 'Chinaman's Hat'
Oahu’s Mokoli’i Island, a.k.a. ‘Chinaman’s Hat’

San Francisco, California (The Adobo Chronicles) –  The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), a national membership organization composed of Asian Americans working in mainstream media, has sent a strongly-worded letter to the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) demanding that the name ‘Chinaman’ be erased from all literature and references to Chinaman’s Hat, a famed attraction on the island of Oahu.

Located in Kāne’ohe Bay, Chinaman’s Hat, also known as Mokoli’i Island, is a scenic wonder resembling that of a cone-shaped straw hat often seen worn in several countries in Southeast Asia.

But the term ‘Chinaman’ is considered derogatory, according to AAJA and other Asian American groups. MediaWatch, AAJA’s watchdog arm, has been calling out news organizations  that have printed or broadcast terms, phrases or statements that are considered racist, discriminatory or offensive to the Asian American community in the U.S.

In its stylebook distributed to newsrooms, AAJA has this to say about the term:

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The Adobo Chronicles learned that HTC has yet to receive the letter which was supposedly sent by registered mail from AAJA’s headquarters in San Francisco. Nevertheless, HTC questioned why it has taken this long for AAJA to demand this change, when Chinaman’s Hat has been the name of this tourist attraction for many decades, perhaps even predating the journalist organization.

“Besides,” HTC said, “it will cost the state tourism body millions of dollars to make the change, having to update all tourism videos, brochures, and web sites, not to mention the cost of re-educating both Hawaii residents and tourists about a new name.”

What could that new name be?  Perhaps, the island could be renamed after Hawaii’s state fish,  humuhumunukunukuapua’a ? That would seem appropriate.