Tag Archives: APEC

Economy, Government, International, Travel

WHY OBAMA WAS A NO-SHOW AT APEC SUMMIT WELCOME RITES

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Obama watching the sunset at Manila Bay
Obama watching the sunset at Manila Bay

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – There were only twenty world leaders  who showed up at the welcome rites for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit Meeting Wednesday afternoon. There should have been  twenty one. Missing was U.S. President Barack Obama.

In a statement explaining Obama’s absence, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Manila said that a schedule conflict prevented the president from attending the opening rites.

The statement said Obama didn’t want to miss seeing the world-famous sunset at Manila Bay, so he stayed in his hotel watching from the balcony (see photo).

”He misses his home state of Hawaii and the Manila Bay sunset reminded him of the equally stunning senset of his native islands,” the statement added.

Well, even presidents are entilted to be homesick.

Economy, Government, International

PHILIPPINES: NO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, ONLY BETWEEN FOREIGN VIPs AND FILIPINO MASSES

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imageMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – If there is one thing that foreign dignitaries and delegates attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Manila this week will learn about the Philippines, it is the fact that in this Catholic nation of 100 Million people, there is no separation of church and state, but there is separation between VIPs and the Filipino masses.

The Catholic Church holds extreme influence over the political, social and personal lives of the Filipinos — enough to oust a dictator, influence who gets voted in elections, and dictate the moral and other values of the population.

But in terms of the rich and the poor, the VIPs and the common people, the haves and the have-nots, there is undeniably a dividing line, and it shows in the streets of Metro Manila, where lanes of major thoroughfares are off limits to non VIPs, and ordinary Filipino citizens have to walk for miles in scorching heat to get to and from work or school while APEC dignitaries breeze through the city streets in their airconditioned BMW and Mercedes Benz limousines.

This truly is an ‘economic’ summit, where world leaders spend days of rhetoric discussing the plight of the haves and the have-nots. Perhaps more of the haves.

Economy, Government, International, Law Enforcement, Travel

TEN SACRIFICES FILIPINOS WILL HAVE TO MAKE FOR THE SAKE OF THE APEC SUMMIT IN MANILA

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Photo credit : Carlo De Castro
Photo credit : Carlo De Castro

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – World leaders will gather in Manila this week for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, and the Philippines is putting its best foot forward to make the meeting a huge and memorable success — for the visitors.

Meanwhile, Filipinos have been asked by their goverment to make ‘small’ sacrifices:

  1. Postpone or cancel travel plans because international and domestic commercial flights into and out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have  been cancelled to make way for arriving and departing APEC dignitaries and delegates.
  2. Give up a week’s worth of wages and/or productivity due to the closure of private and public offices.
  3. Give up a week’s worth of new knowledge because of the closure of schools.
  4. Expect interruption of Internet connectivity because the cyberspace has been reserved for exclusive APEC use only.
  5. Give up two lanes of busy roadways (see photo) to ensure that APEC delegates will not be late for their meetings and cocktail receptions.
  6. For residents of high-rise condominiums along or near the APEC meeting venues: keep their curtains closed at all times and avoid hanging out in their balconies — for security reasons.
  7. For the homeless population: give up a week’s worth of panhandling earnings because they will be rounded up and hidden from public view.
  8. There will be shortened hours for shopping at all Metro Manila malls and mega malls.
  9. Postpone or cancel all romantic dates along the famed Manila Bay and Roxas Boulevard, site of the APEC meetings — again for security reasons.
  10. Last but not the least, there will be no episode of AlDub, the street series of the popular noontime TV Show, ‘Eat Bulaga’ on GMA Channel 7.

It might as well be ‘Holy Week’ for all Filipino catholics!

On the positive side, there will be no cases of laglag bala at NAIA all week!