Tag Archives: China

Sports

GILAS PILIPINAS TEAM LOSES TO CHINA; FILIPINOS CRY: ‘HOMETOWN DECISION!’

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Photo credit: FIBA
Photo credit: FIBA

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – The Philippines’ national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, failed again in its bid to win the FIBA Asia Championship when it lost to China, 78-67 on October 3rd. It had to settle for silver, just like it did in the last championship when it lost to Iran.

The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship game was held in Changsha, Huna, China.

Filipinos were quick to cry ‘foul’ and maintained that China’s win was a “hometown decision.”

Congressman Manny Pacquiao, himself a basketball playing coach, called for a rematch, this time to be held in Manila.

It’s been one frustration after another for the Filipinos — from the Philippines failing to win the last Miss Universe Pageant to Pacquiao losing to Floyd Mayweather last May.

President NoyNoy Aquino ordered that the Philippine flag be hoisted at half mast in all government offices for the entire week starting Monday, in solemn observance of Gilas’ loss to China.

Aquino said that the Philippines’ loss could only strenghten his resolve to fight China in its territorial claim over the disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Economy, Government, Politics, Religion

VICE PRESIDENT BINAY PROPOSES ONE-CHILD POLICY FOR PHILIPPINES

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imageMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles®)  – Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay who, according to the latest polls, has slipped to third place among the three declared presidential candidates — behind the Aquino Administration’s bet Mar Roxas and Senator Grace Poe who remains in first place — has proposed a major shift in Philippine policy.

Diverting his campaign strategy away from personal attacks and more on issues important to the Filipino people, Binay today unveiled his bold proposal to address the problem of overpopulation and poverty in this nation of 100 Million people.

Speaking to reporters at an impromptu press conference at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, Binay said that if elected president, he will propose and implement a one-child policy for the Philippines, similar to that put in place by China in 1978.

China’s policy is aimed at alleviating social, economic and environmental problems in this country of over a billion people.

Binay, a devout Catholic, is confident that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will support his plan, as long as it doesn’t involve any means of artificial birth control.

In  justifying his proposal, Binay cited the fact the U.S. State of California is bigger in land size than the entire Philippines, and yet the Filipino population is  almost three times that of California (see illustration).

The vice president is proposing a fine of one hundred thousand pesos or a prison term of one year for both parents who would violate the one-child policy. Unmarried parents would pay double the fine  or would suffer a two-year prison term.

“It’s about time we solved the problem of overpopulation in our country once and for all,” Binay said.

 

 

International, Military

U.S. TO PHILIPPINES: “DON’T ACT LIKE A PRODIGAL SON!”

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Subic Bay
Subic Bay

SUBIC BAY, Philippines  (The Adobo Chronicles® ) — Almost twenty five years ago, the Philippines expelled the United States from Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City, then the largest overseas outpost of the American military.  Riding on nationalistic and anti-colonial sentiments of the Filipinos, lawmakers closed the base and promised that Uncle Sam’s armed forces would never ever occupy and control any part of the country again.

Fast forward to 2015: the Philippines is embroiled in a major territorial dispute with giant China which has laid claim to a vast expanse of the sea west of the archipelago. It has asked the U.S. government for hundreds of millions of dollars to fund and strengthen its own military, one of the weakest in Asia, so as to be able to deal with aggressive threats from China. But so far, the Obama administration has snubbed the request because it worries that the political corruption in the Philippines could  all but divert the resources into some unauthorized use.

The Philippines is also contemplating on reopening Subic to the U.S. military.

Republican members of the U.S. Congress’ Armed Services Committee are not keen on financially or militarily supporting the Philippines either, saying that the Asian country is acting like a “prodigal son.” The congressmen said : “They kicked us out when it was convenient for them, and now they want us back because it is convenient for them.”

Since the term of President Aquino is up in 2016, it will  be up to his successor to convince the United States on the merits of reopening Subic Bay and providing hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to the Philippines.

Most Filipinos –who are devout Catholics —  are confident that just like in the biblical account of the prodigal son, the U.S. will eventually welcome back the Philippines with open arms, or in this case, the Philippines will welcome back the U.S. military to Subic Bay.