DMV | The Adobo Chronicles

SAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Company vehicles like those of television stations, hotels, airport shuttles or even Google are marked with painted logos or personalized (vanity) licensed plates. Even The Adobo Chronicles has its special license plate, ‘My Adobo’ on its company car used to transport its reporters covering events and breaking news.

While anyone in California can pay extra money to get a less boring personalized vehicle license plate, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employs a three-person license plate police team that monitors, approves or cancels vanity license plates that may be offensive, racist or insensitive.

Last month, the DMV cancelled the license plate of a Southern California driver after grasping its double meaning: ‘NOT SEE.’ The other meaning was, of course, anti-Semitic.

The three-person team, which reviewed more than 100,000 orders for vanity plates last year, rejects about 25 applications a day — requests like “BUBEEEE,” “BURN 01” and “M16 GRL” that run afoul of prohibitions on references to guns, drugs and certain body parts.

Today, The Adobo Chronicles received a demand letter from DMV asking us to surrender our license plate, ‘My Adobo.’

The letter didn’t exactly say what was offensive about our special license plate, but when we called DMV, they said our license plate was offensive to many non-Filipinos who are vegetarian, vegan or who are allergic to the smell of garlic and vinegar. Adobo is the Philippines’ national dish consisting of chicken or pork that’s simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and garlic.

As a law-abiding company based in the California, we absolutely want to adhere to government regulations and decisions, so we are asking our loyal readers and followers to suggest a new license plate that will be less offensive to non-Filipinos in America.

Honolulu. Hawaii – Last week, The Adobo Chronicles broke the story about Hawaiian Airlines implementing new procedures whereby early boarding will be extended to ticketed passengers who can say “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a,” the name of Hawaii’s state fish. Read the story here.

Today, Aloha Airlines announced that it will be offering free first class upgrades to any ticketed economy passengers who can say — in one breath – “Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele.” It is the name of a Hawaii woman who recently complained that local officials are trying to get her to change her lengthy last name because it exceeds the number of characters allowed on state-issued identification cards.

Janice “Lokelani” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele was able to convince the governor’s office to issue a special ID that could fit her entire surname, but when it expired earlier this year, she was right back where she started.

The problem, Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele says, is that her driver’s license was printed with just an abbreviated version of her family name — her first and middle name were completely left off.

Hawaii’s Department of Motor Vehicles had asked her to change her name “to make it easy for everyone.” She refuses to do so.

Aloha Airlines said that their new offer is in keeping with the company’s mission statement to uphold the preservation of the Hawaiian culture.

So, for passengers of Hawaiian or Aloha Airlines, it is no longer enough to be able to say “Aloha.” If they want perks like early boarding or first class upgrades, they should be able to say, “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” or “Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele.”