Tag Archives: Manila

Philippines Is First Country To Purchase Human Passenger Drone From China

January 9, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (The Adobo Chronicles ) — Chinese drone maker Ehang Inc. has unveiled what it calls the world’s first drone capable of carrying a human passenger, and the Philippines was the first country to place an order for use by President NoyNoy Aquino.

The Guangzhou, China-based company pulled the cloth off the Ehang 184 at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the CES gadget show. In a company video showing it flying, it looks like a small helicopter but with four doubled propellers spinning parallel to the ground like other drones.

The electric-powered drone can be fully charged in two hours, carry up to 220 pounds and fly for 23 minutes at sea level, according to Ehang. The cabin fits one person and a small backpack and even has air conditioning and a reading light. With propellers folded up, it’s designed to fit in a single parking spot.

It is designed to fly about 1,000 to 1,650 feet off the ground with a maximum altitude of 11,500 feet and top speed of 63 miles per hour.

After setting a flight plan, passengers only need to give two commands, “take off” and “land,” each controlled by a single click on a Microsoft Surface tablet, the company said.

The traffic in Metro Manila in the Philippines is so bad that even the president cannot navigate its streets and thoroughfares without being stuck on the road for hours at a time.

“The human drone is perfect for the president so he can go about his daily duties without having to worry about traffic, especially in Metro Manila,” according to a spokesperson for Aquino.

While the spokesperson refused to disclose Aquino’s weight, he assured reporters that the president definitely weighs less than 220 pounds.

Government, Travel

Philippines To Import Quadruple-Deckers To Ease Metro Manila’s Traffic Nightmare

January 8, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya today announced that the Philippine government will soon import a fleet of quadruple-decker buses from Japan as a way to ease Metro Manila’s worsening traffic and mass transportation nightmares.

Abaya, who is facing calls for his resignation because of his failure to address unsurmountable issues with MRT, Manila’s light railway system, as well as daily traffic gridlock in the metropolis, said his boss, President NoyNoy Aquino, has given the go-signal for the importation. The money needed to purchase the buses will come from DAP, the president’s taxpayer-funded Disbursement Acceleration Program.

The announcement comes just days after the Aquino government said it will phase out some 600,000 public utility jeepneys (PUJ) that are at least 15 years old.

In preparation for the arrival of the quaduple-deckers, the Department of Highways will begin dismantling overpasses along EDSA and other major thoroughfares in order to accommodate the height of the buses.

“We will finally see the end of long lines at the MRT stations as well as congested streets,” Abaya said.

Government, International, Travel

Millions Of Manila Residents Seeking Refugee Status In The U.S., Europe

January 3, 2016 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Filipinos lining up outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – In just the first few days of 2016, the embassies of the U.S. and other European countries in the Philippines have reported a sharp increase in applications for refugee status, mostly from Manila residents.

The increase came immediately after John Forbes, a senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, said that “at the rate the traffic situation is getting worse, Metro Manila may become uninhabitable within four years.”

Many of the applicants saw the prediction as an easy ticket for them to secure visas or legal documents to live in the U.S, and European countries like Germany, Spain, France and the U.K. To this day, it is extremely difficult for Filipinos to secure even just a tourist visa, especially to the U.S.

Metro Manila’s traffic situation has reached a crisis point over the last decade, making life miserable for residents.

Most of the refugee status applicants have claimed ‘economic and social persecution’ as a result of Metro Manila’s mass transportation and traffic woes which would qualify them for refugee status under the United Nations Charter.