Tag Archives: One Direction

Entertainment, Music

FOREIGN CONCERT ARTISTS UNITE TO BOYCOTT THE PHILIPPINES

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New Directions
One Direction

LOS ANGELES, California  (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Foreign concert artists continue to run afoul of the Philippines’ strict moral and other standards, and they are uniting to skip the country for their world music tours.

In 2012, a Lady Gaga Manila concert attracted widespread protest due to supposedly anti-Christian lyrics in one of the singer’s hits. And earlier this year, two members of One Direction paid bonds of roughly $4,500 before their performance in Manila, due to their casual admission of marijuana use in a video released last year.

This week, Grammy Award winner Chris Brown was barred from leaving the country after a one-day concert in Manila because of fraud charges brought against him by an influential church group. The charges stemmed from the singer’s non-appearance at a New Year’s Eve concert at the Philippine Arena, owned by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ).

Earlier today, Madonna, who had just announced she has chosen the Philippines as the only country in Asia that would be included in her Rebel Heart Tour, said she decided to cancel her February 2016 concert at the Mall of Asia in Manila, in solidarity with Brown.

The boycott could either deprive Filipinos of the chance to see their favorite international artists, or possibly enhance the careers of local singers and performers. After all, Filipino artists are among the best in the world.

 

 

 

International, Music

BREAKING NEWS: FILIPINOS WANT A REFUND OF ONE DIRECTION CONCERT TICKETS

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imageMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – The 5-member English band One Direction is now a quartet, after one of its members, Zayn Malik quit the group just as it was scheduled to stage a concert in Manila.

No reason was given for Malik’s sudden resignation, but many are speculating that it was because of the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration’s decision to impose a marijuana bond on Malik and one other band member to ensure that the duo will not smoke or promote the smoking of weed during their Philippine concert tour.  The Philippines had earlier imposed the payment of a bond in the amount of two hundred pesos each for the duo which would be forefeited if they are caught smoking or promoting MJ during their Philippines visit.

Upon learning of the news, thousands of Filipino music fans stormed the concert venue at the Mall of Asia demanding a refund of their concert  tickets, saying that they paid for five band members, not four.

As of press time, it wasn’t clear whether or not the concert will even be held as scheduled.

It is a a clear sign that no foreign group can mess with Filipinos.

Government, International, Law Enforcement, Music, Travel

PHILIPPINES’ BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION IMPOSES MARIJUANA BOND ON VISITING ONE DIRECTION BAND

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One Direction Band (Photo: band's Instagram page)
One Direction Band (Photo: band’s Instagram page)

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration is requiring two members of the English-Irish band One Direction to post cash bonds of 200,000 pesos ($5,000 ) each, to be forfeited if they are caught using or promoting illegal drugs while in Manila for their concert this weekend.

Immigration spokeswoman Elaine Tan said Thursday that Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison required Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson to post the bond through their concert producer for their special work permits. The five-member band performs on March 21 and 22 at the Mall of Asia.

The Anti-Drugs Advocate group has called on the bureau to strictly scrutinize the band members’ permits following a video that circulated on the Internet of Malik and Tomlinson purportedly smoking marijuana.

When reached by The Adobo Chronicles for comment at London’s Heathrow Airport just before their flight to Manila, Malik and Tomlinson said “$5,000 is nothing compared to what we’re getting paid for our concert appearance, so it’s no big deal. It’s just a chunk of change.”

Tomlinson also assured their Filipino fans that they will not violate any ant-marijuana laws while in the Philippines. “We will not be smoking MJ before, during or after our concert. We will just bring enough supply of brownies to snack on. That way we will not get in trouble with the law for smoking MJ.”

The ‘brownies’ Tomlinson was referring to are the marijuana brownies — chocolate-flavored cookies infused with marijuana that are sold at Cannabis stores in the U.S. and Europe. There are no existing laws in the Philippines banning the eating of marijuana.