Tag Archives: Philippines

International, Sports, Travel

WHAT IF DAVID BECKHAM CAME TO TOWN AND NOBODY KNEW WHO HE WAS?

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imageTacloban City, Philippines – David Beckham may be the hottest and most famous man in the world of soccer, but apparently no one in Tacloban City, Philippines knows who he is.

Beckham is scheduled to spend Valentine’s Day in this Typhoon Haiyan-ravaged city in Central Philippines as part of a United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) effort to focus world attention on the plight of children and others whose lives were devastated by the  most powerful typhoon to make landfall.

Ten out of ten local residents interviewed by The Adobo Chronicles had no clue on who Beckham was. Asked to venture a guess after being shown a photograph of Beckham, responses ranged from “Prime Minister of Great Britain” to “Vice President of the United States” to “the next James Bond.” Ironically, when a photo of Beckham’s wife was shown even to little kids, they were quick to answer, “Victoria, the Spice girl.”

Soccer or for that matter, football, is not a sport widely played in the Philippines, unlike basketball. There is a make-shift basketball court in every corner in many Philippine neighborhoods. Ask Filipinos to name their favorite international basketball star and you will immediately get responses like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and yes, Dennis Rodman.

International, Travel

PHILIPPINES SNUBBED IN TOP TEN LIST OF COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, MILLION MARCH PLANNED

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imageManila, Philippines – The top ten list of countries with the most beautiful women is out, and the Philippines is not one of them. This, despite the fact that the Philippines has won the crown in all of the major international beauty pageants.

Other than the Philippines, only Venezuela and Brazil have similarly won all the major beauty pageants.  Both Western countries are in the top ten list, with Brazil being rated number one.

The list was put out by UCityGuides, an international travel guide to the best destinations in the world.

“This is pure and simple discrimination,” said Joyce Ann Burton- Titular, a former Miss Philippines title holder and publisher of an internet site called Adventures of a Beauty Queen. “How can they possibly snub the Philippines when it practically won all the major beauty titles last year alone, including Miss World, Miss International and Miss Supranational,” Miss Burton-Titular said.image13.jpg

In reaction to this snub, a national coalition of women’s organizations in the Philippines is planning a Million March next week in Manila to publicly chastise UCityGuides and demand an apology.

International, Sports

PHILIPPINES TO BE REPRESENTED BY THE BIGGEST DELEGATION EVER AT THE SOCHI OLYMPICS

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Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez
Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez

Sochi, Russia – For a country that has never experienced snowfall, or seen ice other than in the local favorite shaved ice snack called halo-halo, it is quite impressive that the Philippines will have the biggest delegation in this year’s Sochi Winter Olympics, next only to the United States.

After a 22-year absence, the Philippines will be represented in the Winter Olympics by figure skater, 17-year-old Michael Christian Martinez, who will carry the red, white, blue and yellow Philippine flag at tomorrow’s opening ceremony.  Marching behind Martinez will be his mother, father, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, godparents, cousins, in-laws, pastor of his Catholic church parish in his native Muntinlupa, principal and his entire class at his school, his coach and coach’s wife and children, his hairdresser, costume designer, massage therapist, personal physician and nurse and some unnamed Philippine senators, congressmen and local officials handpicked by Philippine president NoyNoy Aquino.

(This is far from unusual, as far as the Philippines is concerned.  It is consistent with a revered Filipino tradition called sabit meaning “to cling.”)

One hundred million Filipinos will be watching the opening ceremony and cheering for their favorite “son.”  It could yet break records in terms of television viewership in the Philippines and might surpass the record numbers during Manny Pacquiao’s boxing fights or the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant.

The Adobo Chronicles wishes Martinez all the best in the skating competition.