Tag Archives: Philippines

CONGRESSMAN PAUL RYAN’S CHIEF OF STAFF IS A FOREIGN AGENT FOR THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT

October 26, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Adobo Chronicles is set to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with th U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking disclosure of information about presumptive House Speaker Paul Ryan’s newly-appointed Chief of Staff.

Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, is already moving to build his new team to help him take over as House speaker, naming over the weekend a Capitol Hill veteran, Dave Hoppe, as his planned chief of staff.

Hoppe, 64, is known as a successful lobbyist and most recently, as a so-called registered foreign agent, representing the governments of Kosovo and the Philippines.

What this means is that Hoppe is being paid by the Philippine government to lobby the U.S. Congress to gain some favors and concessions or to influence legislation affecting the island nation.

The questions are plenty, among them:

What is the Philippine government seeking from U.S. Congress? For the Philippines to become the 51st U.S. state? For the U.S. to reopen all its former military bases in the Philippines? More financial aid?
How much is the Philippine government paying, or has paid, Hoppe for his services?
Did the Aquino government use any taxpayer funds from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to pay Hoppe?

Of course, The Adobo Chronicles won’t be able to seek answers to these questions from the Philippine government because there is no Freedom of Information Act in place. An FOI bill in Philippine Congress has failed to pass thus far.

But the U.S. has an FOIA in place, so stay tuned!

Government, International, Law Enforcement

PHILIPPINES TO LEASE 2,000 JAIL CELLS IN THE NETHERLANDS

October 25, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – President NoyNoy Aquino today announced that the Philippines and Dutch governments have signed an agreement for the lease of some 2,000 jail cells in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands recently announced that it will close eight prisons because of a lack of criminals. The Dutch justice ministry said that declining crime rates in the Netherlands mean that although the country has the capacity for 14,000 prisoners, there are only 12,000 detainees. The decrease is expected to continue, the ministry said.

Aquino said that the lease will help solve his country’s problem of prison overcrowding while ensuring that there will be sufficient jail cells to accommodate the growing number of political officials being convicted of graft, corruption, plunder and other criminal offenses. Aquino himself is being charged for violation of the constitution in connection with the illegal use of funds under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Asked how the Philippine government will pay for the lease, Aquino said, “Why, from DAP and PDAF, of course.”

Business, Travel

OWNER OF UNIT IN EDSA CONDO DEVELOPMENT CONNECTED TO MRT SAYS HE WAS MISLED

October 20, 2015 Pol Pinoy 3 Comments

MANDALUYONG CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – An advertising promo for Pioneer Woodlands features Will, a young professional who says it’s easy to go to places because his home is directly connected to the MRT, Metro Manila’s light railway system.

Home is an apartment unit in a 6-tower development situated right in the middle of thriving EDSA. Its direct link to the BONI station of MRT-3 makes this development one of the most coveted addresses in Metro Manila, according to the company’s web site.

“Get on the railway of lifestyle enjoyment! Let this address take you off space hindrances and on to the city’s best places in a swift,” says the promo for Pioneer Woodlands.

The Adobo Chronicles caught up with Will on his way out of his new condo to catch the next MRT train bound for Makati. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the long lines of commuters trying to get to the ticket booths and train platforms.

“I’ve been duped,” he exclaimed.