Tag Archives: Philippines

FILIPINO BOXER MANNY PACQUIAO: SENATOR FOR ALL RIVAL PARTIES

August 25, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Filipino champion boxer Manny Pacquiao, as many already know, is an elected representative of Philippine Congress. He represents his province of Sarangani.

Pacquiao is a member of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the party of incumbent Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is one of the declared candidates for president in 2016. So it just makes sense that if Pacquiao were to run for Senator, he would do so under the UNA ticket, right?

Not necessarily.

Pacquiao is also being wooed by the ruling Liberal Party of President NoyNoy Aquino who has anointed his Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas as the party’s presidential bet.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero who have been endorsed by a third party, the National People’s Coalition (NPC) as either presidential candidates both, or as a president-vice president tandem, are also considering Pacquiao to be part of their senatorial ticket.

Apparently, Pacquiao is seen as a sure winner and all the parties want him on their respective tickets. The decision is now in the boxer’s corner.

‘Pacman’ is extremely popular and is best known politically as the top absentee legislator in the current Congress. Well, that counts for something, we guess.

Economy, Government, International, Law Enforcement

DOLLAR REMITTANCES TO THE PHILIPPINES WILL BE TAXED 35 PERCENT

August 23, 2015 Pol Pinoy 13 Comments

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – It seems like the Philippine government has waged an all-out war against its own citizens — especially overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their families.

First, the Bureau of Customs announced new rules on balikbayan boxes, including opening them for inspection when they arrive at the Philippine port of entry. (Balikbayan boxes are those corrugated boxes used by OFWs to ship goods and gifts to their loved ones in the Philippines. Until recently balikbayan shipments have been tax-free. )

Today, Commissioner Kim Henares of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) announced that dollar remittances from OFWs will be subject to a 35 percent ‘gift tax.’

The Philippines ranks as the fourth biggest recipient of remittances worldwide with an estimated $24-billion inflow annually, according to a World Bank (WB) study. Remittances accounted for 12 percent of the Philippines’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the report said.

The Philippines trailed India , China and Mexico in terms of remittances received.

Henares said that the BIR is always looking for ways to earn tax revenue in order to sustain the Aquino administration’s anti-corruption policy of ‘Daang Matuwid’ (straight path).

“Strictly speaking, dollar remittances would be considered income for Filipino families and individuals on the receiving end of the money and should therefore be subjext to tax,” Henares said.

Updating: Henares Responds

International, Military, Technology

PHILIPPINES IS FIRST THIRD WORLD COUNTRY TO BUILD A SUBMARINE

August 22, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Say what you will about him, but President NoyNoy Aquino has achieved more world records for the Philippines than any of his predecessors.

Today, the Philippine Navy unveiled its new submarine, the first ever built by a Third World country.

The Philippines now joins First World countries like the U.S., Japan, Russia, China, the U.K. and others in having a locally-built submarine in its fleet of sea vessels. The Philippine submarine is being acclaimed as the best-looking of all submarines in the world. It is green in color, unlike all other submarines that are colored a boring gray, black or brown; and it is fully airconditioned with wi-fi on board. It operates in water and on land, especially during times of severe floods in Metro Manila and other urban centers in the country.

“We couldn’t have achieved this new milestone had it not been for my policy of pursuing a straight path (Daang Matuwid),” Aquino said. “We were able to minimize government corruption and waste which enabled us to use our resources to beef up our defense system, including building our own, indigenous yet world-class submarine.”