Good morning. What’s up with cows today? Today, we’re milking the latest stories on cash cows and beef. We’ve got you moo covered with a pasture full of juicy updates so grab your lassos and let’s wrangle some news! 🐄 

Stocks

Local News

💰 COA Releases Annual Salaries and Allowances Report

By Titus Bautista

Let’s play a game folks… Can you guess which sector had the highest paid public workers in the Philippines in 2023? We’ll give you a few nanoseconds…

Nope not the politicians.

Well, sadly the Commission on Audit’s (COA) released annual Report on Salaries and Allowances of top government officials report excluded senators and congressmen. For another consecutive year, the Bangko Sentra ng Pilipinas (BSP) topped the list - not sure if this is something someone would be proud of hmmm. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. was the country’s highest paid public official with gross salaries and allowances totaling P35,478,813.42; he was at no. 132 in the 2022 report. Coming in 2nd was former BSP Governor Felipe Medalla with salaries and allowances totaling P28,050,030.52. The next 10 individuals on the list were also BSP and Monetary Board Officials with 2023 salaries and allowances ranging from P20M to P26M. Yes, we might have to stop this newsletter soon and just move to the finance industry like them.

Former ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio called the report “outrageous,” as he compared how public school teachers have to find extra work just to make ends meet while our BSP officials are “enjoying lavish salaries”. He compared the annual salary of these officials to that of entry-level public school teachers (a mere P402,000 - almost 88 times lower) and entry level government employees (P206,000 - 172 times lower). House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro also called the report a “slap on struggling teachers’ faces”. If it was a salary raise slapped to their face, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. Unfortunately, it’s only a harsh reality they’re being slapped with. 😭

World News

🍯 Spanish and Argentinian Feud

By Titus Bautista

If you think the Drake and Kendrick beef is entertaining, then you’ll love this one. Grab your popcorn folks, we got 2 beef-ing countries. It all started when Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente gave subtle hints in a panel discussion in Salamanca where he mentioned that Argentina’s President Javier Milei ingested “substances” in the 2023 election campaign. “I saw Milei on television. I don’t know if it was before or after the consumption… of substances.” Ofcourse Milei did not take it sitting down and released a statement that accused Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of “endangering Spanish women by allowing illegal immigration”. His statement also hinted that Sanchez, Spain’s socialist head of government, undermined their country’s integrity by making deals with separatists and creating left-wing policies that brought “death and poverty.”

Of course…. Spain came back swinging (Do you still have enough popcorn with you?) and “categorically rejects the unfounded words”. This feud comes at an interesting time as Spain is two weeks removed from a visit from Milei, Argentina’s “anarcho-capitalist” President. He will be meeting up with Spain’s far-right Vox party - and not with Prime Minister Sanchez. But all of this is not a surprise as they’ve never really had a cordial relationship with each other. Sanchez has supported Milei’s rival in Argentina’s elections last year: Sergio Massa. While Milei has voiced out publicly his support for Vox party’s leader Sanitago Abascal. Just another typical, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

So yes, it’s complicated. And as they say in our Filipino Teleseryes while we wait for the plot to thicken, ABANGAN…

Sports

🐺 T-Wolves steal Game 1 in Denver, goes up 1-0 over the defending champions

By Koby del Rosario

May 5th of the 2024 NBA Playoffs had the first second-round series ensue as the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets met for Game 1.

It was Minnesota, though, who dismantled the 2023 NBA Champions in a game where they were in the driver’s seat for most of it, 106-99. As his superstar stock continues to rise, Anthony Edwards was untouchable with 43 points and seven boards while his All-Star big man Karl Anthony-Towns poured in 20 markers of his own.

As they look to take advantage of home court in Game 2, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic still had 32 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, and three swipes despite recording seven turnovers.

Lifestyle

👑 It might just be over for Aubrey Graham

By Koby del Rosario

You know that Vince Carter “It’s over!” meme? That’s Kendrick Lamar right now.

As fans were still taking in the aftermath of K.Dot’s “euphoria” diss, he would release another track through his Instagram entitled, “6:16 in LA”, which was a play on Drake’s popular timestamp songs. The record got the buzz going, as the hiphop world would decipher the many possible meanings of “6:16” as well as more shots taken by Lamar at Toronto’s Very Own.

Hours later, Drake would finally drop his diss back through a 7-minute record titled, “Family Matters”, that included a music video with many references as well. Aubrey didn’t just go for Kung Fu Kenny, however, as he also took shots at artists like The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, and Rick Ross. He did stoop low on his attacks on the Compton native by talking about him as a family man and a husband.

But, as May 3rd (US time) has become considered by many as one of the most important days in hiphop, Kendrick would immediately release, “meet the grahams”, just minutes after the OVO rapper’s upload. All we can say though, it’s probably the most sinister and disrespectful diss track anyone has ever heard. Give it a listen here (we warned you).

And, he wasn’t even finished. Yesterday morning Philippine time, the “DAMN.” rapper released yet another diss song, “Not Like Us”—this time tapping into a head-bopping West Coast style beat courtesy of DJ Mustard. Now, Kendrick raps with catchy hooks and bars that go deeper with the allegations he has made on Drake thus far. This is for sure his call out to those who said that his songs could not be played in the club.

As we sit through reactions and reviews on all of the diss tracks, the more we uncover all of the hidden meanings this whole beef has. Drake might be taking the biggest loss right now, but the fans are the biggest winners out of all of this.

We just can’t fathom how Kendrick has gone this low against Drake in every kind of rap style. That’s Mr. Morale for you. 

P.S. J.Cole made the wisest decision to back out all of this fiasco.

News Roundup

• Cavaliers beat the Magic in a Game 7 thriller, with Donovan “Spida” Mitchell leading the charge with 39 points.

• How was your Cinco De Mayo? Try out some freshly made guac with your tacos or rice bowls!

• Remains of OFWs who died from flooding in Dubai arrived in Cagayan

• Marcos orders to streamline 185 infrastructure projects for the country

Referral

Enjoying Araw Araw? Share the sunshine by sending out the link below! Rewards for referrals coming soon 👀

Feedback

Got feedback/concerns with Araw Araw? Help us make your days brighter ☀ by sending us feedback through the form below!

Feedback form here: https://forms.gle/nZ8LnDmsLiTWrp3X9