The official press release of the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) made it in the sports pages today (March 28, 2019) of the following national publications. Online versions of the published releases are clickable with some of the publications below.
Registration ends on March 31 or earlier when all slots have been filled up. Online registration can be done at https://regonline.activeglobal.com/subit2019 For more information, visit Triathlon.org.ph or send email at trapsecretariat@gmail.com
As a resident living in South Metro Manila, I always prefer to see the entire Philippines’ infrastructure get developed and expanded tremendously because the benefits of improved travel time and experience will be felt by the riding public for the long term. At the same time, such improvements will help travelers reach the far-away destinations with better speed and in less time.
Today I learned about some good news – the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAEX) has started construction beginning with a 27-kilometer section. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Alapan II-B Village in Cavite Province on March 27. The CALAEX itself has a grand total distance of 45 kilometers.
As announced on the Philippine News Agency (PNA) website, the P12-billion Cavite segment will ensure a safe, efficient and seamless travel for motorists from the history town of Kawit in Cavite to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) – Mamplasan Interchange. It is expected to cut travel time from 2.5 hours to less than 45 minutes and help decongest approximately fifty thousand cars.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar declared that the project is part of the President Rodrigo Duterte administration’s masterplan to connect Luzon from north to south, to be called the “Luzon Spine Expressway Network” (LSEN), to increase the current 300-km. high-speed expressway to 1,000 km. by the year 2022. Duterte’s term of office will end in that year.
“We will deliver not just on our promise to solve traffic, but to bring development to our provinces,” Villar announced.
More on speed, the expressways are not only expected to cut travel time for motorists but help add to the development of the provinces of Cavite and Laguna. Cavite is now the biggest in terms of population among the country’s provinces, with an estimated 4.1 million people according to 2016 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
In terms of cooperation, Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla said this “speaks volumes about the dynamism of the government and its private partner.” He said the expressway will connect Laguna and Cavite, and declog the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
Meanwhile the Laguna segment of the CALAEX project is now in full swing which, according to Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president and Chief Executive Officer, Rodrigo Franco, is expected to open the first section during the third quarter or as early as July this year.
When it comes to economic development by means of job creation, the CALAEX will employ some 1,200 personnel for its Laguna segment and close to 1,300 more for site and office personnel as its Cavite segment progresses. It is part of the network of toll roads that the MPTC is constructing and developing, which will connect to Cavitex and the C5-South Link and will make transfers from Laguna, Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and CP Garcia Ave. seamless.
The CALAEX is one of many projects being done under the highly ambitious Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration. Build Build Build lists down high impact projects that are envisioned to improve the economy, increase incomes, invite investments leading to job creation. In his 10-point Socioeconomic Agenda, President Duterte envisioned the reduction of poverty from 21.6% in 2015 to 13% to 15% in 2022. It was emphasized that the acceleration of infrastructure development will pave the way for a more comfortable life, better travel and improved economic development nationwide.
Starting April 1, 2019, summer swimming lessons will begin at the swimming pool (and the nearby kids’ pool) by the clubhouse of Tahanan Village, Barangay BF Homes, Paranaque City.
Based on the details released via signs around the village, the 1st batch of lessons is from April 1 to 13, 2nd batch from April 22 to May 4, 3rd batch from May 6 to May 18 and the 4th batch from May 20 to June 1.
The Tahanan Village swimming pool.
Schedule for the swimming lessons is from 8AM to 9AM, 9AM to 10AM, 10AM to 11AM, 2PM to 3PM, 3PM to 4PM, and 4PM to 5PM.
Courses offered are as follows: Tadpole, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Competitive.
For inquiries and enrollment, call 09089775023 and 09155900580.
SuBIT Part of 2019 One Belt One Road Triathlon Series
Pasig City, Philippines – March 27, 2019 – The 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup slated on April 27 and 28 gained added significance as it ushers in the 2019 One Belt One Road Triathlon series.
This arrangement highlights the enduring relationship for decades between the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP), the Chinese Taipei Triathlon Association (CTTA) and the China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA).
Further, CTSA, for this year, will dispatch the Chinese national team to compete in the SuBIT with TRAP reciprocating with a team of triathletes seeing action in the 2019 Lianyungang ASTC Triathlon Asian Cup and 2019 Jiayuguan ASTC Triathlon Asian Cup. The latter events serve as the second and third legs of the One Belt One Road Triathlon series.
“For the past years, Triathlon Association of Philippines (TRAP) and China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA) have been keeping a good relationship and communication. Thanks for the invitation and help from TRAP, Chinese National Triathlon Teams participated in Subic Bay ASTC Triathlon Asian Cups for many times and got good results.
“Meanwhile, our two national federations have always been supporting each other during ASTC Congress elections and other international activities,” CTSA Secretary General Chen Xiaoran stated.
For its part, the CTTA is sending the Chinese Taipei national team and a good number of age-groupers to join the SuBIT.
Registration for the SuBIT is ongoing with entry fees now set at P5,500 per participant for Standard Distance, P5,000 for Sprint Distance, P4,000 for Super Sprint Distance and P9,000 for Team Relay.
Organized by the TRAP in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Tourism Department, the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup is supported by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC,) NTT, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP) and Gatorade.
I enjoy taking pictures of people who express their artistry, their concepts and charm through the art of cosplay (costume play) which has grown tremendously popular here in the Philippines over the past several years.
Along the way, pop culture-related events like comic conventions, cosplay gatherings, cosplay parades and other related fan events got organized around the country giving cosplayers even more opportunities to come out in full costume.
Here in the Philippines, I was fortunate to attend such comic conventions like the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila and Toycon which are very similar events showcasing action figures, comic books, movies, TV programs, comic creators and the like. Both AsiaPOP Comicon Manila and Toycon are unsurprisingly popular events that attracted countless cosplayers.
Here are some pics of cosplayers I took in the comic conventions.
Model and actress Ameera Johara as Wonder Woman during the 2016 AsiaPOP Comicon Manila.Also taken at the 2016 AsiaPOP Comicon Manila was this Harley Quinn cosplayer who posed for me.This Miles Morales Spider-Man cosplayer surprised me at the 2017 AsiaPOP Comicon Manila when I was searching for old comic books. I took the opportunity to photograph this.This picture I took at the 2014 Nexcon in Pasig City.This Wonder Woman cosplayer posed for me during the 2018 Toycon.Miles Morales Spider-Man and female Deadpool cosplayers posing with some fans during the 2017 AsiaPOP Comicon Manila.
Apart from comic conventions, there were also times when I took cosplayer photos in other instances or activities. Check out my pics below.
A few years ago, Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City had cosplayers like this one standing in front of shoppers trying to get their attention and convince them to drop some money into the rectangular box on the floor.Harley Quinn cosplayer posed for me during the day when Comic-Con Asia had its press conference and media presentation at a hotel in Pasay City in early 2018.The Cosplay Craze event at SM City BF Paranaque saw these two “clashing”.
This is my first post of cosplay photography that I took and I hope you enjoyed viewing it. I’m still trying find other such pictures among my files and once I get them organized, I’ll post them here.
Also if you are organizing a pop culture event and you need online media and/or photography coverage, please feel free to contact me so that we can discuss business terms privately. Thank you.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.
This morning as I was driving by along Palace Road in BF International, Las Pinas City, I saw a sign of Tropical Palace Resort Hotel’s announcement that it will be organizing another series of swimming lessons at its facility starting April 8, 2019.
I took the time to park the car, get down and enter their office to request a flyer and they gladly gave me one.
For everyone’s convenience and reference, please refer to the details of the picture below.
Tropical Palace Resort Hotel has swimming pools in its facility that can accommodate several learners at a time.
For the newcomers reading this, BF International is in the Las Pinas City side of BF Homes subdivision which has always been identified with Paranaque City.
If you are interested to take swimming lessons, call landline 825-1011 and 826-7794 now.
What is the one thing I love most about superhero comics of the 1990s? It’s easy – the Ultraverse! Launched in 1993 by Malibu Comics during the late stage of what is now called the Comic Book Speculator Boom in Amerca, the Ultraverse was a line of superhero comic books featuring all-new characters and concepts which were the result of intense brainstorming by the founders of the Ultraverse.
Back in mid-1993 here in the Philippines, I first got to discover the Ultraverse through print ads in comic books and take note that the Internet was not yet publicly accessible. By June that year, I visited a comic book store in BF Homes, Paranaque and was astonished to see the store’s wall with multiple Ultraverse comic books on display. With my limited funds at that time, I only managed to buy Freex #1 and Mantra #1. By the end of the evening, I greatly enjoyed what I read and became an Ultraverse fan ever since.
As the months passed by, I enjoyed reading more Ultraverse comic books. What was also fun to read were the special double-sized UV comic books, the Ultraverse Double Feature comic books (flip comic books) and then there was the Ultraverse Premiere #0 comic book which had a cover of Mantra drawn by the great Jim Lee! This is the one comic book I am taking a look back at.
The front cover drawn by Jim Lee!
So what Ultraverse Premiere #0 and what made it special other than having a cover drawn by Jim Lee? Released in late 1993, the comic book is a showcase of separate stories featuring Prime, The Strangers, Rune, Hardcase, Mantra and Freex. It is also a showcase of the respective talents of a big mix of writers and artists that include Len Strazewski, Tom Mason, Gerard Jones, Steve Englehart, Barry Windsor-Smith, Rick Hoberg, James Hudnall, Mike W. Barr, Norm Breyfogle and others.
Given its release date, the stories served as preludes leading to the stories told in the launch comic books. For example, the Hardcase story shows Tom Hawke/Hardcase with his team called The Squad performing what turned out to be their last mission leading directly to the events that started Hardcase #1.
Tom Hawke/Hardcase with his lovely teammate during his time with The Squad.
The story of Mantra in the comic book however was presented more like a side-story. Lukasz is already shown as Mantra with her mystical powers and revealing outfit in place. The short story adds a nice perspective on the personality of Mantra as well as her burden of having to take care of a daughter.
The Rune segment meanwhile was a look at the making of the character involving Barry Windsor-Smith and his art. In the text written by Chris Ulm, what caught my attention was the following segment.
After writing up the concept in the Ultraverse bible, I shortly added Rune to “Fusion”, the story of a conspiracy to develop the ultimate biological weapon by a covert group called Aladdin.
This opening of the Freex short story starts very strongly.
Of course, there is also the fine story of Prime by Len Strazewski and Gerard Jones with great looking art by the late Norm Breyfogle. Remember in the early pages of Prime #1 when the overly muscular superhero claimed he saw the school coach touch the young girls? That got emphasized in the Prime short story in this comic book.
And then there is the one very memorable whole page art of Prime by Breyfogle.
I love this art of Prime by the late Norm Breyfogle.
The stories and art, in my view, were done with a lot of passion by the creators. They make Ultraverse Premiere #0 a worthy comic book to collect even though Marvel (which acquired Malibu Comics in the mid-1990s) screwed the Ultraverse and left the characters and concepts in limbo with no clear sign of any revival coming.
Last but not least, there is this great art of the Ultraverse characters done by Art Nichols at the rear of the comic book.
The best back cover of any superhero comic book of the 1990s!
Art Nichols’ work on the back cover is fantastic and timeless in my view. It’s great multi-character art that truly captures the spirit of the Ultraverse!
If you are going out to buy old comic books, I strongly recommend Ultraverse Premiere #0.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
This morning I passed by Presidents Avenue in Barangay BF Homes coming from Parañaque City Hall and along the way I noticed a closed-off portion of the road which was a project of water concessionaire Maynilad.
The location of an early digging (related to Maynilad’s planned in-line booster) at the corner of Presidents Avenue and President Quezon street (according to Google Map). The project will take months to complete and may mean additional traffic congestion due to reduced road space.
I went near it and took a few pictures. As of today – March 19, 2019 – what I saw was an early digging of a portion of the road and clearly there is still a long way to go before Maynilad gets to complete the in-line booster project which, if successful, will prove to be very crucial to the water requirements of the many residents and businesses in and around BF Homes.
A few months ago, I talked with Augusto “Boy” Tejada, the president of the Tahanan Homeowners Association, Inc. (THA) who relayed to me details about the December 2018 meeting between his association, their residents and officials of Maynilad. It was during that meeting when the water concessionaire revealed that they plan to construct a water pressure booster somewhere inside the area of Teoville Village 3 and that construction will take around six months to complete.
More importantly the project was designed to boost the water pressure beyond the current limit of 30 PSI (pounds per square inch) which by today’s standards is no longer sufficient to meet the businesses and household needs. Tejada told me that due to location, elevation and distance away from the main gate of the village, there are houses that had trouble receiving water through the pipelines. Some houses have their second or third floors that water cannot even reach.
The mention of the year 2016 on the sign suggests that the project was planned that year but was only executed recently.
As of this writing, Maynilad’s water booster project is planned to not only boost the water pressure (to ensure constant and reliable access to water) but also be linked to the new water filtration plant of the company located in Muntinlupa City.
Improved access to water should translate into better satisfaction for family needs and certain improvements to the many businesses operating around BF Homes.
Until that happens, local residents will have to endure the related hassles like traffic disruptions due to street or sidewalk diggings, the arrival of trucks carrying construction materials, etc.
If you want to prevent yourselves or your loved ones from becoming victims, then you should read what I encountered today (March 18, 2019).
This morning, coming from the direction of Festival Mall in Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City, I was about to enter the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) branch at the ground floor of the Insular Life Corporate Center along Commerce Avenue.
As I was preparing myself, a thin, dark-skinned young man wearing dark shorts, dark t-shirt and slippers called my attention from behind. He carried a light bag on his back.
So I looked back carefully and then he said “Sir, patulong po.” (meaning he needs my help) and showed me a noticeable handy sign (like a card) with words written on it emphasizing that he needs money to solve his problem. From that moment on, I figured out he was a beggar trying to manipulate me discreetly (he did not even open his palm to show begging).
I just ignored him and went inside BPI Insular Life branch to do my transaction at one of the ATMs (automatic teller machines). As the ATM I used was processing my transaction, I took a few peaks outside and noticed that the guy was still standing outside on the lookout for other people he could approach.
Right after I completed my ATM transaction, I took it upon myself to photograph him for this very article. I also figured out it was a rare chance of mine to find out if he was trying to scam people given his very discreet approach on asking for money.
So I walked outside with my smartphone and its camera ready. As he noticed me nearing him, he showed me again that sign and asked for money. Then as I pulled out my smartphone to photograph him, he quickly put his sign away and faced the other direction trying to hide his face.
This is the first shot I managed to take as he hid himself when he noticed my smartphone. The thing he is holding with his left hand is the sign/card with a written message to convince people to give him money for his “problem”. At this moment, he knew his discreet begging was exposed.
After taking the first photograph (the one right above), I still aimed my smartphone camera at him and I asked him to face me and challenged him to beg while being seen. He refused to do it and kept hiding himself by facing away from me.
Check out the pictures below.
By the time I took this picture, he was resisting and decided to keep facing away and hide the beggar’s sign. He refused to face me and beg knowing that he was exposed. His earlier courage of discreetly begging for money was gone.The discreet beggar walking away.
As the discreet beggar walked away, I went back inside BPI Insular Life branch and alerted the security guard about the beggar.
The guard said he remembered seeing that beggar a few times from before begging within the Filinvest City spots. He also remembered that from time to time, adults like the one pictured would beg discreetly for money just outside their bank.
More notably, the security guard said that it is illegal for anyone to commit begging within Filinvest City. He added that the discreet beggar I encountered was very lucky that there was no Filinvest City security guard present otherwise he would have been apprehended for committing a violation.
The guard also warned that such beggars who use signs and words (to convince people to give money) might be members of local crime syndicates.
By the time my short talk with the bank security guard ended, the discreet beggar was several meters away heading towards the direction of South Supermarket.
Out of curiosity, I decided to follow him temporarily to determine if I could spot him trying to find a new spot to beg at others.
I walked some meters towards the discreet beggar and after a minute, I guessed he could have decided to go home. I took one last picture of him walking away before deciding to let him go.
The final picture I took of the discreet beggar walking to the distance.
This incident I am writing about was NOT the first time I encountered a beggar along the roads of Filinvest City. What makes this different is that the beggar used a handy sign while saying only a few words to beg.
I have a strong mental defense and I always practice caution (including awareness of my surrounding). It’s natural for me to resist the manipulation attempts of street beggars.
If I were to give out money to help people who really need help, I would not give to beggars roaming around and I certainly discourage you from giving to them especially if the begging constitutes a local violation. Surely you would not want to give your money to a beggar who happens to be a member of a crime gang!
Going back to encountering the beggars who roam around and near you, better have a defensive mindset and be ready to protect not only your money but also yourselves. Also be ready to call the local police or the nearest security guard if ever the beggar victimizes you.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.
Last night (March 17, 2019) I attended the birthday party of former Barangay BF Homes kagawad Alfred Lazatin who is a candidate running for one of the eight seats in the City Council (for District 2) of Parañaque with the next local election happening this May. The party was held at the covered basketball court in BF NorthWest, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City, Philippines.
Birthday celebrant and City Councilor candidate Alfred Lazatin watches as former City Mayor Jun Bernabe greets one of the many guests during the party in BF NorthWest on March 17.
Lazatin, who served his barangay for over a decade, is now 40-years-old. His wife Cielo is now serving the barangay as an incumbent kagawad.
As this year is an election year for both national and local levels, it is no surprise that the teammates of Lazatin with Team Bernabe-Marquez were also present mingling with the guests and greeting as many people as they could. This includes former Parañaque City Mayor Florencio”Jun” Bernabe (whose birthday party I wrote about), his running mate former Barangay BF Homes chairman Jeremy Marquez, former BF NorthWest president Anthony Vivero plus other teammates including those running for City Council seats of District 1.
Members of Team Bernabe Marquez and Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte (middle in between Jun Bernabe and Jeremy Marquez) do the Duterte Fist Bump for photographers.
“I met with Mayor (Jun Bernabe) at SM MOA not too long ago and I told him that he should return to power in the city (to improve it for the people),” Duterte said. “The team led by Bernabe and Jeremy Marquez is ready to serve the people of Parañaque for a brighter future. They can’t do it alone and that’s why your participation in the election is needed. The future of Parañaque is at stake.”
The speech ended with a strong applause from the many guests who were present.
The rest of the birthday party saw the guests enjoy the meals and drinks served. Some prizes were raffled off and the lucky winners were seen happy.
For your viewing pleasure, check out the other pictures from the party posted below.
A guest with birthday celebrant Alfred Lazatin, wife incumbent Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Cielo Lazatin and former BF NorthWest president Anthony Vivero.Birthday party guests getting served with tasty food.
Parañaque City Vice Mayor candidate Jeremy Marquez listens to Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte.Parañaque City Council Candidate for District 2 Anthony Vivero with Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte and a BF NorthWest resident.Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte raises the arm of Parañaque City Vice Mayor candidate Jeremy Marquez showing her support for him.Parañaque City Vice Mayor candidate Jeremy Marquez mingling with some of the guests.Team Bernabe-Marquez raise their arms in unity with Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte.
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