325 Avail of Health Services in Tahanan Village

February 22, 2020March 5, 2020carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from the Century Club of Tahanan, Inc., by means of an interview, witnessing their event and doing research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

325 Avail of Health Services in Tahanan Village

*Patients sitting in line for their turn to be served in the Tahanan Village clinic at the clubhouse.*

No surprise about it. The Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. (CCTI) headed by its president Flor Umali organized another successful health-check activity this morning at the poolside of their village clubhouse in Tahanan Village (Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City) attracting three hundred and twenty-five residents and homeowner association employees. That is twenty-five more than the patients who attended CCTI’s previous health-check activity of September 2019.

As before, their medical mission supported by Barangay BF Homes, the Tahanan Homeowners Association (THA) and some corporate sponsors, started at 6AM and already a lot of people lined up to be the first to avail of health services. Take a look at the pictures I took.

*Patients getting examined and treated.*

A lot of the patients previously paid P350 to avail of the health-check package that includes good and bad cholesterol check, Triglycerides, Creatinine, SGOT, ECG, blood sugar count, total cholesterol count, BUN, Urice Acid, SGPT, CBC and urinalysis. There were also many who arrived for eye check-up, PSA, Hba1c, T3, T4, TSH and Na, K and Ci (electrolytes).

Those who had themselves tested will receive the results soon.

*Century Club of Tahanan president Florencia Umali.*

This health-check activity is a project of the CCTI in coordination with the THA which is the main authority of the village. Also present during the activity were CCTI’s Vice President Vivian Villegas and Treasurer Herminia Salgado.

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 Havenor is 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

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

BF NorthWest HOA Cuts Electric Cost Using Solar Power

February 15, 2020March 23, 2020carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from the BF NorthWest Homeowners Association, Inc. by means of an interview and research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

BF NorthWest, one of the largest enclaves of BF Homes subdivision within Parañaque City, just confirmed to me this morning that they saved a large sum of money on power consumption thanks to their use of the new solar panels that were installed on the roof of their clubhouse along D. Jakarta street.

This is renewable energy implemented within the local community and I am happy to see it personally during my visit there.

*Solar panels visible on the roof of the BF NorthWest clubhouse from the rear. There are also solar panels installed on the other side.*

“We just received our first electric bill and by using the power generated by our solar panels, we saved around six thousand Pesos from the local power grid,” BF NorthWest Homeowners Association, Inc. (BFNHAI) president Manny Nubla confirmed.

For over a month now, the BFNHAI had been using renewable energy for their operations and were able to control how much power they needed from the solar panels and from grid of Meralco (Manila Electric Company).

To put things in perspective, if the homeowners association continues to save P6,000 each month until the end of this year, that would translate to savings of P72,000. The challenge to that would be the fast approaching summer season which is the time period in which people and varied establishments increase the use of their power for cooling.

BFNHAI president Nubla also confirmed to me that they are able to have their aircon units run on power sourced from the solar panels.

This renewable energy project of BF NorthWest, to say the least, is an early success as the benefits have been realized with regard to cost and reducing reliance on the local power grid.

Now that BFNHAI’s solar panels are working pretty nicely, would you happen to know if your own homeowners’ association (HOA) has a plan to install solar panels on the local clubhouse?

Before I end this, going back to BF NorthWest, the BFNHAI is already processing applications for the 2020 edition of their village sticker. Below for your reference is their application form for residents.

For other matters visit their clubhouse or call them at 8826-4547 and 8825-0149.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

My Observations: Ben’s Halo-Halo in BF Homes

February 11, 2020June 13, 2020carlocarrasco

*Laguna’s creamiest halo-halo is now in BF Homes!*

For the newcomers reading this, Aguirre Avenue, the major road inside BF Homes subdivision in Parañaque City, is well known for being a major commercial stretch where people can find lots of restaurants, stores, coffee shops and the like.

Recently along the same road, the BF Homes branch of Ben’s Halo-Halo Ice Cream opened within the area of Phase 3 in the subdivision. It is located between Shakey’s and Starbucks Coffee at the same side. Just steps away from it, also from the same side, is Mini-Stop convenience store.

Already, Ben’s Halo-Halo has been attracting a lot of customers and their best-selling product is, unsurprisingly, their signature halo-halo. In recent times, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez (Miracle in Cell No. 7), had been visiting the BF Homes branch to take home halo-halo not once but many times already. Out of curiosity, I decided to pay a visit and find out how good or tasty their top dessert is.

For P90, I was served with their signature Ben’s Halo-Halo in a tall glass. It came with a mix of corn, ube (purple yam), macapuno, saba, white beans, milk and leche flan.

After carefully mixing the ingredients, I took my first serving of it. The result? It tasted really good! Then I mixed it more and took another serving to find out if the resulting taste would be better or not. It still tasted good.

The halo-halo was so good and creamy, for me, there was no need to add sweetener or milk. A dessert served like this with such a good taste is a winner already for me. Of course, anyone else who wants to have their halo-halo be added with more sugar or milk will have to ask the people behind the counter. I don’t know yet if they would charge extra.

After enjoying my dessert, I decided to look further on their menu. Apart from the Ben’s Halo-Halo, they also serve Spicy Winter Halo-Halo and Salty Summer Halo-Halo. Other classic desserts include Mais Con Yelo and Macapuno Con Yelo.

They also serve rice meals (which I will try some day) like adobo, tocino, longganisa, braised beef and chicken barbeque to name some. They also have pasta and sandwiches.

As I learned during my time there, Ben’s Halo-Halo Ice Cream originally started in the city of San Pablo in the province of Laguna. It was founded by Ben Pasco who worked as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Italy for over a decade. During his years there, he got to work as a cook in a restaurant. After making some careful observations, becoming an entrepreneur entered his mind and he decided to go home to start a new business of his own.

More on their BF Homes branch, more people have been dining there. To say the least, it is a blessing for the BF Homes community that Ben’s Halo-Halo opened within the Phase 3 area.

I highly recommend the Ben’s Halo-Halo for those who crave for something cool and sweet (don’t forget to watch your blood sugar level).

Visit their BF Homes branch now along 287 Aguirre Avenue and don’t forget to visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bensbfhomes/

Parañaque City Council Approves Proposal Granting Monthly Financial Assistance to all Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Members, Secretaries and Treasurers on Third Reading

February 8, 2020carlocarrasco

On February 6, Parañaque City Councilor Wahoo Sotto announced that the legislative body (presided by Vice Mayor Rico Golez) passed on third and final reading Draft Ordinance Number 3 (Series of 2019) which is fully referred to as “An ordinance granting monthly financial assistance to all Sangguniang Kabataan members, Sangguniang Kabataan secretaries and Sangguniang Kabataan treasurers in the City of Parañaque and providing funds therefor.”

To put things in perspective, the approved piece of legislation, once signed by the mayor of the city, will lead to the City Government’s release of funds for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council in English) members (from the chairperson to the youth councilors), their respective secretaries and treasurers in the form of allowances.

“We recognize the efforts and contributions of each Sangguniang Kabataan Member in bringing public service among youth,” Councilor Sotto expressed. “It was an honor for me to be part of this.”

While it is a fact that the respective SK units of barangays in Parañaque (specifically those who met the requirements of the banks and the Department of Interior and Local Government) now have access to earmarked funds needed to for their projects and activities, their officials and officers worked without any financial assistance, at least from the City Government. Under the reformed SK system, SK units are supposed to be independent from their respective barangay units.

We will find out soon enough from the City Government when will Draft Ordinance Number 3 be signed by the mayor.

Reaction from Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan (BFSK)

Upon seeing Councilor Sotto’s announcement, I reached out to Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan chairwoman Mariel Tumang for a reaction.

“I’m happy because all of us SK Chairpersons had wished to have an allowance provided so that we can cover the costs of local transportation heading towards our events,” chairwoman Tumang reacted.

As of this writing, Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez has yet to reply to my inquiry of the same issue.

Parañaque Cityhood Anniversary Celebration Activities Are Now Down to Four Due to Coronavirus Fears and Concern! (UPDATED)

February 5, 2020February 13, 2020carlocarrasco

February 2020 is already a much less exciting month for the City of Parañaque as their mayor Edwin Olivarez officially signed a February 4, 2020 memorandum INITIALLY POSTPONING effectively the 22nd Cityhood Anniversary celebration. This is because of fear and concern about the still-spreading 2019 Novel Coronavirus (NCoV).

*No Cityhood Anniversary celebration this year! (photo source – Mayor Edwin Olivarez Facebook page)*

And here are the activities that were planned to mark Parañaque’s 22nd anniversary as a City (which was realized way back on February 13, 1998).

*Almost all of these activities have been postponed! (photo source – Mayor Edwin Olivarez Facebook page)*

For this month, there are no more beauty pageants, no more comedy events, no more taxpayer recognition ceremony, no more festival, no more fireworks display, no more job fair, no Sunduan Festival and no State of the City Address (SOCAD).

However, today, the City Government announced that there are actually four Cityhood Anniversary events that will push through.

What remains scheduled to push through are the following:

Release of Scholarship (February 8)

Unveiling of the 2019 National Anti-Drugs Abuse Council Performance Marker and the Blessing of the DRRMO Command Center (February 10)

Blessing of Ospital ng Parañaque 2 (February 12)

No wonder there is disappointment in Parañaque. A lot of people anticipated the annual Cityhood Anniversary for reasons like fun, idolizing and the like. The remaining activities set to push through are ceremonial in nature. In other words, not exciting.

It only makes sense to postpone most of the Cityhood Anniversary celebration for the sake of ensuring that the local citizens will not gather in public venues and put themselves at risk of getting infected by the Coronavirus (or any virus at all).

Speaking of Coronavirus, there are a whole lot of Chinese nationals working and living in Parañaque in relation to the presence of POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) in the city that ironically is fueling the local economy. Don’t forget that Parañaque is a hot spot for crime involving Chinese nationals. The City Government just announced that it is implementing the protocol of the Department of Health (DOH) on dealing with the Coronavirus. They are also watching closely the Chinese nationals and POGOs in the city.

Barangay BF Homes’ reaction to Cityhood Anniversary postponement

Going back to the postponement of most of the Cityhood Anniversary celebration this year, I reached out to Barangay BF Homes captain Paolo Marquez for a reaction. His answer below…

Although preparations are underway on our end, we welcome and support the call of the city government to postpone activities in the interest of everyone’s safety

Barangay BF Homes Captain Paolo Marquez

Captain Marquez also confirmed to me that their barangay has candidates for the Binibining Parañaque and the Gandang Mamita pageants.

At the same time, Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan chairwoman Mariel Tumang added that her team made a lot of preparations for the Cityhood celebration before the postponement was done. I can only imagine their disappointment now that the preparations got wasted.

With the Cityhood celebration heavily reduced, it remains to be seen what the city’s barangays, the City Government itself and other stakeholders will do for the expected 2021 edition of the Cityhood Anniversary.

Right now, it is better to be safe than to have fun and get infected.

Tahanan Village Health Check-Up Activity Scheduled for February 22, 2020

January 25, 2020February 4, 2020carlocarrasco

The Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. (CCTI), a private club of senior citizens living in Tahanan Village, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City, will be sponsoring on February 22, 2020 (Saturday) starting at 6AM (end at 10AM) the next Health Check-up (Executive Laboratory Check-up) activity at the poolside of the Tahanan Village clubhouse (where the village clinic is also located).

Open to all residents of the village, there will be a wide variety of services and examinations that people can avail of for their respective health-related needs or inquiries.

“We encourage the Tahanan Village residents to take advantage of the generously discounted health services as well as the convenience of the venue which is at the poolside of the clubhouse at the park,” Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. president Florencia Umali stated to me.

20190928_071314 — *File photo of CCTI president Florencia Umali (seated, foreground) helping patients during the September 28, 2019 health check-up activity in Tahanan Village.*

Indeed, to make the most out of their money, villagers can pay only P350 for a health-check package that includes good and bad cholesterol check, Triglycerides, Creatinine, SGOT, ECG, blood sugar count, total cholesterol count, BUN, Urice Acid, SGPT, CBC and urinalysis. These said services would have cost almost P1,300 at regular rates. That’s a tremendous amount of more than P900 in savings.

All of those who intend to avail of the health services related to blood testing are advised to bring their own urine sample and should have fasted between 10 hours to 12 hours.

Other health services people can choose from are PSA, Hba1c, T3, T4, TSH and Na, K and Ci (electrolytes). There will also be a free computerized eye refraction service as well.

The results of the medical tests will be released on March 1 at the Tahanan Village clinic. Free consultation is also offered.

With the discounts and venue convenience at hand, potentially hundreds of villagers could show up and avail of the services on February 22. It is recalled that the CCTI’s last health check-up activity in Tahanan Village attracted 300 people.

This health-check activity is a project of the CCTI in coordination with the Tahanan Homeowners Association, Inc. (THA) which is the main authority of the village.

Where to Donate to Help Victims of Taal Volcano Eruption

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020carlocarrasco

It is depressing to watch news or see social media postings about many people whose lives got disrupted by the recent eruption of Taal Volcano which spew not only a massive amount of ash into the air (affecting Metro Manila) but also caused physical damage on all communities close to it.

Many people had to leave their homes and wait for assistance from the many emergency response personnel (who are undoubtedly working hard) deployed by the local authorities.

Meanwhile, several donation-driven initiatives or charitable operations to provide public assistance (in cash or in kind) to the victims were launched very recently. For its part, the City Government of Muntinlupa approved legislation of a P3,000,000 donation to Taal Volcano Eruption victims. The City Government also launched a public donation drive as well.

If you are here in the South Metro Manila area of the Philippines and you wish to donate, consider the following:

BARANGAY BF HOMES

Where: Barangay BF Homes Public Safety Department, Barangay BF Homes hall, Elsie Gatches street, Paranaque City

Contact number: 8809-8843

What to donate: Drinking water (encouraged by Barangay Captain Paolo Marquez), clothes, towels, blankets, food, toiletries, N95 masks, candles and matches.

Online donation option: None available.

OPERATION BLESSING FOUNDATION PHILIPPINES

Where: 5^TH floor, Sagittarius Building, 111 HV Dela Costa street, Salcedo Village, Makati City

Contact numbers: 8663-4701, 8663-4710 and 0939-9215543

What to donate: Food, clean water, clothes, slippers, kitchenware, diapers, milk, sleeping mats, blankets and face masks.

Online donation option: https://www.obphil.com/home/be-a-partner/

Cash donation option: Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines bank account numbers

BDO: 0030000-55279

BPI: 3001-0040-33

Metro Bank: 270-3-27050273-4

Union Bank: 00-216-072163-9

NEW LIFE COMMUNITY CARE

Where: 2 Don Manolo Drive, Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa City

Contact number: 8809-1542, 8809-1543 and 8809-1533

What to donate: Cash, sleeping mats, blankets and food items.

Online donation option: https://newlife.ph/give/taal-disaster-relief

VICTORY ALABANG

Where: Classroom 1, Victory Alabang, 4^th level, Festival Mall, Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City

Contact number: 8771-1212

What to donate: Canned goods, bottled water, medicine, face masks, blankets, new towels, toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste and soap) and used clothes.