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)
“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.
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
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.
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 INITIALLYPOSTPONING 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).
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.
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.
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
Las Piñas City Councilor Peewee Aguilar, Capital Market Institute of the Philippines president Dr. Edwin Valeroso and COL Financial Group Vice President of Sales and Customer Support Juanis Barredo cut the ribbon. Barredo also delivered a speech.
The ribbon was cut jointly by Las Piñas City Councilor Peewee Aguilar, Capital Market Institute of the Philippines president Dr. Edwin Valeroso and COL Financial Group Vice President of Sales and Customer Support Juanis Barredo. (photo source – Southville International School & Colleges)
The Southville Financial Lab comes with many features like stock trading terminals as well as three global business broadcast stations that receive live feed of real-time stock quotes, live technical charts, market updates, and financial news from Bloomberg, ANC, and CNN which students can receive and learn from. The facility aims to instill an appropriate saving and investing ethos among students and faculty and to infuse the academe with a strong investment and entrepreneurial consciousness that will contribute to the growth of the country’s capital market and national economic development.
The facility has a very nice interior design and related reading materials that give users a strong sense of global business and finance culture. For the near future, the Southville Financial Lab will hold business and financial literacy classes which aim is for students to virtually execute an intensive knowledge on the global market trends from books into a real-time experience.
Lots of reading materials on the table plus some high-tech equipment in the background. (photo source – SISC)Another look and the very modern Southville Financial Lab. (photo source – SISC)
According to SISC, the facility is inspired by the Capital Market Learning Center (CMLC) which is the brainchild of Southville Global Education Network (SGEN) from the joint endeavors of Dr. Genevieve Ledesma – Tan and Dr. Rhoderick Santos, in partnership with the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), the Rotary Club of Makati Salcedo, and Vulture Private Equity Unlimited, Inc.
To say the least, this latest development not only adds to SISC’s record of quality business education but also made it stand out among the many academic institutions in South Metro Manila.
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My special thanks to officials of SISC for the information.
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.
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.
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
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.
Think about it. There were 213 crime incidents involving Chinese nationals in South Metro Manila and Parañaque (the city of BF Homes subdivision, Manila Memorial Park and those lavish casinos and hotels by the bay) got almost two-thirds of that.
The trend of such crime continues to happen in the said city as confirmed by the January 20, 2020 news report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The report was about a police raid on a sex den inside a budget hotel that resulted the apprehension of a Chinese national who allegedly managed the place and the rescue of several Chinese women who allegedly were forced into prostitution.
Below are notable excerpts from the report.
Excerpt 1: The alleged manager of the sex den, Cai Ye Gui, also from China, was arrested. He now faces charges for violation of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.
Excerpt 2: A tip from one of the victims’ clients led to the rescue of 11 Chinese women allegedly forced into prostitution inside one of the branches of a budget hotel chain in Parañaque City on Sunday.
Excerpt 3: The victims claimed they were promised jobs in the country, but ended up being forced into prostitution.
Excerpt 4: Similar to other sex dens raided by authorities, the business catered exclusively to Chinese nationals, especially to men working in Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) companies and their service providers. Bookings could be made through the WeChat app or in person.
So the prostitution joint was handled by a male Chinese national to cater to foreigners from China and their workers were ladies also from China who were promised jobs in the Philippines only to end up working as prostitutes against their will.
As for the app called WeChat, that is the most popular messaging app in China (according to CNBC) owned by Tencent (full corporate name Tencent Holdings Limited) which is a Chinese multinational conglomerate.
Based on the details of the Inquirer report, it seems that WeChat is used for communication and business for the raided sex den. This brings me to an excerpt from CNBC’s article…
Excerpt 1: One of the primary uses of WeChat is messaging. Just like WhatsApp, you have a list of conversations that you’re engaged in.
You can add people in a variety of ways.
When people exchange contact details in China, you often see one person scanning the other person’s phone. Each WeChat user has a unique barcode known as a QR code. One person can scan the other user’s QR code to add them to WeChat. You can also use a phone number or ID to add a person and search for people nearby.
WeChat is one of the main ways people communicate in China. Even when doing business, people prefer WeChat to email. It’s even more prevalent because services like Facebook are blocked here.
And here is a look at the commercial side of WeChat.
Excerpt 2: If you’re buying something online in China, there will be an option to purchase with WeChat Pay. You will need to put in a passcode or use a biometric authentication tool to authorize the transaction.
Instant money transfers to your WeChat contacts can also be made via the messaging function, which makes it easy to split bills or just move money around China. It is possible to be nearly cashless in China and actually go out for the day without a wallet.
If WeChat was actually used for payments (in addition to booking) for services at the sex den by Chinese users who are physically present here in the Philippine, how were they able to make it work locally? WeChat’s financial transaction feature was supposed to work only in China.
To say the least, the app made bookings convenient for Chinese nationals before visiting the illegal joint in Parañaque City. The name of the budget hotel (which had the sex den inside) was not revealed in the Inquirer report but it was described to be located near the corner of Quirino Avenue and NAIA Road.
As for the legal aspect of the latest Parañaque sex den raid involving Chinese nationals, the law enforcers and lawyers will have to figure out how to effectively apply the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 on the suspects and other violators.
If found guilty, the suspects will be penalized for twenty years imprisonment and a fine of P1 million to 2P million for the act of trafficking, 15 years imprisonment and a fine of P500,000 to P1 million for attempted trafficking, and life imprisonment and a fine of P2 million to P5 million for qualified trafficking.
This latest crime makes Parañaque look bad and it is a fact that there are lots of Chinese nationals living and working in the said city.
Also let me add here the December 23, 2019 the city sisterhood agreement between Parañaque and the Chinese city of Anshan. On face value, the agreement looks like a pretty and promising way of the two cities becoming closer together. According to a Manila Standard report, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Parañaque and Anshan should “create opportunities for mutual growth, since both cities share similar environmental protection and tourism endeavors.”
There were other objectives that include “providing for better cooperation in conducting reciprocally planned and sanctioned programs geared towards the improvement of government administration, tourism, cultural preservation, environmental protection, education, technology, arts, and the holding of various endeavors mutually beneficial to both parties.”
What needs examining here is how many tourists from Anshan (a city of more than 3 million people) will come to Parañaque for tourism, how many of those same tourists will be setting up businesses locally, how many of them will take residence in the city, and are they all willing to follow the local and nationals laws at all.
What guarantee is there that Anshan tourists will not commit any crimes in Parañaque or anywhere else in the Philippines?
If there is anything that will prevent a city or a nation from prospering and becoming more competitive with others, it is crime. Other factors that will do the same include corruption, sinister propaganda, misuse of taxpayers’ money, sub-par public service and lack of financial discipline.
For those of you reading this who have genuine love for the country, start praying to the Lord that the crime wave will not harm Filipino families living inside the villages. Start reading the Holy Bible and apply its lessons on your life by heart.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced by means of interviewing Ditas Antenor. 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.
Spotlight on BF HomeSarap, The Village Home-Cooked Food Directory
Do you love home-cooked food? Do you love BF Homes, the very large residential-commercial community that occupies portions of Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Las Piñas? Do you love grouping together on Facebook forming a very lively online community?
If you love all three, then you cannot go wrong with the BF HomeSarap Facebook group!
BF HomeSarap is not just any food-oriented, regional group on the social network. It is one of the fastest growing FB groups that highlights home cooking, good tastes, small enterprise and the BF Homes community members (plus friends).
BF HomeSarap’s growth in terms of membership is truly amazing. The FB group only started on April 2019 and from zero members it attracted to more than eight thousand (8,000+) members as of this writing! By comparison, there are other BF Homes-related (plus Barangay BF Homes-related) FB groups that lasted for years and still their respective memberships were exceeded by BF HomeSarap.
The FB group has described itself to be the resource for delicious home-cooked food (and drinks) right inside the village. As big businesses are prohibited, BF HomeSarap allows foodie sellers to post their specialties by showing pictures of the products, the name of the food or drink, prices and how they are being sold. What is notable about the group is that the people who make food at home are granted valuable opportunities to reach out to other members who might be interested to buy from them. In a business sense, the small food enterprises are able to make themselves known and gain chances to grow not only with selling products but also attracting new customers and establishing new business relationships.
And then something significant happened on December 7 and 8, 2019 – selected BF HomeSarap members came out in full force as sellers in the first-ever BF HomeSarap Community Food Fair and Bazaar which was held at the open-air basketball court and at the nearby covered stretch inside BF NorthWest, Parañaque City. That community event, which was organized by village governor-at-large Lorea Miren in cooperation with the BF NorthWest Homeowners Association and supported by PARA APP, was a big success as it attracted between 250 to 300 visitors (including Parañaque City Councilors Jackie Bustamante-Mendoza and Wahoo Sotto) and almost all the vendors sold out! Apart from that, a strong spirit of community interaction, business and socializing took place.
A look at just one section where the first-ever BF HomeSarap Community Food Fair was held inside BF NorthWest. This one was taken at a covered facility near the open-air basketball court (where the other vendors were present and selling too).
With all of these mentioned, you must be wondering: Who started BF HomeSarap in the first place? Why was it established? How did it happen? Where will BF HomeSarap head to now that its presence online and within the real environment inside BF Homes has been felt?
For all of you, my readers and food enthusiasts, I am happy to present to you my interview with BF HomeSarap founder and food stylist Ditas Antenor.
To begin with, Ditas Antenor worked in the corporate world as an advertising executive and worked with her employer’s big-time clients. After more than a decade managing multinational accounts in various multinational ad agencies, she moved on to the production side and there she became a food stylist. She even spent time in the United States to learn about food styling (for print and broadcast).
“I decided back then to take up food styling because I made plans regarding my career ahead of time,” Antenor recalled. “I really planned ahead. I could quit my nine-to-five job and engage in freelancing. So what would be a good, lucrative freelance job that I know I could be good at? That was food styling which is rare (in the Philippines.)”
Back then, food stylists in the Philippines were rare. Antenor became the fifth among the already established food stylists at the time. She eventually got hired by some clients and established herself nicely. Raised as an Alabang Girl, she and her children currently live in the Las Pinas City part of BF Homes subdivision.
BF HomeSarap’s origin and tremendous growth within Facebook
So how did BF HomeSarap start as a group within Facebook? It all started with a trigger on the part of its founder Ditas Antenor.
“There was a trigger. It was related to me and my kids moving into BF Homes subdivision coming from Alabang. Our house here in BF has been around for a very long time,” Antenor said. “My kids grew up with my cooking. Although they enjoy commercial foods like pizza or burgers that can be ordered, they can only eat those sometimes and ultimately they still love home-cooked food.”
Being the highly focused planner she has always been, Antenor had prepared menus for their family up to a few months ahead. She does the home cooking and, from time to time, her children cook adding variety. The love for home cooking, good food and relationships all connected with the beginning of BF HomeSarap.
“Then one day, I said to myself ‘maybe I should form a group’. I’m not an original member of the BF Homes community but still this is our home, even if I still maintain and occasionally stay in our Alabang house” Antenor recalled. “After doing an initial search for food-related FB groups that were related to BF Homes, I formed an FB group for BF by BF focused on home-cooked food.”
Along the way, the founder recalled her efforts on forming a name for the FB group that is unique and would strongly resonate with food enthusiasts and BF Homes residents and stakeholders. The result, clearly, was BF HomeSarap which was a clever combination of the name of the subdivision as well as the Tagalog word “Sarap” (English: Delicious).
“The name BF HomeSarap was formed out of my intention to include the local community’s name while reflecting people’s enjoyment of good home-cooked food. It had to be catchy and relevant at the same time. After searching for possible combinations of words, I came up with ‘sarap’ to partner with BF Homes,” she stated.
BF HomeSarap was created on April 2019 by Antenor reflecting her interest of good, home-cooked food her children would enjoy while establishing ties with the many members of the BF Homes community who share her interest.
The result? The membership of BF HomeSarap on Facebook went from zero to over eight thousand as of this writing. The members were a big mix of food enthusiasts as well as home-based cooks who are quietly selling food or drinks through their respective small-sized businesses. Already several small-time food sellers posted food or beverages for sale complete with contact numbers, prices, ways on how to avail of ordered items and the like. BF HomeSarap excludes the bigger, commercial food sellers giving more space and priority to the small ones. Along the way, there were a lot of buyers who had been searching for tasty home-cooked food. The result is BF HomeSarap establishing itself as a very lively online community whose members are united by home-cooked food and delicacies.
Of course, not just anyone could join the BF HomeSarap FB group. With the help of a few friends (who lived in BF Homes for a long time) and her daughter, Antenor and her co-administrators carefully review the many pending applications of FB users who wanted to join in as well as the many private messages sent.
“The membership of BF HomeSarap just kept on growing fast. Along the way, we made sure it would not become just another buy-and-sell type of Facebook group. I really wanted it to be an online community about good, home-cooked food and BF Homes which will be engaged with good quality content from time to time. I really want community engagement,” she said.
To engage the BF HomeSarap group members, Antenor researched online about the latest food trends, what kind of food people like lately, cooking tips, recipes and the like. The result was her releasing unique content in the form of articles, short videos, special greetings and customized images that get posted in the group occasionally. This approach of hers helped keep BF HomeSarap interesting and engaging, and prevented it from becoming stale or getting too flooded with sales-related posts.
For the future, Antenor stated that she is still striving to come up with ideas to make life better for the sellers and buyers of the group. She is exploring how to establish a dedicated delivery system that will carry BF HomeSarap’s name and cater to the clients’ needs. She and her team are also looking for other enclaves around BF Homes that could possibly host the next edition of the BF HomeSarap Community Food Fair this year.
With almost 9,000 members counted (and growing) and continued daily engagement, BF HomeSarap is undoubtedly the premier FB group focused on home-cooked food with the people of BF Homes in mind. Even FB users from the rest of South Metro Manila noticed the group.
“BF Homes is very unique,” Antenor said in relation to the group’s phenomenal growth and influence.
“When I cook, I continue to engage the community. There is, indeed, a wealth of home-cooked food in this community. You just need to look for it. You just need to know who cooked it. Also, level up your food in terms of nutrition and quality. If you want good food for your family, aim for home-cooked. It can be cheaper and yet it can be prepared with the same love and care for the family.”
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
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.
Note: Article cover photo contains images from the book “SULÓ: Where Taste Was Style”, written by author/founder Erlinda Panlilio, published in 2015 by Anvil Publishing.
The City Government of Muntinlupa proved it has the heart to assist others who badly need help in times of disaster as the local authorities approved big-time relief for the many victims of the recent Taal Volcano eruption.
Firstly, the City Council of Muntinlupa approved on January 14 the Mayor Jaime Fresnedi’s proposal of a P3,000,000 donation for the municipalities of Talisay, Laurel & Agoncillo, Batangas as aide for the victims of Taal Volcano eruption for their recovery and rehabilitation.
Fresnedi called for the public to continue to stand in prayer for the safety of affected families in Batangas and encouraged city residents to participate in donation drives.
Secondly, the City Government sent 3,417 grocery packs and 381 six-liter bottles of water to evacuation centers in coordination with Batangas Incident Command Post in Fernando Air Base, Lipa City on January 15. Muntinlupa Social Services Department head Analyn Mercado confirmed that the said relief packs went to the cities and municipalities of Calaca, Alfonso, Nasugbu, Batangas, Bauan, San Pascual, Balayan, and Sto. Tomas
Relief packs given to evacuees include canned goods, water, rice, sleeping mats, utensils, clothes, and other non-food items. Mercado added that an additional 300 sacks of rice and another 2,828 six-liter bottles of water will be distributed to the evacuees in the following days.
The City Government of Muntinlupa is still accepting any kind of donations at Muntinlupa Resiliency Building (Hall of Justice Compound) in Brgy. Tunasan or Annex Building, Muntinlupa City Hall.
To donate, the public may coordinate with SSD at (02) 8861 6223 and may look for Ms. Analyn Mercado.
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.
Where: Classroom 1, Victory Alabang, 4th 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.
Where: Commerce Avenue corner Filinvest Avenue, Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Contact number: 8893-1450
What to donate: Canned goods (preferably those easy to open), flashlights, ready-to-eat food, bottled water, face masks, hygiene kits and towels, blankets and mats, basic medicine, clean clothes, paper plates, cups, plastic utensils
What to donate: Laundry items, toiletries, medicine, children’s clothes and toys, bottled water, dog and cat food, food containers, pillows, mats, blankets, slippers
Here in the Philippines, Taal Volcano erupted on January 12 pushing a massive amount of volcanic ash high up into the air. A short time later, the ash spread around and reached parts of Metro Manila.
The next morning, I went out for my usual hike here in Muntinlupa City going to Filinvest City. Along the way while inside our village, the volcanic ash were around me – on the side of the roads, the sidewalks, on top the leaves of some trees and over the surfaces of vehicles parked nearby. There was also collected ash that got wet as it rained the previous night.
Then I visited the local village park and saw the following…
At the park.Volcanic ash still somewhat wet on this slide.Look at all that wet ash.
I hiked on to Filinvest City. As light from the sun was bright enough, the ash on the road and the sidewalk became clearer. There were also prints of shoes, slippers and tire tracks spotted. I took the opportunity to photograph them.
Lots of ash on the surface of the road in Filinvest City, Alabang.The view outside Commercenter.This guy was the first Filinvest City cleaner (he wore a Filinvest City uniform) I saw along Commerce Avenue.
I went further to Festival Mall. Unsurprisingly their roads and parking lots had lots of ash around. As I walked on, I wondered how many people with equipment they will deploy to clean up their parking spaces.
At one of the parking lots of Festival Mall.
So I saw a lot about the volcanic ash in Alabang that morning. Certain things I saw during my morning hike reminded me a bit of what I saw back in 1991 regarding the volcanic ash Mount Pinatubo released. Metro Manila was not spared back then.
Still nothing prepared me for the volcanic ash that I saw as I drove from Alabang to our office in Laguna via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). As many vehicles moved both ways along the highway, there as a lot of Taal Volcano’s ash the view became less visible on certain stretches.
Then I took a short stopover at one of the gas stations along the SLEX. Here is what I saw.
So much volcanic ash on the open space.A maintenance worker struggles to collect the volcanic ash.
The gas station was dirty with the volcanic ash. Many cars that were there were also dirty and people, including the maintenance workers, were seen wearing face masks. I witnessed one maintenance worker near me doing clean-up work by moving the volcanic ash into a pile and then collecting them and storing them into a black garbage bag.
More of the ash collected at the place.
Seeing him work like that made me pray that he and all other personnel assigned to do cleaning will get compensated well by their respective employers. There is so much Taal Volcano ash around, it will take quite some time and effort before achieving cleanliness.
I also pray that the victims – those who live in close proximity to Taal Volcano – will receive sufficient assistance from the local authorities as well as private donors or groups doing charity work. This is because those victims’ lives got disrupted and many of them had to leave their homes temporarily.
One credible organization to donate to is Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines which announced already its campaign to help Taal Volcano victims. Visit their website right here. Another worthy organization accepting donations is New Life Community Care.
The victims of the natural disaster need our help and prayers. Remember that.
So that’s it. January 13, 2020 will be remembered as one of the most unusual Mondays I had in many years. Given the tremendous amount of volcanic ash spotted EVERYWHERE I went that day, it is fitting for me to call the day as Ash Monday.
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The City Government of Muntinlupa announced yesterday the schedule of payment of real property tax in their city for 2020 and also launched its incentives program for RPT payers who will pay on or before quarterly deadline.
Muntinlupa City Treasurer’s Office released the deadline of payment of real property tax on the following dates: March 1, 2020 (1st Installment, Q1), June 30, 2020 (2nd Installment, Q2), September 30, 2020 (3rd Installment, Q3), and December 31, 2020 (4th Installment, Q4).
Taxpayers with no delinquency who shall pay their real property taxes on or before deadlines of payment are entitled to a ten percent (10%) discount.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi lauded this incentive system as it will boost tax revenues for the city to be utilized in various programs and services for the city residents. The mayor said the City Government shifts in being more customer-driven which accelerates public services, bringing ease transactions for the public.
RPT payers in Muntinlupa can also pay their taxes at Muntinlupa Online Real-Property Payment System (MORPS) through the electronic banking system of the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The RPT e-Payment system, first of its kind in Metro Manila, aims to course transaction of its major taxpayers through electronic channels to provide them with efficient and less-time consuming delivery of services.
An interface with MORPS will handle real-time property tax payment and can process transactions in less than 15 minutes. An easy and taxpayer-friendly application for every Muntinlupenos, it targets to speed up the transaction for the convenience of taxpayers and the reduction of red-tape and under-the-table propositions.
Fresnedi encouraged Muntinlupeños to pay their respective bills ahead of time to avoid penalties.
While MCTO introduced the incentive program, it also noted that upon expiration of the periods given, an interest of two percent (2%) per month not exceeding 36 months or 72% shall be imposed upon delinquent properties for failure to pay the basic real property tax or any other tax levied under the Revenue Code.
For more information, RPT payers can log-in to http://www.muntinlupacity.gov.ph/RPT/ or visit the City Treasurer’s Office located at Ground Floor, Main Building, Muntinlupa City Hall with tel nos. 8862-2525 loc. 120 or 8862-1491.
Author Carlo Carrasco 