Recently the Metro Manila Council (MMC) approved a resolution emphasizing the regulation of utility lines and urging local governments units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) to remove the dangling wires in all streets, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
The Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Tuesday approved in principle a resolution calling for the regulation and monitoring of utility lines as well as the removal of dangling and “spaghetti” cables in all streets in the National Capital Region (NCR).
During the MMC meeting at the MMDA head office in Pasig City, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chair Romando Artes said MMDA Resolution 24-16 Series of 2024 urges local government units (LGUs) in NCR to pass an ordinance for the control and maintenance of these utility lines.
“Noong isang araw ay may bumagsak na poste dahil sa salasalabat na wire at nagdulot ng mabigat na trapiko. Walang nakadaan dahil nakaharang sa daan. Kailangan nang maiwasan ang ganito para hindi na umabot sa pagkawala ng buhay (The other day, a utility post fell down due to these spaghetti wires that caused heavy traffic. Nobody was able to pass. We need to avoid such occurrences and not wait for it to take a life),” Artes said.
During the meeting, executives from power distributor Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said these wires cannot easily be removed due to the difficulty of identifying which wires are non-operational.
“Temporary disruption of services which results in complaints from affected residents are also among their challenges,” he said.
To alleviate these issues, Artes said an information drive will be launched to warn residents of any service disruptions that may happen before the removal of these unnecessary wires.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you agree with the approved resolution of the MMC? Are there lots of dangling wires in your local community right now? Does your local government have existing laws that regulate utility lines?
As some of you are already aware, I fully stand with Israel which is very connected with my uncompromising faith in the Lord. I keep on praying to Him for Israel to overwhelm its enemies, rescue the hostages and recover from the effects of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks committed by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. I can assure all of you that nobody from the evil Islamo-Leftist mob, nobody from the pro-Palestine zealots and nobody from any evil society would stop me from supporting and loving Israel.
Now, on with the news…
Recently, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel announced that officials approved a quota of over ninety thousand foreign workers to come into Israel to fill vacant jobs in the industry, agriculture, hotels and restaurant sectors, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
Seeking to address a labor shortage, Israeli officials approved a quota of 92,000 foreign workers to fill jobs in agriculture, industry, hotels and restaurants, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday.
This marks the first time Israel has authorized foreign workers for the restaurant industry.
Seventy percent of the quota is specifically set aside for agricultural laborers. Israeli agriculture is facing staggering losses in production and manpower.
Before Oct. 7, Israel had 29,900 foreigners, mostly Thais, working in farms, orchards, greenhouses and packing plants.
Israeli workers who might have filled the gaps have been called up for military reserve duty while Palestinian laborers are currently banned as security risks.
Many growing areas are within two kilometers of the Lebanese border where farmers have not been able to freely access fields and orchards.
“Despite the challenges of the war, the packing house works around the clock, with the aim of providing fresh Israeli produce continuously, while dealing with the directives of the Home Front Command,” said Asaf Keret, CEO of Beresheet, a fruit-packing business jointly run by several kibbutzim in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights.
Keret was addressing a delegation of fruit growers and agricultural officials touring Beresheet’s orchards.
He called on the government to boost agriculture with further measures, such as grants for planting, raising lang quotas, and other incentives.
“The fruit growers are at the height of the picking season and are faced with picking under the fire of Hezbollah, and we are prepared to market the produce of the farmers of the Galilee and the Golan to the marketing chains and wholesale companies. Thanks to our dedicated farmers and workers, I am sure that we will be able to supply the produce to the residents of the State of Israel,” Keret said.
The remaining foreign workers will fill gaps in industry, and hotels, with 2,000 to work for the first time in restaurants.
Israel is making moves to revive its economy which was affected by the October 7 terrorist attacks. There are gaps that need to be filled up and we will find out soon enough how many foreign workers will turn out to enter and work in Israel legally.
To my fellow Filipinos reading this, I encourage you to accept the truth that Israel is the land God designated specifically for the Jewish people (read Genesis 35:10-12) and His command must be followed without hesitation. If you want to be blessed further by the Lord, do so by loving and blessing the Jewish people (Genesis 12:1-3). I did my part when I was in Israel. Also, let me remind you all that the ties between the Jews and Christians are truly biblical!
We live in a very divided world. Around the world, Leftist forces have been supporting evil forces like the current regime of Iran which is known for supplying and arming the Palestinian terrorists, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups around the Middle East. The Leftists and terrorists always go together and their anti-Semitism is clearly obvious. Hamas is purely evil and they are being protected by not only their fellow terrorists but also by mainstream news media outlets who are linked with Leftist forces and people who hate Israel and the Jewish people. Beware of the evil union of the Islamo-Left which is wicked deep within.
With all that said, I encourage you all to pray to the Lord God in support of Israel and believe that He will guide the Israeli forces to another victory which means finishing off Hamas, crushing Hezbollah and forcing Iran and its terror proxies to give up. Read Joshua 11:1-20 in the Holy Bible for relevance and truth. Pray to the Lord to support Israel, its government officials, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and other stakeholders.
It has been months since I finished my first playthrough of Starfield on my Xbox Series X. I really enjoyed the massive sci-fi role-playing game (developed by Bethesda Game Studios) but I should say that there were technical glitches and some creative shortcomings that got in the way. While it is indeed a really good game, I have not replayed it ever since.
In fact, I have been waiting for the developers to keep on patching and refining Starfieldas much as possible, plus I have been anticipating the release of the promised expansion Shattered Space.
During the recent 2024 Xbox Games Showcase (also referred to as Xbox Showcase), Bethesda and Team Xbox released the official trailer of Starfield: Shattered Space and also went the extra mile announcing new stuff for Starfield players to check out. Watch the trailer as well as the June 2024 video below…
The home planet of House Va’ruun remains a mystery to the vast majority of the citizens of the Settled Systems. The religious zealots that make up this clandestine faction are known only by their dangerous reputation. When a distress signal originating from a derelict star station leads you on a path to Va’ruun’kai, you’ll begin to uncover the secrets surrounding the followers of the Great Serpent. Explore a new location, take on new enemies and experience the story of House Va’ruun when Shattered Space launches later this year.
A lot of mystery await gamers in the Shattered Space expansion for Starfield.
I can say that the concept of exploring the home world of House Va’ruun is not only intriguing but clearly the next creative step for Starfield. House Va’ruun’s troops and agents are indeed formidable foes to fight and I have been eager to find out more of them in the game. I can only hope that apart from refining the game, Todd Howard and his team will come up with a rock-solid story, more engaging gameplay experiences and maybe a few new characters to introduce as they focus on House Va’ruun.
Don’t forget that there is a huge fanbase of Starfield gamers who are literally hungry for more content that is no less fun and captivating. Perhaps the Shattered Space expansion will reinvigorate both fans and new gamers’ interest in Starfield.
If there is anything lacking with the Shattered Space part of the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, it is the lack of a firm release date. For me, “coming in 2024” is unsatisfying and uncertain. It should be noted that other games at the showcase had no firm release dates. Perhaps Bethesda and Team Xbox will release Starfield: Shattered Space during the first or second week of September 2024 (note: Starfield itself was released on September 6, 2023).
Watch out for Starfield: Shattered Space on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows PC.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…
The Office of the Ombudsman has junked Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo’s bid to lift the six-month preventive suspension slapped against her over her alleged links to a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in her jurisdiction.
The Ombudsman resolution dated June 21 said it is standing by its preliminary findings that there are sufficient grounds to hold that the evidence against Guo and the other respondents are strong.
Aside from Guo, also suspended by the Ombudsman were Bamban Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) officer Edwin Campo and Municipal Legal Officer Adden Sigua.
The Ombudsman suspended the three in May to keep them from interfering in the investigation following the complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which is accusing them of committing grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
In its resolution signed by Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires, there is evidence that Guo has business interest in Baofu Land Development Inc., owner of the land where the raided POGO was located. It said this was shown by a Tarlac Electric Cooperative Inc Statement of Account dated March 8, 2024 under Guo’s name that was seized during the March 13, 2024 raid in the Baofu compound for alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.
The Ombudsman also cited documents showing that Baofu and the POGO, Zun Yuan, operated their respective businesses with permits processed by the BPLO and issued by Guo, as well as documents showing that Sigua knew and had prior acquaintances with Guo since he was the one who notarized each of the Deed of Absolute Sale covering the eight parcels of land that Guo bought that later on became the compound.
“This Office only deems it prudent to preventively suspend respondents Guo, Campo and Sigua given their undeniable hand in the operation of Baofu and Zun Yuan,” the Ombudsman said.
“After due consideration of the factual circumstances of the instant case, this Office finds no compelling reason to reconsider and lift the Order of preventive suspension of respondents Guo, Campo and Sigua while the case against them is pending adjudication,” it added.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Are you convinced that mayor Guo is involved with the POGO crime activities mentioned? Do you think that the raided Bamban POGO could be linked with the scam hub in Parañaque?
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, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Recently in province of Cebu, a sting operation conducted by law enforcers resulted in the arrest of an electric bike (e-bike) driver and the seizure of illegal substances worth over P2 million, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article. It should be noted that the suspect was previously monitored by the local authorities.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
Regional anti-narcotics police arrested an electronic (e)-bike driver and seized a total of PHP2.04 million worth of suspected shabu in a sting operation Monday evening.
The police identified the suspect as alias Demot, a 33-year-old resident of Spolarium Street in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, whose work is driving an e-bike for a fee.
The suspect yielded the packs containing what is believed to be shabu, weighing 300 grams with an estimated street value of PHP2,040,000.
“The police is now investigating to determine the source of illegal drugs of the suspect,” a statement from the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 7 (Central Visayas) said Tuesday.
According to the police, the suspect was placed under close monitoring a week before his arrest after they received a report that he could dispose of 500 grams of illegal drugs per week.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the police will be able to determine the source of illegal drugs they seized from the arrested e-bike driver? Are you concerned that there could be more e-bike drivers around you who could be secretly working with drug pushers and crime syndicates?
Recently in the city of Parañaque, a shooting incident took place which resulted in the arrests of five Chinese nationals and a local driver for their alleged involvement, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
Five Chinese nationals and a Filipino who were allegedly involved in a shooting incident of two Chinese men in Parañaque City were arrested early morning of June 15.
The Southern Police District (SPD) said that based on the report submitted by Parañaque City police chief, Col. Melvin Monante, the suspects were identified as alias Peng, 43; alias Cheng, alias Deng, alias Tu, 42; alias Liu, 34, and alias Ken, a Filipino driver/body guard and a resident of Barangay San Isidro, Parañaque City.
The SPD said four other suspects remain at large and were identified as alias Yu, 32; and Bo, both Chinese nationals, alias Marlon and alias Tony, their Filipino drivers.
The police said the victims both named as alias Li, suffered gunshot wounds in the lower part of their bodies and were rushed to Ospital ng Parañaque for treatment.
Based on the investigation by the Parañaque City police, the incident happened at around 12:10 a.m. inside a residential building located along Roxas Boulevard, Parañaque City.
The police said residential building tenants immediately reported the incident to Parañaque police Tambo substation after hearing a burst of gunfire inside the victims’ unit.
It was learned that based on the CCTV footage gathered by the police, the four men entered the unit of the victims and shot them allegedly due to an unpaid loan.
Witnesses said that after the hearing the burst of gunfire, six men came out of the unit of the victims. They found the victims bloodied due to gunshot wounds.
Members of the Parañaque city police conducted a backtracking investigation which led to the arrest of the six suspects.
The police said alias Peng and Deng were arrested in a hotel room in Pasay City while Cheng was arrested in Clark, Pampanga. The police recovered from them a .22 magnum revolver and .9mm pistol with ammunitions.
The two other Chinese men, alias Cheng and alias Liu, who were residing in the same building, were also arrested after the conduct of backtracking.
The Filipino suspect, Ken, was arrested at his residence. Recovered from him were a .9mm pistol, extra magazine, cellular phone, and a motorcycle. He was previously arrested for carnapping and robbery
The police said the mastermind in the shooting incident, alias Bo, was previously arrested in December 2022 allegedly for his involvement in other criminal activities. The remaining suspects are now subjects of a manhunt operation.
It was learned that the suspects lend cash to casino players.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a resident of Parañaque, are you concerned that there could be more shooting incidents or other criminal activities involving Chinese nationals?
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, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Recently in the City of Muntinlupa, hundreds of volunteers from the City Government, agencies and the private sector organized a cleanup activity against dengue, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
More than 500 volunteers from the Muntinlupa City Government, partner agencies, and private companies conducted a simultaneous cleanup activity to prevent the spread of dengue.
Under the “Dengue, ‘Di Pwede!” campaign, they collected over 110 sacks of solid waste from streets, canals, and creeks all over the city.
Officials from the Muntinlupa City Health Office conducted a lecture before the cleanup activity to provide information on ways to avoid dengue and what to do in case one gets sick.
From Jan. 1 to June 3 this year, the CHO recorded 80 dengue cases in Muntinlupa with zero deaths compared to 81 during the same period last year.
Barangays Alabang and Cupang had the highest cases with 17 each, followed by Putatan (13), Poblacion (11), Bayanan (9), Tunasan (8), Buli (3), Sucat (2) and Ayala Alabang (0).
Cupang had the highest dengue attack rate at 2.9 per 10,000 population
Volunteers signed up under the Make Your City Proud (MYCP) campaign, a program of the city government that encourages community members to participate in various activities.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, do you think the volunteer effort versus dengue is helpful?
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, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) has expelled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, adding to the woes of the controversial local chief executive.
Guo is currently serving an Ombudsman-ordered six-month suspension, which started May 31, and faces human trafficking charges filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
In a letter signed by NPC chair Vicente Sotto III on June 22 and addressed to Tarlac Governor Susan Yap who petitioned the removal, Guo is ordered removed from the roster of members.
Party secretary general Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs and head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, will implement the order and inform Guo of her removal from NPC.
“The NPC will not tolerate any unlawful acts or any appearance of impropriety by its members that will undermine the principle of our party,” read the NPC letter, released to the media on Sunday.
On Friday, the PAOCC and PNP-CIDG filed a qualified human trafficking complaint against Guo, former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, 12 officers and incorporators of three companies, and Guo’s alleged business partners Huang Zhiyang, Zhang Ruijin and Baoying Li before the Department of Justice.
The case against Guo and the others stemmed from the raid at the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hub Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban in March.
Huang is a fugitive in China, while Zhang and Baoying are allegedly involved in a major money laundering case in Singapore.
An Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against Guo and the other respondents may be out next week.
Previously, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said it would look into Guo and the names and entities connected with her.
“Due process will be followed. If the income declared with the BIR does not match the value of the properties amassed during the same taxable years, criminal cases for tax evasion will be filed. The same charges can be filed against conspirators and the corporate officers of the companies used to amass such wealth,” BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said.
Guo, Municipal Business Permits and Licensing Office’s Edwin Ocampo and municipal legal office Adenn Sigua are suspended due to “strong evidence showing their guilt” on the charges of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and gross neglect of duty.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the NPC did the right move by expelling mayor Guo? Do you think this development will spark a wave of member integrity checking by all existing political parties here in the Philippines?
Welcome back, fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs!
Decades ago, I saw on home video Cloak & Dagger (1984) which turned out to be an entertaining film to watch as I was already playing games on Atari 2600 and the arcades. After replaying by chance on cable TV years later, I finally bought myself the 4K Blu-ray and it sure was fun to watch it all over again. Check out my retro movie review of it by clicking here.
The front of my copy of Cloak & Dagger (1984) 4K Blu-ray.
The rear with the details that can be read.
For the newcomers reading this, Cloak & Dagger (1984) is a movie that involved then video game giant Atari in the creative process. The movie’s plot is not based on Atari’s arcade game of the same name (previously titled as Agent X).
Cloak & Dagger (1984) its own original plot of espionage about a young boy Davey (played by Henry Thomas, the star of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) who witnesses a murder and receives an Atari 5200 cartridge of the game Cloak & Dagger that contains something very important. This in turn makes him a target of armed henchmen who won’t stop until they get him. Due to his reputation of being too playful and living with his wild imagination as a spy, people don’t believe Davey’s claim of witnessing a murder. This film happens to be inspired by the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” written by Cornell Woolrich.
Cloak & Dagger in arcade form. Atari released it in the form of an arcade conversion kit aimed at arcade machines of certain games of its competitors.
The Cloak & Dagger arcade game can be played on your game console with the Atari 50 collection software (over 100 games). This screenshot I captured while playing it on my Xbox Series X console running Atari 50.
A few weeks ago, my copy of the Cloak & Dagger 4K Blu-ray arrived and it came with two discs: One 4K Blu-ray disc which contained the movie in native 4K (scanned in UHD from the 35mm film) resolution of 3840 x 2160p. The other disc has the same movie in HD (1920 x 1080p) plus the extra stuff which can provide viewers and Cloak & Dagger fans a good amount of important content which will help them learn what the video game elements in the film are, what inspired its creative process and why the film is very unique by today’s standards. There is also an informative new interview with Henry Thomas.
Since then, I saw Cloak & Dagger in 4K twice on my Xbox Series X and its 1080p version on a standalone Blu-ray disc player. Cloak & Dagger in 4K looks better than ever as the picture quality is better, images look sharper and clearer, the colors are vibrant, the small visual details (which were not visible in lower resolution before) are more noticeable now, and film grain structure has been preserved intact!
The two discs. The one on the right is Cloak & Dagger in 4K.
As for the story itself, I still find it engaging and enjoyable to watch from start to finish. Cloak & Dagger is clearly a production of its time as it carries clear Cold War references – the Soviet Union and Iran are the evil forces told in very subtle fashion – as well as video game elements and brands (note: ColecoVision even appeared in this Atari-influenced movie) that dominated America’s console gaming market long before PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox arrived. For a movie aimed at parents and children, this one has really intense violence as it involves shooting and even some elements of terrorism.
Ultimately, I got a lot of enjoyment from my Cloak & Dagger (1984) 4K Blu-ray and I highly recommend it to Cloak & Dagger fans, gamers, physical media collectors and anyone who loves watching movies in the comfort of home. Cloak & Dagger (1984) is a very unique and fun movie that Hollywood does not make anymore. You really should see it.
In case you are interested or if you have made up your mind, you can order a copy of Cloak & Dagger (1984) 4K Blu-ray by clicking here.
Recently in the city of Parañaque, a cop was arrested by elements of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) operatives as a result of a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay BF Homes, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) operatives on Sunday arrested a cop in a drug buy-bust operation in Parañaque City.
NCRPO Director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. identified the suspect as Cpl. Neil Bagunu, 31, presently assigned at the National Police Training Institute (NPTI).
He was arrested in Purok-2 Formost Street in Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City after receiving the marked and boodle money from a poseur buyer as payment for shabu at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Nartatez said the operatives seized drug paraphernalia worth PHP136,000 and a .45- caliber pistol.
The cop, he said, was brought to the Paranaque Police Station to face criminal and administrative charges.
He said over 500 policemen in Metro Manila have been dismissed from the service as part of the NCRPO’s internal cleansing since July last year.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a resident of Parañaque, are you concerned that there could be more police officers secretly engaging in illegal activities in your local community?
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, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Author Carlo Carrasco 