Recently in Las Piñas City, roving security guards of BF Resort Village caught two men in the act of cutting and removing aerial cable wires and this led to their arrest, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The suspects are now with the local police.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
Two men were arrested after village watchmen caught them stealing Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) aerial cable wires on Tuesday, September 19, in Las Piñas City.
According to the Southern Police District (SPD), the Las Piñas City police identified the suspects as Aldrin Nieva, 24, alias “Bisaya”; and Jowel Eyas, 20.
The suspects were arrested on Maria Concepcion Roa St. in BF Resort, Barangay Talon Dos, Las Piñas City.
Police said the suspects were apprehended by roving village security officers who caught them in the act of cutting and removing PLDT aerial cable wires.
Recovered from their possession were a kitchen knife, a hacksaw blade, and the cable wires worth P147,516. 71.
The suspects were immediately detained at the police custodial facility.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Were cable wires inside your village tampered with or were cut-off by thieves over the past twelve months?
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 engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Welcome back, fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs from around the world! If you are an enthusiast of giant monster movies and if you have gotten tired with what Hollywood has been releasing, there is a brand new Godzilla (Gojira in Japanese) movie from Japan’s Toho which will be released in cinemas before the year ends…Godzilla Minus One (Japanese title: Gojira Mainasu Wan).
The official movie poster for the Japanese market.
To get started about this new Japanese Godzilla movie, I encourage you to watch the official trailer (English subtitles included) below…
The way the details and visuals were presented in the movie trailer, the filmmakers showed Godzilla as a terrifying giant whose presence brings certain death and destruction to those near it. The trailer made Godzilla looking like it intends to kill people. What I find interesting about the core concept of this upcoming movie is that the iconic monster wreaks havoc in Japan a short time after the end of World War II. This emphasizes that Japan is economically weak and struggling to recover from the tremendous losses suffered from the said war. Also spotted were efforts by the filmmakers to replicate the look of post-WWII Japan.
If you know your world history, you should be aware of the facts that America dropped atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 which compelled Japan (then a major military force with the Axis powers) to surrender unconditionally. Putting that historical context into the realm of fantasy by Toho, Godzilla Minus One shows what would happen had the giant monster invaded Japan while it was still in a very weakened state.
This is a terrifying image of people running away from Godzilla whose steps were causing destruction.
Considering the post-World War II background, it is not yet clear to me if this movie will serve as a prequel to the original Gojira movie of 1954. What is clear is that the filmmakers are daringly making something new with Japan’s icon and their creative approach looks radically different from Toho’s previous Godzilla release in 2016 (note: read my retro review of Shin Godzilla).
Considering the many Godzilla movies released – including those from Hollywood studios – being original with telling a story about the monster is indeed very hard to do. That being said, I am interested to see how the post-World War II setting, the new story and characters, and the giant monster itself will be executed on-screen. If the trailer indicates anything, it looks like Godzilla Minus One could turn out as a dramatic disaster movie (than a monster movie) and could come close to what the 1954 original movie presented.
As of this writing, there are not too many international markets for cinematic releases listed in Godzilla Minus One‘s IMDB page. Being based here in the Philippines, I can only hope that the Japan-made movie will be released in local cinemas which could be a bit tricky given the fact that Shin Godzilla had a limited release here in 2016. I really want to watch this upcoming movie in the local cinema, especially IMAX, but that would depend on how the distribution here in the Philippines will be executed. At the same time, watching a Japanese-made Godzilla movie would be a nice break from the MonsterVerse Godzilla that has been around for years now. Honestly, I’m getting tired of Hollywood’s current version of Japan’s icon.
A very menacing Gojira image from Toho promoting Godzilla Minus One. If you look very closely, you can see some of the giant monster’s teeth red with blood.
If Godzilla Minus One does not get screened locally for some reason, its potential Blu-ray (and possibly 4K Blu-ray) release in the future would be the next option to watch it. Regardless, watch out for this new movie in cinemas in a few months’ time.
Did anyone in Muntinlupa City approach you and tried to solicit funds for a beauty pageant? There is a scam happening locally and no less than the Mayor and Congressman of Muntinlupa warned the public about it, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin report. Some parts in boldface…
Muntinlupa Rep. Jaime Fresnedi and Mayor Ruffy Biazon warned the public of a solicitation scam using a fake endorsement letter for a beauty pageant.
In a Facebook post, Fresnedi said a fake endorsement letter indicating that it came from his office was being used to solicit from business establishments for the “Miss Amazing Philippines” beauty pageant in exchange for a five percent discount when they renew their business permits.
The fake endorsement letter certified that a certain Rovic Macariola from Barangay Putatan appeared on Sept. 15 in Fresnedi’s office “with the purpose of seeking permission for the introduction and fulfillment of the candidate requirements for the competition of ‘Miss Amazing Philippines 2023’ pageant.”
“The public is hereby warned that Rovic P. Macariola did not appear on the 15th day of September 2023 and sought permission from this Office relative to the requirements for the competition of ‘Miss Amazing Philippines’ 2023 pageant,” Fresnedi said in a statement.
He added, “Further, Atty. Miguelito Rueda-Gozos who allegedly approved the Certificate of Appearance as a lawyer holding position as a mere Administrative Aide II is not connected with the Office of the House of Representatives of the Lone District of Muntinlupa.”
Fresnedi said the letterhead used in the fake endorsement letter “pertains to the City Government of Muntinlupa and not to the Lone District and the signature of the undersigned in the Certificate of Appearance was forged.”
He said, “the public is hereby advised that the Office of Representative Jaime R. Fresnedi did not issue the Certificate of Appearance and that they should not transact with Rovic P. Macariola who made the foregoing false representations in order to solicit donations for the alleged beauty pageant.”
Biazon said this is a scam and the city government does not ask money or donation in exchange for a discount.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Muntinlupa City resident, what is your reaction to this development? Did someone approach you and tried to solicit funds from you for a special event or activity? Do you think there could be more solicitation scams happening within the city right now?
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 engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
In connection to next month’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) turned to operators of digital wallets and online banking and warned them about digital vote-buying, according to a Manila Times news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Times news report. Some parts in boldface…
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) warned electronic wallet operators they could be involved in vote-buying cases if they allow candidates in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to use their apps to buy votes.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said over the weekend that the agency has already informed GCash, Maya and other companies involved in mobile payment services that they may face charges for conspiracy to commit vote-buying.
Garcia said they advised the companies to monitor high-volume transactions, especially in the days prior to election day.The companies were also told to be suspicious when money is sent to 50 to 200 people in one day.
“A red flag would be if someone sent a certain amount of money to a large number of recipients,” Garcia pointed out.
He said companies involved in digital wallets and online banking have vowed to support Comelec’s efforts against vote-buying.
The poll body intends to sign a memorandum of agreement with e-wallet companies, Garcia said.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the COMELEC did the right thing to ensure the credibility of the BSKE? Do you think this new move by the COMELEC will prevent vote-buying from happening?
Recently in the City of Las Piñas, a 3-day planning workshop for the establishment of the Local Tourism Development Plant (LTDP) was organized by the Las Piñas Tourism and Cultural Office, 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…
The Las Piñas Tourism Council conducted a three-day planning workshop for the formation of the Local Tourism Development Plan (LTDP).
The workshop was organized by the Las Piñas Tourism and Cultural Office under supervising Tourism Officer Paul Ahljay San Miguel, with the guidance of the Department of Interior and Local Governmet (DILG)-Las Piñas under Director Mary Anne Planas.
San Miguel said the seminar for the tourism council was conducted by the Department of Tourism -National Capital Region (DOT-NCR). He said representatives of the DOT-NCR, Kenneth Ruedas and Bamba Ramos, discussed the best and effective ways to develop and formulate a local tourism plan.
San Miguel added that the LTDP will be the primary tourism guide of their office in planning projects to help boost tourism in the city.
He expressed his gratitude to the DOT Regional Director of NCR Sharlene Batin for attending the seminar and giving some guidance and support to the tourism council.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Do you see the city becoming a major player in Philippine tourism over the next five years?
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 engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Recently in Parañaque City, a Chinese national and his local companion got arrested by police officers for the alleged operation of a prostitution ring within the city, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article. Take note that this is not the first time that Chinese nationals were involved with prostitution and human trafficking within Parañaque City (click here, here and here).
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news report. Some parts in boldface…
A Chinese national and his female cohort were arrested by Southern Police District (SPD) agents for allegedly operating a prostitution ring in Parañaque City, according to a news release on Sunday.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez identified the Chinese national as Xiao Ji, and his 48-year-old Filipino companion, Arlene Lapurga Geron.
Police arrested the two while serving a search warrant at SoleMare Parksuites in Barangay Tambo on Saturday.
Police rescued seven Chinese nationals and one Filipino woman during the operation, Nartatez said.
They were victims of human trafficking and sexually exploited before they were distributed to high-end hotels, casinos and clubs in Parañaque, he added.
Another suspect, a Chinese national identified as Lin Wei, managed to escape and is now the subject of manhunt. Operatives also seized several firearms, laptops and money.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? Are you concerned that there could be Chinese nationals moving around Parañaque secretly committing human trafficking violations? Do you think that Parañaque’s prostitution industry is under the heavy influence of Chinese nationals right now?
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 engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Finally! It was announced that the anticipated Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will officially be released on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows PC and Xbox Game Pass (XGP) on April 23, 2024.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the official announcement via the Eiyuden Chronicle website. Some parts in boldface…
Today we proudly announce the April 23, 2024 release date of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes! We are pleased to unveil a new key visual featuring the three main characters Nowa, Seign, and Marisa.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a JRPG from legendary game developers Yoshitaka Murayama’s (Suikoden I & II) and Junko Kawano (Suikoden I & IV) which takes the turn-based strategy game experience to the next level. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes features a finely crafted six-character battle system, meticulously created 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds, a riveting story with over 100 playable characters and engaging gameplay designed to bring players a modern take on classic JRPGs.
“We are thrilled to finally announce the release date of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes,” said Studio Lead Yoshitaka Murayama.
For the newcomers reading this, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is an independently produced JRPG that involved key creators from the Suikoden game franchise which was previously announced for a vague 2023 release. The game developers needed more time to ensure a high quality RPG which explained the delay into 2024. This new JRPG is the 2nd Eiyuden Chronicle title to be released on Xbox. The first one was Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.
A battle within the game.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a JRPG that I’ve been anticipating for more than two years now. I enjoyed the first two Suikoden RPGs on PlayStation 1 (note: read my Suikoden II retro review) and the upcoming game is very clearly inspired by them. Ironically, the remastered Suikoden and Suikoden II look like they won’t be released this year as Konami itself announced that more time is needed to ensure quality performance.
As I myself am pretty busy enjoying Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG Starfieldon my Xbox Series X console, it seems to me that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ April 2024 release schedule feels just right. The more I play Starfield, the more I discovered more quests and activities which really deepened the fun. There is no telling how long I’ll keep on playing the sci-fi RPG. Apart from Starfield, Forza Motorsport (2023) is the other big-time Xbox-exclusive game to play starting October 10.
Apart from completion and polishing, the publisher of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will have the major challenge of marketing the game to get JRPG fans and other gamers to buy it. The said game is bound for release on Xbox Game Pass which itself also has hundreds of video games – including RPGs – available for subscribers to play. It will take a solid effort to make Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes stand out in XGP.
Watch out for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and Windows PC plus Xbox Game Pass on April 23, 2024. For more about the JRPG, visit https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/eiyuden-chronicle
Recently in the progressive City of Muntinlupa, more than forty local rice retailers received cash assistance from the national government, 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…
A total of 44 rice retailers received cash assistance or “ayuda” from the national government in Muntinlupa following the imposition by President Marcos of a rice price cap on regular milled and well-milled rice.
The Muntinlupa City government headed by Mayor Ruffy Biazon assisted in the distribution of the cash assistance of P15,000 for each of the 44 rice retailers, or a total of P660,000.
The cash assistance is part of the President’s program to help rice retailers affected by his Executive Order No. 39, which imposed a price ceiling of P41 for regular milled rice and P45 for well-milled rice starting on Sept. 5.
“Ang ginawa ng Pangulo ay nagpadala ng assistance sa mga retailers para makabawi sila sa losses nila dulot ng Executive Order 39. Patuloy ang coordination natin sa mga ahensya ng pamahalaan tulad ng DTI, DA at DSWD. Hopefully matapos na ang problema natin sa nalalapit na panahon (What the President did was to send assistance to the retailers so they can offset the losses caused by Executive Order 39. Our coordination with government agencies like DTI, DA and DSWD continues. Hopefully we can end the problem soon),” said Biazon.
The cash assistance was distributed by the Department of Social Work and Development, together with the verification teams from the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Local Economic Investment and Promotion Office (LEIPO), and Business Processing and Licensing Office (BPLO), which submitted the list of micro rice retailers.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you know anyone who sells rice for a living struggling right now? Do you think the current problem of rice grain pricing will continue to last over the next six to twelve months? How much did your household spend on rice grain over the last two months?
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 engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Starfield, the epic sci-fi role-playing game (sci-fi RPG) from Bethesda Game Studios (Oblivion, Skyrim and Fallout 4), tremendously boosted the sales of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (including the newer version) in the United Kingdom (UK) shortly after its very strong launch there, according to a report published by GamesIndustry.biz. Also available on Windows PC and Windows PC plus Xbox Game Pass (XGP), it is not surprising to see many gamers making decisions to buy the game brand new which helped it top the UK software sales chart.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the GamesIndustry.biz report. Some parts in boldface…
The launch of Starfield and a new version of the Xbox Series S significantly boosted sales of Microsoft consoles.
GfK data reveals that Xbox Series S and X sales jumped 76% week-on-week for the seven days ending September 2nd.
GfK games boss Dorian Bloch says that the week is the biggest this year (so far) for Xbox Series S and X hardware sales in the UK. Meanwhile, the week ending September 9th is currently the second best week.
This was partially due to the launch of the new Xbox Series S 1TB edition, which accounted for 24% of all Xbox consoles sold during that week. The new version of Xbox Series S is roughly £50 more expensive than the standard Series S model.
Starfield is filled with a lot of quests, activities, exploration and sci-fi action that really engaged millions of people worldwide as I write this. The scope of the game is very immense.
But the jump in Xbox console sales was also due to the launch of Starfield. The Bethesda game officially launched on September 6th, but it was available on September 1st to those who were willing to pay for the Premium Edition. As a result, the standard Xbox Series X console posted a 46% increase in sales for the week ending September 2nd in the UK.
“It is currently the best week this year for Series X,” Bloch says. “And the following week [ending September 9th] is the fourth best for X. In-between is week one and week six, which were early year blips.”
Bloch says that the Xbox consoles overall had a decent showing for the week ending September 9th, with the new Series S 1TB model accounting for 20% of sales.
As mentioned earlier, Starfield is also a software sales success in the UK which GamesIndustry.biz also reported separately. Check out the excerpt below…
Starfield has topped the UK physical charts this week.GfK’s report showed that the space-action RPG sold more physical copies on Xbox than it did on PC.
Sarah Morgan is one of the key characters in Starfield. Interacting with her added a lot to the gameplay and engagement. Take note that Morgan is just one of the Constellation characters you will interact with.
Starfield’s premium upgrade (a box with a code that provided early access to the digital version) has fallen to No.34 after debuting at No.7 last week. This version experienced a 71% decrease in sales due to the game’s wider release on September 6.
As confirmed by the news above, the Xbox-exclusive Starfield succeeded big-time at retail in the UK and as Bethesda’s biggest launch of all-time (on a worldwide scale). Think deeply about those huge achievements that were realized without PlayStation at all. While lots of gamers in the UK spent a lot of money on the sci-fi RPG and Xbox Series consoles, there are also many Starfield players enjoying it on Xbox Game Pass. In fact, a lot of XGP subscribers paid for the early access to the game and that only showed how heavily anticipated Starfield really is as Bethesda’s newest intellectual property (IP). Apart from that, there is still a long way to go before the month of September 2023 ends.
The way the Xbox-exclusive game is succeeding as I write this, it is very likely that Starfield will grow into a franchise of in-depth RPGs in the years to come. Like Halo and the Forza Motorsport, Starfield will be an Xbox-exclusive franchise of games that fans and RPG-loving gamers can look forward to.
Even without PlayStation, Starfield became a massive success at launch in terms of software sales, Xbox Game Pass subscriptions and Xbox hardware sales.
On my part, I have been playing Starfield on my Xbox Series X for more than a week now and the more I played it, the more enjoyable and even intriguing the gameplay experience turned out to be. There is just so much to have fun with this sci-fi RPG and by now, I have gotten myself more oriented with the user interface and the functions laid out.
With regards to the shooting (specifically with on-foot activities), the precision and response here are comparable with those in Fallout 4. Flying spaceships and using the controls for flight and weapons are really good and responsive enough.
While I won’t be spoiling plot details here, I can say that the gameplay experience has been pretty varied when I do the main quests, side quests, activities and when I freely explore the many in-game environments from one planet to another across different star systems. Check out the images and their descriptions below…
There is nothing like spotting Ecliptic mercenaries marching together in the middle of nowhere followed by my character and companion taking them out by surprise. If you encounter a random situation like this, engage with it.
I love the high-level of visual details as well as the impressive physics Bethesda prepared for space battles.
After defeating several armed bad guys and some dangerous turrets at a very discreet location, I got myself a brand new space ship! I now have four space ships as of this writing!
There is nothing like being able to board an enemy space ship, defeating all the bad guys and taking the valuables (including the opportunity to claim the ship as your own if your pilot skill is high enough). Starfield allows such opportunities to happen during space ship battles. Don’t just focus on destroying the enemy ship entirely as you will miss out on the opportunity to board it.
Starfield is very enjoyable and I believe that it still has a lot more to offer. I finished several side quests and activities, and still there is a lot more to discover and engage with! Of all the Xbox-exclusive games released in this current console generation, Starfield is already the most engaging one I have been playing, even more so than Halo Infinite.
Recently in Las Piñas City, the City Government released cash aid to the local rice retailers to support them in coping with the rising costs in their line of business, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The distribution was led by Mayor Imelda Aguilar.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar led the distribution of cash assistance to 139 rice retailers at Las Piñas City Café in the City Hall grounds on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The mayor said the City Agriculture Office (CAO), in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), distributed P15,000 cash assistance to each of the beneficiaries.
Aguilar took a decisive stance in response to the rising prices of rice to safeguard the city’s small-scale rice retailers, traders, and vendors.
The cash assistance is just the beginning of the city government’s initiatives to help its small rice business owners, said Aguilar, showing her commitment to aiding local businesses and prioritizing community welfare.
The mayor also revealed that the city government is in the process of developing a more comprehensive plan to support local rice traders and vendors.
The cash assistance aims to provide immediate relief to small businesses in the city, empower them to continue their operations and contribute to stabilizing rice supplies in the community since the livelihoods of rice retailers are under severe strain due to the surging price of rice.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Are you struggling to buy rice grain for your family now? Do you think this newest action by the City Government will benefit consumers as well? Are the local rice retailers in your community been struggling a lot lately?
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 engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Author Carlo Carrasco 