The City Government of Muntinlupa added two more communities under localized lockdown, in addition to two areas previously placed under stricter community quarantine, in its latest attempt to prevent further COVID-19 transmissions.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi signed an executive order declaring a 15-day Extreme Localized Community Quarantine (ELCQ) in St. Anthony St., JPA Subdivision in Brgy. Tunasan and Amparo St. in Brgy. Poblacion starting 06:00 a.m. of March 26 until April 10, 6:00 a.m.
Muntinlupa City Health Office (CHO) acting chief Dr. Juancho Bunyi said the areas have become areas of concern after recording a high attack rate of 32 per 1,000 population and a doubling time of 3 days from March 18-22 for St. Anthony Street, while a high attack rate of 17.14 per 1,000 population and narrow doubling time of 3 days were recorded from March 16-25 in Amparo Street.
He noted that clustering of cases were observed in the communities subjected to the localized lockdown and social distancing and the strict use of face masks are not strictly followed. Further, the City Health Office recorded a high population of senior citizens for both communities.
St. Anthony St., JPA Subdivision in Brgy. Tunasan has 155 residents and 8 active cases while Amparo St. in Brgy. Poblacion has 175 households and 7 active cases as of March 25. CHO is set to conduct a mass testing in the community and will intensify its detection, isolation, and treatment strategies. Contact tracing of close contacts will also be facilitated.
The City Government through the Social Service Department and Barangay will provide additional relief food packs and other basic goods during the effectivity of the ELCQ. PNP Muntinlupa is set to augment roving personnel in nearby areas to ensure the public’s strict compliance to health protocols.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi asks for the cooperation of the residents from the affected communities and urged them to observe health protocols such as frequent hand-washing, wearing of face masks, and physical distancing.
Previously, the City Government placed Cruzero St., Villa Carolina 1 in Barangay Tunasan and 124 Purok 1 in Barangay Cupang starting March 13 and will end on March 28, 6:00 a.m.
As of March 25, Muntinlupa City has 6,699 confirmed cases with 5,773 recoveries, 735 active cases, 191 reported deaths, 195 suspect cases, and 697 probable cases.
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Members of Muntinlupa City PNP and barangay police have apprehended at 203 curfew violators – including 36 were minors – on the first day (March 15, 2021) of the implementation of stricter curfew hours in the city.
Muntinlupa Public Information Officer Tez Navarro said the violators were taken to barangay covered courts where they attended seminars about the unified curfew hours, health protocols, and the local COVID-19 situation.
According to PNP Muntinlupa, 22 individuals were given citation tickets for deliberate non-compliance with minimum health measures such as wearing of face mask and face shield while 36 minors were given warning.
Navarro added that minors who will violate the curfew hours shall lose their scholarship grant from the local government in their second offense while other penalties shall be charged against their parents or guardians.
Photo released by the Muntinlupa PIO related to the Metro Manila curfew.
The City Government joined other Metro Manila cities in implementing unified curfew hours from 10:00 PM – 5:00 AM adopting the Metro Manila Council MMDA Resolution No. 21-03, Series of 2021 starting March 15. Further, Muntinlupa has also enforced a total liquor ban as part of the city’s tighter COVID-19 response efforts in a bid to prevent further transmission of COVID-19.
Business establishments who will violate the liquor ban shall receive suspension of business permit and closure for one (1) week for first offense and revocation of its business permit or license for second and succeeding offenses. For individuals, violators shall be meted with P2,500 penalty for first offense and P5,000 for second and succeeding offenses. The liquor ban and curfew hours in Muntinlupa will remain in effect until April 4.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi appealed to Muntinlupa residents to strictly follow minimum health measures and not to let their guard down amid rising cases in the city.
“COVID-19 is still here and we should continue observing health protocols such as wearing our face mask and face shield, physical distancing, and washing of hands,” the local exec said.
Two areas of concern in Muntinlupa City were placed under a two-week Extreme Localized Community Quarantine (ELCQ) from March 13 to March 28 after recording high attack rates and active cases in the recent weeks.
The City Health Office has conducted a mass testing in Cruzero St., Villa Carolina 1 in Barangay Tunasan and 124 Purok 1 in Barangay Cupang and will intensify its detection, isolation, and treatment strategies. Contact tracing of close contacts will also be facilitated.
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The above information was provided by the City Government of Muntinlupa for the purpose of public information and transparency. Some parts were edited for this website.
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Below is an excerpt for the more specific details as reported by Manila Bulletin…
The Las Piñas City government reported that 1,982 medical and health frontliners from different hospitals, public and private, in the city had already vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The city government started its vaccination rollout on March 9 with the theme “Ligtas na Las Pinero, Lahat Bakunado” at the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, one of the city’s identified vaccination sites.
Medical and healthcare workers of the University of Perpetual Help Medical Center were inoculated with China-made Sinovac vaccines at the start of the vaccination rollout.
Mayor Imelda Aguilar said that frontline employees of the UPMC on March 15 were inoculated with AstraZeneca vaccines.
The mayor also confirmed that with regards to the Sinovac vaccines, the City Government received over 1,200 doses of it from the National Government and were immediately used to inoculate frontliners. As reported before, the City Government’s goal is to vaccinate all city residents who in turn can get themselves registered.
Before the vaccination officially started, a simulation was held at the vaccination site at Las Piñas Elementary School Central, P. Diego Cera, Barangay Elias Aldana. On March 9, at the vaccination site at the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) Gymnasium, in Barangay Pamplona Tres, Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery and other local officials attended and observed the launch of the vaccination rollout.
Image from the March 9, 2021 vaccine rollout.
How can local residents get registered for the vaccine?
In accordance to what was established, each family will be given profiling forms to be filled up. The steps for manual registration are as follows:
1. Make sure that all the requested details in the form are answered.
2. Submit the understood forms to your barangay / Homeowner’s Association (HOA).
3. Include one (1) 2 x2 size ID photo and photocopy of any government issued ID with address.
As for online registration, the steps are as follows:
The above information was sourced from the City Government of Las Piñas and Manila Bulletin.
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Yesterday the City Government of Muntinlupa awarded stimulus assistance to displaced youth workers in the city who have started their own businesses in a bid to recover from unemployment and other challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi led the turn-over of financial assistance to 34 youth entrepreneurs under the first of batch of NegosYouth: Stimulus Recovery Assistance Program of the Youth Affairs and Sports Development Office.
Fresnedi says the resilience of the city’s youth entrepreneurs to innovate amid challenging times is worthy of emulation. The local exec hopes that their stories will also inspire other young people in the city to also start their own businesses.
Under the stimulus program, the City Government provides P5,000 in financial assistance to out-of-work youth, students, and out-of-school youth who have started their own businesses during the community quarantine. The beneficiaries will also receive entrepreneurship trainings on financial literacy, leadership, and among others.
Following an assessment, the beneficiaries will be endorsed to the Joint Resource Financing Program to receive zero-interest loan assistance of up to P150,000 for the expansion of their businesses.
The first batch of the stimulus assistance for the youth is composed of members of Muntinlupa Locals, a street wear movement which empowers and bolster the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth of the city.
Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (2nd from left) and Youth Affairs and Sports Development Officer Cynthia Viacrusis lead the turn-over ceremony of financial assistance to 34 displaced youth workers turned entrepreneurs under the first of batch of NegosYouth: Stimulus Recovery Assistance Program last March 8. 34 youth entrepreneurs from Muntinlupa Locals, a Muntinlupa-based street wear movement, were the first recipients of the stimulus assistance. Recently, the Muntinlupa City Council passed Resolution No. 2020-406 recognizing the achievement of Muntinlupa Locals in honing the business skills of the local youth and stirring employment among the residents of Muntinlupa. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)
Muntinlupa Locals was founded in June 2020 by Patrick H. Aquino, a resident of Barangay Alabang and proprietor of Ayong Graphics. The youth group supports at least 70 Muntinlupa-based brands and envisions the Muntinlupa youth to be self-reliant by encouraging and bolstering their entrepreneurial skills through patronage and sale of Muntinlupa made, designed and manufactured clothing line.
Recently, the Muntinlupa City Council passed Resolution No. 2020-406 recognizing the achievement of Muntinlupa Locals in honing the business skills of the local youth and stirring employment among the residents of Muntinlupa.
For interested individuals, coordinate with Muntinlupa City Youth Affairs and Sports Development Office located at Muntinlupa Sports Center, Brgy. Tunasan with tel. no. 8862-8428.
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The above information was provided by the City Government of Muntinlupa for the purpose of public information and transparency. Some parts were edited for this website.
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
Recording a 65% increase in active cases over the last month, the City Government of Muntinlupais urging city residents to remain observing health protocols especially the working class who are the subject of recent COVID-19 transmission.
Muntinlupa City Health Officer Dra. Teresa Tuliao said recent COVID-19 active cases are residents who work outside the city and may have contracted the virus in their workplaces or during their commute. Tuliao noted that most of infected employees have transmitted the virus to their family members leading to the increase of cases in the city.
As of March 7, Muntinlupa CHO recorded 129 active cases from the city’s nine barangays. Muntinlupa only has 78 active cases last February 7.
The doubling time, or the number of days for COVID-19 cases to double in number, is 28.60 days and the attack rate is at 10.46/1000 as of March 7. The average daily new cases for the past 2 weeks in Muntinlupa is 12 cases per day while the recovery rate is at 94.69%.
While the city remains to have one of the lowest COVID-19 attack rates among local government units in Metro Manila, the Muntinlupa CHO reminds the public to observe “utmost caution” especially when taking a commute in public transportation and in their workplaces. The local government is set to coordinate with companies and tricycle and jeepney operators to reinforce the implementation of health measures in their establishments and vehicles.
Recently, Muntinlupa City StaySafe.PH Task Force intensifies its contact tracing efforts through the implementation of StaySafe.PH app. Members of the Business Permits and Licensing Office has conducted inspections in various malls and other establishments to ensure full compliance to the contact tracing initiatives.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi urged city residents not to let their guard down and strictly follow minimum health protocols amid rising cases in the city.
Public reminder from the City Government. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)
“The arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in the country should not give us a false sense of security. COVID-19 is still here and we should continue observing health protocols such as wearing our face mask and face shield, physical distancing, and washing of hands,” the local exec said. He also appealed to the public to refrain taking non-essential trips.
While the IATF has issued guidelines for a unified travel protocols for all local government units easing cross-border trips, the City Government eyes to impose stricter travel protocols for inbound visitors especially individuals coming from the province. Muntinlupa also supports the decision of the Metro Manila Council for the deferment of reopening cinemas due to health concerns.
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The above information was provided by the City Government of Muntinlupa for the purpose of public information and transparency. Some parts were edited for this website.
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
Yesterday Las Piñas City Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery together with officials of the City Engineering Office conducted an ocular inspection at one of the official vaccination sites located at the Gatchalian covered court in Barangay Manuyo Dos. . Rose Bantog, head of City Engineering Office, at one of the city’s vaccination sites, at Gatchalian Covered Court in Barangay Manuyo Dos today, March 3, 2021.
Las Piñas City Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery and other officials during the inspection at the vaccination site in Barangay Manuyo Dos yesterday. (source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)
The vaccination site at the Gatchalian covered court in Barangay Manuyo Dos.(source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)
Rose Bantog, who leads the City Engineering office, was with the Vice Mayor. At the site were sections for registration, counseling, screening and vaccination, complete with chairs that were placed strategically for social distancing. The inspection was done to ensure that the established standards based on the vaccination plan of the City Government are properly followed before starting the upcoming vaccination drive for the people of Las Piñas.
The City Government of Las Piñas insists it is prioritizing the health, safety and welfare of its constituents, especially during this time of pandemic. The public has been reminded to continue to be careful, to maintain discipline and keep on following the local health and safety protocols.
This article used details sourced from the social media post of the City Government of Las Piñas.
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The COVID-19 vaccination drive in Muntinlupa City kicked off yesterday with the director of Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun) receiving the first dose administered.
OsMun Director Dr. Edwin Dimatatac received Sinovac’s CoronaVac, the first batch of vaccines that arrived in Muntinlupa. Dimatatac said OsMun targets to have 150 health workers to be vaccinated in the city.
The Asian Hospital and Medical Center also commenced their vaccination roll-out having AHMC Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jose Acuin as the first to receive the vaccine. In total, the city received 300 doses of Sinovac vaccine for OsMun and 300 for Asian Hospital and Medical Center from the national government.
Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi lauds OsMun for the success of the roll-out and hopes that at least 90% of the medical personnel in the public hospital will be convinced to be vaccinated.
“Right now this (Sinovac) is the best vaccine. And every day that we don’t get vaccinated we run the risk of being infected. So I encourage everyone to at least consider being vaccinated because you’re always exposed to risks. And being vaccinated you are not only protecting yourself but your family as well,” Fresnedi said.
Earlier, Fresnedi expressed his interest in getting vaccinated to boost the confidence of the public. But with the current guidelines from the Department of Health for the available brand, the local exec was advised to wait for the arrival of vaccines suited for senior citizens.
Recently, Muntinlupa City has secured 400,000 doses from British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca through a tripartite agreement with the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF).
Muntinlupa’s COVID-19 vaccination plan and other best practices on public health earn praise from officials of the Department of Health’s Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team.
As of March 2, Muntinlupa has 91 active cases, 5,644 confirmed cases with 5,378 recoveries, 175 reported deaths, 49 suspect cases, and 404 probable cases.
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The above information was provided by the City Government of Muntinlupa for the purpose of public information and transparency. Some parts were edited for this website.
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
President Rodrigo Duterte will have a big decision to make that will affect millions of residents and businesses in Metro Manila as a majority of the mayors voted to shift the metropolis from general community quarantine (GCQ) to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) status by March 1, 2021, as based on a news release on Philippine News Agency (PNA) that got published just last night.
Here’s an excerpt from the PNA report:
The Metro Manila Council (MMC), composed of Metro Manila mayors and national government officials, has voted to support the proposed shift to the less restrictive modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) in Metro Manila.
“Ang karamihan po ng alkalde ng kalakhang maynila ay bumoto na MGCQ na po ang magiging posisyon nila pagdating sa Metro Manila (Most of the mayors in Metro Manila voted for having MGCQ as their position in Metro Manila),” Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said in a press conference on Thursday.
This, he said, will be sent to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and to President Rodrigo R. Duterte who will make the final decision on whether to implement eased quarantine restrictions by March 1.
He declined to provide the actual number of votes the proposal received but said that all Metro Manila mayors will support the decision.
Indeed, Abalos did not reveal the number of Yes and No votes but the Manila Bulletin reported that the score among Metro Manila mayors was 9-8 in favor of MGCQ.
To put things in perspective, Metro Manila still has yet to adjust to MGCQ status. Metro Manila is the hot spot of multiple cities where a lot of residents as well as business entities of varied sizes are located at. Right now, the nation needs a major boost to its economy even as there is still the need to be vigilant to avoid new COVID-19 infections. Lots of people in the metropolis remain unemployed and badly need income, and having Metro Manila shift to MGCQ status will help revive other businesses and pave the way for more people to get back to work.
It would be nice to see the Metro Manila Council research more and observe closely how other cities and provinces are doing while maintaining MGCQ statuses for months already.
“It is about time we move to MGCQ after a year of lockdown,” Lopez told reporters in a Viber message Tuesday. “Lockdown was supposed to buy us time to prepare our health system and improve contact tracing and ‘Trace-Test-Treat’.”
Since June 2020, the National Capital Region (NCR) has not graduated from GCQ status, a stricter community quarantine measure than MGCQ.
It even went back to much stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from Aug. 4 to 18 last year as health care facilities in Metro Manila were overwhelmed due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases during that period.
“As the Philippines recovers, Metro Manila has a very weak recovery, worse in employment and hunger recovery, and that means more urban poor. The damages to malnutrition and other health and social issues will be irreversible,” Lopez said.
NCR accounted for around 40 percent of the Philippine gross domestic product (GDP).
But Lopez added the reopening of more economic activities should depend on the Covid-19 statistics.
As pointed out by Trade secretary Lopez, Metro Manila is lagging behind in terms of recovery from the pandemic. Apart from joblessness and lack of income, poverty in the National Capital Region is an important problem to solve. The more people fall under poverty, the more local government units (LGUs) need to exert and spend their limited resources to support them.
Right now, the Metro Manila Council’s approval of shifting to MGCQ status will soon be dealt with by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and President Duterte.
In ending this, here are some videos about combatting the China virus.
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Welcome back fellow Xbox fans, geeks and gamers! The new generation of console gaming has begun with the twin-launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S done around the world. Even though there were not too many images of gamers and long-time Xbox fans lining up at retailers or at special launch-related events to buy the new consoles (due to the pandemic which changed life and business the way we know it), the launch has been declared the largest in Xbox history.
On Twitter, Xbox chief Phil Spencer posted: Thank you for supporting the largest launch in Xbox history. In 24 hrs more new consoles sold, in more countries, than ever before. We’re working with retail to resupply as quickly as possible. You continue to show us the connective power of play is more important than ever.
As you can see above, Spencer declared the launch as being the largest just as he thanked those who supported it. While no sales figures were provided, he stressed that more new consoles were launched in more countries this time which means that they already exceeded the respective launch of Xbox One in 2013. In retrospect, Microsoft sold over a million units of Xbox One at launch.
The new generation of console gaming has officially started with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S now making their way through retailers worldwide.
With regards to supply, Spencer stated that they will resupply their retailers so that those who failed to secure a unit at launch won’t be left behind. It should be stated that retail giant Amazon told a certain number of their customers that Xbox Series X units ordered through them won’t be available until the end of the year. It should be noted that Amazon itself is a rival a Microsoft’s when it comes to cloud-related business and making gaming available to billions of people around the world. Delays regarding the two Xbox Series consoles also hit Canada and the United Kingdom. When it comes to launching games overseas, Yakuza: Like a Dragon reportedly (note: local publication Game Watch the source) has been delayed. Team Xbox needs to work on these issues.
In relation to the launch, EA Play has been made available to Xbox Game Pass (XGP) ultimate subscribers. This means that the said subscribers who own Xbox consoles – including the brand new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S – will be provided EA Play membership for free and this will enable them to are able to play many games. Think about the many sports games, first-person shooters, role-playing games (RPGs), racing games and many other games from EA being offered apart from the many games already listed under Xbox Game Pass own lineup. Definitely there is no shortage of games to play at launch and backward compatibility is also a factor. With regards to the Xbox ecosystem, XGP Ultimate subscribers will be able download and play games from EA Play’s library on their Windows 10 personal computers starting this December.
By the way, do you own a copy of the acclaimed Xbox One-exclusive Gears 5? The said game has been relaunched along with the Xbox Series consoles with technical optimization for the said machines. The main campaign of the game has been updated and includes Dave Bautista (presented as WWE’s Batista) as Xbox icon Marcus Fenix. This is the closest thing Xbox and Gears of War fans will have to a live-action movie adaptation. For the newcomers reading this, Bautista appeared in two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and the James Bond movie Spectre.
More on Gears 5, the game takes advantage of the new technology of the Xbox Series consoles and this means heavily reduced load times, utilization of Quick Resume (now one of the most notable new features only on the new consoles), reduced input latency (meaning improved responsiveness), variable rate shading (a key feature of AMD’s RDNA 2) and the super smooth 120 frames-per-second frame rate in Versus mode. With regards to Xbox Series X, the game is presented in 4K resolution thanks to the Ultra-HD pack and Ultra-Spec graphics that were previously only made available to PC gamer. As if that was not enough, developer The Coalition prepared new features for the Gears 5 campaign, new achievements (worth almost 100 Gamerscore points), etc.
Gamers of Gears 5 transitioning from Xbox One consoles into Xbox Series consoles will be delighted to know that it will take only a push of a button to download the update and download the next-generation version of the game via Smart Delivery for free!
In relation to the availability of Xbox Series consoles, over forty new games (including 30 games optimized for the new generation) have been made available and Team Xbox made the effort to ensure that Xbox Series consoles owners will play the best versions of the games they owned (for consoles) across the generations. While a lot has been showcased about the acclaimed Forza Horizon 4 optimized for the new consoles, it should be noted that Halo: The Master Chief Collection has also been optimized and ALL Halo games have been improved to run at higher resolutions and higher frame rates as well. Being a long-time Halo gamer myself, being able to replay past Halo games way above the 30FPS limits alone is very enticing.
Project xCloud General Manager and Head of Product Catherine Gluckstein wrote: In each of these four markets we’ll begin with this Preview to test, iterate, and gather your feedback. And next year, we’ll move to the next step and bring cloud gaming to these markets as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate; this is an important step in our journey as we look to reach more gamers around the world.
2020 has brought challenges to all of us, but we hope that cloud gaming simply opens up new ways for you to play when and how you choose. Enjoy Master Chief anywhere and everywhere when you play on your phone, get some laps in on Forza while someone else occupies the TV, or to try out a new-to-you Xbox game. Cloud gaming makes it possible to play those top titles on your Android phone or tablet.
Come join us in Preview as we test and learn in Australia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico. During this Preview you’ll have access to a curated library of great games for free, including favorites from Xbox Game Studios such as “Minecraft Dungeons,” “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” and “Forza Horizon 4” in addition to some fantastic content from our partners such as “Black Desert,” “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” and “Yakuza 0.”
Our Project xCloud Preview is currently supported on Android phones and tablets through the Xbox Game Streaming (Preview) app in the Google Play Store, available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese.
I find notable how the head of Xbox reacted towards GameSpot’s mentioning of a Bloomberg report which said that several developers in Japan have been approached by Microsoft about acquisition.
Let’s see how receptive gamers in Japan are towards the new Xbox consoles.
When asked if there was any truth to the report, Spencer responded: I don’t think so. I say, I don’t think so… I mean, I’m not in every meeting that every team has, but I’ll say not from me. Most of the opportunities that we’ve had to date have been a long-lasting relationship, and so, I don’t think we’re out there with our business card, throwing them out on the corner, trying to find people. I’ve talked about my affinity for Japanese studios and thinking back in the day when we had more games that were created in Japan as part of our first party, I’m excited when the deal closes to get to spend more time with Tango [Gameworks] and the work that they’re doing. So it’s an area that I’m interested in, but no, I don’t think it’s… I think that’s not accurate.
Spencer also expressed his view about the Asian market from a gaming standpoint and noted how different the Japanese market is compared to those in Korea, China and Southeast Asia. He also stated that he has an affinity for all the amazing creators based in Japan and he spent a lot of time there and wants to make sure those creators see Xbox as a great place for their games. It should be stated, in relation to what was said, that a free downloadable demo of Dragon Quest XI S is now available via the Xbox Store. The blockbuster Japanese RPG will be released in full on December 4, 2020 for Xbox One, Windows 10 PC and – via backward compatibility and XGP – on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Back to the interview, Spencer mentioned Mistwalker and their notable Xbox 360 JRPGs Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon. Eventually, the interview focused on the upcoming RPG Elden Ring and when asked about it, the head of Xbox stated: I’ve seen actually quite a bit. I’ve played quite a bit.
In closing this article, here are some gaming-related videos for your enjoyment.
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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. 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
COVID-19 Crisis: 20% discount for Philippine athletes and coaches confirmed
As I write this, the Philippines is slowly taking steps to move its economy forward gradually now that community quarantine rules have eased more. This means more businesses are allowed to operate and this means getting more of their workforce back to work to earn much-needed income. It’s sometimes mind boggling how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from China turned into a pandemic which halted most societies and economies around the world.
For Philippine team athletes and coaches, times are hard as well. Very recently, news have been published that their allowances for this month will be cut by half! According to the Manila Standard report, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) board decided to push through with the reduction following a May 29 board meeting with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR). The remittance declared was reportedly P9 million for June 2020 which is a major drop compared to the P150.75 million PAGCOR remitted to PSC last March.
The National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) was reported to have been severely affected as a result of health-related measures and lockdown implemented nationwide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It sure is hard for athletes and coaches to train and develop themselves. Truly this is terrible news. Sports events, both local and overseas, have gotten cancelled.
All is not lost, however, as the PSC announced that its athletes and coaches will enjoy the benefits of a 20% discount for their needs.
Below is an excerpt from the PNA.gov article with text italicized and colored blue for clarity.
On Friday night, the PSC said the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued Revenue Regulation 13-2020, which paves the way for the discount clause to be fully implemented for all athletes.
“We have been looking forward to this and we are thankful that our athletes and coaches will finally enjoy the privilege they deserve,” said PSC chairman Butch Ramirez, whose organization has been working together with the BIR for the discount benefit to be fully enjoyed by local sportsmen.
The discount clause is part of Republic Act 10699, formally known as the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act”.
The discounts shall be applied to food, medicine, recreation centers, hotels, lodging establishments, and sports equipment purchases.
The PSC has already issued identification cards to national athletes, with booklets similar to those used by senior citizens for their own discounts, to follow.
With the reduced allowances and confirmed discount, the past week saw these really drastic announcements affecting the many athletes and coaches supported by the national government. Some things are won and some things are lost.
The COVID-19 crisis affected the private sector so much, it is expected that tax revenues on the part of the national government will be reduced on the short term at least. Think about all the many small businesses around the country that have closed down resulting job losses. Think about the national government’s efforts to support qualified people with cash assistance and other forms of relief.
Now think about the national athletes and coaches. They don’t just need cash to train efficiently for future sports events. They need private sponsorship, new sports equipment, solutions to their current problems, etc.
For more on Philippine sports and COVID-19 Crisis coverage, come back here soon.
Meanwhile, please check out my special features of 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) gold medalists John Chicano and Kim Mangrobang.
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