economics – Page 67 – Author Carlo Carrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 3

November 22, 2022November 24, 2022carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun, enlightening or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you watch the following videos below…

#1 Worship videos of “O Praise The Name (Anástasis)” – I love the worship song O Praise The Name (Anástasis) written by Marty Sampson, Benjamin Hastings and Dean Ussher, and published by Hillsong Music. Its lyrics were clearly written to lead people to the Lord and to encourage them to worship Him. One of these days, I will do a Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) piece of the worship song. For those who are reading this, watch the worship videos below from Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Bethel Music. This could also be the worship song your local church could play on Sunday worship services.

#2 The history of Secret Wars – In the history of American superhero comics, the Secret Wars (full title: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars) series of 1984-1985 remains highly significant not just because it featured a unique gathering of selected superheroes and super villains of Marvel (then led by Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief) but also because of the creative impact it left behind especially with regards to Spider-Man stories and the eventual debut of his deadliest villain – Venom. Secret Wars also marked the debut of the Beyonder, a god-like entity who would impact the Marvel Comics universe later. Apart from its enduring legacy, there were also some notable things that happened behind the scenes leading to the publishing. Watch and learn from the video below.

#3 Ashleigh Burton’s reaction videos of Schwarzenegger movies – For this segment, we take a look at how Ashleigh Burton reacts to movies of the famous Arnold Schwarzenegger. She reacted to two Terminator flicks and Predator which are Schwarzenegger classic but she still has yet to do a Total Recall (1990) video. I urge you to visit her YouTube channel.

#4 Fashion versus videos – If you have not been following the videos published by SHIFT online, there are these versus-type of videos they released on their YouTube channel. Months ago, they published videos pitting popular models in key match-ups and they are posted below for your viewing pleasure.

#5 Looking back at Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park – Are you one of the many moviegoers out there who have gotten upset or tired with the way that Jurassic Park movies turned out, especially with the Jurassic World movies released since 2015? I noticed a lot of movie fans pointed to Jurassic World movies as dumb and bloated even as the filmmakers did what they could to sell dinosaurs and action sequences to entertain people. In times like these, it is refreshing to return to the original Jurassic Park movie of 1993 directed by Steven Spielberg. Watch the following movie reaction/review videos below plus a trivia video and an in-depth retrospective video.

#6 The FTX financial disaster – You heard the recent news about the major disaster of FTX that rocked the financial systems? Are you one of the many people who idolized Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF)? Did you pour your hard-earned money into the FTX cryptocurrency exchange and lost it all? Watch this video by Coldfusion to understand the details.

#7 The struggle of Starbucks Coffee in Vietnam and South Africa – Previously I posted a video about Starbucks’ own struggle in Australia whose coffee market has been highly developed long before the American coffee giant entered. There are also two notable markets where Starbucks also struggled in – Vietnam and South Africa. Watch the videos below to find out why. This is not only interesting but also educational.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. 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 with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Kadiwa bazaar in Muntinlupa City nets over P530,000 in first two days

November 18, 2022November 17, 2022carlocarrasco

In the progressive city of Muntinlupa, the Kadiwa bazaar held at the quadrangle at City Hall generated over P530,000 in sales in the first two days, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The said bazaar is a special project involving the City Government, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Agriculture (DAR), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

The two-day Kadiwa Christmas bazaar at the Muntinlupa City hall quadrangle generated nearly P536,000 in sales to sellers.

The Kadiwa bazaar, an initiative of the Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Muntinlupa City government, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Social Welfare and Development, was held on Nov. 15 and 16.

Showcasing different Muntinlupa-made products, the Kadiwa bazaar was launched by Mayor Ruffy Biazon and DTI Asst. Sec. Dominic Tolentino on Nov. 15.

According to Biazon, “Gusto natin ma-promote ang produkto ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, dahil tayo ay proud (We want to promote Muntinlupa-made products because we are very proud of them).”

“Ang sagot sa kaunlaran ay nagkakaisang mamamayan (A united citizenry contributes to a progressive economy),” said Tolentino, a Muntinlupa resident.

On the first day, the bazaar generated P326,421 in sales and P209,223 on Nov. 16 for a total of P535,644 in two days.

Other officials at the launch of KADIWA were City Administrator Allan Cachuela, DA-ESO head Marilou Lobo, Alabang Central Market Administrator Randy Garcia, and Cristine Evangelista of DTI.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Muntinlupa City resident, what is your reaction to this development? Do you want to see more bazaars in the city selling more Muntinlupa-made products? Are you more confident now to spend time in bazaars or shopping centers knowing that COVID-19 can be avoided? Are the recent news reports highlighting the Department of Health’s (DOH) recent statements about COVID-19 infections making you afraid to go out?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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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

“Hired on the Spot” employment program in effect in Las Piñas City

November 15, 2022November 14, 2022carlocarrasco

In the City of Las Piñas, a special program was recently launched to provide employment to local workers who were displaced by the pandemic, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin report. Some parts in boldface…

The Las Piñas Public Employment Service Office (PESO) conducted house interviews as part of its weekly employment facilitation program called “Hired on the Spot” on Monday, Nov. 14.

Mayor Imelda Aguilar said the “Hired on the Spot” program is being conducted by PESO, in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), with the goal of ensuring prompt and efficient delivery of employment facilitation services.

Aguilar said the program also aims to provide employment to workers displaced by the pandemic, particularly to Las Piñas residents.

She said over 150 applicants send their resume daily to PESO and around 40 percent of the applicants get hired on the spot.

The mayor said that in addition to PESO house interviews, booths are also set-up in the city’s different barangays and partner establishments.

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? Did you notice if the number of members of your local community remained unemployed? Do you consider unemployment a major problem in your city right now?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 2

November 15, 2022November 18, 2022carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you watch the following videos below…

#1 Minty Comedic Arts’ entertainment trivia videos – I don’t know with you but I enjoy the entertaining approach by Australia-based YouTuber Minty Comedic Arts on explaining trivia related to entertainment. He does his research online, utilizes available content related to the subject matter and does his thing on explaining trivia. He can be quite funny to watch. To start with, watch his videos about The Blob (1958), Friday The 13^th Part 3 (1982) and Ghostbusters (1984).

#2 Worship music videos of Planetshakers – For the newcomers reading this, Planetshakers is a Christian church based in Australia and their very anointed music team produced a lot of original worship songs and music videos that are all engaging for those who need to come to the Lord. Planetshakers’ has always been successful in leading the praise of the Lord and you should read about my Planetshakers worship event experience by clicking here. I should also state that prayers led by Pastor Sam Evans are always powerful and deeply compelling for your faith. Remember that Jesus is the Lord and Savior! That being said, posted below for you are worship music videos of Planetshakers.

#3 More Ashleigh Burton reaction videos – I always enjoy watching Ashleigh Burton’s movie reaction videos as her style, approach and ways of reacting are fun to see. Posted are more for your entertainment. There is a lot to enjoy on her YouTube channel.

#4 Wind and solar power are truly UNRELIABLE – Let’s be clear here. Renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind are truly unreliable and they cannot provide the abundant amount of energy needed by the people, businesses and societies in general. Fossil fuel is polluting but it is more reliable as it can produce abundant energy. Wind and solar power are, at best, additive forms of energy. Learn from the videos below.

#5 Looking back at Xenogears – If you were an avid console gamer back in the 1990s who had a PlayStation and you were focused on Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs), chances are you would have at least heard of Xenogears from Squaresoft (Square Enix’s previous name). While it did not come close to the Final Fantasy games of the time in terms of commercial and critical success, Xenogears remains highly memorable for those who played it and it still has a dedicated following to this day. I myself played Xenogears on my PlayStation in 1998 but I never got to finish it. As such, I would really love it if Square Enix would remaster the game and release it on the Xbox ecosystem (including Windows PC) someday. The production history of Xenogears alone is astonishing to research. Watch the videos below.

#6 X-Men: Fatal Attractions revisited – The 1990s was a wild time when it comes to reading superhero comic books. Apart from the sudden rise of Image Comics and other smaller publishers who collectively gave Marvel and DC a challenge in the market, there was also the comic book speculator boom, a rise of crossover storytelling and the sudden need by certain comic book creators to change the status quo on the franchises they worked on. In 1993, Marvel Comics celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the X-Men and creators who handled the X-Men-related comic books came up with the Fatal Attractions storyline. Fatal Attractions was not exactly a crossover tale, but it had central themes and elements – notably the return of Magneto from his “death” – that affected the X-Men-related monthly comic books of the time. Read my retro reviews here, here and here. Watch the videos below.

#7 Games coming to Xbox in 2023 – If you are an Xbox gamer who has been disappointed with the lack of big-time Xbox-exclusive games this year, then your disappointment will end as a fine mix of exclusive and 3^rd party games will come to Xbox platforms and some of them will come to the Xbox Game Pass (XGP) service. Watch the videos below.

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Philippine economy grew 7.6% in the 3rd quarter

November 14, 2022November 10, 2022carlocarrasco

You may not feel it but the economy of the Philippines grew by 7.6% in the 3^rd quarter this year according to the recent announcement published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). This is very encouraging news following the recent report of the falling unemployment in the country. Indeed, the nation continues to rise after suffering from the COVID-19 crisis’ downturn.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine economy grew at a faster rate in the third quarter of the year at 7.6 percent, higher than the revised gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second quarter at 7.5 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Thursday.

In a press conference, PSA Undersecretary Dennis Mapa said this is the sixth consecutive quarter that the economy recorded expansion.

The country’s GDP growth from July to September 2022 is also higher than the 7-percent increase in the same period in 2021.

“The third quarter’s GDP exceeded the median analyst forecast of 6.3 percent,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

Balisacan said the average GDP growth for the first nine months of the year stood at 7.7 percent.

“With this, we are on track to achieving the government’s growth target of 6.5 to 7.5 percent for 2022. Given the latest GDP outturn, our economy needs to grow by 3.3 to 6.9 percent in the fourth quarter,” he said.

The PSA reported that all major industries improved their performance in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period last year, with agriculture, forestry and fishing growing by 2.2 percent; industry, rose to 5.8 percent; and services, up by 9.1 percent.

Services contributed 5.8 percentage points to the 7.6 percent GDP growth in the third quarter, followed by industry which shared 1.6 percentage points, and agriculture, forestry and fishing at 0.2 percentage points.

By industry, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles contributed 1.9 percentage points to the GDP growth in July to September period, followed by financial and insurance services at 0.77 percentage points and construction at 0.76 percentage points.

Compared to last year, the sector of accommodation and food service activities expanded by 40.6 percent, which is the largest across industries. Transportation and storage also improved by 24.3 percent and construction increased by 12.2 percent.

“This economic performance largely benefitted from the further easing of mobility, including the resumption of face-to-face classes, which boosted consumption among Filipinos,” Balisacan said.

The NEDA chief added that the relaxation of borders and simplifying travel protocols supported the recovery and growth of local tourism and other sectors.

In terms of spending, household final consumption expenditure is the largest contributor to GDP in the previous quarter at 5.9 percentage points, exceeding the share of construction at 1.5 percent percentage points, durable equipment at 0.7 percentage points, and government final consumption expenditure at 0.1 percentage points.

In relation to the above news, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. recently visited Cambodia and there he invited the nation’s business leaders to invest in the Philippines. Posted below is an excerpt from the report of GMA Network news. Some parts in boldface…

“We would like to invite at the very least, for you, to have a look at the opportunities that are available. And finally I suppose at some point, since we are not so far away, to come and we will explain to you exactly what we have done and why we have done it and where we have arrived in that process of transforming the economy,” Marcos told business leaders during a roundtable meeting.

“I do not talk about recovery of the economy, I talk about transformation of the economy because the new economy is going to be different from everything that we did in 2019. And so this is what we are looking forward to and I hope to see you all in the Philippines soon,” he added.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent announcement about the state of the Philippine economy? Do you look forward to a more prosperous year in 2023? Are you planning to open a new business soon? If you are an investor, are you confident about investing in the stock market and in companies?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Unemployment in the Philippines falls down further, the lowest in more than two years

November 10, 2022November 8, 2022carlocarrasco

As the Philippines continues to keep on recovering from the damage of COVID-19, the national authorities reported that unemployment in the country fell down further achieving a 2-year low, according to a news article published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). This is really good news because economic growth and continued employment are very essential right now. It should also be stated that immunity from COVID-19 is better now that many millions of Filipinos have gotten vaccinated and/or boosted.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

Unemployment rate in September 2022 stood at 5 percent, the lowest in more than two years, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday.

In a press conference, PSA chief and national statistician Undersecretary Dennis Mapa said the number of unemployed Filipinos in September fell to 2.5 million, or 183,000 lower than the 2.68 million citizens with no jobs the previous month.

The number of jobless Filipinos during the month was also lower by 1.78 million from 4.28 million unemployed a year ago.

“This means 50 out of 1,000 individuals in the labor force have no job,” Mapa said in Filipino.

On the other hand, employment rate in September 2022 was at 95 percent, which translates to 47.58 million Filipinos who have jobs.

This is higher than the August 2022 employment rate of 94.7 percent, and also higher than the September 2021 rate of 91.1 percent.

He identified sectors with largest month-on-month increase in employment. These include manufacturing, up by 780,000 jobs; education, up by 159,000 jobs; public administration and defense, compulsory social security, up by 128,000 jobs; transportation and storage, up by 56,000 jobs; and real estate activities, up by 13,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, underemployment rate also increased to 15.4 percent in September this year from 14.7 percent in its previous month. This means 296,000 more employed Filipinos want to have additional hours of work in their present job or an additional job.

Despite challenges concerning inflation, Mapa is optimistic that the country will sustain unemployment rate near the 5-percent level for the remaining months of the year.

He added the average unemployment rate for this year is close to the pre-pandemic level, which is at 5.1 percent in 2019.

Mapa said the average unemployment rate for the first nine months of the year stood at 5.8 percent.

The above article ended stating that the Philippines had an unemployment rate of 17.6% in April 2020 or shortly after the first COVID-19 lockdown. For the year 2020, the average unemployment rate was at 10.4%

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent announcement about the state of unemployment in the country? Do you feel confident that 2023 will be a better economic year and that more of the unemployed will be able to find new jobs?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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What to watch on YouTube right now

November 8, 2022November 18, 2022carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you watch the following videos below…

#1 Ashleigh Burton’s Friday The 13^th Part 2 movie reaction video – I have seen many movie reaction videos about the Friday The 13^th film franchise and among the many YouTubers who published such videos, it is Ashleigh Burton (AKA Awkward Ashleigh) who stands out the most as she is the most entertaining to watch. To find out why, I recommend you watch her video reaction of Friday The 13^th Part 2 below from start to finish. Tell me what you think of the video and the presentation by Burton.

#2 Starbucks’ failure in Australia – Starbucks may be the leading coffee shop chain in the world but there are certain markets where they failed and/or have been struggling in. One notable market they could not make a big impact on is Australia. To find out why Starbucks’ reception among the many coffee-loving Australians did not turn out positively, watch the video below.

#3 KFC’s struggle in Israel – Still on food business, KFC’s struggle in Israel is quite notable and even educational to learn from. Their problem in that nation goes beyond competition. Watch this video and pay close attention to the details.

#4 The 2008 Financial Crisis and its long-lasting effects – It has been almost fifteen years since the financial meltdown of 2008 happened. Back during that time, a lot of people were worried that their savings and investments would simply vanish. While the said crisis has ended, its effects are still felt to this day in more ways than one.

#5 Unsolved Mysteries with the late Robert Stack – Unsolved Mysteries is one of my all-time favorite TV shows of all time and I am very happy to see that many episodes hosted by the late Robert Stack have been made available for free, full-length viewing on YouTube. As such, posted below are the first five episodes from Season 1 of Unsolved Mysteries for your discovery and enjoyment.

#6 The Death of Superman’s impact on comics – It has been almost thirty long years since DC Comics published the Death of Superman storyline (note: read my retro comic book reviews here and here) with the comic book Superman #75 as the climax. I remember back in late 1992, a lot of people really thought that DC Comics would not only kill the iconic superhero but also go on to publish superhero comics without his presence at all. Unsurprisingly, a lot of readers who spent so much money on the death of Superman got pissed off when DC revived the Man of Steel (preceded by the Reign of the Supermen storyline) in 1993. Superman’s death was more than just a commercial success…it had major ramifications on superhero comic book publishing in America. Watch and learn from the video below.

#7 Twitter’s history – Chances are, you must have heard about the news of Elon Musk’s takeover of social media giant Twitter as well as the changes that took effect since. There is a lot more to the history of Twitter and why Musk pushed through with taking it over. Watch and learn from the two ColdFusion videos below. By the way, how is the Twitter experience for you right now?

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New Manila International Airport construction in full swing

November 8, 2022November 7, 2022carlocarrasco

There is simply no stopping the improvement and expansion of infrastructure here in the Philippines. Infrastructure is indeed essential not only for the travel-related purposes of people but also for the growth of the national economy. In a recent development, the construction of the New Manila International Airport located in Bulacan province is now in full swing, according to a news article published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The construction of the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, some 35 kilometers north of Metro Manila, is in full swing, with Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista leading the inspection over the weekend.

In a news release issued Monday, the DOTr said Bautista was joined by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and CEO Ramon Ang and other transport officials during the inspection in the town of Bulakan.

Bautista assured stakeholders of the new international airport that the gateway will soon be open for business. Operations at the new gateway are targeted to start in 2027.

Land development works are now being done at the airport’s 1,693-hectare site.

Works on the PHP735-billion airport officially started on Sept. 18, 2019, when the government, through the DOTr, signed a concession agreement with San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of San Miguel Holdings Corp., and the infrastructure arm of SMC.

The DOTr and the SMAI are working together to make sure that the project complies with environmental protection requirements, particularly flood mitigation, considering the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) which was conducted prior to the commencement of works at the airport site.

Once built, the new international airport will be fully owned by the government under a “build-operate-transfer” program.

Once operational, the new gateway will not only help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as the capital’s main gateway, but will also be a “game changer” and catalyst of economic growth in Central Luzon. Phase 1 of the airport will have a capacity of 35 million passengers per annum, is expected generate more than 1 million jobs, and rake-in increased foreign direct investments and higher exports.

Under the 50-year concession agreement, SMAI will undertake the financing, design, construction, supply, completion, testing, commissioning, and operation and maintenance of the new international gateway.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to the ongoing construction of the New Manila International Airport? Do you believe that such an ambitious project will benefit Bulacan province economically? Do you think the upcoming airport will succeed in decongesting the current airports in Metro Manila? Can you imagine yourself traveling all the way from Muntinlupa City to the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan to catch a flight or pick up someone who is arriving?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Parañaque City ranks only 19th among Highly Urbanized Cities of the nation in terms of Competitiveness according to CMCI 2022 results

October 31, 2022October 26, 2022carlocarrasco

Have you heard of the words Parañaque Renaissance? Whether it is a political slogan or the description of the supposed improvements of the city, or even the name of some food or beverage product, Parañaque Renaissance was designed to make people believe that the City of Parañaque is great and prospering.

Recently, the results of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2022 Rankings (CMCI 2022) were published and already there were local government units (LGUs) and provincial governments that highlighted what they achieved.

The City of Muntinlupa finished #1 among all Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) in the category of Resiliency while also ranking 5^th overall on Competitiveness, 4^th on Infrastructure and 10^th on Innovation. Quezon City, which is the Most Competitive among all HUCs, finished with #1 on Innovation and #2 on Infrastructure, Resiliency, Government Efficiency and Economic Dynamism. Pasay City emerged as #1 on Economic Dynamism while finished 3^rd overall on Competitiveness.

Parañaque, the city that has BF Homes and Better Living among its many residential communities within its borders, ended up with 19^th place in the category of Competitiveness among HUCs. To be clear, there are 33 HUCs all in all. Parañaque finished 10^th place on Economic Dynamism, 13^th place on Infrastructure, 16^th place on Resiliency, 23^rd place on Government Efficiency and 29^th place on Innovation. The results can viewed at https://cmci.dti.gov.ph/rankings-data.php?unit=Highly%20Urbanized%20Cities

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Parañaque City resident, what can you say about your city’s performance in the newest CMCI study? Do you think your city became less competitive due to criminal activities (click here, here, here, here, here, here and here) or perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Do you think that your new city government officials plan to do something to make the city more competitive with other highly urbanized cities of the nation? Based on the latest CMCI results, do you consider Parañaque a great city at all?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: President Marcos declares it is time to return to pre-pandemic life

October 25, 2022October 24, 2022carlocarrasco

Life in the Philippines continues to move back to normal even though new COVID-19 cases are being recorded in the thousands daily in recent times. Still, it is notable that many millions of Filipinos have gotten fully vaccinated or boosted for COVID-19 (note: around 3.5 million received their 1^st booster shots recently) and even though the past summer saw lots of election campaign events that had many, many political supporters gathered in high numbers, no new outbreak of COVID-19 happened. There is also the growing confidence about organizing events that attract customers, sports participants and spectators and more.

In relation to what I stated above, it is significant that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., declared to the people it is time to return to pre-pandemic life which the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported. Take note that under Marcos, the use of face masks outdoors is now optional.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

President Ferdinand R. Marcos on Sunday enjoined Filipinos to get back to their normal lives before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, stressing that it is crucial to show the world that the Philippines is slowly getting back on its feet.

“It is a good thing to remind people that the pandemic may have been difficult, the pandemic really put us through the wringer. But we are back,” Marcos said in a speech in Bacolod City during a luncheon just before he graced the culminating activity of the 43rd MassKara Festival.

“The pandemic is fading away. We are learning to manage it and now it is time for us to all go back to work, to all go back to our normal lives, to remind ourselves of all the opportunities that were before us before the pandemic…It is time for us to go back to all of those endeavors that we were undertaking before Covid hit,” he added.

Marcos said the MassKara Festival signaled not just the opening of Bacolod City to tourists, but also the entire country.

“It is time for us to go back and exercise once again, show once again the Filipino resilience, the Filipino resourcefulness, the Filipino industry, the Filipino talent, ipakita naman natin sa buong mundo dahil nagbubukas ang mundo, dahil nagbubukas ang Pilipinas, ito ngayon ang MassKara Festival ay isang pagdiriwang hindi lamang sa pagbubukas ng Bacolod kung hindi sa buong Pilipinas (let us show the world because the Philippines is now open, this is the MassKara festival which is a celebration of the opening of Bacolod but of the entire Philippines),” he said.

Despite the festival being borne out of “a very sad period in the history of Bacolod”, the President said it also symbolizes Filipinos’ “reemergence from a crisis.”

“..That is what we celebrate today and that is what we see that people are feeling and that is the feeling that we want to continue to encourage within our people because that is what’s going to lead us to success,” he said.

Marcos also congratulated Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez and event organizers for a successful holding of the festival.

Founded in October 1980 by the late Bacolod City Mayor Jose “Digoy” Montalvo Jr., the MassKara Festival was first held following two major tragedies that befell Negrenses– the collapse of sugar prices in the international market and the sinking of the Negros Navigation ship M/V Don Juan.

During the sugar crisis, artists thought of promoting mask-making as an alternative source of income for the locals.

Montalvo likewise suggested holding a mask festival to lift the spirits of the locals after the maritime accident that killed his wife, two daughters, and hundreds of Bacolod residents.

MassKara is derived from the words “mass” meaning “many” and “kara” meaning “faces,” thus calling it the Festival of Many Faces.

This year’s festival will be the first face-to-face event after two years of being suspended due to the pandemic.

The MassKara festival’s revival is significant not only with the people of Bacolod City and the province of Negros Occidental but for the nation as well. Here in the Alabang area of Muntinlupa City, the Megarahe Sale and the COPIX both attracted lots of people who searched and bought items. Still in Alabang, it was recently announced by Zonta Club of Alabang that they will be reviving their popular Christmas Carnivale Bazaar on November 25, 2022 at the Filinvest Tent. I myself attended that bazaar back in 2017 and 2018 at the said venue and it is really encouraging that it will be revived next month. These are just a few of the many signs that the Philippines is recovering from the pandemic and can move forward and progress more. Pre-pandemic economic strength will be regained eventually.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you feel encouraged by the statement of President Marcos that the pandemic is fading away and that the country can more forward more?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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