If you plan to shop in Alabang with Christmas gift-giving in mind, be aware that the next edition of the annual Noel Bazaar will be held at the Filinvest Tent in Muntinlupa City from December 12 to 15, 2024. The schedule for each day is 11AM to 9PM.
According to the news article by GMA Network, Noel Bazaar 2024 will have eight hundred merchants. Meanwhile, the article by Spot.ph stated that there will be “unique holiday finds—handcrafted accessories, artisanal products, one-of-a-kind treasures, et cetera,” as well as “sweet discounts, exclusive bundles, and promotional offers from the merchants.”
For the newcomers reading this, Noel Bazaar has an established history as a long-running and popular bazaar where shoppers can find lots of products offered such as bags, clothes, hand-crafted items, home decors, fashion accessories, novelties and more.
If you plan to attend Noel Bazaar 2024 at Filinvest Tent this December, be aware that the venue is located in close proximity to South Supermarket and Somerset Alabang. Filinvest Tent is located along Spectrum Midway in Filinvest City and it has its own parking area (accessible along East Asia Drive). If the parking area of Filinvest Tent is full, your other option is to park inside Commercenter Mall which is a few hundred meters away across Commerce Avenue.
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Recently, the Christmas spectacle at Filinvest City Central Park was launched and already it has attracted a lot of visitors who enjoyed the place, sights, special activities and facilities that were prepared this year.
To be specific, Filinvest City’s Christmas season spectacle at the park is formally titled “Cherish Every Moment of Christmas at Filinvest City” which is a program of activities and special events to delight visitors on weekend nights (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) starting from the weekend of November 29 – December 1 until the weekend of December 20 – 22.
Lots of colorful lights, structures and decoration established to provide visitors the atmosphere of the season of Christmas.
Some hanging Christmas lights at this new structure with a roof.
On Friday nights, visitors can enjoy live musical performances from artists Blaster on December 13 and Munimuni on December 20. The band Over October already performed on the park on November 29. Still on Friday evenings, fireworks displays are scheduled to happen at 8PM (November 29 to December 20).
Those who want to see new facilities and decorations at the park, the Christmas Display is lighted starting 6PM to 9PM from November 29 up to January 6, 2025.
Lots of places to have your pictures taken at.
Christmas display at the Filinvest City Central Park looks livelier this year.
When it comes to brand new structures, Filinvest City’s The Tree is the one that stood out the most this year. The Tree is the newest events stage at the Filinvest City Central Park designed to be a suitable place for live musical performances, lighting ceremonies and other special activities. It was also made to bring the community together for celebration and connecting with each other. I personally witnessed the first live performance there on the evening of November 29 and what impressed me was the vibrant lighting and how the color of the lights changed efficiently.
This is The Tree, the brand new structure built at Filinvest City Central Park.
As I explored the different places of Filinvest City Central Park on the evening of November 29, I noticed a lot of people enjoying the place. You can see what happened by watching my video below.
In ending this post, I want to say that no matter how the organizers portrayed Christmas, always remember that Christmas is all about Lord Jesus who is the Savior and Hope of ALL nations!
That being said, as we enjoy the Christmas season and the blessings, we should never forget our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Learn from the holy scriptures below.
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
John 3:16 (AMPC)
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (AMPC)
Therefore, the honor that belongs to the Father he will now share with his Son. So if you refuse to honor the Son, you are refusing to honor the Father who sent him.
John 5:23 (TPT)
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,
“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (NKJV)
Santa Claus is not the reason of Christmas nor is he the definitive figure of the season. Lord Jesus is the one we should honor, thank and praise every Christmas. The birth of Lord Jesus in Israel thousands of years ago remains highly significant and essential. Celebrate Christmas by having unwavering faith in Lord Jesus!
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In times of prosperity or hardship, Festival Mall (originally named Festival Supermall) in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City continues to attract families and shoppers. Since the mall’s early days in 1998, its amusement center X-Site kept on succeeding on attracting visitors and providing them bouts of varied fun in return to what the customers paid for. X-Site is a lively form of entertainment-focused capitalism that just keeps on moving forward and attracting visitors.
Located at the 3rd floor (note: officially referred to as the 2nd Level or 2L or 2nd Floor by the mall. The 1st floor and 2nd floor of the mall are referred to as Lower Ground Floor and Upper Ground Floor respectively), the X-Site Amusement Center has a wide floor space with a high ceiling.
The way it was designed, X-Site has several arcade games (lots of fun retro games included), merchandiser games, a virtual reality ride, KTV booths, motion-sensing dance spot, the ring toss, entertainment stores, indoor sports games, redemption games, bumper cars, and the indoor roller coaster (which explains the need of having a high ceiling). Watch below the YouTube video and the images I prepared below.
At the arcade games section inside X-Site.
Having a high ceiling made it possible to have an indoor roller coaster (tracks above the machines and people in this image). Other amusement centers in Alabang had lower ceilings which made their places feel small or tight when compared to X-Site.
Some newer machines plus indoor sports games added into the arcade games section.
This is the place for those who love dancing and music.
Back in 1998, I know a few friends whose had not even visited Festival Mall (at the time we talked) yet they already heard of the positive word-of-mouth feedback about the indoor roller coaster of X-Site.
The indoor roller coaster of X-Site remains a favorite ride for those who kept coming back.
On December 25, 2023, I visited Festival Mall to look around. I passed by X-Site and I saw an unusually large number of people there composed of young people, children and their parents/guardians.
For the newcomers reading this, December 25 here in the Philippines is a time of having fun during the Christmas season and also it is the day when the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) opens in cinemas. This explains why a lot of people spend time at the shopping malls and it is a cultural thing here in the Philippines.
Considering the fact that the original cinemas of Festival Mall have deteriorated leaving only 2 or 3 screens operating (note: the mall also has modern cinemas at the expanded side), a lot of people still visited the mall to watch the MMFF movies that opened on December 25. As for the large number of people who flocked to X-Site that same day, I can only speculate that some of them might have been moviegoers passing the time as they wait for the next screening of movies to watch.
I took this shot of X-Site on December 25, 2023. Look at the high number of people on the floor.
If you plan to visit Festival Mall in Alabang and if you are craving for fun rides or games, then you might want to visit X-Site Amusement Center.
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
A major breakthrough has been realized with regards to recirculating massive amounts of loose change in the Philippines as more than P1 billion in coins have officially been deposited into the coin deposit machines (CoDMs) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, according to a GMA Network news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…
Over a year since the launch of coin deposit machines (CoDMs), the monetary value of coins deposited through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) initiative to promote coin circulation has breached P1 billion.
In a statement on Thursday, the BSP said the total value of coins which coursed through CoDMs has reached P1,008,889,490.24.
The CoDMs, introduced in June 2023, were launched in a bid to encourage the public to make use of their idle coins.
The BSP said that since its launch, the CoDMs have accumulated more than 260,000,000 pieces of coins and facilitated almost 240,000 transactions.
Through CoDMs, people can place legal tender coins in the machines, with the total value credited to e-wallet accounts in GCash or Maya, GoTyme bank accounts, or converted into shopping vouchers.
As of this writing, the BSP’s coin deposit project website has yet to have the latest numbers published. Previously, the official numbers were P950,361,380.76 in overall value, 250,352,704 coins counted and 228,482 transactions registered as of September 15, 2024. You can read my September 26, 2024 post by clicking here.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Have you deposited your loose change into a BSP coin deposit machine in your locality during the past sixty days?
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
Almost a billion Pesos worth of coins have been deposited through the many coin deposit machines (CoDMs) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as of September 15, 2024, as published on their website.
Based on the latest statistics, a total of P950,361,380.76 (14.26% higher than the previous count ofP831,774,151.23) in coins got deposited into BSP machines on 228,482 transactions (13% higher than the previous count of202,110 transactions) from customers. In terms of physical quantity, 250,352,704 in coins were deposited. The previous count of deposited coins was 223,021,306
Doing the math on the latest statistics, customers averaged P4,159.46 per transaction (versus the previous count of P4,115.45 per transaction) at the machines. As for the grand total Peso amount divided by the number of coins deposited, the average is P3.7961 per coin deposited (versus the previous average of P3.7296 per coin deposited).
When it comes to the number of coins involved with each transaction, 250,352,704 coins divided by 228,482 transactions resulted in an average of 1,095.72 coins per transaction. This result shows that a lot of people out there are making big deposits by the jars and bags at the coin deposit machines.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Does your household or your local business still have plenty of loose change that you could possibly deposit into the nearest BSP coin deposit machine? Are many members of your local community aware that they can deposit their excessive coins into BSP coin deposit machines so that they can money into their respective GCash accounts?
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
If you are looking for a spacious, furnished condominium within Alabang, we have one of 6 units only at the upper floor of The Mondrian Residences in Filinvest City available for lease. The Mondrian Residences is located at 5321 East Asia Drive, Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City.
The Mondrian Residences up close.Its building is very visible for those traveling along Commerce Avenue in Filinvest City.
At 93 sqm, it has one large bedroom, 3 bathrooms, living room with sofa, chairs and tables, kitchen with cooking equipment, one basement parking slot and 2 terraces overlooking Commercenter, Westgate and Alabang Town Center.
Residential facilities of The Mondrian Residences include a jacuzzi, a fitness center, function rooms, owners’ lounge, passengers’ elevators and service elevators. 24/7 security service, reception service, building maintenance and valet service are guaranteed. If you own a car, you can avail of the dedicated basement parking space that goes with the unit.
The Master’s Bedroom with indoor aircon, a balcony and view outside.
The living room with enough space for dining.
The view from the terrace of the unit.
The kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven and cooking unit. At left is the main door.
The Mondrian Residences at night time.
The Mondrian Residences is strategically located in close proximity to office buildings, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, banks, ATMs, the Filinvest City Central Park, movie theaters, shopping malls, gas stations, convenience stores, car dealers and groceries. This means that living in the unit is convenient for your job, your needs and your lifestyle.
Living at the The Mondrian Residences is peaceful as crime rarely happens in Filinvest City. At the same time, Filinvest City is a popular destination for fitness buffs and people who enjoy the open air surroundings with trees.
If you are interested to visit and see the unit, please send me a private message or call me at 09053350831.
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessWorld news report. Some parts in boldface…
GOTIANUN-LED Filinvest Hospitality Corp. (FHC) is aiming to add close to 2,000 new rooms in the next five years, a company official said.
“We’re looking at adding close to 2,000 keys. It’s more about the quality of the keys and the spread as opposed to the number,” FHC First Senior Vice-President Francis Nathaniel C. Gotianun told reporters on the sidelines of the Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines’ third general membership meeting in Makati City on Tuesday.
“We’re focusing on key tourist destinations across the country. We’re working on a collection of the top spots so when we go out into the international market or even the domestic market, we can sell all the good destinations, whether that be Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Baguio, or Cebu. We’re trying to catch them all,” he added.
FHC’s hospitality portfolio has about 1,800 keys across seven hotels, ranging from high-end five-star properties under the Crimson brand to Quest hotels and Timberland, which serve the mid-priced leisure markets.
“We’re really focusing on creating a collection of hotels in the right locations so that when we go out into the market, we can sell all the best of the Philippines,” Mr. Gotianun said.
Mr. Gotianun said that FHC is very bullish on the prospects of the country’s tourism sector. He added that the company has a couple of projects to be announced by the end of the year.
“We can really see the tourism numbers starting to come back up, very strong domestic while international is still a little bit below, but we think we’ll catch up,” Mr. Gotianun said.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think FHC’s addition of about two thousand new rooms will help the nation’s tourism industry a lot in the years ahead? Do you think our nation still lacks rooms for domestic and foreign tourists?
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessWorld news report. Some parts in boldface…
LOCAL PROPERTY DEVELOPERS are unfazed by the government’s ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO), saying that it has minimum or no effect on their office and residential businesses.
“Our direct exposure to POGO is rather limited. Only 1% of our office portfolio is occupied by POGOs,” she said.
“We were never a big POGO locator. It has even gone down over the years. Now, we’re down to 1%. In terms of our sales, we have very little sales to Chinese buyers in general, whether POGO or not,” she added.
Ms. Dy said that ALI conducted checks across its residential buildings following the announcement of the ban and found that only less than 5% are occupied by POGOs or probable POGO employees.
“Our products are not that exposed to the POGO market, either directly in the office or indirectly as tenants for our residential buildings,” she said.
Sy-led conglomerate SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) said the POGO ban also has no impact on their property business. SM Prime Holdings, Inc. develops residential and commercial properties through SM Development Corp.
“Fortunately, (the POGO ban) has no impact to us,” SMIC President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic C. DyBuncio said in a mobile phone message after being asked for comment.
In a recent disclosure, Gotianun-led Filinvest REIT Corp. (FILRT) said that it is not affected by the POGO ban. The company is the real estate investment trust (REIT) of Filinvest Land, Inc.
“FILRT has no POGO exposure and has been free of POGOs since the second quarter of 2022,” it said.
“The company has been deliberately diversifying its tenant mix, with the addition of traditional tenants and coworking locators,” it added.
Luxury property developer Shang Properties, Inc. recently said that the POGO ban will have no effect on the company’s residential business.
“The profile of our buyers is mostly Filipinos. We have a healthy mix of foreign buyers which are not China-based, so we’re not as affected,” Shang Properties Executive Vice-President for Commercial Maria Rochelle S. Diaz said at a recent media briefing.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think that the nationwide ban on POGOs will not harm the office and residential businesses of all property developers?
More than P831 million worth of coins have been deposited through the many coin deposit machines (CoDMs) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as of July 15, 2024, as published on their website.
Based on the latest statistics, a total of P831,774,151.23 (6.1% higher than the previous month’s count of P783,628,810.29) in coins got deposited into BSP machines on 202,110 transactions (5.4% higher than the previous month’s 191,804 transactions) from customers. In terms of physical quantity, 223,021,306 in coins were deposited. The previous count of deposited coins was 211,689,731.
Doing the math on the latest statistics, customers averaged P4,115.45 per transaction (versus the previous month’s P4,085.57 per transaction) at the machines. As for the grand total Peso amount divided by the number of coins deposited, the average is P3.7296 per coin deposited (versus the previous month’s average of P3.7018 per coin deposited).
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Were you able to deposit your excess coins into a BSP coin deposit machine in your locality recently? Has the BSP coin deposit machine near your been breaking down a lot in recent times?
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 a major move to improve local emergency response capabilities with the use of technology, the City Government of Muntinlupa formally launched at Crimson Hotel today their new iRespond mobile app which is now available for download via Google and Apple online, 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…
In its latest digital innovation, the Muntinlupa City government launched the iRespond mobile app, setting a new standard in emergency response capabilities.
Built for emergencies, Muntinlupa iRespond provides residents with immediate access to essential services directly from their smartphones.
The app allows residents to report emergencies such as disasters and fire, or the need for the police and ambulance.
“The iRespond app is a significant leap forward in emergency management, providing users with seamless access to emergency reporting with just a single tap. Whether in need of medical assistance, fire rescue, police intervention, or other critical services, Muntinlupeños can now initiate help swiftly and effectively through this platform,” said Mayor Ruffy Biazon during the app launch on July 18 at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang.
According to the city government, the iRespond app’s key functionalities include one-touch emergency reporting, allowing responders to pinpoint the exact location of those needing help; real-time incident tracking for back-end dispatchers to supervise incoming alarms and respond appropriately; and community alerts and notifications that allow the city’s Department of Disaster Resilience and Management to inform residents of potential scenarios and help them to prepare or respond adequately.
The digital tool ensures that emergency situations are addressed promptly, leveraging real-time incident tracking to facilitate quick and precise responses from dedicated dispatch teams, the city government added.
“By empowering residents with a tool that expedites emergency response, we are not only enhancing public safety but also reinforcing our city’s resilience in times of crisis.” added Biazon.
Residents are encouraged to download the free iRespond app for from the App Store or Google Play Store, ensuring they are prepared and empowered to respond effectively to any emergency situation.
Upon download, users need to create an account by providing their name, birthday, gender, photo, valid document, address, email address and mobile number.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, do you think the newly launched iRespond app will improve local emergency response capabilities? Have you downloaded the app?
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Author Carlo Carrasco 