Malaysia – Page 4 – Author Carlo Carrasco

Three Chinese nationals arrested in Parañaque City for kidnapping Malaysian

September 17, 2024September 10, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the city of Parañaque, three Chinese nationals were arrested by the local police for the kidnapping of a Malaysian national, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The police reacted to a report by the friend (a fellow Malaysian) of the victim who eventually got rescued.

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

Three Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly abducting a Malaysian national in Parañaque City on Monday.

In a report, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. identified the suspects as Li Xue Chang, 34; Huang Guanghong, 27; and Wang Yefu, 24; all residents of Shore Residences in Pasay City.

The suspects were arrested in an entrapment operation by the Parañaque City Police Station at about 5:30 a.m. along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Barangay Tambo, which also led to the rescue of the 42-year-old victim.

Seized from the suspects were three caliber .45 pistols, six magazines, 38 rounds of ammunition, a bolo, a pocket knife, four cellular phones, boodle money, and a silver Mitsubishi Adventure vehicle used in the crime.

Investigation showed that the suspects abducted the victim at about 11 p.m. on Sept. 6 in Barangay Tambo.

The operation stemmed from the report of the victim’s friend, also a Malaysian national, who claimed the suspects sent him ransom demands and photos of the victim being tortured via messaging app Telegram on Sunday.

The arrested suspects are now facing criminal complaints of kidnapping, violations of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), and Batas Pambansa 6 (An Act Regulating the Sale, Use, and Possession of Bladed, Pointed, or Deadly Weapons).

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a resident of Parañaque, are you concerned that there could be more Chinese nationals – those who are living within Parañaque or in another city nearby – who could be armed and be engaging in kidnapping? Was anyone in your local community kidnapped by Chinese nationals?

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 scam hub raided, 99 suspects arrested

August 23, 2024August 22, 2024carlocarrasco

Very recently in the city of Parañaque, local authorities raided an alleged scam hub in Barangay Baclaran resulting in the arrests of almost one hundred suspects who were mostly foreigners, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

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

Authorities apprehended nearly 100 Filipino and foreign workers during a raid at an alleged online scam hub in Parañaque City on Thursday morning.

In a report, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, said police operatives swooped down on the office of AIA Company on the 9th floor of Centrium Tower 1 on L. San Pedro Street corner J. Maceda Street in Barangay Baclaran at about 2 a.m.

Among those arrested were Nan Shan, Detu Su, and Wu Jian Bin, who were identified as the manager, owner, and supervisor of the company, respectively.

Aside from the three, 64 other foreigners – 56 Chinese nationals, four Malaysians, two Myanmar nationals, an Indonesian, and a Vietnamese national – and 32 Filipinos were nabbed.

Nartatez said the operation stemmed from confirmed intelligence reports that the establishment was engaged in cryptocurrency investment and love scams by posing as a licensed offshore gaming operator.

He added that the company is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Investigation disclosed that the company utilizes their CSRs (customer service representatives) in fraudulently portraying a character, such as a wealthy model who would entice prospect victims to invest in the manipulated cryptocurrency exchange/trading platform, with fraudulent intent,” he said.

During the raid, NCRPO officers found rooms where indecent shows could be filmed.

“While conducting inquiries to them, the Filipino nationals manifested that they (CSRs) were forced to work as scammers, while the models were being forced to dress in a seductive manner and perform lascivious conduct, which the CSRs will portray in order to lure their prospect victim,” Nartatez said.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a resident of Parañaque, are you concerned that there could be even more scam hubs secretly doing illegal operations within the city? Do you think the remnants of closed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have secretly been flocking to Parañaque to set up scam hubs?

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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NBI operatives arrest 5 foreigners and 24 locals in Cavite for involvement in varied scams

August 22, 2024August 13, 2024carlocarrasco

The campaign against scammers made a notable achievement recently as National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) operatives arrested five foreigners and twenty-four locals in Cavite for their involvement in different kinds of scams, according to a GMA Network news report. It turns out, the scammers were a splintered group of a certain Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub.

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

Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have arrested five foreigners and 24 Filipinos in Cavite for involvement in various types of scams.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, NBI director Jaime Santiago said the NBI-Cybercrime Division caught the foreigners, composed of three Chinese nationals and two Malaysian nationals, and the Filipinos in the act in a subdivision in Kawit.

“These 24 Filipinos are working with them para mag-commit ng [to commit] romance scam, investment scam, cryptoscams, impersonation scams, and… credential stopping. They are supervised by these foreigners,” Santiago said.

Meanwhile, NBI Cybercrime Division Chief Atty. Jeremy Lotoc said this was a splintered group of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub.

Instead of operating in an office, he said the group has shifted to residential units.

“From different departments, from different locations, and purpose nila sa compartmentalization na ito is to avoid exposure or detection from law enforcement,” Lotoc said.

(From different departments, from different locations, the purpose of their compartmentalization is to avoid exposure or detection from law enforcement.)

“So meron silang administration department, may operation department, may finance and money laundering department. Makikita niyo ‘yung nakaraang week, ‘yun ho ‘yung nahuli natin through entrapment, ‘yung operation nila is more on finance and laundering. Ito naman ngayon, ito purely operation,” he added.

(So they have an administration department, an operation department, a finance and money laundering department. You can see that the ones we arrested last week through entrapment, their operation is more on finance and laundering. This time, this is purely operational.)

Lotoc said he also believes that the group still has a “big boss.” He declined to give further details, saying that the NBI’s follow-up operation is ongoing.

Lotoc said they also discovered a “scam show room” filled with high-end products and luxury items, meant to create an illusion for victims.

“Doon ho nahu-hook yung ating mga kababayan at ibang mga foreign victims kasi they are believing na yung kausap nila is kaya silang payamanin din,” he said.

(That is what hooks our countrymen and the other foreign victims because they believe that the one they are talking to can make them rich.)

The NBI recovered pre-registered SIM cards, GCash accounts, computers, devices containing scripts, cellphones, and textplus machines, among others, during the operation.

Lotoc said the arrested individuals were charged under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA). He also appealed to the public to stop being involved in such scams.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think that there could more splintered groups from POGOs that could secretly operating in residential communities? Do you think that scammers could be hiding in your local community 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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Philippines 2024 2nd quarter economic growth at 6.3%

August 9, 2024August 8, 2024carlocarrasco

The economy of the Philippines grew at a fast 6.3% in the 2^nd quarter (April to June 2024) according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article. The declared quarterly growth rate placed the Philippines ahead of Malaysia, Indonesia and China.

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

Philippine economic growth accelerated to 6.3 percent in the second quarter of the year from 4.3 percent in the same period last year, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a briefing on Thursday.

Mapa said economic growth during the period was also higher than the 5.8 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth recorded in the first quarter of the year.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the latest economic growth makes the Philippines one of the fastest-growing economies in the region.

“This performance keeps our position as one of Asia’s best-performing major emerging economies. For East Asia’s economies that have released their second quarter 2024 GDP growth, we follow behind Vietnam at 6.9 percent while leading Malaysia at 5.8 percent, Indonesia at 5.0 percent, and China at 4.7 percent,” said Balisacan.

Among major economic sectors, industry and services grew by 7.7 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, however, contracted by 2.3 percent due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

Household final consumption expenditure grew by 4.6 percent while government final consumption expenditure expanded by 10.7 percent.

Balisacan said the increase in government final consumption expenditure was driven by the timely implementation and expanded coverage programs of various social protection, health, and education programs, and preparatory activities for the 2025 national and local elections. Gross capital formation went up by 11.5 percent.

Public construction sustained double-digit growth of 21.8 percent as the government’s infrastructure agencies expedited the rollout of the Marcos Jr. administration’s construction and rehabilitation projects.

Exports of goods and services rose by 4.2 percent while imports of goods and services went up by 5.2 percent.

On track to meet target – “This significant development brings our real GDP growth to 6.0 percent for the first half of the year, keeping us on track to achieve our target growth rate of 6 to 7 percent for 2024,” said Balisacan.

He said the economy would need to grow by at least 6 percent in the second half to attain the lower end of the target for 2024.

Balisacan assured that the government would ensure the benefits of economic growth would be shared equitably.

“President Marcos began his 2024 State of the Nation Address with one of our most urgent priorities: the government will continue its push for food security by managing food inflation with appropriate supply-side measures,” he said.

He said the government was committed to utilizing strategic trade policy to augment insufficient domestic food supplies to meet rising demand.

The government will also expedite the rollout of social protection programs for the poor and vulnerable sectors, including enhancements to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Food Stamp Program and the 4Ps Program.

Aside from these, the government will also focus on raising agricultural productivity and improving farmers’ incomes and competitiveness.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the economy of the Philippines has enough momentum to achieve a growth rate of at least 6.5% for the entire year?

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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Philippines wins Mixed Junior Relay gold medal in the 2024 Asia Triathlon Junior Cup Kampar

July 15, 2024July 14, 2024carlocarrasco

The Philippines won another gold medal of the Mixed Junior Relay competition of the 2024 Asia Triathlon Junior Cup which was held at Kampar, Malaysia, yesterday.

The Philippines – composed of Matthew Hermosa, Kira Ellis, Samantha Corpuz, and Dayshaun Ramos – topped the contest (distances of 375m swimming – 5 Km biking – 1.5 Km running) with a collective time of 1 hour, 27 minutes and 51 seconds (1:27:51). Ellis and Hermosa were members of the same Philippine squad that won the Mixed Aquathlon 4X Team Relay event of the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games. Ellis won the gold of the Junior Women contest on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong clocked in 1:29:33 for the silver medal while Uzbekistan finished in 1:32:45 for the bronze medal of the Mixed Junior Relay contest. To see the complete results of the race, click here.

In other contests of the 2024 Asia Triathlon Junior Cup, Eleora Avanzado and Cristy Perez of the Philippines finished 4^th and 5^th place respectively in the U15 Women contest. Avanzado was behind bronze medalist Alexandra Sharayeva of Uzbekistan by less than 10 seconds.

For Philippine triathlon updates, click https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil

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Kira Ellis wins Junior Women gold medal in 2024 Asia Triathlon Junior Cup Kampar

July 14, 2024carlocarrasco

Kira Ellis of the Philippines won the gold medal of the Junior Women triathlon contest of the 2024 Asia Triathlon Junior Cup held at Kampar, Malaysia.

Ellis won the sprint distance (750 M swim – 20 Km bike – 5 Km run) Junior Women race in one hour, five minutes and thirty-two seconds (1:05:32). Her opponents Seoeun Park (South Korea) and Diana Biktimrova (Uzbekistan) followed at 2^nd and 3^rd place with times of 1:07:42 and 1:07:45 respectively.

Meanwhile, Ellis’ teammate Samantha Corpuz finished at 4^th place clocking in 1:08:02. For the complete results of the Junior Women contest, click here.

*Junior Women triathlon gold medalist Kira Ellis (center) and teammate Samantha Corpuz (3rd from left) during the awarding ceremony. (photo source – Triathlon Philippines)*

According to a news release from Triathlon Philippines, Kira Ellis showed tremendous improvements after a Philippine Sports Commission-funded five-week training camp in Portugal under coach Sergio Santos. She competed in the tough European Junior Cup in Hungary last Sunday where she qualified to the finals and placed 16th among 30 competitors.

For Philippine triathlon updates, click https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil

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Four Indians and one Malaysian arrested for illegally entering the Philippines

July 4, 2024June 28, 2024carlocarrasco

As many nations around the world are struggling with the continued large presence of foreigners trying to cross their borders seeking asylum and access to taxpayer-funded resources, four Indian nationals and one Malaysian national were recently apprehended by local authorities for their illegal entry into the Philippines, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

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

Government forces on Thursday arrested five foreigners who illegally entered the country in Zamboanga City.

In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said four Indian nationals and a Malaysian were apprehended in an operation carried out by the PCG District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM), PNP (Philippine National Police) – Maritime Group (MG), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

The arrested individuals, it said, entered the country from Malaysia to Bongao, Tawi-Tawi using a speed boat.

“Afterwards, they transferred to a commercial passenger-cargo vessel, M/V TRISHA KERSTIN 2, en route to Zamboanga City,” it said.

According to the BI’s Intelligence Unit, the four Indian nationals were included in the “watchlist of blacklisted nationals” in 2004, 2016, and 2024.

The arrested individuals will be charged with violation of Commonwealth Act No. 613 or the Philippine Immigration Act, specifically Section 37 E.

“The CGDSWM remains steadfast in upholding the law, as well as maintaining safety and security in service to the Filipino nation,” it said.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think there could be more foreigners who entered the Philippines illegally? Do you think the day will come when foreigners from the Middle East and African region will flock to the Philippines seeking asylum and taxpayer-funded resources?

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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Almost 200 local and foreign workers rescued in Pampanga POGO raid

June 17, 2024June 7, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the province of Pampanga, elements of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), the Special Action Force (SAF) and the local police raided a Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator (POGO) resulting in the rescue of almost two hundred local and foreign workers, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

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

Authorities rescued 187 foreign and Filipino workers in a raid at a Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator (POGO) center in Pampanga province on Tuesday night.

In a report on Wednesday, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said its members together with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Special Action Force and the local police carried out a search warrant operation against the Lucky South 99 compound along Friendship Highway in Angeles City.

The Malolos City Regional Trial Court Branch 14 issued the search warrant against the POGO over reports of human trafficking, torture and scam activities taking place within the establishment.

“Yung reports na nakuha sa atin, initial report for rescue was may mga tinotorture dito. Pinapalo ng mga baseball bat at pinagtatadiyakan dito. Meron tayong isang video na diumano babae na pinagsasayaw dito at pinagpapasahan ng mga bosses (The reports that we received, the initial report for rescue there are persons who are being tortured here. They are struck with a baseball bat and are being kicked. We also have a video allegedly showing a woman dancing and being abused by the bosses),” PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio said in a television interview.

Some 158 foreigners, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Myanmar and Korean workers were rescued, together with 29 Filipinos.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Are you convinced that more POGOs around the nation should be investigated for potential criminal activities such as torture, prostitution, scamming and hacking? Do you believe it is high time for a nationwide ban on POGOs?

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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John Chicano wins Powerman Malaysia 2024 elite male duathlon gold medal, teammates win medals for Philippines

June 10, 2024June 11, 2024carlocarrasco

UPDATED June 11, 2024 – Actual race distance clarified to me by John Chicano and verified with Powerman Malaysia’s website. The official distance of the Elite Male contest is 10 Km run – 60 Km bike – 10 Km run. The Manila Bulletin got the race distance wrong.

Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) multi-medalist John Chicano led the Philippines to the top of the Powerman Malaysia 2024 by winning the gold medal of the Elite Male contest yesterday which was an improvement over last year’s race, according to a Manila Bulletin sports news report. Chicano also has teammates who won medals as well. The official results can be viewed by clicking here.

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

John Chicano avenged his runner-up finish last year by capturing the gold medal in the 2024 Powerman Malaysia duathlon race in Dataran Putrajaya over the weekend.

Chicano, a double gold medalist at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, navigated the 10-kilometer run, 40km bike, 5km run endurance race with a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes and 48 seconds to beat teammate John Patrick Ciron and dethrone last year’s champion Moysan Malo of France.

Ciron settled for the silver medal with a time of 2:47:15, while Malo crossed the finish line a few seconds later with 2:47:34 to settle for the bronze medal.

After checking in the same time with Ciron in the first run leg, Chicano slowly pulled away in the bike leg and led by five minutes heading into the final run leg. He maintained his pace to finish two minutes faster than his previous time last year.

In the distaff side, Merry Joy Trupa bagged the bronze medal after clocking 3:19:17 behind gold medalist Rendy Williams of the United States, who timed 3:09:34, and hometown bet Esther Joy Hong Li Chen, who finished with 3:13:35 for the silver medal.

For the newcomers reading this, John Chicano is one of the nation’s finest multisports athletes as he won multiple medals in SEA Games contests (including the gold medal in men’s triathlon in the 2019 SEA Games) before as well as local contests (click here and here). To get to know Chicano better, read my feature article of him by clicking here.

For Philippine triathlon updates, click https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil

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Philippines achieves 5.7% economic growth in 1st quarter of 2024

May 23, 2024May 9, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently it was confirmed that the economy of the Philippines grew by 5.7% in the first quarter of 2024 which is noticeably lower than what was achieved in the same time period a year ago, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

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

The Philippine economy grew by 5.7 percent in the first quarter of the year, surpassing other major economies in the region.

In a briefing on Thursday, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the economic growth during the quarter was higher than the 5.5 percent seen in the last quarter of 2023.

Mapa said, however, it was lower than the 6.4 percent economic growth seen in the first quarter of last year.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan noted that the Philippine economy continues to demonstrate resilience and growth despite the domestic and external headwinds.

“Despite our challenges on both domestic and international fronts, our economy continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and growth. This performance retains the country’s position as a leading force among Asia’s emerging economies,” he said.

Balisacan said the first quarter Philippine gross domestic product growth rate is about the same as Vietnam’s, and surpassed other major economies such as China at 5.3 percent, Indonesia at 5.1 percent, and Malaysia at 3.9 percent.

All major economic indicators which include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; industry; and services posted year-on-year growth in the first quarter at 0.4 percent, 5.1 percent, and 6.9 percent.

Household final consumption expenditure and government final consumption expenditure posted lower growth rates at 4.6 percent and 1.7 percent from a year ago’s 6.4 percent and 6.2 percent.

Balisacan said the slowdown in household spending was due to the elevated prices of major food items and the heat wave.

“Meanwhile, government spending also slowed down, primarily due to the sliding of a large amount of expenditure to April this year, whereas the government made such spending in March last year,” he said.

Gross capital formation also posted a lower growth of 1.3 percent from 12.8 percent last year, while imports of goods and services also slowed to 2.3 percent from 4.2 percent.

Growth of exports of goods and services, however, accelerated to 7.5 percent from 1.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023. Balisacan said the growth in exports was mainly driven by the recovery in the exports of electronics products.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the national economy will be able to grow at least 6% in each of the next three quarters? Is it possible that the intense summer heat will make 2nd quarter economic growth smaller?

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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