Manila Bulletin – Page 23 – Author Carlo Carrasco

Las Piñas City Mayor expresses thanks to local rescuers and volunteers who worked during Typhoon Kristine

November 4, 2024October 28, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the City of Las Piñas, Mayor Imelda Aguilar expressed her thanks to the local rescuers and volunteers who took part in helping almost five hundred families whose lives were severely disrupted by Typhoon Kristine, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

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

Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar thanked rescuers and volunteers for swiftly acting to evacuate 489 families affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.

Aguilar was grateful to the rescuers composed of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), the City Health Office (CHO), the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), and volunteers for immediately evacuating residents who were staying in low-lying areas and bringing them to evacuation centers.

She said Vice Mayor April Aguilar led the distribution of essential aid, like modular tents to evacuees, cooked meals, and relief items to families affected by Kristine.

The mayor said families at the evacuation sites were also given prophylactic medicine for leptospirosis, distributed vitamins, free medical check-ups, and essential medications and face masks by the CHO team led by Dr. Julie Gonzalez.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Do you think the local rescuers and volunteers did a good job helping the typhoon victims? Do you wish to the see the City Government focus more on flood-prevention programs?

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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Chinese nationals arrested in Parañaque City for various violations

November 3, 2024October 27, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the city of Parañaque, three Chinese nationals got apprehended by the local police for different violations that include illegally possessing guns and violating the land transportation code, 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…

Three Chinese nationals were arrested by members of the Parañaque City Police Tambo Substation for illegal possession of drugs, firearms and for violations of the land transportation and traffic code on Thursday, October 24.

Southern Police District (SPD) Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang said the suspects, identified as alias “Zhenhua,” 30, alias “Zhi,” 29, and alias “Miu,” 26, were arrested at around 7:58 a.m.

They were spotted by patrolling policemen acting suspiciously and changing the plate number of two vehicles.

The police said that when requested to present documents for the two vehicles, the suspects failed to show any and attempted to flee leading to a brief chase and to their eventual arrest.

The police recovered from Zhenhua 25 grams of shabu worth P197,000 and one Bersa caliber .380 pistol. The same amount of shabu was also recovered from alias Zhi. Alias Miu yielded P120,000 worth of marijuana and a .9mm pistol.

The police also recovered from the suspects six different license plates and tools including handcuffs and shovels.

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 are still a lot of Chinese nationals violating laws within the city? What do you think makes Parañaque such a hot spot of criminal activities involving 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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Man arrested in Parañaque City for stealing motorcycle and carrying a replica gun

October 31, 2024October 21, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the city of Parañaque, a man who stole motorcycle was arrested by the police who in turn responded to a victim who sought their assistance, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

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

A drug suspect was arrested by patrolling members of the Parañaque city police Substation 2 on Sunday, October 20.

According to the Southern Police District (SPD), the suspect identified as alias “Oliver,” 33 ws arrested at around 1:10 a.m. along Roxas Boulevard, Southbound, Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City.

Investigation showed the victim, a female call center agent was seen by patrolling policemen who was frantically signaling for assistance.

The victim told police that she was threatened by the suspect with firearm and forcibly took her motorcycle.

The police said operatives from Substation 2 immediately responded and with the (victim’s) assistance was able to block and apprehended the fleeing suspect.

Recovered from the suspect were 20 grams of shabu worth P136,000, a replica .45 caliber pistol and the stolen motorcycle.

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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To lure younger investors, BPI Wealth to launch new mutual fund

October 29, 2024October 21, 2024carlocarrasco

BPI Wealth – the wealth management arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) – will establish a new mutual fund to lure in young and tech-savvy investors, according to a Manila Bulletin business news report.

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

Amid favorable conditions for long-term investments, the wealth-management arm of Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) will roll out before this year ends a new mutual fund eyeing young and tech-savvy investors.

BPI Wealth personal wealth head Irene Ang told a press briefing on Friday, October 18, that the forthcoming BPI Wealth Builder Multi-Asset Mutual Fund Inc. is expected to be approved “soon” by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which regulates mutual funds, for it to be sold to the public.

This first-of-its-kind balanced, global-based and peso-subscription and -redemption fund aims to convince millennials and the Gen X generation in the country to invest and prepare for their retirement, Ang said.

Among the innovative and unique features of this mutual fund include availability for a minimum of only P1,000; accessibility on BPI’s online platforms and accredited channels to conveniently open an investment account, monitor investments, and receive cumulative rewards and benefits at no extra cost; as well as an automated and automatic top-up system allowing additional investments of at least P100 monthly.

Ang is optimistic that up to P1-billion investments in their upcoming newest mutual fund would be “easy.”

BPI Wealth president and chief executive officer (CEO) Maria Theresa D. Marcial noted that among their investors, those who onboarded via digital channels continued to engage more regularly than branch-opened accounts.

“We should push more into digital initiatives,” said Marcial, who is spearheading BPI’s “Wealth Wellness Month” this October to promote financial inclusion and literacy as well as opportunities for small investors.

Marcial disclosed that as of end-September, BPI Wealth’s assets under management (AUM) rose to a new high of P1.4 trillion, from P1.2 trillion in end-2023.

On top of the earlier goal of 20-percent AUM increase for this year, Marcial said a further 15-percent growth next year will be “reasonable.”

BPI Wealth targets P3 trillion in AUM by 2026.

Marcial cited that while mutual funds and other assets experienced a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs during the past three years due to global financial conditions, the clarity in the ongoing monetary policy easing here and abroad this year has improved prospects.

“We’re seeing markets becoming more buoyant, and fund managers are becoming more constructive across asset classes,” she said.

“Bonds are expected to do better, as interest rates go lower. And because interest rates are lower… so [in] equity we’re seeing some renewed interest,” she added.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think BPI Wealth’s newest move makes a lot of sense with today’s economic environment? Do you think a lot of millennials are willing to engage in investments?

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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Three men arrested in Parañaque City for posing as NBI agents, grave threat and extortion

October 29, 2024October 21, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the city of Parañaque, three men who pretended to be agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) got arrested by the police for extortion, grave threat, malicious mischief and the usurpation of authority, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The three suspects were also responsible for a previous attempt to extort money from a Parañaque spa while pretending to be working for the NBI.

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

Three men who posed as agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and attempted to extort P100,000 cash from the owner of a food store were arrested by members of the Parañaque police Tambo Substation on Saturday, October 19.

The Southern Police District (SPD) identified the suspects as alias “Bernard,” 44, alias “John,” 29, both businessmen, and alias “Lenon,” 24.

The SPD said the suspects were arrested around 3:00 a.m. at a food store located in Aseana I Building, E. Cuenco, Barangay Tambo.

The police said the suspects reportedly entered the establishment and presented a fraudulent search warrant alleging that the store was selling illegal tobacco and cigarettes.

The suspects threatened the 19 year-old store cashier and demanded that the store owner pay P100,000 cash to avoid penalties for selling illegal tobacco products.

The police said Aseana security guards were alerted and intervened when they noticed the commotion inside the food store while the suspects were dismantling the store’s CCTV camera.

Members of the Tambo police substation who were near the area were called for police assistance and upon verification, the suspects were found to be fake NBI agents.

During investigation, the police said Atty. Joseph Eufemio S. Martinez, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Director for Operations Supervising Agent, National Capital Region (NBI-NCR), National Bureau of Investigation, said that the arrested suspects are not member of the agency.

The police also found that the same suspects had previously attempted to extort money from a spa in Parañaque City on September 1, 2024 by posing as NBI agents and threatening the business owner.

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 individuals who would visit local businesses pretending to be NBI agents and make grave threats as they extort money? If you are a local business owner, did you encounter the same suspects in the news report?

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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All 9 barangays in Muntinlupa City pass standards for Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks

October 28, 2024October 17, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the progressive City of Muntinlupa, all of the nine barangays successfully passed the standards for Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks, 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…

All the nine barangays in Muntinlupa have passed the standards under the law for their VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children) desks.

“Congratulations to all barangays of Muntinlupa for achieving 100% compliance with our VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children) desk standards!” said Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon.

Under the standards, he said, the functionality of each barangay was assessed based on policies, personnel, resources, planning and budgeting, implementation, good practices, and regular submission of reports.

“At talagang commendable ang bawat barangay for having met these standards (And each barangay is really commendable for having met these standards),” he said.

Under a memorandum circular issued in 2023 by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), VAWC) is defined as “any act of or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against.a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.”

These acts include physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence and economic abuse. Biazon lamented the violence happens inside a household.

“Pero naririto ang City Government at mga barangay to ensure that women and children have somewhere to turn to for help. Tinitiyak natin na meron laging tutugon sa kababaihan at kabataang humihingi ng saklolo (But the City government and barangays are here to ensure that women and children have somewhere to turn to for help. We ensure that someone will respond to women and children who seek help),” the mayor said.

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 having a VAWC desk in your barangay will be helpful? What is the first thing that comes to your mind whenever you think about the VAWC

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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LGBTQ member arrested in Las Piñas City for child abuse

October 27, 2024October 17, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the City of Las Piñas, police officers arrested a person identified with the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community over the charge of child abuse, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The law enforcers carried a warrant of arrest issued by a certain branch of the Las Piñas City Family Court.

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

A member of the LGBTQ community was arrested by the Las Piñas City Police for child abuse on Wednesday, October 16, Las Piñas Police chief PCol. Sandro Tafalla said.

The suspect was identified as “Butchoko,” 42. He was arrested at around 4:45 p.m. in Barangay Talon Uno, Las Piñas City.

Tafalla said the suspect was tagged as Top 6 most wanted person under the station level for the month of October in violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

Butchokoy was arrested by virtue of warrant of arrest issued by Judge Mildred Jacinto Marquez Balmaceda of the Las Piñas City Family Court Branch 2 on September 9, 2024, with a P200,000 recommended bail.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Are you concerned that there could be more children within the city who got abused? Are you concerned that child abuse incidents were not reported as crimes locally?

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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Office market shrinks in connection with nationwide POGO ban

October 24, 2024October 14, 2024carlocarrasco

It has been months since the nationwide ban on POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) was declared and this resulted in the shrinking of the office market as demand for office spaces weakened, according to a Manila Bulletin business news report.

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

The total ban on the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) contributed to a significant decrease in the demand for office spaces in the third quarter of the year, property brokerage firm Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) said.

In a statement, LPC said office take-up from July to September dropped by 21 percent to only 215,000 square meters (sqm), with the POGO industry’s downsize and other tenants’ transfer to newer spaces contributing to an increase in vacancies.

The POGO industry was one of the main drivers of the residential and office markets at the time of the Duterte administration, until getting totally banned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this year amid their venture into illicit areas.

“The grave abuse and disrespect to our system and laws must stop. We need to stop them and their abuse to our country,” Marcos Jr. said.

Despite the decline in office take-ups this quarter, LPC said that the country is on track to surpass the one million sqm office demand registered last year.

“The year-to-date demand for office space has reached 900,000 sqm, marking an 11 percent increase over the first three quarters of 2023,” it said.

In terms of leasing pattern, LPC said tenants are now shifting from higher-quality buildings to offices that can offer better and larger spaces.

In terms of location, the bay area continues to be the top choice, with office take-up driven primarily by government agencies occupying 80,000 sqm in the first nine months of the year. Outside Metro Manila, Cebu remains the top provincial market with the higher take-up coming from the IT-BPM industry.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the shrinking of the office market is temporary at best and a recovery could begin before the end of the year? Do you favor the 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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Philippines achieved double-digit tax collection growth in first 9 months of 2024

October 23, 2024October 11, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently the Department of Finance (DOF) announced that the Philippines achieved double-digit growth in the January-September stretch of 2024, according to a Manila Bulletin business news report.

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

The Department of Finance (DOF) reported that collections from the government’s two main tax agencies showed strong double-digit growth in the first nine months of the year.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs collectively gathered P2.771 trillion from January to September 2024, a 10 percent increase from P2.518 trillion in the same period last year.

Of this total, the BIR, which is responsible for nearly 70 percent of the government’s annual revenue, collected P2.08 trillion by the end of September—a 12 percent increase compared to P1.858 trillion the previous year.

This nine-month collection accounted for 73 percent of the BIR’s full-year target of P2.842 trillion.

In contrast, the Customs bureau raised P690.8 billion as of September, a modest 4.6 percent increase from P660.39 billion in the previous year. This amount represents 73.5 percent of its annual target of P939.7 billion.

In May, the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) revised its tax collection projections for the BIR and Customs downward, citing expectations of slower economic growth this year.

According to the DBCC’s 2024 Quarterly Fiscal Program, approved on May 23, the BIR and Customs are now expected to collect P3.788 trillion this year, a reduction of 5.6 percent from the original target of P4.014 trillion.

The BIR’s full-year collection target was adjusted down by 6.7 percent from the previous goal of P3.055 trillion, while the Customs bureau’s target was lowered by 2 percent from the earlier estimate of P959 billion.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, who chairs the DBCC, explained to the Manila Bulletin that these adjustments were primarily driven by a lower-than-expected economic growth outlook, among other factors.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the BIR will be able to collect P3 trillion by the end of the year? Do you think the recent tax collection reports suggest that the national economy will grow stronger in the next two years?

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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377 families graduate from Muntinlupa City’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)

October 22, 2024October 14, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the progressive City of Muntinlupa, three hundred and seventy-seven families (377) graduated from the local Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

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

A total of 377 families graduated from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Muntinlupa.

4Ps is the Philippine government’s “national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum period of seven (7) years, to improve health, nutrition and education,” according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The beneficiaries of 4Ps “are households that: are classified as poor and near-poor based on the Standardized Targeting System and the poverty threshold issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) at the time of selection.”

The DSWD led the Pugay Tagumpay Graduation Day attended by Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon where the families were recognized.

“Sabi nga nila, walang forever, at mas maganda talaga na walang forever pagdating sa pagtanggap ng tulong mula sa gobyerno (As they say, there is no forever, and it’s better that there is no forever when it comes to receiving assistance from the government),” said Biazon.

He said 4Ps can be seen not only as a chance to get financial assistance from the government but to learn life lessons including saving, budgeting and prioritizing needs.

“Ayaw natin na umaasa lang ang mga tao sa gobyerno (We don’t want people to rely solely on the government); we want every family to be self-sustaining,” the mayor added.

“The City Government will continue to support Muntinlupeño families, especially in the education of your children. Congratulations to all the graduates! Patuloy tayong magsikap para sa mas maliwanag na kinabukasan! (Let’s continue to strive for a brighter future),” he added.

According to the Muntinlupa City government, the graduation from 4Ps meant that a family is now out of poverty and has the capability to become self-sufficient.

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 know any family in your local community that needs to get enrolled in the local 4Ps program? How many families in your local community were among the 377 graduates?

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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