The official website of author, preacher, copywriter and publisher Carlo Carrasco.
The TRI-Factor Asian Series Run-Bike-Run 2019 National Duathlon Championship made it in the sports news yesterday and below are the publications that printed the post-race story.
Malaya Business Insight
People’s Journal
People’s Tonight
Business Mirror
Congratulations to the winners and finishers and also thanks to the supporters who made the race possible. Remember the multi-sport franchise name TRI-Factor.
The official press release of the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) made it in the sports pages today (March 28, 2019) of the following national publications. Online versions of the published releases are clickable with some of the publications below.
Business Mirror
People’s Tonight
Registration ends on March 31 or earlier when all slots have been filled up. Online registration can be done at https://regonline.activeglobal.com/subit2019 For more information, visit Triathlon.org.ph or send email at trapsecretariat@gmail.com
As a resident living in South Metro Manila, I always prefer to see the entire Philippines’ infrastructure get developed and expanded tremendously because the benefits of improved travel time and experience will be felt by the riding public for the long term. At the same time, such improvements will help travelers reach the far-away destinations with better speed and in less time.
Today I learned about some good news – the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAEX) has started construction beginning with a 27-kilometer section. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Alapan II-B Village in Cavite Province on March 27. The CALAEX itself has a grand total distance of 45 kilometers.
As announced on the Philippine News Agency (PNA) website, the P12-billion Cavite segment will ensure a safe, efficient and seamless travel for motorists from the history town of Kawit in Cavite to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) – Mamplasan Interchange. It is expected to cut travel time from 2.5 hours to less than 45 minutes and help decongest approximately fifty thousand cars.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar declared that the project is part of the President Rodrigo Duterte administration’s masterplan to connect Luzon from north to south, to be called the “Luzon Spine Expressway Network” (LSEN), to increase the current 300-km. high-speed expressway to 1,000 km. by the year 2022. Duterte’s term of office will end in that year.
“We will deliver not just on our promise to solve traffic, but to bring development to our provinces,” Villar announced.
More on speed, the expressways are not only expected to cut travel time for motorists but help add to the development of the provinces of Cavite and Laguna. Cavite is now the biggest in terms of population among the country’s provinces, with an estimated 4.1 million people according to 2016 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
In terms of cooperation, Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla said this “speaks volumes about the dynamism of the government and its private partner.” He said the expressway will connect Laguna and Cavite, and declog the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
Meanwhile the Laguna segment of the CALAEX project is now in full swing which, according to Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president and Chief Executive Officer, Rodrigo Franco, is expected to open the first section during the third quarter or as early as July this year.
When it comes to economic development by means of job creation, the CALAEX will employ some 1,200 personnel for its Laguna segment and close to 1,300 more for site and office personnel as its Cavite segment progresses. It is part of the network of toll roads that the MPTC is constructing and developing, which will connect to Cavitex and the C5-South Link and will make transfers from Laguna, Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, and CP Garcia Ave. seamless.
The CALAEX is one of many projects being done under the highly ambitious Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration. Build Build Build lists down high impact projects that are envisioned to improve the economy, increase incomes, invite investments leading to job creation. In his 10-point Socioeconomic Agenda, President Duterte envisioned the reduction of poverty from 21.6% in 2015 to 13% to 15% in 2022. It was emphasized that the acceleration of infrastructure development will pave the way for a more comfortable life, better travel and improved economic development nationwide.
This morning I passed by Presidents Avenue in Barangay BF Homes coming from Parañaque City Hall and along the way I noticed a closed-off portion of the road which was a project of water concessionaire Maynilad.
I went near it and took a few pictures. As of today – March 19, 2019 – what I saw was an early digging of a portion of the road and clearly there is still a long way to go before Maynilad gets to complete the in-line booster project which, if successful, will prove to be very crucial to the water requirements of the many residents and businesses in and around BF Homes.
A few months ago, I talked with Augusto “Boy” Tejada, the president of the Tahanan Homeowners Association, Inc. (THA) who relayed to me details about the December 2018 meeting between his association, their residents and officials of Maynilad. It was during that meeting when the water concessionaire revealed that they plan to construct a water pressure booster somewhere inside the area of Teoville Village 3 and that construction will take around six months to complete.
More importantly the project was designed to boost the water pressure beyond the current limit of 30 PSI (pounds per square inch) which by today’s standards is no longer sufficient to meet the businesses and household needs. Tejada told me that due to location, elevation and distance away from the main gate of the village, there are houses that had trouble receiving water through the pipelines. Some houses have their second or third floors that water cannot even reach.
As of this writing, Maynilad’s water booster project is planned to not only boost the water pressure (to ensure constant and reliable access to water) but also be linked to the new water filtration plant of the company located in Muntinlupa City.
Improved access to water should translate into better satisfaction for family needs and certain improvements to the many businesses operating around BF Homes.
Until that happens, local residents will have to endure the related hassles like traffic disruptions due to street or sidewalk diggings, the arrival of trucks carrying construction materials, etc.
Vermosa Sports Hub Aquathlon 1 organized by Bike King Philippines this coming Sunday (March 10, 2019) at the Vermosa Sports Hub, Daang Hari, Cavite Province, Philippines, made it in the sports pages of the following newspapers.
Manila Bulletin
Business Mirror
For the newcomers here, an aquathlon is a multi-sport event composed of swimming and running. The race set to happen at Vermosa, Cavite is composed of 500 meter swim and 5 Km run (main distance) and 300 meter swim and 3 Km run.
The Vermosa Sports Hub has a very modern swimming pool as well as a track oval.
For more information, visit http://bikekingphilippines.com and http://vermosa.ph. Follow @VermosaPH on Facebook and Twitter for updates.
Imagine yourself driving down the road in your car until you see a famous pop culture icon also moving along by biking.
In the City of Valenzuela in the Philippines, an unidentified person wearing a Spider-Man costume was seen biking along the road and his presence became viral on social media according to this Tagalog-language news video below.
Watch and see more.
I wonder if that costumed biker was a cosplayer heading to some sort of a superhero or geek event. Perhaps he was a hired entertainer heading towards a party with guests.
Speaking of Spider-Man, are you looking forward to the next movie starring Tom Holland? Did you read any good Spider-Man comic books lately?
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority announced today that it will soon start its preparation of the facilities and other pieces of infrastructure in relation to its hosting of seventeen events of the 2019 edition of the Southeast Asian Games (30th SEA Games). The Philippines is the host country and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is undeniably playing a major role.
The 15 sports events assigned to the Freeport Zone by the SEA Games committee are canoe/kayak, TBR dragon boat, chess, muay, duathlon, triathlon, pencak silat, table tennis, aquatics-open water swim, modern pentathlon, sailing, wind surfing, sepak takraw, handball-beach and volleyball-beach. All these details were sourced from the SEA Games organizing committee.
The listed venue for duathlon and triathlon is Boardwalk, Building 229 area.
Very recently I watched the My Daily Collagen Triathlon at Subic Bay which was a nicely organized and fun event. As I’ve personally observed for many years now, Subic Bay is a great destination for sports, tourism, shopping, business and family bonding. It’s no surprise to me that duathlon (run-bike-run) and triathlon (swim-bike-run) are to be held for the SEA Games there.
Ramon Agregado, the SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator, stated that their administration expects to being project construction in the first week of March to upgrade existing facilities and turn them into world-class sports accommodations.
“The centerpiece of Subic’s infrastructure development project for the 2019 SEA Games will be the Remy Field. Its present six-lane track will be turned into a nine-lane oval complemented by three practice lanes, as well as shower rooms, dressing rooms and a new, bigger grand stand,” Agregado stated.
The administrator also said that existing venues scheduled for rehabilitation include the SBMA Tennis Court, the Subic Gymnasium and the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. While undergoing rehabilitation, they will be closed to the public temporarily.
With regards to budgeting, Agregado confirmed that a total of P170 million has been set by the national government for the Subic Bay SEA Games preparation. The SBMA however expects a higher amount to cover the required development. In recent times, the SEA Games budget was reduced by the national government from P7.5 billion to P5 billion.
As a whole, there will be 56 sports, with an estimated 8,750 athletes and team officials; 2,050 technical officials, 1,500 press and media attendees; 12,000 volunteers; targeting more than 500 million viewers; converging, cooperating for the SEA Games this year. The event is set to happen November 30 up to December 11.
For more info visit the official 2019 SEA Games website.
For triathlon and duathlon, visit the TRAP Facebook page.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.
Participants, winners and spectators who took part in the My Daily Collagen Triathlon held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone this past Sunday will be happy to know that the event made it in the sports pages of national newspapers as follows:
Manila Times
Business Mirror
If you the reader happened to be one of the event’s categorical champions, check the above newspapers to find out if your name got printed.
My Daily Collagen Triathlon was organized by Bike King Philippines with the support of Smart, Saucony, Vittoria, Rudy Project, ACEA Subic Bay, Court Meridian Hotel & Suites, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)
My Daily Collagen® is a protein-rich, mango-flavored health drink supplement with the right amount of easily absorbed marine collagen peptide to help boost bone and joint health, enhance post-workout recovery, and keep skin, hair, and nails strong.
For complete race results and winners listing, visit the event results link at http://bikekingphilippines.com/events_my-daily-collagen-tri1_results.html
I revisited Parañaque City Hall today to find out if there were any breakthroughs with regards to legalizing/legitimizing the use of electric vehicles for public transportation use within the city.
The result of my visit? NO PROGRESS whatsoever! According to my sources there, NOT EVEN A DRAFT PROPOSAL was made nor submitted by any member of the City Council until now (February 21, 2019).
This lack of progress to modernize public transportation in Parañaque is indeed disturbing. The City Government of Muntinlupa approved legislation for electric vehicles for public transportation years ago which explains why electric jeepneys (e-jeep) and electric tricycles (e-trikes) are present within the city and commuters have been riding them. At nearby Las Piñas City, their approval of an electric tricycle ordinance since May 2018 resulted their receiving of a donation of one hundred e-trike units from the Department of Energy and already many of those said units have bee deployed to barangays around the city through the different Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (TODAs).
Going back to Parañaque, which was where I grew up in long ago, it is mind boggling that even though the national government has been heavily pushing for public utility vehicles modernization (or PUV Modernization) using technology that is cleaner, safe, more comfortable and less noisy, the City Government under mayor Edwin Olivarez still has not made any moves to legalize e-vehicles as a viable form of public transportation for the commuters. Safe to say, Parañaque is now behind Las Pinas and Muntinlupa on PUV modernization and commuters have no choice but to ride those noisy, unsafe and air-polluting tricycles and jeepneys.
No political will, no legislation and certainly no PUV modernization.
What is very funny is that mayor Olivarez has posed for pictures with electric vehicles more than once! Look at these pictures I found.
All that posing in front of photographers. Smiling with guests. Looking handsome. Still no breakthrough!
With the next local election happening on May this year, it remains to be seen if the incumbent City Government officials will do anything to improve public transportation for the many commuters of the city. Those commuters have no choice but to endure the high noise and dirty air when traveling within the city.
If you are a concerned citizen and you want reforms to happen, better write formal letters to the City Council members, the City Administrator (Fernando Ding Soriano), the Vice Mayor (Rico Golez) and the Mayor himself.
Watch out for my next electric vehicles update. I got something significant coming.
Thank you for reading. If you found this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.
In this age of social media and smartphones, watching cable TV news feeds is quite toxic to the mind. It’s not about the ultra-heavy mix of information being dumped by corporate media giants that overwhelm the senses of millions of viewers worldwide. Rather it is about corporate media’s slant on political news and world events that add chaos to the already chaotic world we live in.
Look at MSNBC and Fox News on how they cater to the many millions of Americans divided in the political spectrum. For the most part, MSNBC favored the so-called liberals and the political left while Fox News consistently favored the so-called conservatives and political right. If there is such a thing as the military-industrial complex, then there is also the political parties-corporate media complex.
The funny thing about politically slanted corporate media is that they (the news makers) turn journalism into a commodity, select the facts to be presented to the viewers and eventually find ways to manipulate people’s perception. Meanwhile the viewers who have their respective political ideologies or interests tend to pick a favorite corporate media giant for their daily news. Also corporate media giants know fully well that there are many millions of political news junkies who cannot help but be obsessed and addicted to biased political coverage.
Also behind the scenes, it is very likely that top officials of the existing major political parties (Republicans and Democrats) have discreetly communicated with the top executives of the corporate media giants who in turn made deals with their clients (advertisers) to generate money together as they manipulate people into supporting corporate media’s business model.
I myself am a small press journalist who went around the many BF Homes communities and the cities of Muntinlupa, Las Pinas and Paranaque. I pay close attention to the behaviors of corporate media journalists. Learning from them, I certainly do not want to turn journalism into a commodity nor do I want to report news about useless causes like Catholic parish fiestas. I certainly don’t like ignorance to be the driving factor of news reporting. To be ignorant about what’s going on, who is who, where is where and how things happened is just wrong. Be warned that from the small press to the giant media, there are even news editors who are ignorant and work without really knowing what to do which makes published news reports less journalistic and even misleading for the public. Look at your local community newspaper, the regional paper, the national paper and tell me if you see any headline story that does not deserve the headline.
Don’t forget that there are still other publications other there that serve as propaganda machines whose organizers believe that people are too stupid or too ignorant to see through their manipulation and misinformation tactics.
Anyway since I already mentioned political news bias of corporate media giants, it’s time we take a close look at a particular scene in UltraForce #2 published in 1994 by Malibu Comics under the Ultraverse line.
UltraForce #2
The comic book opened with UltraForce (Hardcase, Prime, Prototype, Contrary, Pixx, Ghoul and Topaz) in the Oval Office meeting with fictional portrayals of United States President Bill Clinton, Senator Bob Dole, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the representative of the press.
Hardcase negotiates with Clinton over a number of matters. UltraForce will help deal with the ongoing conflict overseas with the world “backing up” for them. Contrary says that their team wants to have access to the federal government’s gathered information on ultras (their term describing super humans in the Ultraverse) which irked Bob Dole to express his opposition and tells Clinton that he will “skin” him alive in the media if he agrees to UltraForce’s proposal.
As the difficult agreement came close to being finalized, Hardcase made clear that his team needs the media to reshape public perception of them (and ultras in general) from negative to positive. Unsurprisingly the media representative objected to Hardcase’s idea as it is tantamount to propaganda (or biased media coverage).
Hardcase answered back mentioning that he is an actor in Hollywood and he already knows what it takes to make people feel good or bad about something by means of being selective of the facts for public consumption. He insists that people should start feeling good about them.
The media representative stated that a bipartisan consensus was all it takes for journalists to accept it.
Then Bill Clinton and Bob Dole shake hands which is ironic because in real life history, both men were nominated by their respective political parties for the US Presidency in 1996. Clinton got re-elected then.
My analysis
The scene, even though it is outlandish in concept, shows clearly that political forces and the giant media have what it takes to manipulate public perception by working together. Of course what reality shows us is that in America, Republicans have Fox News and Democrats have MSNBC to rely on to execute their information manipulation strategies to gain supporters for their own causes.
In the case of UltraForce, it’s about a team of superheroes who need a lot of support from governments and the media in order to be able to resolve the overseas conflict in the story. Their enemy was simply too powerful and too resourceful to defeat so UltraForce played hard-ball with the government and the media.
With regards to biased media coverage in support of UltraForce and ultras that exist in the world of the Ultraverse, it shows that superpowers alone cannot help those who wield it. Without the government and media support, UltraForce will only be perceived by the public as a group of troublemakers (or maybe even as terrorists) even though they fight an obviously evil force that’s been destabilizing the world.
As such, the biased media coverage for UltraForce is what I would call as a morally questionable form of support. On face value, it looks sensible because UltraForce is composed of supposed good guys while their enemies are so destructive and disruptive they are easily perceived as evil. But behind the scenes, supportive biased media coverage for UltraForce kills the spirit of balanced journalism and is pretty much a form of propaganda no matter how good the intentions are.
Could you imagine a special forces team fabricate a situation which would result a tragedy followed by intense coverage by the corporate media which in turn will outrage members of the public and give the administration of the national government the justification to launch a war with superheroes leading the way? Such a situation could lead to even more chaos in this world we live in.
Also Hardcase said it best: Look, I’m an actor in Hollywood. I know this game. I know how you can pick and choose facts to make people feel good or bad about something.
Author’s Note: This article was originally published at my old Geeks and Villagers blog. What you read on this website was an updated and expanded version. In other words, this newest version you just read is the most definitive version.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Author Carlo Carrasco 