BF NorthWest HOA Cuts Electric Cost Using Solar Power

February 15, 2020March 23, 2020carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from the BF NorthWest Homeowners Association, Inc. by means of an interview and research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

BF NorthWest, one of the largest enclaves of BF Homes subdivision within Parañaque City, just confirmed to me this morning that they saved a large sum of money on power consumption thanks to their use of the new solar panels that were installed on the roof of their clubhouse along D. Jakarta street.

This is renewable energy implemented within the local community and I am happy to see it personally during my visit there.

*Solar panels visible on the roof of the BF NorthWest clubhouse from the rear. There are also solar panels installed on the other side.*

“We just received our first electric bill and by using the power generated by our solar panels, we saved around six thousand Pesos from the local power grid,” BF NorthWest Homeowners Association, Inc. (BFNHAI) president Manny Nubla confirmed.

For over a month now, the BFNHAI had been using renewable energy for their operations and were able to control how much power they needed from the solar panels and from grid of Meralco (Manila Electric Company).

To put things in perspective, if the homeowners association continues to save P6,000 each month until the end of this year, that would translate to savings of P72,000. The challenge to that would be the fast approaching summer season which is the time period in which people and varied establishments increase the use of their power for cooling.

BFNHAI president Nubla also confirmed to me that they are able to have their aircon units run on power sourced from the solar panels.

This renewable energy project of BF NorthWest, to say the least, is an early success as the benefits have been realized with regard to cost and reducing reliance on the local power grid.

Now that BFNHAI’s solar panels are working pretty nicely, would you happen to know if your own homeowners’ association (HOA) has a plan to install solar panels on the local clubhouse?

Before I end this, going back to BF NorthWest, the BFNHAI is already processing applications for the 2020 edition of their village sticker. Below for your reference is their application form for residents.

For other matters visit their clubhouse or call them at 8826-4547 and 8825-0149.

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

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 and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

My Observations: Ben’s Halo-Halo in BF Homes

February 11, 2020June 13, 2020carlocarrasco

*Laguna’s creamiest halo-halo is now in BF Homes!*

For the newcomers reading this, Aguirre Avenue, the major road inside BF Homes subdivision in Parañaque City, is well known for being a major commercial stretch where people can find lots of restaurants, stores, coffee shops and the like.

Recently along the same road, the BF Homes branch of Ben’s Halo-Halo Ice Cream opened within the area of Phase 3 in the subdivision. It is located between Shakey’s and Starbucks Coffee at the same side. Just steps away from it, also from the same side, is Mini-Stop convenience store.

Already, Ben’s Halo-Halo has been attracting a lot of customers and their best-selling product is, unsurprisingly, their signature halo-halo. In recent times, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez (Miracle in Cell No. 7), had been visiting the BF Homes branch to take home halo-halo not once but many times already. Out of curiosity, I decided to pay a visit and find out how good or tasty their top dessert is.

For P90, I was served with their signature Ben’s Halo-Halo in a tall glass. It came with a mix of corn, ube (purple yam), macapuno, saba, white beans, milk and leche flan.

After carefully mixing the ingredients, I took my first serving of it. The result? It tasted really good! Then I mixed it more and took another serving to find out if the resulting taste would be better or not. It still tasted good.

The halo-halo was so good and creamy, for me, there was no need to add sweetener or milk. A dessert served like this with such a good taste is a winner already for me. Of course, anyone else who wants to have their halo-halo be added with more sugar or milk will have to ask the people behind the counter. I don’t know yet if they would charge extra.

After enjoying my dessert, I decided to look further on their menu. Apart from the Ben’s Halo-Halo, they also serve Spicy Winter Halo-Halo and Salty Summer Halo-Halo. Other classic desserts include Mais Con Yelo and Macapuno Con Yelo.

They also serve rice meals (which I will try some day) like adobo, tocino, longganisa, braised beef and chicken barbeque to name some. They also have pasta and sandwiches.

As I learned during my time there, Ben’s Halo-Halo Ice Cream originally started in the city of San Pablo in the province of Laguna. It was founded by Ben Pasco who worked as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Italy for over a decade. During his years there, he got to work as a cook in a restaurant. After making some careful observations, becoming an entrepreneur entered his mind and he decided to go home to start a new business of his own.

More on their BF Homes branch, more people have been dining there. To say the least, it is a blessing for the BF Homes community that Ben’s Halo-Halo opened within the Phase 3 area.

I highly recommend the Ben’s Halo-Halo for those who crave for something cool and sweet (don’t forget to watch your blood sugar level).

Visit their BF Homes branch now along 287 Aguirre Avenue and don’t forget to visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bensbfhomes/

Parañaque City Council Approves Proposal Granting Monthly Financial Assistance to all Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Members, Secretaries and Treasurers on Third Reading

February 8, 2020carlocarrasco

On February 6, Parañaque City Councilor Wahoo Sotto announced that the legislative body (presided by Vice Mayor Rico Golez) passed on third and final reading Draft Ordinance Number 3 (Series of 2019) which is fully referred to as “An ordinance granting monthly financial assistance to all Sangguniang Kabataan members, Sangguniang Kabataan secretaries and Sangguniang Kabataan treasurers in the City of Parañaque and providing funds therefor.”

To put things in perspective, the approved piece of legislation, once signed by the mayor of the city, will lead to the City Government’s release of funds for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council in English) members (from the chairperson to the youth councilors), their respective secretaries and treasurers in the form of allowances.

“We recognize the efforts and contributions of each Sangguniang Kabataan Member in bringing public service among youth,” Councilor Sotto expressed. “It was an honor for me to be part of this.”

While it is a fact that the respective SK units of barangays in Parañaque (specifically those who met the requirements of the banks and the Department of Interior and Local Government) now have access to earmarked funds needed to for their projects and activities, their officials and officers worked without any financial assistance, at least from the City Government. Under the reformed SK system, SK units are supposed to be independent from their respective barangay units.

We will find out soon enough from the City Government when will Draft Ordinance Number 3 be signed by the mayor.

Reaction from Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan (BFSK)

Upon seeing Councilor Sotto’s announcement, I reached out to Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan chairwoman Mariel Tumang for a reaction.

“I’m happy because all of us SK Chairpersons had wished to have an allowance provided so that we can cover the costs of local transportation heading towards our events,” chairwoman Tumang reacted.

As of this writing, Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez has yet to reply to my inquiry of the same issue.

Parañaque Cityhood Anniversary Celebration Activities Are Now Down to Four Due to Coronavirus Fears and Concern! (UPDATED)

February 5, 2020February 13, 2020carlocarrasco

February 2020 is already a much less exciting month for the City of Parañaque as their mayor Edwin Olivarez officially signed a February 4, 2020 memorandum INITIALLY POSTPONING effectively the 22nd Cityhood Anniversary celebration. This is because of fear and concern about the still-spreading 2019 Novel Coronavirus (NCoV).

*No Cityhood Anniversary celebration this year! (photo source – Mayor Edwin Olivarez Facebook page)*

And here are the activities that were planned to mark Parañaque’s 22nd anniversary as a City (which was realized way back on February 13, 1998).

*Almost all of these activities have been postponed! (photo source – Mayor Edwin Olivarez Facebook page)*

For this month, there are no more beauty pageants, no more comedy events, no more taxpayer recognition ceremony, no more festival, no more fireworks display, no more job fair, no Sunduan Festival and no State of the City Address (SOCAD).

However, today, the City Government announced that there are actually four Cityhood Anniversary events that will push through.

What remains scheduled to push through are the following:

Release of Scholarship (February 8)

Unveiling of the 2019 National Anti-Drugs Abuse Council Performance Marker and the Blessing of the DRRMO Command Center (February 10)

Blessing of Ospital ng Parañaque 2 (February 12)

No wonder there is disappointment in Parañaque. A lot of people anticipated the annual Cityhood Anniversary for reasons like fun, idolizing and the like. The remaining activities set to push through are ceremonial in nature. In other words, not exciting.

It only makes sense to postpone most of the Cityhood Anniversary celebration for the sake of ensuring that the local citizens will not gather in public venues and put themselves at risk of getting infected by the Coronavirus (or any virus at all).

Speaking of Coronavirus, there are a whole lot of Chinese nationals working and living in Parañaque in relation to the presence of POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) in the city that ironically is fueling the local economy. Don’t forget that Parañaque is a hot spot for crime involving Chinese nationals. The City Government just announced that it is implementing the protocol of the Department of Health (DOH) on dealing with the Coronavirus. They are also watching closely the Chinese nationals and POGOs in the city.

Barangay BF Homes’ reaction to Cityhood Anniversary postponement

Going back to the postponement of most of the Cityhood Anniversary celebration this year, I reached out to Barangay BF Homes captain Paolo Marquez for a reaction. His answer below…

Although preparations are underway on our end, we welcome and support the call of the city government to postpone activities in the interest of everyone’s safety

Barangay BF Homes Captain Paolo Marquez

Captain Marquez also confirmed to me that their barangay has candidates for the Binibining Parañaque and the Gandang Mamita pageants.

At the same time, Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan chairwoman Mariel Tumang added that her team made a lot of preparations for the Cityhood celebration before the postponement was done. I can only imagine their disappointment now that the preparations got wasted.

With the Cityhood celebration heavily reduced, it remains to be seen what the city’s barangays, the City Government itself and other stakeholders will do for the expected 2021 edition of the Cityhood Anniversary.

Right now, it is better to be safe than to have fun and get infected.

Tahanan Village Health Check-Up Activity Scheduled for February 22, 2020

January 25, 2020February 4, 2020carlocarrasco

The Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. (CCTI), a private club of senior citizens living in Tahanan Village, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City, will be sponsoring on February 22, 2020 (Saturday) starting at 6AM (end at 10AM) the next Health Check-up (Executive Laboratory Check-up) activity at the poolside of the Tahanan Village clubhouse (where the village clinic is also located).

Open to all residents of the village, there will be a wide variety of services and examinations that people can avail of for their respective health-related needs or inquiries.

“We encourage the Tahanan Village residents to take advantage of the generously discounted health services as well as the convenience of the venue which is at the poolside of the clubhouse at the park,” Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. president Florencia Umali stated to me.

20190928_071314 — *File photo of CCTI president Florencia Umali (seated, foreground) helping patients during the September 28, 2019 health check-up activity in Tahanan Village.*

Indeed, to make the most out of their money, villagers can pay only P350 for a health-check package that includes good and bad cholesterol check, Triglycerides, Creatinine, SGOT, ECG, blood sugar count, total cholesterol count, BUN, Urice Acid, SGPT, CBC and urinalysis. These said services would have cost almost P1,300 at regular rates. That’s a tremendous amount of more than P900 in savings.

All of those who intend to avail of the health services related to blood testing are advised to bring their own urine sample and should have fasted between 10 hours to 12 hours.

Other health services people can choose from are PSA, Hba1c, T3, T4, TSH and Na, K and Ci (electrolytes). There will also be a free computerized eye refraction service as well.

The results of the medical tests will be released on March 1 at the Tahanan Village clinic. Free consultation is also offered.

With the discounts and venue convenience at hand, potentially hundreds of villagers could show up and avail of the services on February 22. It is recalled that the CCTI’s last health check-up activity in Tahanan Village attracted 300 people.

This health-check activity is a project of the CCTI in coordination with the Tahanan Homeowners Association, Inc. (THA) which is the main authority of the village.

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 and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

My Observations: Crime Incidents in Parañaque Involving Chinese Nationals to Continue Even More?

January 21, 2020January 21, 2020carlocarrasco

A few weeks ago, I called Parañaque City a hot spot for criminal incidents involving foreigners from China. As far as South Metro Manila is concerned, Parañaque registered 140 crime incidents involving Chinese nationals versus 54 in Las Piñas City and 19 in Muntinlupa City as per the findings of Southern Police District (SPD).

Think about it. There were 213 crime incidents involving Chinese nationals in South Metro Manila and Parañaque (the city of BF Homes subdivision, Manila Memorial Park and those lavish casinos and hotels by the bay) got almost two-thirds of that.

The trend of such crime continues to happen in the said city as confirmed by the January 20, 2020 news report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The report was about a police raid on a sex den inside a budget hotel that resulted the apprehension of a Chinese national who allegedly managed the place and the rescue of several Chinese women who allegedly were forced into prostitution.

Below are notable excerpts from the report.

Excerpt 1: The alleged manager of the sex den, Cai Ye Gui, also from China, was arrested. He now faces charges for violation of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.

Excerpt 2: A tip from one of the victims’ clients led to the rescue of 11 Chinese women allegedly forced into prostitution inside one of the branches of a budget hotel chain in Parañaque City on Sunday.

Excerpt 3: The victims claimed they were promised jobs in the country, but ended up being forced into prostitution.

Excerpt 4: Similar to other sex dens raided by authorities, the business catered exclusively to Chinese nationals, especially to men working in Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) companies and their service providers. Bookings could be made through the WeChat app or in person.

So the prostitution joint was handled by a male Chinese national to cater to foreigners from China and their workers were ladies also from China who were promised jobs in the Philippines only to end up working as prostitutes against their will.

As for the app called WeChat, that is the most popular messaging app in China (according to CNBC) owned by Tencent (full corporate name Tencent Holdings Limited) which is a Chinese multinational conglomerate.

Based on the details of the Inquirer report, it seems that WeChat is used for communication and business for the raided sex den. This brings me to an excerpt from CNBC’s article…

Excerpt 1: One of the primary uses of WeChat is messaging. Just like WhatsApp, you have a list of conversations that you’re engaged in.

You can add people in a variety of ways.

When people exchange contact details in China, you often see one person scanning the other person’s phone. Each WeChat user has a unique barcode known as a QR code. One person can scan the other user’s QR code to add them to WeChat. You can also use a phone number or ID to add a person and search for people nearby.

WeChat is one of the main ways people communicate in China. Even when doing business, people prefer WeChat to email. It’s even more prevalent because services like Facebook are blocked here.

And here is a look at the commercial side of WeChat.

Excerpt 2: If you’re buying something online in China, there will be an option to purchase with WeChat Pay. You will need to put in a passcode or use a biometric authentication tool to authorize the transaction.

Instant money transfers to your WeChat contacts can also be made via the messaging function, which makes it easy to split bills or just move money around China. It is possible to be nearly cashless in China and actually go out for the day without a wallet.

If WeChat was actually used for payments (in addition to booking) for services at the sex den by Chinese users who are physically present here in the Philippine, how were they able to make it work locally? WeChat’s financial transaction feature was supposed to work only in China.

To say the least, the app made bookings convenient for Chinese nationals before visiting the illegal joint in Parañaque City. The name of the budget hotel (which had the sex den inside) was not revealed in the Inquirer report but it was described to be located near the corner of Quirino Avenue and NAIA Road.

As for the legal aspect of the latest Parañaque sex den raid involving Chinese nationals, the law enforcers and lawyers will have to figure out how to effectively apply the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 on the suspects and other violators.

If found guilty, the suspects will be penalized for twenty years imprisonment and a fine of P1 million to 2P million for the act of trafficking, 15 years imprisonment and a fine of P500,000 to P1 million for attempted trafficking, and life imprisonment and a fine of P2 million to P5 million for qualified trafficking.

This latest crime makes Parañaque look bad and it is a fact that there are lots of Chinese nationals living and working in the said city.

Also let me add here the December 23, 2019 the city sisterhood agreement between Parañaque and the Chinese city of Anshan. On face value, the agreement looks like a pretty and promising way of the two cities becoming closer together. According to a Manila Standard report, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Parañaque and Anshan should “create opportunities for mutual growth, since both cities share similar environmental protection and tourism endeavors.”

There were other objectives that include “providing for better cooperation in conducting reciprocally planned and sanctioned programs geared towards the improvement of government administration, tourism, cultural preservation, environmental protection, education, technology, arts, and the holding of various endeavors mutually beneficial to both parties.”

What needs examining here is how many tourists from Anshan (a city of more than 3 million people) will come to Parañaque for tourism, how many of those same tourists will be setting up businesses locally, how many of them will take residence in the city, and are they all willing to follow the local and nationals laws at all.

What guarantee is there that Anshan tourists will not commit any crimes in Parañaque or anywhere else in the Philippines?

If there is anything that will prevent a city or a nation from prospering and becoming more competitive with others, it is crime. Other factors that will do the same include corruption, sinister propaganda, misuse of taxpayers’ money, sub-par public service and lack of financial discipline.

It is a sad truth that Parañaque is not too competitive with other Philippine cities and was not heralded for local governance. Now the city has a crime wave involving foreigners from China.

For those of you reading this who have genuine love for the country, start praying to the Lord that the crime wave will not harm Filipino families living inside the villages. Start reading the Holy Bible and apply its lessons on your life by heart.

Duty Free Philippines Grows 4% in 2019

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020carlocarrasco

Hey everyone! Have you shopped at a Duty Free Philippines yet? Me? I have not been to a Duty Free Philippines outlet or shopping center for quite some time now.

Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) announced today that it grew 4% in 2019 in terms of year-on-year sales growth. Notably, the achieved growth was a clear improvement over the 2% growth it achieved in 2018.

To put things in perspective, the consolidated sales reached a total of $226 million in 2019 compared with $217 million the previous year.

In relation to the latest statistics, DFPC chief operating officer Vicente Pelagio Angala said the Philippines’ hosting of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and the opening of Duty Free Luxe have significantly contributed to the upswing.

He said the growing number of tourists visiting the newly-rehabilitated Boracay Island via Kalibo Airport has been beneficial to DFPC sales.

When it comes to the top source markets, 85% came from Filipino tourists, balikbayans (visiting Filipinos who live overseas) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Confectionery is still the major growth driver, with 31 percent share of the total sales, followed by liquor (21 percent), fragrance and cosmetics (18 percent), and fashion merchandise (10 percent).

The DFPC claimed it has met a number of significant milestones last year, including the opening of “Go Lokal’s” Marahuyo this past November.

“In line with the directive of Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), we have augmented our product portfolio which now includes more local artisans,” Angala said.

With the agency’s strong commitment to giving top local products a global audience, DFPC was recognized as “Highly Commended CSR Initiative of the Year “at the 2019 Frontier Awards in Cannes, France for supporting The Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The DFPC has expanded the list of exclusive brands that it carries which now includes: Gucci Beauty, Armani Beauty, Hogan, and MCM. Last year, it also embarked on the renovation of the Fiestamall and NAIA Terminal 1 Arrival stores.

DFPC is expected to maintain the momentum in 2020 with the opening of Duty Free store at the Hilton Sun Valley Resort inside Clark Freeport Zone by the first quarter of this year.

For everyone’s reference, the DFPC is the country’s sole operator of the duty-and tax-free merchandising system, and a vital component of the DOT as it contributes to the efforts in the development of the country’s tourism infrastructure, programs, and projects through revenue remittances. There are Duty Free Philippines outlets and shopping centers around the Philippines including Parañaque City (Fiestamall shopping center), Cebu province, and Clark International Airport to name a few.

For further learning, posted below is the official FAQ of Duty Free Philippines.

Check out their online store at https://www.dutyfreephilippines.ph/

My Observations: Not a Single Parañaque Resident Among The Many Philippine Athletes Who Won Medals in the 2019 SEA Games?

January 8, 2020carlocarrasco

It’s been almost a month since the 2019 edition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) hosted by the Philippines ended with resounding success. The Philippines won a total of three hundred and eighty-seven medals to finish #1 among all Southeast Asian nations. The 387 medals won are composed of 149 gold medals, 117 silver medals and 121 bronze medals.

Here in South Metro Manila (composed mainly of the cities of Parañaque, Muntinlupa and Las Piñas) there were indeed Philippine team athletes who won medals at the SEA Games who reside locally.

Shortly after the end of the premier sports event of the Southeast Asian region, the City of Las Piñas honored the SEA Games medalists among its residents by showcasing them in a special ceremony at City Hall in the presence of Mayor Imelda “Mel” Aguilar, Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery, City Councilors and more.

The Las Piñas-based Philippine athletes who won at the SEA Games appeared in their respective sports uniforms and showed their medals and certificates of appreciation with the City Government officials led by Mayor Imelda Aguilar. (source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)

The local resident athletes honored were Joseph Arcilla (Gold Medalist – Soft Tennis), Anna Alicia Katrina Castillo (Gold Medalist Women’s Basketball), Mikoff Manduriao (Gold Medalist – Soft Tennis), Russ Ashley Monville (Gold Medalist – Arnis), Erdilyn Peralta (Bronze Medalist – Soft Tennis), and Aljon Salonga (Silver Medalist – Water Polo). Not only did they attend the special ceremony at City Hall with their sports uniforms, they also brought the SEA Games medals they won. They received certificates from the City Government.

Over at the City of Muntinlupa, the City Government led by Mayor Jaime Fresnedi did its part doing the same and their SEA Games medalists attended a special ceremony – which was mainly about the City’s 102nd anniversary celebration – held at the Sports Complex in Barangay Tunasan.

2019 SEA GAMES MEDALISTS — Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (3^rd from right) awarded plaques of recognition to Muntinlupa athletes who snagged medals in the 2019 SEA Games last December 19 at Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Tunasan. Shown in the photo: (L-R) Congressman Ruffy Biazon, Kodo Nakano (Bronze, Judo), Keisei Nakano (Bronze, Judo), Shugen Nakano (Gold Medalist, Judo), Daryl Mercado (Bronze, Judo), Ryssa Jezzel Sanchez (Silver, Arnis), Rick Jayson Constantino Senales (Bronze, Kurash and Judo), Vice-mayor Temy Simundac, and City Administrator Engr. Allan Cachuela. (photo released by City Government of Muntinlupa – PIO)

The Muntinlupa-based SEA Games medalists who received honors and shared the stage with the Mayor, Vice Mayor Temy Simundac, Congressman Ruffy Biazon and City Administrator Engr. Allan Cachuela were Kodo Nakano (Bronze, Judo), Keisei Nakano (Bronze, Judo), Shugen Nakano (Gold Medalist, Judo), Daryl Mercado (Bronze, Judo), Ryssa Jezzel Sanchez (Silver, Arnis), and Rick Jayson Constantino Senales (Bronze, Kurash and Judo). Incentives for the said achievers were promised by the City Government.

Meanwhile in Parañaque City, there have been no signs so far that there were any Parañaque residents among the many Philippine athletes who won 2019 SEA Games medals.

Twice, I inquired about this to City Administrator Fernando “Ding” Soriano plus my other contact at the City Government. It was only yesterday that I finally received a reply from City Admin Soriano. Below is his response.

Soriano: The moment there (are) residents from (Parañaque), we will certainly give recognition and awards.

Analyzing the words of the City Administrator, it seems that the City Government still has not yet found a single local resident among the 2019 SEA Games medalists who represented the Philippines. Previously the City Government promised rewards for any 2019 SEA Games medalist verified as a resident.

The hot questions here are:

Has the City Government of Parañaque approached the 2019 SEA Games organizers for a list of Philippine Team athletes (who won medals specifically) with city addresses?
If there are indeed any 2019 SEA Games medalist living in Parañaque City who just learned about the promised rewards and recognition from the City Government, which specific office should he or she go to? Who should he or she look for?
Does mayor Edwin Olivarez have time to meet Parañaque-based SEA Games medalists?

If any new updates come up, I’ll post them right here.

A Creative, Eco-Friendly Project by the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) of Barangay Baclaran

January 1, 2020December 31, 2019carlocarrasco

A Creative, Eco-Friendly Project by the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) of Barangay Baclaran

*Barangay Baclaran Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) chairwoman Rachel Garcia in front of their Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottle Cage.*

During my recent visit in Barangay Baclaran in Parañaque City. I was fortunate to meet the chairwoman of the Barangay Baclaran Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) – Rachel Garcia.

She generously showed one of their special projects called the Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottle Cage which is publicly accessible to anyone who wants to dispose of their respective used plastic bottles.

“This project serves as a container where people can place used plastic bottles. All the collected materials will be sold to the local junk shops and the money we raise from the transactions enable us to buy rice grain for the local youth,” Barangay Baclaran SK chairwoman Garcia explained.

Visually the Eco-Friendly is a cage with a creative, fun-oriented touch. On top of the cage is a makeshift basketball board with a small rim that is supposed to encourage people to shoot their plastic bottles and watch it fall into the cage. This is the meaning behind the line “Shoot for a Change” written on the board.

*The Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottle Cage from another angle.*

*Once filled up, all of these plastic materials will be sold to local junk shops by the Barangay Baclaran SK. The money raised will be used to purchase rice grain for the benefit of the local youth.*

One clear advantage of the Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottle Cage is that it can compel people to refrain from throwing their plastic bottles into other trash containers (which contain other forms of waste like paper, plastic bags, etc.).

This is why if ever you (with your plastic bottle at hand) pass by one of those Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottle Cages of the Baclaran SK during your next trip in Barangay Baclaran, take time out to put your plastic bottle into the cage.

Speaking of being eco-friendly, the Barangay Baclaran SK has been active with not only protecting the natural environment but also with participating in clean-up drive activities.

For more information, visit the Barangay Baclaran SK’s FB page here.

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To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business/special event or project to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile number 0905-3350831 or via email at Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.com

Press releases/statements and photo releases are also accepted.

If you need to promote yourselves or your event or special projects, please check out my varied marketing services (including Twitter boosting) right here.

We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.

Parañaque City a Hot Spot for Crimes Involving Chinese Nationals

December 29, 2019carlocarrasco

If there is anything that defined the City of Parañaque lately, it’s not about city competitiveness (Parañaque failed again), not about economic breakthroughs and not even about achieving excellence on local governance (Parañaque was not declared a winner of the DILG’s 2019 Sea of Good Local Governance award).

Rather, it’s about crime turning rampant within the jurisdiction of Parañaque, more specifically the high number of crimes involving Chinese nationals.

According to a December 27, 2019 Philippine Star report, Parañaque has the 3rd highest number of crimes involving Chinese nationals among the southern cities of Metro Manila. The number is 140 crime incidents recorded as per the statistics of the Southern Police District (SPD) as of December 25, 2019. Ahead of Parañaque were Pasay City (201 crime incidents) and Makati City (163 crime incidents).

Specifically on South Metro Manila, Las Piñas City had 54 crime incidents while Muntinlupa City had 19 crime incidents. Combine those numbers with Parañaque’s 140 crime incidents, then that’s a total of 213 crime incidents for South Metro Manila.

You must be wondering why is it that the city that is home to a significant portion of BF Homes subdivision attracted a great majority of of the 213 crime incidents involving Chinese nationals for South Metro Manila?

For one thing, there is a high number of Chinese nationals who took residence in Parañaque and got involved in the local commerce. Speaking of commerce, a lot of these POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) opened up and operated within the city. The City Government recently considered filing charges against the owners of buildings housing Chinese nationals who are working at these POGOs. The housing of many Chinese nationals caused a social disruption in the community of Multinational Village for the past two years. This caused Multinational residents to write letters of complaints regarding diminishing water supply, power transformer blowouts, eroded roads and rising security risks that allegedly were connected with the Chinese nationals residing in their local community as well as the construction of new POGO housing facilities.

By the way, there are casinos and hotels operating in the Entertainment City which is within the jurisdiction of Parañaque. Those facilities are known to attract a lot of Chinese nationals along with other foreigners.

Focusing more on crimes involving foreigners from China, there was a prostitution raid in Parañaque this past September.

Here’s an excerpt from the CNN Philippines report:

The raid in Diamond Tower in Baclaran also led to the arrest of 13 alleged den maintainers or recruiters of sex workers, nine of whom are male and four who are women, plus 18 male Chinese customers.

And then there was the Chinese affair involving kidnapping that also took place in Parañaque. Here’s an excerpt from the report of Business Mirror:

The Philippine National Police-Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) rescued a Chinese national and arrested two kidnapping suspects during a police operation in Parañaque City.

PNP-AKG Director Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo identified the victim as tourist Wang Hong, alias Lee, 29, married, native of Chongqing, China, and who is temporarily residing at Strata Gold Condominium, Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila.

The suspects, on the other hand, were identified as Wan Rehong, 32, native of Qingshanhu District, Nanchang City, China, and Wan Liang, 36, native of Jiangxi, China. Both suspects are tourists.

Estomo said that in the sworn statement of Wang, the victim went to Solaire Resort and Casino on December 4 and gambled. When he lost all his money, a group of Chinese men offered him a loan of P1 million, which he accepted.

The group lent him another P1 million as capital, but he lost again, prompting the group to take the key of the car that he borrowed from a friend and asked him to go with the suspects.

The two suspects took him to Okada Hotel and Casino, and while inside a room, they forced him to make a letter stating that he borrowed from them P2 million and forced him to sign the letter.

On December 8, at around 2 p.m., Wang and the two suspects boarded a taxi wherein he managed to send a message to a friend that they are billeted at Room 505 of Baymont Hotel in Parañaque City.

While inside the room, the kidnappers instructed him to ask money from his family or friends for him to pay the P2 million because, if not, “they will kill him and be thrown at cemetery.”

The victim’s friend notified the PNP-AKG about the incident that prompted operatives to launch a rescue operation which resulted in the arrest the two suspects.

As mentioned earlier, Parañaque City is a hot spot of crime incidents involving Chinese nationals and clearly this is bad. Nobody wants to live in a city with rampant crime (kidnapping, extortion, prostitution and the like) nor does anyone want to see their community turn bad because a lot of foreigners from China working in POGOs were allowed to take residence.

The hot questions to ask here:

1) Is the City Government really tough against crime in general?

2) Are POGOs and other businesses that target Chinese nationals as employees and consumers too tempting for the City Government to reject and were allowed to be part of the local economy and communities?

3) Were the business permit applications of those POGOs and businesses targeting Chinese nationals carefully reviewed by the Parañaque Business Permit & Licensing Office (BPLO) before being approved?

4) Are there any police officers in Parañaque who accepted bribes from Chinese nationals and the POGOs to look the other way and let them do their illegal activities?

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 and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments.

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