Philippine Star – Page 2 – Author Carlo Carrasco

BIR admits taxing social media influencers is difficult

November 7, 2023November 3, 2023carlocarrasco

As far as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is concerned, implementing taxes on social media influencers and collecting from them are still hard to do, according to a Philippine Star news report.

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

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) continues to have difficulty in making social media influencers comply with the country’s tax laws even amid a widening adoption of various social media platforms as a form of income.

BIR Assistant Commissioner Jethro Sabariaga said the country’s largest revenue collecting agency remains in dialogue with social media influencers for them to pay their tax obligations to the government.

The BIR decided to seek a dialogue with the influencers in March this year. Sabariaga admitted that it is difficult for the BIR to get revenues from the digital space.

“Yes, (it is difficult). We will not mince with words. It might take some time, but that’s what we’ve been doing,” Sabariaga said.

“We are trying to win their side in the engagement process. The more that you can ask them to do voluntary compliance, the better rather than to fight with them,” he said.

BIR defines social media influencers as people whose digital posts are being monetized, classifying them as self-employed individuals or persons engaged in trade or business as sole proprietors.

The BIR earlier said it was looking into some 250 top earning social media influencers to see if they have been paying their obligations.

Based on BIR’s circular, influencers are required to pay income tax and percentage tax or value-added tax, if applicable, as mandated by the Tax Code.

According to the BIR, influencers derive their income from YouTube, sponsored social and blog posts, display advertising and affiliate marketing, among others.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you agree with the BIR’s plan to tax social media influencers? Is your favorite vlogger or YouTuber based in the Philippines who might have made some revenue online based on his or her output?

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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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. 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 with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

COMELEC urges BSKE candidates to be watchful and file charges against rivals who violate election laws

September 6, 2023September 4, 2023carlocarrasco

With over a million candidates nationwide registered for this October’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) urged the aspirants to be observant and file complaints against those who are caught violating the election laws, according to a Philippine Star news report. Previously the COMELEC warned against premature campaigning and they anticipated an intense BSKE this year.

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

As the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections officially ended yesterday in most parts of the country, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged BSKE candidates to be watchful and file charges against rivals who violate election laws.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they are relying on the vigilance of candidates to prevent poll offenses, including violations of laws against political dynasties among candidates in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) or youth councils.

“We welcome the filing of disqualification cases by their rival SK candidates or any interested parties against those who are relatives of incumbent national or local officials,” Garcia said.

Due to limited resources, the Comelec chief admitted that it is difficult for local poll offices to immediately determine if the one filing the COC for the SK election has relatives who are incumbent elected national or local officials.

“We are left with no choice but to accept the COC as the local Comelec offices have no information if they have elected relatives,” he said

The SK Reform Act prohibits those with relatives within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any incumbent elected national official or to any incumbent elected regional, provincial, city, municipal or barangay official, in the locality from seeking SK post.

Thus, Garcia encouraged rivals of candidates who are attempting to violate the SK Reform Act to file appropriate charges against the latter.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you expect the Barangay and SK elections this year to be intense?

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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GCash will start collecting P5 cash-in fee from those who use BPI and Union Bank in the 4th quarter

September 4, 2023September 1, 2023carlocarrasco

GCash, a very popular electronic wallet (e-wallet) here in the Philippines, will soon be charging a fee of P5 each time a user cashes in (loading money into his or her GCash account) via the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) or Union Bank of the Philippines, according to a business news story by the Philippine Star. For the newcomers reading this, GCash users can put money into their respective accounts in other ways such as doing it over-the-counter at recognized convenience stores, the cash-in kiosks and other types of businesses that accept GCash cash-in.

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

E-wallet giant GCash will start charging a convenience fee of P5 for every time a user cashes in from its major partners Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and Union Bank of the Philippines in the fourth quarter.

In an interview with reporters, GCash president and CEO Martha Sazon said the convenience fee remains to be one of the lowest compared to the transaction charges imposed by traditional banks that run as high as P25.

“As GCash continues to scale, we still subsidize most of the charges as well as heavily invest on upgrading our infrastructure and reinforcing security services,” Sazon said.

Sazon said GCash has to slap a convenience fee for cashing in to cover its rising costs. However, Sazon said the fee only reduces the subsidies that GCash pays to keep its financial services affordable.

“This also ensures that our operations will remain seamless for all customers. Even with this fee, we will continue to subsidize part of the operating cost for our cash-ins as we remain committed to keeping our services affordable to many Filipinos,” Sazon said.

Sazon is encouraging GCash customers to compute how much they have to spend for every time they load their accounts through BPI and Union Bank.

For instance, Sazon said a user can cash in P10,000 in one go rather than top up P500 in tranches to minimize getting charged P5 every time.

Users can add cash to their GCash platform by linking it into their bank accounts. Likewise, they can cash-in via convenience stores, dedicated machines, department stores, gas stations, sari-sari stores, among others.

Last week, GCash announced that it would waive for the rest of the year the transaction charges on merchants for payments accepted through QR Ph. The e-wallet leader expects that through this, micro, small and medium enterprises will book extra earnings from cashless transactions.

GCash offers merchants access to e-wallet with a limit of up to P500,000 per month, waiving the transaction fee of 1.5 percent for P100,000 in gross sales.

GCash is one of the largest finance apps in the Philippines with a nationwide presence in more than 1,600 billers.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a GCash user who often loads money using the respective apps or systems of BPI and Union Bank, does the above business story discourage you a lot?

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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With FIBA World Cup 2023 in the Philippines, Department of Tourism (DOT) anticipates 600,000 tourists/spectators

August 25, 2023August 23, 2023carlocarrasco

As far as the Department of Tourism (DOT) is concerned, the Philippines’ hosting of the FIBA World Cup 2023 games will benefit the nation with an estimated 600,000 tourists (foreign and domestic), according to a Philippine Star news report. Take note that the Philippines is getting closer to reaching its planned target of foreign tourists for the year 2023.

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

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is expecting 600,000 spectators in the upcoming FIBA World Cup 2023, which will start on Friday.

In an interview over Radyo Pilipinas, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the figure includes foreign and domestic visitors. Frasco said the number of participants in the tournament has surpassed 2,200.

She said the FIBA, which is responsible for ticket sales, would determine the exact number of spectators.

To ensure the success of the event, the DOT has collaborated with a tourism consortium that includes private stakeholders such as the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, Philippine Tour Operators Association and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

The collaboration is focused on crafting FIBA World Cup tour packages that will offer discounts to both local and foreign visitors, to encourage them to also explore the Philippines’ tourist spots aside from watching the FIBA games.

“This package, which was specifically curated for FIBA, provides opportunities to visit any of our award-winning destinations as well as our beautiful resorts and hotels across these places,” Frasco said. These packages are accessible through discoverphilippines.travel.

The DOT has coordinated with attached agencies for site enhancements at the venues and other areas crucial to the participants’ experience.

Frasco stressed the importance of seamless and secure movement for tourists and participants.

Frasco said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is responsible for the physical enhancements in airports for a better experience upon entry of tourists.

She said the DOT and the TIEZA helped the DOTr enhance these sites.

The Philippines will host the games of the FIBA World Cup 2023 along with Japan and Indonesia from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? Do you think the DOT’s anticipation of 600,000 tourists/spectators with the Philippines hosting FIBA World Cup games is unrealistic or doable? Do you think sports tourism events held here in the Philippines with the participation of foreign athletes will help the nation grow into a tourism powerhouse in the years to come?

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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Could Cambodia and its foreign reinforcements ruin Southeast Asian sports?

May 16, 2023May 13, 2023carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers and sports fans! As the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games is about the end, there has been a lot of discussions online about SEA Games host Cambodia and the many foreigners it naturalized who helped them win gold medals in specific sports events. The controversy is only growing and there is concern that what Cambodia has done could potentially ruin Southeast Asian sports as we know it.

To put things in perspective, Cambodia’s naturalized French athlete Margot Garabedian won the gold medals in the Women’s Individual Aquathlon as well as in the Women’s Individual Triathlon. In the Men’s 5-on-5 basketball, Cambodia defeated Gilas Pilipinas 79-68 as they were reinforced by six American players who were naturalized.

Meanwhile, a New Straits Times published an article focused on Cambodia’s mockery of the sport of cricket as their own team has a mix of Indian and Pakistani players. To be more precise, there were 13 foreign-born cricket players on the Cambodian team. As such, the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) hopes that the SEA Games Federation and the Olympic Council of Malaysia will conduct a review of the tournament as we as the eligibility of all players representing different nations in the 32^nd SEA Games.

In relation to these developments, there were two other articles that tackled the controversy of Cambodia’s naturalized reinforcements from overseas. One from veteran sports analyst Quinito Henson and the other a New Straits Times piece.

To begin with, posted below is an excerpt from Quinito Henson’s analysis published by the Philippine Star. Some parts in boldface…

A rule to allow any player, with or without affinity, to represent a country on the basis of a passport has opened the floodgates for mercenaries to desecrate the spirit of sportsmanship at the ongoing SEA Games in Cambodia. The norm of enlisting only one naturalized player for a national basketball team is now out the window. The host country has spared no cost in trying to collect gold medals like they were for sale in the open market and foreign athletes who probably had never visited Cambodia before the SEA Games are shamelessly wearing the national colors for money.

Last January, POC president Mayor Bambol Tolentino disclosed Cambodia’s devious plan to recruit foreign athletes for the SEA Games. In the Philippines, it’s a process to naturalize anyone because the law requires approval from Congress and Senate. But in other countries, it’s like issuing a driver’s license without a test and the wait could be overnight.

The downside of loading up on naturalized players is they don’t compete for national pride. Take, for instance, Cambodia’s 3×3 women’s squad of four American tourists – 5-7 Brittanny Dinkins of University of Southern Mississippi (played in seven countries before landing in Phnom Penh), 6-1 Mariah Cooks of Washington State University, 5-8 Kim Hanlon of Stony Brook University and 5-9 Meighan Simmons of University of Tennessee. Cooks and Hanlon are Women’s Premier Basketball Association (WPBA) veterans while Simmons was New York’s third-round pick in the 2014 WNBA draft. After the imports lost to the Philippines, 21-20 in the semis, they showed no heart in bowing to Indonesia, 21-15 in the playoff for third. The gold medal was lost and the bonus that would’ve come with it so who cared for third place? They didn’t play for Cambodia, they played for themselves and a paycheck.

Posted below is the 2^nd excerpt from Henson’s article…

Cambodian Joshua Bo Noung, who played high school basketball in the US, couldn’t land a spot on the national team because of the naturalized overload. “I am a little embarrassed for Cambodians,” he said. “Because this is not our way to resort to, not giving our own people a shot at competing. They resort to this for immediate success but they have to understand the pride in representing the people of Cambodia all around the world. Losing is part of learning to become better. Winning without integrity isn’t winning”.

In his analysis, Henson cut through the naturalization controversy and hit the key spots precisely. This raises questions about how Cambodia is implementing its very own sports development program and how far will they go to attract foreign athletes and naturalize them to boost their chances of winning in international sports events. After the SEA Games, will Cambodia have their naturalized reinforcements play for them in the Asian Games, the Olympics, and in the respective championship events in the sports of triathlon, basketball, cricket, and other sports?

More on those naturalized athletes, are they truly dedicated to Cambodia as their definitive nation with the long-term future in mind? How do they look at the homegrown Cambodian athletes who could not perform as great as them?

The next article to pay attention is from the New Straits Times which focuses more on ASEAN spirit affected by Cambodia and its naturalized athletes. Posted below is an excerpt from the article with some parts in boldface…

Hosts Cambodia’s conspicuous usage of foreign athletes at the ongoing Sea Games is not good for the Asean spirit.

This was stated by sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli who pointed out that the objective of Asean is to strengthen unity among its 10 countries.

“Cambodia hiring imported athletes to win as many gold medals as possible does not strengthen the relationships among Asean countries,” he said today.

“Cambodia is too ambitious to win gold, they will do anything to finish among the top three in the medal tally.“

With five more days of the Sea Games remaining, Cambodia have bagged a whopping 56 gold medals and are second in the medal table to Vietnam who have 58 gold.

“Cambodia have set a precedent in the Sea Games that it’s okay to hire foreign athletes by giving them PR or citizenship for a short time to win medals,” said Pekan.

“In future other countries which are not strong in sports like Myanmar, Laos and Timor Leste will do the same when they host the Sea Games.

“This does not show true sportsmanship in sports.”

Cambodia is hosting the ongoing Sea Games for the first time, and more than half of its contingent are imports from countries like the United States, India, Pakistan, China and other nations.

Cambodia have raised eyebrows by fielding foreign athletes in cricket, hockey, basketball, volleyball, badminton and other sports.

Just imagine this. Cambodia’s all conquering 3×3 women’s squad consist of four “American tourists” — Brittany Dinkins, Kimberly Hanlon, Mariah Cooks and Meighan Simmons.

Pekan said there are no proper rules and guidelines in the Sea Games Federation that prohibit a country fielding foreign athletes.

“Basically the rules allow countries to take the opportunity to hire foreigners.

“Cambodia has spent a lot of money to host the Sea Games for the first time, and of course which host country does not want to win as many gold medals as possible?

“The government of Cambodia wants to please their people by showing that they can host the Sea Games and win a lot of gold. They also want to justify that they have spent the money wisely for the Games with good returns.

“And Cambodia is not the first country in the region that hire foreign athletes to win medals.

“Other countries have done it before. . Singapore have China-born naturalised table tennis players. A few athletes have dual citizenship, American and Filipino. Yet they are allowed to compete in the Sea Games.

“Look at our national football team, most of the players are naturalised players from other countries.

“We (Malaysia) have also given PR to foreign athletes to win medals in the Sea Games. Yuan Yufang is a China-born athlete who has won many gold in long distance and walk events in the Sea Games.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Do you think Cambodia and its naturalized athletes from overseas will ruin sports in the Southeast Asian region as we know it? When it comes to the aspect of granting citizenship to foreigners, do you think your country has sufficient laws that justify declaring foreign applicants as new citizens? How long do you think foreign applicants (for citizenship in your country) need to be living in the country before they qualify for citizenship? Does your country have a good sports development program that focuses on homegrown athletes?

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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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. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

Vloggers responsible for Las Piñas City prank could face additional charges

May 5, 2023August 8, 2023carlocarrasco

The vloggers who have been charged already over the public prank in the form of a kidnapping in Las Piñas City in the presence of a police officer could face additional charges from the police, according to a Philippine Star news report. It also turns out that the said incident took place at Barangay BF International – CAA.

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

Police are eyeing more criminal charges against three vloggers who were responsible for a kidnapping prank in Las Piñas City recently.

Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, said the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group is studying if additional complaints could be filed against the content creators behind Tukomi, which has 4.21 million subscribers on YouTube and 4.21 million followers on Facebook.

Fajardo said the vloggers uploaded a video of the kidnap prank on social media platforms, which generated thousands of comments from netizens.

The vloggers are facing complaints for alarm and scandal filed by the police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) before the Las Piñas prosecutor’s office.

The respondents are Mark Lester San Rafael, Mark Hiroshi San Rafael and Eleazar Stephen Fuentes.

The vloggers staged a scene which showed men wearing black bonnets kidnapping a person in Barangay CAA-BF International.

Unknown to them, an off-duty police officer, S/Sgt. Ronnie Conmingo of the IMEG, was in front of a nearby store when the content creators staged the stunt.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Las Piñas City resident, what is your reaction to this new development? Do you think that digital content creators who organize public pranks and post videos of them should be held accountable for causing disturbance on others? What do you think should be done with pranksters who organize pretentious acts of crime like kidnapping?

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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For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Philippines aiming for 3-4 gold medals in the 32nd SEA Games triathlon events

April 27, 2023April 30, 2023carlocarrasco

Even as the Philippines will be sending a reduced number of athletes to the 32^nd edition of the Southeast Asian Games (also referred to as SEA Games and Cambodia 2023) in Cambodia anticipating a tough battle ahead, the nation’s triathlon team is aiming high to achieve SEA Games triathlon gold medal success there this May, according to a Philippine Star sports news report. Take note that the SEA Games this year has triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon as medal sports.

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

The Philippine triathlon team will try to replicate, if not eclipse, its three-gold medal haul in last year’s Hanoi Southeast Asian Games when it plunges into action in the Phnom Penh Games next month.

“I’m still confident, we’re targeting three (gold) medals, four if we are lucky,” Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco yesterday told The STAR.

Carrasco said a total of seven golds will be staked in the Cambodian meet – three in aquathlon, two in triathlon and the same number in duathlon.

Kim Mangrobang will spearhead the country’s charge after her triumphs in women’s triathlon and duathlon in Hanoi where the Filipinos went home with a 3-1-1 (gold-silver-bronze) harvest with the other mint coming from Fernando Jose Casares in men’s triathlon.

Recently, Mangrobang and Casares were the best Filipino finishers in the Subic International Triathlon in Subic Bay, Zambales where they wound up 24th and 25th in an hour, a minute and seven seconds and 54:46, respectively.

For the newcomers and the triathlon enthusiasts who want to take a look back at the SEA Games triathlon achievements in Vietnam last years, click here and here. To get to know Kim Mangrobang more, click here. The Philippines has been looking forward to the multisport events of this year’s SEA Games.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Are you looking forward to the triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon events of the SEA Games this year? Do you feel confident about the Philippines winning most of the gold medals of the three multisport events?

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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President Marcos reaches out to France for strategic partnership on nuclear energy

November 23, 2022November 21, 2022carlocarrasco

As you should know by now, I personally favor the use of nuclear power as a key source of abundant energy for the entire Philippines (read my posts by clicking here and here). Nuclear power can produce very high amounts of energy required to power the economy and society and there is no way that solar and wind power could achieve that. Nuclear energy is the answer for the energy requirements of the Philippines and I am really glad that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., reached out to French President Emmanuel Macron and specifically sought nuclear energy partnership during their high-level talk recently in Thailand, as reported by the Philippine Star.

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

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he sought a partnership with France on nuclear energy during a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand.

“I’m very confident that it will be a strong partnership simply because they have up to 67 percent of their power production is from nuclear energy so they are very, very used to it,” Marcos said, according to a release from Malacañang.

Marcos said he wanted to talk to Macron about energy because of France’s use of nuclear power, a controversial energy source that the Philippine president had long advocated for.

On the campaign trail, Marcos said the Philippines should look into reviving the 621-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant — a venture by his despot father and namesake which was mothballed in 1986 because of safety concerns.

During his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos reiterated his determination to adopt nuclear power, saying “it is time to re-examine our strategy towards building nuclear power plants.”

For some added insight into the Marcos-Macron meeting, watch the videos below…

In my honest opinion, it is high-time for the Philippines to move forward with enhancing the entire national power grid by using nuclear power. To invest tons of money on wind and solar power will only produce minimal new energy and the fact remains that the said two types of energy are unreliable. On the social aspect of nuclear energy, I encourage my fellow Filipinos reading this to stop being fearful about anything nuclear and pay close attention to the latest in nuclear power technology, specifically with small modular reactors (SMRs). Learn about them by clicking here and here.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development about the Philippines reaching out to France for a nuclear power partnership? Are you glad that President Marcos specifically sought partnership during his bilateral talk with the President of France?

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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Gang of kidnappers busted; one of the victims was abducted in Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque

October 6, 2022October 5, 2022carlocarrasco

A gang of kidnappers whose members were described as transgendered people got busted by the personnel of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as a result of a joint operation with the Anti-Kidnapping Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and some military personnel, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news report. The gang referred to as Warla had victimized more than ten people (including one victim in Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City according to a Philippine Star news report) and they collected millions of Pesos worth of ransom money for the purpose of sex reassignment surgery (AKA sex change) for themselves.

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

Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) dismantled a kidnapping syndicate whose members are transgenders.

In a press briefing at Camp Crame, Quezon City on Tuesday, CIDG director Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee identified the suspects as Francis Villa, Lawrenza Lingo, Johnas Belonio, Bernard Torres and Mark Joseph Pelonio, all members of the “Warla” kidnapping group.

They were nabbed in a joint operation with the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group, National Capital Region Police Office and military troops on Oct. 1.

Lee said the modus of the group is to lure victims from dating apps and sites to meet up with their good-looking members.

Once abducted, the victims are brought to their safehouse and the suspects demand money from them in exchange for their release.

After receiving the ransom, the suspects drop off the victims in random places around Metro Manila.

The group is said to be operating in the southern part of Metro Manila, specifically in Parañaque, Pasay, Taguig, and Makati and has victimized around 14 persons.

They were able to collect total ransom money amounting to PHP4.2 million which will be used for their sex reassignment surgery or “sex change”.

Lee said the group was made known to the police after Taiwanese victim Michael Lee was rescued on Sept. 7 in Parañaque City, after he was abducted on Sept. 3.

The kidnapping group demanded a sum of money from the victim’s friends in exchange for his freedom. The victim’s friends were able to send money to five different digital wallets reaching a total of PHP308,000.

“For the longest time that I have been in anti-kidnapping operations, this is the first time we have encountered this group of transgenders who have already victimized 14 people. We are still backtracking to find out who they are and fortunately, Michael Lee complained and sought the help of the Taiwan police so that was the breakthrough in this case,” Lee said in Filipino.

Lee said the kidnapping group is led by a certain Mikey Ebol, a.k.a Mike Collado Ebol, who is now hiding.

After trailing transactions of the group, the police located four other suspects who had already surrendered — Dewie Shaine Collado Garcia, Charlemagne Olunan Vargas and Christian Paredes.

In their statements, they said the SIM (subscriber identity module) cards they owned were bought by Ebol.

During the investigation, Lee said the group was formed in 2018.

Col. Hansel Marantan, CIDG National Capital Region field unit director, said the name of the group was coined from the gay lingo “warlalu” which means “let’s get it on, let’s go to war”.

“They will post themselves as beautiful women on Facebook to lure their prey. And that’s it, once the victims are kidnapped, they will start negotiations like asking for PHP500,000 and the span of negotiations is very short. It takes only about three to four days and they use GCash as an avenue for the collection of money which is very hard to trace,” he added.

Further probe revealed that the group is involved in the illegal sale of firearms.

The PNP-AKG filed kidnapping charges against Ebol and his cohorts before the Department of Justice on Sept. 12.

Meanwhile, continuous manhunt operations are being conducted to track the whereabouts of Ebol, and his other members Lexi Villanueva, Jaine Martinez, Hector Magallanes a.k.a. “Yanyan”, Erwin Flores a.k.a. “Marga”, and Matthew San Diego.

As mentioned earlier, one of the victims was abducted in Parañaque City – specifically in Barangay BF Homes – on September 3 before getting rescued a few days later. The Philippine Star noted this in its own report. Posted below is an excerpt from the report. Some parts in boldface…

Three of the suspects – Dewie Shaine Garcia, Charlemagne Vargas and Christian Paredes – surrendered to police after they were found to be connected to the kidnapping of 58-year-old Taiwanese businessman Michael Lee in Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque on Sept. 3. He was rescued last Sept. 7.

Unfortunately, the Philippine Star report did not specify where exactly in Barangay BF Homes did the kidnapping happen. Right now the local authorities and their investigators are trying to figure out what exactly happened and what resources the kidnappers had.

This newest development should serve as a warning to all those who use dating sites or dating apps. There is the need to be cautious when interacting with someone through an online dating source. It is bad enough that there are lots of scammers here in the Philippines who try to lure people through text messaging and social media to get their money.

For added insight, watch the following news videos below…

https://youtu.be/ktmmpIj3-5E

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about these new developments? Are you concerned that you may have interacted with kidnappers pretending to be attractive individuals on dating sites or dating apps? Do these events make you afraid of online dating? Do you think your local community could be easily infiltrated by kidnap-for-ransom gang members?

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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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 as well as making a donation to support my publishing. 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 with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

SUV hits and runs over elderly street sweeper in Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City; driver arrested

September 26, 2022September 25, 2022carlocarrasco

This past weekend, a very tragic event happened inside BF Homes subdivision in Parañaque City when a 63-year-old street sweeper got hit and ran over by a sports utility vehicle (SUV) at the corner of Elizalde street and Aguirre Avenue. The tragedy was captured entirely by CCTV camera and the footage has since turned viral online. Already, the major daily newspapers Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star reported about the tragedy although they differed on the name of the apprehended driver responsible.

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

A 63-year-old female street sweeper suffered severe injuries as she was hit by a sports utility vehicle (SUV) in Parañaque on Saturday, according to a report from the Parañaque City Police Station.

The woman was sweeping the street when an SUV hit, dragged, and ran over her at the corner of Elizalde Avenue (and) Aguirre Avenue in Barangay BF Homes.

This incident was caught on camera, with CCTV footage showing the driver hitting and running over the street sweeper even though she was on the side of the road.

The woman was immediately brought to the Ospital ng Paranaque and was later transferred to the Philippine General Hospital.

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Raymond Maraña, was arrested and taken to the Traffic Vehicular Investigation Unit for investigation.

Police are now preparing a complaint of reckless imprudence resulting in serious physical injury against Maraña.

For more insight, posted below is the excerpt from the report of the Philippine Star. Some parts in boldface…

Police arrested a motorist who ran over and abandoned a street sweeper in Parañaque City yesterday, in an incident that was caught on video that has gone viral on social media.

The victim, 63-year-old Doreen Bacus, was collecting trash at the corner of Elizalde and Aguirre avenues in barangay BF Homes when she was hit by a white Mitsubishi Pajero sport utility vehicle (SUV) at around 7:30 a.m., Southern Police District director Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft said in a message on Viber.

Kraft identified the suspect as Raymond Zaparain, 42, a resident of Las Piñas City, who was arrested by policemen after the incident

Surveillance camera footage of the incident shared by a netizen showed Bacus was unaware of the oncoming SUV as she had her back to the vehicle.

Instead of stopping, Zaparain ran over the victim and fled the scene.

Concerned citizens rushed Bacus to the Ospital ng Parañaque. She was later transferred to the Philippine General Hospital in Manila for further treatment.

One of the witnesses, David Gamboa, confronted Zaparain about the incident.

“Ito lang sinabi niya (this was all he said), ‘I wasn’t aware,’” Gamboa said in a post on Facebook.

On the Barangay BF Homes Official Facebook group, Barangay BF Homes captain Paolo Marquez issued a statement and confirmed he personally knew the victim. Posted below is an excerpt and some parts are in boldface…

A street sweeper (CENRO) by the name of Doreen Bacus from Masville (i personally know and observe her at times na nagpapangabot kami sa kalye as masiyahin and super sipag) was a victim of hit and run by a male driver on a mitsubishi AUV. Fortunately there were witnesses that saw the accident, reported and chased the speeding vehicle towards lopez gate. The driver was apprehended by responding police, tanods and security guards and is currently detained at the Parañaque Traffic Management Bureau for investigation. We hope the driver is punished by the full extent of the law as this will set an example to others not to take the roads for granted. We don’t want any similar reckless incidents happening in our peaceful community.

We are very saddened by this incident. Nanay Doreen 63 years old is a regular street sweeper in our Barangay. She’s currently at PGH in critical conditon and being treated for major injuries sustained during the accident.

For those who wish to send their personal help, you may contact her daughter thru this number 09558524279 (Jade Bacus).

Finally, posted below is a Tagalog ABS-CBN news video about the incident. Watch and listen closely to the details.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are living in Parañaque City, what is your reaction to this the tragedy that happened inside BF Homes? Are hit-and-run incidents common in your city?

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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