When it comes to being competitive among the many cities of the Philippines, making the Top Ten of the most important category is a big achievement already. Thanks to the respective news releases ofย Business Mirror and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)ย the latest Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) for 2019 showed that Muntinlupa City is now the 8th most competitive highly urbanized city (HUC) of the entire nation.
Specifically, Muntinlupa is one of six Metro Manila cities that made the Top 10 of the Most Competitive Highly Urbanized Cities category as revealed during the 7thย Regional Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on October 24.. The city that is home to Ayala Alabang, Alabang Hills, Filinvest City and Northgate Cyberzone is the only South Metro Manila city to make it in the Top 10 of the said category.ย This is a notable improvement over last year’s results.
Muntinlupa’s Public Information Officer Tez Navarro responded to my inquiry by saying that their administration is glad that the city made it in the Top 10 among HUCs. I also made inquiries to my sources within the city governments of Paraรฑaque and Las Piรฑas and, as of this writing, nobody responded. The Most Competitive City for HUCs is Quezon City.
In my view, it’s not surprising that Muntinlupa made it big given the City Government’s (headed by Mayor Jaime Fresnedi) continued public services, efficiency and the local economy’s strong growth. Muntinlupa also made it in the Top 10 on the categories of government efficiency and infrastructure.
As for Paraรฑaque, this year marks another chapter in history in which the city (whose local government unit is led by mayor Edwin Olivarez) failed to break into the Top 10 among Highly Urbanized Cities. In the 2018 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, the city that is home to BF Homes subdivision as well as those fancy casinos and resorts of Entertainment City ranked 14th among HUCs and 21st place overall in the competitiveness chart that includes HUCs and component cities.
Going back to this year’s Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, Paraรฑaque got tied with Caloocan City for the 3rd place ranking for the Most Improved LGUs category among HUCs. The Most Improved LGU for Highly Urbanized Cities is shared at the top by Valenzuela and Malabon. When it comes to economic dynamism and infrastructure,ย Paraรฑaque got mentioned.
Now that the CMCI for 2019 has been published, now is a good time to take a close look at the infrastructure quality and government efficiency in Paraรฑaque. Very recently traffic along Presidents Avenue (the road that connects Dr. A. Santos Avenue with the BF Homes commercial zone and the villages) worsened due to the three road operations (two belonging to Maynilad and one with the Department of Public Works and Highways) happening there at the same time. Those operations occupied significant space on the road making the flow of traffic tighter and more congested. Already motorists who travel regularly along Presidents Avenue are already annoyed with the worsened traffic congestion and a few of them questioned as to why is it that the City Government did not bother to send inspectors on the three road operations. Going back to this year’s CMCI, government efficiency is clearly where Paraรฑaque is lacking.
As for the City of Las Piรฑas, there is a lack of available information as to how it fared among HUCs in varied categories as of this writing.
Ranking the Competitiveness
According to the CMCI website, The rankings of Cities and Municipalities are based on the sum of their scores on four pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure and Resiliency. Provincial rankings meanwhile are based on population and income weighted average of the Overall scores of cities and municipalities under a province.
The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index or CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.
In my old life, I used to be fond of celebrating Halloween. Having been Born Again, I realized my true purpose in life under God the Father and His Son Jesus. That being said, I realized how wrong it is to celebrate Halloween which is essentially evil and unholy for any Christian (including those who practice idolatry which itself is sinful). Halloween will take Christians away from the Lord and that alone is reason enough to reject it.
Halloweenโs origin is Celtic by nature and it is connected with observing the sacrifices to gods under the Druidic culture. There is also Samhain, a dark lord who sends out evil souls to attack humans who try to save themselves by wearing disguises with the images of those very evil souls.
Sounds familiar? It is because there are these modern day Halloween practices that are linked to the evil rites and superstitions of Halloween. In the modern world where Halloween gets celebrated, people (including many children) go out and around their local communities wearing costumes of horror figures like zombies, demons, monsters and pop culture-related villains (examples: Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers). These costumed Halloween participants, looking horrific, would visit any household that offers candy for trick-or-treat. Wearing โnon-horrorโ costumes like superhero attire or fantasy attire (example: dressed like a princess) does NOT reduce the evil that comes with Halloween. There is no such thing as an innocent way of celebrating Halloween.
And then there are those multimedia-related ways of celebrating Halloween like watching horror movies back to back or playing video games that carry strong horror themes. There is also the business aspect of Halloween as food retailers promote the season by linking it with selling candy and chocolate (clearly to take advantage of families or groups that intend to give away the sweets during trick-or-treat Halloween celebrations in the local communities).
Halloween trick-or-treat here in the Philippines even made its way to local government units. In October of 2016 and 2017, the City Government of Paraรฑaque organized trick-or-treat at City Hall which attracted kids wearing costumes (including horror and superhero attire) who visited varied offices that give away candy. During those times, the City Government even organized special events at the nearby city sports complex celebrating Halloween which I find rather disturbing.
In my old life, I enjoyed celebrating Halloween and I used to ignore the claims that it was unholy and evil. While I never went out for trick-or-treat as a kid, I helped out in giving candy to costumed visitors. I also hiked around the local area photographing the Halloween activities flocked by participants, and then uploading those pics online for social media users to view. I also took time celebrating Halloween by watching horror movies.
Looking back, I honestly admit that celebrating Halloween was indeed wrong. Now that Iโm a saved soul and a dedicated Christian with a living relationship with the Lord, I declare that Halloween is wrong, unholy and evil. Halloween is a popular tool used by Satan to take people away from God and Jesus. Halloween definitely should be rejected always and we Christians must always be with God. Let me discuss the following points.
โIs it okay for a Christian to celebrate Halloween?โ
The answer is a definite NO. Letโs take a look at the Holy Scripture below.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lordโs table and of the table of demons.
1 Corinthians 10:21 (NKJV)
And now the Amplified version.
You cannot drink [both] the Lordโs cup and the cup of demons. You cannot share in both the Lordโs table and the table of demons [thereby becoming partners with them].
1 Corinthians 10:21 (AMP)
Very clearly, there is no room to worship both the Lord and evil. If you want to be with the side of God and Jesus, you really need to purify yourself and free yourself from whatever form of evil thrown at you by Satan. Satan is a loser indeed, however he still exists because Adam gave him dominion (read about Adamโs Rebellion) and as long as he exists, he will do anything to take you away from God, to prevent you from worshiping the Lord and will use anything (including religion and idolatry) to prevent you from making progress with the Lord. Halloween is one of Satanโs weapons against Christianity. Halloween is also a long-time tool of the enemy to embrace evil.
If you sinned by celebrating Halloween and committing other sinful acts in your past, you can still be saved (note: you need to be born again to be saved. Heed the words of Jesus in John 3:3) because God is merciful and you need to be willing to repent, submit to Him and dedicate yourself to Him with an established personal relationship with Him.
Be aware that goodness comes from God and evil comes from Satan. Itโs as clear as night and day. If you are a saved soul, then it is clear you should stand with God and His Son Jesus. Being dedicated to the Lord will spare you from evil, and that takes willingness and decisiveness from your end.
Learn from this Holy Scripture.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1-10 (NKJV)
Each and every one of us was created to be loyal, faithful, loving and dedicated towards our Heavenly Father God and His Son Lord Jesus even as we were granted the freedom to think, act and decide. Even before we were even made, God established a plan for each and every one of us. Worshiping Satan, embracing evil, celebrating Halloween and living a life full sin and wickedness are obviously NOT part of Godโs plan for us all.
By realizing the true purpose of your existence under God, you will realize that it is your destiny to be saved and to be faithful (not religious) to the Lord. Satan used a whole lot of tools to prevent Godโs creations from being with Him. Satan used not only Halloween but also religion, idolatry, money, power, destruction, secularism, atheism, agnosticism, Marxism, socialism, Communism, Leftism, entertainment and a whole batch of other tools to bring Christians down and make evil stronger.
Going back to Halloween, that celebration of evil includes witchcraft which is an abomination! In our world, it is too easy for people to go out wearing costumes to look like witches and this alone spreads the influence of evil around. There are also filmmakers and other creative people out there who made witchcraft look cool or even a good custom to practice. The 1996 Hollywood movie The Craft is one such example of spreading Satanโs influence to the public and I personally recommend to you readers to avoid watching that movie (note: destroy whatever physical or digital copies you have of it) at all. In addition, I urge you to avoid spending your hard-earned money on such evil, and that means boycotting promotional products of Halloween and anything related to evil. Witchcraft and related stuff like sorcery, necromancy and magic are abominations as written in the Holy Bible. Read the Holy Scripture below.
โWhen you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.โ
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
Those abominations that look good in entertainment media are all made to deceive you and prevent you from achieving progress and purity with the Lord. From time to time, there are media reports about real life people who practice witchcraft, sorcery and other unholy customs that make this world a terrible place under the eyes of God. That is, obviously, very unfortunate because it proves how screwed up our physical world really is.
Even appearances can add to the influence of evil. You think going out in local community Halloween celebrations dressed as a witch, or as a magician or as a sorcerer (or even cosplaying as Marvelโs Doctor Strange) is okay with the Lord for as long as you donโt practice witchcraft and the like? Wrong! Imagery or appearances of evil spread evil and deceives others. Such imagery also will influence people to embrace idolatry which itself is a sin. Already there are many people who not only celebrate Halloween (Satan’s festival) but also idolized evil figures like the Jack-O-lantern, Dracula, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and more. Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God! Very clearly, idolatry is unholy! Learn from the scripture below.
Surely you must know that people who practice evil cannot possess Godโs kingdom realm. Stop being deceived! People who continue to engage in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual perversion, homosexuality, fraud, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, or extortionโthese will not inherit Godโs kingdom realm.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (TPT)
Rejecting Halloween Effectively
You might be wondering: how are we Christians supposed to reject Halloween and its evil effectively?
First, we must realize our purpose as Christians from the following Holy Scripture.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in this world.
1 John 4:4 (NKJV)
And the Amplified versionโฆ
Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].
1 John 4:4 (AMP)
With that Holy Scripture in two versions, it is clear that as children of God, we are victorious for we believe in the victory of Jesus over Satan. With God on our side, nothing is impossible and we have the power to reject fear, reject evil and reject Satan ultimately. It is by faith in the Lord, not religion and not idolatry, that Christians are special and holy. Stronger than Satan too.
With God on our side, Halloweenโs global popularity can be wiped away and its influence of evil on others can be removed and be replaced with the goodness and the biblical truth emphasizing the holiness and victory of Jesus.
If you are looking for practical ways to reject Halloween (and Satan), I would suggest the following:
Instead of watching horror movies or anything that carries the influence of evil, go watch YouTube videos of Christian praise-and-worship songs like the following below.
Instead of going out on Halloween trick-or-treat, pray to the Lord in your room with the door shut (refer to Matthew 6:6 in the Holy Bible) and be aware that in this way, the Lord is in a secret place and when He sees in secret, you will be rewarded openly. If your church is open or has a holy activity at the same time as Halloween is being held on October 31, make an effort to go to church with the Lord in mind.
Instead of looking at evil images or reading materials that are related to Halloween, better read the Holy Bible or a Christian book.
Christian books that you must read.
By now, it is clear that as Christians we must always maintain strong faith, trust and dedication to God and His Son Jesus. It also means we must be pure in holiness and there definitely is no room for us to accommodate evil in all its forms. As such, Halloween must be rejected always and its evil presence only means we must persevere more to meet Godโs high call. We are all Godโs creations and He made plans for each and every one of us even before we were even created. Obviously we were NOT created to worship nor magnify evil at all! We are destined to be saved (be born again) and live in holiness following Jesus. We pray to Him, serve Him, thank Him and dedicate ourselves to Him for the rest of our time.
Let me end this with one more Holy Scripture.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
Colossians 1:13 (NKJV)
Thank you for reading. If you find this Christianity 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
Cordillera Region Products to Be Showcased at Festival Mall starting November 15
Cordilleraโs best products will be on sale in the annual โImpakabsatโ trade fair organized by the Department of Trade and Industry-Cordillera Administrative Region at the Carousel Court Festival Mall in Muntinlupa city on November 15 to 24. Photo shows the DTI One Town One Product hub in Kalinga where Cordillera products can be bought.ย (Philippine News Agency file photo)
From November 15 until November 24, the finest products from the Cordillera Administrative Region will be featured in a trade fair at Festival Mall in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa.
This was announced yesterday by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) CAR regional director Myrna Pablo who elaborated that the department has been supporting the Cordillera region by making their products more available to Metro Manila-based consumers for the past twenty-three years.
โExcitedย na po tayong lahat dahil ito na yung time na reding– readyย na siย Cordillera to bring products not only in Baguio, CAR but also in the whole Philippines andย may mga nag-e-exportย na rin tayo naย few exporters on woven items, Sagada weaving, and other exporters of coffee on limited volume (We are excited because this is the time when we are very prepared to bring our products not only in Baguio, CAR but in the whole Philippines. We also have exporters on woven items, Sagada weaving and limited volume for coffee),โ Pablo said.
The DTI regional director added that the region’s products this time are much better.
For the trade fair that will be held at the Carousel Court of Festival Mall, there will be eighty exhibitors composed of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) which will be assisted by the DTI.
Products that consumers can look forward to include food items (licensed by the Food and Drugs Administration), traditional culture-based woven items, wearables and homestyle, and small woodcraft items that use softwood.
In terms of revenue, the DTI hopes to see this year’s trade fair generate between P50 million to P60 million in sales. Last year’s trade fair saw revenues of P40 million.
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To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile numberย 0905-3350831ย or via email atย Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.comย
Press releases are accepted.
We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.
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 bookย The World of Havenorย is stillย available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check outย my servicesย andย my portfolio. Feel free toย contact meย as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook pageย Author Carlo Carrascoย and follow me atย HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
After worshiping the Lord at church this past Sunday in Las Piรฑas City, I proceeded straight to Madison Galeries in Barangay Cupang, Alabang, Muntinlupa City to attend their special event of the day called Village Food Fair 2.
Months ago, out of curiosity, I attended the first Village Food Fair held at that same open-air shopping mall and I had fun looking around and enjoying some food and beverages. The pleasurable experience I back had then made me wish that the mall would organize another food fair and, as what happened this Sunday, they delivered!
The food vendors outside the Madison Events Place.
High-quality beef sold for shawarma.
At Village Food Fair 2, I visited first the food stalls at the 3rd floor just outside of the Madison Events Place (which is a large, air-conditioned hall) where food products like shawarma, rice meals and freshly cooked meat were served. I noticed beef wagyu offered in both packed and in cooked form.
Inside the Madison Events Place was a whole lot of vendors that offered a great variety of beverages and food to choose from. There were packaged sushi rolls, coffee (in powdered form, in beans and in brewed form), organic pasta, noodles, dumplings, pies, nuts, beans, sandwiches, carrot cakes and the like. On keeping the atmosphere lively, the mall operators hired a lady to play the guitar and sing on the spot.
A customer waiting to be served.
This lady sang nicely during the food fair.
There was a whole lot to choose from Village Food Fair 2 and I am very glad that Madison Galeries organized this. As a coffee enthusiast, I ordered black coffee mixed with condensed milk. That coffee was prepared for me with the utmost care as two containers were used to pour and mix the coffee and condensed milk together before serving it on a cup. I liked the taste.
I went outside Madison Events Place to try a chicken shawarma. The chicken was really well cooked and the vegetables and pita used made each bite a delight. I got my moneyโs worth as a result. Before going home, I bought Barako coffee powder from one of the vendors inside Madisons Events Place.
This looks yummy!
Coffee, honey, chocolate and other nice stuff for sale.
Organic pasta for sale.ย
In conclusion, I should say that my experience with Village Food Fair 2 was even more pleasurable than the previous time. It sure was nice to see a wide selection of food and beverage products of nice quality along with several customers making transactions with the sellers. I sincerely hope for another Village Food Fair to be organize there at Madison Galeries which is clearly the best open-air shopping mall to be at in South Metro Manila. For Ayala Alabang residents and BF Homes residents (as well as those living in related communities like Tahanan Village) reading this, to visit Madison Galeries without having to travel along the West Service Road from Paraรฑaque, I highly recommend securing a non-resident, passing thru vehicular sticker from Alabang Hills Village Association (AHVA) so that your access will be better.
Sushi rolls being sold.
The other sellers inside the Madison Events Place.
This one really smelled good as the cooking went on.
My thanks to Madison Galeries and the concessionaires who made Village Food Fair 2 happen. I would love to attend another edition of it in the near future. Village Food Fair is easily a standout among all food fairs in South Metro Manila.
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To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile numberย 0905-3350831ย or via email atย Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.com
We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.
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 bookย The World of Havenorย is stillย available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check outย my servicesย andย my portfolio. Feel free toย contact meย as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook pageย Author Carlo Carrascoย and follow me atย HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
A Lively Family Day Celebrated by Mindbuilders Preschool in Tahanan Village
A grand shot of the families and students who were part of Mindbuilders Preschool’s Family Day celebration. (photo contributed by Mindbuilders Preschool)
On the morning of September 21, Mindbuilders Preschool successfully organized its Family Day event at the covered basketball court at the park of Tahanan Village in Paraรฑaque City.
An estimated 100 families attended the event which was still a good turnout considering the weather that day. There was a huge audience of parents and other family members who witnessed the little kids participate in this yearโs theme: Game of Cones which was a friendly competition in which the young children participate by teams (Blue and Red) to play different games that involved cones such as Cone Slalom, Stack of Cones Relay, Cone Hat Relay, Ball in Cone, Cone Scoop Relay, and Pass the Cone Relay.ย Finishing the task first or with the most number of cones makes a team win!
The Blue team scores.
Both participants got loot bags which contain prizes from parents/sponsors.
The most anticipated cheering competition was won this year by the the Blue Team.
During the event, Mindbuilders Preschool administrator Marah V. Estuesta confirmed that the turnout of families was greater than what was anticipated. Apart from the families of the students, families of alumni members of the school also attended and socialized with others.
So did the other side.
Mindbuilders Preschoolโs Family Day was organized to bring families together, have fun watching the contests, and to socialize. The contests themselves were nice physical exercises for the participants which are quite meaningful given todayโs social obsession (or strong attachment) with gadgets and social media.
The event was sponsored by Belo, Downy, Dole, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Potato Corner, Senor Rolando Lechon Belly House, Hobe, and Braiserโs Village Cafe. Thanks to the support of the sponsors, several packages of goods were given to the families.
A wider view of the Game of Cones.
In recent times, Mindbuilders Preschool has been active not only for its students but also for local communities. They successfully organized a plastics drop-off project with their strategic partners and they will do another edition of it on November 5 and 6.
For more information about Mindbuilders Preschool, click here.
About Mindbuilders Preschool
Mindbuilders Preschool is a Multiple Intelligence school located at 168 Tropical Avenue BF International Las Piรฑas City.ย It was established in 2002 and is recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd)ย and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).ย The preschool is also an active member of the Association of Las Piรฑas Private Schools.ย To date, Mindbuilders Preschool established itself with not only good quality education but also worked with its students on several social responsibility projects.ย The school prides itself in having strong home and school collaboration.ย The bond built with families is even carried beyond the childโs preschool years โ evidence that Mindbuilders Preschool is more than just a learning institution.
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To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile numberย 0905-3350831ย or via email atย Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.com
We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.
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 bookย The World of Havenorย is stillย available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check outย my servicesย andย my portfolio. Feel free toย contact meย as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook pageย Author Carlo Carrascoย and follow me atย HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
If you have excessive plastic materials in your household or in your business establishment that you wish to get rid off, then you should seriously consider collecting them for proper disposal as Mindbuilders Preschool announced that a new plastics drop-off campaign will be held on November 5 and 6 at its facility at 168 Tropical Avenue, BF International, Las Piรฑas City.
This means you can bring your excessive plastic materials to their school, drop it off and then leave. The school and its partners will handle the rest. Event partner Pure Oceans Philippines will collect the materials and forward them to technology partner Envirotech Waste Recycling which in turn will process them all at its upcycling plant. The process on the part of Envirotech will convert the materials into 100% upcycled plastic products such as school chairs.
What is upcycling? It is the activityย of making newย furniture,ย objects, etc. out ofย oldย or used things orย wasteย material, according to Cambridge Dictionary.
To learn more about Envirotech’s methods on dealing with plastic material, watch these two videos.
For more on upcycling, here is a 2017 news video about upcycling in South Korea.
Going back to Plastics Drop-off campaign, the plastic materials that will be accepted at the school are as follows:
SOFT PLASTICS – residual plastics like candy wrappers, sando bags, plastic labo, straws etc.
HARD PLASTICS – like broken appliance bits, toys, the bottles the junk shops won’t take, takeout containers (clean please) etc.
Before donating the plastic materials,ย make sure they are clean and segregated between soft and hard plastics.
This is not the first time the plastics drop-off was held this year. In fact, previous plastics campaign held in late August saw a grand total of 84.7 kilograms worth of plastic materials collected (note: I participated by bringing to them the plastic materials from our household).
So if you missed out on that campaign, now you have a new opportunity to get rid of excessive materials at your household or business establishment. Mark November 5 and 6 on your calendar!
As for me, I will donate plastic stuff again.
For more information, call Mindbuilders Preschool at 0927-2062506 or landline 88257419. Visit their Facebook page here.
About Mindbuilders Preschool
Mindbuilders Preschool is a Multiple Intelligence school located at 168 Tropical Avenue BF International Las Piรฑas City.ย It was established in 2002 and is recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd)ย and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).ย The preschool is also an active member of the Association of Las Piรฑas Private Schools.ย To date, Mindbuilders Preschool established itself with not only good quality education but also worked with its students on several social responsibility projects.ย The school prides itself in having strong home and school collaboration.ย The bond built with families is even carried beyond the childโs preschool years โ evidence that Mindbuilders Preschool is more than just a learning institution.
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To others reading this, if you are dissatisfied with print media and you want your community/organization/business to be featured on this website, please contact me locally via mobile numberย 0905-3350831ย or via email atย Carlo.Carrasco@gmail.com
We can negotiate, work together and be achievers together.
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 bookย The World of Havenorย is stillย available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check outย my servicesย andย my portfolio. Feel free toย contact meย as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook pageย Author Carlo Carrascoย and follow me atย HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
The City Government of Las Piรฑas announced thatย Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar confirmed her commitment to rid Zapote-Alabang Road and secondary roads of any obstruction to ensure safety and ease traffic as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) rated the city with high compliance in road clearing operations.
The Mayor ad her daughter Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery, on Monday again called on members of Task Force (TF) Kaayusan, barangay officials, and homeownersโ associations to sustain the gains of the clearing operations.
The mayor cited the improved flow of traffic along Zapote-Alabang Road which is the cityโs main thoroughfare, as well as removal of sidewalk vendors and demolition of overlapping structures, including the unfinished excavations by various service utilities.
โThese obstructions must be permanently out from our main thoroughfare and the inner roads since the sidewalks are for the pedestrians and the roads to motorists,โ Mayor Aguilar said.
Even before the announcement of the DILG directive, Task Force Kaayusan was already convened by the Mayor in July shortly after her re-election. The task force, composed of the Estate Management and Development Office, City Engineering Office and the local Philippine National Police, being spearheaded by the Mayorโs Office conducted clearing operations to address concerns on traffic and road hazards.
She also ordered the traffic enforcers to strictly implement City Ordinance No. 577-02, which prohibits all forms of traffic violation and obstructions along the roads and sidewalks.
The DILG last Friday posted on its website the evaluation and assessment report on compliance of Metro Manila cities and municipalities to its Circular 121 based on the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte during his State of the Nation Address last July. Las Piรฑas was among the twelve Metro local government units which got a high performance rating, meaning with 91% to 100% cleared roads and sidewalks.
In a Philippine Star report, the city, along with Valenzuela City, Navotas City, Marikina City, San Juan City, Makati City, Taguig City,ย Muntinlupa Cityย and Pateros, received a perfect compliance score from the DILG. Indicators on determining compliance include ordinances issued, use of a road inventory plan, displacement strategies, rehabilitation efforts and direct on-ground clearing operations. In that same report, it is notable that Las Piรฑas and Muntinlupa are the only South Metro Manila cities that got listed with achieving perfect compliance scores.
Between one hundred eighty to two hundred people participated in the Bingo Socials fund-raising event of the Century Club of Tahanan which was held on October 12 at the covered court in Tahanan Village, Barangay BF Homes, Paraรฑaque City. The numbers were confirmed to me by Century Club’s president Florencia Umali who spearheaded the organizing of the games.
I personally looked around and took pictures for this article you are reading. Fortunately for me, I arrived just before City Councilor Tess de Asis delivered a short speech to the participants and the spectators. De Asis, who is best known in the City Government for her enduring legacy on local education and is now serving her third and final term, contributed to the prizes.
A raffle prize winner posing for a picture with Century Club president Florencia Umali and City Councilor Tess de Asis.
Apart from the councilor, Umali confirmed to me that Mayor Edwin Olivarez, Vice Mayor Rico Golez and Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez respectively donated to the cash prizes of the event. Congresswoman Joy Tambunting donate a mobile phone while City Councilors Wahoo Sotto, Giovanni Esplana, Bong Benzon, Jackie Bustamante-Mendoza, Binky Favis and Jean Yllana donated in kind resulting multiple prizes for winners.
Meanwhile, the Tahanan Homeowners Association (THA) and Martin Guzman of Village Cafe gave gift certificates to the event.
The participants were greeted personally by Councilors Sotto, Benzon and Congressman Eric Olivarez when they respectively visited the event. Olivarez even performed a dance to amuse the participants.
A view from one side…
…and from another side.
Umali told me that her club not only managed to raise some funds but also witnessed the happiness the participants had playing the bingo games and the smiles on the faces of very fortunate individuals who won cash prizes or raffle prizes. She added that the Bingo Socials proved to be effective in helping members of the local community get to know the new homeowners and, at the same time, promote camaraderie between them.
Ultimately the Bingo Socials brought the residents together which fit in nicely with Tahanan Village’s legacy of being one of the most neighbor-friendly villages not only in Barangay BF Homes but in South Metro Manila as a whole. The fact that several public officials of the city contributed to the prizes and made guest appearances showed that Century Club is a highly credible private club of senior citizens to them. Just a few months ago, no less than Office of Senior Citizen Affairs of Paraรฑaque (OSCA-PQUE) officer-in-charge Dante Pacheco attended Century Club’s general meeting and made notable announcements.
Congratulations to Century Club for an event nicely pulled off!
The much-awaited Sun Life Aquathlon, a multi-sport racing event hosted by Sun Life Philippines in partnership with BikeKing Philippines, is set to award its winners at the finale of the series championship on October 13 at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus City, Cavite.
The event will mark the conclusion of the Sun Life Aquathlon Series Championship Series 2019, which includes the Vermosa Sports Hub Aquathlon 1, Vermosa Sports Hub Aquathlon 2, and the Aquaman Aquathlon.
โHosting the Sun Life Aquathlon enables Sun Life to nurture the growing interest of Filipinos in multisport events. This is very much aligned with our thrust to promote health and wellness in the country,โ Sun Life Chief Marketing Officer Mylene Lopa said.
Now on its third year, the Sun Life Aquathlon will see almost 400 participants racing to garner more points in the last leg of the series, in hopes of winning their respective categories. Categories are divided by age-appropriate distances: the shortest course is a 100-meter swim combined with a kilometer run designed for children ages seven to eight; while the longest course is a 500-meter swim combined with a five-kilometer run for participants 15 years old and above.
The Sun Life Aquathlon series points will be tallied and the Top Aquathlete of 2019 and other champions of the series will be announced during the awarding ceremony. Moreover, top three winners of each age-group category will receive specially designed finisher medals and gift packs.
The event is also supported by Smart, SPEEDO, Apollo Petroleum Jelly, Vermosa Sports Hub, official timekeeper Garmin, and hydration partners Pocari Sweat and Sip Purified Water.
For more information on this event, visit http://bikekingphilippines.com. For more about Sun Lifeโs health and wellness initiatives, follow @SunLifePH and @GoWellPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you are looking for any event in the entire South Metro Manila emphasizing the campaign against bullying, then you should go to Southville International School & Colleges (SISC) in BF International, Las Piรฑas City as they will organize their big event titled Be a Buddy, Not a Bully! – A Family Affair Against Bullying on October 25 and 26.
Set to take place from 9AM to 4PM on each day, admission is free according to SISC officials.
What will you get for free entrance? The organizers have prepared the following activities that are designed to give attendees a clear vision about what bullying is, what its effects are and what people can do to protect themselves from bullies.
Parenting talks
Storytelling sessions
Games
Merchandise exhibits
Food bazaar
Open house for all SISC and non-SISC families.
Previously I wrote about mobbing and that topic is closely related to bullying. To put things in perspective, bullying is defined as abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful, etc. (according to Merriam-Webster.com)
If you want to tackle the topic of bullying seriously, take the opportunity to attend the Be a Buddy, Not a Bully! – A Family Affair Against Bullyingย atย SISC on October 25 and 26.ย
For inquiries, call the school at (02) 8825-6374 local 100.